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A lawsuit filed by a grand chief is raising allegations that the First Nations Health Authority is mismanaged and that its former CEO was involved in a conflict of interest.

Grand Chief Doug Kelly, president of the Sto:lo Tribal Council, claims in the lawsuit that he lost his job as chair of the First Nations Health Council after his “persistent” campaign against alleged mismanagement and conflict of interest at the health authority.

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The health authority plans, designs, manages, advises and funds the delivery of First Nations health programs across B.C. It gets about $600 million in funding every year, most of that from the federal government.

The First Nations Health Council, comprised of 15 members, is a political and advocacy organization that is representative of and accountable to B.C. First Nations, with its members also being members of the authority.

Kelly, who acted as chair of the council from June 2010 until he was removed in July, claims that in 2017 the authority’s then-chief executive officer Joe Gallagher recommended to the authority’s board the creation of a new senior management position of vice-president of policy, planning and quality.