Lake Babine Nation Chief Wilf Adam is the new president of the Burns Lake Native Development Corporation (BLNDC).
He was chosen by the BLNDC board of directors during their annual general meeting on July 26, 2016.
Ken Nielson was chosen as the vice-president, and Burns Lake Band Chief Dan George was chosen as the secretary/treasurer.
According to Chief Adam, he has a “big job ahead of me.”
“The last time I was president [in 1998], the corporation had $12 million in the bank and $6 million in the Vancouver account,” he said. “Now it’s all gone so I’ll see what can be done to save the corporation; I will look at all the dealings that went on since then.”
Chief Adam said that in the past few years he has suggested a forensic audit to find out what happened to those funds, but that the audit never took place.
“It will be an enormous task to say the least,” he said.
The most recent BLNDC president was former Wet’suwet’en First Nation Chief Karen Ogen, who took office in 2010.
The BLNDC represents six local First Nations, as well as off-reserve communities in the Lakes District.
The director representing Cheslatta Carrier Nation is Ted Jack; Chief Rene Skin is representing Skin Tyee Nation; Erwin Tom will be representing Wet’suwet’en First Nation; Ken Nielson will be representing Nee Tahi Buhn; Chief Dan George is representing the Burns Lake Band and Chief Wilf Adam will represent Lake Babine Nation.
The Burns Lake Native Development Corporation’s mandate is to enhance the economic well-being of the Aboriginal people of the Lakes District.
The organization focuses on providing a broad spectrum of economic development services, including small business development, employment search and training.