Archive - May 18, 2007

AFN National Chief invites all Canadians to join National Day of Action efforts

Click here to watch AFN National Chief Phil Fontaine inviting Canadians to join First Nations on June 29 - the National Day of Action

From 24 Hours News Services ...

Fontaine's plea
 
Assembly of First Nations National Chief Phil Fontaine is reaching out to non-aboriginal Canadians through a new YouTube message that strikes a conciliatory tone.

Fontaine delivered a much harsher message to a blue chip crowd at a Canadian Club of Ottawa lunch earlier this week, warning that native communities have reached a breaking point. The national chief, who is the most prominent spokesman for native issues, took a different tact in his Internet statement posted Wednesday on the popular video-sharing site.

"One June 29, First Nations will be holding a national day of action across the country. We hope all Canadians will join us in this call for action to improve the lives of First Nations people," said Fontaine, who was in New York yesterday at a United Nations forum on indigenous issues. "First Nations want to work in partnership with government, the private sector and with all Canadians to give life to our plan and hope to our children ... Our future is Canada's future."

Ontario Growth Plan must include needs of Far North First Nations

See the Ontario government announcement of their plans for the northern portion of the Growth Plan following the NAN press release ...

NAN Grand Chiefs says specific needs of far north must be included in Ontario's Growth Plan

     THUNDER BAY, ON, May 17 /CNW/ - Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) Grand Chief Stan Beardy says a provincial growth plan focused on Northern Ontario will benefit municipalities and urban areas, but during development more emphasis must be placed on how the plan will impact NAN territory which spans the far north of the province.

     "It's great to see an announcement for plans of economic growth and opportunity for Northern Ontario, however in order for NAN territory to benefit from a growth plan for Northern Ontario the unique needs of the Far North must be considered and accommodated," said NAN Grand Chief Stan Beardy, adding he will continue to advocate to ensure the 49 First Nation communities he represents across two-thirds of Ontario will benefit from development.

     Beardy's comments come after this morning's Thunder Bay announcement by Minister of Natural Resources and Minister Responsible for Aboriginal Affairs David Ramsay who presented the concept of northern renewal and the idea of attracting young Ontarians to live, work, and raise families.

     Ramsay cited some examples of how Ontarians have achieved results in the past by working together, mentioning highway improvements, creation and sustainability of jobs through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation, and assistance to the forest industry.

     "In the past similar plans have focused on municipalities where there is already a base infrastructure to enhance of build from," said Beardy. "What's unique about NAN territory is we don't have that economic base to build from, which means there's a whole other list of priorities that need to be met in such a plan."

     Beardy is also concerned by meeting the needs of stakeholders including business, industry, and environmental groups, NAN territory could be negatively impacted.

     "Meeting the needs and priorities of some of the stakeholders of development could infringe on our constitutionally protected Aboriginal and treaty rights," said Beardy, adding that if proper legislation isn't in place
(ie: resource revenue sharing), industry could benefit far more from the growth plan while NAN communities will continue to be faced with the challenge of meeting a basic standard of life.

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/For further information: Jenna Young, NAN Director of Communications, (807) 625-4952 OR (807) 628-3953 (mobile)/

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Ministry of Northern Development and Mines - News Release

McGuinty Government Announces Growth Plan For The North Plan Will Promote Northern Prosperity, Tackle Regional Challenges

May 17, 2007

SUDBURY/THUNDER BAY – A new growth plan for Northern Ontario will lead to a stronger, more prosperous North.

“Keeping Northern Ontario strong and prosperous today and in the future is important to all of us,” Minister of Northern Development and Mines Rick Bartolucci said from Sudbury. “For our communities to prosper, we need a plan to address regional challenges such as youth retention and the need for improved infrastructure networks.”

A Growth Plan for Northern Ontario, to be developed under the Places to Grow Act, will build on the Northern Prosperity Plan, the good work of the Northern Development Councils, as well as the recommendations from northern mayors.

“We need the North to be able to compete globally by directing investments, planning and development to encourage and support viable long-term growth of northern communities,” added Minister of Natural Resources and Minister Responsible for Aboriginal Affairs David Ramsay from Thunder Bay. “This plan is consistent with the government’s Forest Sector Competitiveness Strategy and will aim to ensure a balance between economic and environmental concerns.”

Minister of Public Infrastructure Renewal David Caplan, and Ministers Bartolucci and Ramsay, will be consulting with Aboriginal and municipal leaders, business, industry and environmental groups, over the coming months to develop a Growth Plan for Northern Ontario that represents northern priorities.

“We have learned that for such a comprehensive plan to be successful, the approach must be consultative and engage key leaders,” said Caplan. “With their valuable input, we will have a Growth Plan for Northern Ontario that will revitalize communities to be even more prosperous places to live, work and play.”

The act enables the province to designate areas for growth plans. Once developed, these plans align provincial planning and investments to achieve the growth goals of the plans. The first plan developed under the act was the award-winning Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, the Toronto-centred area stretching around Lake Ontario.

This is just one more example of how, working together, Ontarians have achieved results in the North. Other examples include:

- Improving Northern highways by investing more than $1.8 billion over five years in highway expansions and improvements through the Northern Ontario Highways Strategy
- Investing over $224 million since October 2003 through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation, to create or sustain 7,800 jobs
- Making more than $1 billion in assistance available over five years for the forest industry
- Committing more than $124 million in 2005-06 to 120 communities through the first intake of the Canada-Ontario Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund.

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Contacts:

Amy Tang
PIR Minister’s Office
416-325-4048

Lori Theoret
PIR Communications Branch
416-325-1810

Laura Blondeau
MNDM Minister’s Office - Sudbury
(705) 564-7454

Anne-Marie Flanagan
MNR Minister’s Office
(416) 327-0654

Click here to see Backgrounder.

NAN Grand Chief stresses importance of ICTs in the North in presentation to UN gathering

Nishnawbe Aski Grand Chief Stan Beardy addressed a gathering of Indigenous Peoples at United Nations headquarters in New York via streaming video from the Keewaytinook Okimakanak Research Institute office in Thunder Bay. The United Nations Conference "Indigenous Peoples' Communication for Development" is part of the larger Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

He was invited to speak in a panel discussion hosted by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR).

Click here to view Grand Chief Beardy's complete presentation (11 minutes).

Grand Chief Beardy spoke about the importance of locally owned and operated Indigenous networks and the role of the Kuhkenah Network (K-Net) in supporting these networks. He stressed the importance of such applications as the Keewaytinook Internet High School (KiHS), KO Telemedicine and the KO Research Institute (KORI) as examples of online services in the NAN agenda to reassert self-government and self-sufficiency in Nishnawbe Aski. The Grand Chief stressed how urban-based institutions and programs must be prepared to purchase bandwidth and IT services from these community networks to ensure they are sustained and adequately supported locally.

Grand Chief Beardy presenation took place via streaming video at approximately 2:15 CST on the conference agenda. Click here for the link to the UN gathering where Grand Chief Beardy presentation was hosted.