Chief of 93-member First Nation made $267K last year

Financial documents show Chief Willard Cook of the Semiahmoo band in Surrey made $267,000 in the last 2013-14 fiscal year. (Facebook)

The B.C. First Nation band led by Chief Willard Cook may be small, but his salary is anything but.

According to financial documents released under Canada’s controversial Financial Transparency Act, Cook made $267,309 in the last fiscal year leading the 93-person Semiahmoo First Nation in Surrey.

That's more than most Canadian politicians- including Stephen Harper, since it was delivered tax-free.

Semiahmoo Councillor Joanne Charles also made $187,138, while Councillor Roxanne Charles made just $4,725.

People who live on the First Nation say living conditions vary wildly; on one side there’s city water, high-speed internet, and garbage collection. The other side has none of those.

“We can’t get simple things that we need,” member Darren Dollan told CTV News.

Dollan said he has water delivered into a plastic container in his backyard twice a month at a cost of $110 per visit. He uses it to shower and do laundry, but said algae are constantly growing inside.

“You get sick off of this stuff,” he said.

Dollan said he was shocked to learn how much Cook is taking home while he can’t get running water, and claimed there hasn’t been a band meeting in more than 10 years.

The Semiahmoo band office was closed when CTV News visited on Friday, and calls for comment have not been returned.

The bulk of the Semiahmoo’s revenue – $3.3 million – comes from the B.C. government. The Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation said it’s troubling more of the money isn't being used to improve members’ quality of life.

“All this provincial and federal money is going to the band, obstensibly for services to take care of some of these people, and instead we have the elected leadership pocketing it,” spokesman Jordan Bateman said.

The Financial Transparency Act was implemented last year, and requires all First Nations bands to submit financial documents or risk having payments withheld and grant agreements terminated.

The Semiahmoo band missed the 2014 deadline for submitting its documents, but finally turned them in last month.

With a report from CTV Vancouver’s St. John Alexander