New Post-Financial Information from the June finance meeting

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Group-for-Accountability-and-Fairness/130530581735?v=app_2373072738

Thank you to everyone who took notes at the June financial meeting. The following is a summary of those notes.-


Facts from finance meeting in June
As of June we have $55M in the bank
Total Budget is 40$M for this year ending March 2011
45% of our money for budget comes from our bank account (general revenue account) $16M to 18M
55-18=37$or 39$M left in bank at end of March 2011

Some of which is set aside and cant be touched because of :

Collateral for loans (land purchases) and the Housing collateral fund of $10M and the credit facility of $18M = Which leaves us with approx $15 M actual free and clear cash in the bank at the end of March 2011 at the rate we spend money it wont last long
Money will start to come to us monthly August 2011 which is 1.9% gross of profits could be as high as $10M per year
plus the land leases of approx $4M which still goes into the trust fund
Also casino funding remain the same at approx $10M a year, snow contract/water charges/ sewer charges/ police and fire but is already calculated in the budget so it is not over and above
Even with the new casino agreement we will have nothing left in the bank unless we stop spending like this $24M a year on wages and benefits $18M operating budget

Reserve Transparency

The Canadian Taxpayer's Federation has launched a website to help band members obtain financial information as to how band funds are being used.

This is a great website and a great resource.

It goes to show you that we, the Group for Accountability are not the only ones who see this as an issue on reserve and want to do everything we can to make sure the information is accessible.
This supports the work we have been doing and I am proud to say so.

We continue to contribute to the fight against the HST and the taxation of our Citizens

Saturday, March 13, 2010

The Contact List--E-Mail and Fax your letters in DAILY!!!

Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty

Phone: (613) 992-1573
Fax: (613) 943-0938
E-Mail: finpub@fin.gc.ca
E-Mail: jflaherty@fin.gc.ca
TTY: 613-995-1455


Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Phone: (613) 992-4211
Fax: (613) 941-6900
E-Mail: harper.s@parl.gc.ca
E-Mail: pm@pm.gc.ca

Chuck Strahl Minister of Indian Affairs
Phone: (613) 992-2940
Fax: 819-953-4941
Fax: (613) 944-9376
E-Mail: minister@inac.gc.ca
E-Mail: ottawa@chuckstrahl.com
E-Mail: riding@chuckstrahl.com
E-Mail: strahl.c@parl.gc.ca

Dwight Duncan Provincial Minister of Finance
Phone: 1-800-337-7222
Phone: (519) 251-5199
Phone (416) 325-0400
Fax: (519) 251-5299
Fax: (416) 325-0374
E-Mail: dduncan.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org
E-Mail: financecommunications.fin@ontario.ca

Chris Bentley Ministry of the Attorney General and Ministry of Indian Affairs
Phone: (519) 657-3120
Fax: (519) 657-0368
Fax: (416) 326-4007
Fax: (416) 326-4017
E-Mail: cbentley.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org

Dalton McGuinty Ontario Premier
Phone: (416) 325-3777
Fax: (416) 325-3745
E-Mail: dmcguinty@premier.gov.on.ca
https://www.premier.gov.on.ca/feedback/feedback.asp?Lang=EN

Michael Ignatieff

Phone : (613) 237-0740
Fax : (613) 235-7208
email : info@liberal.ca

Copy and Paste for email convenience:

finpub@fin.gc.ca,
jflaherty@fin.gc.ca,
pm@pm.gc.ca,
harper.s@parl.gc.ca,
ottawa@chuckstrahl.com,
riding@chuckstrahl.com,
strahl.c@parl.gc.ca,
dduncan.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org,
financecommunications.fin@ontario.ca,
cbentley.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org,
dmcguinty@premier.gov.on.ca
info@liberal.ca

Monday, February 1st, 2010

Since when is calling for accountability a bad thing? Since when is it wrong to want to hold your government responsible for the good and the bad? I have noticed very recently that in response to this blog, Communications now keeps a blog on behalf of Chief and Council, but their blog is heavily censored, so any comments you may wish to leave for them have to be approved first. So in the effort to communicate more and be more open and accountable they are still in essence trying to control and manipulate what's said and what comments make it on to their blog. There is one particular comment that was left by Anonymous. Only someone who didn't grow up here and spent a portion of their lives denying their ancestry would have the nerve to refer to us (Rama) as "The #1 First Nation in Ontario" and accuses the Group for Accountability of 'causing negativity'. My response to that would be this - It's not that were not the #1 First Nation in Ontario, but we would never be so arrogant as to refer to ourselves that way. Many of us have family and friends in other First Nations communities and it's just not like us to put ourselves above another community. THAT'S JUST NOT OUR WAY! Someone who actually grew up on the Rez or lives here might actually know this, and I mean no disrespect to our off reserve membership, you're the one's were trying to reach. But seriously, how out of touch with the community can you be???? And as for causing 'negativity', if choosing to educate and advocate for community members on their right to know and right to partcipate than I suppose were guilty of rocking the boat and shaking things up a bit. But if we didn't feel it was 100%, ABSOLUTELY necessary for community members to know what the issues are and participate in their government for the sake of future generations to come then I suppose we wouldn't take the time to do what were doing. But obviously we care a great deal about our community and the health of our people and if that can be twisted by Chief and Council OR administration and made to look like attempts to breed negativity for the sake of maintaining their secrecy and iron grip on affairs then I wouldn't put it passed them for trying. Be aware of what you hear and what they put out there that casts this group in a negative light. In the coming months you may start to hear some very obvious attempts at attention diversion. Do not be fooled! You know better than this! You know that something isn't right. You know it in your gut and you know it in your heart. Question everything, and don't believe everything you hear. We, the members of the Group for Accountability have doors that are always open and are willing to listen to your concerns. We will never stoop to spreading rumours or attempting to divert your attention from the issues at hand and we will continue to press Chief and Council for the answers to the questions they don't want to address. Miigwech.