Glen Archie reelected chief of Big Grassy

Ken Johnston
Editor

One could say that democracy is alive and well in Big Grassy. Some 33 people ran for Chief and five seats on council there.
Glen Archie was reelected as chief for the third consecutive term. Joining him in governing the community will be incumbent Carolyn Jack (also serving her third consecutive term), Vernon Tuesday who served two terms ago, James Comegan who served four years ago, and two new faces, Garnet Comegan and Darryl Archie.
“I am very happy with the new council,” said Chief Archie last week, “I fought a lot with the old council, but I feel we (the new council) will work together well.”
Chief Archie said that he has a full slate of things he would like to see get done. They include building a new medical building, a new roundhouse, further development of Assabaska Park (formerly Lake of the Woods Provincial Park) and the construction of a cell phone tower.
Archie said that the location of the roundhouse has to be central in the community and noted that it will, “be built differently than the one at Manitou Mounds. The drum has to be in the center of the community.”
The new medical building has been on the books for a couple of years since the old one burned down. Archie said that the 2002 floods saw the contractors unable to start construction as they were all working on flood damage repairs.
As for Assabaska Park, Archie said that they hope that once the environmental assessments are complete that they will be able to move forward with plans to develop the park.
The cell tower project has also faced delays, but according to Archie is still on the books.
Chief Archie also vows to fight the federal gun control laws noting, “Nault said the OPP will enforce it on reserves. They have no jurisdiction on the reserve.”
The new Chief and council will be sworn in a traditional ceremony in the near future, under the guise of Elder Joseph Big George.