Six were in the running, but Cathy Bellefeuille was elected Chief of Nipissing First Nation for the next three-year term. Scott McLeod, who has served as Chief for nine years, will step down when this council term ends at the end of July.
Bellefeuille’s campaign focused on working for both on and off reserve members, protecting Nipissing First Nation’s Inherent and Treaty Rights and promoting economic development to build the community.
“I am a strong advocate for health care, education, economic stability, culture, language and social development,” Bellefeuille detailed in her platform. “I believe our First Nation has a solid foundation with a fantastic future that has been built over the years of hard work of the previous Councils.”
See: Votes rolling in for Nipissing First Nation election
Bellefeuille has served as a court worker with the North Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre for 15 years, is involved with Nipissing First Nation’s Ojibway Women’s Lodge, and has served as band representative and a Child Welfare Coordinator.
She also served on council, being elected in 2015. During that time, she held the Economic Development Portfolio and the Health and Social Portfolio. Bellefeuille is also an active member of NFN’s Citizenship Committee.
“A Vote for Unity” was Bellefeuille’s campaign motto.
Chief McLeod posted on social media hours before the election, congratulating “all the candidates who put themselves out there to serve our great Nation.” He noted “the community always makes the choice they feel is needed and we must all support the outcome.”
“We are a very diverse, passionate community that does not always agree or see eye to eye on things but yet one thing is shared by each and every one of us, we all want what’s best for our Nation. This is what makes out Nation so great.”
The race for Chief was a close one. Of the six candidates Bellefeuille received 391 votes of 1,400 and secured the top spot with a lead of 60 votes. Fred Bellefeuille, NFN’s Electoral Officer, emphasized that these remain unofficial results. However, once he releases his report on Monday, the results will become official. He does not expect a call for a recount.
Brian Couchie was elected as Deputy Chief with 796 votes, and Rick Stevens will serve as councillor, with 743 votes. The council table will be rounded out with Joan McLeod Shabogesic, Yvette Bellefeuille, Samantha Stevens, Priscilla Goulais, and Jason Laronde. All received votes in the mid-to-high 600’s.
Thirteen people ran for one of the six council seats.
One voter, Maria Torres, supporting Bellefeuille, posted that the new Chief “is caring, kind and considerate. As long as I’ve known her, she has always been in a position where she’s helping members of Nipissing.”
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
