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Chiefs Steering Committee Communications Update

Communications Team Bulletin # 7– November 27 2006

Community visits completed are follows

Constance Lake Fort Severn Hornepayne Bearskin Webequie Wapakeka Wawakapewin North Caribou Lac Suel Deer Lake Fort Albany Peawanuck Nibinamik Wunnumin Slate Falls McDowell Lake Ginoogaming Long Lake #58 Poplar Hill Keewaywin Aroland Muskrat Dam Flying Post Neskantaga Eabametoong Attawapiskat Pikangikum Whitewater Lake New Post Cat Lake Kasabonika Mattagami Beaver House Mocreebec Kingfisher Matachewan North Spirit Moose Cree Wahgoshig Sandy Lake Sachigo Missanabie Cree Brunswick House Koocheching Marten Falls Mishkeegogamang Chapleau Ojibwe Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug

The confirmed upcoming community visits as follows:

Koocheching

Communities that have not confirmed visits:

Kashechewan

CSC Meeting with Deputy Minister – Sault Ste. Marie, November 14, 2006

The Chiefs Steering Committee met with the James Gillis, Deputy Minister of Energy.The Deputy Minister noted that Manitoba has declared its intent to build Conawapa regardless of agreement with Ontario and is considering building a transmission line to Winnipeg. They are discussing possible hydroelectricity exports with Saskatchewan and U.S. buyers.

Radio Broadcast:

We will be broadcasting information on the Wawatay Radio network on the following dates:

December 11 at 11:00 – 11:30
December 12 at 2:00 – 3:30
December 14 at 2:00 – 3:30

December 18 at 11:00 – 11:30
December 19 at 2:00 – 3:30
December 21 at 2:00 – 3:30

A special thank-you goes out to K-net for providing video conferencing services to the Chiefs Steering Committee Video Conferencing

Bearskin Kitchenuhmaykoosib Kasabonika Kingfisher Lake

Deer Lake Keewaywin Lac Suel Muskrat Dam North Caribou Lake

For more information please call Tracey Willoughby, Communications Assistant at 1 (800) 465-6821 or visit our website at www.chiefssteeringcommittee.com

4th Annual Youth Symposium on Culture, Tradition and Language

March 15, 16, 17 & 18th, 2006

“Now is the time for our generation to learn and preserve our sacred gifts.” 

The Ontario First Nations Young Peoples Council is holding its 4th Annual Youth Symposium on Culture, Tradition and Language in the Wikemikong Unceded Reserve on March 15, 16, 17 & 18th, 2006. 

The symposium is an exciting learning opportunity for youth to gain knowledge of our diverse cultures, traditions and languages from a wide variety of Elders and traditional knowledge practitioners.  Events are currently being planned that will include informative and diverse workshops, prominent keynote speakers, outstanding storytellers, talented artists, live entertainment, and other motivating and interesting activities.

Registration is free.  The Ontario First Nations Youth Peoples Council will cover the costs for meals, accommodations, entertainment, and shuttle services for two delegates, one male and one female, from each of the First Nation communities and organizations.   

Youth participants are responsible to seek sponsorship and/or cover the costs of their travel to and from Wikemikong Unceded Reserve. We have a limited capacity of 300 participants.   

Register now and get be eligible for early bird registration prize draws.

EARLY REGISTRATION FORM
Register by February 15th, 2006

For more information, please contact Laura Calm Wind at 1-807-626-9339 or by email at laura@coo.org or www.chiefs-of-ontario.org/youth

Name:__________________________________________________________

First Nation:_____________________________________________________

Address:________________________________________________________

Community/City:_________________________________________________

Province:________________________________________________________

Postal Code:_____________________________________________________

Telephone:______________________________________________________

Email Address;___________________________________________________

Academic Institution:______________________________________________

Academic Level:__________________________________________________

Please provide the Ontario First Nations Young Peoples Council with a brief statement explaining your expectations from this symposium.

_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
___________________________________

Please complete this application form and fax back to Laura Calm Wind, Chiefs of Ontario 807-626-9404.

Click here for a PDF copy of the poster and registration form

Grand Council Of The Crees Residential School Update Bulletin #3

Date: 2006-12-17

As was discussed during the community tour by Matthew Coon Come and Diane Soroka, court hearings were held across Canada to approve the proposed Residential School Settlement Agreement. These hearings, which were held at various places, started at the end of August. The last hearing day was on October 23 in Vancouver.

The judgments from these proceedings have started to arrive. As you may have heard, seven judgments were rendered on Friday, December 15. There are two more judgments to be drendered, but our understanding is that they will not be ready until some time in January 2007.

The proposed settlement cannot be implemented until all judgments have been rendered and all the courts have approved the proposed settlement.

The courts did not have the power to change the terms of the proposed settlement, but they were able to make some suggestions and to establish certain requirements regarding its administration.

To date, the seven judges who have rendered their judgments have approved the proposed settlement, but there are some conditions attached to the approval. These conditions have to do with the way in which the settlement will be administered. There is some concern that the administration plan for the settlement is incomplete, and the courts want to ensure that once the settlement is in force, that any delays or difficulties for the claimants will be minimized.

There is a concern that, because of the number of claimants, the claims process will become unmanageable and the courts wish to see a specific plan to deal with some of the administrative deficiencies. Here are some of their comments:

1. Canada was a defendant in the court cases and it is Canada that will now be administering the settlement. This can cause a conflict of interest and the courts want to make sure the person appointed by Canada to administer the process will be independent and that he/she will report to the courts and be directed by the courts, not by Canada. In addition, once this person is appointed and the appointment is approved by the courts, he/she cannot be removed from office without further approval by the courts.

2. Canada cannot have a final veto over the costs of implementation of the settlement. The courts must be able to make the orders necessary to ensure that the settlement is implemented properly and that the benefits are delivered in a timely manner.

3. On the issue of legal fees, there should be no legal fees charged for the Common Experience Payment which will only require a fairly simple form to make a claim. In addition, the courts want to make sure that individual claimants do not have to overpay their lawyers when they go through the Independent Assessment Process. Canada will pay 15% of the amount awarded under the IAP and the courts want individuals to have to pay no more than another 15% to their lawyers. In other words, the courts want lawyers' fees to be limited to 30%, half of which would be paid by Canada. The courts also want the adjudicators to be able to decide if the fees charged are reasonable.

4. The courts will keep jurisdiction to deal with the implementation of the settlement so that if difficulties arise, they will be able to deal with them and ensure that the survivors get the benefits to which they are entitled under the settlement.

5. There must be a reasonable process to deal with the issue of missing documents which is causing difficulties in verifying some of the claims.

6. There were a number of complaints about the first notices which many people all across Canada found to be difficult to understand. The courts want improvements made to the second set of notices.

The approval of the proposed settlement is conditional upon an administrative plan being filed in court to deal with these issues. The parties have 60 days to come up with this plan and the improved notices.

Although it was not made a specific condition for approval, there was also a very strong suggestion that the Prime Minister should issue a full apology in the House of Commons.

What does all of this mean?

We are still waiting for two judgments which may, or may not, contain additional conditions. In addition, the parties are now required to develop a proper administrative plan to implement the settlement. In reality, this probably means there will not be a final approval of the settlement until some time in February.

Then there will be a five month period during which individuals will have to decide whether they want to be a part of the settlement or whether they want to "opt out". If fewer than 5,000 people opt out, then the settlement will come into force and payments can be made. In practice, this means that the payments will probably start in the fall of 2007. This is somewhat later than was originally thought, but the process of having the court hearings in nine different jurisdictions took longer than anticipated.

Every now and then a newsletter comes out that provides a list of online resources that connects to additional valuable web sites. The recent UNBC Task Force on Substance Abuse, Centre of Excellence for Children and Adolescents with Special Needs e-bulletin provided such an opportunity to create a list of online resources for parents and children support systems. 

Upcoming Conferences & Workshop 

* January 31 & February 1, 2007 - Attachment & Healing Conference in Regina - This conference has a special focus on child welfare trends and issues facing aboriginal children and families. For information, visit: www.ehrlo.com/conference/ConferenceTitlePg.htm   

* March 7-10, 2007, The 2nd International Conference on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in Victoria - This year’s conference is called “Research, Policy and Practice Around the World.” For information, visit: http://nearbc.ca/documents/FASD2007.pdf

* April 11-14, 2006, Community Campus Partnerships for Health Conference in Toronto, Ontario  For information, visit: http://www.ccph.info/  

* April 20-22, 2007, 2nd International Meeting on Indigenous Child Health: Solutions, Not Problems in Montreal, Quebec  For information, visit: http://www.aap.org/nach/2InternationalMeeting.htm 

Interesting Online Resources   

* Internet Resources for Special Children provides links to a range of useful resources: www.irsc.org 

* Be Drug Wise helps youth make smart choices about alcohol and drugs: http://drugwise-droguesoisfute.hc-sc.gc.ca/index_e.asp  

* ActNow BC offers an information page for people with physical challenges:  www.actnowbc.gov.bc.ca/EN/406 

* BC Reproductive Care Program is intended to optimize maternal and infant health: www.rcp.gov.bc.ca 

* American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Research: The Journal of the National Center focuses specifically on American Indian and Alaska Native populations: www.uchsc.edu/ai/ncaianmhr/journal_online.htm   

* The Doll Revolt: A Digital Exhibition of Girl-Made Artworks, sponsored by the US National Women’s Studies Association’s Girls and their Allies Caucus: http://www.dollrevolt.org 

* Preventing Substance Use Problems Among Young People: A Compendium of Best Practices:  www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/alt_formats/hecs-sesc/pdf/pubs/drugs-drogues/prevent/young-jeune_e.pdf

* Physicians for a Smoke Free Canada, dedicated to the reduction of tobacco-caused illness through reduced smoking and reduced exposure to second-hand smoke: www.smoke-free.ca 

* Mother of All Blogs, a blog about pregnancy, motherhood, writing and parenting  and parenting by book author and mom of four Ann Douglas: http://anndouglas.blogspot.com/  

* FAS World, an international alliance of parents and professionals who do not want to see any more children, teenagers and adults struggle with birth defects caused when their mothers drank alcohol in pregnancy: www.fasworld.com 

* GURL, an interactive web-thing for teen girls with information about life, choices, and abilities: www.gurl.com

* The Aboriginal Children’s Circle of Early Learning (ACCEL)  clearinghouse on Aboriginal early childhood development (ECD) for review, research and discuss best and promising practices; to exchange with a highly engaged network of Aboriginal ECD practitioners and researchers; and to keep in touch with the emerging needs of communities across Canada: http://www.accel-capea.ca/index_en.php

* Centre of Excellence for Early Childhood Development - Improves knowledge of the social and emotional development of young children by developing and disseminating scientific knowledge, and making recommendations based on that knowledge: http://www.excellence-earlychildhood.ca

* Child & Family Canada - Over 60 Canadian non-profit organizations have partnered to provide quality, credible resources on children and families: http://www.cfc-efc.ca/

* Early Learning Canada - Site supports Trainers and Workshop Leaders of a family literacy/healthy child development program designed for parents and other adults working with young children: http://www.elc-apec.ca/

* Healthy Spaces - Provides practical information to support environmental health in children’s day-to-day activities: http://www.cfc-efc.ca/healthy-spaces/

* Work Family Tips - Families help other families by finding tips and leaving tips on a variety of topics that offer strategies to help achieve better work life balance: http://www.wft-ifb.ca/

* Campaign 2000 - 55 partners working together to end child poverty in Canada: http://www.campaign2000.ca/

* Canadian Coalition for the Rights of Children - 60 national & provincial organizations working to make children’s rights known and understood: http://www.rightsofchildren.ca/

* Canadian Health Network, Children's Health Affiliate - Offers links to hundreds of practical, credible web-based documents that support children’s health. Organized by topic area: http://www.canadian-health-network.ca/1children.html

* Canadian Partnership for Children's Health and Environment - an affiliation of organizations working together to protect children's health from environmental contaminants: http://www.healthyenvironmentforkids.ca/english

* Centres of Excellence for Children’s Well-Being - Federal initiative whose mandate is to disseminate advanced knowledge on key issues of children's health to those individuals or groups who need it most. There are five Centres: child welfare, communities, early childhood development, special needs, and youth engagement: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/dca-dea/allchildren_touslesenfants/centres_main_e.html

* Child & Family Canada - Over 50 Canadian non-profit organizations have partnered to provide quality, credible resources on children and families: http://www.cfc-efc.ca/

* Coalition on Physical Punishment of Children and Youth - A national coalition of organizations concerned with the well-being of children and their families which has launched a joint statement on the physical punishment of children and youth. The statement presents research that shows the physical punishment of children and youth plays no useful role in their upbringing and poses only risks to their development: http://www.cheo.on.ca/english/1120.html

* Canadian Language and Literacy Research Network - A venture that brings leading scientists, clinicians, students and educators together with public and private partners. Its mandate is to generate, integrate and disseminate bias-free scientific research and knowledge that is focused on improving and sustaining children's language and literacy development in Canada: http://www.cllrnet.ca/

* National Children’s Alliance - 60 national organizations supporting a National Children's Agenda: http://www.nationalchildrensalliance.com/

* Association of Day Care Operators of Ontario - Promotes the interests of independent child care operators in Ontario: http://www.adco-o.on.ca/

* Association for Child Care International - Promotes and supports the optimal education and development of children, from birth through early adolescence, and influences the professional growth of educators and the efforts of others who are committed to the needs of children in a changing society: http://www.acei.org/

* Canadian Paediatric Society - Provides both CPS members, other health care professionals and parents with information they need to make informed decisions about child health care: http://www.cps.ca/

* Centre for Families, Work and Well-Being - Promotes individual and family well-being, responsive and productive work environments, and strong, sustainable communities through research and teaching: http://www.worklifecanada.ca/

* Child Care Advocacy Association of Canada - Promotes accessible quality, publicly funded child care: http://www.childcareadvocacy.ca/index.shtml

* Child Care Connections – Nova Scotia - Promotes quality child care and connects child care practitioners, organizations and other interested individuals with information, resources and support: http://www.cccns.org/

* Child Care Sector Council - Portal to access information about human resource issues in the child care sector: http://www.ccsc-cssge.ca/

* Childcare Resource and Research Unit - Focuses on early childhood care and education research and policy to advance a publicly-funded, universally accessible, comprehensive, high quality, not-for-profit early childhood care and education system in Canada: http://www.childcarecanada.org/

* Children’s Rights Centre - Supports children's rights through research, public education and monitoring of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in Canada. Offers online children’s right curricula: http://discovery.uccb.ns.ca/children/

* Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC - Promotes and supports quality community-based, non-profit child care services that benefit children, families and the public and the best interests of society: http://www.cccabc.bc.ca/

* EnableLink - Links people with disabilities to a world of resources and includes a section on family life: http://www.enablelink.org/

* Institute for Child Rights and Development - Promotes innovative research and education for implementing and promoting the Convention on the Rights of the Child in less-developed countries: http://web.uvic.ca/iicrd/

* Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care - Creates public awareness about the benefits of early childhood education and advocate for high quality non-profit, accessible child care services in Ontario and nationally: http://www.childcareontario.org/

* Ontario Network of Home Child Care Provider Groups - Provides caregivers and caregiver groups with information services and a provincial voice for home child care: http://www.geocities.com/ottawachildcare/onet

* Parent Voices - Works with and unites parents to make the case for the quality, affordable and accessible child care services they need in their communities: http://www.parentvoices.ca/

* Partners in Practice : Mentoring in Early Childhood Practice - Provides information, support and resources for mentoring in early childhood practice: http://www.partnersinpractice.org/

* Reaching IN...Reaching OUT - Adapts and evaluates the Penn Resilience Program (PRP) school-age model for use with children six years and younger. This program helps children learn to reach in to think more flexibly and accurately and to reach out to take on new opportunities: http://www.reachinginreachingout.com/index.htm

* Rural Voices - Looks at how government policy impact on the development and delivery of rural child care in Saskatchewan and Manitoba: http://ruralvoices.cimnet.ca/

* SpeciaLink: National Centre for Child Care Inclusion - Expands the quality and quantity of inclusion in child care for children with special needs in Canada by putting researchers, policy makers and parents in touch with the best inclusive practices: http://www.specialinkcanada.org/

* Talaris Research Institute - Discover how children think, feel and learn -- and what parents and caregivers can do in the first five years of life to support their healthy development. This website provides useful research-based tools and helpful parenting tips: http://www.talaris.org/

* The Information Sidewalk - Hosted by Senator Landon Pearson, supports public knowledge of children’s rights and legislation affecting children: http://sen.parl.gc.ca/lpearson/