Escalating crisis in Kitcisakik leads to blockades, appeals to government

by Patrick Quinn

A conflict among current and former leaders of the Algonquin First Nation of Kitcisakik continues to escalate after the current director general and five former chiefs went public with their concerns on March 26 in Ottawa.

“We are asking for an urgent intervention from the federal minister of Indigenous Services to put an end to this dictatorship,” said councillor Catherine Anichinapeo at a press conference. “I’ve been a witness to this for seven years. I have been subjected to workplace intimidation and misogyny.”

The group said they tried unsuccessfully to resolve the dispute internally over the past three years and there had been a public demonstration in March 2023. It’s a delicate situation for the Anishinaabe community of 300 located about 130 km south of Val-d’Or, where there is no electricity or plumbing.

On April 13, the delegation of ex-chiefs met with Quebec Indigenous Affairs Minister Ian Lafrenière and the provincial representative of Indigenous Services Canada. While ISC announced it will not interfere in Kitcisakik’s internal discussions, it called on the two sides to enter a mediation process as the conflict is preventing children from attending school.

With the band council continuing to exclude its only elected female councillor, including in efforts to rebuild its municipal offices and convenience store that were destroyed by fires in February, the group declared they had “no other choice but to put pressure on their elected by blocking access to the community for all workers who arrive from outside.”

After a blockade on Highway 117 outside the community was established April 15, Chief Régis Penosway announced that 14 community employees involved in the blockade would be indefinitely suspended with pay. The band council appointed eight employees to handle their duties while an independent investigation is conducted.

“The allegations made by a small group of people over the past few weeks have no basis and are based only on erroneous impressions,” Penosway stated. “By setting up an independent investigation, I hope to restore the truth and finally allow the community and all our members to turn the page.”

Penosway told the Nation that he made a “personal and professional commitment” to not influence this investigation in any way. He denied that Anichinapeo has been excluded from decision-making processes and asserted that all resolutions have respected the established rules of governance.

The former chiefs allege that Penosway is not following conflict-of-interest policies that prevent Chief and Council from administering programs and services. On March 15, the band council passed a resolution that transfers powers from director general Doris Papatie to himself to access financial records and human resources files.

The opposition group demanded the restoration of Papatie’s management powers that she has held for the last 27 years, and that education budgets be managed by an independent committee. Chief Penosway is also accused of unilaterally controlling funds for mining development and giving contracts to lawyers or consultants without following public tender procedures.

“We have a consultant who took control of the Council and is behind those decisions implemented by the Chief,” said former chief James Papatie, who is the director general’s brother and among those suspended. “We tried to get rid of her.”

This consultant is planning the community’s new village, expected to be located near Barker Bay about 17 km north within a decade. James Papatie said that the community’s directors of programs and services have been excluded from discussions.

“It’s difficult to answer our community when they ask when the power is going to be there, when water will be available,” lamented Papatie. “It’s totally unacceptable. It disrespects the democracy of our people. It takes away the rightful place for women at all levels.”

Papatie spends $18,000 annually on generator fuel for power in his home, relies on bottled water and firewood, and uses Kikcisakik’s communal showers. He said about 10 out of the community’s 100 homes cannot afford a generator. In 2022, Hydro-Québec finally agreed to supply electricity to Kitcisakik and began work this past November.

However, the group of former chiefs say that no progress has been made on these fronts and that the band council is blocking major projects in education and health. Council reportedly rejected a resolution supporting students with special needs, submitted by director of education Luc Létourneau, who is also now suspended.

Another rejected proposal submitted by Anichinapeo two years ago addressed sexual violence and substance abuse in Kikcisakik. Papatie said one councillor was charged with sexual assault on a minor, but the community was never informed about the incident, or any actions taken.

“It’s a small community so sexual abuse is really a touchy issue,” Papatie explained. “We hadn’t had a suicide for over 20 years, but we’ve had a few now. I think the council is afraid of the impact of supporting that kind of project. There might be investigations and some people might get arrested.”

Citing the international #MeToo movement, the former chiefs denounce the discrimination and sexist remarks made towards their women leaders. Confronting these issues has resulted in such inflammatory arguments that it was decided to suspend community meetings for now.

With unanswered questions about accountability and transparency in the tightly knit community, the decision to make these concerns public was difficult. The conflict has divided families who hear differing interpretations of the rift.

“Of course, it’s not easy to address this because we’re related to the council,” said Papatie. “It’s my brother-in-law. I know we’re going to face consequences, but we have that responsibility. A society that does that to their women has no future. The current chief and his team keep us in a state of dependence and impoverishment.”

Patrick Quinn, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Nation