Abram Benedict elected new Ontario regional chief during assembly held in Six Nations

Akwesasne Grand Chief Abram Benedict is the new Ontario regional chief after a tight election on Wednesday held in Six Nations of the Grand River. 

He beat Batchewana First Nation Chief Dean Sayers, 50 votes to 48 votes, after four rounds of voting.

The Chiefs of Ontario election took place at the Annual Chiefs Assembly, being held this week in Six Nations.

The organization represents more than 130 First Nations in the province. In the past year, the group has called for a moratorium on mining claims staked across the province, after it said say some First Nations have seen up to a 30 per cent increase in claims staked in their territories over the past year. 

In May, it launched a constitutional challenge against the province and the government of Canada, alleging First Nations are being denied equal access to justice.

Last year, it asked the Federal Court to exempt their communities from the federal carbon tax, saying the imposition of the price on carbon is leaving their communities worse off than others in Canada and breaching the principles of reconciliation. The issue was something Benedict has spoken out about. 

After being sworn-in on Wednesday, Benedict spoke to the assembly audience, saying "sacred teachings" guide the chiefs.

"Our language, our culture, is extremely important. They reminded me that I represent and have been instilled with great honour and privilege to represent our region," he said.

In a post-election interview with CBC Hamilton, he said it felt "surreal" to be the new regional chief.

His position as Akwesasne Grand Chief is up for election in a few weeks. Akwesasne is a Haudenosaunee community located on the Canada-U.S. border about 120 kilometres west of Montreal. It occupies territory in Ontario, Quebec and New York state.

Benedict said a top priority as regional chief will be building relationships with lawmakers.

"We're really reactionary right now. We need to change that. We need to be ahead of the ball instead of behind the ball," Benedict said.

This week's assembly has brought chiefs from across the province together for three days to Six Nations territory, the most populous reserve in the country. The assembly includes the election and meetings about various issues including health, First Nations rights and more.

Not all chiefs were present, however — the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council, the traditional leaders of the Haudenosaunee people who many see as the representatives of the community in Six Nations, released a letter leading up the assembly. The council said it would not be participating or endorsing the event.