Archive

February 17th, 2006

February 16th

New Association to Promote Northern Prosperity through Mineral Development

The new Boreal Prospectors Association was announced today to promote prosperity through mineral development in Northern Ontario 

Thursday 16th February 2006; Thunder Bay, ON: The Boreal Prospectors Association (BPA) announced today that it has been established to provide a forum in which its members can identify and address the many unique geographical, governmental and cultural challenges facing the mineral industry in Ontario’s far north.

The founding of The Boreal Prospectors Association (BPA) comes at a time of increasing mineral exploration activity and significant discoveries being made in Northern Ontario. It is being pioneered as a member of the Ontario Prospectors Association (OPA) by an executive of independent prospectors, regional First Nation representatives and industry representatives active in Northern Ontario.

Says Doug Parker, a director of The Boreal Prospectors Association: “The role of the mineral industry is becoming increasingly important to economic development of Northern Ontario’s communities. It is the intent of our Association to engage and support individual northern prospectors and to facilitate community-industry interaction by encouraging capacity building and mutual understanding. Through this approach the Association will seek to ensure that mineral industry activities occur to the benefit of local communities, lead to sustainable development within the region and result in a more robust mineral industry.”

Director David Duchesne adds, “The Boreal Prospectors Association can help to enhance northern prosperity by listening to northern voices and echoing the needs of our members. By providing a mechanism that encourages northerners to become part of the mineral industry, the Association can help to create a link to people, land and resources, build lasting partnerships and foster a strong business environment.”

Interested members of the public are invited to attend the association’s annual general meeting and symposium, THE NORTHERN ONTARIO MINES AND MINERALS SYMPOSIUM “Building a Sustainable Future on Bedrock” on February 21st and 22nd, 2006 in Sioux Lookout. For more information visit or email: borealprospectors@hotmail.com.

-30-

Media Contact:

Stephanie Ash, Firedog Communications Inc.
Tel: 1 (807) 767-4443; Cell: 1 (807) 472-5276; Email: stephanie@firedogpr.com

Notes to the Editor:

About The Boreal Prospectors Association

The executive of the Boreal Prospectors Association includes: Thomas Tookate (Attawapiskat), Doug Parker (Independent Prospector), Luc McKay (Shibogama), Mike Fox (NADF), David Duchesne (IFNA), Michael Cunningham (De Beers Canada) and Mitch Diabo (Kasabonika). Currently there are 36 members of the association approximately half of whom reside in northern communities and the remainders are involved with industry and government.

The region North of 51 includes approximately 35 communities all of which are First Nation with the exception of Pickle Lake and Moosonee.

The concept of the association was first proposed by the leadership of Kasabonika Lake First Nation in an effort to encourage capacity building and understanding of the mineral industry in northern communities, improve engagement of the mineral industry with residents of the north and increase local participation in the industry.

February 15th

Diabetes conference in Winnipeg searching for solutions to Aboriginal pandemic

The National Aboriginal Diabetes Association (www.nada.ca) is hosting a three day conference in Winnipeg this week. Click here to find out more information about this conference.

From CBC News - Feb 13, 2006

Conference aims to prevent native diabetes 'pandemic'

A conference in Winnipeg is looking for ideas to stem the growing tide of diabetes among Canada's aboriginal community.

Diabetes among aboriginal people was virtually unheard of in the 1940s, but today the risk of Type 2 diabetes among aboriginal populations is estimated at three to five times higher than for non-natives, according to the Canadian Diabetes Association.

The National Aboriginal Diabetes Association estimates Manitoba could see the number of cases of diabetes triple over the next 20 years in what aboriginal leaders and health professionals are calling a "pandemic."

"Pandemic means that a disease is throughout the entire country," said Alex McComber, one of the conference chairs, who sits on the board of the National Aboriginal Diabetes Association. "If we talk about the phrase using Indian country, it's there, it's everywhere."

Conference delegates say diet, lack of exercise, genetics and stress contribute to the problem, as does lack of access to fresh food in aboriginal communities, especially in the North.

"It's horrendous to eat healthy in the northern communities if you are relying on one store to provide all the food," said McComber, who has helped to teach young Mohawk students about proper diet and exercise at the Kahnawake First Nation near Montreal.

"We know that foods high in fat, high in sugar, high in salt, preservatives, etc., are very inexpensive to send, and they have a long shelf life," making them less expensive and more popular for people living on remote First Nations.

Dieticians, better food needed on reserves

Isabelle Shannacappo, from the Rolling River First Nation, near Riding Mountain, Man., says part of the solution is also personal responsibility.

"We cannot control the diabetes without the help of the people," said Shannacappo, who has had Type 2 diabetes for more than 20 years. "The people have to do their own prevention."

Shannacappo said governments should help provide financial support for dieticians on reserves to help people eat better. She also said, where possible, it's crucial to help get fresh, affordable food to remote communities.

Theresa Oswald, Manitoba's minister of healthy living, says the provincial government is working on programs to grow fresh produce in the North.

It's estimated almost 20 per cent of the First Nations population in Manitoba will contract diabetes.

First ministers meeting in Kelowna, B.C., last fall listed diabetes prevention as one of their top priorities in addressing aboriginal poverty and health care.

February 14th

NOSM hosts workshop for Aboriginal Community Coordinators

Northern Ontario School of Medicine Press Release - Feb 14, 2006

28 Aboriginal Health Leaders From Across Northern Ontario Gather at Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM)

For Immediate Release:  Tuesday, February 14, 2006 -- Aboriginal health leaders from the three major treaty organizations and health access centres of Northern Ontario will be arriving at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine's East and West campuses at Laurentian and Lakehead Universities respectively, later this afternoon for a two-day NOSM orientation session.  The leaders will travel to NOSM from the 28 communities that have been selected as medical student teaching sites.  Each community will host two NOSM students for a four-week placement starting in April, 2006 where the students will learn first-hand about disease, illness, preventative care, healing and health in a rural, remote environment.

NOSM's Director of Undergraduate Medical Education Programs, Marie Matte explained the importance of this part of the NOSM curriculum which provides a hands-on approach to medical education.  "These community placements are the first of many for first year NOSM students.  It is important that we have the input of the community leaders in the development of this unique component of the NOSM curriculum."

Students will spend between 10-12 hours per week in clinical settings such as urgent care, after hours clinics, youth and school programs, substance abuse centres, outpatient settings with RNs, MDs and visiting health care professionals.  Not only will students learn the clinical skills required for the curriculum, they will also examine the roles of all health care providers in rural/remote settings.   During the placements, students will also be required to continue their classroom learning through scheduled sessions that will be delivered through videoconferencing technology.

Orpah McKenzie, NOSM's Director of Aboriginal Affairs noted that the placements will have a large focus on culture.  Students will be expected to spend up to 12 hours per week in community-based, culturally-focused experiences ranging from feasts to hunting and fishing.  "It is important that NOSM graduates are aware of the North's cultural diversity and vibrancy.  By immersing NOSM students in remote, rural Aboriginal communities, they will learn integral communications skills for practicing medicine in the North."

While at NOSM, the Aboriginal leaders will become more familiar with NOSM's curriculum and how it applies to their community.  They will end their orientation session with a congratulatory luncheon on Thursday, where each of the 28 communities will be formally recognized as NOSM Teaching Sites.

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine is a pioneering faculty of medicine. The School is a joint initiative of Lakehead and Laurentian Universities with main campuses in Thunder Bay and Sudbury, and multiple teaching and research sites across Northern Ontario. By educating skilled physicians and undertaking health research suited to community needs, the School will become a cornerstone of community health care in Northern Ontario.

- 30 -

For more information, or to arrange for an interview, please contact:

Tracie Smith
NOSM West Campus
807-766-7314 or 807-624-7862
Tracie.Smith@normed.ca  

or      Joey McColeman
NOSM East Campus
705-662-7275
Joey.McColeman@normed.ca

Communications Unit
Northern Ontario School of Medicine
West Campus
Lakehead University
955 Oliver Rd.
Thunder Bay ON  P7B 5E1
Tel: 807-766-7300
Fax: 807-766-7370

East Campus
Laurentian University
935 Ramsey Lake Rd.
Sudbury ON  P3E 2C6
Tel: 705-675-4883
Fax: 705-675-4858
E-mail: NormedNews@NorMed.ca

Traditional knowledge and customs important tools in preventing youth suicide

From http://www.tbsource.com/Localnews/index.asp?cid=80372

On the Path to Healing
Tb News Source - Web Posted: 2/10/2006
 

As the Nishnawbe Aski Nation’s conference on youth suicide came to a close, 22-year-old Jordan Quequish had time to reflect on what it all meant.

“These workshops helped (the youth) understand who they were, they got to ask questions about the traditional ways of life,” he said. “Most importantly they learned how precious they are. As a community, we are precious.”

Speaking softly but eloquently, the young man from North Caribou Lake talked about the terrible tragedies he and his family had experienced. As a young boy, he was sexually attacked by four men on separate occasions. By the time he was four, he had lost his first family member to suicide.

“There just really is nothing to do there,” he said of the two remote reserves he has lived on. “A lot of my people were abused and don’t have any hope, so they take their own lives.”

Quequish said after his first cousin died the problems seemed to snowball. Now he has lost 15 friends and family members to suicide, and he was almost one of them.

“So many times I wanted out of this world, you have no idea,” he said, shaking his head. “So many times I asked God why he put me here, what was I supposed to do?”

Fortunately, Quequish was able to find the answer to his questions through spirituality. Determined to break out of the cycle of abuse and depression that plagues too many First Nations communities, he made it a personal mission to bring tradition back to his people.

This was no easy task. As Quequish explained, traditional spirituality and customs were virtually non-existent on his reserve. He tried to speak with his grandfather, an elder, who had lived through some of the worst dismantling of native culture.

“My grandfather told me that the government came and told us to strip ourselves of our old ways of life. If we didn’t stop, then they told us we were going to prison,” he said. “The elders were so scared that they went along with it, and eventually started to see the (traditional practices) in the same way, like witchcraft.”

The effects of cultural loss and the disaster of residential schools left communities like Quequish’s in shambles. NAN Grand Chief Stan Beardy spoke about this same issue in December following the Kelowna agreement. He, and many others, have said these problems continue to trickle down generation after generation and the cycle of poverty, abuse and depression never stops.

“About 90 per cent of NAN people are impacted negatively by residential schools still,” he said. “The majority of my people don’t have parenting skills because when you grow up in an institution, you don’t learn normal behaviours. You don’t have the usual avenues for expressing emotions. The learned to be ashamed of expressing any sort of emotion, that’s why they don’t cry, they don’t laugh. And the majority of suicide victims are products of residential school parents.”

Beardy attributed this to the abuse that stemmed from repressed emotions and negative past experience, which continues to repeat itself in small communities.

“And when our young people go through problems or challenges, they have no one to turn to, no one to share life experience or teachings with them. There is a major lack of a support mechanism.”

While Beardy and other First Nations officials fight for policy changes, Quequish and the NAN Decade of Youth Council are using tradition to fight modern problems. The goal of the conference was not only to talk openly about suicide, but to help youth appreciate the beauty and strength of their culture.

“What was really amazing was seeing the relationships that developed between the elders and the young people,” said Decade of Youth coordinator Melanie Goodchild-Southwind. “This was a very safe environment where culture was flourishing. It was the way it could have been for our ancestors.”

The teaching sessions included things like hand drumming, sacred firekeeping, powwows and different sacred dances.

“That is suicide prevention in action,” Goodchild-Southwind said. “Self-esteem is built when this happens, when youth learn about themselves.”

This is what Quequish felt when he returned to his roots several years ago, although it wasn’t met with much enthusiasm.

“Back home I was wearing long braids and sometimes my (traditional) ribbon shirt,” he said. “And my own people called me a crazy Indian.”

Nevertheless, Quequish soldiered on. He is one of the only grassdancers in his area, and continues to encourage his peers and elders alike to embrace the old ways.

“Some are starting to be more traditional in a quiet way,” he said. “Things are slowly changing, but one day it’s going to be rapid. Our generation will do a lot more, I think.”

“One day I’m going to turn around my community. I’m going to be a leader of my community.”

On that last day of the conference, Quequish sat by the sacred fire that burned all week long.

“When we light the sacred fire, all of our past elders come to be with us,” he said. “This same fire burns in our hearts, our hearts that beat to the same drum in our nation. It’s the heartbeat of our people.”

Goodchild-Southwind said Quequish is a great example that change is possible. She said there was an overwhelming consensus that the conference was a start to something really positive, and NAN will definitely consider hosting another one.

February 13th

L'll Bands Youth Hockey Tournament 2006

Little Bands Youth Hockey Tournament 2006

February 17 , 18 , 19 , 2006

Sioux Lookout Arena and Eagle Lake First Nation Arena

11 Peewee Teams  ages 11-12 yrs old

7 Bantam teams ages 13-14 yrs old

Daily admission -Adults  $5.00 a day

                      - 12 under $3.00 a day

Teams : Big Trout Lake , Muskrat Dam , Bearskin Lake , Sachigo Lake , North Caribou Lake , Wapekeka , Kasabonika Lake , Sandy Lake , Pikangikum , Deer Lake , Mishkeegogamang .

February 12th

NADF Summary of First Nations’ Energy Issues for Ontario Power Authority Submission

Michael Fox, NADF Resource Sectoral Specialist recently prepared a brief summary of the challenges and suggested process-related improvements and/or inclusive mechanisms as it relates to First Nations energy initiatives in Ontario’s Far North. The submission is part of the Ontario Power Authority's efforts to plan for the northern route grid system. 

This submission was the only one that specifically addressed First Nation issues and concerns about OPA's plans for their new northern electrical route through NAN territory. OPA is now undergoing further consultations to develop this plan (a copy of their RFP for the development of this consultation is available on MERX at http://merx.ca). The complete Ontario Power Authority "Supply Mix Advice Report" is also available online at http://www.energy.gov.on.ca/opareport.

Nishnawbe Aski Development Fund Summary of First Nations’ Energy Issues Ontario Power Authority Submission

... In terms of the larger picture, reoccurring First Nations’ messages heard from an energy-project level to the Province have been:

  • More inclusive engagement in energy planning that affects remote First Nation communities
  • More equal level energy ‘playing field’ between remote First Nations and rest of Province (rates, subsidies and regulation)
  • More direct participation in energy infrastructure projects affecting First Nations (local, provincial, and inter-provincial initiatives)
  • The potential Manitoba-Ontario Interconnect should be evaluated not simply as a means to deliver electricity to Ontario, but also as a catalyst or anchor investment that will be the locus of a much broader set of First Nations’ economic development activities in the Far North. First Nations should be part of future studies as a way to obtain crucial information and be a position to review any potential transmission options as part of the review team.
  • The potential Interconnect investment could provide a First Nation-designed and controlled infrastructure corridor which would be the locus of:
    1. an all-season road infrastructure;
    2. the regional trigger for other economic development activities;
    3. a secondary source of a local and regional transmission lines that would service remote communities and future resource-based projects led by First Nations;
    4. the destination of electricity generated from remote sources of renewable and possibly non-renewable energy sources.

The submission included a list of "Key Messages for Ontario Power Authority Submission Advice to Minister of Energy". Click here for a copy of the complete NADF submission (PDF document). 

The one additional item that has now been added to the Five Nation Energy construction project serving Fort Albany, Kashechewan and Attawapiskat is the inclusion of a fiber optic cable that will serve these First Nations. This First Nation owned resource will support further economic development opportunities across the region.

February 11th

Residential School Christian Survivors gathering in Sioux Lookout

 February 10, 2006

Residential School Christian Survivors

Sioux Lookout Area

RE: RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL CHRISTIAN SURVIVORS

FORUM: February 21–23, 2006 at Sunset Inn

God Bless !

At this time, I am providing the following:

  • Wawatay Radio Broadcast No. 2 – February 8, 2006
  • Agenda for the Christian Survivors Forum
  • The Canadian Holocaust: Crimes Perpetuated Against Aboriginal Peoples

For the Youth who read the K-Net News; I have a Special Request.

Can you print out this information and provide copies to those Residential School Survivors who have accepted the Christian Faith plus the Reverends; Pastors; and other Church Leaders in each of your communities. THANK YOU !

For further information; the Contact Numbers are as follows:

Mike Morris
Signatory to Treaty 9
Kitchenuhmaykoosib Nation
Kasabonika Lake Reserve

WAWATAY RADIO BROADCAST No. 2 Feb. 8/ 06



God Bless !



If you fail to deliver the warning; they will die in their sins. And I will hold you responsible, demanding your blood for theirs. Ezekiel 3:18


I will be talking about the Agreement-in-Principle which was signed on November 20, 2005 by Canada; four (4) Churches; AFN; and some Legal Firms. The Honourable Frank Iacobucci must submit his Report for the final Comprehensive Settlement Package to Stephen Harper’s Cabinet on March 31, 2006. THE PLAN is to provide the Common Experience Payment of $ 10,000.00 plus $ 3,000.00 for each year to each Residential School Survivors who was alive on May 30, 2005.


I will not be talking about the Money as that matter is being dealt with by AFN; NAN; and our First Nation leaders. I will only make one comment for our leaders. The leaders must address the issue of Canada, our Treaty Partner, coming to our Nation and taking our Children away to their Residential School. Treaty 9 was broken by Canada. As NAN spent a lot of our money on their recent Treaty Conference; the Grand Chief must provide his Position Paper on this issue.


I want to talk to the Residential School Christian Survivors.


The Major Problem for the Christian Survivors is that over 50,000 helpless Indigenous Children were killed at these 130 Residential Schools which operated across Canada for 122 years. By accepting the offered Compensation Funds; the Survivors are being paid to accept that this Genocide ( Murder ) is only “ Certain Harms and Abuses ”. THIS IS WRONG ! ! ! The Crimes of Genocide is still Murder.


For the Survivors who have accepted the Christian Faith; we must understand what is happening. Even if we don’t say or do anything and our Fellow Survivors accept the offered Compensation Funds; their acceptance will signify our own acceptance.

WHAT will the Survivors be accepting ?


1. We will be accepting the murder of over 50,000 helpless Indigenous Children as just “ Certain Harms and Abuses ”. The Residential School Policy ( which created the Residential Schools where these Indigenous Children were killed ) was one of Canada’s Policies for our People. We will also be accepting the Policy which resulted in the loss of over 50,000 Souls. The Survivors become Accomplices to what happened.


2. We will become Party to the process whereby the 6th Commandment is not applied to these Murders. If we do this; One Elder has stated that we are condemning our own souls to Hell. I don’t fully understand this teaching but I appreciate the concern. As the Survivors who have accepted the Christian Faith; we cannot ignore the 6th Commandment and only accept the other nine ( 9 ) Commandments. Personally, I need help on this Issue.


3. Our own People will have paid 6.25 Cents of each and every Dollar of these offered Compensation Funds that you will receive. Our own People ( your Fellow Survivors ; your families ) will be paying for your misery. WHY are our own People paying ? Did our own People send us to these Residential Schools ?


4. You are being paid for your Forgiveness. Once you have spent this money; your Residential School Issues will still remain with you.
WHAT have our own People done to the Survivors ?
WHAT are our own People paying us to forgive them for ?

Example:

  1. If you get paid $ 19,000.00 - $10,000.00 for the Common Experience Payment plus $ 9,000.00 ( $ 3,000.00/Year x 3 Years ).
  2. Canada pays 75 % or $ 14,250.00.
  3. The four ( 4 ) Churches pay 25 % or $ 4,750.00.
  4. The Anglican Church pays 25 % or $ 1,187.50.

5. You will be required to forget about those Survivors who have passed on as of May 29, 2005. You will be required to forget about their own misery plus the misery of their families. We have five ( 5 ) Survivors who have passed on as of May 29, 2005.

I don’t know about the rest of you but the killing of over 50,000 Children plus the life-long difficulties of the Survivors is much more than just “ Certain Harms and Abuses ”. What was allowed at these Residential Schools was Murder and goes against the 6th Commandment.


As one (1) Survivor who has accepted the Christian Faith; I find it very difficult to accept the offered Compensation Funds – at this time. If being paid and accepting the Murder of over 50,000 helpless Indigenous Children means Eternal Damnation; We need HELP to make the Right Choice.


We need help with resolving these Spiritual Issues.


We need help from those Residential School Survivors who are Pastors and Reverends. Our Plan is to hold the Residential School Christian Survivors Forum at Sioux Lookout on February 21-23, 2006. Detailed Information about the Christian Survivors Forum is provided with The Notice ( in the February 9th Wawatay Newspaper edition ).


If you are Residential School Survivor who is a Pastor or Reverend – we need your help !


You are invited to participate but you are required to pay for your own expenses. We might have Special Wasaya Fares and the Sunset Inn has provided Special Room Rates.


WE NEED FINANCIAL HELP for the following:

  1. $ 2,000.00 for Reverend Kevin Annett – Author of HIDDEN FROM HISTORY.

  2. $ 932.00 for the Meeting Room Costs.

  3. $ 238.00 for The Notice.

  4. $ 250.00 for Wawatay Radio.

  5. $ 1,500.00 for the Sound/Recording Equipment.


RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL CHRISTIAN SURVIVORS FORUM: February 21-23, 2006



1. AGENDA for DAY ONE


  • Opening Prayer


  • Approval of Agenda


  • Presentation by Reverend Kevin Annett:

Author of HIDDEN FROM HISTORY: The Canadian Holocaust. The Untold Story of the Genocide of Aboriginal Peoples by the State and Church in Canada; A Summary of an Ongoing, Independent Inquiry into the Canadian Native

Residential Schools ” and their Legacy.


  • Coffee Break


  • The Bible: The 6th Commandment – “ thou shalt not kill ”

  1. Does the 6th Commandment apply to what happened to over

50,000 Indigenous Children at these Residential Schools ?

  1. Are we breaking the 6th Commandment when we accept the

offered Compensation Funds ?


  • Lunch Break

  1. Are we condoning Murder when we accept these monies ?

  2. Can we ignore the 6th Commandment and only accept the other nine ( 9 ) Commandments ?


  • Coffee Break


  1. Are we condemning our souls to Hell when we accept the offered Compensation Funds ?

  2. How should “ breaking ” the 6th Commandment be applied to Canada ? to the Churches ?

  • Closing Prayer

2. AGENDA for DAY TWO


  • Opening Prayer


  • The Purpose of the Residential Schools vs God’s Plan

  1. Are we agreeing to The Purpose ( to kill the Indian within the Indian ) of the Residential Schools when we accept the Compensation Funds ?

  2. Are we agreeing with the Assimilation Policies of Canada ?

  3. Are we agreeing that God’s Plan for our People is wrong ?


  • Coffee Break


  • Crimes of Genocide ( Murder ) vs Certain Harms and Abuses

  1. Is Genocide acceptable for helpless Indigenous Children ?

  2. Is Genocide just “ Certain Harms and Abuses ” ?

  3. Should this Genocide be addressed by The Apology from Canada at the United Nations ?


  • Lunch Break


  • Contributions to the four ( 4 ) Church’s Compensation Fund

  1. Is it right to pay for your own misery ?

  2. Is it right to pay your Fellow Survivors for their misery ?

  3. What are our People paying for ?

  4. Did our People send us to these Residential Schools ?

  • Coffee Break


  • May 29, 2005 vs May 30, 2005

  1. Do we forget about those Residential School Survivors who have passed on as of May 29, 2005 ?

  2. Do we deny their suffering ?

  3. Do we deny their family’s suffering ?

  4. What will happen to the accepted concept of Intergenerational Impacts of the Residential School System upon our Families, children and grandchildren ?


  • Closing Prayer

3. AGENDA for DAY THREE


  • Opening Prayer


  • Forgiveness

  1. Who are the Survivors expected to forgive ?

  2. What Wrongs are the Survivors expected to forgive ?

How should Forgiveness be demonstrated ?

  1. By Canada

  2. By the four ( 4 ) Churches

  3. By Fellow Survivors.

  4. WHAT are our own People paying us to forgive them for ?
  5. WHAT have our own People done to the Survivors ?


  • Coffee Break


  • Presentations on Forgiveness

  1. Arch Deacon Alec Fox

  2. Other Pastors and Reverends


  • Lunch Break


  • Plan of Action


  • Closing Prayer














The Canadian Holocaust: Crimes Perpetuated Against

Aboriginal Peoples


These Offenses occurred at ten ( 10 ) Residential Schools in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario between 1992 to the present time and were perpetuated against Aboriginal children, youth and adults by the clergy, staff, government agents, medical personnel and police. These crimes were experienced and/or witnessed by thirty-eight (38) Aboriginal Survivors and attested to by fifty-one (51) other persons. These crimes were also verified by documentation and evidence from Church, government and police archives. More than 50,000 Indigenous children died from these crimes.


1. Murder, by beating, poisoning, hanging, starvation, strangulation, electric shocks, medical experiments, being thrown from windows and being kicked or thrown down stairs.


2. Criminal negligence.


3. Rape, by individuals and groups, encourage and abetted by staff.


4. Sexual molestation on a routine and daily basis.


5. Daily, unprovoked, systematic beatings, by staff and clergy using whips, sticks, horse harnesses, iron bars, table legs, studded leather straps, pool cues and bare fists.


6. Routine administering of electric shocks to children as young as five as a punishment and disciplinary device and for demonstration ” purposes to visiting Church and government officials.


7. Daily administering of electro-convulsive shocks to the heads of children and youth, under the supervision of doctors, social workers, clergy and the RCMP.


8. Prolonged and deliberate exposure of children as young as five to X-ray radiation, causing subsequent illness and death.

9. Other forms of regular mental and physical torture on children as young as five, as punishment for bed-wetting, speaking Aboriginal languages, or not obeying instructions, including:


  1. Tightening fish twine around boy’s penises,

  1. Sticking needles into children’s tongues, ears and penises,


  1. Forcing children’s heads into toilets and making them eat excrement,


  1. Holding children over open graves and burying them alive,


  1. Telling children their parents are dead and that they were about to be killed,


  1. Stripping children naked in front of the assembled school and physically and sexually degrading them,


  1. Ripping the hair from their heads,


  1. Smashing their heads against concrete and wooden surfaces, resulting in permanent debilitation, including mental retardation,


  1. Forcing them to stand in ice water for hours on end,


  1. Forcing them to sleep outside in the middle of winter, and


  1. Forcing them to strangle or beat kittens and rabbits to death, and then eat the remains.


10. Medical experimentation on children as young as five ( without consent or parental knowledge ), causing illness and deaths, including:


a. Receiving injections of penicillin and tuberculosis toxins, and other experimental drugs,


b. Skin grafting and other forms of eugenics,


c. Deliberate exposure to communicable diseases, especially tuberculosis,


d. Prolonged exposure to radiation,


e. Sexually sterilizing males and females,

f. Behaviour modification and mind control methods, including sensory deprivation, electric shocks and prolonged isolation, and,


g. Prolonged exposure to sub-zero cold while naked.


11. Regularly operating on children’s teeth without using any pain killer or anesthesia.


12. Slave Labour of children as young as five in fieldwork, domestic servitude and manual labour for as much as sixteen hours a day, including the common practice of “ renting out ” children to local farmers and merchants as unpaid workers in return for kick-backs to the School Principal.


13. Involuntary sexual sterilization of males and females upon their reaching puberty, as a matter of policy, in programs funded by Indian Affairs Department and operated by United Church and Roman Catholic missionary doctors in Church hospitals.


14. Involuntary sexual sterilization of non-Christian Aboriginals as a matter of policy and as punishment for refusing to convert to Christian denomination or to attend United Church, Anglican or Roman Catholic services, according to a “ quota system ” required by the federal government.


15. Deliberating contaminating children with tuberculosis and other infectious diseases by forcing them to sleep with others who were infected, in unventilated, locked dormitories, and forcing then to eat fetid and contaminated food; and concealing their resulting deaths from their parents through cover stories and false death records.


16. As a matter of regular practice, Inducing abortions in young women made pregnant by rape by school staff, clergy and visiting officials, causing miscarriages and deaths; and coercing women into abortions through threats and violence.


17. Deliberately killing the newborn babies of such pregnant mothers, along with the mothers, in order not to implicate the fathers; and burying the remains of mother and child in secret burial sites on Residential School and Church property; and subsequently falsifying school, government and mortuary documents to erase any record of these murdered persons.


18. Regularly drugging and involuntarily hospitalizing students and other eyewitnesses to murder, and other crimes by staff and clergy.


19. Illegal administering of drugs by staff and clergy not medically trained or competent, without the consent or knowledge of those persons drugged or their parents, causing illness and deaths.


20. Forcing children to walk by and observe the dead bodies of so-called “ suicide ” victims who were in fact murdered by staff and clergy.


21. Forcing children to routinely inhale gas until they passed out or died.


22. Involuntarily removing gold teeth from children and adults, and removing entire sets of teeth from others, without anesthesia.


23. Mass removal of organs and of appendixes, adenoids, and other glands for experimental purposes, causing deaths.


24. Kidnapping and imprisoning children as young as three on Church and Residential School property, denying parents access to them or knowledge of their location, in order to:


a. extort money from these parents


b. blackmail Native elders and parents into signing over land titles and resources

c. force parents and Native elders to bring all their children into the Residential Schools


d. rent out ” these children in secret pedophile rings, and

e. force parents and elders to convert to Christianity and comply with genocidal laws and practices


25. Regularly forcing children as young as three to eat spoiled and unhealthy food, including maggot-filled and regurgitated food, in direct violation of existing contractual obligations to the government, causing illness and death.


26. Deliberately denying food and water to children as young as three, for as much as three days or more, causing illness and deaths.


27. Physically confining children as young as three in small closets with no ventilation, for periods of more than one week, causing illness and deaths.


28. Forcing children and youths to engage in physical combat and sexual activity with each other, on threat of torture, causing severe injuries and deaths.


29. Forcing children as young as four to line up and perform oral sex on male staff and clergy, including the Principal, and making other children watch.


30. Forcing naked children as young as five to crawl down a line of other students and be beaten by them with belts, whips and sticks, causing severe injuries and deaths ( “ The Gauntlet” ).


31. Denying medical care and attention of any kind to sick and dying children, made ill by bad food and other deliberate practices by staff, and refusing to notify doctors and police officials of these sick and injured children, causing deaths which were then concealed from their parents and falsified on school, government and mortuary records.


32. As a matter of policy and standard practice, forcing children as young as three to live in and be confined to permanently sub-standard, unsafe and unhealthy conditions, in school dormitories and hospital wards, lacking heat, sanitation and ventilation which were prone to fires, causing illnesses and deaths.


33. Illegally consigning children as young as three to non-Native persons connected to organized pedophile rings, and concealing the children’s fate through police, Church and government complicity.

34. Illegally consigning children as young as three to adoption agencies, hospitals, private clinics and non-Native foster homes, for reasons unknown, and subsequently concealing the fate of these children.


35. Obstruction of justice and of police investigations.


36. Blackmailing, threatening and killing witnesses to these and other crimes.


37. Displacing Aboriginal families from their traditional lands, including by evicting non-Christian Natives from their homes and squatting ” Church-affiliated Natives on this territory, causing multi-generational conflict, genocide, poverty and abuse in virtually every Native community.


38. Illegally obtaining, selling and speculating in ancestral Native land and its resources, against the laws and wishes of traditional elders, and concealing these acts through intimidating, jailing and killing Native elders and other eyewitnesses.


39. Involuntarily transferring children as young as three to foreign regions, contrary to the provisions of the Indian Act and against the wishes of their parents, and concealing their location and fate from their parents.


40. Forcing children as young as three into Residential Schools and hospitals without first obtaining the consent or written release of their guardianship rights as required under federal law.


41. Operating a regime of terror against non-Christian Aboriginals and others resisting European colonialism, through private constables and police forces under the control of clergy of the United, Presbyterian, Anglican and Roman Catholic Churches, with government consent.


42. From at least 1933 to the present day, operating secret pedophile
rings for government, Church, judicial, police and Native officials, using children as young as three from Indian reserves and Residential schools; and concealing these child sex rings and the resulting deaths of these children through intimidation, murder, falsifying records and the active complicity of the most senior officials of the judiciary, Churches, RCMP and the federal government.


43. During the same period, using children from these sex rings in cultritual and sacrificial practices operated by wealthy men, both Aboriginal and Caucasian, especially in the regions around Victoria, BC, Thunder Bay, Ontario and Manitoulin Island, Ontario, and in connection with drug trafficking networks operated by Native leaders using Department of Indian Affairs money.


44. Secretly “ loaning out ” children from Residential Schools and reserves as live test subjects to pharmaceutical companies like Bayer and Upjohn Ltd., and to other corporations, in collaboration with Cornell University and the researchers from the US Department of Defense, through formal agreements between these agencies and the Roman Catholic and United Churches.


45. Continuing to medically experiment on Aboriginal People without their informed consent by indiscriminately forcing on them vaccinations, sterilizing agents and other lethal substances, under the guise of public health programs.


46. Systematically concealing all of these crimes, by murder, falsifying official records, destroying medical records, government and Church correspondence, and other evidence, and disinterring human remains, with the institutionalized collusions of the RCMP, medical personnel, government officials, and Church leaders.

The evidence and testimonies indicating these Crimes were obtained between October 14, 1994 and January31, 2001 from 158 Survivors of these and other Crimes against Humanity.


This evidence was compiled from:


  1. Personal interviews.


  1. Written affidavits.


  1. Videotaped recordings.

  2. Public Forums:


a. The Justice in the Valley Commission of Inquiry into Crimes

Against First Nations

Convened in Port Alberni, B. C.

December 1994


b. The Circle of Justice Healing Circle

Vancouver, B. C.

July 1997 to September 1998


c. The Tribunal of the International Human Rights Association

of American Minorities ( an affiliate of the United Nations )

Vancouver, B. C.

June 12 –14, 1998







Reverend Kevin Daniel Annett, B. A., M. A., M. Div.
Advisor and Researcher
The Truth Commission into Genocide in Canada
Vancouver, B. C.
February 1, 2001
1-888-265-1007 ( in Canada only )

February 9th

Health Canada announces funding strategy to operate KO telehealth services

On Wednesday, Feb 8 representatives from Health Canada's First Nation and Inuit Health Branch (FNIHB) met in Balmertown with representatives from Keewaytinook Okimakanak, the KO Telehealth team, Assembly of First Nations and Nishnawbe Aski Nation. Joining the meeting by video were:

  • Dr. Valerie Gideon and Eugene Nicholas from AFN in Ottawa,
  • Dr. Ed Brown from NORTH Network in Toronto,
  • Miriam Johnston from the Aboriginal Healing and Wellness Strategy in Toronto,
  • Al Garman, Richard Leikkari and Mark Lavigne from FNIHB in Ottawa
  • Dr. John Hogenbirk, Laurentian U in Sudbury (and a grad student)
  • Dr. Ricardo Ramirez and Andres Ibanez at Guelph U
  • Sandy Lake Telehealth and Health Services team for a demonstration
  • Brian Beaton, K-Net Services in Sioux Lookout.

The full day meeting quickly became a discussion about the development and sustainability of the KO Telehealth service when FNIHB announced a four month bridge funding strategy to continue the existing services. The KOTH team will be meeting with their First Nation partners and the leadership over the next few months to determine their support for the continued operation of the KO Telehealth service.

It is still hoped that the new government will support the Aboriginal health blueprint introduced in Kelowna through the creation of a new program to fund telehealth services.

Click here to check out the pictures from this meeting.

February 8th

Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority Upcoming Chiefs Meeting

Sioux Lookout District Chiefs Meeting: February 21-22-23,   Travelodge Hotel Airlane in Thunder Bay, Ontario The meeting will be broadcasted live via Wawatay Radio. For more information contact: Charlene Dyment 1-800-842-0681 or Charlene.Dyment@nodin.on.ca

Upcoming live call-in radio show on Wawatay Radio for Monday, February, 13, 2005 with Janet Gordon, Joe Beardy and Anna Mckay