Harper to meet with Chief Spence/First Nations leaders

[grammafreddy]

Just for the sake of comparison, does anyone know what the natives in the Okanagan living on reserves get? Do they get their homes for free and what kind of homes do they have? How much do their chiefs and band councillors get for pay?

[goatboy]

And technically it's only a 300,000 value after depreciation which if all bought at once would be vehicles 4 years old. Since that's unlikely it's most likely a group of vehicles between new and 12 years old, and not entirely unplausible or unreasonable.

Yes, definitely a work vehicle from an impoverished community.

[goatboy]

For a native family living on a northern reserve that $40,000 (per family of 5) would not buy as much as for a native family of 5 living on a southern reserve.

Senior natives might also get OAP and a provincial supplement and CPP (if they paid into it) so perhaps they do not get a share of INAC funding. I don't know.

For a non native family living in Northern Ontario, how much would they receive? Could the Northern family not move to a southern reserve?

[grammafreddy]

Yes, definitely a work vehicle from an impoverished community.

That could be a rental vehicle or it could be someone's personal vehicle. The picture was taken in Ottawa and she may have flown there and a vehicle rented. She's not driving so why are you attacking her for this? Local transit might not run down to the tipi on the island.

Maybe she should have driven the community's dumptruck down there? - HA! Or the Olympia ice cleaning machine!!!! LOL

[eMeM]

Oh my. In a comment thread under the latest SNN video a lovely lady yelled that we should all "get in our boats and go back to wherever you came from!" While ignorance on both sides abound I am quite concerned that so many posts show this attitude that no one belongs here besides those of FN decent.

[oneh2obabe]

GF - inquiring minds want to know ... you *bleep* 'n complain at the drop of a hat about any increase in government spending for art, tax credits for sports, business incentives, fitness, child benefits, etc. yet you're defending Spence to the hilt on her mismanagement of millions. Why?

[dogspoiler]

Oh my. In a comment thread under the latest SNN video a lovely lady yelled that we should all "get in our boats and go back to wherever you came from!" While ignorance on both sides abound I am quite concerned that so many posts show this attitude that no one belongs here besides those of FN decent.

If we all go back where we came from, who will feed, clothe, and house the natives ?

[grammafreddy]

For a non native family living in Northern Ontario, how much would they receive? Could the Northern family not move to a southern reserve?

Nope - different nations, customs, traditions ... plus you don't just jump from reserve to reserve. INAC would have a heart attack!!! They keep detailed lists of every native Indian on reserves called "Band Lists".

Lots of non-natives living in the north get a "northern living allowance" to cover their increased costs of living there (and to encourage them to live in the north). They also get to claim "Northern Living Deductions" (form T2222) on their income tax.

There are two northern residents deductions:
 a residency deduction for having lived in a prescribed zone;
and
 a deduction for travel benefits you received from employment
in a prescribed zone that was included in your income.

http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/E/pbg/tf/t2222/t2222-12e.pdf

[grammafreddy]

GF - inquiring minds want to know ... you *bleep* 'n complain at the drop of a hat about any increase in government spending for art, tax credits for sports, business incentives, fitness, child benefits, etc. yet you're defending Spence to the hilt on her mismanagement of millions. Why?

Ummm ... because she has only been the chief since the middle of last year and may, in all honesty, not know where that money was spent or where it went? And because since she has been the chief, the reporting and documentation of funds has improved?

Radical thinking, I know, but does that satisfy all these "inquiring minds"?

Is there any particular reason you could not have asked that question without the personal attack attached to it?

[oneh2obabe]

Ummm ... because she has only been the chief since the middle of last year and may, in all honesty, not know where that money was spent or where it went? And because since she has been the chief, the reporting and documentation of funds has improved?

Sorry but that excuse won't work ... she's been chief since August 27, 2010 so she should have some inkling where and how the money was spent in that 2 year period. Not to mention she was deputy chief from July 2007 to September 2010 during which time she more than likely sat in on a few budget meetings and voted yay or nay on expenditures.

Wasn't a personal attack - you do voice your disapproval over every monetary decision all level of government makes which doesn't meet with your seal of approval.

[grammafreddy]

Sorry but that excuse won't work ... she's been chief since August 27, 2010 so she should have some inkling where and how the money was spent in that 2 year period. Not to mention she was deputy chief from July 2007 to September 2010 during which time she more than likely sat in on a few budget meetings and voted yay or nay on expenditures.

The audit went back to 2005. And just because she was a deputy chief since 2007 until Aug 2010, it doesn't mean she hung onto the receipts, ordered supplies, wrote cheques or had anything to do with the band's bookkeeping.

I know its a novel idea and not nearly as marketable as the sensationalizing the media is getting from slamming Spence, but maybe somebody could have tried contacting the former chiefs, former councillors and former co-managers as well as the IMAC people responsible for that funding throughout the whole audit period and asked them those same questions?

[dogspoiler]

How do you know that didn't happen ?

[grammafreddy]

How do you know that didn't happen ?

Do you know that it did? Link, please.

[eMeM]

If we all go back where we came from, who will feed, clothe, and house the natives ?

I don't know about you but I was born here. I haven't anywhere to go "back" to.

[dogspoiler]

Me too.