Barbara Latkowski
Caledonia Courier
For Alexander McKinnon, being voted in as the new Chief Councillor for Nak’azdli Whut’en means so much.
His first day on the job began on Sept. 1 and he will hold the position until Sept. 1, 2010.
McKinnon was born in Fort St. James in 1973 and since then has spent most of his time in theFort.
“I’ve spent the majority of my life here. My family lives here and I have a lifetime of friendships. And it really is a beautiful place,” McKinnon said.
On August 11, the election results were in and McKinnon was thrilled with the outcome.
“It was somewhat of a surprise but we knew it would be close. This really does mean so much to me and that my community entrusts me to hold the position as Chief,” McKinnon said.
McKinnon is taking the place of former Chief, Fred Sam, who served the Nak’azdli community for the last nine years.
McKinnon is thankful for all of the support he has received and he is eager to show his commitment to the community and to all members of Nak’azdli.
But McKinnon is also dedicated to building and strengthening relationships with others.
“It’s so important to me to be able to be in a position where I can help better the community through the collaboration with other communities such as the District of Fort St. James and other bands such as Tl’azt’en and Yekooche.
“It’s all about building on these relationships so we can help solve any social problems that may exist,” McKinnon said.
The four new councillors elected are: Ramona Ann Joseph, Fred Sam, Wayne Sam and Howard Sam.
A by-election for a councillor position is set to take place on October 22.