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Poplar Hill held a social gathering feast on June 16, 2002. This was a chance where the staff from the northern, the school, the Health centre, and the Band office came together. Everyone met to share ideas, let each know what they are working on and encourage each other. We all want to be able to work together. A lot of the local folks who are not working also came. This was a good experience for everyone especially since was our first feast for this purpose. The local Northern store was a big sponsor for this event. Congratulation and thanks to the people who came up with this idea. The food was great and everyone seemed to appreciate this opportunity to get together again. We are looking forward to having a bigger gathering next year. Check out the photos.

On March 22, 2002, the Nishnawbe Aski Nation Chiefs passed a resolution in Timmins, Ontario, declaring September 1, 2002 as a Day of Prayer for spiritual support and healing from the ravages of suicide in the territory. The Nishnawbe Aski Nation Executive and the chiefs are calling on all church and spiritual leaders for their prayers and support to address this issue in our communities. Under the leadership and coordination of Deputy Grand Chief Goyce Kakegamic, a working group has been established consisting of NAN christian leadership, to organize this very important event. Please mark your calendar for September 18, 2002 (alternative date) as Day of Prayer. Periodic public announcements will be made through Wawatay Radio and your local radio station, literature and posters will be developed and forwarded to your band office or local church detailing the recommended activities for that day. All ideas and comments are welcome, please contact NAN at 1-800-465-9952. You may be referred to a local representative in your community.

Link's Store is set to be open on June 21, 2002 (Aboriginal Day). Numerous items such as pop, chips, hotdogs and hamburgers will be sold. Watch for the Grand Opening soon. The store will be open at 12:00 noon to 9:00 pm. We hope to see you there.

On June 4 the staff from the Sioux Lookout Diabetes Education Program, Christine Penner Polle, along with the Diabetes Research team from Sandy Lake First Nation met in Thunder Bay to receiving training on the use of the new Diabetic Retinopathy camera. This camera was purchased for the region under the KO / NORTH Network Telehealth CHIPP project. The camera is used to take pictures of the inside of the eye. These pictures are then sent to an opthalmologist to look at. The Opthalmologist can determine if there is any damage to the eye, particularly from Diabetes, that might required corrective surgery. This camera is now in Sandy Lake where it will be until the middle of July. After that it will travel around for six months to the five KO First Nations with the Sioux Lookout Diabetes Educators. These nurses will be using it to send pictures to Dr. Schoales, an opthalmologist in Thunder Bay, who is working with the Telehealth team. This new and easy to use technology will help identify eye disease and help people get early treatment. It is a collaborative effort between the Northern Ontario Diabetes Research Project and the NORTH Network. For pictures of the equipment and the people working on this project, click here.

The headline reads, "K-Net Brings Broadband to Northwestern Ontario, pages 13-15", in the latest issue of Telemanagement - The Angus Report on Business Telecommunications in Canada (June 2002, Number 196). Read the stories at http://photos.knet.ca/telemanagement (posted with permission from Telemanagement) The first paragraph ... "Four years ago, the residents of North Spirit Lake, Ontario, had no telephone service and no Internet access. Today they have both - and the Internet came first." The story goes on to describe the steps taken since 1994 by Keewaytinook Okimakanak to bring broadband services into the KO First Nations and the region. The last section of the story summarizes the work being done by so many groups and individuals in this region and is worth sharing. It is a story about partnerships and what can happen with the right combination, as in the case of K-Net and all our partners (and the list continues to grow)! "K-Net and the five northern Community Broadband Networks (CBNs) we reviewed last month, demonstrate that it is possible to deploy broadband networks now in rural and remote parts of Canada. What it seems to take is a combination of "bottom up" and "top down" initiatives. It takes determination and commitment in the community itself. It also takes government funding programs, to bridge the gap between what communities need and the willingness of private carriers to meet those needs. It also takes champions: individuals in local communities and at the top levels of government, and at every level in between, who have both a vision of what broadband networks can accomplish, and the dogged determination to make it happen. None of those, by itself, can achieve the desired result. Governments can't roll out networks by fiat; communities can't create networks single-handedly; champions by themselves are powerless. But put them all together - combine a relatively small amount of public funding with a lot of local ingenuity, hard work and resolve - and almost anything can be achieved."

On June 21, 2002, Poplar Hill will have a men and ladies road race. This is the third year that this event has been held on National Aboriginal Day. The men's run is a good 5 km and the ladies is half the distance. There will be 1st, 2nd and 3rd place prizes which will be announced later. The race is no cost and will be run come rain or shine. Get in shape everyone!!

Treaty day activities, games and much more are coming up on July 4-6, in Poplar Hill. This is an event that we have every year. Also there's a fishing derby, this weekend June 14-15, 2002. The men are going for the biggest jackfish. The ladies will go for biggest walleye and the kids go for the smallest walleye.

Ontario Aborigonal Economic Development Program is now accepting applications for business and economic development activities. The deadeline date for submission are July 15/02. If you have any questions, please call David Neegan @ 1-800-387-3740 Background The Ontario Aboriginal Economic Development Program (OAEDP) is designed to promote economic development in Aboriginal communities throughout Ontario. The Program operates under funding provided by the Ontario Native Affairs Secretariat (ONAS). Program Principles The Program will promote Aboriginal self-reliance and sustainable economic growth. The Program will strive to address the economic development needs of Aboriginal communities. The Program will maximize accessibility to funding by Aboriginal communities in Ontario. Program funding will be distributed on a fair and equitable basis. Program objectives The objectives of the Ontario Aboriginal Economic Development Program are: to increase community economic activity; to increase the capacity of Aboriginal communities to participate in the economy; to support the business development needs of Aboriginal communities; and to strengthen Aboriginal Communities through initiatives that develop / enhance Aboriginal structures. Program Guidelines: OAEDP has three components of program funding: Organizational Development: maximum funding of $15,000.00 Economic Capacity Building: maximum funding of $25,000.00 Business Development: maximum funding of $50,000.00 OAEDP has 2 proposal calls per year: 1st Request for Proposals deadline: JULY 15, 2002 2nd Request for Proposals deadline: DECEMBER 02, 2002 For more information, please visit Ontario Aboriginal Economic Development Program

NSL E-centre held a meeting regarding plans for future operations. There were several discussions over possible programs and services that can be used for community development, hotel, restaurant, training courses, etc. The meeting went longer than expected due to the concerns of funding and cultural issues, native language, hunting, trapping, arts and crafts, etc. With the support of local band office and community members the North Spirit Lake E-Centre will begin dealing with a few of these issues. Take a look at some of the photos taken during the meeting.

Today the band office, school, clinic and various other offices were closed for the afternoon to join in the Earth Day. All community members participated in helping keeping our community clean. hey! check out the Photos at the photo gallery!