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Oshki-Pimache-O-Win Education and Training Institute presented Certificates of Recognition to the students of the Aboriginal Community Services Worker Program on March 27, 2003.  The celebration took place at Confederation College in Thunder Bay.  Congradulations to all!  Check out the pictures at http://photos.knet.ca/albun20

Wendy Johnson, Education Policy Analyst from the Chiefs of Ontario Office distributed a briefing note to First Nation education advisors concerning recent developments and opportunities to work together. The document includes updates on:

• INAC's Engagement Strategy and COO's recommendations;
• Gathering Strength initiatve; and
• Federal Budget Announcement of $72 million for First Nation Education.

Community update for off reserve Cat Lake band numbers and for interested people:

New Chief: Wilfred Wesley  - 95 votes

• Councillor: Allan Oombash - 143 votes
• Councillor: Gordon Wesley - 129 Votes
• Councillor: Vernon Wesley - 127 votes
• Councillor: Elsie Gray  - 123 votes
• Councillor: Russell Wesley - 115 votes

Keewaytinook Okimakanak's Telehealth team produced a new information brochure for circulation. It is available on-line (650K PDF file).

For further information about KO's Telehealth Services, contact Donna Williams, Telehealth Coordinator or Gibbet Stevens, Telehealth Scheduler by e-mail or at 1-800-387-3740.

NISHNAWBE ASKI NATION
Employment Opportunity (23K PDF)

Nishnawbe Aski Nation is offering an exciting, and challenging opportunity for a results-oriented Mining Coordinator to plan and oversee the overall operations of the Lands & Resources Secretariat, Mines and Mineral Unit. The Mining Coordinator will offer technical advice and advocacy to the NAN First Nations to enable them to develop goals, capacity and activities for mining in their territories. The Mining Coordinator will also review, research, analyze and develop policy recommendations related to the mines and minerals sector.

The position is available for a possible three-year period up to March 31, 2005 and will require extensive travel to the northern First Nation communities.

• B.Sc. University degree in Geology or in a related Earth Science field,
• Minimum 2 or 3 years of experience in the mining sector;
• Understanding of environmental and mining legislation in Ontario;
• Good familiarity with and knowledge of working with First Nations;
• Thorough knowledge of the decision making process for policy development, excellent networking, leadership, and managerial skills;
• Strong relationship building skills;
• Good oral and written communication skills;
• Good research and analytical skills;
• Computer literacy: Ability to operate a PC effectively, proficient with Microsoft Word, experience with related digitized data bases;
• Ability to speak Oji-Cree, Cree or Ojibway would be a strong asset.

LOCATION: Thunder Bay, Ontario
SALARY: $45,000 to $60,000, per year based on experience.
DEADLINE: April 22, 2003

If you require a copy of the job description please contact NAN Lands and Resources Department. Applications will be accepted by fax providing the original copy is forwarded with three references to:

* Only those applicants considered for an interview will be contacted.

On Saturday April 5, 2003 at 6:00 pm, we held a feast in Deer Lake to honour my father's memory.  It has been three years since he went to heaven.  He remains much in our memory of course.  Here is a litte something:

Say Again

If I could live one day again,
I know the one I'd choose.
It'd be the last day I saw my dad,
And I'd say again, "I Love You."
I'd wrap my arms around him,
And pray to God above,
To hold him in His loving arms,
And shower him in His love.
I'd also pray and let God know,
How thankful I have been,
To have had that man as my dad,
And how proud I am of him.
He faced his fate with a mighty strength.
You don't see in many men.
He stood tall and never failed,
To hold us up instead.
One of the saddest things on earth
Is to hear that someone's passed.
And finally go to heaven above,
To see God's face at last.
If I could live one day again,
I know the one I'd choose.
It'd be the day I said, "Good Bye"
And said again, "I Love You."

The family of the late Morley Meekis would like to thank the following for their donations and their help:

• Deer Lake Northern Store
• Grandma (Delia Kakegamic) We love you very much!
• Deer Lake First Nation - for flying our groceries in
• Deer Lake Children's Centre
• Zack and Kanina Meekis
• Barry and Angel Meekis
• Steve Meekis
• Christina Kakegamic
• and all the people that did the cooking.  Thank you very much and god bless!!

Several on-line programs and competitions are available for schools, communities and individuals to submit their entries showcasing the work they are doing to use ICTs in education, health, governance, commerce, etc. These opportunities provides everyone with the chance to help others learn about your work and efforts. Some of these competitions include:

• IT Week -  A 10-day event where communities, businesses, employees, governments, teachers and students are encouraged to work in partnership and find creative ways to showcase and recognize their achievements in information and communication technology (ICT). From May 2-11, 2003, citizens are encouraged to partake in IT Week by hosting workshops, open houses, seminars and conferences.
• The Global Junior Challenge 2003/2004 - "After the success of the second edition, the submissions to apply for the Global Junior Challenge 2004 are now open!!! The Global Junior Challenge 2004 is rich of surprises and news. The first big surprise is the introduction of a new category: Women and Equal Opportunities. The projects of this category will be aimed at realising Equal Opportunities between women and men in every sphere of their professional life. The other two main topics of the Global Junior Challenge 2004 are: the fight against the Digital Divide and the innovative use of new technologies in education and training of youngsters. The Global Junior Challenge is dedicated to all young people, from school children, to teenagers and youth taking their first step to the job market. It concerns cities, schools and other educational institutions, local authorities, businesses, NGOs, communities and individual citizens. Projects presented have to be already working at 12/31/2002 promoting the use of I.T. in education and training of youngsters till the age of 29. The sending deadline is 12/31/2003 (the form, the must be filled in each field, is available on the web site http://www.gjc.it)."
• The Stockholm Challenge Award 2003/2004 - The finalists will be announced on February 2, 2004, and the final event is planned to take place in Stockholm in May 2004, once again gathering some of the worlds best IT entrepreneurs and expertise for a great networking experience, crowned by the Prize-Giving Ceremony in the Stockholm City Hall. The aim of the Stockholm Challenge is to identify and reward innovative use of IT within areas such as citizen empowerment, education, health care, economic development and environment. It's time to join the Stockholm Challenge 2003-2004. Tell your friends and colleagues, help spread the message in your networks and enter your project! When you enter your project, project name, organisation, country, URL and the one sentence description will be displayed on the web site as soon as the application has been approved, but not the other facts. All participants will have the possibility to improve their facts until the competition is closed, by re-entering the entry form, with a user name and password. The complete project presentations will be displayed on the Challenge web site after November 1. Go to Entry form and join the Stockholm Challenge 2002 today and become a member of an inspiring global community for pioneering entrepreneurs and innovators that all make the best use of IT! Are you already a Challenger? Join again and show your progress!

Let's show what is happening across Northern Ontario!!

Menoyawin PRESS RELEASE

Doug Semple and his Communications and Community Development team circulated a press release concerning access to the facilities operated by the Menoyawin Health Centre on Thursday, April 3.

It outlines the access guidelines being instituted across the province for all health care facilities. For Menoyawin, this includes the 5th Avenue Site, the 7th Avenue Site and the Bill George Extended Care Facility.

Further information is available at:

Northwestern Health Unit: 1-800-830-5978
Northwestern Health Unit web site: www.nwhu.on.ca
Telehealth Phone Support: 1-866-797-0000
Health Canada web site: www.hc-sc.gc.ca/english

Menoyawin Communications & Community Development Office at 807-737-3047 or by writing to Doug Semple at dsemple@slmhc.on.ca

Status Update - Keewaytinook Okimakanak Water Treatment Plant Operator Training Centre

April 4, 2003 - Status Update # 1

This is the first of a series of updates that are planned to keep all interested people informed of the status of our new training initiative.

Keewaytinook Okimakanak in partnership with the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board will be accepting the first intake of Water Plant Operator trainees on June 2, 2003.  Each intake of trainees will be comprised of 15 individuals and intakes will continue until we have 150 total participants.

The goals of this training are clear!

1. To provide First Nation Water Plant Operators an opportunity to obtain the necessary knowledge to allow them to become Provincially Certified.
   
2. To provide a forum for Water Plant Operators to network and share thier experiences amongst themselves.
   
3. To provide operational support to First Nation Water Plant Operators while they obtain Provincial Certification.

Until such time as the permanent WTP Operator Training Centre facility is constructed in Dryden (scheduled for completion in the fall of 2004), the training sessions will be held at the Lillian Berg School in Vermillion Bay, Ontario.

A mailed invitation will be sent to each Treaty Three, Nan and Unaffiliated First Nation in Northwestern Ontario, either directly or via the respective First Nation Council Technical Representatives by the end of April 2003.

The April 3 issue of Wawatay News contains three more news stories about the work being completed within the Kuh-ke-nah Network of Smart First Nations demonstration project. Rick Garrick is researching additional stories for future articles. If you have a story that you want to share about this project and the work that is happening in your community to get connected, please send us an e-mail.

This week's articles include:

• KiHS Students Stay At Home While They Learn - representatives from each of the 13 KiHS partners First Nations form the Community Steering Committee for KiHS. They were meeting in Sioux Lookout the last week in March to discuss plans for next year's KiHS school program.
• Meekis and Ostamas Share K-Net Experiences - Les (KO's Community Manager) and Darrell (Deer Lake's Multi-media Producer) set up an information booth at this year's Connecting Aboriginal Canadians conference.
• This issue's showcase column features the year 2 Virtual Conference web site - http://smart.firstnation.ca

Various newspaper articles are being scanned and stored for reference purposes in this photo gallery.