Caldwell First Nation chief on 'leave of absence' reasoning unclear

Half a year into her term, Caldwell First Nation Chief Mary Duckworthis now ona "paid leave of absence."

The band would not confirmDuckworthwas away but CBC News obtaineda council memo sent to community members which talked about her leave.

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"While Council can appreciate that there may be questions surrounding the absence, privacy and confidentially prevent the sharing of any further information at this point in time," it reads. Councillor James Peters is listed as current acting chair and it said council "continues to meet and band operations continue."

Several bandmembers confirmed to CBCNews they had received the memo but none knew exactly why Duckworth was gone.

'Not getting ... information we need'

Duckworth was elected in January, replacing former chiefLouise Hillier,who was ousted after the release ofa forensic audit into a 2016 powwow. It found$247,790 in "unsupported" prize payouts for powwow drummers, and dancers and a $190,000 contract for video services given to a company owned by Hillier's son, done without seekingother bids.

Duckworthwon the electionwith 77 per cent of the vote.

She has currentsupport from former Caldwell chiefLarry Johnson, who servedas chief for 20 years.

He too received the memo but doesn't know what happened to Duckworth. CBC was unable to reach her for comment.

"I don't feel it was initiated by Mary herself," said Johnson. "The council has sort of grabbed the controls here and we're not getting the types of information we need as band members." He said he hasn't been impressed with council's actions at meetings, even though he supported most of them intheir election campaigns.

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CBCwas able to reachtwo of the band's four councillors, both who had no comment. Acting chair Peters said they will be able to say more next week.

In the meantime, Johnson's looking for answers.

"We have numbers of Caldwell Nation people who are not going to take this sitting down."

The confusion comes at a particularly important time for the First Nation, who have beenworking for years to establish a reserve nearLeamington, Ont. Theyreceiveda$105-million land claim settlementfrom the federal government in 2010.