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From CBC online ...

Land claims deal should ease tensions: Prentice
June 13, 2007

The federal government's proposed plan to improve the native land claims system and settle hundreds of long-standing disputes should help ensure an aboriginal national day of action later this month is peaceful, Federal Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice says.

Prentice hailed the Conservative government's plan Wednesday as a "major breakthrough" that would reduce anger among First Nations communities and expedite the resolution of more than 800 outstanding land claims across Canada, which take an average of 13 years to process.

But he also warned that any confrontation or blockade on June 29 would be "counter-productive" and "erode the good will that exists toward aboriginal programs and services."

"We want to see peaceful demonstrations that day and we don't want to see any of the illegal actions that would disrupt the lives of innocent people," Prentice told CBC News Wednesday.

First Nations leaders say the day of action is designed to draw attention to outstanding land claims, and to the racism and poverty faced by their communities.

But Chief Terry Nelson of the Roseau River First Nation in Manitoba has threatened to block railway lines running through his community on the day of action.

Prentice said the response he has heard so far from First Nations leaders across the country has been supportive, but added he can understand why the announcement would arouse suspicion.

"Frankly, it's because there's been a backlog of claims over the last 20 years," Prentice said. "First Nations have been very positive about what they've heard, but they want the system to work."

He cited the 150-year dispute at the centre of a continuing First Nations occupations in the southern Ontario community of Caledonia as an example of some of the long-standing claims that have fuelled aboriginal frustration.

Fontaine hails 'historic' proposal; others express doubts
The proposed bill allocates $250 million a year for 10 years to land claim settlements and calls for the creation of a new independent tribunal that will make final decisions about disputes.

The bill, announced Tuesday by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, will be tabled in the fall after a summer of discussions with native leaders from across Canada.

It calls for the transformation of the existing Indian Specific Claims Commission into a mediation body. The independent commission currently investigates disputes and makes recommendations, but has no power to make rulings.

At Harper's side Tuesday, Assembly of First Nations National Chief Phil Fontaine praised the government's "historic" proposal, saying it gives hope for First Nations people who have fought for decades for fair and just resolution on land claims.

But some regional First Nations representatives said Wednesday the bill is just a drop in the bucket.

Barry Bonspille, adviser to the Grand Chief of the Mohawk Council in Kanesatake, Que., said he can't believe Fontaine agreed to support the land claims proposal.

"To have the national chief support it gives credence to the Conservatives' point of view that they can handle things better than the Liberals," Bonspille told CBC News.

"Maybe they can, but certainly not with $250 million towards land claims [a year.]"

Related CBC Resources ...

• Harper promises bill to 'revolutionize' land claims process
• YOUR VIEW: Share your thoughts
• IN DEPTH: Aboriginal Canadians
  

MAURICE LAW BARRISTERS & SOLICITORS AND THE NATIVE LAW CENTRE OF CANADA UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN

ABORIGINAL & TREATY RIGHTS ADVOCACY CONFERENCE
Calgary, Alberta July 31-August 1, 2007

GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR SUCCESSFUL NEGOTIATION AND LITIGATION

Learn about recent legal developments in Aboriginal and treaty rights and gain insights into effective strategies for the resolution of land claims and litigation

•  Aboriginal and Treaty Rights and the Evolution of Claims Policy in Canada
• Negotiation or Litigation: Confrontational Issues Surrounding Land Claims Process
• Camp Ipperwash: Case Study on Resolution
• Treaty Land Entitlement and Agricultural Benefit Claims
• Reserve Land Surrenders and The Crown’s Fiduciary Duties
• Expropriation and Railway Claims
• Oil and Gas
• Duty to Consult
• Morris & Olsen [SCC – Dec 21, 2006]: Limited application of Provincial regulation on Treaty rights
• Métis Rights and Issues
• Mastering Principles of Compensation and Restitution to Maximize Settlements
• First Nation Issues and Land Management
• Settlement Trusts and Land Acquisition Strategies: “Putting Your Money to Work”
• Other Business Projects on Indian Reserves
  (agenda may slightly change without notice)

REGISTER NOW!

Deadline for Early Bird rate of $750 is July 1st

For A registration form and more information please contact:
Conference Coordinator
Betty Recollet (403) 589-7734
Email: recollet@telus.net 
Conference websites: www.mauricelaw.com  and www.deerfootinn.com 

Conference Hotel/Site:

Deerfoot Inn & Casino
11500-35 St. SW
Calgary, AB T2Z 3W4
Toll Free: 877-236-5225

BOOK YOUR ROOM NOW

Deadline to book rooms at the special conference rate of $159/night is July 3, 2007

Driving Directions:

Proceed West on Airport Rd NE
Turn Left on Barlow Trail NE
Turn Left onto Airport Trail NE
Merge onto Deerfoot Trail South
Drive and exit onto Barlow Trail N
(exit 240)
Turn left onto 114 Ave SE
Turn left onto 35 Street SE
End at Deerfoot Inn & Casino

Press Release ...

Saskatchewan Proclaims Aboriginal History Month
June 11, 2007

The Province of Saskatchewan has proclaimed June 2007 as Aboriginal History Month in recognition of First Nations, Métis and Inuit people's contributions to Canada.

"Aboriginal people have made, and continue to make, innumerable contributions to Saskatchewan and Canadian history, culture and society," First Nations and Métis Relations Minister Maynard Sonntag said. "The Government of Saskatchewan is pleased to pay tribute to First Nations, Métis and Inuit people and their achievements by designating June 2007 as Aboriginal History Month."

Aboriginal History Month is an initiative of the Regina Aboriginal Professionals Association (RAPA), a non-profit organization with a mission to develop a network of people committed to fostering opportunities for Aboriginal people in education, employment and economic development initiatives within Regina. Aboriginal History Month is also being designated by the City of Regina.

"Raising the social conscience of our communities, bringing positive energy, positive thoughts and sharing our knowledge so that our youth can embrace their Aboriginal heritage to exude confidence are all major reasons for RAPA to lead this provincial and national campaign," RAPA President Joely BigEagle said. "We will continue our campaign to have the month of June designated as Aboriginal History Month by the federal government, and invite all Saskatchewan First Nations, educational institutions and businesses to organize or partner with RAPA for June Aboriginal events."

"It's quite fitting that this initiative originates in Saskatchewan in light of the enormous contributions Saskatchewan Aboriginal people make to areas like politics, the arts and sports," Sonntag said. "The Province is proud to be among the first in Canada to support this exciting initiative."

For more information about RAPA's events and its efforts gain national support for Aboriginal History Month, visit www.rapanetwork.ca.

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For more information, contact:

Shelley Fayant
First Nations and Métis Relations
Regina
Phone: 306-798-4071
Email: sfayant@fnmr.gov.sk.ca.

Joely BigEagle
Regina Aboriginal Professionals Association
Regina
Phone: 306-781-6354
Cell: 306-737-5703

AFN Press Release ...

National Chief Phil Fontaine Applauds today's Announcement by Prime Minister to Resolve Backlog of Specific Land Claims

     OTTAWA, June 12 /CNW Telbec/ - Assembly of First Nations National Chief Phil Fontaine said today's announcement by the Prime Minister is a positive response to what our people have advocated for decades, and it is a testament to the perseverance and dedication of our people.

     "This is a historic announcement, and a day to applaud the federal government on its commitment to resolving the growing land claims backlog," said National Chief Phil Fontaine, in reaction to Prime Minister Harper's announcement on a proposed new process to resolve specific land claims.

     "First Nations have been calling for a fair, independent, binding, and just approach to resolving specific land claims for decades now. In the coming days and over the summer, the AFN will be working with government to draft new Specific Claims legislation that will hopefully speed up the backlog of hundreds of unresolved treaty claims that have been the source of so much frustration among our people," said National Chief Fontaine. "The government's commitment to our full engagement in implementing this important initiative will be critical to its success."

     "I want to point out that while today's announcement is a significant step in the right direction, it is only one piece in a much larger puzzle that also requires immediate action," stressed National Chief Fontaine. "Too many of our people and our communities are mired in poverty and despair. We must address these conditions.

     "Land is part of the answer to building strong First Nations economies and strong First Nations citizens. This requires that we have the ability to take control of the decisions that affect our lives so we can reduce dependency and foster self-sufficiency. In doing so, we will build a stronger Canada for all Canadians.

     "We invite everyone to join us on June 29 in our National Day of Action, education, and awareness," added the National Chief. "We invite you to walk with us, talk with us, learn more about First Nations, and take action to make poverty history."

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/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; Rene Pollett, Communications Specialist, (613) 241-6789, ext. 314, cell: (613) 295-2149, rpollett@afn.ca/

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From CBC News online ...

New law expected to speed land claims
June 11, 2007

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is expected to announce plans Tuesday to speed land claims, as native groups prepare for a national day of action on June 29.
 
Sources say Harper will propose a plan that follows the recommendations of the Senate standing committee on aboriginal peoples. The committee examined ways to streamline the settlement process, which now takes an average of 13 years.

One of the things it recommended was increased funding to speed the process. Sources with the Assembly of First Nations say Harper could put as much as $250 million a year toward settling the claims — more money than the assembly had hoped for.

Also expected is legislation, to be co-written with the national AFN, outlining how to settle the outstanding claims.

A new, independent agency is expected to be established to settle some of the claims.

Currently, the Indian Claims Commission investigates treaty violations, but it cannot make binding rulings. Critics have long called for an independent land claims process with more money and staff to settle cases.

There are more than 800 outstanding specific land claims in Canada, according to the commission, which has a staff of 51 people and had an annual budget of $6.9 million in the fiscal year 2005-2006.

The Assembly of First Nations has said it would take about 130 years to resolve the outstanding claims at the current pace of negotiations.

The assembly has called for a national day of action on June 29 to draw attention to outstanding land claims, and to the racism and poverty faced by First Nations communities.

While Phil Fontaine, the head of the AFN, has always said he prefers peaceful diplomacy, Chief Terry Nelson of the Roseau River First Nation in Manitoba has threatened to block railway lines running through his community on the day of action.

++++++++

From the Globe and Mail ...

Harper aims to speed land claim settlements
SUE BAILEY - Canadian Press
June 11, 2007

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Stephen Harper is expected to announce plans to speed land claims as native groups prepare for a potentially tense day of action June 29.

Sources say Mr. Harper will propose a bill Tuesday to streamline the settlement process, a discredited system that now takes an average of 13 years.

But real results could be months away, if they come at all.

The legislation, to be co-written with the national Assembly of First Nations, won't be introduced in the Commons until the fall. It would have to pass a fractious and unstable Parliament before committing any new money for specific land-claims research or compensation.

Mr. Harper is also expected to support giving more power to the Indian Claims Commission, which investigates treaty violations but can't make binding rulings. And native leaders will be watching to what extent the bill may cap settlement amounts or impose deadlines for filing claims.

Critics have long called for a truly independent land claims process with more money and staff to settle cases. Ottawa has until now acted as defendant, judge and jury in disputes that have overstretched bureaucratic and native resources.

Native frustration has flared over the past year, prompting fiery barricades and sometimes ugly conflict. Demonstrations, including rail blockades, are planned June 29 by leaders who have taken a wait-and-see attitude toward federal promises of action. The federal government has itself estimated that it owes native bands billions of dollars for breached or unfulfilled treaties.

“Deferring payment of this liability, while land development continues and interest compounds, can only increase the ultimate financial cost of settlements,” Michael Coyle, a law professor at University of Western Ontario, testified last fall before a Senate committee studying the process.

Mr. Harper should support an independent body that can enforce timelines in often protracted negotiations, Prof. Coyle said Monday in an interview Monday. That arm's-length arbiter must also be able to legally rule on impasses arising over the validity of a claim or how much is owed.

“I'm pleased they're going to be working with the Assembly of First Nations,” Prof. Coyle added. “It will have a much better chance of succeeding if first nations have had a real role to play in developing the process.”

Basic funding for settlements is set at about $159-million this fiscal year. An exhaustive Senate committee report this year urged the minority Conservative government to commit at least $250-million annually. The alternative, it warned, is the eruption of more nasty clashes such as the one that pitted native against non-native in Caledonia, Ont., last year over a housing development.

Frustration is once again building in the Southwestern Ontario community as complex talks drag on.

Farther east, a rail blockade in April by a splinter group of Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte paralyzed passenger and freight traffic between Toronto and Montreal. The protest, near Deseronto, Ont., wreaked commuter havoc for just over a day until it was peacefully ended.

Demonstrators blamed the snail's pace of compensation talks and the use of a quarry on disputed land. They have promised more economic disruption.

There are more than 800 unsolved claims in a growing “inventory” of cases across much of Canada, federal officials say. Of those, just 120 have made it to the active negotiation stage.

The number of bottlenecked claims is actually much larger, NDP aboriginal affairs critic Jean Crowder says.

“If they don't have any resources to [start assessing them], they're not counting them in the backlog.”

Mr. Crowder sees the timing of Tuesday's announcement as a tepid bid to defuse the potential for angry confrontation on June 29.

“I think the government has such a poor track record on Indian and northern affairs that it has to put forward something that looks like a win.”

Liberal native affairs critic Anita Neville said the Conservative government has achieved one thing: “They've united aboriginal leadership across the country – against this government.

“It's been a very sad 16 months for aboriginal people,” she said of the gutting of the $5-billion Kelowna accord to lift native living standards.

Keewaytinook Okimakanak is setting up an information display at the Chiefs of Ontario meeting being held this week at Pelican Falls First Nations High School in Sioux Lookout.

The KO team will be providing the Chiefs of Ontario First Nations with information and demonstrations about the different programs and services being supported in their communities. These include:

• Kuhkenah Network (K-Net) - video conferencing services, network development, youth employment, First Nations SchoolNet, webcasting, etc
• Keewaytinook Okimakanak Telemedicine (KOTM) - telehealth services, health education, etc
• Keewaytinook Okimakanak Water Plant Operator Training
• Keewaytinook Internet High School
• Keewaytinook Okimakanak Research Institute
• other tribal council programs and services (Public Works, Health, Finance, Economic Development, etc)

The highlight of the week will be a Fish Fry at Lac Seul First Nation's Makwa Lodge that will include a tour of the new Health Centre at Kejick Bay, a telemedicine demonstration along with a ceremony to honour the new telebaby and those involved in the birthing process that took place on June 19 (click here to see the KNEWS story).

Tours of K-Net along with meetings and discussions will be supported throughout the week. Cal Kenny, K-Net's Multi-media Coordinator, will be inviting community leaders and guests to share their stories about their community networks and their dreams for connections in their communities. Watch for pictures and webcasts from the meeting space ...

Everyone is invited to stop by the Keewaytinook Okimakanak display that will be located in the school library, just down the hall from the meeting area.

Press Release ...

Lieutenant Governor and Governor General visit First Nation communities in Ontario's North

    TORONTO, June 8 /CNW/ - In an unprecedented joint vice-regal visit to Ontario's North, His Honour the Honourable James K. Bartleman, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, and Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaelle Jean, Governor General of Canada, accompanied by Grand Chief Stan Beardy of Nishnawbe Aski Nation, will visit two First Nations communities, Wunnumin Lake and Mishkeegogamang, on Tuesday 12 June.

    These visits will highlight partnerships forged by the Lieutenant Governor between the people of Ontario and aboriginal communities, to bring hope to Native children and youth and to show them that others care. Specifically, the day will showcase the Lieutenant Governor's four literacy initiatives. In two book drives, in 2004 and 2007, 1.4 million books were provided to establish libraries in First Nation communities across northern Ontario, northern Quebec and Nunavut. In 2005 his School Twinning Program built lasting bridges by linking nearly 150 aboriginal schools in Ontario and Nunavut with non-aboriginal schools across Ontario. In 2006 he established 36 Aboriginal Literacy Summer Camps in 28 northern fly-in First Nations communities, and launched Club Amick to provide books and newsletters to 5000 aboriginal children in Ontario's North.

VISIT TO WUNNUMIN LAKE FIRST NATION - Tuesday 12 June 2007/9:00 AM

    His Honour and Her Excellency, together with Grand Chief Stan Beardy, will take part in a literacy event and present books collected in His Honour's recent book drive to the Lydia L. Beardy Memorial School. The morning will also include visits to the day care, seniors' home, and nursing station, culminating in a community ceremony and feast and a performance of the Wunnumin legend, a tale of how the community came to be.

VISIT TO MISHKEEGOGAMANG OJIBWAY NATION - Tuesday 12 June 2007/3:00 PM

    His Honour and Her Excellency, accompanied by Grand Chief Beardy, will tour the community and visit Missabay School, before taking part in a ceremony and celebration attended by all 134 Chiefs of First Nation communities in Ontario, followed by a community feast and square dance.

    Both communities have received thousands of books collected in His Honour's book drives. Lydia L. Beardy Memorial School in Wunnumin Lake is twinned with Terrace Bay Public School in Terrace Bay. Missabay School in Mishkeegogamang is twinned with East Lambton Elementary School in Watford. Wunnumin Lake is the site of an Aboriginal Literacy Summer Camp which will run for five years, and all local children aged five to ten are members of Club Amick.

For further information: Nanda Casucci-Byrne, Office of the Lieutenant Governor, Tel. (416) 325-7780, www.lt.gov.on.ca; Jenna Young, Nishnawbe Aski Nation, Tel. (807) 625-4952, www.nan.on.ca; Isabelle Serrurier, Rideau Hall Press Office, Tel. (613) 998-7280, www.gg.ca

From Government Technology ...

Digital Prosperity
 
Mar 19, 2007, By Robert D. Atkinson & Andrew S. McKay

Understanding the Economic Benefits of the Information Technology from the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation.

In the new global economy information and communications technology (IT) is the major driver, not just of improved quality of life, but also of economic growth. Moreover, there are strong indications that IT has the potential to continue driving growth for the foreseeable future. Yet, most policymakers do not adequately appreciate this fundamental reality. In fact, after the post-2000 economic dip many concluded incorrectly that the IT economy was smoke and mirrors.

The reality is that while the benefits of new technologies are often exaggerated at first, they often turn out to exceed initial expectations in the moderate-to-long term. This is exactly what has happened with the digital revolution. The digital economy is more than fulfilling its original promise, with digital adoption rates exceeding even the most optimistic forecasts of the late 1990s. The integration of IT into virtually all aspects of the economy and society is creating a digitally-enabled economy that is responsible for generating the lion's share of economic growth and prosperity.

Notwithstanding the centrality of IT to economic growth, there have been surprisingly few attempts to catalogue what is known about IT's impacts on the economy. This report attempts to do just that by collecting, organizing, and surveying studies and examples of IT's impact in five key areas: 1) productivity; 2) employment; 3) more efficient markets; 4) higher quality goods and services; and 5) innovation and new products and services.

In order to better understand IT's role in economic growth it is important to realize that the digital economy is more than an economy conducted on the Internet. Rather, it represents the pervasive use of IT (hardware, software, applications and telecommunications) in all aspects of the economy, including internal operations of organizations (business, government and non-profit); transactions between organizations; and transactions between individuals, acting both as consumers and citizens, and organizations. IT has enabled the creation of a host of tools to create, manipulate, organize, transmit, store and act on information in digital form in new ways and through new organizational forms. And its impact is pervasive as it is being used in virtually every sector from farming to manufacturing to services to government.

Importantly, the "IT engine" does not appear likely to run out of gas anytime soon. The core technologies (memory, processors, storage, sensors, displays, and communication) continue to get better, faster, cheaper, and easier to use, enabling new applications to be introduced on a regular basis. Moreover, the adoption of digital technologies by organizations and individuals continues to grow.

There is no doubt that the IT revolution has enhanced quality of life, from improving health care, to making it easier for children to get better information and learn more, to giving consumers more convenience in their interactions with business and government and making it easier to measure environmental quality. But while these and other benefits are important, perhaps the most important benefit of the IT revolution is its impact on economic growth. The diffusion of information technology and telecommunications hardware, software, and services turns out to be a powerful driver of growth, having an impact on worker productivity three to five times that of non-IT capital (e.g., buildings and machines). In fact, in the United States IT was responsible for two-thirds of total factor growth in productivity between 1995 and 2002 and virtually all of the growth in labor productivity.

While these productivity impacts from IT are among the highest in the United States, most other nations have benefited from the IT revolution as well.

Economists have found significant impacts of IT on the productivity of firms in many other nations, including Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Korea, Japan, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. Moreover, while its impact is not as large in most developing nations, IT is making a difference there as well, in part because IT expenditures rose twice as fast in developing nations from 1993 to 2001 compared to the OECD average. For example, IT usage in China was responsible for 38 percent of the increase in total factor productivity growth and 21 percent of GDP growth.

IT boosts productivity in a variety of ways. It lets organizations automate tasks, freeing workers up to create value in other tasks. IT also has widespread complementary effects, including allowing organizations to fundamentally reengineer processes and lets organizations more efficiently use capital and natural resources. IT also has a number of indirect effects, which in turn spur higher productivity, including enabling larger markets and better organizational decision-making.

In addition, IT boosts economic output by enabling more people to work. The IT industry itself creates jobs, on average paying 84 percent more than average jobs. Moreover, IT appears to be playing a key role in reducing the severity of the business cycle, allowing the economy to run at full capacity more of the time. Additionally, IT makes it easier for more people to join the workforce, including disabled people and people who cannot work full-time, but who can work part-time or from home.

Our standard of living is not just a function of higher levels of efficiency, but of the quality of products and services. IT is helping organizations boost quality. IT enables more information about quality to be collected, giving organizations greater opportunity and incentive to boost quality. IT also makes it easier for organizations to design more customized products and services, which by definition are of higher quality because they more closely fit the desires of consumers.

Finally, IT is making it easier to create new products and services. IT gives researchers powerful new tools that make discovery easier. Moreover, IT boosts innovation by giving users more of a role in shaping innovation, in part by making research more collaborative.

In short, IT is the major driver of today's global economy. But just because IT has been the leading engine of growth does not mean that policymakers can afford to be complacent. Ensuring that societies fully benefit from the IT revolution means that policymakers must devote the same, if not higher, level of attention to it than they currently give to more conventional economic policy areas, such as managing the business cycle. While this report does not lay out a detailed IT policy blueprint, it offers five key principles policymakers around the globe should follow if their nations are to fully benefit from the digital revolution.

1) Give the Digital Economy Its Due: Economic policymakers need to view IT issues not just as narrow IT policy, but as the centerpiece of economic policy. This means putting issues of digital transformation at the front and center of economic policy.

2) Actively Encourage Digital Innovation and Transformation of Economic Sectors: The private sector will drive much of digital transformation, but government can play a supportive role. Government should support research in emerging IT areas. IT should also use a wide array of policy levers, including tax, regulatory, and procurement policies, to spur greater IT innovation and transformation, particularly in key sectors like health care, education, transportation, and others influenced by public policy. Moreover, government should lead by example by leveraging their own IT efforts to achieve more effective and productive public sector management and administration.

3) Use the Tax Code to Spur IT Investment: Investment is how IT innovations are diffused throughout the economy. Because IT seems have a much larger impact on productivity, tax policies should focus on spurring additional investment in newer generations of IT.

4) Encourage Universal Digital Literacy and Digital Technology Adoption: Ensuring that societies take full advantage of the IT revolution will require that the large majority of citizens participate in the digital economy. National governments need to work in partnership with the for-profit, non-profit, and state and local government sectors to help citizens use and access technology.

5) Do No Harm: Making digital transformation the center of economic policy means not just supporting IT, just as importantly it means avoiding harming the digital engine of growth. All too often well-intentioned policymakers consider laws and regulations that would slow digital transformation.

While the emerging digital economy has produced enormous benefits, the best is yet to come. The job of policymakers in developed and developing nations alike is to ensure that the policies and programs they put in place spur digital transformation so that all their citizens can fully benefit.

Dr. Robert D. Atkinson is president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation and former director of the Progressive Policy Institute's Technology and New Economy Project. He is also the author of "The Past and Future of America's Economy: Long Waves of Innovation That Power Cycles of Growth" (Edward Elgar: 2005). Andrew McKay is an honors student in Economics at Swarthmore College, class of 2007.

A full copy of this report can be found at http://www.itif.org/files/digital_prosperity.pdf

The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) is a non-profit, non-partisan public policy think tank committed to articulating and advancing a pro-productivity, pro-innovation and pro-technology public policy agenda internationally, in Washington DC and the states. Recognizing the vital role of technology in ensuring American prosperity, ITIF focuses on innovation, productivity, and digital economy issues.

Video: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2421206069506298295

Report: http://www.itif.org/files/digital_prosperity.pdf

Equay-wuk (Women's Group) is seeking two summer students for the positions of a Receptionist (Member of Treaty #3) and Office Assistant (Member of SLAAMB Area).

RECEPTIONIST - Summer Student

Member of a Treaty #3 First Nation

Equay-wuk (Women's Group) is seeking a summer student for the position of Receptionist.

Duties:

• Clerical support services such as answering telephones, distributing messages, maintaining the mail system, operating the photocopier, fax machine and other office equipment.

Qualifications:

• Good communication skills both oral and written
• Ability to do tasks assigned with minimal supervision
• Administrative skills-using a computer, report writing

Hours:     30 hours per week x 8 weeks

Rate of Pay:     $8.00 per hour

Deadline:     June 22, 2007

Application Requirement:  Resume, Cover Letter

Eligibility:  Applicant must be:

• Member of a Treaty #3 First Nation
• Must be a registered full-time student who intends to return to school on a full-time this fall.
• High school, college or university student
• Must have a Social Insurance Number

Apply to:

Equay-wuk (Women's Group)
16 Fourth Avenue, P.O. Box 1781
Sioux Lookout, ON     P8T 1C4
FAX:     (807) 737-2699

NOTE:  ONLY THOSE APPLICANTS TO BE INTERVIEWED WILL BE CONTACTED.

OFFICE ASSISTANT - Summer Student

Band Membership from SLAAMB area

Equay-wuk (Women's Group) is seeking a summer student for the position of Office Assistant.

Duties:

• Clerical support services, such as typing correspondence, operating the photocopier, fax machine and other office equipment, filing documents, answering telephones.

Qualifications:

• Good communication skills both oral and written
• Ability to do tasks assigned with minimal supervision
• Administrative skills-using a computer, report writing

Hours:     35 hours per week x 8 weeks

Rate of Pay:     $8.00 per hour

Deadline:     June 22, 2007

Application Requirement:    Resume, Cover Letter

Eligibility:  Applicant must be

• Status with band membership from a SLAAMB community
• Must be registered full-time student who intends to return to school on a full-time in the fall.
• High school, college or university student
• Must have a Social Insurance Number

Apply to:

Equay-wuk (Women's Group)
16 Fourth Avenue, P.O.  Box 1781
Sioux Lookout, ON     P8T 1C4
FAX:     (807) 737-2699

NOTE:  ONLY THOSE APPLICANTS TO BE INTERVIEWED WILL BE CONTACTED

Winter Road Forum 2007: June 12-13th in Thunder Bay ...

A First Nations Winter Road Forum is being held at the Travelodge (Airlane) on June 12-13, 2007 and coordinated by NADF in conjunction with NAN, INAC, and MNDM.

For further details, please contact Mitchell Diabo, Special Projects Coordinator, NADF, at mdiabo@nadf.org.

Keewaytinook Okimakanak Research Institute is involved in several exciting projects in the upcoming months and is looking for qualified workers to fill the following positions:

HRSDC Summer Student Placement - Online Workshop Technician
11 weeks. Deadline June 13, 2007.

Online Workshop Scheduler
12 weeks with possibility of renewal. Deadline June 13, 2007.

NOHFC Youth Intern - ICT Researcher
1 year intern position. Deadline June 13, 2007.

Please click on each job title for a description of key responsibilities and qualifications.

Please submit a resume and covering letter to:
Brian Walmark
Research Director
216 S. Algoma St. Thunder Bay, Ontario P7B 3C2
Email: brian.walmark@knet.ca

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