ManitobaSioux Valley Dakota Nation has elected a new chief and council after vote counting resumed Friday, following an abrupt halt to the counting process Thursday night, when the electoral officer stopped the process and left, citing safety concerns. Counting resumed Friday after being stopped Thursday by electoral officer citing safety concernsCBC News · Posted: Nov 15, 2025 11:21 AM EST | Last Updated: 4 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 2 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Sioux Valley Dakota Nation community members wait on Friday for elders to decide how to move forward with the community’s election, after the counting process was disrupted by threats of violence. After counting resumed Friday, Jennifer Bone was elected as chief. (Chelsea Kemp/CBC)Sioux Valley Dakota Nation has elected a new chief and council after vote counting, halted due to safety concerns, resumed Friday. Jennifer Bone, who was chief of the community west of Brandon from 2018 to 2023, was again voted in as chief, defeating Vincent Tacan, her only rival.Bone won 371 votes and Tacan won 212, according to results posted to social media following a vote count that stretched late into Friday night.The counting process in the election, which began Thursday, was abruptly halted Thursday night when the electoral officer stopped the process and left, citing safety concerns. RCMP previously confirmed to CBC News police were called after a threat was made toward an election official. The allegation remains unsubstantiated and no arrests have been made.On Friday, elders appointed a new electoral officer and ordered the counting to resume. RCMP say they were in regular contact with First Nations safety officers who were on site as ballots were counted.Officers were called in around 8:30 p.m. Thursday after the threat was reported, and attended to ensure the safety of the electoral official as they left the community, RCMP said.No weapons were reported and no damage occurred at the voting location, but police said they continue to investigate. Tacan, who became chief in 2023 after defeating Bone, was arrested and charged on Nov. 5 with a historical sexual assault, in connection with a report of an assault that took place in a western Manitoba community in 1984. In a statement posted online Monday, Tacan denied the allegations and said he would defend himself in court. He alleged the case was politically motivated, noting the election was happening the same week RCMP announced the charges.
Sioux Valley Dakota Nation elects Jennifer Bone as new chief after halted vote count resumes
