Piikani votes yes on Trust agreement, new arena, and smaller council with shorter terms

Chris Davis

Piikani Nation held referendums on October 6 and 7 to decide three issues:

1. Should the nation approve the Piikani Trust Agreement, which proposes to resolve the insolvency of Piikani Investment Corporation (click here for a recent related story). 417 out of 2509 eligible voters cast a ballot, with 225 in favor and 189 against. There were three spoiled ballots.
2. Should the nation build a hockey arena/multipurpose building for $2 million, with the funds to come from the Heritage Account of the Settlement Revenue Account. Out of 2289 eligible voters 403 voted. 244 voted yes, 150 voted no. 8 ballots were spoiled. 
3. Whether the size of the council should be reduced from one Chief and 12 councillors to one Chief and 8 councillors, and whether the term of the council should be reduced from four years to three years. Out of 2289 eligible voters 403 voted. 197 voted yes, 192 voted no.  8 ballots were spoiled.

As a result, all three referendum questions resulted in approval by a majority of those voting, with a very slim majority for the question regarding council's term and number of councillors.