Media.Knet.Ca

Three days of meetings and visits provided visitors from Industry Canada with a good overview about the importance of broadband connectivity for the people across northwestern Ontario. The visitors included:

• Carl Seibel, Telecom Officer with FedNor in Thunder Bay,
• Joe Poirier, First Nations SchoolNet Project Officer in Ottawa
• Dan Winters, Broadband Program Technical Advisor in Ottawa

The visit agenda included a whirlwind visit to Slate Falls and North Caribou Lake First Nation on Wednesday to meet with the folks at the band offices, health centres and schools in each of these First Nations. Both communities were gracious hosts, providing us with clear directions to further develop opportunities for their local development of infrastructure and bandwidth. Click here to check out some of the pictures from this trip.

A four minute video of this trip, called "Learning about Broadband Uses in Slate Falls and Weagamow First Nations" was produced by Cal Kenny, K-Net's Multimedia Producer. This video can be viewed at http://streaming.knet.ca/learning_about_broadband.wmv

Meetings and tours were also held with

• the Youth Workers who were attending their training workshop in Sioux Lookout
• the Atlantic Regional Management Organization to discuss the development and importance of the First Nation regional networks and their role in supporting the communities
• the Sioux Lookout local infrastructure of the Kuhkenah Network and all the staff members
• Pelican Falls First Nations High School
• Keewaytinook Internet High School
• Wahsa Distance Education Centre

Thanks to one and all who supported the KO team in helping to welcome our visits to this special part of northern Ontario!

Press release ...

Ontario Power Generation and Lac Seul First Nation Sign Settlement Agreement

TORONTO, Nov. 16 - The Lac Seul First Nation (LSFN) and Ontario Power Generation (OPG) are pleased to announce the signing of an agreement that resolves past impacts in the Lac Seul First Nation traditional territory and establishes the foundation for a positive relationship between the Lac Seul First Nation and Ontario Power Generation. The agreement also provides the opportunity for a commercial relationship with Lac Seul First Nation that will benefit both parties.

OPG's President and CEO, Jim Hankinson stated: "This agreement redresses issues of the past and provides the opportunity for establishing a new commercial relationship with the Lac Seul First Nation."

LSFN Elder Shamandy Kejick, speaking in Anishinaabemowin, opened the signing ceremony with a prayer and spoke about the hardships felt by the people of Lac Seul in the years since the first flooding. Councilor Mervin Ningewance followed the Elder with a drum song and traditional blessings for the signing ceremony. Chief Clifford Bull said: "This agreement recognizes the impacts of the past and looks forward to a more positive future. Our people support the work that is being done by OPG to add additional generation at the Lac Seul site. In the future we want to build a commercial relationship with OPG in which our people can benefit from projects on our traditional lands." Chief Bull also spoke on the First Nation now being able to begin to address the impacts to the reserve and its people. Several other Band Councilors, Youth Council Chief Dinah Maud, and former Chief David Gordon were also in attendance at the signing ceremony.

OPG's Executive Vice President, Hydro, John Murphy said: "This agreement is a model to facilitate the construction of new clean, renewable hydro power through a partnership between OPG and the Lac Seul First Nation." A new hydroelectric plant is currently being constructed at the Ear Falls site that will add over 12 MW of renewable supply to Northern Ontario.

This settlement addresses the impacts of the Root River diversion project and the generating stations at Ear Falls and Manitou Falls. The First Nation represents over 2,710 Band members, with approximately 850 living in one of the reserve's three communities.

Ontario Power Generation is an Ontario-based electricity generation company whose principal business is the generation and sale of electricity in Ontario. OPG's focus is on the efficient production and sale of electricity from our generation assets, while operating in a safe, open and environmentally responsible manner.

For further information: Ontario Power Generation, Media Relations, 1-877-592-4008 or (416) 592-4008; Lac Seul First Nation, (807) 582-3503, P.O. Box 100, Hudson, Ontario P0V 1X0

From http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20061116.INDIGENOUS16/TPStory/?query=aboriginal

Ottawa's rejection of native-rights declaration 'sad' - BILL CURRY - POSTED ON 16/11/06

OTTAWA -- Canada's reputation as a human-rights leader will be smeared when it votes against a declaration on indigenous rights, warns the chair of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

Victoria Tauli-Corpuz said it is "very sad" that Canadian officials have gone from active supporters to strong opponents of the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which could be put to a final vote as early as next week in New York.

"Canada has a substantial number of indigenous peoples, and having the reputation of being a champion of human rights, will definitely be smeared by this act that they are going to take," she said in an interview with The Globe and Mail.

Ms. Tauli-Corpuz, a career advocate of indigenous rights in the Philippines, was elected as chair of the 16-member United Nations advisory group.

Canadian native leaders and all three federal opposition parties are accusing the Conservative government of harming Canada's reputation by reversing its position on the declaration, which has been discussed for more than 20 years and will finally come to a vote by the full United Nations as early as next week. It is one of the first two declarations to come out of the new Human Rights Council, which was established in May after strong support from Canada.

The declaration calls for the recognition that indigenous peoples be free from discrimination and provides an extensive list of rights that governments should extend.

But a Canadian official who has been involved in the international talks since 1984 said Ottawa's position has been consistent from the Liberal to Conservative governments.

Canada made a host of specific objections at a December, 2005, meeting when the Liberals were still in office, and when the final text did not address those concerns, the government of today decided to oppose the declaration.

"I can tell you definitely that the wording of [the section dealing with land rights] did not reflect the suggestions we put forward," said Fred Caron, an assistant deputy minister with Indian Affairs.

Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice, who was not available for an interview, has said one of his main concerns is the line referred to by Mr. Caron, which states, "Indigenous peoples have the right to the lands, territories, and resources which they have traditionally owned, occupied or otherwise acquired." In a detailed explanation posted on the Indian Affairs website, department officials argue that such wording is so broad that it could lead courts to interpret it as a native right to reopen land claims that have already been negotiated and settled.

Other concerns are that a duty to consult and obtain "free and prior consent" on issues that have an impact on indigenous peoples are so unclear that they could impede Parliament's ability to legislate in areas of native policy by granting a veto to undefined native groups. Wording dealing with "self-determination" could also be interpreted to allow native communities the right to full statehood, officials argue.

Phil Fontaine, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, is in New York this week lobbying other countries to ensure the declaration will pass. He insists Canada did change its position.

"We witnessed the 180-degree shift and we were extremely disappointed with the government's change of position on this," he said.

Craig Benjamin, of Amnesty International, says the document is not legally binding on governments and that the sections that worry Canada are tempered by other sections of the declaration.

"When governments like Canada or the U.S. or New Zealand or Australia make claims that you can take any particular article and predict dire consequences for law and order or for the operation of the state, it just doesn't work that way. None of the provisions will ever have that kind of weight," he said.

NOTE: Click here for more background information about the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples