Disgruntled local disbands

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A handful of Metis from Marlboro held a general meeting Feb. 16 and, in the midst of discontent and frustration, voted unanimously to dissolve their local.

"Since last fall, we've been kind of thinking of putting out....we finally made up our mind," said Russel Plante, Marlboro's Metis local president.

Ever since his membership card was pulled last summer by the Metis Association of Alberta, other outstanding problems have never been resolved. Plante said the main

organization had held back their project proposals once too often.

"All the membership decided we're not really accomplishing anything...Locally, we can do a lot more than we ever did through the Metis association," he said.

Plante said when two proposals for a guiding and outfitting company and new approach to settling land claims reached the MAA's office, it "died" there.

"We keep banging our head... And get so far when everything dies." Now, he's just "totally fed up with the whole bloody works."

Since the February meeting several Marlboro Metis have contracted the regional office in Edmonton. They want to hold a meeting and possibly set up another local. Joe Blyan,

vice-president of the region, said in an interview he's been "keeping in touch" with at least three people who are spearheading the drive for a new local.

"There are some rumors they may be re-organizing," said Blyan. He said he will attend a local meeting in Marlboro March 8 to discuss the possibility.

Plante says Blyan's relatives in Marlboro represent the group which is organizing the meeting.

Marlboro is a Metis hamlet, 200 km west of Edmonton, with a population of about 200.