'The shelter should be moved': Mark Arcand changes tone on shelter after election to third term as STC chief
Mark Arcand was re-elected to a third term as Tribal Chief of the Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC).
Arcand was elected by STC’s seven member communities at a Treaty Assembly vote on Thursday.
“The people are going to be rewarded by all of us working together, and that’s where the Saskatoon Tribal Council is; we’re united, and we work together to help people,” Arcand said shortly after learning the results of Thursday’s vote.
Speaking to media after the election, Arcand said his focus will continue to be on homelessness.
The STC currently runs the city’s largest emergency shelter, a facility that has drawn the ire of some its neighbours in Fairhaven.
For several years, Arcand bitterly defended the shelter and its residents from accusations that they have contributed to increased crime in the neighbourhood, or that he colluded with the city to open the facility without consulting area residents.
Now, Arcand says he’s open to discussing moving the shelter — if there’s a suitable spot for it.
“The shelter should be moved, but it has to be the proper location. It has to be what's right for the community,” he said.
But it won’t happen overnight, Arcand says.
“I don't know how long that will take, but at the end of the day, we look at how hard it was to find the other shelter. And at the end of the day, I think we've got a lot of work to do on pre-planning, instead of making these snap decisions at a council and doing a lot of these things.”
Two candidates were in the running to be tribal chief for the next four years, Mark Arcand of Muskeg Lake Cree Nation and Robert/Bobby Daniels of Mistawasis First Nation.
Of 75 delegate votes cast, 40 were for Arcand and 35 for Daniels.
Arcand was first elected to the position of tribal chief in 2017, following two terms as vice-chief. He previously worked as an STC labour force development partnership manager and coordinator of youth sport, culture and recreation initiatives.
Arcand is originally from Muskeg Lake Cree Nation and has lived in Saskatoon for over two decades.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Labour minister says Canada Post workers could soon be forced back to work
Canada’s labour minister has asked the industrial relations board to review the state of negotiations between Canada Post and its union and, if it sees fit, to order striking postal workers back to work.
The biggest changes to Canada's mortgage rules, according to a broker
Canada's new federal mortgage rules are coming into effect Sunday. A broker says this is what would-be buyers need to know.
Upcoming GST relief causes confusion for some small Canadian businesses
A tax break for the holiday season will start this weekend, giving some Canadians relief on year-end shopping. But for small businesses, confusion around what applies for GST relief has emerged.
U.S. Olympic and Paralympic officials put coach on leave after AP reports sexual abuse allegations
The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee placed an employee on administrative leave Thursday after The Associated Press reported that one of its coaches was accused of sexually abusing a young biathlete, causing her so much distress that she attempted suicide.
Teen facing child porn charges after sending ex-boyfriend's photos to his parents
A teenager in Guelph is facing child pornography charges after sending nude photos of her ex-boyfriend to his parents.
B.C. Supreme Court certifies class-action lawsuit against Airbnb
The B.C. Supreme Court has certified a class-action lawsuit against Airbnb that alleges the short-term rental company has breached provincial consumer protection laws by offering unlicensed real estate brokerage and travel agent services.
Top musician forced to cancel Toronto concert after Air Canada refused to give his priceless cello a seat on plane
Famed British cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, who became a household name after performing at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, has said he had to cancel a concert in Canada after the country’s largest airline denied his pre-booked seat for his cello.
Ontario mulls U.S. booze ban as Trump brushes off Ford's threat to cut electricity
Incoming U.S. president Donald Trump is brushing off Ontario's threat to restrict electricity exports in retaliation for sweeping tariffs on Canadian goods, as the province floats the idea of effectively barring sales of American alcohol.
Country star Morgan Wallen sentenced in chair-throwing case
Country music star Morgan Wallen on Thursday pleaded guilty to two misdemeanour counts of reckless endangerment for throwing a chair from the rooftop of a six-storey bar in Nashville and nearly hitting two police officers with it.