Media.Knet.Ca

From the Globe and Mail ...

Surfing in Saskatchewan goes wireless - Province aims to break the access barrier with free Internet availability
JOE FRIESEN - July 28, 2007

WINNIPEG -- Free wireless Internet service is now available in Saskatchewan's four biggest cities, making it the first province to launch a widespread, publicly funded network.

The initiative is part of the government's effort to position Saskatchewan as a high-tech learning centre that appeals to graduates and young professionals. They hope it will also help bridge the digital divide by making the Internet available to those unable to afford a connection at home.

"We're doing it to promote our cities as dynamic, progressive places to live and work and go to school," said Richard Murray, the policy and planning director in Saskatchewan's information technology office.

Anyone with a wireless adaptor is now able to log on to the network in the downtown areas of Regina, Saskatoon, Prince Albert and Moose Jaw, and that service will be extended to the University of Saskatchewan, the University of Regina and the four SIAST college campuses by September.

The service is not quite as fast as the high-speed cable or DSL connection available to most home subscribers, but it's many times faster than dial-up. Mr. Murray said it works well for browsing websites and checking e-mail, but downloading video isn't recommended. Since it's a publicly funded service, users will also be blocked from visiting sites associated with pornography or hate groups.

Frank Quennell, the minister responsible for information technology, said the idea came from a youth summit held in Saskatoon in February.

"Here we got a good idea from the young people of the province and we were able to respond to it phenomenally quickly," he said. "Automatic teller machines were brought in to Canada by Saskatchewan credit unions. There's no reason why a flexible, responsive government [can't lead in other areas of technology].

"In Saskatchewan, perhaps it's naiveté that helps us make this kind of progress, but it doesn't occur to people to say we couldn't do that here if they haven't done that in Toronto."

The project was completed in just five months, at a cost of $1.3 million, with technology provided by Cisco Systems.

David De Abreu, a Cisco vice-president, said similar networks exist in other cities but aren't as widespread. "We haven't seen a province that has got behind it and done it in four or five cities. This one is by far the largest wireless network at the provincial or state level in North America," he said.

Fredericton has a free public network. Toronto had one downtown, but the city started charging for service this year. Mr. Quennell said that won't happen in Saskatchewan.

"This is not a tease or a test or an introductory offer. This is what we plan to provide as a public amenity," he said.

Ganesh Vaidyanathan, head of accounting at the University of Saskatchewan's N. Murray Edwards School of Business, said these kinds of initiatives contribute to a positive atmosphere, even if they don't contribute much to creating jobs, attracting workers or keeping graduates in the province.

"We have to brand ourselves as being relevant. Our economy is really heating up and these are things that young people are beginning to expect," he said. "It's a question of how you project yourself to the outside world. This is happening right across the globe, and for Saskatchewan to be able to say we're plugged in too is important."

August 8-9, 2007 in Sioux Lookout

NADF will be coordinating a Forum for representatives of First Nations who own and operate their own diesel generating stations for generating electricity.

While the last Remote Energy Forum was held in Feb. 2006, this Forum is specifically for those 12 First Nations who own/operate their own systems without Hydro One Remotes involvement.  First Nations such as Wawakapewin, Wunnumin Lake, North Spirit Lake, Poplar Hill, Pikangikum, Marten Falls, Eabametoong, Nibinamik, Muskrat Dam, Keewaywin, Koocheching, and Weenusk are all invited to hear presentations that address their issues and to discuss a path forward for the future.

The Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada urges government to share resource revenues with First Nations, as reported on their site at www.pdac.ca under aboriginal affairs and in the Northern Miner, July 23-29, 2007 edition.

The PDAC is a national organization that supports the mineral exploration and development sector of the Canadian mineral industry and is now urging governments to share resource revenues from mining and other natural resource developments. 

Download the full discussion paper at www.pdac.ca/pdac/advocacy.aboriginalaffairs/index.html

Winter Roads 2007 Final Report Available on-line at www.nadf.org!

Presentations, notes, recommendations, and discussion summary of the Winter Road Forum 2007 held on June 12-13, 2007 are all available for community members to read at www.nadf.org; go to Tools & Resources; then to Community Resources; then to Reports.  You will find a PDF file with colour documents.  This document has been sent to all Chiefs & Councils, NAN, winter road companies, and delegates.

From the Toronto Star ...

Tories' move on native rights rejected
 
Jul 26, 2007 - Canadian Press

OTTAWA – Applause erupted in a packed meeting on Parliament Hill as a rare, midsummer Conservative bid to push through contentious legislation was derailed by united opposition MPs.

The Tories want to extend human rights law to First Nations, but native leaders say they weren't properly consulted and don't have the cash to comply.

The national Assembly of First Nations has asked for a three-year transition period – as was granted to provinces before the Charter of Rights took effect – for education and preparation.

Conservatives have offered 18 months, up from the six months included in the original bill, but no new funding or formal consultation.

Reserves are largely excluded from human rights law because of a ``temporary" 1977 exemption that was never removed.

The government recalled 12 members of the Commons all-party aboriginal affairs committee today in a widely panned bid to move the bill forward.

Observers packed the public gallery in a sweltering meeting hall as tempers quickly flared around the committee table.

Conservatives accused their rival MPs of delaying human rights for vulnerable native people. Opposition MPs assailed the government for staging what they called a calculated political stunt.

Liberal, NDP and Bloc MPs stressed that even if they agreed to review the bill – which they refused – it could not go back to the House of Commons for third reading until business resumes in the fall.

The meeting ended after just more than an hour when opposition MPs voted to suspend debate until the government formally consults First Nations.

"They really think they know best," Liberal MP Anita Neville said of the Tories as she left the heated session.

A long line of native witnesses who appeared last spring before the committee almost unanimously called for proper consultation and more time to get ready, she noted.

Concern was also raised that the Conservatives are trying to stress individual rights as a legal end-run that would undermine the collective land rights and communal practices of aboriginal people.

The big fear, critics say, is assimilation.

Others speculate that the Tories craftily put themselves in a position of being able to say that opposition MPs blocked their efforts to extend native human rights. This, as Conservatives have faced growing acrimony in recent months over what some native leaders say is hard-hearted aboriginal policy.

Chiefs and opposition MPs have emphasized their support for human rights protection. But they point out that many First Nations can't afford decent housing, let alone upgrades to make reserve buildings fully accessible.

Conservative MP Rod Bruinooge accused the opposition of stalling human rights for reserves – rights that other Canadians take for granted.

The matter has been debated "for 30 years" and the time for talk has passed, he said.

Bruinooge repeatedly said that his riding office in Winnipeg has received many calls from reserve residents wanting to lay complaints against their band council or Ottawa for discrimination.

When pressed by reporters, Bruinooge refused to say or even estimate how many calls he had received. Nor would he refer reporters to a single person pushing for the legislation.

Revealing identities could put those people at risk on their reserve, he said before cutting off questions.

Mary Eberts, a Toronto lawyer and human-rights specialist, says it's a bit rich for Conservatives to cast themselves as native rights crusaders.

This is the same government that's appealing a recent court judgment in British Columbia that, she says, is a major victory for native women.

The Conservatives announced earlier this month their intent to appeal a ruling in favour of Sharon McIvor. She successfully challenged part of the legal definition of a status Indian on the grounds that it discriminates against those who trace their aboriginal roots through female relatives rather than their father or grandfather.

Thousands of people have been denied status and services as a result, Eberts says.

It would be the ultimate irony if the Conservatives pushed through human rights access for native women – women who in turn would not be able to challenge similar discrimination as long as the McIvor case is bogged down in appeal, she said.

"If someone has a human-rights complaint, and the matter is being dealt with in court, they're told: 'You have to wait until the court rules."'

It's a classic case of political double-speak, says New Democrat MP Jean Crowder.

The Conservatives "are talking out of both sides of their mouths. Either they support human rights – which means they would not have appealed the McIvor decision – or they don't."

Complete Poll report (7 pages, PDF) ...

Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research
July 26, 2007

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many adults in Canada believe their federal administration should act on pending Aboriginal concerns, according to a poll by Angus Reid Strategies. 71 per cent of respondents believe the government should speed-up existing Aboriginal land claims disputes, and 64 per cent want Ottawa to do more to deal with poverty in Aboriginal communities.

According to the 2001 census, more than 900,000 Aboriginal persons inhabit Canada. In the 1990s, the Canadian government established the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples to assess the success or failure of past policies and develop recommendations for future programs and projects. Nunavut and the Northwest Territories give official status to Aboriginal languages.

On Jun. 12, Harper announced major reforms to advance the process of Aboriginal land claims, saying, "Instead of letting disputes over land and compensation drag on forever, fuelling frustration and uncertainty, they will be solved once and for all by impartial judges on a new Specific Claims Tribunal."

Canadians are divided on the way their government dealt with the United Nations (UN) Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. 29 per cent of respondents think the federal administration was right to vote against the declaration, while 29 per cent disagree, and 42 per cent are not sure.

Earlier this month, Liberal leader Stéphane Dion urged Harper to sign the UN declaration "without delay", adding, "The face that Canadians want to show the world is that of a Canada who is a defender of human rights. We should never shy away from the responsibility that comes with this vision."

Indian affairs minister Jim Prentice defended the government’s position, saying, "(The declaration’s) wording is inconsistent with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, our Constitution Act, previous Supreme Court decisions, the National Defence Act and policies under which we negotiate treaties."

Polling Data

Do you agree or disagree with these statements?
("Agree" listed)

The federal government should speed-up
existing Aboriginal land claims disputes
Jul. 2007: 71%
May 2007: 68%

The federal government should do more to
deal with poverty in Aboriginal communities
Jul. 2007: 64%
May 2007: 60%

As you may know, Canada and Russia were the only members of the United Nations Human Rights Council to vote against the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples—which provides minimum international standards for the protection of the dignity, well being and survival of the world’s Indigenous Peoples—in June 2006. Which of these statements comes closer to your own point of view?

Canada was right to vote against the declaration,
which is inconsistent with the Canadian Charter
of Rights and Freedoms and could prevent military
activities on aboriginal land 29%

Canada was wrong to vote against the declaration,
because the government has opposed a major
international effort to promote human rights and
fight discrimination 29%

Not sure 42%

Source: Angus Reid Strategies
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,040 Canadian adults, conducted on Jul. 17 and Jul. 18, 2007. Margin of error is 3.0 per cent.

AFN Press Release ...

Assembly of First Nations begins work on specific claims Task Force with Government of Canada

     OTTAWA, July 25 /CNW Telbec/ - Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief, Phil Fontaine, and the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, Jim Prentice, have struck a Task Force to assist in the development of new specific claims legislation we expect will be introduced when Parliament reconvenes in the fall. The joint process will also address related concerns including how claims are processed by Canada, implementation and transition issues.

     "The AFN welcomes dialogue with Canada to revolutionize the specific claims resolution process in order to be more efficient, effective and fair for First Nations and all Canadians," said National Chief Phil Fontaine. "Currently, there are over 1,000 specific land claims that remain unresolved. At the current slow pace of settlement, it would take approximately 130 years to resolve the backlog."

     In the government's response to the recent Senate Report, Confrontation or Negotiation: It's Canada's Choice, Minister Prentice stated that the principles of "fairness, inclusion, and dialogue" will be the basis upon which the Government of Canada will design and implement changes to the claims resolution process.

     "The AFN intends to ensure that these principles are honoured at every level of discussion. To achieve effective change, reforms to the specific claims resolution process must be comprehensive, as reflected in the Senate's report," said National Chief Fontaine. "The AFN has significant experience in this area, dating back to the AFN-INAC 1998 Joint Task Force on Specific Claims that produced a Report and model bill. Although the model bill was never implemented, the process demonstrated success. Essential elements of that work should be contained in the new legislation, and finally become the law in Canada."

     The AFN will work with Canada in three concurrent phases: (1) Reforming the system that processes claims; (2) development of legislation to establish an independent Tribunal; and (3) address implementation and transition issues, particularly the redesign of the Indian Specific Claims Commission and its mandate. Our approach will be consistent with previous work undertaken by AFN and Canada.

     The Task Force will meet regularly over the summer. Eight highly qualified individuals have been appointed as Task Force members. Four will represent First Nations and the other four will represent the Government of Canada.

     The Task Force's Co-Chairs will be Bruce Carson, Office of the Prime Minister, and Shawn Atleo, AFN Regional Chief, British Columbia, Other members include:

• Willie Littlechild, AFN Regional Chief, Alberta
• Lawrence Joseph, AFN Regional Chief and Chief, Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations
• Roger Augustine, Chief of Staff, AFN
• Sylvia Duquette, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
• Jean-Sébastien Rioux, Chief of Staff to Minister Jim Prentice
• Robert Winogron, Justice Canada.

     The Assembly of First Nations is the national organization representing First Nations citizens in Canada.

-30-

/For further information: Bryan Hendry, A/Director of Communications, (613) 241-6789, ext. 229, cell.: (613) 293-6106, bhendry@afn.ca; Nancy Pine, Communications Advisor - Office of the National Chief, (613) 241-6789, ext 243, cell.: (613) 298-6382, npine@afn.ca; Josee Bellemare, Bilingual Communications Officer, (613) 241-6789, ext 336, cell.: (613) 327-6331, jbellemare@afn.ca/

WWW.ONTARIOARTIST.CA

FRESH NEW WEBSITE FOR ONTARIO ARTISTS!

Many artists in Ontario are unaware of the information and services available to them.

The Ontario government recently created a Web site to provide them with information about a range of programs and services specific to their needs.

The new website - www.ontarioartist.ca - includes links to important information for artists such as:

• sources of funding
• professional development opportunities
• legal assistance
• how to market their work etc.

We’d like you to spread the word to as many artists in Ontario as possible.

As part of our media campaign to make a public call for the nomination of Truth and Reconciliation Commissioners we would like to ask if your organization and the TRC Roundtable organizations could post the following heading and link to our announcement on your website.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission - Nomination of Commissioners

http://www.irsr-rqpi.gc.ca/TRCappointment.html

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was created as part of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement.  The Settlement Agreement is the result of negotiations between the Government of Canada, counsel for residential school survivors, church entities, the Assembly of First Nations and other Aboriginal organizations regarding the Indian Residential Schools legacy.  For further information about the Settlement Agreement, please click on

www.residentialschoolsettlement.ca.

The closing date for receiving nominations for commissioners is August 14, 2007. As we would like to give people as much time as possible before August 14 to submit nominations, posting the link at your earliest possible convenience would be greatly appreciated.

We hope that with your support we can reach as many of your constituents as possible with this announcement.

For more information about this posting please contact Kirk Brant at the following address:

brantkirk@irsr-rqpi.gc.ca
Kirk Brant
Communications Officer
Truth and Reconciliation Commission
Indian Residential Schools Resolution Canada
Tel: (613) 995-0921
Fax: (613) 947-5794

Press Release ...

'GRAVE' Risk To Health On James Bay: Action Needed For Fort Albany Crisis

A northern medical team are warning of an urgent threat to human health in the isolated community of Fort Albany on the James Bay coast. The warning was issued by Dr. Robert Gabor of the James Bay Weeneebayko Hospital following a tour of mould-contaminated homes. He is calling for the immediate evacuation of a number of families from the worst of the homes and says the overall health risk to the community from mold and toxins is a grave risk to life.

Dr. Gabor carried out the inspection with Charlie Angus, MPP Gilles Bisson, MPP Andrea Horwath, MPP Michael Prue and representatives of the Mushkegowuk Tribal Council. Fort Albany is the sister community to the trouble-plagued Kashechewan reserve. Conditions they found were appalling.

"We are looking at a health horror story. In some houses we found elders sleeping in homes with rotted floors. In another home we saw a young child who is relying on steroids and ventilators to keep down the swelling and sores that are covering his entire body. These are families living with unbelievable levels of mould, fungus and toxins."

Angus says Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) needs to get involved to help avert a health crisis. INAC needs to learn the lessons of Kashechewan. They have been missing in action on this file. They cant sit back and wait for this latest James Bay crisis to blow over. They need to come to the table and take some responsibility for helping.

And Gilles Bisson says an action plan is needed. We have met with medical authorities as well as the chief and the council. We need an action plan that will immediately send in a team to assess the overall health risk, examine the state of the homes and ensure adequate funding to conduct a serious overhaul of the housing situation in Fort Albany.

Many of the worst houses are in a relatively new subdivision that has been plagued from the beginning by poor design and flooded basements. Bisson says the community needs a well-funded and planned out response. The situation in this subdivision is urgent. We have to get the families to safety. But then we need a commitment to get proper houses built that can be maintained on the muskeg conditions of the James Bay coast.

Fort Albany band council and the Mushkegowuk Tribal Council are working to get a full account of the health crisis affecting the community.