COMMUNIQUE – Further Community Update on Judicial Review of Blood Tribe 2024 Election – August 28, 2026

STANDOFF, ALBERTA – August 28, 2026

Blood Tribe Chief and Council (“Council”) provides this Communique to update Blood Tribe Members on the status of the ongoing Federal Court judicial review proceeding relating to the November 27, 2024 Blood Tribe Election (the “2024 Election”). This Communique is supplementary to the Communique published by the Blood Tribe on October 22, 2025, in which the Blood Tribe provided an initial update on these issues.

As set out in the Blood Tribe’s October 22, 2025 Communique, the results of the 2024 Election were appealed by three members of the Blood Tribe. On January 27, 2025, the Blood Tribe Election Appeal Board (the “Appeal Board”) dismissed those appeals. One of the Blood Tribe Members who appealed the results of the 2024 Election, Lori Scout, then filed an application for judicial review of the Appeal Board’s January 27, 2025 decision in the Federal Court.

Within that broader judicial review proceeding, a procedural motion was filed by Lori Scout, challenging an earlier procedural order made by Associate Judge Coughlan, which was rendered on October 28, 2025 (the “October Order”). The October Order, among other things, gave Lori Scout until November 21, 2025, to file a motion record relating to her request to have Associate Judge Coughlan removed as a Case Management Judge in the judicial review proceeding on account of bias or impartiality.  

In this procedural motion, Lori Scout challenged the October Order on various grounds, including that the October Order issued by Associate Judge Coughlan was subject to errors of law or fact, and that Associate Judge Coughlan was biased or predisposed to the matters giving rise to the October Order.

On August 27, 2026, Madam Justice Azmudeh of the Federal Court dismissed that procedural motion. In its written decision, the Court found that:

• The Associate Judge’s October Order did not contain any error of law or any serious factual error that would justify overturning it.
• Lori Scout’s argument contained “general unsubstantiated allegations to challenge” the Court’s exercise of discretion in granting the October Order.
• The arguments raised by Lori Scout that Associate Judge Coughlan was biased were based on “unsubstantiated allegations” that did not meet the legal threshold required.
• Lori Scout’s argument that the Court had misapplied its rules contained “irrelevant information” and did “not substantiate the Applicant’s allegations with evidence”.

The Court ultimately found that “the Applicant brought a lengthy motion with little substance that tied up the resources of the Respondents and the Court.” On this basis, the Court also ordered the Lori Scout to pay costs of $1,500, split evenly between the Appeal Board and the Blood Tribe’s Chief Electoral Officer, who are both respondents in the judicial review proceeding. Council was not named as a respondent in the judicial review application but has filed a procedural motion to be added as a respondent at a later date.

As a result of the Court’s decision, the October Order issued by Associate Judge Coughlan remains in place and continues to stand. It is important to note that this most recent decision of the Federal Court relates only to the procedural motion brought by Lori Scout. It does not resolve the underlying judicial review of the Appeal Board’s decision itself, which was filed by Lori Scout in February 2025 and has been ongoing since that time. That underlying judicial review application remains outstanding before the Federal Court and continues to be unresolved, with many steps necessary before the matter moves toward a final hearing.

Council will continue to keep Blood Tribe Members informed as the proceeding progresses, and appreciates your patience and understanding as this matter moves through the Court process.