Ecdev Update Hello from the ecdev department!! I would like to update you on a specific project that you might have been hearing about. There has been a request of Chief and Council to lease the old Quonset site to build a store and develop a couple other things. This request was met by Chief and Council with excitement and a general agreement that it sounded good for the community. Chief and Council then asked Les Taylor to look into what it would take to have this project get off the ground. Les then contacted me to see what the process was, I indicated to Les that Chief and Council had agreed with a “New business engagement protocol” that every new business wanting to work with the GNN would have to go through- this included businesses wanting to lease property from the Nations. The idea behind this protocol was for the Band office to gather as much information as possible to help Chief and Council to make their decisions on projects. We don’t want to see the Nations get into any business arraignments that might bring harm or financial hardship to the community. Chief and Council have something called “fiduciary responsibility” which basically means that they have to find out as much PAGE 3
GWA’SALA-’NAKWAXDA’XW NATIONS YO! NEWS
information and decide if the risk is something the community can handle.
The second major part of this project is taking something of extreme value to the community (LAND) and lease it to a community member and his non community partner. While it is an exciting thing to have a noncommunity member want to invest into the community it is also Chiefs and Councils responsibility to ensure that in the event that the partnership doesn’t work or the project ends that the property will remain in control of Chief and Council with respect to their fiduciary responsibility.
I am currently working with the community member who brought this project forward to help him through the process.
If anyone would like to see the “New Business Protocol” you can pick a copy up at the Band office. Gila’kasla Conrad
15/ 11/2013