11/19/2025
Tensions have been high in Sioux Valley Dakota Nation where there was an election on Nov 13.
On Nov 5, Vincent Tacan, chief at the time, was arrested for historic s exual assault for allegedly sexually assaulting a 13 year old when he was 24.
Electoral officer Burke Ratte and Vince Tacan say they reject the election results that declare Jennifer Bone the new chief.
On election night, Burke Ratte claimed he felt unsafe so he and his staff left, (though there was significant security present and Ratte declined RCMP assistance). He claims he planned to return the next day with RCMP to es**rt them back to the ballot boxes.
(RCMP, First Nation safety officers, and a third-party security firm was on site. The RCMP were willing to stay while he completed the count, but he refused, and they say he walked away from his duties.)
Ratte was emailed a letter from elders the next day before the votes were counted notifying him of breach of contract. The letter references Ratte’s abandonment of the ballot boxes led elders to terminate his contract.
As a result, community elders met and decided to relieve him of his duties and appointed another electoral officer to proceed with a ballot count, in accordance with the First Nation’s laws and constitution as a self-governing nation.
Ballot boxes were opened and tallied while livestreamed on Sioux Valley’s YouTube channel. Mail-in votes couldn't be counted because they were in Ratte's possession when he left and were considered void.
Results showed that Jennifer Bone was elected as Chief, and Jon Bell, Darryl Hapa, Melissa Hotain, Bill McKay and Randall Wasicuna elected as councillors.
Ratte was previously appointed for the election by council and previous chief Vince Tacan. He claimed the vote count took place without his authority.
Vince Tacan said the election process was illegal, and that Indigenous Service Canada should look into the matter and allow the nation to have another vote. He also accused the RCMP of interfering with the election when an investigation, that started months ago, culminated in his arrest a week before the election.
According to a Services Canada spokesperson, the federal department will not intervene unless the First Nation requests a leadership update or the matter is taken to court. They stated Sioux Valley Dakota Nation’s leadership is determined through a custom electoral system, rather than by the election rules contained in the Indian Act. And that the department has no role in how the community’s leadership is selected or how governance disputes are resolved.
Burke Ratte has since filed a report to Indigenous Services Canada disputing the election results.
Indigenous Services Canada has not yet responded.
Tacan said he wants the situation to go to court.
Ratte claims he was conducting the election count when a group of women forcibly opened a locked door, that First Nations safety officers had to occupy the doorway to keep people out, he requested RCMP support and was es**rted out of the community. He also claimed to receive threats throughout the day.
Though the RCMP stated there had been no reports filed of damage to the building, no arrests made, and no weapons and claims of threats were unsubstantiated.
Ratte believes the vote should be nullified and council of the day should be in place (of Vince Tacan and his five councillors).
Ratte has been an election officer for First Nations across Manitoba and Saskatchewan for 15 years and is no stranger to controversy.
One incident, in 2022, electoral officer Burke Ratte was accused of offering to fix an election at Dakota Tipi First Nation “for the right amount of money." People had concerns about his alleged comments and believed appointing Burke Ratte as election officer would be inappropriate given his close proximity to band dealings and business relationships and that his business interests put him in a clear conflict of interest as electoral officer.
In 2023, Pinaymootang First Nation had protested Ratte as an electoral officer and the fact they weren’t consulted about terms changing from a two-year to a four-year term.
Over the past few years, there have been five First Nations in Saskatchewan and Manitoba that have questioned the election where Ratte was an electoral officer with allegations taken to court. Ratte often defends himself from allegations by accusing people that don't support him of threatening physical violence against him during the run up to elections.
