April Martel says it’s “time for me to rest, go back to school and heal from all the traumas” as her time as Chief of the Kátł’odeeche First Nation comes to an end.
Martel said as much in a Facebook post as the First Nation’s electoral officer confirmed three people are seeking the role of chief in December’s election: Elaine Auger, Robert Lafleur and Ken Norn.
“I am so happy to have served the Nation for two terms. I had dreams for our Nation, but the dream fell apart with Covid-19, floods, two fires and many evacuations, but we all survived,” Martel wrote.
She became KFN’s first female chief in 2018, when she won by three votes. She was re-elected in another tight race four years later, defeating Auger by four votes in a by-election held after an adjudicator found Auger’s initial disqualification from an election in 2021 had been unfair.
KFN was hit by flooding in 2022 and wildfires in 2023.
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“I just-about lost my life in the flood and that’s the healing part I need to overcome,” Martel wrote late on Wednesday.
“Now the Nation is in full recovery from the loss of our band office, group home, Dene cultural centre, homes, cultural identity, traditional arts and crafts from our ancestors.”
Polling day in the three-way battle to succeed Martel will be Thursday, December 12. You can vote in person at the Chief Lamalice Complex from 9am till 7pm that day. There are also options for advance voting, mail-in ballots and voting online. (Learn more here.)
Six councillors have been acclaimed, the First Nation’s electoral officer said on Wednesday:
- Douglas James Cardinal
- Lenny Peter Fabian
- Irene Wanda Ann Graham
- Shirley Violet Lamalice
- Nancy Julie Norn-Lennie
- Joyce Dora Studney
Correction: October 31, 2024 – 11:25 MT. We initially incorrectly gave Elaine Auger’s name as Eileen. The report has been updated to correct the spelling.
