Public Meeting Held on Community Trust at Snye Homemakers

A public meeting was held on the latest draft of the Community Trust Document on Friday, at the Snye Homemakers. The purpose of the event is to give the community time to learn about the community trust and ask any questions they might have, either about the trust itself or individual aspects of its creation or management. Members of the Internal Technical Team, who are responsible for the creation and implementation of the trust framework, were on hand to explain the document as well as answer questions.

A nice addition was a plain language document which explained the trust documentation in an easily digestible document. The questions asked by the community ranged from the means that the money can be used, and particulars about the overseers and trustees. Tax issues were also brought up and they raise a particularly interesting challenge regarding revenue that the trust creates. Exact details of how the money can be used were not in place yet.

Overseers have been selected and are as follows:

Richard Mitchell

Maxine Cole

Joanne Swamp

Elvera Sargent

Rose Oakes

Rose - Alma McDonald

Doris Cook

This was the last community meeting before the focus meeting where a decision will be made, so if you have not made yourself acquainted with the document and the framework it proposes, you should contact Curtis Lazore at the Aboriginal Rights and Research Office at 613-575-2348 and obtain a copy of both the Trust Document as well as the Plain Language Document.

Details of interest taken from the Plain Language Document are as follows:

Use of Trust Property and Purposes of the Trust

•Trust Money can only be used:

1. For the Purposes outlined in the trust document

2. To pay Authorized Expenses

3. To make Authorized Investments

Some of the Purposes of the Trust are:

•Assisting with funding to create and promote economic development including entrepreneurship

•Providing funding to meet social needs

•Funding to help provide housing to the Mohawks of Akwesasne

•The Trust also allows the Trustees to provide funding for any other purpose, which in the opinion of the Trustees, is in the best interests of the Members, and will give them a real benefit.

•Trust funds cannot be withdrawn except by a formal, written decision taken at a Trustees’ meeting.

Community Trustees

•The Overseers and Internal Technical Team collect applications from members who wish to be Trustees, and recommend to council whether they should be appointed, taking into consideration:

-The individual’s common sense, skills, and ability to help the community

-The individual’s respect in the community

-Whether the individual can communicate in the Mohawk language.

•The individual must have either obtained or agreed to obtain, within 9 months of appointment, introductory level trustee accreditation from the National Aboriginal Trust Officers Association of Canada.

•No individual convicted of a criminal offense or who is bankrupt may be a trustee

•No member of council may be a trustee

•Community Trustees are appointed for a four year term by council,

-Except for the first appointment, where three Trustees shall be appointed to serve terms of two years and three Trustees shall be appointed to serve terms of four years.

•A majority of Community Trustees must be resident on the reserve lands (Northern portion) of Akwesasne.

Overseers

•The Overseers are a committee of seven Members, consisting of Elders, Youth and other community leaders

•The Overseers’ role is to provide guidance advice with respect to traditional knowledge and cultural and spiritual values to be incorporated into the work of the Trustees.

•Overseers are compensated for expenses by Council.