The moderate livelihood struggle took another turn Friday evening when Sipekne’katik Chief Mike Sack posted how much chiefs get paid for attending meetings by the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaq Chiefs.
A document published by Sack on his Facebook page is a breakdown of the $31,182 paid to him by the assembly for attending meetings between April 2018 and February 2020. An additional $22,926 was paid to him by the assembly between March and September of this year for a line item titled "Covid Meetings."
According to Sack, the document was sent to him by the assembly instead of an answer to a question he posed to them – where is Sipekne’katik’s portion of the $5 million provided to the Mi’kmaw by the federal government for negotiating a moderate livelihood fishery?
“I think they were trying say that I received money from them,” Sack said.
Sipekne’katik has been pursuing its own moderate livelihood fishery outside the framework the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaq Chiefs has been attempting to negotiate with the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
The assembly’s plan sees each of the province’s 13 First Nations allotted management areas for their moderate livelihood fisheries near their communities. The area assigned to Sipekne’katik would encompass the Atlantic Coast (lobster fishing areas 31b, 32, 33) and the upper Bay of Fundy (Area 35).
But before any of the other members of the assembly started their self-regulated fisheries, Sipekne’katik launched its fishery from Lower Saulnierville in St. Marys Bay. Located within Area 34, those waters are the responsibility of the Bear River, Acadia and Annapolis First Nations – which have stated that they weren’t consulted or asked permission by Sipekne’katik.
Sack’s response was to publish the list of payments to him for attending assembly meetings and then call on other chiefs to do the same.
“I bet I’m the lowest,” Sack’s post stated.
“My salary is also one of the lowest. Our members should see the numbers.”
According to Sipekne’katik’s audited financial statements, Sack was paid a salary of $62,493 in 2018-19, plus $7,928 in travel expenses.
He said he is contacting other committees that pay honouraria or travel expenses, requesting the amounts paid, so that he can post those as well.
A spokesperson for the assembly could not be reached for comment Sunday.
