Poundmaker Cree Nation in audit crosshairs


Informed sources say Chief Duane Antoine (duane@poundmakercn.ca) travels to Phoenix where he has a home and spends his time racing horses. He travels back and forth between Phoenix and the Poundmaker reserve. That likely explains his $41k in travel expenses. Its said he cheats on his wife, often with the girls working for him in the band council office. He plays risky games because his wife is the financial person on the reserve who tracks all the cash flowing through the books for their benefit. Chief Duane Antoine is particularly generous with the band’s former money when elections approach.


reception@poundmakercn.ca
Indigenous Services Canada is conducting a forensic audit at Poundmaker Cree Nation in Saskatchewan, making it the third into First Nations spending made public in the province since 2024. The audit will examine spending on federally funded programs over the last seven years, with a focus on social assistance, education and Jordan’s Principle. The band has 1281 members with 505 living on the reserve according to wikipedia. The reserve  is northwest of North Battleford.  A website discloses less than nothing. Here. Long-time Poundmaker Chief Duane Antoine said the nation has no comment. His base salary in 2023 was $94,094 with $41,572 in ‘travel’ and $19,500 ‘other’. There is an item for $176,550 called ‘business’. Here. He likely doesn’t pay taxes.


In 2015, a Poundmaker councillor called for a forensic audit after a ballot box was burned during a disputed by-election. In 2013 a criminal trial resulted in chief Duane Antoine and several members of Poundmaker Cree Nation council being spanked for stealing money. None went to jail.

The recently re-elected Chief Duane Antoine was sentenced to 20 months probation, community service and ordered to pay $2,500. The same for his brother, former chief Teddy Antoine who was also ordered to pay back the $2,500 he stole. Coun. Colin Favel was ordered to repay more than $12,000. Both Favel and Antoine admitted to stealing treaty money from the band. There weren’t alone.

The grand chief of the Cree Nation is Norman A. Wapachee. He appears to have recently cleaned off his facebook page. A June 2025 report in a local Prince Alberta-based local news outlet said the FSIN audit’s initial findings raised questions about $20 million in spending.  Some Poundmaker members have sought answers about missing money for years. In 2001, Feds ordered an audit at Poundmaker but the band office was destroyed by fire the evening before the audit was to begin.

Chief Duane Antoine with Trudeau and former indigenous minister Carolyn Bennett in 2019.

Comments

3 responses to “Poundmaker Cree Nation in audit crosshairs”

  1. Dr. Frank Avatar
    Dr. Frank

    Now go to Little Pine, you will find millions upon million of missing Federal money.

    This is fact golks!

  2. Dr. Frank Avatar
    Dr. Frank

    Little Pine hasn’t had an audit too for 8 years now. No Indian Affairs money for 8 years, I wonder how our government functions. What monies are we surviving on? Yet the Chief and Council continue to raise their 150k/yr salaries which includes travel and other expenses. Our roads are nothing but washboards, no new housing for the past 10 years, 10-12 ppl living under one roof in dilapitated houses.

    We as citizens of Little Pine too have not been successful in having any band mtgs for the past 10 years. We don’t even know where we stand as a government yet the Chief and Council are still going on extravagant trips throughout the country.

    This too has to stop!

    Please whoever reads this, WE NEED YOUR HELP!

    LITTLE PINE FIRST NATION TOO NEEDS GANGSTERISM OUT!!!!

  3. […] Adding great insult to injury, a 2016 Federal Court class action lawsuit of Chief Duane Antoine sued the federal government for $3 billion over alleged mismanagement of First Nation’s oil and gas rights. That lawsuit seems to have disappeared after rumours Antoine was paid to settle by the IOCG. Its said the lawsuit was settled in 2022. See —– Poundmaker Cree Nation in audit crosshairs […]

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