After 9 years, Sahtu Secretariat chair steps down

The chair of the Sahtu Secretariat has stepped down after nine years.

Ethel Blondin-Andrew, who is also known for being a former member of parliament for the Western Arctic, completed her term as chair of the secretariat on May 31.

The Sahtu Secretariat made the announcement in a newspaper advertisement in News North.

In the announcement, Blondin-Andrew is described as "a great asset to our region with many years of experience and wisdom."

She's a really hard worker. She's done a lot for us in the region.- Joseph Kochon, Sahtu Secretariat board member

Blondin-Andrew and the Sahtu Secretariat office didn't answer calls from CBC about why she left. But the secretariat's board member Joseph Kochon, who represents Colville Lake, N.W.T., said Blondin-Andrew gave notice months ago that she intended to tender her resignation in May.

"She decided to move on," Kochon said. "She's a really hard worker. She's done a lot for us in the region, and she had a lot of responsibilities, so we just wish her luck in whatever else she tackles into the future."

Chief Wilbert Kochon, chief of Behdzi Ahda First Nation in Colville Lake and Joseph Kochon's brother, says Blondin-Andrew was an effective leader who got results.

"It's good working with her over the years and I think she's done a lot of good things for us," he said. "I'm sad to see her leave."

Vice-chair Charles McNeely has been appointed interim chair.

Not much will change, says critic

But others in the Sahtu region have accused the secretariat of a perceived lack of transparency — and Blondin-Andrew's brother, Walter Blondin, has been one of them.

It's going to be more of the same because it's the same people sitting in there.- Walter Blondin

Blondin said he doesn't think much will change with his sister's resignation.

"It's going to be more of the same because it's the same people sitting in there," he said. 

Blondin pointed to the Sahtu leaders' purchase of a northern outfitting company in 2017, with a loan from the secretariat, as an example of a decision he said that was made without consultation.

Blondin has also called on the secretariat to submit to a forensic audit over how its land trust fund is managed. 

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Board member Joseph Kochon said that Blondin-Andrew's resignation had nothing to do with the request for an audit.

"She had a good working relationship with all the board members."

Kochon said that the secretariat works with lawyers and financial advisors, ensuring "everything's done by the book," and that the secretariat is made up of representatives from throughout the Sahtu who are appointed in their local communities.

"We follow the mandate given out by the land claims [agreement]," Kochon said. 

"I'm not sure where [Blondin is] coming from but he's more than welcome to come to the next AGM and ask more questions."

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