Former Chief was banished from his community without notice
Doug Riffel served multiple terms as a councillor and Chief of Wabauskang First Nation (WFN) in northwestern Ontario.
In August 2024, Mr. Riffel was charged with criminal offences following allegations made against him. In June 2025, while those charges remained before the courts, WFN passed a Band Council Resolution (BCR) banishing him from First Nation territory on the stated basis of “public safety.”
At the time of the banishment, Mr. Riffel had been released on recognizance for approximately 10 months without incident, the complainant lived approximately 90 kilometres away from WFN territory, and Mr. Riffel had no criminal record or history of violence. He received no prior notice of the Band Council’s decision and no opportunity to respond before being expelled from his community.
In March 2026, the criminal charges against Mr. Riffel were withdrawn just two hours into the complainant’s trial testimony.
Lawyers argued the banishment was unlawful and unconstitutional
In February 2026, lawyers funded by the Justice Centre sent a legal warning letter to WFN arguing that Mr. Riffel’s banishment was unlawful, unconstitutional, and procedurally unfair. The letter requested that WFN immediately rescind the banishment.
The letter explained that “a First Nation band council cannot simply banish band members at will,” and that a Band Council Resolution, without a supporting bylaw enacted under the Indian Act, “does not carry the authority of the Indian Act, and is unenforceable.”
Lawyers funded by the Justice Centre argued that Mr. Riffel had been denied basic procedural fairness because he received no notice of the allegations leading to the banishment and no opportunity to be heard before the decision was made.
Wabauskang First Nation rescinded the banishment
Following legal action, Wabauskang First Nation rescinded Mr. Riffel’s banishment.
