Media.Knet.Ca

The First Annual General Meeting of Oshki-Pimache-O-Win Education and Training Institute will be held Tuesday, August 13, 2002 in Thunder Bay, Ontario. As a member of the corporation, each First Nation is eligible to send one representative to the meeting. For further information, please contact Stephen Chase or Ruth Baxter at 1-866-63-OSHKI.

Wednesday’s (July 17) Keewaytinook Okimakanak board meeting was attended by Chief Royal Meekis (Deer Lake), Councillor Silas Kakegamic (Keewaywin), Chief Eli James (McDowell Lake), Chief Isaac Linklater (North Spirit Lake) and Chief Patrick Owen (Poplar Hill). Chief George Kakekaspan is in Sioux Lookout attending the Special Education planning meeting. Items discussed included: * information arising from previous minutes (Orpah McKenzie provided a brief update on the telehealth application to Health Canada and the Nursing Situation in KO First Nations) * finance update (this is Penny Carpenter’s last week before her maternity leave) * all-weather road strategy development (guests Margaret Thompson and John Erickson) * forest management strategy (David Neegan) * K-Net’s application to Industry Canada to be the Ontario Regional Management Organization to support First Nation schools (Brian Beaton) * a brief update on the Keewaytinook Internet High School (Brian Beaton). Throughout the meeting, the community leaders were dealing with issues relating to the forest fire situation across the region.

Heavy smoke has created the need for evacuation in our community. Even those of us without breathing problems have noticed symptoms such as sore throats. The heat of the day helps to keep the smoke from completely obscuring our vision, but the coolness of night brings the choking smoke. The elderly, babies, prenatals and others with health and breathing problems will be the first to be evacuated. As of 4:00pm, it appears that the evacuees will be sent to Thunder Bay. It is not known whether or not other residents will need to be evacuated. We are waiting for the planes to arrive for the over one hundred residents, who due to medical reasons must leave. For more information you can call the Deer Lake band office at 807-775-2141.