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Troubled Ontario reserve’s former co-manager facing fraud and theft charges

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Handout photo from the documentary film "The People of Kattawapiskat River, " directed and produced by Alanis Obomsawin. A man who once handled the finances of the troubled northern Ontario reserve of Attawapiskat faces fraud and theft charges stemming from what police are calling "an isolated incident." THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-National Film Board

ATTAWAPISKAT, Ont. – The former co-manager of the troubled northern Ontario reserve of Attawapiskat is facing fraud and theft charges.

Police say Clayton Kennedy, who is also the romantic partner of the band’s high-profile chief Theresa Spence, has been charged with fraud over $5,000 and theft over $5,000.

The Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service says an investigation carried out in February last year into a complaint about a fraud committed in Attawapiskat led to the charges.

The 62-year-old Kennedy is currently the co-manager of the Taykwa Tagamou Nation in Cochrane, Ont., south of Attawapiskat.

He was Attawapiskat’s director of finance, co-manager and band manager between 2001 and 2004.

He returned as the band’s co-manager and director of finance in July 2010 before leaving the job two years later.

In 2011, Attawapiskat became a flashpoint for relations between the federal government and First Nations after a housing crisis on the reserve triggered a state of emergency.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper accused the band of mismanaging finances and Spence staged a six-week hunger protest over living conditions on reserves and treaty issues, sparking nationwide demonstrations.

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The Canadian Press

The Canadian Press is Canada's trusted news source and leader in providing real-time, bilingual multimedia stories across print, broadcast and digital platforms.

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