Raymond Pong, PhD, Research Director and Professor with the Centre for Rural and Northern Health Research at Laurentian University visited K-Net at the Sioux Lookout office of Keewaytinook Okimakanak on Wednesday, June 23. Dr. Pong is part of the team of researchers working with Keewaytinook Okimakanak to complete the evalution of the KO Telehealth project.

The day before, Dr. Pong, Orpah McKenzie and Mae Katt video conferenced from the class of graduate research students at Lakehead University with Darlene Rae at the North Spirit Lake Nursing Station. During discussions, Dr. Pong emphasized the importance of these connections with the northern communications to help both students and faculty understand the realites and challenges facing everyone in remote First Nations.

Today, Dr. Pong, along with Nancy Grieves (Service Migration Coordinator for the KO Telehealth project) and Brian Beaton, participated in a number of informal meetings including:

• a video conference with Guy MacLaren from Health Canada's Primary Health Care Transition Fund, Kevin Houghton (KO Telehealth Project Manager) and Penny Carpenter (KO Acting Health Director and Finance Manager)
• a demonstration of the teleradiology equipment and meeting with Craig Legros at the Menoyawin Health Centre
• meeting with Dr. Dermot McLoughlin, radiologist at Menoyawin
• meeting with Carol Wood, Telehealth Coordinator at Menoyawin
• meeting with James Morris, Executive Director of the Sioux Lookout First Nation Health Authority
• meeting and demonstration of the available on-line communication tools with members of the K-Net team (Jamie Ray, John Moreau, Jesse Fiddler, Cal Kenny, Ruth Ann Beardy, Jeannie Carpenter)
• tour of the different components of the Sioux Lookout K-Net connections.

Guy MacLaren, Senior Program Officer with the Primary Health Care Transition Fund is visiting the KO Telehealth Program located in Balmertown, Ontario. The purpose of the meeting is to review the 2 1/2 year Contribution Agreement in which is primarily operational funding including a requirement for a detailed evaluation report to be submitted at the conclusion of the funding. Click here to see the news story on the KO Telehealth web site.Guy and the KO Telehealth team will be visiting Deer Lake on Thursday June 24th to see the equipment operational in the community. Lily Sawanas- Deer Lake CTC will be hosting the team and illustrating its uses within the community.For pictures of Guy's visit, please visit the photogallery.

Rather than closing its doors to celebrate National Aboriginal Day, the KO sub office in Balmertown flung them open for area elementary school students...

Lakehead University Dean of Education impressed with KiHS and other KO ICT applications...

The June 17 issue of Wawatay News contained the story, "Pikangikum ready to share knowledge through education" ... forming the Whitefeather Forest Research cooperative with three universities, Sault College. The entire story can be read on the Wawatay News web site (click here).

The development of another community based Research group complements Keewaytinook Okimakanak's Research Institute which the Chiefs of KO established over the past year with the support of various partnerships. As more First Nations and First Nation organizations develop their research teams, KO looks forward to increased interest from institutions and corporations to develop new partnerships and relationships that benefit the Nishnawbe Aski.

KO Telehealth's team travelled to Thunder Bay to provide Health Canada and the Cancer Care Summit with information about their work with the First Nations across the Sioux Lookout health zone. Two new reports, containing the presentations to these groups, can be found on the KO Telehealth web site.

The two reports can be accessed by clicking on the titles below:

1. Cancer Care Summit Presentation
2. KO Telehealth Present to Health Canada

Darren Rae from Deer Lake First Nation has been selected as the KiHS student of the year for his academic successes in all his high school courses. Darren was recognized for having the Best Average in at least 6 credits, highest academic achievement in Science, Native Studies and Language, and Mathematics. He also was selected for making the "best academic effort" in his community KiHS classroom.

The Awards of Excellence page congratulates all the participating KiHS students. Everyone who signs up for KiHS courses are winners because they are able to develop new and important academic, technical and social skills. Being able to remain in their home communities with their families and friends, even for an extra year or two provides an important support for everyone, especially the community. Those KiHS students who are successful in completing high school credits from their home community are proving that they can be successful in any learning environment.

Other KiHS students recognized for their academic achievements this year include:

• Cat Lake - Marlene Crane, Bianca Crane
• Deer Lake - Darren Rae, Amanda Meekis
• Eabametoong - Wanda Atlookan, Robby Jacob
• Fort Severn - Hilary Gray, Bernadette Kabestra
• Fort William - William Solomon, Terry Landry, Sabrina MacLaurin
• Keewaywin - Katie Anishinabie, Leslie Pascal
• Lac Seul (Kejick Bay) - Celeste Rickard, David Sutherland
• North Spirit Lake - Geraldine Rae, Raylene Meekis
• Sachigo Lake - Tanya Barkman, Keith Barkman
• Weagamow - David Beardy, Lyndon Williams
• Webequie - Travis Spence, Vincent Jacob, Kerina Wabasse

Here's some good news from CBC on-line!

Aboriginal artist selected to represent Canada at 2005 Venice Biennale

Last Updated Thu, 17 Jun 2004 16:19:42 EDT

OTTAWA - Multidisciplinary artist Rebecca Belmore has been selected to represent Canada at the 2005 Venice Biennale of Visual Art, the Canada Council of the Arts announced Thursday.

The Ontario-born, Vancouver-based Belmore is an Anishinabekwe artist working in sculpture, installation, video and performance art.

The Kamloops Art Gallery and the Morris and Helen Belkin Gallery at the University of British Columbia were selected in a Canada-wide competition to represent Canadian visual art at the internationally prominent art exhibition. The two galleries proposed Belmore as a Biennale candidate.

"Rebecca Belmore has produced work of great power and grace," said Jann L.M. Bailey, of the Kamloops gallery, and Scott Watson, of the Belkin gallery, in a statement. The two will also be the curators of the Biennale exhibition.

Bailey and Watson des cribed the artist's work as demonstrating "a spare, exacting sense of form and presence. Her concerns centre on history, memory and justice."

Belmore herself isolated the themes of location and memory in her approach to making art.

"I have always had a strong interest in trying to imagine where we have been," she said.

"I am aware of the elusive nature of memory. Creating in the presence of the absent makes me a witness. I believe I am just beginning to understand my role, particularly as an artist who has inherited an indigenous history."

John Hobday, director of the Canada Council, praised the selection committee for its choice of an aboriginal artist to represent Canada on the world stage.

"In its diversity and richness, aboriginal art plays an important role in the contemporary artistic life of Canada," Hobday said. He added that supporting the creation and dissemination of aboriginal art is one of the council's priorities.

Belmore, who has exhibited across Canada and in Cuba, New Mexico and Australia, will develop her as-yet-untitled work for the Biennale over the summer and into the fall, and will complete her piece in the spring of 2005.

The Venice Biennale is the world's oldest and most prestigious international exhibition of contemporary art. In 2001, artists Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller won two awards at the approximately five-month-long festival for their audio-visual installation The Paradise Institute.

The 51st Venice Biennale will take place June 2005.

Sandy Lake First Nation is looking for a full time Case Manager / Nurse for its  Home and Community Care Program.  This program provides full service delivery for chronic care and elderly clients to assist them with living within the community.  For more information and/or to inquire about this job opportunity, see the full job ad at www.SandyLake.FirstNation.ca or click here to download the PDF version or call (807) 774-5262.

The recently announced Task Force is required to "submit to the Minister of Canadian Heritage on September 15, 2004 , a report in fulfillment of its mandate."

From the Canadian Heritage - Aboriginal Affairs web site ...

In support of Canada's commitment to preserve, revitalize and promote Aboriginal languages and cultures, the Government of Canada announced in December 2002 that it will contribute $172.5 M over 11 years. The three-phased action plan includes a two-year extension of the current Aboriginal Languages Initiative, establishment of a Task Force on Aboriginal Languages and Cultures, and creation and on-going operations of a new Aboriginal Languages and Cultures Centre (ALCC). The Centre will be a shared-governance entity operating as a not-for-profit corporation, composed predominantly of Aboriginal individuals. The Task Force on Aboriginal Languages and Cultures has recently been named. It will examine and make recommendations on the operations, programming and objectives of the ALCC to the Minister of Canadian Heritage in 2004. The ALCC is expected to be operational by 2005.

For additional information please use the following links:

• Terms of Reference
• Task Force Fact Sheet
• Aboriginal Languages and Cultures Centre News Release
• List of Task Force Members and biographies
• Circle of Experts