"Band Council and Community Trust in stalemate over trust funds"

Cash-strapped band council is pushing for money from the $17 million Six Nations Community Development Trust to help build a needed ball diamond, a youth and senior's centre, and a new fire hall but the Trust is refusing to promise any fund­ing.

Council told the Trust last Tuesday, during a general meeting, that those three projects are its biggest priorities right now, but there was no resolution on when and if the Trust would ever provide the funding to council.

As a result band council will be seeking a legal opinion on whether the community trust is still a legal entity.

Trustee Tammy Martin said it could take years before it gives council any money for those projects.

Six Nations Band Council has been under pressure from community members for a new ball diamond for its youth league, a much needed youth and seniors centre and critical need for a fire hall.

Community members have been complaining about the Trust for a number of years.

In May, council learned that the Trust would not accept applications from council departments after turning down a funding request from Parks and Recreation to build a third ball dia­mond here.

Councillors had accused the Trust of "hoarding" money and asked the organ­ization to meet with them to discuss council's funding priorities, arguing that council projects are community projects and that council should be able to access funds from the Trust. Martin said the Trust didn't turn down the request from Parks and Recreation, but that it was going to consider council projects through a "different process." She did not explain what that process was. Instead, she said, "applicants who heard that news were relieved because it left more money for community projects to get funding."

The Trust was established in 2004 with revenues from Casino Rama that filtered down to Ontario First Nations. That changed in 2011 when the Casino Rama agreement was replaced with the new Ontario Lottery and Gaming Authority agreement that would see one percent of all gaming funds funnelled to Ontario First Nations.

The Chiefs of Ontario created the Ontario First Nations Limited Partnership to receive the funds and distribute them annually on a per-capita funding formula. The amounts communities receive change based on gaming revenues.Six Na­tions has received over $80 million in funds over the years.

This past spring, Six Nations Band Council voted not to hand over any portion of the OFNLP funds to the Trust.

Council said it was going to seek a legal opinion on whether the original trust agreement still stands, since it was created under the now defunct Casino Rama agreement.

The trust has been investing the community's almost $17 million it oversees in various stocks, bonds and mutual funds and did suffer a loss during the 2011 eco­nomic downturn. The $17 million in trust funds are being held by an off reserve bank. Martin said it disperses interest revenues every year, usually between $500,000 and $700,000. The Trust can't dip below a base capital amount of $1O million.

Councillor Ross Johnson criticized the Trust's han­dling of council requests.

"The problem I have with our Community Trust is that I don't trust the Trust. I believe we need to work together and we're not. We are working for the people of this reserve. When we go to the Community Trust for help in some way, it's to help the community."

Martin said Trustees are bound by the original Trust agreement and that they were trying to follow that. "If we violate those conditions, I can guarantee you we would be hauled before this community, before this council, and reprimanded, but we don't. We follow what's required of us; we're open; we're transparent; we have a process that the community is aware of," said Martin.

"They may not agree with the process at this time, but when people apply to us, they have a fair shake," she said.

Councillors asked the Trust to look at changing its application deadline from once a year, in June, to three or four times a year to give community members more opportunities to obtain grants.

"It would make a lot of dif­ference to all of these peo­ple trying to do projects," said Councillor Helen Miller.

But Martin said having more frequent deadlines would cost the Trust more in administration costs.

Council said it will put the Trust in contact with its community planner to continue discussions on fund­ing council projects.