For a number of months, the question has hung in the air: Would 2017 be the year without Pow Wow Days? Based on a recent announcement by Lac La Biche Pow Wow Days Association President Martin Desjarlais, it seems it won’ t be.
For a number of months, the question has hung in the air: Would 2017 be the year without Pow Wow Days?
Based on a recent announcement by Lac La Biche Pow Wow Days Association President Martin Desjarlais, it seems it won’ t be.
Desjarlais said at this time no date has been determined but he hopes to hold an executive meeting for the association as early as by the end of the week during which planning for the event will begin. As it is an executive meeting, attendance will be limited to executive board members only with Desjarlais explaining a full membership meeting would make for too many members present during discussions.
To date, the association has faced numerous setbacks to planning the event. Back in February Lac La Biche County stripped the organization of its funding and ordered an audit of the association’ s financial statement after the organization’ s members twice rejected the statement.
There has also been in fighting within the organization. Disagreements between members culminated in an unsuccessful petition by certain board members for the removal of the association’ s vice-president Lavon Fleming.
Despite these hurdles, Desjarlais said Monday that an executive board meeting is in the works, during which possible events for the 2017 Pow Wow Days will be discussed.
Desjarlais said the board would discuss concerns raised by Fleming and treasurer Brian Axenchuk over the association’ s past spending.
“We’ ll also be discussing the audit,” he said. “And also be discussing 2017 Pow Wow events.”
Meanwhile, Fleming is concerned that having a meeting later this week may be too short of notice for members - including herself - to make themselves available, especially with the coming Easter holiday. But she said she just hopes she gets to see drafts of past meeting minutes.
“We’ re three meetings behind on meeting minutes,” she said. “We need to be able to check for errors and omissions.”
She also believes the meeting should include a discussion with the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission and that a county representative should be present.
“With everything the county is doing, they should be at every single meeting,” she said.
