From tworowtimes.com link to article by Nahnda Garlow, December 18th 2019
OHSWEKEN — Six Nations of the Grand River General (SNGR) Council began general council on Tuesday with a moment of silence and acknowledgement for the passing of community leaders Cleveland General and Gil Martin.
Memorial Park
Roberta Hill, Chairperson for the Mohawk Village Memorial Park presented to council their proposed budget for the 2019/2020 budget.
Hill said the board is in need for funding for 2020. Currently the board has $30,000 funding. Previously $100,000 was committed to the project from council from OFNLP dollars.
Hill said $149,000 came from an anonymous outside source to complete the pavilion on site. Hill shared that the group is struggling with finding funding to support their ongoing work, and said they have not been able to access government funding to complete the park.
Woodland Cultural Centre
Trudy Smith, Six Nations community representative on the board for Woodland Cultural Centre came to request Six Nations of the Grand River appoint a person on the board to fill the vacancy left with the departure of Council member Carl Hill. Smith suggested community member Darren Thomas be placed as an interim board member until council decides to appoint a new council member to take fill the vacancy.
Smith also suggested SNGR consider putting a residential school survivor on the board.
Cannabis
Ben MacDonald of One Nation Cannabis presented his ideas about what council should do in implementing the Six Nations Cannabis Law. MacDonald asked SNGR to provide a motion allowing One Nation to establish a cannabis task force to work with the Cannabis Commission and council.
Chief Hill said while there is a need to having the voices of business owners engaged in the implementation of the law there are issues surrounding involving business owners being involved in the development of policy.
Lengthy discussion and commentary between members of council and the community member audience carried on for some time about the need to maintain community safety, examine protocols local police are using in shutting down illegal shops and harmonizing with provincial and federal standards to empower trade networks with other First Nation communities
Election Code
In the second week of a continued discussion on the SNGR Election Code, council acknowledged issues with the current Election Code. Two Six Nations women came to hear answers to the rest of their questions. Chief Hill gave council’s verbal report on the issues raised. Members of the audience and the women presenting did not accept the council’s verbal report and insisted the council provide additional information. Members of the audience and the two women unsuccessfully attempted to halt the rest of the meeting from going forward until the council presented the information they were seeking.
Infrastructure
SNGR approved a contract for $213,000 to compete the Youth Ball Diamond. Funds are coming from the Six Nations Community Development Trust Fund, Parks and Recreation capital and Public Works O&M fund.
The Landfill Site closure and Transfer Station Project costs increased to $7,500.389.60, an increase of $1685.00.
K.L Martin & Associates were sole source contracted for the design of a new central administration building at a cost of $313,064.00.
Finances
SNGR approved signing authority be transferred to Leeann Bomberry and remove signing authorities of former SAO Dayle Bomberry and former CFO Gary Phillips effective January 2020. The council announced Bomberry and Phillips retirement late last week.
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