The new social assistance service provider for the Liard First Nation (LFN) could be in Watson Lake by the end of this week, according to the LFN's executive director.

That's the good news, PJ Hombert told the Star this morning.

Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC) sent capital workers to the town Wednesday to hand out emergency food and fuel vouchers, but Hombert said that's not what the First Nation really needed, nor asked for.

Instead, the local government needed client services workers who could help carry the heavy administrative burden required to issue full social assistance cheques to clients.

As it stands, the First Nation has mostly completed the required paperwork for the remaining clients awaiting their September cheques.

The LFN's social assistance workers are just waiting for final approval of the paper work from the Whitehorse Aboriginal Affairs office so they can cut the cheques.

Typically, all the social assistance cheques for a month would be issued by the 16th, Hombert noted, explaining they fell behind due to "rigid” compliance requirements.

"We've been 90 per cent out of compliance,” she said.

"It was really difficult to get those budget and decision forms approved from Whitehorse. There's been several times that we had to have our clients come back two to three times with the appropriate information in order to get those approved.

"Either that, or we'd have Whitehorse say, ‘hey, you have to change this, you have to change that' in order to get this pushed through to cut the cheque.”

There is still a backlog of clients waiting for their October cheques.

Hombert noted, however, that the LFN's client services workers have begun to work through some adult and elder care clients' paperwork and client fuel orders for October.

She noted the First Nation is expecting to service close to 300 clients this month due to the end of seasonal labour contracts. Last October, it provided assistance to about 260.

"We're eagerly waiting to hear who that service provider is so we can contact them and start working with them because what we really needed was hands on deck to do full intakes.

"This capital crew that's come down, that's great that they're helping with food vouchers, but it's not completing any of the necessary paper work to get people full cheques and other things paid,” she said.

The First Nation gave Aboriginal Affairs 30 days' notice that it was returning administrative responsibility for the social assistance program back to the department as of Oct. 11.

Since then, there appear to have been issues of miscommunication.

Shari Borgford, AANDC's director of strategic investments for the Yukon region, sent LFN Chief Liard McMillan a letter dated Oct. 1 informing the First Nation it's now considered in default of its financial transfer agreement.

Borgford's letter says Hombert informed the department last Monday that the First Nation would not continue to deliver the program until Oct. 11.

But Hombert said this is not the case.

The department should have known they were still working to get social assistance cheques out to clients because they continued to send the required paperwork to the Whitehorse office for approval, Hombert said.

The Star requested an interview Wednesday afternoon with Borgford, but did not receive a response.

Questions emailed to AANDC asking what it means for the First Nation if it's considered in default were also not answered.

Questions were emailed earlier this week asking what AANDC has done to prepare to take over the program, how the transfer will affect LFN citizens, and why the business and decision forms had to be approved in Whitehorse if the LFN was administering the program. Those questions were also not responded to.

Instead, AANDC sent a brief statement.

"Liard First Nation indicated to the department that it would not issue benefit cheques to existing clients, despite the legal obligation to deliver assistance as determined in their funding arrangement,” it reads.

"AANDC will be in Watson Lake on October 2 to ensure emergency assistance is available for those who need it.

"Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada Yukon Region offers support for First Nation organizations in the territory and northern B.C. who offer Income Assistance to their members

"All Yukon First Nations that deliver income assistance on behalf of AANDC follow the rates and regulations laid out under the Yukon Social Assistance Act.”

According to a release sent out Wednesday evening, the First Nation received $149,555 per year to administer the program, as set out in two-year funding agreement signed last March.

This equates to a six per cent administrative fee, the release says, to administer a social assistance "bundle” which includes: basic needs, shelter cost, permanent labour force exclusion allowance, special needs, national child tax benefit program, work opportunity program, elders' wood/fuel, and adult care programs.