Media.Knet.Ca

In addition to the speeches given that day by the First Nation leaders during the morning and afternoon sessions (click here for the links to these video clips), the team from Keewaytinook Okimakanak were able to interview a number of key people during the event. Together with these interviews and speeches, a lot of great video material was captured. This material is being put together into a production that will be used in the First Nation schools to tell the true story of this treaty for future generations. A new web page containing all the video material from this gathering is now available at http://treatyninecommemoration.on.ca/video.html

Click here to see the introduction to the upcoming production.

Click here to watch the interview with elder Edward Sutherland and his granddaughter Carrie.

Click here for Ontario Regional Chief Angus Toulouse's interview.

Starting in September 2005

Oshki-Pimache-O-Win Education and Training Institute In partnership with Confederation/Negahneewin College

The ACSWP is a four semester program that provides a comprehensive and culturally relevant educational experience.

The distance delivery format of the Aboriginal Community Services Worker Program allows students to remain employed in the social service field within their home community thorughout the training.  The program is also available to anyone interested in beginning a career in social services.

ACSWP graduates pursue the folowing career opportunities:

• Program Coordinators
• Alcohol Workers
• Mental health Workers
• Community  Health Representatives
• Health Liaison Workers

Please contact us for further delivery details!

Joan Hardy, Program Coordinator, Phone: 1-807-2784, Fax: 1-807-2924, email: jhardy@oshki.ca

Slate Falls First Nation Invites you to participate in the

1st Annual Mixed Slow Pitch Tournament
in
Slate Falls, Ontario
August 18 – 21, 2005

Entry Fee  $500

For more info contact:

• Colleen Carpenter     (w) 1 807 737 5757
                                 (h)    1 807 737 5732
• Cecilia Spence           ( w) 1807 737 5757
                                   (h) 1 807 737 5720
• Lana Bighead           (w) 1 807 737 5700
                                 (h) 1 807 737 5712

Native Early Childhood Education Diploma Program

Starting in September 2005

In partnership with Cambrian College

The NECEP is a two-year, four semester preogram that provides a comprehensive and culturally relevant education experience.

Students will:

• travel to Thunder Bay to participate in two-2-week on-campus sessions per semester
• earn their ECE certification for employment in licensed child care settings.
• develop knowledge and skills to orgainize and maintain a safte, stimulating learning environment to ensure the child's total development.

Graduates may be eligible for advanced standings when entering other diploma or degree programs.  The doduclar delivery provides students with the flexibility of learning a NECE diploma while remaining employed in their home community.  Oshki-Pimache-O-Win provides students with support services to help ensure studnet success.

Enroll Now!!

For further information contact:

Joan Hardy, Program Coordinator, Phone: 1-807-346-2784, Fax: 1-807-345-2924, email: jhardy@oshki.ca.

or

Oshki-Pimache-O-Win Eduation and Training Institute, 107 Johnson Avenue, Thunder Bay, Ontario, P7B 2V9, Phone: 1-807-346-2770, Fax: 1-807-345-2924, email: info@oshki.ca

Ontario Government Receives I&IT Task Force Report Recommendations That Will Help Ensure Large I&IT Projects Are Well Managed

    TORONTO, July 28 /CNW/ - The report of a special task force on large-scale government information and information technology (I&IT) projects will help ensure future government I&IT initiatives are managed more effectively and efficiently, said Government Services Minister Gerry Phillips after receiving the report today.

"I would like to thank the task force members for the considerable amount of time and energy they put into this initiative," said Phillips. "We very much agree with the overall thrust of the report, and we think it provides an important blueprint for action."

Large-scale I&IT projects are defined as being multi-million dollar in scope that require significant system development and have a major impact on the delivery of government business. The purpose of this report was to provide recommendations to the government that will help ensure the right steps are in place to manage future I&IT initiatives.

The task force was formed last fall and was led by L. Denis Desautels, former auditor general of Canada. Other members of the task force were Carol Stephenson, dean of the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario, David Johnston, president of the University of Waterloo and Howard Dickson, Government Chief Information Officer for the Government of Hong Kong, Special Administration Region.

"We agree with the Task Force's overarching recommendation that major business transformations need strong executive leadership and project management," said Phillips. "Our recent appointment of a Deputy Minister responsible for business transformation and public service modernization is an indication of how seriously we take this priority."

The government will study the report and its recommendations in detail and will respond in full in three months. Minister Phillips announced that as an initial and immediate response to the report the government will also:

• Create a portfolio management approach of major I&IT projects currently underway in the government 
• Design and implement a "scorecard" system for all I&IT submissions to Management Board of Cabinet (MBC) to assess risk, business case readiness and alignment with government priorities
• Institute quarterly status reports to MBC on major I&IT projects
• Adopt a "gateway review process" for projects under development to ensure that projects stay on track and do not proceed before they are ready
• Implement a standardized training program for project managers and a standardized project management methodology and require all large I&IT projects to use a consistent methodology
• Ensure that all large I&IT projects undergo a post-mortem within three months of the end of the project. This information will be reported to MBC on a quarterly basis and shared with all project management and OPS leaders.

"Large-scale I&IT projects are complex by their very nature and all organizations face challenges with the management of these projects," said Phillips. "Our goal is to improve our project management capacity so we can receive value for money while providing the best possible services to the people of Ontario."

Report of Ontario's Special Task Force on the Management of Large-Scale Information & Information Technology Projects - PDF

The task force report is available on the Ministry of Government Services' website at www.mgs.gov.on.ca.

from AFN web site ...

AFN National Chief Files Class Action Claim Against the Government of Canada for Residential Schools Policy

OTTAWA, Aug. 3, 2005

Assembly of First Nations National Chief Phil Fontaine announced today that he and the AFN are launching a class action lawsuit against the Government of Canada for the residential schools legacy.

The claim, to be filed tomorrow, states that the residential schools policy and schools caused "irreparable harm and damage" to First Nations' "culture, language, way of life, family, community and social structures".

AFN National Chief Phil Fontaine stated: "The AFN, as the national organization representing all First Nations citizens, including survivors and descendants, is uniquely situated to deal with this issue in a way that no other group can. Other residential schools class actions have been certified or are making their way through the courts, but the AFN class provides for a more comprehensive process, as it deals with loss of language and culture and not only specific acts of physical or sexual abuse, and also includes truth and reconciliation mechanisms and other collective remedies that will benefit all First Nations. We want to ensure the Government of Canada provides fair and just resolution for the abuse we endured in the schools and the assault on our cultures that took place under the residential schools policy."

The AFN claim identifies four classes of survivors: First Nations, Survivor, Deceased and Family Class. Phil Fontaine is named as the representative plaintiff for the First Nations Class and Survivor Class.

"Because of our lack of formal legal status, we have only been participating in a consulting capacity in these discussions," stated the National Chief. "However, this matter is far too important for us not to have a full seat at the table that will ensure not only that our voices are heard on an equal basis with all other parties, but that our consent will be required for any agreement that is reached."

"We will continue to work with the federal representative, Mr. Justice Frank Iacobucci, on this important matter and we have the full confidence he is operating in good faith," said National Chief Fontaine. "Our action is not an attempt to impede the process, but rather a means to ensure that we are able to fully participate in the process, more effectively settle this to the benefit of all residential schools survivors and all First Nations citizens affected by the residential schools, and to ensure that all options remain open for them. The Accord has provided a political vehicle to move forward, but a legal vehicle is required to finalize the process with the AFN in a central and representative role, which this action now provides."

Former Supreme Court Justice Frank Iacobucci was appointed federal representative under an Accord signed by the AFN and Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan on May 30th. That Accord set up a process in which the federal representative would work with all parties involved in residential schools resolution and litigation to come up with a better process to resolve the legacy of the schools. The federal representative is to provide recommendations to the government on a new approach by or before March 31 of 2006.

"We would rather negotiate than litigate, but we feel compelled to exercise all our options," said National Chief Fontaine. "Each day we lose another survivor. Each day someone passes on without having achieved any sense of justice or healing or redress. Each day, First Nations from all walks of life in all parts of the country deal with the loss of language, cultural breakdown and inter-generational effects of the schools. We want to ensure that Canada and First Nations bring closure to this tragic chapter in our shared history."

There are approximately 87,000 residential schools survivors still alive in Canada. The average age of survivors is 57 years old. The government has an "Alternative Dispute Resolution" process in place, but at the current pace it will take 53 years to settle all claims, at a cost to Canadian taxpayers of $2.3 billion dollars in administrative and legal expenses alone. The AFN has set-out a fair, cost efficient and timely approach to resolve the legacy of the Indian Residential Schools in its November 2004 Report on Canada's Dispute Resolution Plan to Compensate for Abuses in Indian Residential Schools. The report is available on the AFN website.

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

-30-

/For further information: Don Kelly, AFN Communications Director, (613) 241-6789, ext. 320 or cell (613) 292-2787; Ian McLeod, AFN Bilingual Communications Officer, (613) 241-6789, ext. 336 or cell (613) 859-4335; Nancy Pine, Communications Advisor, Office of the National Chief, (613) 241-6789, ext. 243 or cell (613) 298-6382/

Click here to Read Turtle Island's coverage of this announcement - Assembly of First Nations Launches $12 Billion Class Action Lawsuit . . .

Click here to read some reactions to this lawsuit from the far north

A+ Certification is a vendor neutral testing program that certifies the competency of entry-level computer service technicians.  The program is administered by Comp TIA and backed by over 50 major computer hardware and software vendors, distributors, resellers and publications.  Upon successful completion, the student will be ready to take the A+ Core Hardware Service Technician and A+ Operation System Technologies examinations in order to receive their A+ Certification.

SPECIAL ALL-INCLUSIVE PACKAGE

We know that it can be very expensive for for a community to send students to programs in Thunder Bay.  We want to make it as easy and inexpensive as possbile while providing optimal support to ensure that students complete the program successfully.  So we've arranged a speical all-inclusive program for students who have to travel into Thunder Bay to take the Computer Mechanic Program.  PLUS - send two and e'll reduce the tuition cost!  We will arrange for and cordinate:

•  Accommodation at the Landmark Inn in Thunder Bay.
• Breakfast and dinner daily at the Landmark Inn.
• Lunch at Oshki as part of the Computer Mechanic Program.
• Transportation to and from classes daily.
• A weekly payment of $ 75 to the student for incidentals.

STARTS SEPTEMBER 12TH! 

The Computer Mechanic Program is a 10 week full-time program held at the Oshki-Pimache-O-Win at 107 Johnson Avenue, 2nd Floor, Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Enroll Now!!

For further information:

Jacqueline Garwood, Program Coordinator at 1807-346-2779  or fax at 1807-345-2924 or her e-mail at jgarwood@oshki.ca

INAC recently released a powerpoint presentation detailing their policy directions concerning Aboriginal education. It is an interesting document and direction that will have a direct impact First Nation schools across the country. Providing for off-reserve K-12 programming and establishing "school board type" second level services are two parts of their strategic plan that will have a dramatic impact in terms of structure and available resources for on-reserve schools. Below are the contents from three of the slides in the presentation. Click here for the entire presentation ....

From Slide 10: Strategic Policy Directions

As a crucial first step, INAC proposes to pursue the transformation of Aboriginal education by focusing on five key elements at the K-12 level:

• Educational Jurisdiction
• Regional First Nation Education Systems
• School Innovation
• Strategic Performance and Reporting Measures
• Off Reserve K-12 Initiatives

From Slide 13: Current National Context:

• In the provinces, school boards serve an integral second-level (i.e. above school level) support function within successful education systems.
• In the absence of such support for on-reserve schools, First Nations have taken the initiative to create regional school board-type entities in recent years.
• However, these organizations have different levels of capacity or are non-existent in some parts of Canada.
• Furthermore, these organizations are in the developmental stages and currently lack the stable and multi-year funding provided to their counterparts in provincial systems.

From Slide 14: Proposed Policy Direction:

• Provide investments to build on the existing efforts of First Nation second-level service organizations.
• First Nation schools would be able to draw on a range of school board-type services and benefit from economies of scale.
• Long-term goal could be to have complete geographic coverage by these regional systems across Canada.

CWF Pro Wrestling has been added to the list of events for K.I. Homecoming 2005. Times/Dates for shows are ..

August 3/05 at 1pm and August 4/05 at 10am

Fun and enjoyment for the whole family
Aug 3,4,5,6
Featured  entertainment
Supergroups 
Glass Tiger and Trooper

              Relive the thrills and spills of Homecoming 2003

The Schedule for Homecoming 2005 has now been posted
Click the Homecoming link for the Information
Update: July 18/05 see updated travel info on the travel link on Homecoming2005  
visit updates on the feature entertainment link
$50.000.00 Jackpot Bingo Aug 5/05 at 3pm
Truck/Four wheeler Raffle draw  Aug 6/05 at 6pm

visit http://bigtroutlake.firstnation.ca for further updates