Media.Knet.Ca

Later this afternoon a group of people from Industry Canada in Ottawa and Thunder Bay will be arriving in Sioux Lookout to visit K-Net and to learn about the work we are doing in this region.

They include:

• Ross Macleod - Director General of the Information Highway Applications Branch who is charge of all the different programs we are using including Smart, BRAND, SchoolNet, CAP, etc
• Pierre Gendron - Director of SchoolNet who is in charge of the First Nations SchoolNet program
• Suzanne Robert - Manager of the First Nations SchoolNet program
• Valerie Ladouceur - Project Officer for the First Nations SchoolNet program
• Kathy Fisher -  Senior Advisor with the BRAND program
• Carl Seibel - Telecom Projects Officer - FedNor Program

The two days of meetings and tours will involve demonstrations and discussions about the importance of connectivity, broadband applications and adequate telecom infrastructure in the First Nations across the province. The tenative agenda for these next few days follows.

Industry Canada visit to Sioux Lookout
January 14 - 16, 2004

• Arrival on Bearskin flight 349 at 4:40 pm
• Pick up at airport and check in at hotel
• Supper with K-Net team at Forest Inn Dining Room scheduled for 6:30 pm
• Informal discussions and preparations for next day (tour of office)

8:00 am to 12:00 pm -

• Group 1: Ross, Carl, Cathy, Dan, John, Ernie - flight to Slate Falls First Nation - satellite served community with single Bell Canada pay phone, C-Band earth station, IP video and telephony service, meetings with Slate Falls community leaders and members.
  
• Group 2: Pierre, Suzanne, Valerie, Brian, Barb - drive to Lac Seul First Nation to visit two First Nation schools (Kejick Bay and Whitefish Bay) originally connected via DirecPC, now using two way satellite service with migration plans to broadband wireless solution - meeting with Education Director, school personnel, community leadership, Keewaytinook Internet High School staff and students

12:30 pm Lunch at Keewaytinook Okimakanak - discussions about the highlights from morning visits and tours - video connections with other community sites

1:30 pm Video session with Web Site Development workshop taking place with group in Thunder Bay

2:00 pm Tour of local facilities and resources including:

• local fibre loop connecting all the different Aboriginal agencies and services
• C-Band satellite site
• wireless loop
• server facilities (public library, office)
• local partners and applications (education, health, etc)

2:30 pm Review of various broadband applications (education, health, administration, etc) via video conference session with First Nations and organizations

3:30 pm Ricardo Ramirez, University of Guelph - program evaluation work

4:00 pm Broadband connectivity needs and issues (National Satellite Initiative, applications, etc)

4:30 pm SchoolNet initiatives and applications (Internet High School, grade 8 supplementary program, video conferencing, connectivity, etc)

5:00 pm Supper Break - Sunset Inn - Dick and Nellie’s at 6:30 pm

Friday, January 16

9:00 am Pelican Falls First Nations Secondary School - NIS participant - tour, meeting with principal and teacher involved with the school

10:30 am Community-based, regional, national and international initiatives, issues and directions (connections with the KO First Nations)

11:30 am Future Issues and Requirements

12:30 pm Lunch at Forest Inn

2:00 pm Airport and flight back to Ottawa