The Tsawwassen First Nation must hold another election.
The TFN Judicial Council, which acts as the supreme court of the First Nation, has upheld a pair of appeals launched in the wake of the Sept. 5 general election. The TFN announced Tuesday that means another election must take place.
A notice of the new election must be called by TFN's executive council no later than Jan. 11, 2013. The TFN Elections Act states the executive council must give at least 90 days' notice for a general election.
In the interim, the current government will continue.
"We thank the Judicial Council for their service in upholding TFN laws, and for making a fair and objective decision," said Chief Bryce Williams. "It's now up to the TFN executive council to decide when the election will be held."
The TFN Judicial Council heard arguments a couple of weeks ago why the election results should be tossed.
The election saw Williams, a 23-year-old carver, defeat longtime incumbent Kim Baird 78-69. Baird had been chief since 1999 and her defeat was seen a surprise to many.
Baird didn't personally launch an appeal but her brother, Mike Baird, was one of the two appellants. The other was Christina Shellar.
According to a press release, they filed an appeal in regard to the timing of election notices.
"There was a wrong day on one of the election notices and we felt that this impacted the outcome of the election which compelled us to appeal the results to the Tsawwassen First Nation Judicial Council," said Mike Baird.
