Media.Knet.Ca

The two day First Nations IT capacity building "think tank" workshop (Sept 29 - 30) was hosted by the First Nations Technology Council in Vancouver, BC. Brian Beaton, K-Net Coordinator participated via video conference from KO's Sioux Lookout office. Susan O'Donnell from the National Research Council also joined the session via video conference from New Brunswick. Bridging and archive services were made available to the gathering by K-Net within Industry Canada's First Nations SchoolNet program.

From a message written by John Webb for workshop participants ...

The provincial BC government has a plan to connect all 203 First Nations in BC to broadband networks over the next couple of years. They realize that just making broadband available is only part of the job. An accompanying capacity building program is now being planned to ensure that the communities have the resources in place to begin to use information and communications technology effectively.

The participants in the workshop reviewed the government's draft plan for capacity building and provided suggestions and directions for the team at the First Nations Education Steering Committee (http://fnesc.bc.ca) for the implementation strategy.

The draft plan that secured the provincial funding included ...

• Each community taking part in the project will be provided with a Tele-centre consisting of a suite of PCs. (2 to 5 depending on size of community), a scanner and printer. 
• The band will be asked to provide a building or room for the computers accessible by band members and provide heat, light and washrooms. 
• A band member will be brought to Vancouver or other provincial centre for, an intense train-the-trainer program.
• They would then return to their community to become trainer/operator of the tele-centre and in the case of a community where the government is establishing the broadband, a wireless network. 
• Continuing education and support for both this individual and community members would be supplied using online applications and tools such as Apple iSight video conferencing technology. 
• The government would pay the community member an annual honorarium to staff the centre on a part time basis for two years. 

Discussions at the workshop included presentations from participants and the use of the open space workshop process to explore topics including:

• the feasibility of this government plan,
• what the initial training should consist of,
• what the next level of training should be,
• what tools we need to continue to support the Tele-centre and the training needs of the community, and
• generally any other wisdom that the participants could impart to this project.

Many of us have been talking about the issue of First Nations ICTs for a number of years.  I do not expect to be given a second chance at this and I appreciate greatly the support and council you folks will bring to this project.

John Webb
Executive Director, Communities and External Initiatives
Office of the CIO
Province of British Columbia
tel: (250) 952-0671  fax: (250) 387-1940

First Nations Connectivity Research Project

The Province of BC is committed to bridging the digital divide for First Nations communities to provide access to e-Health, e-Learning, and e-Business opportunities. To accomplish this goal, the 2006 provincial budget included a commitment of $15 million over two years to work with federal partners to provide broadband, last-mile connections, computers and training for First Nations in BC. Providing broadband infrastructure is a high priority for First Nations organizations and several provincial and federal ministries. The School of Communication, at Simon Fraser University, has extensive technology research expertise and is ideally suited to design and conduct an evaluation of the impact of providing First Nations with high speed connectivity. This multi-year project will assist in providing a third-party evaluation of the First Nations Connectivity Project, baseline information on the impact of connectivity to first nations, and identify gaps and issues with connectivity. Please visit our research wiki for more information and to participate in the project.

Donna Williams, KO Telehealth Program Manager and Penny Carpenter, K-Net Business Manager joined other health service providers from across the region in a two day workshop (Sept 27-28) in Sioux Lookout. The workshop was hosted by the Northwestern Ontario Health unit (http://www.nwhu.on.ca/). 

Discussions centred around the delivery of public health services in First Nation communities across the region.

Representatives from the tribal councils, the Assembly of First Nations (Sagatay Williams), Northern Ontario School of Medicine (Orpah McKenzie), Ontario Telehealth Network,(Stewart Stein), Health Canada and the NWHU spent the two days exploring strategies to ensure equitable access to services in the remote First Nations across the region.

Health Canada press release

Health Canada announces $8.1 million for NurseOne Portal: Cutting edge tool another step to improving health care

OTTAWA, Sept. 28 /CNW Telbec/ - The Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Health, today announced federal funding of $8.1 million over six years to launch and maintain the NurseOne web Portal, a tool of particular importance for the recruitment and retention of nurses in First Nations and Inuit communities. Minister Clement made this announcement following a meeting with the Board of Directors of the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA), in Ottawa.

NurseOne (www.nurseone.ca) is a bilingual Portal that has been in development by the CNA since 2002 and contains a wealth of health information for the Canadian public and for all nurses across Canada. This Portal allows nurses to obtain timely, easily accessible information on all aspects of health care - from public health alerts, to consultations with experts and health specialists, to best practices. In short, it gives nurses many new tools to better treat their patients and improve their professional skills.

"NurseOne will certainly empower nurses everywhere in Canada, but particularly those working in rural, isolated and First Nations and Inuit communities. This Portal will provide nurses with quick access to reliable resources, enable them to improve quality of care and will assist in reducing wait-times," Minister Clement stated. "This investment will serve as an important contributor to the advancement of the professional practice and development of Canada's front line health providers - our nurses," he added.

"NurseOne is a significant tool which will provide access to quality, up-to-date health information to support the 250,000 plus nurses working in urban, rural and remote parts of the country to deliver effective, evidence-based care," says Marlene Smadu, President of the Canadian Nurses Association. "This investment supports nurses in caring for their patients, families and communities, managing their careers and connecting with colleagues and experts with the click of a mouse. In addition, NurseOne supports employers in recruiting and retaining nurses."

Health Canada had previously contributed $3.98 million to the Canadian Nurses Association to develop this Portal which was introduced at the Canadian Nurses Association Biennial Convention in Saskatoon on June 19, 2006.

-30-

/For further information: Media Enquiries: Carole Saindon, Health Canada, (613) 957-1588; Erik Waddell, Office of the Honourable Tony Clement, Federal Minister of Health, (613) 957-0200; Tina Grznar, Communications Specialist, Canadian Nurses Association, (613) 240-7830, Public Enquiries: (613) 957-2991, 1-866-225-0709; Health Canada news releases are available on the Internet at www.healthcanada.gc.ca/media/