Janelle Nahmabin will be the next chief of Aamjiwnaang First Nation.
“I’m excited,” said Nahmabin, who was officially acclaimed to the position ahead of the Oct. 18 election, according to the First Nation Administration and Council.
Several band members had been nominated for the position, but withdrew their names from the ballot.
“I respect everyone’s decision to not run for the position and remind them all that they would have brought a wealth of knowledge to the role,” Nahmabin wrote in a social media post. “I prayed for the best possible outcome for the community and that if it was meant to be me in leadership, then it would be undeniable.
"Prayers answered."
Nahmabin has been serving in the role as Aamjiwnaang’s Acting Chair since June, following the departure of of longtime chief Chris Plain, who stepped down to fulfill his new role as Deputy Grand Council Chief of the Anishinabek Nation.
“I love it,” she said of her work so far. “We have a great team, so it’s nice to be able to help navigate our whole community… my clan is the Bear clan — which means we are protectors for the community — so it feels like a good place for me.”
Nahmabin served on council from 2018 to 2020, and was elected again in 2022; she also chaired the environment committee for a number of years.
Recently, she was in Ottawa representing Aamjiwnaang at the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-4) global plastics treaty talks. While there, she spoke at a number of meetings and press conferences highlighting the disproportionate impacts of plastics pollution on frontline Indigenous communities.
Aamjiwnaang First Nation remains under a state of emergency, declared by Chief Plain on April 25, due to the “ongoing and excessive discharge of the chemical compound benzene” from the nearby INEOS Styrolution facility, officials said at the time.
The Sarnia site has since announced its permanent closure.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue the navigation through our sate of emergency and grateful to continue working with our awesome staff here at Aamjiwnaang First Nation, so it just feels right; it feels like the right next step.”
Aamjiwnaang’s election will be held Oct. 18, as band members cast their ballots for council.
More than 30 people are vying for nine councillor positions. The Polling Station for the Election will be located at the Maawn Doosh Gumig Gymnasium. Mail-out ballots to off-reserve members will be sent out as of September 13, 2024.