Media.Knet.Ca

Pikangikum First Nation is celebrating the opening of their new Computer Learning Centre this week. Along with their new e-Centre, Pikangikum is also working with Matawa First Nations Management and Blair Electronics to build their own local cable network connecting all the homes, offices and organizations to the internet.

From the FedNor Press Releases at http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/epic/internet/infednor-fednor.nsf/en/fn02604e.html

Canada’s New Government Congratulates Pikangikum First Nation On Forestry And Computer Initiatives

KENORA, Ontario, August 4, 2006 — The Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Health and Minister for FedNor, today offered his congratulations on behalf of the Government of Canada to Pikangikum First Nation for the successful completion of a Land Use Strategy and the establishment of a computer learning centre. FedNor provided $735,000 in support of these two initiatives.

“Canada’s new government recognizes that these forestry and computer initiatives will serve as a fundamental building block, helping Pikangikum First Nation to grow and prosper,” said Minister Clement. “Furthermore, by connecting the community to the information highway, they will be able to take advantage of online educational and training opportunities.”

The community-based Land Use Strategy, part of the Whitefeather Forest Initiative, identifies forestry and resource development opportunities that respect cultural values. The second project, the community computer-learning centre, provides public Internet access and technical support, as well as high school and post-secondary education, and community training opportunities.

“FedNor support has been instrumental in the development of both our natural and human resources,” said Dean Owen, Chief, Pikangikum First Nation. “This will help us continue our efforts to obtain a Sustainable Forestry License, improve the skills of our residents, and ultimately, their employment prospects.”

By supporting Pikangikum First Nation through its programs and services, FedNor is opening doors and building futures for a prosperous Northern Ontario.

To find out more about FedNor, visit us at: http://fednor.ic.gc.ca

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For more information, please contact:

Erik Waddell
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Tony Clement
613-957-0200

Kim Fewchuk
Communications Officer
FedNor
705-941-2105 or 1-877-333-6673

Now is the chance to get your community included as an "Intelligent Community". This process highlights the importance of being connected in today's world. Check out the nomination process at www.intelligentcommunity.org

For more information, read the following two stories that highlight events that are celebrating these Intelligent Communities.

ICF to Honor Smart 21, Name Top Seven Intelligent Communities at PTC '07

The Intelligent Community Forum will name the Smart 21 Communities of the Year on November 10, based on applications received from hundreds of communities around the world. The application process opens on August 14, 2006, with nomination criteria and forms available on the ICF Web site. In January, ICF will name seven these 21 as its Top Seven Intelligent Communities of the Year at PTC '07 in January. The Smart 21 and Top Seven are communities that serve as role models for the development of competitive local economies and healthy societies in today's global "broadband economy."

On January 15, ICF will honor the Smart 21 during an elegant, invitation-only reception at PTC '07 in Honolulu in January. Attendees from the top ranks of telecommunications, information technology and government will enjoy an evening of fine dining and beverages and an introduction to the Smart 21. Then, on January 16, ICF will announce its Top Seven Intelligent Communities of 2007.

PTC '07: Beyond Telecom, will explore the critical technology, business and policy issues created by the accelerated and continued convergence of communication and entertainment services on IP. Click here to for program information and to register for PTC '07.

ICF Executive Director to Keynote at eCommunity Summit, August 22-25

ICF Executive Director Robert Bell will present the keynote speech on "Intelligent Communities: Leveraging IT investment for Economic Growth," at the Innovation Groups' eCommunity Summit in Las Vegas on August 22.

The second annual eCommunity Summit "Preparing Communities For The Next Wave Of Technologically Advanced Citizens & Businesses," caters to a spectrum of local government technology issues such as broadband economy developments, creating regional municipal consortiums, and future tense applications.

In today's connected world, broadband connectivity makes irrelevant the traditional economic strengths - and weaknesses - of location, population and natural resources. In his keynote address, Robert Bell will outline the principles for collaboration and provide examples of communities that have leveraged IT and economic investments in order to multiply the impact of both. Copies of the presentation are available by contacting Robert Bell at rbell@intelligentcommunity.org.

Click here for more information on the Innovation Groups' eCommunity Summit.  

Intelligent Community Forum
55 Broad Street, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10004 USA
www.intelligentcommunity.org

There is a short window of opportunity (until September 15) to provide YOUR opinion about the grants and contributions being made by the federal government. See the links below for more information ...

From the Blue Panel web site at http://brp-gde.ca/en/

"We urge you to take part in our consultation process. Since the Panel was officially announced on June 6, 2006 we have been busy gathering information and getting feedback from both within government and the public at large on issues touching on how to develop a better grants and contributions relationship for better results all round. As we have been asked to provide our recommendations by December 2006, we have a short window of opportunity to reach out to you.

Our goal as a Panel is to make recommendations on the future of grants and contributions and transfer payments in Canada. The goal of our "workbook" is to enable you to take part in developing options and recommendations for the future through identifying challenges, possible solutions and best practices.

Consultation Process  (The Online workbook will be available from August 2 to September 15)

Step 1 - Review the Consultation Paper (PDF document)


Step 2 - REGISTER, to take part in the Consultation Process


Step 3 - To have your opinion heard, complete your WORKBOOK


Step 4 - Optional - Upload a Submission

Job Posting
Economic & Business Analyst
Keewaytinook Okimakanak Research Institute
Location:  KO Office, Thunder Bay, Ontario  

Term Position:  1 year

Job Description
The K.O. Research Institute is looking for an enthusiastic individual to fill the position of Economic & Business Analyst. The analyst will: support community-based projects in working with community-based researchers and community leadership.  Gather and synthesize appropriate community information, ICTs and data that support local and regional economic and social initiatives that benefit communities and individuals. Develop relationships with partners and community members to effectively present data in a user-friendly fashion. Contribute to online resources through Moodle, video conferencing and web-based databases to make data available. Manage special projects in the fields of justice, health, education, and ICTs. Assist other KO departments as needed with financial modeling, proposal applications, statistical analysis and tracking indicators. 

Qualifications
1. Graduate of Economics or related social science from an accredited university with strong statistical, data management and modeling background.
2. Experience working with communities in conducting primary research.
3. Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
4. Ability to work under minimal supervision.
5. Demonstrated knowledge of Aboriginal Band structure, policies and processes.
6. Ability to speak Oji-Cree, Ojibway or Cree is an asset.
7. Demontrated experience conducting research and presenting data.
8. Experience in training, monitoring and delegating tasks.
9. Valid dirvers licence and willing to travel.

Please submit a resume and covering letter to:
Brian Walmark
Director of Keewatinook Okimakanak Research Institute
216 S. Algoma St.
Thunder Bay, Ontario P7C 3C2
Email: brian.walmark@knet.ca

For information about KO and the Research Institute, visit www.research.knet.ca.

Deadline: August 25, 2006.

Just as Sachigo Lake FN reported on the appearance of Environment Canada and MNR-supported activities in their traditional area, at the same time these activities were also happening in Kasabonika territory!

Employment Opportunity

Keewaytinook Okimakanak/Northern Chiefs Council is looking for a full time

Education Program Coordinator

The Education Program Coordinator position will focus on working with education programs, First Nations health organizations, Health Canada and community health providers to identify priorities with regards to providing education and support to community health workers in First Nations communities.  Education, support and training will be integrated into the framework of organizations which provide education, training and support to health care providers working in First Nations communities.

Working with the KO Telehealth Team, the Education Program Coordinator identifies a strategy for providing continuing education, support and professional development for the health service providers in the Sioux Lookout Zone of the First Nation and Inuit Health Branch.  The Education Program Coordinator will document this strategy for application to other First Nations health regions, as per Contribution Agreement with Health Canada.

The ideal Candidate will possess:

Registered Nurse professional designation or Health Planning Background
Excellent verbal and written communication skills
Ability to work as a team member as well as independently
Computer skills
Knowledge of the Keewaytinook Okimakanak and other Sioux Lookout Zone communities
Ability to prepare and submit reports
Able to speak Oji-Cree an asset

Salary will be dependant on qualifications and work experience.

Deadline for Applications: Friday August 17/06

Please forward: resume, cover letter and three references to:

Telehealth Hiring Committee
Keewaytinook Okimakanak
Box 340
Balmertown, ON
P0V 1C0

Rocks, golf balls fly as Caledonia residents, aboriginal protesters clash - Canadian Press
 
CALEDONIA, Ont. (CP) - The ongoing peace process between residents of Caledonia, Ont. and Six Nations protesters turned violent early Monday.

"We had two sides lined up and they were escalating to the point where things were starting to be thrown at each other," said Dennis Harwood, spokesman for the Ontario Provincial Police.

Harwood said about 40 residents gathered in opposition to the aboriginal protesters shortly after midnight.

That number quickly grew to 100 residents, and that's when the projectiles started to fly.

Pebbles, rocks, and golf balls were thrown from both sides, hitting a resident, an occupier and an officer.

No one was hurt, but vehicles and property were damaged.

Police were able to calm the situation and ensure peace throughout the remainder of the night.

Six Nations protesters have occupied the site since February, saying the land was illegally taken from them 200 years ago.

The land, which used to be slated for a housing development, has since been purchased by the province.

Although barricades cutting off access to the town have come down, residents say they're living in fear because of the ongoing occupation.

Harwood said Monday's altercation was sparked by minor incidents that occurred Sunday, beginning when Six Nations children cut the middle out of a Canada flag.

"They were taunting at the Caledonia residents, then the Caledonia residents put up some signs," said Harwood.

Harwood doesn't know what the signs said, but he said they were offensive to the aboriginals, who tore them down.

The two sides have clashed before, notably in late April when about 500 non-aboriginal residents of Caledonia marched on the occupation site following a community rally.

Harwood said this type of behaviour will hopefully not hinder the peace process.

"Certainly, we're hoping that they'll let the negotiators negotiate."

Copyright © 2006 Canadian Press

From the Toronto Star, Saturday, Aug 5, 2006 - http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1154728213619&call_pageid=970599119419

Ontario's last, great wilderness - Development coming to the Far North ... 17 million hectares, just 25,000 people
Aug. 5, 2006 - PETER GORRIE - ENVIRONMENT WRITER

MUSKRAT DAM, Ont. When coffee first arrived here many years ago, no one knew how long to boil it.

"Seven minutes," a native elder advised with suitable gravity.

So, seven it was, and seven it remains, even though the wise man had pulled the magic number out of thin air.

Chief Vernon Morris laughs at the story as he lifts a blackened, battered pot off the fire and pours himself a cup of toxic-looking liquid.

It's about a landscape and a way of life: Both are about to change forever as the provincial government pushes development into the Far North, Ontario's last frontier.

But Natural Resources Minister David Ramsay vows things will be different than in the south: "We've got a brand-new fresh slate up there ... We've learned from all our past mistakes, and our history."

Others see worrying evidence that it's business as usual, and that the environment and native people will pay a steep price.

Morris was at a traditional camp, about an hour by motor boat up the Severn River from Muskrat Dam, a quiet, well-run First Nation with 300 residents.

Members of his extended family were ending a relaxed week in the bush. They'd bagged a moose, beaver and geese, taught their kids some Oji-Cree ways, prepared the site for the big hunt this fall, told tales and jokes, and downed a lot of rugged caffeine.

They were, by southern Ontario standards, in the middle of nowhere.

The wide, muddy Severn and the tiny community are in a huge, little-known part of the province that, although connected to the outside world by planes, television and the Internet, remains pretty much as it was 500 years ago — or 5,000.

A mere 25,000 people, in 45 scattered settlements, inhabit these 17 million hectares stretching across the top of Ontario. Shy woodland caribou outnumber humans.

Here, fire, insects or old age — not loggers — fell trees. Travel is by small aircraft or boat; beyond the communities, the only roads are constructed on ice each winter.

Forest like this stretches across Canada's midsection. Biologists call it the boreal. It's the heart of our wilderness myth, though few experience it.

In the midst of it, it seems — like Muskrat Dam's seven-minute coffee — strong, and immune to change.

But that's an illusion. Ontario's northern forest is, in fact, a fragile remnant.

It's also part of a global pattern. Three-quarters of Earth's original forests have been chopped down. Canada's boreal is one of just three with large areas still intact. The others are a similar landscape in Russia and Brazil's Amazon rainforest. All are dwindling.

A couple of centuries ago, Ontario was nothing but trees. First, the southern forest of thick maple, oak and pine was cleared. Then, loggers moved up past the French River, which flows between Lake Nipissing and Georgian Bay, and into the boreal. Now, only the most remote 40 per cent remains in close to its original state.

The limit of development is known as the cutline, which meanders along roughly the 51st parallel of latitude.

To the south are highways, big-box stores, power lines, cottage developments, mines and loggers. The province has turned over almost all of the forest to companies that produce lumber and paper. Most is sold in the United States. The land is dominated by massive clear-cuts and a spider's web of rutted access roads that quickly become permanent public thoroughfares.

Environmentalists consider it an ecological disaster that threatens countless bird, animal, fish and plant species, and contributes to climate change.

Until now, the province has prohibited commercial logging north of the cutline. Economic realities kept much else from happening.

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Canada's boreal holds much of Earth's fresh water, and is the nesting place for one-third of North America's songbirds, notes Vancouver-based Forest Ethics. Its soils and trees are one of the planet's largest carbon storehouses; they play a major role in regulating climate change.

A study for the Calgary-based Pembina Institute and the Canadian Boreal Initiative — an Ottawa group comprised of green organizations, forest companies and First Nations — concluded the forest region is more valuable in its natural state than if it's exploited by industry.

The study measured the net value of industry across the boreal — logging, mining, oil and gas, etc. — versus the value that the forest brings in its natural state — carbon storage, medicine, food, water and air purification. According to the study, the boreal won handily, $93.2 billion to $37.8 billion.

Some First Nations say forest companies have trampled their traditional lands and rights. People in Grassy Narrows, an hour's drive north of Kenora, still suffer the impacts of mercury poisoning from a pulp and paper mill in the 1970s. For four years, they've battled nearby cutting by two giants — Abitibi Consolidated Inc. and Weyerhaeuser Company. That's why some recently blocked the TransCanada highway.

A recent report by the Boreal Initiative says overfishing brought on by road access, as well as habitat destruction from sedimentation and dams, is causing fish stocks to collapse in boreal lakes and streams.

A shelf-load of books and studies concludes current forestry practices — based on clear-cutting with heavy industrial machines, followed by reforestation — are unsustainable even though licences granted by the province require loggers to return cut areas to something like their original state.

Replanting doesn't work, says Jay Malcolm, a forestry expert at the University of Toronto. Even when spruce and Jack pine are sown, fast-growing aspen and poplar quickly overtake them. And, he says, forests are likely to be recut years before they reach old growth, the only stage that supports many species of birds and animals.

Instead of natural, complex forests, they become tree farms.

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Last April, Chief Morris and others from Muskrat Dam were at a different camp, near a river called the Windigo, whose clear water forms a distinct grey pattern where it merges with the murky-brown Severn.

They were on their annual goose hunt, an important source of food and crucial connection with their history.

This year, for the first time, hardly any geese came. Helicopters frightened off most of the tasty birds. The chopper crews, contracted by the international conglomerate De Beers, were seeking evidence of diamonds.

Company officials asked for a meeting to discuss the disruption, then dictated who could attend, Morris says. He told them to forget it.

"I get the sense that for them it's a minor issue. They don't want to work with First Nations ... They just go ahead."

Muskrat Dam has a history of fending off projects. During the 1960s and again in the early '90s, it was mining companies looking for gold and nickel. In between came a proposal to construct up to eight hydroelectric dams on the Severn, a scheme that would have flooded much of the community's traditional territory.

"We're not so lucky these days," Morris says. "The companies are getting bolder."

De Beers is already building a mine east of Muskrat Dam, over near James Bay. That open-pit project, called the Victor mine, will impact an area four times the size of Toronto.

Last winter, Aurora-based Platinex Inc. began exploring for platinum despite objections from the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) First Nation, about 70 kilometres from Muskrat Dam. When people from KI protested, the company halted preliminary work, then sued the community for $10 billion.

(Earlier this week, an Ontario Superior court judge rejected Platinex's request for an injunction to end the native protest. Instead, the judge granted the reserve's application for an injunction stopping work at the site for five months while the company and the provincial government hold talks with KI.)

Despite that controversy, Superior Diamond Inc. of Vancouver later staked a claim on the traditional lands of KI's chief.

Last month, Ramsay's ministry endorsed the first plan for logging north of the cutline, in two forest blocks near the Manitoba border. There's also talk of hydroelectric projects and corridors for power lines.

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In the 2003 provincial election campaign, then-opposition leader Dalton McGuinty promised, "meaningful, broad-scale land-use planning" before he'd allow major development in the northern boreal.

Since winning power, however, McGuinty and his ministers have become advocates for expansion into the region.

Ramsay rejects a moratorium, but insists the north won't look like the south. "We're aware of the fragility of that part of the world."

No new towns will be built, he says. Outside workers will be housed in temporary camps. First Nations will lead the planning because "it's their territory. They're the occupants."

Pikanjikum — a community near the Manitoba border that's plagued by suicides and desperate for jobs for its young people — devised the first Far-North logging project, Ramsay notes.

In contrast with land south of the cutline, where entire forests are turned into paper or basic lumber at giant mills, Pikanjikum will cut fewer trees and convert them into coated posts and beams for Japanese house construction. Slow-growing northern wood is extremely tough, so the product will meet Japan's earthquake standards, the minister says.

"It's a lot better than the old culture of cut and saw." And, he suggests, it's the model for the Far North — "smaller production but value added."

Most important, he says, any commercial logging, or mines, roads and other projects, must be approved by First Nations. He has invited aboriginal leaders to a "Northern Table" to discuss land use planning.

But industry people — mining companies in particular — fear the government will deal with northern disputes as it handled the showdown in Caledonia. That's the Ontario town where natives blocked a road to protest a housing development on land they claim.

Queen's Park bought the land and negotiated, "implicitly accepting the occupiers' contention that Canadian courts have no jurisdiction over aboriginal lands or citizens," the industry newspaper Northern Miner complained this month.

It was "the worst example possible in dealing with aboriginal land claims," the paper said.

On the other side, environmentalists are equally unhappy.

"There's no vision of what the forest should look like in the future," says Anna Baggio, director of conservation land-use planning at the Toronto-based Wildlands League. "There's a void in leadership and policy," and a "development first" approach that will inevitably fuel more conflict.

Unless First Nations assert their rights, "it will open the floodgates," says Joan Kuyek, national co-ordinator of MiningWatch Canada, an environmental group that monitors the industry.

Rights are being asserted. Muskrat Dam, KI and seven other First Nations have declared a moratorium on development. KI also wants the courts to overturn the Ontario Mining Act, which gives prospectors virtually free access to most private land.

"We expect Ontario and industry to consult with us before development happens," says Stan Beardy, grand chief of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation, which covers the Far North. "Right now, that's not happening."

However, Beardy says, Ramsay has promised to work out a new process for consultation while the Mining Act is reviewed.

Northern Ontario School of Medicine Presents…

General Application Information Sessions

for Potential Aboriginal Applicants

The Office of Admissions & Student Affairs is pleased to present general application information sessions for potential Aboriginal applicants. 

Thunder Bay:

Wednesday, August 23, 2006
3:00 p.m.
Medical School Building
Room 1011
Lakehead University

Sudbury:

Tuesday, August 29, 2006
3:00 p.m.
Medical School Building
Room 107
Laurentian University

Topics covered will include general information about the school, support services available to Aboriginal students, admission requirements, application procedures, the admission cycle, and information and requirements specific to the Aboriginal Admissions Stream.

For more information, please watch www.normed.ca .

How to Register
Pre-registration is required.  For more information and/or to pre-register, please contact:

The Office of Admissions & Student Affairs
Phone: (807)766-7317  or 1-888-377-7757 (in Northern Ontario only)
Fax:     (807)766-7368
E-mail: nomsadmit@normed.ca

NAN Press Release

NAN Chiefs re-elect Stan Beardy as Grand Chief

     SACHIGO LAKE FIRST NATION, ON, Aug. 3 - Chiefs and proxies from Nishnawbe Aski Nation's (NAN) 49 First Nation communities re-elected Stan Beardy as Grand Chief this afternoon during the 25th Annual Keewaywin Chiefs Conference in Sachigo Lake First Nation.

     "I look forward to serving the people of Nishnawbe Aski as we move forward to effectively address the fundamental challenges of First Nations across Ontario," said NAN Grand Chief Stan Beardy who has now entered his third term representing communities throughout James Bay Treaty 9 territory.

"I'd like to recognize and thank my family and all supporters and look forward to working together with NAN leadership to improve the quality of life of our people."

     Beardy was elected along with three Deputy Grand Chiefs who will each be responsible for specific portfolios at NAN, such as education, health, justice, and governance.

     Incumbent Alvin Fiddler, Roseanne Archibald, and Terry Waboose were elected as Deputy Grand Chiefs.

     The Keewaywin Conference will continue to Friday, August 4 in Sachigo Lake First Nation.

     The new NAN Executive Council will meet again next week at the 2006 James Bay Treaty 9 Centennial Commemoration in Ginnoogaming (Longlac) First Nation August 9th and 10th.

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/For further information: please visit www.nan.on.ca or contact: Jenna Young, Director of Communications, Nishnawbe Aski Nation, Sachigo Lake NAN office: (807) 595-2526; Larry Amos, Head Electoral Officer, (204) 956-7413/