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From the Thunder Bay Chronicle Journal, July 21, 2005 -http://www.chroniclejournal.com/story.shtml?id=28165

Job agency launched 

Matawa First Nations Management has launched a new employment and training division, hoping to curb high unemployment levels in the region’s First Nations communities.

The division — launched Wednesday and based in Matawa’s office on Court Street in Thunder Bay — will offer employment services, including a job bank, job placements, apprenticeships, training, employment counselling, and support for adults looking to return to school.

The office will deal with Matawa’s 10 member First Nations, said Bruce Visitor, Matawa director of operations.

“We have six staff at this point in time,” Visitor said, adding there are representatives in each member community to help people there.

“The training aspect of our program will be very essential and important,” said division manager Morris Wapoose. “If you don’t receive training, then you can’t . . . compete in the labour market.”

Larry Spence, the division’s community development officer, said the division will help address the unemployment problem on First Nations.

“A lot of our youths are unemployed,” he said. “We need to get them the training so they can secure employment.”

Also Wednesday, Mattawa introduced the division’s new web page, accessible through http://matawa.on.ca

The five Nishnawbe Aski Nation First Nations of Muskrat Dam, North Caribou Lake, Neskantaga, Kingfisher Lake and Fort Albany are establishing Literacy Camps with support from the Lieutenant Governor's Aboriginal Literacy Summer Camp initiative. Keewaytinook Okimakanak's summer student, Valerie Kakekaspan is working with the Literacy camp volunteers to set up a web site for this work ... see http://literacycamps.myknet.org

Media Advisory - Support builds for Lieutenant Governor's Aboriginal Literacy Summer Camps

WHO    The Hon. James K. Bartleman, Lieutenant Governor
             Deputy Chief Alvin Fiddler, Nishnawbe Aski Nation
             Ms Helen Burstyn, Chair, Ontario Trillium Foundation
             Mr Rob Stewart, CEO & Executive Commissioner, Scouts Canada
             Morningstar River aboriginal drummers and dancers

Missanabie Cree First Nation Chief Glenn Nolan is retracing the canoe route of British Commissioners during the original signing of James Bay Treaty 9 in 1905 and 1906. In this picture, Chief Glenn Nolan of Missanabie Cree First Nation and his group of paddlers reached the shore of Old Post Resort and Village during the James Bay Treaty No. 9 Centennial Commemoration July 12, 2005.

To learn more about the historical canoe route and about the content of Treaty 9, check out the "Virtual Journey: Signing of Treaty Nine" web site and the map of the sites visited in 1905 and 1906 by the commissioner. This site contains the content of the treaty along with the notes and pictures made by the commissioner at each stop.

The Ontario First Nations Young Peoples Council have secured $540,000.00 over four years, from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, to conduct activities that will meet the following objectives:

• Development of 25 regional and community youth councils;
• Development of a communication strategy;
• Development of leadership training modules;
• Planning of the Annual Youth Symposia

Please see our Work plan for a more detailed breakdown of the activities.

See the press release at Ontario First Nations Young Peoples Council receives extensive multi-year grant from Ontario Trillium Foundation

Connecting Communities For Better Health
National First Nations Telehealth Summit 2005

September 23-24, 2005 at the Fairmont Hotel in downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Plan to attend this important conference which will chart the course for the future of First Nations Telehealth at the community, local, regional and national levels.

More information on this conference will be posted at www.afn.ca by July 25, 2005.

Health Canada is a sponsor of this conference.

++++++++++++++++

Click here to see poster for

“Doing Research Our Way – Celebrating 10 years of RHS”

Critical up-to-date information on the latest health issues impacting First Nations today!
First Nations Research Conference
November 13, 14 & 15, 2005
Government Conference Centre
2 Rideau St., Ottawa, ON

Deborah Davis, Industry Canada's Information Highway Applications (IHAB) Branch Director General and James Fulcher, Director of Program Analysis and Development at IHAB are traveling to Sioux Lookout today to meet with Keewaytinook Okimakanak and our partners.

Their visit will include a trip over to Slate Falls on Monday morning to meet with the local leaders about their new community broadband network. Debbie Korobanik of Windigo First Nations Council will join the KO team and the guests from Industry Canada for this trip. Photos on-line here

This year's Muddy Water Music Festival promises to be bigger and better once again. Starting on Wednesday, July 20 the music will be flowing each night until the grand finale on Saturday, July 23. Be sure to watch the Sandy Lake First Nation web site at http://sandylake.firstnation.ca for more information and schedules. Hopefully some of the evenings sessions will be web cast, the same way it was last year so people in other communities can also listen to bands.

Mishkeegogamang Ojibway Nation is developing their  community broadband telecommunications network. The community obtained FedNor funding in 2004 to begin planning and building their local community network. The Mishkeegagamang project also helped provide some support funding for the development of the Pickle Lake broadband cable system which began operating in the summer of 2004 (Click on the KNews story - Pickle Lake gets assistance for high speed internet services - Aug 2004).

A K-Net T1 connection was installed by Bell Canada in the local nursing station in the fall of 2004 as the first step. The nursing station was networked (Health Canada and KO Telehealth) so all the computers and the new telemedicine suite could be on-line. In January of this year, the telehealth facilities were staffed and operational (click here for pictures of the Mish telehealth opening).

The Mishkeegogamang Broadband Community Network is using a wireless design to connect the various locations across this dispersed community. Access to the Bell tower and getting the proper radio equipment that can manage video, audio and high speed data traffic with Quality of Service (QOS) did result in some delays in completing this project. In the end, Superior Wireless' team and the K-Net team (Dan and Adi) were able to put together an operational network in time for the 100 year commemoration ceremonies of the signing of treaty nine that occurred this past week.

On Tuesday, the First Nations SchoolNet team were in Mishkeegogamang Ojibway Nation for these celebrations. Several activities were able to be supported using this community broadband network including:

• Video taping of the entire event at the old post site (click here for pictures);
• Taped interviews with elders from across Nishnawbe Aski Nation about the treaty and its historical significance to the Nishnawbe Aski (working in partnership with Wawatay Native Communications Society, Shibogama First Nations Council and Kwayaciiwin Education Resource Centre staff);
• Information display booth about the ICT applications being supported by Keewaytinook Okimakanak;
• Establishing a wireless broadband connection at the site of the afternoon ceremonies that included the IP video conferencing unit (for the webcast), IP telephones for connecting to others, and computers for high speed data connections;
• Webcasting and archiving of the entire afternoon session (click here to watch the archive - NOTE: the first 2 hours and 30 minutes is mainly set up so SCROLL forward to 2:36 to get to the start of this 3 hour event);
• Using the archived sessions to web stream the various guest speakers (click on the name to watch their presentation), including:
  • National Chief Phil Fontaine, Assembly of First Nations;
  • Ontario Regional Chief Angus Toulouse, Chiefs of Ontario
  • Grand Chief Stan Beardy, Nishnawbe Aski Nation
  • Chief Ronald Roundhead, Mishkeegogamang Ojibway Nation
  • The Hon. James K. Bartleman, Ontario's Lieutenant Governor
  • The Hon. Ethel Blondin-Andrew, Minister of State (Northern Development)
  • The Hon. Jack Layton, MP, Leader of the NDP
  • The Hon. David Ramsay, Minister of Natural Resources and Minister Responsible for Aboriginal Affairs
  • Catherine Cheechoo, NAN Youth Representative

One event that happened that day that highlights the importance of broadband communication networks was when an INAC communications officer was trying to get pictures from the event to the Thunder Bay Chronicle Journal to include with their press release. Because he was not able to contact his INAC co-workers at the ceremonies, he called K-Net to see if there was a way to get pictures to the editor.

While speaking on the IP phone with Jamie Ray and Jeannie Carpenter who were setting up the network at the ceremony site, the editor of the newspaper called the K-Net Sioux Lookout office. He was able to speak directly with Jamie and Jeannie by teleconferencing the two together using the IP phone network. While they were trying to figure out how to get some pictures for the newspaper article, David Paul Achneepineskum, NAN's Executive Director walked into the tent site and was seen on the live internet webcast that was being broadcast over the network. The team was then able to ask David Paul about who would have pictures to share and he suggested Jenna Young, NAN's Communication Officer. Jeannie took on the task of getting the pictures from Jenna, zipping them together into an e-mail to the editor and sending them over to the newspaper and to the K-Net office where they were posted.

This is a great example of broadband in action by being able to see David Paul to get his help (video), to speak with people at the site (audio) and to send the information required (data). All this was done in less than an hour. Click here to see the pictures that were sent.

July 14 2005   

Chief

Archie Meekis       204 votes

Evelyn Meekis      125 votes

Deputy Chief

Henry Meekis      210 votes

Delbert Kakegamic     119 votes 

Councillors

Albert Mamakeesic     193

George Rae       192

Randy Meekis      162

Cory J. Meekis      158

Lydia B. Meekis     144

Oscar Meekis          142

North Caribou Lake
First Nation
Ladies Baseball Tournament

August 4 - 6, 2005

Entry Fee: $300.00 Per Team

Championship - $4,000.00 Guaranteed
Consolation - $2,500.00

Plus Trophies & Medallions

Bring your own Blankets & Toiletries