Walpole elects new chief, council

Walpole Island First Nation members have elected a new chief.

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Leela Thomas came out on top with 607 votes in Saturday’s election, according to results released on the band’s social media Sunday morning.

She was followed by Mino Giizhgad (Chris Riley) with 187 votes, Donna Isaac-Day with 147, Lorne Loulas with 139, Marsha Miskokomon with 113 and Steven Amaro with 20.

Incumbent chief Daniel Miskokomon’s name was listed as withdrawn, along with Stephen Tooshkenig.

Most recently, Thomas served as program manager of the Walpole Island Employment and Training Program.

According to her biography on the program website, she has more than 10 years of supervisory experience and a background in finance, psychology, business and employment consulting.

Elected councilors included Lee Kicknosway, Anika Altiman, Harmony Blackbird, Clint Jacobs, Elaine Wrightman, Matthew Nahdee, Trenton Soney, Amy White, Charlene Altiman, Judy Peters, Jason Sword and Bruce Sands.

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According to a Facebook post by Thomas, the new council wasted no time in getting down to business with their first band council meeting set for Monday night.

“All our council meetings will be open to the public,” Thomas posted. “Please feel free to share with others.”

In a pre-election post, Thomas said“I genuinely love and care for my community and try to be an active member, volunteering and participating in community events and helping when and where I can.

“I also try to make sure my children are actively involved in the community,” she added.

“I know there is a lot of work to be done and the system seems to be broken, but together we can stand strong and find the solutions needed,” Thomas said. “Together, we can build that strong foundation. Together, we can build ourselves up towards progress.”

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Walpole Island chief and band council elections are held every two years.

The outgoing chief and council faced protests in recent weeks, including a band office blockade, over financial and transparency concerns, which Miskokomon has dismissed as rumors in previous interviews.

A swearing-in ceremony for the 2024-26 term is to take place Monday at the Naaknigewgamig (council chambers). The event starts at 6 pm, with the ceremony following at 6:30 pm

Walpole’s vote comes after new leaders were elected for another area band, Caldwell First Nation in Leamington.

Nikki van Oirschot was elected chief this month for a three-year term, defeating incumbent Mary Duckworth by a margin of 143 votes to 102.

With files from Ellwood Shreve

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