Tax fight spills over as First Nation clamps down

 By John Chilibeck  Local Journalism Initiative Reporter An Indigenous community in Fredericton is threatening to clamp down on businesses that won’t co-operate with its efforts to fight the provincial government and take greater control of tobacco sales. Sitansisk (St. Mary’s First Nation) announced in its latest newsletter published last week that effective immediately, privately owned shops within the community had to stop selling tobacco products. “Failure to comply with this notice will result in legal action,” it stated bluntly. Last January, when the Progressive Conservative government made the unilateral decision to cancel the First Nation’s special tax revenue sharing agreement, the chief and council came up with a way to replace some of the lost money that pays for its public services. It quickly set up the Wolastoq Trading Post…

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