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Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, chair of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, wants to open a dialogue with the Chiefs of Keewaytinook Okimakanak ... To see new photos from Rome, click here...

Tauli-Corpuz is an Indigenous person from the Phillippines who is participating at the World Congress on Communication for Development... She praised KO for its achievements in telecommunications during the forum on Indigenous Form... Other news from Rome... Indigenous peoples in Central America would like to broadcast the "Turning the Corner" video on their community television network along with other videos created by K-Net's Cal Kenny such as "Paddling to Wahaso."  They would like to get them translated into Spainish but are willing to show them in English to encourage First Nations youth in Central America to tell their stories using video...

People attending the World Congress from Africa, Asia, and Central America are impressed with www.knet.ca  At least one delegate has already signed up to participate in the e-learning platform on digital education, a project between KORI and the Faculty of Education at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay...

Members of the Indigenous Forum want to keep the dialogue going after the World Congress closes its final session on Friday... They are exploring a variety of ways to keep the ideas flowing...

KORI's Brian Walmark is attending the World Congress in Rome...

Nishnawbe Aski Nation press release

NAN water emergencies continue one year after Kashechewan

     THUNDER BAY, ON, Oct. 26 /CNW/ - On the one year anniversary of the evacuation of Kashechewan First Nation and recent declarations of water emergencies in three additional Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) communities, NAN Grand Chief Stan Beardy, together with Mushkegowuk Council Grand Chief Stan Louttit and Assembly of First Nations Ontario Regional Chief Angus Toulouse, today demanded safe drinking water become a priority of the federal government during a news conference in Toronto.

     "Nineteen of NAN's 49 First Nation communities are under a boil water advisory - three of which have declared water emergencies in the past three weeks," said NAN Grand Chief Stan Beardy who represents First Nation communities within James Bay Treaty 9, including Kashechewan. "With statistics like that and without immediate action by the Government of Canada, the threat of another tragedy like Kashechewan seems imminent."

     After over 1000 residents of Kashechewan First Nation were evacuated due to unsafe drinking water and resulting failing health in October 2005, the former Liberal Government of Canada outlined specific commitments to the James Bay coastal community in the areas of water, health, housing, and social services.

     "All governments committed to improving water management in First Nations communities during last November's First Ministers Meeting on Aboriginal Affairs in Kelowna, B.C. This was partly as a response to the outcry among Canadians about the deplorable conditions faced by Kashechewan," recalled Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief Fontaine. "The commitment, however, has not been honoured by the new Conservative Government. Instead, an Action Plan for First Nations drinking water was announced in March, but no report to Canadians about progress achieved, if any, has been made. And, the needs in communities continue to grow."

     Despite various attempts urging Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) Jim Prentice to commit the Harper Government to the Kelowna Accord, one year later three additional NAN communities have declared similar water emergencies.

     Fearing increased risk to the health and safety of community members, Marten Falls, Pikangikum, and Attawapaskat First Nations have declared water emergencies in the past three weeks due to lack of capacity of water treatment plants, filtration and turbidity levels, contaminated intakes, and traces of carcinogens.

     NAN presented these concerns in a written submission to the federal Safe Drinking Water Panel in Thunder Bay, August 2006.

     Mushkegowuk Council Grand Chief Stan Louttit is a member of the expert panel on safe drinking water that toured Canada hosting public forums to hear presentations from First Nations, government agencies, and other stakeholders regarding options regulating water on reserves across Canada. He also represents NAN communities part of Mushkegowuk Tribal Council, including Kashechewan and Attawapiskat.

     "As a panel member, a community member, and as a person who has been impacted by the problem of safe drinking water on reserves directly, I know the issues highlighted during the safe drinking water panel discussions are real," said Mushkegowuk Council Grand Chief Stan Louttit, adding some of the common themes during presentations to the panel included lack of capacity for operating water treatment plants and training operators and water contamination from resource development. "Water is a basic human right, yet access to clean water is a problem for First Nations across the country. It's time the Government of Canada recognize the urgency on the national level. Peoples' lives are at risk."

     "The sheer number of First Nations across Canada with unsafe water is unacceptable," said AFN Ontario Regional Chief Angus Toulouse. "This situation is shameful and a stain on Canada's self-image as a fair and just country."

     Ontario passed Bill 43 - Clean Water Act (2006) last week and the provincial Minister for Aboriginal Affairs David Ramsay has made recent public statements regarding the need for the Government of Canada to come to the table regarding access to safe drinking water in the province's First Nations.

     "We welcome Ontario's support and look forward to seeing the funds that will bring our First Nations up to the standards that are currently taken for granted by the average Ontarian who has the luxury of simply turning on the tap and not thinking twice, however safe drinking water in First Nation communities remains a federal issue and we need quicker, more immediate action from the Government of Canada," said Beardy.

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/For further information: Jenna Young, Director of Communications, Nishnawbe Aski Nation, (807) 625-4952, (807) 628-3953 mobile; Bryan Hendry, A/Director of Communications, Assembly of First Nations, (613) 241-6789 ext. 229, (613) 293-6106 mobile; Pam Hunter, Communications Advisor, Chiefs of Ontario, (613) 203-3233/

KO's Turning the Corner video was selected for screening at the World Congress on Communication for Development this week in Rome, Italy. 

Videos selected include short subjects and public service announcements produced throughout the Third World.

KO's Brian Walmark is a speaker at a World Bank / FAO forum on Indiginous Peoples and Communication Policy. During a forum on health and communications, he spoke about KO Telehealth and the role of Community Telehealth Coordinators (CTCs) and the crucial role that they play in the promotion of telehealth at the local level.

He was invited to join a team of people from Africa, Central America and South East Asia to draft a resolution on supporting Indiginous Peoples and Telecommunications. To see photos of this event, click here.

Click here to watch the Turning the Corner - Effective Use of Broadband video at http://streaming.knet.ca/turning_the_corner_high.wmv  

To find more online reference material including video resources about this work, visit the June 2005 KNEWS story at http://knews.knet.ca/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1426

Attawapiskat First Nation Press Release ...

Water NOT Safe to Drink, Attawapiskat First Nation - INAC Refuses to Support Health Canada Experts

Attawapiskat, Ontario – October 24, 2006. INAC’s senior representatives will not back Health Canada’s Expert Dr. Courteau M.D. who confirmed, late last week, that the water in Attawapiskat First Nation is safe to drink.

The expert opinion of Dr. Courteau was the basis of INAC’s refusal to provide the community of Attawapiskat with bottled water.

Despite using Dr. Courteau’s expert opinion to deny Attawapiskat First Nation’s request for bottled water, Senior INAC officials refused to sign a letter assuring the community that the water was safe for human consumption last night at a public community meeting held in Attawapiskat First Nation. INAC also remained steadfast in their refusal to provide bottled water to the community.

The Chief of Attawapiskat delivered the report of the First Nations Engineering Services Ltd. on Attawapiskat’s water portability to the Minister of Indian Affairs on September 15th. The INAC officials present at the community meeting stated they would not sign a letter confirming the safety of the water because they did not have a copy of the water reports and had not reviewed them. INAC relies on its counterpart, Health Canada, for such expert advice and opinion.

The Attawapiskat First Nation is leary of any verbal commitments made by INAC to perform the immediate repairs needed at the water treatment plant in the community. INAC has still to come through with verbal commitments made to remediate an oil spill in the community, to demolish a condemned school and to build a new one in its place. Chief Carpenter explained “With INAC’s track record, I have no reason to believe that INAC will come through with any verbal commitment made with respect to this issue. Based on previous experience with INAC, our community’s distrust should not be a surprise.”

Attawapiskat Chief Carpenter stated that he had no choice but to interpret INAC’s refusal to sign the letters presented to them by the community’s working group on water quality, as a statement that they do not concur with Health Canada’s opinion that the water is in fact safe to drink.

Mushkegowuk Council Grand Chief Stan Louttit, who was a member of Canada’s Expert Water Panel mandated to travel the country hearing concerns about water quality in First Nation communities, stated that he could not understand INAC’s reluctance to provide the community with the assurance it needs, “I hear INAC saying the water is unsafe…and I will work with Chief Carpenter and Attawapiskat to find a resolution to this issue.”

Attawapiskat Deputy Chief Miriam Wesley reminded INAC that many issues were brought to INAC’s attention upon the beginning of the Council’s term in 2004; “We brought these issues to your attention, INAC asked ‘what is it you want, Chief?’ Chief Carpenter informed you of the most pressing issues faced by our community. Now we are in our 3rd year and our term ends this summer and still nothing has been done – it’s like working with a turtle. We can’t wait anymore.”

The school has been closed due to the community state of emergency declared by the Chief and Council. Immediate repairs of the water treatment plant are required and had INAC signed the letter concurring with Health Canada’s opinion that the water was safe, the children of the community would not be at risk of losing their school year. As a result of the impasse of last night’s meeting, the Chief and Council felt they had no choice but to uphold the declaration of a State of Emergency meaning the school remains closed.

Contact information

Chief Mike Carpenter @ 705-997-2166
Deputy Chief Miriam Wesley @ 705-997-2166