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Mr. Barkman is continuing his fundraising efforts to raise funds for a Traditional Food Bank for individuals who have had to relocate to urban areas due to medical requirements.  He has already completed 400 kms of walking via winter road travel.

Participants include:

1. Jimmy Barkman, Sachigo Lake
2. Rhoda Barkman, Jimmy’s wife, Sachigo Lake
3. Marsha Wood, Jimmy’s daughter, Winnipeg, MB
4. Dillon Wood, Jimmy’s grandson, Winnipeg, MB
5. Bella Chapman, Jimmy’s sister-in-law, Big Trout Lake, ON

Estimated travel from Sioux Lookout to Thunder
Bay, ON, will be another 400 kms, commencing today, April 22, 2005.

Friday April 22nd 2005 – Depart Sioux Lookout @ 1:00 pm to Dinorwic (Sioux Lookout Accommodations)
Saturday April 23rd 2005 – Dinorwic to Ignace (Sioux Lookout Accommodations)
Sunday April 24th 2005 – Rest (Sioux Lookout Accommodations)
Monday April 25th 2005 – Ignace (Ignace Accommodations)
Tuesday April 26th 2005 – Ignace (Ignace Accommodations)
Wednesday April 27th 2005 – English River (English River Accommodations)
Thursday April 28th 2005 – English River (English River Accommodations)
Friday April 29th 2005 – Upsala (Upsala Accommodations)
Saturday April 30th 2005 – Upsala (Upsala Accommodations)
Sunday May 1st 2005 – Rest (Thunder Bay)
Monday May 2nd 2005 – (Thunder Bay Accommodations)
Tuesday May 3rd 2005 – Thunder Bay Arrival

Jimmy Barkman and family will be walking Monday to Saturday from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Sunday – Rest day

Volunteers are required to walk 5 kms each.

Photo taken by Carol Terry, at WFNC’s BBQ.

A new five year Bachelor of Education is being developed for those people who want to become teachers working with First Nation students. The official signing of the partnership agreement to develop this new program took place this past March (click here to view the pictures of the negotiations and the signing).

The Sioux Lookout District Native Teacher Education Program (NTEP) management committee has been working on developing a culturally sensitive teaching program for the past few years. This committee consists of representatives from Shibogama, Windigo, IFNA, Keewaytinook Okimakanak, Sandy Lake and the Northern Nishnawbe Education Council. The Sioux Lookout district chiefs' approved the development and design of this new teacher degree program, in assembly.

Members of the consortium include Brock, Nippissing, and Lakehead universities which have signed an agreement-in-principle with Northern Nishnawbe Education Council to work together to create this new bachelor of education program. Click here to read the April 7 Wawatay story about this event.

We are having our 5th Annual Spring Traditional Gathering.

Friday, April 29, 2005 is CULTURAL EDUCATION DAY!

Check out the website for more info.

http://www.nnec.on.ca/pffnhs/gathering/

Educational Puppet-play over video-conference!

Access Suicide Intervention & Prevention training in your community by video-conference or by audio connection.

KO Telehealth invites you to participate in education events offered through video conferencing.  The topics range from Sign Language to Physical Activity for Elders.

Please visit the web site to view all education events www.telehealth.knet.ca (Health Professionals, Education Sessions).  Contact Gayle Reid at gaylereid@knet.ca or 807-735-1381 ext 51304 if you wish to register for an education session.  All are welcome.

The Sioux Lookout Area Aboriginal Management Board (SLAAMB) met with federal government officials from Human Resources Skills Development (HRSD) on Wednesday in Thunder Bay to continue the negotiations to re-open the Sioux Lookout based operation. Members of the Chiefs political group, the board and Bob Bruyere, SLAAMB Program Manager attended this meeting. An agreement in priniciple was worked out where "it would business as usual" for the SLAAMB office once the chiefs meet on April 26 in Sioux Lookout to review the terms and conditions that are being submitted this week to HRSD.

The story about this meeting was also reported in Thursday's Chronicle Journal (Thunder Bay) on the front page.

Click here to read last week's article about the closure of the office that was in the April 7 issue of the Chronicle Journal.

Click here to read's Wawatay's coverage of the closure.

The Multicultural Association of Northwestern Ontario (MANWO) and Regional Multicultural Youth Council (RMYC) in Thunder Bay present the Where Are The Children? -Healing The Legacy of the Residential Schools Exhibition at the Victoriaville Mall.

A press conference was held at the Victoriaville Mall in downtown Thunder Bay on the opening of the Where are the Children? - Healing the Legacy of the Residential Schools Exhibition Thursday, April 14, 2005.

Speakers at the opening included Garnet Angeconeb, former residential school student and Secretary of the Aboriginal Healing Foundation, Angie Bruce, Development Manager of the Legacy of Hope Foundation, Gabrielle Blais, Director General of Programs at Library and Archives Canada and Jeff Thomas, Curator of the exhibit. Other speakers included Moffat Makuto, Executive Director of the RMYC, David Paul Achneepineskum, NAN Executive Director and representatives from the Mayor’s office and MP Ken Boschoff’s office.

The Exhibit was created to promote an awareness of the Residential School Experience and is targeted to educate Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal Youth. Everyone is encouraged to come out and view the exhibit at the Victoriaville Mall in Thunder Bay.

The Where are the Children? - Healing the Legacy of the Residential Schools Exhibition can be seen starting March 28 to July 22, 2005 from 10 am to 5 pm Monday to Friday and from 2 pm to 5 pm Saturday and Sunday.

For more information or for group reservations and special hours call (807) 622-4666.

To reach the Aboriginal Healing Foundation call 1 888 725 8886

To see the Where are the Children website click here

To visit the Aboriginal Healing Foundation site click here

To see pictures of the opening ceremony click here

A three day site visit from Jeff Anderson of R.A. Malatest & Associates Ltd. (Edmonton office) was part of the formative, mid-term evaluation work he is doing for the final report for Industry Canada. His visit that addresses the case study portion of the report, included:

• interviewing the Regional Management Organization (RMO) program and contracted team members;
• learning about the Keewaytinook Okimakanak organization and their Kuhkenah Network (K-Net) initiative, as it relates to Industry Canada's First Nations SchoolNet program;
• visiting Pelican Falls First Nations High School to learn about the impacts of the program and the use of ICTs within that environment;
• touring the Kuhkenah Network facilities and learning about its history and future development;
• meeting with First Nations SchoolNet / RMO supported e-learning program leaders (KiHS and the Grade 8 Supplementary programs);
• meeting with Carl Seibel, Industry Canada / FedNor program monitor for the Ontario region.

Carl's visit during these meetings also provided everyone with a stronger understanding about the important role that FedNor is performing in supporting the development of the broadband capacity and resources across Northern Ontario.

From the KO Telehealth web site at http://telehealth.knet.ca ....

KO Telehealth is pleased to announce that the expansion has increased to 16 fully operational KO Telehealth sites. The communities of Webequie and Neskantaga are now operational with comprehensive telehealth services.

The communities of Lac Seul, Bearskin Lake, Pikangikum, Fort Hope and Slate Falls are in the process of hiring Community Telehealth Coordinators over the month of April 2005.

The Community Telehealth Coordinator position has increased from part time to full time to accomodate the growing numbers associated with the program. The CTC's workplans now include a greater variety of responsibilities including the following: Scheduling, Education, Training, Administration, Technical Support, Clinical Support, Translation, Computer Skills, Community Promotion, Community Consultation, Meeting Participation, Liaison with Stakeholders and Partners and Communication Strategy with First Nations on a Provincial and National level, Sharing Knowledge and Expertise from Community Perspective.