Onion Lake Chief Wallace Fox charged with assault

First Nations fighting the federal government’s financial transparency law are celebrating a victory. A federal court judge ruled recently that Ottawa should cease all legal efforts to force First Nations to publicly report financial information.

Court cases are also pending against another three bands in Manitoba, Quebec and the Yukon.

Police say Fox was arrested Monday without incident and will be in Onion Lake provincial court on December. 16.

The government has withheld funding from a few reserves that haven’t released their financial information.

Fox, 54, is charged in relation to a May 18, 2015 complaint alleging an assault at a private residence on Onion Lake First Nation, according to the RCMP.

Barnes said in his decision that there wasn’t enough evidence to prove the reserve has suffered “irreparable harm”.

Fox said he hopes it doesn’t come to that and are calling on the government in a show of good faith to release the monies as soon as possible.