5 things about Attawapiskat and 3rd party management
The federal government put Attawapiskat First Nations under third-party management Wednesday. Here are five things to know about the government's intervention policy and Attawapiskat:
1. Three levels of intervention
There are three levels of intervention policy the department of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development uses, starting with recipient managed intervention. At this first level, the reserve puts together a plan to get its financials back on track. Attawapiskat had been at the next level, co-management, for almost 10 years, and the government elevated it to third-party management on Nov. 30.
2. The difference between co- and third-party management
The band council and the department agree on a co-manager, who gets signing authority for all accounts containing AAND funding. The band pays for the manager. Under third-party management, all funding goes through a manager appointed by the department to administer it. The manager, whose salary is paid by the band, decides which band staff are required to run its programs and services.
3. How many communities are under intervention
The Assembly of First Nations counts 630 First Nations communities in Canada: as of Oct. 5, 2011, AAND listed 67 co-managed reserves and 11 third-party managed reserves.
4. What it costs
The direct cost of the intervention policy for First Nations can be significant: in 2009-10, the average cost for third-party intervention was $142,969. The band pays this cost.