Arbitrator gives Bigstone Cree First Nation an election do-over

Mark this down as a win for fair elections. Members of the Bigstone Cree First Nation will be getting a chance to return to the ballot box following a decision by arbitrator Gordon McKenzie this week.

Reasons for the re-do

As previously reported by The Post Millennial, Bigstone was facing three separate appeals to their election results. Two of the primary reasons cited by McKenzie in his decision were the fact that ineligible voters were allowed to vote and eligible voters were prevented from voting. An outdated electors list, lack of polling clerks and a failure to properly record who had voted were all contributing factors in the confusion over who could and could not vote.

History of election appeals

This isn't the first time Bigstone has had to redo their elections. Both the 2010 and 2014 elections were successfully appealed by band member and former councillor John Gullion. Fellow band member Travis Gladue-Beauregard, founder of the Bigstone Empowerment Society, a group which seeks to increase transparency at Bigstone, was also pleased with the ruling telling The Post Millennial, "The arbitrator made the right decision." Gladue-Beauregard added that he would not be supporting many of the candidates he supported this past election due to his concerns that they were allegedly complicit in the discrepancies of this election. The election is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, December 18, 2018.