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Dan Pellerin, K-Net Network Manager and Brian Beaton, K-Net Coordinator presented information abpit K-Net to the National Rural Conference 2004 participants via video conference. The presentation is entitled "Using Broadband Connections for Rural and Remote Community Development". Click here to see the powerpoint presentation.

From the conference web site at http://www.rural.gc.ca/conference/index_e.phtml

National Rural Conference 2004

Taking Action for Sustainable Rural Communities
Red Deer, Alberta
October 21–23, 2004

Publications prepared for the conference will be posted on this site to ensure interested Canadians have access to this information. Please visit this site again in the fall as we begin posting documents. Further reports will be added following the event. Attendance at the third National Rural Conference is by invitation only

The First Nation Education Council is pleased to invite communities in Quebec and Canada to its second Conference on Aboriginal Languages, which is being held October 24-26, 2004 at the Manoir Saint-Sauveur. The conference will be made accessible through a continuous web cast starting Saturday morning through to the end on Monday. Click here for information about joining the conference on-line.

The conference will give participants the opportunity to learn about the situation of Aboriginal languages at the national and international levels. It will also present various projects that a number of communities have undertaken to preserve their languages. Participants will be able to discuss the possibilities for carrying out similar actions. The FNEC is planning to conclude the event with the formulation of recommendations and an action plan for preserving and revitalizing the languages of the Aboriginal communities in Quebec.

To make sure the issues are approached from a broader perspective, the FNEC is inviting experts from other countries to take part in the conference. Indeed, preserving Aboriginal languages is a matter of international concern.

Click here for a copy of the agenda (PDF document)

Thunder Bay, October 20th, 2004: Neskantaga First Nation (Landsdowne House) is demanding urgent action from Health Canada and other government Ministries as the community enters its third week without water. Since the discovery on September 29th, 2004, that Neskantaga's water supply was contaminated with .410mg/L of gasoline and an unusually high level of Triahalometane (THM) a cancer causing agent, the community's water system has been shut down, causing economic, social and major health concerns for all residents.

The DO NOT USE WATER ADVISORY in force in the community is not just limited to human consumption, but also to household and personal hygiene duties and boiling the water will not make it safe. Water from the nearby lake is now being used restrictedly for flushing the toilet with buckets. Concerns over public hygiene are increasing and especially for women and families with young infants. With the cost of a 1 litre bottle of water at $6.00, community members are unable to afford sufficient supplies for all their consumption needs. The Ministry of Indian and Northern Affairs has agreed to support the supply of 5 litres/per day/per person of bottled water, however, this amount falls far short of the 600 litres that is consumed by the average person per day. The community of Neskantaga First Nation is appalled by the complete apathy by the Federal Government.

Residents of Neskantaga have been battling with water safety issues for a number of years. A nine years long 'BOIL WATER ADVISORY' has been in effect in the community, which is the longest in Ontario history and their water treatment facility does not meet today's expected standards. This, coupled with an outbreak of black mould in at least 50% of the community's housing units, is causing panic, health issues and outrage amongst community members.

As a result of these crippling issues, the Neskantaga school is closed to its 85 students until further notice and teachers/workers from outside the community are resigning at a high financial cost to the community. In the future, the community hopes to offer Grade 9 students an opportunity to make up school credits on weekends, however, this will be at a cost of $3,000.00 per day to the Neskantaga community.

Says Chief Peter Moonias of Neskantaga First Nation: "INAC has a fiduciary and financial responsibility to take care of the people of Neskantaga and to honour our Treaty rights to an adequate standard of living and health care. We will not be treat like second class citizens in this manner. This attitude is simply not good enough.

We are demanding support to help us pay for the clean up and recovery process from every government ministry, both on a provincial and federal level. The right to a safe and useable water supply is a right of every person living in this country for the health and well-being of himself and his family.

INAC is proposing that this crisis is dealt with through an advance in capital funds. But I absolutely refuse to mortgage the future of our children in this manner. Our community members should not be expected and can not afford to pay for this god given right. The efforts being made to help our community are not fast or effective enough. I am growing incredibly concerned over the long term health effects that this issue could have on my community members. I am of the opinion that when Walkerton and Ontario faced its water crises a few years ago, the Provincial Government did not respond to this municipality that it was an operations and maintenance issue or only offered to assist by providing the community with an advance of funds. This is the current position of the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada.

I wonder how different the response would be if the residents of Toronto were without access to water?"

Neskantaga First Nation is a remote fly in community located approximately 500 kilometres north of Thunder Bay.

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EVERYONE IS INVITED TO ENTER IN OUR 1ST ANNUAL COMPETITIVE VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT! GIVE YOUR BODY A GREAT WORKOUT AND MEET NEW PEOPLE.

November 5th, 6th, and 7th, 2004 @ Missabay Community School in Mishkeegogamang (Osnaburgh), ON

$300.00 Entry Fee Per Team (3 Men & 3 Women) 8 Players Max.

(6 players on court) 18 years older only (anyone under 18 must have signed consent form from parent or guardian)

1st Place - $1000.00     2nd Place - $700.00    3rd Place - $400.00

Rosters must be submitted my Wednesday October 27th, 2004. Tournament schedule will be released on Friday October 29th, 2004. It will be posted on KNet or faxed by request to the captains.

This tournament is open to all surrounding communities. Please notify the tournament coordinator ASAP if you are in need of accommodations.

For more information please contact Raven Neekan @ 807-928-2803 or Fax 807-928-2077    Email: rneekan@gmail.com

Dan Pellerin, K-Net's Network Manager, travelled to Winnipeg this week to meet with the Manitoba Regional Management Organization. Then he drove to Brandon to attend this year's Tech2004 gathering.

Dan's presentation, "The First Nation Community of Slate Falls Converts to VoIP" highlights the development and operation of the voice-over-internet telephone system that Slate Falls is installing in their community under their BRAND project being administered by Windigo First Nations Tribal Council in partnership with Keewaytinook Okimakanak (K-Net) and Muskrat Dam First Nation.

Click here to see the Tech2004 gathering site.

The Chiefs of Keewaytinook Okimakanak met with their staff on Tuesday, October 19 for discussions about current issues affecting their communities and their organization. From the discussions and program updates, thirteen Chief resolutions were developed with twelve of them being pasted during the Wednesday morning session. Harvey Yesno, Executive Director of Nishnawbe Aski Development Fund, met with the Chiefs on Wednesday morning to provide an update on a number of issues including the Ontario-Manitoba Interconnect plans for a hydro line through NAN territory.

On Wednesday at noon, the Chiefs of Keewaytinook Okimakanak joined others at the new Dryden Regional Training and Cultural Centre for its grand opening ceremony. The Chiefs and Keewaytinook Okimakanak are partnering with the centre and its management to develop and deliver a world class Water Treatment Plant Operator Training program.

Click here to read the Thunder Chronicle Journal article about the opening ceremonies. During Chief Roy Gray's remarks he reminded everyone in the audience about the challenges facing First Nations by sharing his feelings about seeing this wonderful new building and being there while back in his community the local school has been shut down since June due to mould contamination.

Qualified Part-time Contract Instructors Invited to Apply

Oshki-Pimache-O-Win Education and Training Institute was established by the Chiefs of Nishnawbe Aski Nation to develop, design and deliver post-secondary programs and services. The Institute is an independent Institution and currently offers courses in social services, computer, information technology, language, and culture.

The Institute is inviting applications from qualified individuals for contract teaching positions for the following programs:

• Native Early Childhood Education Diploma
• First Nation Business Administration Certificate

These programs will begin in January 2005 in partnership with Cambrian College. Each program will be offered in a modular format, with students attending four two-week on-campus modules per year. These positions require flexibility and some intensive instruction hours during the on-campus sessions as well as preparation, marking and student support while students are in their home communities.

Qualifications:

Diploma or degree in the appropriate field of study; 3 - 5 years related experience; An understanding of First Nations culture; Excellent interpersonal and communication skills; and A commitment to education as a life-long process.

Fluency in either Ojibway or Cree would also be an asset.

To Apply:

Interested candidates are requested to submit a letter of interest and resume with references by Friday, October 29, 2004, to:

Executive Director
Oshki-Pimache-O-Win Education and Training Institute
107 Johnson Avenue, 2nd Floor
Thunder Bay, ON P7B 2V9
Telephone: 807-346-2770
Fax: 807-345-2924
Email: info@oshki.ca

The Governing Council Extends An
OPEN INVITATION TO

Oshki-Pimache-O-Win Education & Training Institute's
2004 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

DATE: Wednesday, November 3, 2004
TIME: 8:30 am 12:30 pm

at the

Victoria Inn's Regency A Conference Room
555 Arthur Street West
Thunder Bay, Ontario

The Oshki-Pimache-O-Win Education & Training Institute was established in 2001 by the Chiefs of Nishnawbe Aski Nation to develop and deliver post secondary education and training to our communities based on needs and requirements.

The membership of the Institute is open to the 49 First Nations of Nishnawbe Aski Nation. Each community is entitled to one member who is over 18 years of age, who may be the Education Director/Coordinator or any individual appointed by the First Nation. If you have not appointed your member yet, please do so immediately. A letter template is attached. Your representative will be eligible to stand for election to the Governing Council.

If attending the Annual General Meeting completed registration forms should be signed and returned to our office by fax at 807-345-2924. As funding is limited, travel expenses will be the responsibility of your member.

For more information or to obtain a registration form please contact Natalie Loone at our office by email nloone@oshki.ca or by phone through 807-346-2770 or our toll free number 1-866-636-7454.

Let's Talk: Global Communications, Innovation, and Participatory Videoconferencing

December 9, 2004 : 8am to 2pm, and 6pm to Midnight EST (GMT-5)

Join us in December for a truly interactive global event. Presentations this year will include not just talks, but also musical events, dramatizations, and any other form of interactive communication. All presentations will be strongly encouraged to take advantage of the interactive possibilities in videoconferencing, by engaging with the registered participants, presenting from multiple locations, or by any other means that take advantage of this multiway, real-time communication technology in research and education.

About the Megaconference http://www.megaconference.org/

Each year, the Megaconference occurs as a result of a tremendous amount of volunteer effort and good will, with the goal of connecting people together everywhere on Earth where someone chooses to participate, in order to further the use of videoconferencing in education and research and to advance of the state of the art in videoconferencing technology.

On the chosen date, speakers from across the globe share their latest real-world uses of H.323 videoconferencing, while using H.323 videoconferencing to do so. The audience consists of:

· Active participants who have access to advanced Internet connectivity and an H.323 videoconferencing endpoint, and
· Observers who watch the simultaneous stream using a web browser and freely available stream players.

If you would like to join Megaconference VI as an active participant, please register by the deadline. If you would like to observe this year's Megaconference, please visit our streaming page. If you would like to participate as a volunteer in any way for this or the next Megaconference, please feel free to contact us.

The Technology

A system of distributed, H.323 multipoint control units (MCUs) located around the world will be cascaded together to create a cutting-edge Internet videoconference infrastructure. For more, visit our MCU page.

The Email List

If you wish to subscribe to the Megaconference email list, simply send Bob Dixon an email, telling him briefly who you are and that you wish to join the list. Great practical discussions on H.323 issues occur on this list.

Call for Proposals: Submit Your Proposal Here

Registration is Open: Register to Participate Here

We hope to see you on December 9 for a global conference from a world of locations

Come Join our Videoconference and Open House ...

Find out more about the

Native Early Childhood Education Diploma Program

and

First Nation Business Administration Certificate Program

These programs are offered by Oshki-Pimache-O-Win Education and Training Institute in partnership with Cambrian college and will begin in January 2005.

The modular format -- two intensive on-campus sessions each semester with independent work between sessions -- is designed to provide maximum flexibility. Earn a certificate or diploma while remaining employed in your home community. Oshki-Pimache-O-Win also provides students with support to ensure successful completion of their chosen program.

Join us by videoconference or in person at the Institute to find out more about these programs and how to register!

Thursday, October 28, 2004

3p.m. or 5p.m. EST

Call (807) 346-2770 for more information