Chiefs and staff of KO meet with First Nations Governance team
Ontario First Nations Governance team members Robert Houle, Regional Manager, Geraldine King, Public Education and Communications Officer and Don Jones, First Nation Liaison met with KO Chiefs and staff on Thursday. The meeting took place at the KO Research Institute in Thunder Bay. Deer Lake's Chief Royle Meekis and North Spirit Lake's Chief Sally Kakegamic along with K-Net staff joined the meeting by video conference.
During the meeting Mr. Houle made the commitment to open an office in northern Ontario. As well, the team spoke about the possibilities of working with K-Net to utilize the network connections and video conferencing to support First Nations.
Contact information for the Ontario First Nations Governance office is:
Ontario Regional Office & Central Operations
1 Nicholas Street,
Suite 900
Ottawa, ON K1N 7B7
Phone: 613-562-9644
Click here to visit the National Centre for First Nations Governance web site ...
The immediate priority of NCFNG staff is to strengthen, build and maintain relationships with and amongst First Nation citizens of Canada. This is being done through direct interaction with First Nations through NCFNG’s five regional offices. Staff has already begun the ground work by getting the word out about the Centre, its service lines and opportunities for First Nation citizens to become a part of NCFNG’s growth and development which is essentially the growth and development of all First Nations and their right to self-govern.
The mandate of the Centre is to support and enhance First Nation’s ability to make operational the function of governing. All services offered through the Centre are under the control and direction of First Nations and at their request. These programs and services will be culturally enriched and empowered by First Nation traditions, customs, laws and inherent governing powers. The work of the Centre is all about ensuring First Nations have all the tools they need to build sustainable governing structures.
The operations and administration of the four key business lines are conducive with the activities of the President’s Office, based in Coast Salish Territory on the Squamish Reserve in West VancouverBritish Columbia.
“This is about the freedom of our people: freedom of our minds,” says Satsan, (Herb George) NCFNG President.
Recognition of the inherent right to self govern was a process that took years to accomplish. And now that is legally recognized, the time has come to live the right: the reality.
“We have the right to govern ourselves. That might not happen right away, but right now we can lay a foundation” states Satsan. And that, he says, will be accomplished through the collective working partnership between NCFNG and First Nations.
For Satsan, it is all about the future: a future that we all own and have a responsibility to strengthen for our children.
“We need to put a new memory in the minds of our children”.
We are now officially open for business ready to assist First Nation communities. We offer our services to you to help enhance your inherent right of self-governance. This is what will begin a new era of story-telling, filled with hope, promise and opportunity; opportunity to know our selves and our cultures; opportunity in the economies for personal wealth generation and opportunity in creating the governance structures that meet our needs. In all of this we must keep in mind the obligation of our present generation: to provide for the needs of our seventh generation. Please feel free to contact a Regional Manager in your area