Fort Liard resident says wood stove program recipients chosen ahead of meeting

A Fort Liard, N.W.T., resident says she feels deceived over how a program to put free wood stoves in residents' homes has unfolded.

Kathy McLeod said Acho Dene Koe First Nation members were invited in a Facebook post to attend a March 5 information session to become one of 50 people to benefit from a program installing hundreds of wood stoves. 

The initiative would see 350 woodstoves, each worth $12,000, installed in southern N.W.T. homes in the next year and a half to reduce their reliance on fossil fuel heating.

McLeod said she went to that meeting in hopes of securing one for herself — but instead found out that the list of recipients was already decided. 

When she arrived 15 minutes before the meeting, McLeod asked to be put on the list. She said she was informed the list was already full.

"I walked out ... quite a bit of people had walked out of the meeting, too, because they were told the same information, that they couldn't put their name on the list because the chief already picked the names."

In an email, Acho Dene Koe First Nation clarified that the program and its recipients are managed by Gonezu Energy on behalf of Dehcho First Nations.

Band manager Boyd Clark wrote to CBC that there was a "misunderstanding" regarding the First Nation's role.

"The chief and council of Acho Dene Koe First Nation did not participate in the selection process but supported and promoted the program," wrote Clark in an email. 

"Acho Dene Koe First Nation holds no additional information regarding the allegations made by the community member and cannot comment further on this matter," he added, directing CBC's questions to Gonezu Energy.

Gonezu Energy, based in Fort Providence, plans to install more than 40 wood stoves every month until June in communities like Fort Providence, Wrigley, Fort Simpson, Hay River, Nahanni Butte, Sambaa K'e and Jean Marie River. 

Jason Collard, CEO of Gonezu Energy, told CBC in a March 10 statement that the program, designed by 11 Indigenous governments, takes direction on the selection of stove recipients from each Indigenous government.

In a Trail's End interview in February about the program,, Collard said community governments could identify people through an advisory committee made up of representatives from each Indigenous government. 

"We're deferring to the community Indigenous governments for guidance on if they have priority members that they would like to have selected for participation in the program," said Collard at that time.