Stan Bird ousts Glenn Hudson as chief of Peguis First Nation

Manitoba's largest First Nation has a new chief after a one-day election on Friday that had been preceded by some controversy andthe burning of a box ofadvance polls.

Stan Bird, a registered clinical and school psychologist, defeated incumbent Glenn Hudson as well as former chiefCindy Spence.

Hudson was first elected chief in 2007. He wasre-elected in 2009, 2011, 2013, 2017 and 2019. Spence served a two-year term from 2015-17, defeating Hudson.

Just over 2,100 votes were cast:

• 915 forStan Bird.
• 481 forGlenn Hudson.
• 409 forMarty Favel.
• 226 forAnnette Spence Meeches.
• 116 forCindy Spence.

The newly elected councillors are: Kelvin Wilson, Linda Sinclair, Mary Tyler Bear, Donna Sutherland, Dennis Cameron and Terrance Gyn Sinclair.

CBC Newsreached out to Bird and Hudson for comment on the results but has not yet heard back.

Peguis, located about 160 kilometres north of Winnipeg, has more than 10,000 members roughly 3,500 of whom liveon the reserve.

An advance poll was held March 28at the Peguis Community Hall, and two others were planned for March 30 in Winnipeg and March 31 in Selkirk.

The latter two were cancelled after a disturbance following the March 28 vote. The ballot box was going to be taken from the community and stored at a U-Haul facility until ballotscould be added to the totals from the April 6 election day.

According to a notice posted by the chief and council onthe Peguis website on March 29, theindependent election administrator, Victoria-based OneFeather Mobile Technologies Ltd., reported that a group ofpeople created a situationthat made the poll workers feel unsafe.

No information was provided on what took place but the notice said it put the election at risk.

Worried about something similar happening at the other advance polls, a decision was made to cancel them and have all voting take place April 6atpolling stations in Peguis, Selkirk andWinnipeg.

The 178 ballots cast on March 28 were declared null and void and destroyed publicly, burned by the Peguis Fire Department in front of community hall.