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British Columbia Indigenous leader Edward John was scheduled to appear in a Prince George courtroom today (Dec. 10), but the date has been pushed back to the new year.
The B.C. Prosecution Service says the matter has been adjourned to Jan. 15, 2020, for an arraignment hearing.
He is accused of having sexual intercourse with a female without her consent in 1974.
Special Prosecutor Michael Klein was appointed in February to look into allegations of sexual offences in and around Prince George involving one person.
Klein has approved the four counts against John for incidents are alleged to have occurred between Mar. 1 and Sept. 15, 1974, it says.
John is a hereditary chief of Tl'azt'en Nation in near Fort St. James and a lawyer who holds honourary doctorates in law from UNBC and the University of Victoria.
John completed his 11th consecutive term as an elected leader of the First Nations Summit's political executive in June.
He did not seek re-election but continued as an advisor on contract with the organization, one of the largest Indigenous organizations in the province.
The First Nations Summit declined to comment but issued a statement saying it will fully co-operate with the RCMP, prosecution service or other investigating bodies.
It has suspended John's contract pending the outcome of the legal case.
- with files from The Canadian Press
