Sandy Lake orders residents out

A Sandy Lake resident has been ordered by chief and council to leave the community for inciting negative remarks and public commentary.
“I feel like they tore my heart apart,” said Angela Kamalatisit, a Fort Albany band member who had been living in Sandy Lake for about 10 years with common-law partner and Sandy Lake band member Ringo Fiddler. “My son and Ringo are my family. What they (chief and council) did was wrong.”
Kamalatisit received a letter from chief and council, dated Aug. 7, ordering her to leave Sandy Lake on Aug. 30 at her own expense. She left within a few days and is now staying at a shelter in Thunder Bay.
“I think it’s because of comments I made on Facebook about my situation,” Kamalatisit said. “I know I stated one time that I was feeling picked on because of Ringo and his politics.”
Kamalatisit said she does not like being bullied or harassed.
“I’m the type that takes stands for myself and for my family,” Kamalatisit said. “I’m looking for them to just leave us alone. We didn’t cause any trouble in Sandy Lake. I want to go back — I lived there for 10 years in peace. I didn’t do nothing wrong.”
Kamalatisit said she even helped youth who were having personal issues.
“I gave them one-on-one talks,” Kamalatisit said. “I considered Sandy Lake my home and that is where my spouse lives. And I want to be with my spouse.”
The chief and council’s letter said that Kamalatisit is not allowed to return to Sandy Lake - if she does, she will be charged with trespassing on a reserve.
The letter stated: “There have been reports of your negative public commentary of our local community. This is creating hardship for our people.”
The letter also stated that chief and council cannot tolerate this type of action or behavior from people who are in the community as guests.
Kamalatisit’s son, Dylan Saganash, was also ordered to leave Sandy Lake by chief and council on Aug. 30 for entering the community without the expressed permission of chief and council due to court conditions.
Sandy Lake has posted an official statement on the issue, which said chief and council held a meeting about Kamalatisit and Saganash on Aug. 30.
The statement said there was careful deliberation regarding Kamalatisit and Saganash, noting that Saganash has outstanding court conditions.
“Since these two individuals are not band members and did not request permission to enter into our traditional territory,” the statement said, “these two individuals have been instructed to leave at the earliest possible time at their own expense.”
Fiddler responded to Kamalatisit’s eviction in an Aug. 31 letter to Sandy Lake chief and council, where he said she is a guest of the community at his request.
He also told chief and council in his letter that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms now applies in First Nations since July 2011, including the freedom of expression.
The CHRA guarantees that everyone has the following fundamental freedoms: freedom of conscience and religion; freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication; freedom of peaceful assembly; and freedom of association.
Sandy Lake Chief Bart Meekis did not reply to requests for an interview.