Westbank First Nation council candidates meet for debate

CHIEF ROBERT LOUIE UP AGAINST VETERAN CHIEF RON DERRICKSON AND REPEAT CANDIDATE ROXANNE LINDLEY

WESTBANK FIRST NATION – Band members vote mid-September for new chief and council but first comes the all-candidates forum.

On Sept. 8, the four candidates for chief and 16 candidates for council will have a chance to speak about their campaigns followed by a meet-and-greet with individual candidates.

Candidates for chief will be given five minutes to speak and include former chief Ron Derrickson, Roxanne Lindley, Larry Derrickson and incumbent Chief Robert Louie. Candidates for council will be given three minutes to speak.

The forum is scheduled from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 8, at the Sensisyusten Gymnasium at 1920 Quail Lane.

Voting day is Sept. 15, where approximately 550 band members are eligible to cast votes from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the Sensisyusten multipurpose room.

An electors list of who is eligible to vote is posted in the reception area of the Westbank First Nation administration office, 515 Highway 97 South.

Westbank First Nation has almost 800 members although not all of them live on the reserve. As well, almost 10,000 non-natives lease or rent houses on reserve lands. These people are represented to WFN council through the resident’s council.

To contact a reporter for this story, email John McDonald or call 250-808-0143 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. 

Electoral officer Karley Scott can be reached at 250-300-8816 by band members with questions about the election.