Kim Baird, who led the Tsawwassen First Nation to sign the first modern treaty under the BC Treaty process, has been defeated as chief by a Tsawwassen councillor in his early 20s.
In an election yesterday – the second under the new governance model under the Tsaawassen treaty – Baird lost her seat by a mere nine votes to Bryce Williams.
Under the treaty, Tsawwassen is self governing. There are 12 executive councillors on the Tsawwassen legislature, with the chief being the 13th member.
The treaty gave Tsawwassen band ownership of land, some of which is slated for a major shopping mall development.
In an interview with CBC, Baird said she did not think that her loss to Williams was a sign of discontent with the treaty and said Williams does not appear to oppose the band's economic development plans.
"Bryce is just as supportive of our economic plans as anyone," she said. She also said that, despite his youth, Williams has "a lot of leadership capacity."
Baird said she believed that, after 13 years, her people simply wanted a change.
"At some point people just want a change in leadership," she said.
Baird herself was just 29 when she was elected chief in 1999.
She continued to serve as chief throughout the treaty negotiation process. The treaty was formally enacted in 2009.
