Media.Knet.Ca

Two letters from the mining exploration company president to Chief Donny Morris of KI were shared with community members last night (see below). Threats that the government, the police and the mining community interests take precedence over access to First Nation traditional lands is made clear in the following letters to the community.

This past week, five KO First Nation representatives from Deer Lake, Fort Severn, Keewaywin, North Spirit Lake and Poplar Hill participated in a Geographic Information  Systems (GIS) workshop in the SLAAMB boardroom in Sioux Lookout. Click here to see some pictures from the workshop.

The workshop is part of the CORDA funding for the KO Traditional Territories project,  initiated by the Keewaytinook Okimakanak Public Works department, lead by Robert Hunter.

The KO Traditional Territories Project has three primary objectives:

1. to begin to increase community capacity in GIS (Geographic Information Systems) technology by increasing the skills and knowledge of local First Nation Multi-Media Technicians through the delivery of basic GIS skills and software training;
2. to create foundation Traditional Territories Maps (within a GIS environment and accessible to community members on-line through their First Nation website) for the Keewaytinook Okimakanak member First Nations (Deer Lake, Fort Severn, Keewaywin, MacDowell Lake, North Spirit Lake, and Poplar Hill);
3. to generate community awareness in GIS and ownership in the content and process of the evolving KO GIS Network.

Voyageurs North owner Tom Terry lead the first day of the workshop, providing information about:

• Coordinating basic GIS skills and planning for local GIS representatives;
• Designing data collection strategies;
• Coordinating the Community GIS technicians to build awareness, determine acceptable scope, and generate ownership in the evolving direction and capability of the KO GIS Network.

The final two days of the workshop involved a ESRI trainer from Toronto providing ArcView Software training for the GIS technicians from each KO First Nation.