Nearly three months later, money for JSCN families still with GoFundMe

By Nigel Maxwell

Nearly three months have passed since a mass stabbing in central Saskatchewan claimed the lives of 11 people. And with the hundreds of thousands of dollars raised to support the families at James Smith Cree Nation and Weldon, questions are being raised about where it’s being spent.

The most notable of the online fundraisers was one created by former Member of Parliament Rob Clarke, which raised more than $125,000. Clarke confirmed for paNOW the money remains with GoFundMe and requires a band council resolution before getting released.

“I’ve been in contact with administration a couple of times, asking for the band council resolution,” Clarke said, adding the goal is to be open and transparent with respect to how the funds get dispersed.

Once the funds are released, they will be held in a trust account with legal counsel. But time may be a factor, as Clarke explained the funds must be dispersed with written direction, or they will be returned to individual donors by Jan. 3.

“And so now the timeline is quite short in order to get the funds out of the GoFundMe and put into a trust,” he said.

At the time Clarke’s GoFundMe was closed, James Smith Cree Nation leadership issued a news release, urging the public to be cautious about contributing to any new crowdfunding campaigns that pop up.

paNOW has discovered at least six other GoFundMe accounts set up for the victims’ families. Clarke acknowledged his own surprise at how many accounts existed.

“I’m hoping the same thing is going to take place that the funds are raised and it’s accountable, it’s the public money and goes to the right individuals in a transparent manner,” he said.

Deborah Burns’ parents, Joyce and Earl, were among the 11 victims in the stabbing spree. Earl was killed while Joyce was hospitalized for 39 days.

Deborah said she and her siblings have not received much help in the way of financial support following the Sept. 4 attacks.

“We were receiving help, but in forms of gas cards, gift cards and cheques,” she said. “We were not told where this money was coming from, meaning the GoFundMe or from JSCN help.

“It’s a big controversy right now as we watch them at these bargaining tables, receive money for this tragedy and give us the pennies and govern us like we’re not responsible for taking care of ourselves.”

When it came to funeral expenses, Deborah claimed the JSCN paid about $1,000 for her father’s funeral with The Last Post paying a majority of it.

“My dad’s funeral was pretty sad as there were no coffee, drinks, or snacks at my dad’s wakes or funeral. There wasn’t much food left for my dad’s funeral. It was pretty pathetic and we were the last family to have a funeral from all the victims,” she said.

As for donations that came in from GoFundMe or elsewhere, Deborah believes it’s been put toward JSCN accounts and spending.

“They take in whatever it is they’re taking in and (are) only giving help to those they choose,” she said. “It’s all really unfair right now. We want them to stop using us and our families for money for their so-called programming, and yet it’s not even being delivered into the community.”

However, Dwayne Seib — the director of operations for the JSCN — said the First Nation has no control over what happens with the GoFundMe money and said a community fund was established with RBC to help give funds to those who needed it.

“The family supports are a big chunk of the $2.2 million that we’ve put out and that’s money that we paid out to families and a lot of the victims that were hospitalized,” he said. “It wasn’t just us that did that. It was FSIN, Saskatoon Tribal Council, Prince Albert Grand Council — there was a lot of us involved in putting this all together.”

He added the money was used to help with hotel rooms, meals, travel, and funeral expenses.

When asked about the supposed Jan. 3 deadline, Seib said he had never heard of that until it was brought up to him by paNOW. He said the band was not connected to the GoFundMe and couldn’t say whether that deadline was legitimate or if a band resolution was needed.

One thing he did touch on was what he called the resilient spirit of James Smith Cree Nation and how he believes the Chief and Council are supporting residents the best they can.

“I’d like them to know that they have the support of the Chiefs and Councils of James Smith Cree Nation. We’ve thrown everything we’ve got at this,” he said. “The work continues. This is not a one-off deal, this is going to be years and years to fight this battle.”

According to GoFundMe’s Support website, once the first donation is made to a fundraiser, the bank transfer information must be fully verified before 90 days have passed or the donations will be automatically refunded. The company said this is because its payment partners are online payment processors only and are not allowed to hold funds for long periods of time.

The first donations were made the day the fundraiser opened on Sept. 4.