Meeting of Chief and Council
The Qalipu Chief and Council met in Corner Brook on Saturday, July 20 for their regular scheduled meeting.
All but 3 councillors that had been excused were in attendance for the meeting.
Change to Quorum
A briefing note was brought forward to Council to approve a motion which would make an amendment to section 7.0 of Qalipu Band Council Procedures. The recommendation in this briefing note was to change quorum from 7 members to 5 members.
A great deal of discussion evolved from this note and councillors decided that it is important to have a larger majority to make decisions. It was decided to maintain a quorum of 7 members.
All were opposed on this motion; it was not carried.
Referendum Question for September Vote
Staff of QFN worked with the legal council to recommend some revisions to the Custom Election Rules. Main topic of these revisions was asking candidates to provide a Criminal Record Check or Vulnerable Sector Check when running for an election.
After considerable conversation on this topic, a motion was made to table the discussion until further clarification can be provided.
Consecutive Absences from Council
A briefing note was presented due to the issue of attendance for regular scheduled meetings of Chief and Council.
Currently Council does not have measures to hold an absent member accountable. Section 6.2 of the General By-Laws does not give clear direction on how to address the issue of 3 consecutive absences. The intention of the briefing note was to establish a mechanism to hold council members accountable.
This topic was also a provision brought to council in the referendum question, as this referendum vote extends the power to council with the ability to remove a Councillor if they do not attend 3 consecutive regular schedule meetings.
Amendments were made to the motion with conditions of communication for council members.
All were in favor of the motion with the amendments. Motion was carried.
Health & Wellness Strategic Plan
Council reviewed the 2024-2029 Health & Wellness Strategic Plan. All agreed that the plan was very well done, and they are proud of the hard work done by the health department regarding increasing opportunities and reducing wait times for claims within NIHB.
This strategic plan is a living document that will change over time, it can be amended as priorities change.
All were in favor of accepting the Health & Wellness Strategic Plan, motion was carried.
AGA Dates
There was discussion and dates proposed for the AGA.
A motion was made to bring this decision back to staff and executive. All were in favor.
Upcoming Election
Dates are set for the upcoming election.
The call for nominations opens on September 23 at 8:30am and closes on October 1 at 4:00pm.
Members can vote electronically or over the phone during the voting window with a secure code that will be provided to them by email or letter mail.
The voting window is from October 18-25 with results announced in the afternoon of October 25.
Next Meeting of Council
The next regularly scheduled meeting of Chief and Council is the last meeting before the end of term for current Chief and Councillors. This meeting will be held in Corner Brook on September 21st, 2024.