Jerry Daniels. grand chief of the Southern Chiefs Organization of Manitoba, in an undated photo. Photo courtesy: SCO.
The grand chief of the Southern Chiefs’ Organization (SCO) in Manitoba was sent to hospital after an altercation outside a bar in downtown Ottawa just ahead of the start of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) gathering on Tuesday, APTN News has learned.
According to multiple sources, Jerry Daniels and two band councillors from a First Nation in Manitoba were involved.
It’s not clear if Daniels is still in hospital. One chief close to Daniels refused to answer questions about the incident.
APTN has also confirmed that Lake Manitoba First Nation Chief Cornell McLean is acting as SCO’s interim grand chief.
When reached via text, McLean offered “no comment” but did confirm he is currently the acting grand chief for a “very short term.”
The incident occurred just a few blocks from where chiefs gathered for a three-day AFN meeting that ended Thursday at the Rogers Centre Ottawa.
In an emailed statement to APTN, the Ottawa Police Service wouldn’t reveal the victim’s name but did “confirm that just after 2:30 a.m. on Tuesday, December 3, the OPS received a call for service in the 1-100 block of York Street for a disturbance.
“A man was transported to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. At this time, the incident remains under investigation by the Central Investigations Section,” the statement said.
Daniels was elected to a third term as grand chief in June 2024.
The SCO represents 87,000 First Nations citizens from 33 Anishinaabe and Dakota Nations in southern Manitoba.
SCO is a lead partner in an effort to transform Winnipeg’s downtown.
One of those projects is the estimated $200-million redevelopment of the iconic, former Hudson’s Bay Company building.
SCO has also partnered with True North Real Estate Development (TNRED) – the development arm of the company that owns the Winnipeg Jets NHL team.
The project to redevelop the Portage Place Mall comes with a price tag of $650 million.
SCO and TNRED have partnered on a 15-storey residential tower as part of that development.
Repeated calls and emails to SCO communications have not been acknowledged.
