Media.Knet.Ca

Brian Walmark, Keewaytinook Okimakanak's Research Institute Coordinator, was recently reappointed as a member of the Northern School of Medicine Board of Directors, representing the city of Thunder Bay.

From http://www.nob.on.ca/aroundtheNorth/10-03-06-nosm.asp

NOSM’s new Board of Governors

Six new members have joined the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. At the annual member’s meeting the audited financial statements were approved, amendments to the corporate by-law were ratified and new members sworn in.

Barbara Beernaerts, was nominated by the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association, Dr. Amar Cheema, was nominated by the post-graduate medical trainees, Austin Hunt, nominated by the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities, Jeanne Naponse was nominated by the Union of Ontario Indians, Neil MacOdrum was nominated by the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association and Elizabeth Moore was nominated by the Nishnawbi Aski Nation.

Dr. Jean Anawati, Helen Cromarty, Ron Chrysler, James Gordon, Dr. Peter  Hutten-Czapski, Jeremie Larouche, Dr. Neil McLeod , Dr. Dermot McLoughlin, Dr. William McMullen, Tracey Ross, Lou Turco, Dr. Stephen Viherjoki, Brian Walmark and Carl White were re-appointed.

From http://www.kenoradailyminerandnews.com/News/260187.html

Treaty 3 Chiefs angered by program funding cuts

By Mike Aiken - Miner and News - October 11, 2006

Treaty 3 chiefs advocated for constitutional challenges and civil disobedience Tuesday, during the first day of the fall National Assembly being held in Seine River.

Upset by what they saw as arbitrary cuts and amendments to programs affecting their children, leaders didn’t mince words.

Delegates at the table focused on the recent cuts to supports for special needs students on First Nations, who usually attend provincial schools in neighbouring communities.

“It’s a clear and blatant violation of our treaty rights,” said the chief responsible for the education portfolio, Chuck McPherson of Couchiching First Nation.

He said families are considering placing their children in the care of family services, so they can ensure they get access to a proper education.

As classes resumed, Couchiching band council found themselves without funding for 16 education assistants, who accompany special needs students in classrooms. Across Treaty 3, the total was $1.3 million in cuts, and members began a letter-writing campaign to protest the drastic changes.

Without the added support, McPherson said three students in the Kenora area have been unable to attend school, which he saw as a violation of the children’s rights under the treaty, as well as their provincial right to be in school and their rights against discrimination listed in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The federal government came under criticism in aboriginal circles for a range of cuts last month, as well, which included anti-smoking campaigns and funding for legal challenges.

“The new Conservative government has openly targeted treaty rights and our people,” said Chief Earl Klyne of Seine River.

As First Nations celebrated their recent victory regarding redress for residential school issues, assembly chairman Francis Kavanagh said the clawbacks were already in the works.

“We’re financing our own settlements,” he said.

Others criticized Indian and Northern Affairs for saying the decisions were related to expensive evacuations due to flooding on northern reserves, such as Kashechewan.

Chief Warren White of Whitefish Bay called for civil disobedience when he urged chiefs to force a meeting with Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice over the issue. During their trip to Ottawa in December, he said they should sit in the minister’s office until he agrees to meet with them.

Right to consult denied

Speakers also called for a legal challenge based upon their right to consult in section 35 of the Canadian Constitution. While this right has normally been applied to resource rights, they said it was time to apply it to social policies.

Chiefs also suggested they ignore provincial laws regarding child care, because Queen’s Park ignored their suggestions on changes to the new Child and Family Services Act.

“I can say to you we got diddly,” stated George Simard of Weechi-It-Te-Win, the aboriginal children’s aid society operating in the southern part of Treaty 3.

Simard told the assembly he wasn’t prepared to work with provincial regulators towards harmonizing practices, and their only recourse was to go through the courts and force the province to consult with First Nations.

Lac La Croix First Nation Chief Leon Jourdain challenged his colleagues to commit $3,000 each towards the development of their own child care system, saying it was time to act on their words.

The assembly continues Wednesday with an update on a controversial youth trip to Honduras, followed by a visit from the auditors on the their third and final day, Thursday.

Lakehead University Press Release ...

Lakehead Professor Leading Team in Research of the Northern Social Economy

(Thunder Bay) The largest Northern Social Science research grant has been awarded to establish the Social Economy Research Network for Northern Canada (SERNNoCa).

Dr. Chris Southcott, a Professor of Sociology who is working with Yukon College as the lead institution, received $1.75 million from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) to fund his work as Principal Investigator with the Network.

This Network will conduct research that is relevant and useful to communities currently facing substantial social and economic challenges. The term ‘social economy’ covers the economies of a range of organizations which are in neither government nor the private for-profit sector. It includes the traditional relationships in aboriginal communities, volunteer organizations, cooperatives, community groups, non-governmental organizations, non-profit groups, and charities.

In addition to Dr. Southcott, there are four other Lakehead University faculty members involved in the project: Dr. Bob Jickling, Faculty of Education; Dr. Margaret Johnston, School of Outdoor Recreation, Parks, and Tourism; Dr. Harvey Lemelin, School of Outdoor Recreation, Parks, and Tourism; and Dr. Joanne Zamparo, School of Social Work.

The research conducted as part of SERNNoCa will focus on four main areas: profiling the social economy in northern Canada; Indigenous communities and the social economy; resource regimes and the social economy in the north; and the state and the social economy in the north.

“The communities in Canada’s North are facing substantial challenges,” Dr. Southcott says. “This Network aims to help these communities with research findings that are relevant to their social economy, and will help them deal with changes in their economy."

A coordinator for SERNNoCa is working at Yukon College’s Northern Research Institute, in cooperation with the research institutes at Nunavut Arctic College and Aurora College in the Northwest Territories. In addition to Dr. Southcott’s work, social scientists from three other universities—Carleton, Memorial, and the University of Northern British Columbia—will be involved in the research projects.

“Yukon College is pleased to be the lead institution for this important northern research initiative,” says Paul Driscoll, dean of Arts & Science at Yukon College. “This role acknowledges the leadership capability of the Northern Research Institute at the College.”

Members of the Media: Dr. Southcott is available for interview by calling him directly at 807-343-8349. To connect with partnering institutions, please call Marla Tomlinson at 807-343-8177.

Background Information:

This proposal seeks to establish a social economy research network, or node, for Northern Canada. It is built around the three Northern territorial colleges and their respective research institutions and links researchers working in the North with Northern students, community organizations, and educational institutions. The network is structured around four main themes and three sub-nodes – one based in each territory. In addition to research seeking to conceptualize and inventory the social economy in the North, the network will investigate the particular relationships that exist between the social economy and indigenous cultures, resource regimes, and the state. Working with community partners, the network will conduct research and produce findings that will assist Northerners in the development of effective alternative social and economic strategies for their future development.

Communities in Canada’s North are currently facing substantial social and economic challenges. The social economy offers tools to help these communities face these challenges. The creation of a network of university and college-based researchers and representatives of community-based organizations, operating as partners, to conduct research relevant to the social economy in Canada’s North is therefore relevant and important to the region. Northern governments, both Indigenous and public, need research in this area in order to undertake realistic program development and especially to develop realistic economic development policies.

The network will be organized around four research themes. The first theme is the conceptualizing, inventorying, and evaluating of the Northern social economy. The other three themes are related to the specific realities underlying the social economy of the North: dependence on resource use, the predominant role of the state, and the significance of indigenous cultures (Arctic Climate Impact Assessment, 2004; Arctic Human Development Report, 2004). The remaining themes will be focused around these realities. Core research will be conducted for each theme. In addition specific projects have been developed to complement the core research. These projects will evolve over time and new projects will be added along with additional researchers and partners.

The network will ensure several key outcomes. These include an increased general awareness of the importance and potential of the social economy related activities to the North, the enhancement of social economy capacity in the region, a greater understanding of alternative forms of social and economic development in the North, the improved performance of organizations and enterprises in areas that are important to the social economy in Canada’s North, new policy resources for governments relating to the social economy, and better trained individuals to assist in the development of social economy organizations.