First female chief makes history in Peguis

 

PHOTO COURTESY PEGUIS FIRST NATION

Pictured left to right Mary Tyler Bear, Darlene Bird, Chief Cindy Spence, Wade Sutherland, and Glennis Sutherland were all elected to Peguis band council last Wednesday.

 

By Austin Grabish, The Express Weekly News       

There’s a new chief in town on the Peguis First Nation, and the new boss is a woman.

In a historic nail-biting win Peguis resident Cindy Spence out-seated Glenn Hudson as chief of the First Nation.

Spence is believed to be the first woman to ever hold the chief’s seat.

Unofficial election numbers circulating online say Spence defeated Hudson by just 62 votes.

Three other women were also elected, leaving just one man on the Interlake band’s council.

Mary Tyler Bear, Darlene Bird, Glennis Sutherland, and Wade Sutherland are the new councillors.

A whopping total of 31 people were running for councillor.

Spence has yet to comment on her historic win, but she thanked band members in a video posted on Facebook.

“We’re all in this together and it’s up to us to make our future a better future,” Spence said moments after being named chief.

In an interview with the Express a week prior to voting day she said she had a lengthy list of issues she would tackle if named chief.

She pledged to address the First Nation’s dire housing situation and improve communication in the community.

Business deals the First Nation have done regarding a development at Assiniboia Downs and the ongoing battle over the Kapyong Barracks in Winnipeg were both hot election issues this year. 

She told the Express she would bring all of the business deals Peguis has partaken in back to community members for evaluation.

Peguis has multimillion-dollar trust funds from settlement agreements, and she said, “It’s time for the Peguis people to have a voice in how and where our money is invested.”

News of Spence and the four councillors’ win was made official last Wednesday night, a day after band members went to the polls.

The news appeared to be welcomed by folks online.

“Congratulations to the voters that made change happen! I’m hopeful for what may lay ahead,” wrote Angela Morriseau in a Facebook post.

Glenn Hudson had served as chief of Peguis for nearly eight years. His high salary had come under fire in recent years though he defended it in an interview with the Express in the days leading up the election.

 -- First published in the Express Weekly News print edition April 2, 2015 p.1