This story is the fourth of a five-part interview series where CJDC-TV sat down with former Blueberry River First Nation’s (BRFN) Chief Judy Desjarlais to discuss the challenges faced by the First Nation.
In part four, Desjarlais opens up about her director position within Blueberry River Resources (BRR), the company established by Band Council Resolution 2022-027 to advance the economic interests of the BRFN.
The vision started clear in late 2022: create an independent entity where business flourished and freed the Chief and Council to focus on governance and broader community issues. Fast forward through three CEOs, a cessation of operations refuted by the council, layoffs, and the BRFN finds itself right where it started.
“It created a second arm for producers, service providers, our own member contractors, where they could start building capacity, and it was getting to that point, but we just couldn’t get the support from the council members,” says Desjarlais.
The former Chief served as a director for the company that focused on restoration work, aiming to bring a ‘new vision’ that removed business from politics.
“I wasn’t even supposed to be there for the long term, I wanted to get the business up and running and then remove myself so that it’s its own entity,” says Desjarlais.
But in November, to the ‘shock’ of Council, the BRR posted a release on its LinkedIn page announcing that they will cease operations.
“Without a supportive governance framework from BRFN Council, BRR is unable to execute its strategic plan and maintain a sustainable path forward,” read the release.
It goes on to say that in October 2024, family councillors instructed the company’s leadership to stop their involvement with the organization, impacting their ability to operate independently. The company also cited financial pressures, with an analysis presented to the board of directors showing the inability to maintain an income stream or assets.
“It was concluded that BRR no longer had the income stream or assets to sustain steady employment,” read BRR’s release. “The leadership determined that continuing operations would lead to “unacceptable risks to employees, directors, and the economic value of BRFN members’ interest.”
This led councillors to issue a statement dated December 2, 2024, saying ‘allegations’ made by the BRR were misleading and did not justify the closure of the company.
“The actions taken by the former directors were not approved by Blueberry’s Council,” said Councillor Wayne Yahey. “It was inappropriate to take such extreme actions without the knowledge or approval of Council.”
It also shined a spotlight on the former CEO, after a confidential memo made public alleged challenges related to internal conflicts, among a wide range of other issues. It also revealed that an examination of the company’s joint venture (JV) partnerships showed unpaid sums owed by multiple companies to the tune of approximately three million dollars last year, in a report to Council in October 2024.
“We wanted to know the JV list and then the revenues that came in, that was the question that we asked him, and we wanted it by a certain date, and that was the only thing we asked him,” says Councillor Sherry Dominic.
The BRFN said he was let go on November 15th due to a “lack of confidence in his leadership.” However, CJDC-TV obtained BRR board resolutions and related documents that show the former CEO was let go without cause due to a “lack of operational revenue, strategic direction, and political unrest between BRFN and BRR,” effective November 12th.
A third-party audit of the financials is currently in process, according to Councillor Shelley Gauthier, who says recruiting a new CEO will also soon get underway. Gauthier says six employees now work for the company, and she now sits as a director along with Dominic, Wayne Yahey, and Troy Wolf after regaining control of the company, removing Desjarlais and Councillor Linda Chipesia from their roles.
“We are basically just getting everything in order – re-establishing our relationships and getting that back up and running the way that it should, as the majority wishes," said Gauthier. “Before, BRR was just basically run by former Chief Judy at her direction, and that was just not the direction of the majority of the council,” said Gauthier.
However, Desjarlais points to the irony, saying the initial goal of the company was to remove business from politics.
“It just caused a lot of confusion, and we were coming out of a place that was – I want to say – from a bad place of reputation and we were trying to rebuild something for the best interest of members, and we found a solution … remove business from politics,” says Desjarlais.
Tomorrow night, our investigation will conclude with perspective on what needs to be done to create harmony for the First Nation’s future.