Peter O’Neil has a shocking story on the front page of the Vancouver Sun, looking at the pay of a family ruling the tiny Shuswap First Nation. From O’Neil’s piece:
An elderly B.C. First Nations chief and his ex-wife, along with one of their sons and a grandson, received more than $4.1 million in remuneration over the past four years.
Shuswap First Nation Chief Paul Sam, 80, gets a tax-free salary that has averaged $264,000 over that period to run a tiny reserve near Invermere, a resort community near the Alberta border.
The Shuswap have 267 members, of whom just 87 live on the reserve.
His son, Dean Martin, is doing even better, with an average annual salary of $536,000 over the four years, running a band corporation that operates various businesses on and near the reserve.
Apparently no one knew until the First Nations Financial Transparency Act came into effect. From O’Neil:
A dissident councillor, who earns $57,700 annually, said she was unaware until recently that Chief Sam and the only other councillor, ex-wife Alice Sam, 82, were earning such lofty salaries.
“We had no idea. We are absolutely disgusted,” Barbara Cote told The Sun Thursday while vowing to reform band finances if she’s successful in a bid to take control of council.
Unbelievably, the Sams’ pay is higher than Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s. And look at their justification:
Their sons, Dean Martin and band media relations spokesman Gord Martin, said their parents’ hard work and longevity justify having salaries higher than a prime minister who presides over an economy that produces just under $2 trillion in goods and services annually.
“With all due respect to Harper and to everybody else, I don’t think they’ve been in power for 34 straight years,” Dean Martin, chief executive officer of Kinbasket Development Corp., said in an interview Thursday. “To be … the leader of a nation, and we’re not just a band, we are a nation, and to lead it for 34 years, is something totally unheard of, I don’t care in what political field you’re in.”
Things must be great in Shuswap, right? Ummmmm:
Both Cote and Tim Eugene, another candidate in next month’s election, say they want to take over council and bring in reforms to ensure both disclosure and a greater distribution of funds to cover education and culture programs, child care, and home renovation.
They said some community members have gone without water and electricity in the winter, but were unable to get help from the band.
Here’s a breakdown of the Shuswap salaries:
Chief Paul Sam
Councillor Alice Sam
Randy Martin
Barb Cote
Dean Martin
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