Small band, big salaries

I find the pay that some of the Saskatchewan First Nations chiefs and councillors that are reported recently in the local newspaper seem to be quite a bit out of line with what happens in the rest of our province and I’m sure all small towns throughout Canada.  Using the example from the Saskatoon Star Phoenix article Small band, big salaries, a base salary of $94,977 for a councillor for a First Nation of 434 people is certainly out of line with what a councillor in a small town in Saskatchewan would receive. 

Using the example in the article for a First Nation with the population of 434 would be comparable to the Town of Hanley which has a population of 468.  The councillors in the Town of Hanley receive $100 per month if they attend a council meeting.  If the councillor doesn’t attend the monthly meeting then they receive zero.  So if the councillor attends every meeting in the year they would receive $1200.00.  For any outings that the councillor attends in the community (or other functions/duties) there is no extra pay, just the $100 for attending the monthly Town Council meeting.  Compare that to the First Nations salary of $94,977.00 and you definitely can see the problem.

Of course the small town councillor’s salary is paid by taxes by the citizens of the Town.  With the First Nation the salary comes from the Federal Government who of course gets the money to pay the First Nation councillor from the income taxes of small town Saskatchewan people and others throughout the country.  So how many First Nation people that live and work on the reserve pay property taxes?  I would say very few or probably none. 

It sure doesn’t appear to be rocket science why so many people feel there is just something definitely wrong with this situation.