I can't speak to Alberta, but in BC where I have alot of contact with native society the problem with reserves is they are politically dominated by a few families who do very well, I mean very very very well, they use their power to assign work, housing or even banish band members to ensure they stay in control and eliminate any real debate.
The money the feds send is basically used by a few band council members, generally related to each other, with no oversight or accounting whats so ever.
What would help is if every band member was given a share of the bands money up front from the feds and the band council had to run on a platform of how much they would tax and what they would do with it (as they do in any other municipality).
It would also help if they were all given a plot of land of their own as opposed to community ownership, it could be restricted covanent so as to ensure it stays within the band, but it would, none the less give them some sense of ownership, and even, in a limited way, an asset they might be able to borrow off.
The real problem with the rez system isn't that its apharthied it's that it's a dictatorship.
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