Fred Fortier Kukpi7, who was sworn in as the new chief of Simpcw First Nation on June 1, has resigned.In a letter to band members, Fortier said he had submitted his resignation as of July 21.
His resignation had been requested by band council the day before.
In his letter, Fortier noted that under the code of ethics that the chief and council sign when they take office, they are bound by certain obligations. “As a business owner of 4TR Ventures Ltd. I have crossed that boundary in an email to SRG (Simpcw Resources Ltd.) general manager Sam Phillips that was BCC (blind carbon copied) to an employee of a corporation that we do business with,” Fortier wrote.
“I apologize to the Simpcw membership for this lack of judgement on my part and wish the best for the Simpcw people in the future,” he said.
Fortier was a band councillor for 26 years before being elected chief last spring. He took the place of Chief Rita Matthews, who did not seek reelection.There are about 650 members of Simpcw First Nation, on and off reserve.