Finance

Contact:

Eugenia Colindres

Finance Department

The Gitanmaax Band Finance Department is responsible for maintaining the Band’s financial records. Maintaining integrity and objectivity of the financial records is essential in ensuring that all stakeholders receive timely and accurate reporting of financial results. Stakeholders include: Band membership; Chief and Council; other Band Departments and programs; and funders such as Indigenous Services Canada and First Nations Health Authority.

The Finance Department operates out of the Gitanmaax Band Office and is overseen by Eugenia Colindres, Finance Manager. The Finance Manager ensures that all departments operate within their budgets as well as ensuring that all payments adhere to our Policy and Procedure. The Gitanmaax Band fiscal year runs from April 1st of each year through to March 31st of the following year. Audits are performed by an Accounting firm on an annual basis each year with the final reports being presented to the Gitanmaax Community.

Finance Functions

The Finance Department has the following functions:

Bank reconciliations
Deposits
Manages the general ledger listings for all departments
Processes payroll
Budget preparation
Oversees accounts payable and accounts receivable operations
Pension plan, group insurance benefit administration
Oversees the financial function of the Social Development Program

In addition, the Finance Manager also attends meetings as required and preforms other tasks such as proposal research.

Gitanmaax Band Finance Manager - Eugenia Colindres

Eugenia was born and raised in Guatemala, Central America where she attained her Junior Accounting Certification and 4 years towards her Chartered Professional Accountant degree at University of San Carlos. Eugenia moved to Canada in 1987 to the traditional territory of the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, Lūnaapéewak and Attawandaron, where she lived for 34 years and furthered her education through the Certified General Accountant program. She brings with her over thirty years of work experience in Accounting and Administration of Private for-profit corporations as well as Non-profit organizations that provide services to diverse communities.

She moved to Northern BC last year with her family and has been with the Gitanmaax Band Office since March 2022. She has been happy to have the chance to connect with a few community members and is looking forward to meeting many more and building stronger ties to community in the future.