Second referendum possible for Siksika golf resort land

By September, Siksika First Nation members could be returning to the polls to vote on a second referendum dealing with the land designation for the Hidden Valley Golf Resort.

This time around, though, council will be asking for a two to three year extension on the present designation and not the original revocation and designation that would have seen the land maintain designation for recreational, residential and commercial purposes under a 50-year lease.

That referendum was defeated in December by a vote of 551 to 241.

This second referendum will only come about if Siksika members verbally give Chief and council the nod.

“First of all we have to get the consensus of the people … then we bring it forward in another referendum,” said Chief Fred Rabbit Carrier.

At issue is a 131-hectare parcel of resort land that was designated in 1974 for resort use and is presently leased to Nation-owned Siksika Vacation Resort Company which has subleased 305 lots to individual cottage owners, only a handful of which are Siksika members. SVRC has a management and operation agreement with Hidden Valley Golf Resort Association.
Kelly Breaker, who led the charge against the initial referendum claiming a flaw in the process, is not pleased to have the issue resurface barely two months after membership voted.

“It certainly sounds like council would like us to vote again on the same terms of the deal that caused us to vote ‘no’ in the first place. They really want this deal to go through. Their obsession is near pathological,” he said.

Rabbit Carrier denies that either he or council have taken a stand on the issue. However, he would not comment on whether the December no vote surprised him.

On Feb. 20, council passed a motion to begin consultations on a possible short-term lease extension.

Rabbit Carrier says there were a large number of undecided voters the first time around, despite material presented by council to the general membership.

“We voted no because we did understand,” said Breaker.

Rabbit Carrier says consultations will be held in 14 communities and where there are no community halls, families will be asked to open their homes for larger meetings. Consultations are to be concluded by mid-May.

If the consensus favours another referendum, Rabbit Carrier doesn’t expect that to happen until September as the process set out by Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada is stringent.

With the subleases set to expire by the end of October 2013, Glenn Luff, AANDC spokesman, says timing is an issue.

“Our current concern is there be enough time available following a designation vote for the department to process the Ministerial Order submission to accept the designation and execute the necessary head lease documentation,” wrote Luff in an email interview.

If a new referendum vote is successful, council will use the additional time to “develop the longer term vision for the resort lands,” according to the February 20 motion.

If consensus goes against a second referendum or the results of the second referendum do not favour an extension, Rabbit Carrier says the land will revert to the First Nation and will not be able to be used for industry or resort.

Under the current lease agreement, cabin owners will be allowed to remove their cabins.

“With no designation and lease in place, only Nation members could use and occupy the resort lands and any improvements that may remain,” said Luff.

Along with the option to temporarily extend the lease, Luff says AANDC also told council that they could revise a new long-term designation.

Photo caption:  Following the December referendum, Siksika member Lilian Crow Chief, also concerned with the process, checked the totals with Aboriginal Affairs Canada Electoral Officer Daniel R. Silbernagel in the background.