Media.Knet.Ca

An August survey report from Leger Marketing completed for and funded by INAC reveals a high level of ignorance and prejudice among non-native residents of urban centres towards First Nation residents. The two stories below discuss the implementations of this survey with the Macleans' story making Aboriginal issues an election issue for 2007.

Click here to read the following CanWest News story online

Majority of non-aboriginals oppose new urban reserves: poll by Jack Aubry, CanWest News Service and published January 02, 2007

OTTAWA - The majority of Canadians who live near First Nations communities oppose creating new reserves in urban centres such as the one recently recommended for a troubled northern Ontario reserve, saying it would have a negative impact on the surrounding region, a newly released national poll reveals.

The survey of Canadians in eight cities across the country located near aboriginal communities found 51 per cent opposed to the prospect of the federal government creating new reserves in urban centres while 42 per cent were favourable to the idea. Among those opposed, 27 per cent said they are strongly against it while 24 per cent say they are somewhat opposed.

Meanwhile, only eight per cent are strongly in favour of relocating the reserves near urban centres while 34 per cent somewhat favour the idea.

The Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development is making the poll public after an adviser to the federal government recommended that the troubled Kashechewan reserve in Northern Ontario be relocated near Timmins, 450 kilometres south of its current location on the shores of James Bay.

Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice has said it will be up to the community and not the federal government whether they accept the move.

Part of a report prepared by Alan Pope, a former Ontario provincial politician, was a poll of the reserve, which showed a significant majority of residents believed it was in their best interests to move their community closer to an urban centre.

Kashechewan residents have been evacuated three times in the past two years: Twice due to flooding and once last fall due to water contamination.

Pope's report found a bleak existence at Kashechewan with inadequate housing, water supply, school and health system.

Leger Marketing conducted the poll among respondents from Sydney, N.S., Fredericton, N.B., Quebec City, Sarnia, Ont., Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Calgary and Kamloops, B.C.

The Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development hired the polling firm to conduct a study among non-aboriginal people living near reserves across Canada to better understand their attitudes towards First Nations and their position on creating new reserves.

The poll cost the federal government $67,410.

The poll also found that 46 per cent of the non-aboriginal respondents think the creation of an urban reserve would have a negative impact on the surrounding region, while 41 per cent believe the impact would be positive.

More revealing was the response to the possible benefits for the nearby cities where the reserves would be moved. Forty-four per cent said they believe creating aboriginal reserves will have "limited''benefits on their region while 35 per cent responded it would generate absolutely no benefits. Only 14 per cent said they believe such a move would create any "real'' benefits.

Other noted perceptions:

• 71 per cent believe aboriginals rely too much on governments;
• 61 per cent believe natives are taking measures to become more autonomous towards governments;
• 64 per cent think it is unfair to permit smoking in casinos located on reserves;
• 53 per cent judge that it's fair to allow aboriginal people to build casinos on reserves but unfair that they are allowed to sell products on reserves at cheaper prices;
• 48 per cent do not believe natives are victims of discrimination while 46 per cent believe they are.

The survey's final report, delivered in August to the department, noted one important point: ''Regional differences are the most important factor affecting the variation in responses on these issue areas across Canada.

'Indeed, we have observed that, in general, residents of Sydney and Fredericton have a better perception of aboriginal people, while respondents from Winnipeg and Saskatoon have a poorer perception of the First Nations situation.'

While the report denied that Quebecers had a negative perception of aboriginal people, it was found to be the region with the least amount of sympathy for their plight. ''When it comes to feelings of equity, they are more likely than Canadians in other regions to perceive that aboriginal people benefit from unfair advantages,''it said.

And when it comes to the impact of the creation of new reserves, Quebec and Sarnia residents were the most skeptical ones, with more than 80 per cent of those surveyed saying there would be limited or no benefit to their regional economies.

The report is based on 3,208 telephone interviews between June 26 and July 15 with non-aboriginal respondents aged 18 or older in eight cities from coast to coast. The margin of error for the national results is plus or minus 2.4 per cent, and plus or minus 4.9 per cent for each region, 19 times out of 20.

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Click here to read the following Macleans' story

Not going quietly - Resistance to the proposed move of the infamous Kashechewan reserve could put native issues in the national spotlight
Philippe Gohier, Macleans.ca - January 3, 2007

Their water was filthy. Their community was susceptible to flooding. Their housing was beyond decrepit. And so, for a brief period in the fall of 2005, the sickly, rash-ridden residents Kashechewan found a place in the public consciousness.

Soon, the northern Ontario reserve may return there. And in what might just be an election year, it threatens to bring other native issues with it.

A year after Kashechewan's woes came to light, Alan Pope, a former Ontario cabinet minister hired as a special adviser to the Minister of Indian Affairs, issued a report recommending the community be moved some 450 kilometres south to the outskirts of Timmins. Pope's report considered the alternatives, including leaving it where it is. But in the face of a crumbling infrastructure and a staggering 87% unemployment rate, the last best hope was apparently to shut the whole thing down and start anew.

"The benefits of such a relocation are clear," Pope said. "This will offer the greatest advantage of improved economic and individual opportunities."

But the relocation of native reserves to urban areas raises at least two delicate questions that have become the subject of debate. First, do the residents actually want to leave? And second, do their new neighbours want them?

When the federal government recently commissioned a poll on the latter question, it produced fairly disconcerting results.

The survey, conducted among non-aboriginals in eight Canadian cities located near native communities, found that 51% of respondents were opposed to the creation of urban reserves; only 42% were in favour.

What's more, Kashechewan's deputy chief, Philip Goodwin, told The Globe and Mail that many Kashechewan residents are reluctant to move closer to Timmins and prefer the option of simply moving to higher ground.

"Lately I've been hearing a lot of people [talk] about moving up the river," Goodwin said, contradicting Pope's analysis of local sentiment. "There's not too many people who are interested in going down south, but the answers will be at the end of February."

Those answers will come from the community-wide, door-to-door canvassing the council plans to undertake later this month - which, according to Goodwin, will dictate its formal response to Pope’s relocation proposal.

Should the council reject the proposal, Kashechewan would join two other high-profile native issues that remain unresolved. And combined, they could mark the rare occasion on which a federal government is put on the hot seat for its aboriginal policy.

First, there is the previous government's Kelowna Accord - the implementation of which was made one of the Liberals' top priorities at their recent leadership convention.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said his government is committed to the "principles and objectives" of the Accord, which calls for $5.1-billion in targeted funding to reduce the gap in quality of life between aboriginal and non-aboriginal communities. But its absence from the Conservatives’ budget last February has left him open to criticism from its supporters.

Last spring, Canada's western and territorial leaders unanimously endorsed the deal. And this past October, former prime minister Paul Martin - who negotiated the Accord - presented a private member’s bill aimed at forcing the Conservatives to implement it. The vote passed handily - garnering the support of the Liberals, the Bloc Québécois and the NDP, but not the Conservatives.

Then there are last year's clashes over disputed land in Caledonia, Ontario, which invoked memories of Oka and Ipperwash. With 1,000 land claims still outstanding, the possibility looms large that another of them could devolve as Caledonia has.

"Any one of them could trigger the same reaction," Ontario regional chief Angus Toulouse has said. "That's the unfortunate thing - we're going to see much more of that. There is a sense nationally and regionally that there is this frustration."

Native policies have rarely emerged as major election issues, and an expected campaign this year is more likely to focus on the environment, Afghanistan, and – at least inside Quebec - the fiscal imbalance. But the lingering confusion over Kashechewan, along with pressure to implement the Kelowna Accord and the simmering anger over the land claim in Caledonia, could finally push such issues into the political mainstream.

5TH ANNUAL LITTLE BANDS YOUTH HOCKEY TOURNAMENT 2007

February 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 2007

Sioux Lookout Arena

Novice , Atoms , Peewee , Bantam & Midget Divisions

4 team per Divisions

Entry fees $950.00

For further information call : Stephen Fiddler (807)737-7071 ...or check out little bands home page ...

From the Lieutenant Governor's press release

Lieutenant Governor Issues Province-wide Appeal for Books for Aboriginal Children

TORONTO, Jan. 2 - The Hon. James K. Bartleman, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, is appealing to Ontarians to once again bring the magic of books to Aboriginal children by donating new or gently used books during the month of January. Books can be dropped off at any OPP Detachment across Ontario or at the 17 Toronto Police Services Stations across the Greater Toronto Area.

The Lieutenant Governor believes in the transformative power of books. "Too many native children in remote fly-in communities do not know how to read. Too many lack self esteem. Too many lack hope. Too many believe that no one cares about them. Too many take their lives in despair. And too many do not have ready access to libraries that we take for granted elsewhere in the province." said Mr. Bartleman.

"And without books, the children will never learn to read, will never develop the self-esteem that comes from obtaining an education and will never escape the despair that fuels the suicide epidemic among children and youth that has been raging out of sight and out of mind in the north of our province."

Three years ago the people of the province responded magnificently when the Lieutenant Governor launched an appeal to establish libraries in the remote communities. This time his focus is on obtaining new or gently used children's and teenage books to top up these libraries. Any surplus books will be provided to native communities elsewhere in Canada.

"I am proud that the OPP is once again opening its detachments as book collection sites and that the Canadian Forces, through the Land Force Central Area, the army in Ontario, have again offered their assistance and will help to deliver books. The addition of Toronto Police Services to this second book drive will ensure that residents of Canada's largest city will have ease of access as to where they can drop off books."

Since 2004 Mr. Bartleman has introduced four initiatives to promote aboriginal literacy:

• The Lieutenant Governor's Book Program;
• School Twinning Program;
• Summer Literacy Camps; and,
• Club Amick, a reading club for children in fly-in First Nation communities.

Click here to read the following Globe and Mail story online

Kashechewan natives balk at leaving home
BILL CURRY - Posted on 01/01/07

OTTAWA -- The residents of Kashechewan are generally cool to the idea of leaving their remote James Bay community to live 450 kilometres south in Timmins, Ont., says deputy chief Philip Goodwin.

But it will be at least another two months before Ottawa gets a formal response from the community, he said, because the door-to-door canvassing of the 1,550 residents will not start until later this month.

At the request of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, former Progressive Conservative Ontario cabinet minister Alan Pope issued recommendations Nov. 9 on how to address the community's problems.

Residents are frequently evacuated because of poor drinking water or flooding. There is virtually no employment other than at the band council and the homes are overcrowded and decrepit.

Mr. Pope's call for the community to abandon its traditional lands in favour of urban life triggered a nationwide debate on the sustainability of the hundreds of other remote reserves in Canada.

"People are confused because of the recommendations that were made by Alan Pope," said Mr. Goodwin, who was reached by phone at the band office. "Lately I've been hearing a lot of people [talk] about moving up the river [known as] Site 5. There's not too many people who are interested in going down south, but the answers will be at the end of February."

The previous Liberal government promised to build a new community for the residents on higher ground, widely assumed to be at the location called Site 5, about 30 kilometres from the town.

That was the recommendation of Kashechewan's chief and council at the time; however, new leaders have since been elected.

However the Liberals never put forward a spending plan for parliamentary approval to build the new community, and the new government has questioned the cost of building an entirely new town in such a remote part of the country.

In his report, Mr. Pope put forward four possible options for moving the community, including Site 5, Fort Albany, Smooth Rock Falls and Timmins.

Mr. Pope wrote that in his door-to-door discussions with residents, a "significant minority" said they prefer Site 5, but most want to move farther away.

"A significant majority of community members believe that the best interests of themselves, of their children and families, and of the entire community are served by a relocation of the community to a new reserve removed from the Albany River and the traditional lands of the Kashechewan First Nation," he wrote.

Mr. Pope said that choice was conditional on having regular access to traditional lands and receiving "all economic benefits from, and control over economic, industrial and commercial use of their traditional lands and resources."

Those traditional lands are part of the 1905 Treaty 9, whereby natives allowed Europeans to use native lands for mining and other purposes in exchange for reserves and annual payments of $4 each.

The value of those lands, however, is rising dramatically. Diamonds have been found 90 kilometres from Attawapiskat, a neighbouring James Bay community.

Mr. Goodwin said he is aware of only a small number of Kashechewan residents who will receive jobs at the DeBeers Victor Diamond Project.

The community had its first meeting to discuss the report on Nov. 30 and Chief Jonathan Solomon reportedly urged residents not to let the issue divide them.

"Look beyond yourselves, look to the future and ask the question: 'What do I want for my children and grandchildren?' It is you who will make a difference."

WELCOME to 2007!!

The team at Keewaytinook Okimakanak would like extend BEST WISHES to everyone for his new year.

May the coming months bring good health, happiness and prosperity to one and all.

It is through everyone's efforts to work together, to help each other and to care about our neighbours that we each are able to contribute to a safe and growing environment.

Our children and future generations depend upon us!

We look forward to working with everyone once again in this new year.

Call for Proposals Virtual Aboriginal Health Learning Institute (VAHLI)

Issuing Office: Policy and Communications
Unit Address: 220 Laurier Avenue W. Suite 1200. Ottawa, ON K1P 5Z9
Attention: Manager, Mark Buell
Date: December 19, 2006

This is a select call to individuals, firms, or organizations to provide a comprehensive planning proposal for the preliminary research for the VAHLI based on 60 days of work.

Download full request document (PDF 126kb)

OBJECTIVES and BACKGROUND

The National Aboriginal Health Organization (NAHO) proposes to undertake the development of an innovative and collaborative initiative that will address culture-related issues to enhance knowledge transfer relative to Aboriginal health and Telehealth strategies. Moreover, the development of the VAHLI will relate to E-Learning or Knowledge Management that will address learning needs for health professionals and provide a pilot skills enhancement workshop to demonstrate this potential. The development of cultural competencies in the delivery of health care services will be a primary focus of this initiative.

The overall planning objective for the E-Learning project is to develop a framework for a Virtual Aboriginal Health Learning Institute (VAHLI) which will be achieved through three priorities. First will be to obtain an understanding of the current Telehealth infrastructure in Aboriginal communities throughout Canada and to identify education needs that can be addressed by the VAHLI via the Telehealth modality. The second priority will demonstrate the potential uses of telehealth/video conferencing. Wherein NAHO and its three centres - the First Nations, Inuit and Métis - engage in knowledge transfer (KT) processes with the audience. The third priority will identify communities’ needs and aspirations for Telehealth. A direct output of this proposed project will be enhanced educational services to Aboriginal communities through Telehealth.

In order to do this work the incumbent will be provided with Schedule A Form of the Project Charter and the Preliminary Research Report which discusses a needs assessment and literature review of current telehealth sites.

www.naho.ca

ASSEMBLY OF FIRST NATIONS BULLETIN

December 20, 2006

More information can be found on the AFN’s website at www.afn.ca/residentialschools

We are one step closer to receiving compensation and benefits through the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement (the “Settlement Agreement”). As of December 20, 2006, the Settlement Agreement has received court approval from eight of nine court jurisdictions. These eight decisions are posted on the AFN website. We expect a decision from the remaining jurisdiction (Northwest Territories) early in the New Year. While there are other administrative issues that require resolution, these will not change the conditions of the Settlement Agreement.

After this, there is one final step to approve the Settlement Agreement: it must be approved by Indian Residential School Survivors. All Indian Residential School Survivors must decide if they wish to be included in the settlement in order to receive the benefits of the Settlement Agreement, or opt out by advising the notice administrator in writing. All of this will be explained through an extensive notice and community outreach plan which will begin once all court approvals are finalized. It is estimated that there are 80,000 people alive today who will need to be contacted regarding their options under the Settlement Agreement.

We would like to clarify the circumstances around two areas not covered under the Settlement Agreement: (1) Indian Residential School ‘day scholars’ who attended a listed Indian Residential School(s) during the day do not qualify for compensation under the Settlement Agreement. However, if they suffered sexual, serious physical or psychological abuse, they may apply through a new and improved Independent Assessment Process once the Settlement Agreement is approved. This is an important improvement over the old process. Further, (2) students who attended an Indian Day School on reserve are also not part of the Settlement Agreement. We recognize that they too may have experienced pain and suffering, but Abused Indian Day School students must consider launching a separate civil action in order to seek redress and compensation.

The Assembly of First Nations fought very hard for an Advance Payment for Elders. As such, eligible Elders age 65 years or older, as of May 30, 2005, who are verified as attending an Indian Residential School listed in the Settlement Agreement qualify for an $8,000 Advance Payment. The deadline for applications for the Advance Payment must be received by Indian Residential School Resolution Canada (IRSRC) by December 31, 2006.

As of December 18, 2006, there were an estimated 13,400 Elders eligible for the Advance Payment, of which 12,955 applications have been received as follows:

• 9,534 (74%) applications verified and processed;
• 1,404 (11%) applications in process;
• 496 (4%) require further information;
• 281 (2%) applications cannot be processed and applicants have been notified that IRSRC cannot confirm residency; and
• 1,240 (9%) applicants did not meet the payment criteria (age or deceased).
• A total of $76.3 Million has been paid to Elders in the form of an Advance Payment.

With respect to missing records, efforts are ongoing to address this problem prior to the Common Experience Payment being available. IRSRC is receiving records from various sources on a regular basis and is establishing a database of former students to verify attendance for the Common Experience Payment.

The Assembly of First Nations has lobbied all of the provinces and territories to ensure that the Advance Payments and Common Experience Payments do not impact Old Age Pensions or social benefits due to former Indian Residential School students. All provinces and territories have confirmed this with the exception of Nunavut where we will continue to address this issue with them.

Once the Settlement Agreement is approved, other components will also be implemented, including the new Independent Assessment Process, Truth & Reconciliation Commission, Commemoration initiative and funding to the Aboriginal Healing Foundation.

We ask for your patience and support as we move through the final stages of approval of the Settlement Agreement. Additional Information, including a list of common Questions & Answers, is also available on the Assembly of First Nations website (www.afn.ca/residentialschools).

• Questions and Answers

Merry Christmas...Happy Holidays...and Best Wishes for the upcoming New Year to all northern First Nations, families, and friends!!

A special greeting to Kasabonika Lake First Nation as well!!

From Mitchell, Esther, Margaret, and Dahwa Diabo (and our Siamese cat Bijou!)

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From: Binder, Michael: SITT [mailto:Binder.Michael@ic.gc.ca]
Sent: December 18, 2006 11:40 AM
Subject: Greetings from SITT

Visit http://multimedia.ic.gc.ca/sitt/sitteng2006.html (large file that requires FLASH)

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From: Paquette, Louise: FEDNOR [mailto:paquette.louise@ic.gc.ca]
Sent: December 18, 2006 1:07 PM
Subject: Happy holidays / Meilleurs voeux

http://fednor.ic.gc.ca/epic/internet/infednor-fednor.nsf/vwapj/FedNor2006.html/$FILE/FedNor2006.html

Louise Paquette

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At this special time of year, I find myself looking back on a very busy year and feeling very thankful to the K-Net family of friends and partners. It has been a very successful year of continued growth and development thanks to YOU!

I look forward to 2007, working with everyone and wishing only the best for everyone in this coming year!

Brian Beaton

From http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2006/12/21/hunt-supremecourt.html

B.C. First Nation can hunt at night: Supreme Court
December 21, 2006 - CBC News

Two aboriginal men from British Columbia have the right to hunt deer at night with lights, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled Thursday.

In a 4-3 decision, the court sided with Ivan Morris and Carl Olsen, members of the Tsartlip First Nation of Vancouver Island.

The men had been convicted in a provincial court of hunting at night by flashlight, a practice that is illegal under B.C.'s Wildlife Act.

But the Supreme Court said the men's treaty rights, in this case, prevail over provincial law. The court overturned the convictions.

The four judges who ruled in favour of the men said that the North Saanich Treaty, signed in 1852, allows modern Tsartlip people to hunt using traditional methods.

And Tsartlip people traditionally hunted at night using lights, the judges said.

Originally, the Tsartlip people would have used torchlight, bows and arrows, but their equipment must be allowed to evolve, the judges said.

"And the use of guns, spotlights and motor vehicles reflects the current state of the evolution of the Tsartlip's historic hunting practices," the judges wrote in a summary of their decision.

In the narrow decision, the three dissenting judges argued that night hunting is dangerous and the right to hunt unsafely is not protected by the treaty.

Olsen and Morris were charged in 1996 after they fired five shots at a decoy deer set up by conservation officers to catch people hunting illegally. Olsen and Morris found the deer by flashlight.

After the men lost their case in a provincial court and in the B.C. Court of Appeal, they took it to the Supreme Court. The high court heard their appeal last year.

Decision renews night hunting debate

Lawyers for the Tsartlip say Thursday's ruling by the high court means other aboriginal people should be allowed to hunt at night in B.C. as well, without fear of prosecution.

Louise Mandell noted that other First Nations may not have treaty rights like the Tsartlip, but hunt at night and have the right to do so as aboriginal people.

"I think that the decision definitely shines a bright light on the province to make sure that those night-hunting practices are recognized," she said.

However, the B.C. Wildlife Federation's Paul Adams is critical of the decision, calling it dangerous.

He told CBC News that there is a question of public safety, especially in the densely-populated Saanich Peninsula, north of Victoria, where the Tsartlip live and hunt.

"The discharge of a rifle at night time when you don't know what is beyond your target is a very dangerous thing for the general public."

Meanwhile, a B.C. law professor said Thursday's judgment is significant at a broader level.

"It shows that treaties can be paramount to provincial law," said John Borrows of the University of Victoria.

"Treaties can have overriding influence over provincial laws. We've seen that before, but we've not seen it before in British Columbia with treaties."

See also Supreme Court of Canada ruling at http://scc.lexum.umontreal.ca/en/2006/2006scc59/2006scc59.html

From http://www.nfb.ca/enclasse/doclens/visau/contest/en

One Drum, Many Hearts Contest - A contest for Canadian High School Students from the National Film Board (NFB) and their sponsors

DEADLINE: February 22, 2007

If you haven't had a chance to visit the fascinating world of ABORIGINAL PERSPECTIVES, now's a great time! Until February 22, you can enter the One Drum, Many Hearts Contest and win great PRIZES!

Four simple questions, one mini-essay on what's special about your community. That may be all there is between you and a new computer, an iPod, or a trip with friends and family to Edmonton for the Aboriginal Achievement Awards and Gala presentation March 16, 2007!

Have you ever watched the building of an igloo? The making of mukluks? The ritual drumming and dance of sacred ceremonies? Have you seen the arrival of Jacques Cartier through the eyes of the Cree? Or the coming of black-robed Jesuits from a Huron-Wendat perspective?

ABORIGINAL PERSECTIVES offers a treasure trove of film excerpts, short fiction and interviews, arranged by theme. Take a trip through the site. Hear the drums. And share your heart and voice with us, for a chance to win!

Prizes will be awarded to the 10 best works in two age categories:

• 15 years of age and under
• 16 years of age and over

Please visit http://www.nfb.ca/enclasse/doclens/visau/contest/en/ for more information.