Media.Knet.Ca

From Kenora Miner & News ...

Costs dictate cutting adult education

By Shelley Bujold - Miner and News - February 14, 2007

Trustees of the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board opted Tuesday to cut its losses and end its adult education program.

The board, which had to deal with lost revenue of nearly $2 million last summer in a budget providing total operating expenditures of $73.5 million and total capital expenditures of $10.3 million, made the move against mounting long-term financial pressures. The board knowingly operated the adult education program with budgeted losses of $616,168 for 2006/2007.

Operation costs were budgeted for this school year at $489,444 with only $278,306 in revenue for a loss before facility operations of $211,109. Related costs to operate the facilities are budgeted at a net cost of just over $400,000.

“I don’t think anybody’s happy about it but we have to do it,” said board chairman Dave Penny, after the motion was passed.

Dean Carrie, manager of finance at the board, said the board’s obligation lies with those students they are mandated to educate and that’s those under 21 years of age. Money being spent in other areas takes away from their educational experience when the program is at a loss, especially when the program is not breaking even.

“Our primary obligation is for students under 21 years of age,” said Carrie, who reported changes to the delivery model over the past few years to cut costs have failed.

An outline of financial results for 2003-2004 through 2005-2006 provided to the board, revealed operating losses, even without taking facility costs into account. The losses including facility operations totaled over half a million dollars a year: $588,198 in 2003-2004; $734,638 in 2004-2005; and $679,071 in 2005-2006.

While the board made its decision Tuesday, when the program is closing is still being negotiated. The board contracts its business arm, Crescive Corporation, to run the adult education program along with others services such as transportation.

Director of education Janet Wilkinson, who sits on the Crescive Corporation board as one of the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board representatives, said Tuesday that Crescive is also losing about $33,000 a year on running the program.

The contract for the program runs out August 2008 but if the two parties come to a consensus, they can terminate the program early -- likely at the end of this school year.

The adult education program in Kenora underwent a move and renovation last summer to where it’s currently located across the street from Beaver Brae High School. There are facilities in Dryden and Sioux Lookout as well.

Trustee Gerald Kleist, of Ear Falls, said the decision to cut these services was difficult. Funding in the area of adult education is not likely in the near future and continuing it at a loss is not a good option to the board which is already having difficulties with recent reductions in funding.

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From Kenora Miner and News ...

Some adult education options remain

By Shelley Bujold - Miner and News - February 16, 2007

Despite the cancellation of adult education at the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board, there are other adult-based educational opportunities in the community.

The board, along with its partner company Crescive Corporation who runs the adult education program for the board, have finalized the closing date for Aug. 31, 2007. At this time all courses will cease and students will have to go through other options to complete their high school diploma or upgrade courses.

The school board made its decision after being unable to find a delivery model which did not lose money.

“Our primary obligation is for students under 21 year of age,” said Carrie, manager of finance at the board.

Confederation College’s Pat Pernsky said they would have liked to work closer with the adult education program as they recognized its value across the district.

“Maybe there’s something we can do to meet the needs of the community,” she said.

General education development certificates, which are accepted as high school equivalent with many businesses, are available at Confederation College. This testing offers students a chance to show their knowledge on a high-based level. Students can write it on their own and pick up a textbook at the college, or take a course geared to prepare for the test. Daytime course options offer the possibility of a bursary if a student is qualified to receive it, said Pernsky.

Pre-apprentice and apprenticeship programs are also available at the college with different ones being offer every year.

Careers in the medical field can also be taken locally. Some courses need prerequisites, she said, which can often be taken at the college before getting into the program. These include pre-health which covers biology and others for the nursing program.

If unsure about which career path to take, Pernsky said she can help solve the maze of post-secondary education.

“Some people need some encouragement, some assistance and they need an education plan,” she said.

Another option for adult education lies in correspondence and online opportunities. The TVOntario Independent Learning Centre, a program run through the government, allows students to pick up high school credits through a combination of both. Students can seek help from a teacher online, but send in their work to be marked to the offices. Most core classes are available through this method like English, math and some sciences.

To get information go online to www.ilc.org or call 1-800-387-5512.

Toronto Star news article ...

Native voices going extinct - A few tongues survive in Canada

Feb 18, 2007 - Peter Calamai, Science Writer

SAN FRANCISCO–Every time a language dies, experts warned here yesterday, the world loses irreplaceable scientific knowledge as well as cultural richness.

The potential toll is immense, with an estimated half of humanity's current 7,000 languages struggling to survive, often spoken by just an elderly few.

A 1996 UN report classed aboriginal languages in Canada as among the most endangered in the world and Statistics Canada concluded that only three out of 50 – Cree, Ojibway and Inuktitut – had large enough populations to be considered secure from extinction in the long run.

"The accumulated knowledge is fragile because most of the world's languages have no writing," said linguist David Harrison, director of research with the Living Tongues Institute.

Harrison said that Western biologists are only now beginning to unravel the diversity of plants and species that local inhabitants have long understood and catalogued in their rich vocabulary.

For example, recent research discovered that a butterfly in Costa Rica wasn't one species but 10. Yet the local Tzeltal people had already called the caterpillars by different names, because they attacked different crops.

"The knowledge that science thinks it is discovering about plants, animals and weather cycles has often been around for a long time," said Harrison, a professor at Pennsylvania's Swarthmore College.

"It is out there, it is fragile and it is rapidly eroding," he said.

Yet recent success in reviving several aboriginal tongues is rousing hope that the tide of language extinction is not inevitable, delegates at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science heard. Some examples:

• The language of Miami-Illinois Indians, long classed as extinct, is now spoken daily by at least 50 people after a major "reclamation" effort.
• Languages on the brink of extinction are being recorded for future revival – such as that of the Chulym, a tribe of hunters and fishers in Siberia.
• A master-apprentice program is rejuvenating some of the 50 threatened aboriginal languages in California.

* More than 2,000 schoolchildren are now fluent speakers of Hawaiian, a language banned from schools in Hawaii for almost a century.

"The reason that a lot of indigenous languages went extinct was that they could not be used in school," said William Wilson, a professor of Hawaiian Language and Studies at Hilo, Hawaii.

Despite a policy of official bilingualism, the native Hawaiian language was in its death throes, but that changed dramatically after the state legislature in 1987 scrapped a 90-year-ban on using Hawaiian in the schools. Now, students are taught in their native language from pre-school to college.

Yet Hawaiian-speaking students also study Japanese in the first six grades, Latin in Grades 7 and 8, and English throughout. "We feel children can learn many languages if they have a solid base in English and Hawaiian," the language professor said.

Wilson said in an interview that the architects of language recovery in Hawaii worked closely with aboriginal groups in Canada, including the Squamish in Vancouver and the Six Nations at Brantford. The Hawaiian group also produced a multilingual book in co-operation with the Inuit.

The preservation of aboriginal languages in Canada was dealt a major blow last year when the Harper government scrapped a 10-year, $173 million language revitalization program.

Yet Miami tribe member Daryl Baldwin told a news conference that even a supposedly extinct aboriginal language can be brought back to life. That's what happened with the Miami language previously spoken over a wide region of the lower Great Lakes.

At Miami University in Ohio, Baldwin and colleagues pored over written records to help interested tribe members again speak the language.

And the language is kept up to date, he said. In Miami, the word for a computer translates as "the thing that thinks fast."

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From mongabay.com news ...

Does language extinction matter?

February 16, 2007

Most of humanity's 6,000 languages could be extinct within the next two centuries. Does it matter?

At the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting, University of Alaska Fairbanks professor emeritus Michael Krauss argued it does.

"I claim that it is catastrophic for the future of mankind," Krauss said in a statement. "It should be as scary as losing 90 percent of the biological species."

Krauss said that there are ethical and practical reasons why language diversity matters.
 
"Languages contain the intellectual wisdom of populations of people," explained a statement released by the University of Alaska Fairbanks. "They contain their observations of and adaptations to the world around them. Humanity became human in a complex system of languages that interacted with each other."

"That is somehow interdependent such that we lose sections of it at the same peril that we lose sections of the biosphere," Krauss said. "Every time we lose (a language), we lose that much also of our adaptability and our diversity that gives us our strength and our ability to survive."

According to figures from UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the most widely spoken language on earth is Mandarin which is used as a first language by nearly a billion people. Second on the list is English with around 358 million, followed by Spanish.

UNESCO estimates that over 50% of the world's 6900 languages are endangered and that one language disappears on average every two weeks. It notes that 96% of the world's 6000 languages are spoken by 4% of the world's population and 90% of the world's languages are not represented on the Internet.

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From huliq.com news report ...  Feb 17, 2007

Linguistics expert to speak on language extinction

Fairbanks, Alaska—Humans speak more than 6,000 languages. Nearly all of them could be extinct in the next two centuries.

So what?

University of Alaska Fairbanks professor emeritus Michael Krauss will attempt to answer that question during his presentation this week at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting, which begins today in San Francisco.

"I claim that it is catastrophic for the future of mankind," Krauss said. "It should be as scary as losing 90 percent of the biological species."

The reasons are multiple, he said. From an ethical standpoint, all languages are of equal value, he said. But the value of a language goes far beyond academic discourse, Krauss said. Languages contain the intellectual wisdom of populations of people. They contain their observations of and adaptations to the world around them. Humanity became human in a complex system of languages that interacted with each other.

"That is somehow interdependent such that we lose sections of it at the same peril that we lose sections of the biosphere," Krauss said. "Every time we lose (a language), we lose that much also of our adaptability and our diversity that gives us our strength and our ability to survive."

Krauss is one of four researchers scheduled to speak during a session on the dynamics of extinction Friday, Feb. 16, 2007 from 8:30 – 11:30 a.m. at the AAAS meeting at the Hilton San Francisco. The cross-disciplinary session focuses broadly on the phenomenon of extinction, including factors that cause endangerment and extinction and interventions that can delay or end the extinction process.-University of Alaska Fairbanks

London Free Press news article ...

Powder keg

By JOHN MINER, FREE PRESS REPORTER - Sat, February 17, 2007

There are more than 1,300 land claims filed against Canada by native groups - hundreds more filed against provinces - and the list, and frustration, is growing longer under a system plagued with decade-long delays, writes Sun Media reporter John Miner.

The masked warrior at the hastily thrown up barricade at the Caledonia subdivision holds up a sign for the gathering spectators and reporters -- "Canada, your home on native land," it reads.

It is the morning of April 20, 2006, and the sky in the town south of Hamilton has been blackened by burning tires on roadways in the area.

Responding to a court order, Ontario Provincial Police had briefly held the subdivision before being pushed out again by about 200 natives from the Six Nations reserve.

Caledonia, still simmering, with the potential to boil over again, has become etched in the minds of Canadians along with Oka, Ipperwash and Gustafsen Lake, B.C., disputes.

But these are only the land claims that have made it into the national headlines.

There are now more than 1,300 land claims filed against Canada by native groups, hundreds more filed against provinces, and the list, along with frustration, is growing longer under a system that is plagued with decade-long delays.

"Nobody is happy with the progress that is being made. Caledonia, Ipperwash, I don't know how many others we will have," said David White, director of the Walpole Island Heritage Centre that specializes in land claim research.

In addition to concerns that land claim clashes can explode into gunfire as they did at Oka, Ipperwash and Gustafsen Lake, the financial and territorial stakes are enormous.

The federal government has built a $6-billion contingency into its books, the estimated cost of settling all of what it calls "specific" claims, and has budgeted $100 million a year for such settlements.

University of Western Ontario law professor Michael Coyle, who has mediated land disputes for 16 years, said at the current rate, it will take 50 years for the federal government to resolve all the claims that have already been filed by native groups.

"The average claim filed with the federal government in this province that is in negotiation was filed about 16 years ago. That is a very long time for aboriginal Ontarians to think about how long they might have to fight in a dispute with the government without even having it resolved," Coyle said.

In one case, documented by the Indian Claims Commission, the Chippewas of the Thames hired a lawyer in 1885 over land that had been sold by the federal Indian agent, who pocketed the money. It took 120 years to win a final settlement.

The delays provide ideal ingredients for more violent standoffs, such as the 1995 clash between natives and OPP in Ipperwash Provincial Park that left native protester Dudley George dead from a police sniper's bullet.

"While it is not a smart idea to try to predict what will happen this year or five years from now in some place that we haven't even thought of, there will always be a risk of two things," Coyle said.

"One, of people with justifiable legal claims against a government feeling frustrated because they are being treated like second-class citizens because they are not able to have their rights honoured.

"The second risk is some people in some communities may feel they need to do more to get public attention to the grievance so that they can have it addressed."

Those are the ones that cover violations of treaties, some going back hundreds of years, and cover most of the land claims in Ontario.

There are about 230 such claims filed by First Nations in Ontario, but they could turn out to be the tip of the iceberg.

While Walpole Island, for instance, has 21 claims filed with the Canadian government, it has 34 claims it is working on.

"When you start researching one claim and looking at it, you discover other things," said White.

And then there are the claims filed against the province.

While the original treaties are a federal matter, Ontario sometimes becomes part of a claim because it controls all Crown land, a favourite target in land claim negotiations.

At other times, it is drawn in for enforcing provincial fishing and hunting regulations that are in direct conflict with rights that were promised to natives by the Crown.

Ontario is now negotiating seven land claims, and is reviewing another 50 claims to decide if it will agree to negotiate.

Other claims are being pursued through the courts.

Then there are claims called "comprehensive claims," involving allegations by a First Nations group that they never negotiated away their aboriginal title to the land, a concept that has been upheld by the Supreme Court of Canada.

One such claim that has been accepted as legitimate for negotiation by the Canadian government is the Algonquin land claim.

It covers 36,000 square kilometres and includes most of Algonquin Park, CFB Petawawa and the national capital region, including Parliament Hill. More than one million people live in the area covered by the claim.

The federal government has said a final settlement of that claim may include land, financial compensation, economic development initiatives and harvesting rights for fishing, hunting and trapping.

A similar claim based on aboriginal title has been launched by the Walpole Island First Nation and the Saugeen and Nawash First Nations.

The First Nations claim they have title to the land across to the U.S. border under sections of lakes Erie, St. Clair and Huron, and the Detroit and St. Clair rivers.

Specific land claims range from relatively small ones, such as one the Oneida Nation of the Thames filed for mismanagement of 75 pounds sterling in 1842, to massive ones, such as the Six Nations claim to the land six miles on either side of the Grand River from Lake Erie to its source.

In the Walpole Island case, the First Nation is claiming the entire Sombra Township was supposed to be a reserve, but was instead sold off to settlers.

Most land claims involve allegations that the natives were never given all of the land originally promised in their treaties. In other cases, First Nations claim they were forgotten when the treaties were being negotiated.

And there have been documented cases of fraud, bribes paid to natives to get them to vote to surrender their land, and reserve land that was simply taken by the government and sold off

"A lot of things have gone wrong in the relationship in the past and dealings with aboriginal peoples and their lands and their rights," said Coyle.

And there is no quick fix.

The situation has reached the point that one of the first qualifications a First Nation looks at when they hire a lawyer to press their case is their age, White said.

"We want to be sure they will be around long enough to possibly see it through," he said.

NATIVE LAND CLAIMS IN ONTARIO

THIS IS NOT A COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF LAND CLAIMS IN ONTARIO. RATHER, IT INCLUDES THE MAJOR CLAIMS AND THOSE AT VARIOUS STAGES BEFORE THE COURTS. THERE ARE MORE THAN 100 CLAIMS IN ONTARIO.

1. Algonquin land claim. The largest under negotiation in Ontario, covering 36,000 square kilometres that includes the nation's capital, Ottawa, most of Algonquin Park, and CFB Petawawa.

2. Six Nations of the Grand River has the most land claims filed in Ontario, including that the conditions of the Haldimand Deed of 1784 were breached. The deed gave natives all the land six miles on either side of the Grand River from its mouth to its source.

3. Walpole Island lawsuit claiming aboriginal title to the Canadian portions of Lake Huron south of Goderich, Lake St. Clair, the St. Clair and Detroit rivers and the western part of Lake Erie.

4. Chenail Ecarte claim by Walpole Island First Nation covers Sombra Township and part of Chatham Township.

5. Boblo Island claim by Walpole Island First Nation.

6. Chippewas of Sarnia claim that 2,450 acres of its reserve was sold by the Crown in 1840 to politician Malcolm Cameron without the land being surrendered by the First Nation.

7. Caldwell band claims its members are original inhabitants, occupants and owners of Point Pelee and Pelee Island and that it never surrendered Point Pelee in 1790.

8. Kettle and Stony Point First Nation lawsuit claims the 1927 surrender of part of the Kettle Point reserve and its subsequent sale in 1929 is invalid.

9. Kettle and Stony Point First Nation claims the 1928 surrender and sale of 377 acres of the Stoney Point Reserve (Ipperwash Provincial Park) was invalid.

10. Chippewas of Nawash and Saugeen First Nation have filed a lawsuit claiming aboriginal title to the land under the water beginning 18 kilometres south of Goderich, west to the American border, north around the tip of the Bruce Peninsula, east to the middle of Georgian Bay and south to Nottawasaga Bay.

11. Chippewas of Nawash and Saugeen claim includes the return of 50,000 acres in the Bruce Peninsula plus financial compensation for treaty violations.

12. Chippewas of the Thames First Nation claim 5,120-acre Big Bear Creek Reserve was sold by the Crown in the 1830s without a proper surrender.

13. Mississauga Tribal Council claims that 1797 treaty for cession of lands at Burlington Bay was illegal and that the Mississauga Nation retained rights and title to lakeshore at Burlington Bay and 200 acres at Burlington Heights. Other claims include that lakeshore in the townships of Oakville Burlington, Mississauga and Etobicoke were never ceded by treaty or otherwise.

14. Mississauga Tribal Council claims land covered by the Niagara treaty of 1781 in Niagara region was never properly ceded.

15. Chippewas of Beausoleil, Rama and Georgina Island claim reserve land was taken illegally in 1836.

16. Curve Lake First Nation claims reserve land set aside in 1837 was flooded when dams constructed for the Trent-Severn Waterway raised water levels.

17. United Indian Council claims the 1923 Williams Treaty is invalid, that there was inadequate compensation for land taken and failure to provide reserves.

18. Alderville First Nation claims 2,350 acres at Bay of Quinte were taken without proper surrender.

19. Mohawks of Akwesasne claim islands in the St. Lawrence between Gananaque and Prescott.

20. Wahnapitae First nation claims it didn't receive amount of reserve land under its treaty.

21. Temagami First Nation claims it has aboriginal title to 10,360 square kilometres in vicinity of Lake Temagami.

22. Matachewan First Nation claims outstanding treaty land entitlement.

23. Wahgoshig First Nation alleges the 1951 and 1974 division of assets between the Wahgoshig and Abitibiwinni First Nations in Quebec was unfair.

24. Mattagami claim flooding of 1,340 acres of reserve.

25. Mississaugas of the Credit claims the Toronto Purchase (1787 & 1805) was illegal.

26. Chapleau Ojibway First Nation claims an error in 1906 led to a land entitlement shortfall under its treaty of 8,051 acres.

27. Moose Cree First Nation claims it is owed land under its treaty. Also, that Canada failed to provide 14 First Nation veterans with lands promised.

28. Missanabie Cree claims it was a separate and distinct band at the time of treaty and should have received full land entitlement.

29. Eight First Nations -- Long Lake, Pays Plat, Sand Point, Whitesand, Rocky Bay, Pic Mobert, Red Rock, and Ojibways of the Pic River -- claim they were never part of the Robinson Superior treaty and still retain aboriginal title to the lands covered by it: more than 50,000 square miles.

30. Eabametoong First Nation claims a population-count error in 1909 led to a land entitlement shortfall of about 10 square miles.

31. Weenusk First Nation claims a shortfall of 23.7 square miles in its treaty land.

32. Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation claims it has not received full amount of treaty land.

33. Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation claims Canada permitted non-Indians to construct dams that led to the flooding of 1,300 acres of reserve land.

34. Grassy Narrows First Nation and Wabauskang First Nation claim treaty shortfall of 7,314 acres.

35. Iskatewizaagegan claims there was an improper surrender of its land for flooding. It also claims 32 islands in Indian Bay.

36. Grand Council of Treaty No. 3 claims Indian Affairs sold Anicinabe Park without consultation.

37. Wauzhushk Onigum Nation suit over the flooding of the Lake of the Woods and the damage to reserve lands.

38. Couchiching First Nation claims a shortfall of 224,000 acres under its treaty land entitlement.

39. Lac La Croix First Nation claims Canada failed to prevent inclusion of unsurrendered reserve land in Quetico Provincial Park.

40. Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation claims it was never compensated for the flooding of more than 2,300 acres.

41. Lac Seul First Nation claims its land was illegally flooded and it received inadequate compensation.

42. Fort William First Nation claims reserve doesn't reflect original treaty.

43. Fort William First Nation claims a 5,000-acre sale of reserve land in 1859 was illegal.

44. Gull Bay First Nation claims it didn't receive the land it was entitled to under treaty.

45. Pays Plat First Nation is negotiating to increase size of its reserve.

46. Michipicoten First Nation claims the boundaries of reserve don't reflect what was promised in original treaty.

47. Whitefish River First Nation claims it didn't receive the full amount of treaty land.

48. Henvey Inlet First Nation claims land illegally taken from reserve.

49. Wikwemikong First Nation claims 41 islands near Manitoulin Island were never surrendered.

50. Moose Deer Point First Nation claims promises made in 1837 amounted to a treaty that included land for settlement.

Attawapiskat First Nation press release ...

Attawapiskat First Nation Denounces Metalex Ventures

ATTAWAPISKAT, Canada, February 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Attawapiskat First Nation is alerting shareholders and potential investors in Metalex Ventures (MTX), of Kelowna, B.C. that the work the Company is undertaking in Attawapiskat First Nation territory is being done without the involvement or agreement of the First Nation.

Metalex Ventures has continued exploration work throughout 2006 and 2007 without the support of Attawapiskat First Nation. On December 13, 2006 Metalex Ventures reported a kimberlite find in their T1 project. Attawapiskat First Nation has no intention of supporting the project as long as it continues to show disrespect for First Nation Rights.

Chief Mike Carpenter commented, "Our First Nation has demonstrated in the Victor Diamond Project that where our interests are accommodated, we are supportive partners. Where we are ignored as Metalex Ventures is doing, we will not go away quietly. These are our traditional lands and investors should be very cautious knowing that the First Nations interests have not been accommodated in this project."

Attawapiskat continues to work cooperatively with De Beers Canada and other exploration companies who have reached agreement with the First Nation.

Distributed by PR Newswire on behalf of Attawapiskat First Nation

Lieutenant Governor and Arm Forces press releases ...

Northward Ho! First Convoy of Books Departs Queen's Park for Isolated Native Communities

TORONTO, Feb. 16 - The Honourable James K. Bartleman, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, will host a large outdoor event on Sunday, February 18, to officially send-off the first shipment of books collected from his current book drive. The collection phase of the Lieutenant Governor's 2007 Book Drive, which ended on January 31st, exceeded all expectations with more than 700,000 books gathered.

Escorted by Military, OPP and Toronto Police Cruisers, military trucks packed with 100,000 books will be given a ceremonial send off. Together with representatives from the Canadian Forces, the Ontario Provincial Police, Toronto Police Services, and a performance by the Morningstar River Group, the Lieutenant Governor will be joined by children from the First Nation School in Toronto to pack the last boxes of books on to the trucks and to wave goodbye to military personnel who will be delivering the first shipment of books to 15 fly-in First Nation communities in the far north.

The childrens' books have, once again, poured in from generous and enthusiastic Ontarians from all walks of life. The Canadian Forces will be rushing the books into the north to access winter ice roads that occur only at this time of year.

Media and the public are encouraged to join this celebration, to greet some key participants, to partake in ceremonial native drumming and an aboriginal blessing. Photo and interview opportunities will be available.

Who:

• The Hon. James K. Bartleman, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
• Brigadier-General G. R. Thibault, Commander, Land Forces Central Area
• Deputy Commissioner Chris Lewis, Ontario Provincial Police
• Chief William Blair, Toronto Police Services
• Morningstar River Group & Students from First Nation School

What: The Launch of the Military Convoy to Deliver Books from the 2007 Book Drive
Where: Queen's Park, Legislative Building, South parking lot
When: Sunday, February 18, 2007, at 12:00 p.m.

For further information: Nanda Casucci-Byrne, Office of the Lieutenant Governor, (416) 909-7552

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Military Convoy Carries Books North for Aboriginal Children

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Feb. 16, 2007) - A Canadian Forces convoy will leave Queen's Park on Sunday carrying 100,000 books from the Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario's Book Drive to deliver them to Aboriginal children in Ontario's Far North.

The Lieutenant-Governor's Book Drive has collected more than 500,000 "gently used" books donated by Ontarians for Aboriginal children living in isolated communities in Ontario, Quebec, Nunavut, Yukon and the Northwest Territories.

The Canadian Forces, which provided Moss Park Armoury as a central collection and sorting facility, have volunteered to deliver the books to remote communities in Ontario's Far North as part of a military re-supply mission.

The media are invited to witness the convoy's departure as it heads north with an escort of Military Police, Toronto Police and Ontario Provincial Police cruisers.

Lieutenant-Governor James Bartleman will speak to the convoy crews. Aboriginal drummers will sing an honour song for them and an Aboriginal elder will offer a prayer for a safe journey.

A group of children will deliver a last few boxes of books to be taken to the Aboriginal children of Northern Ontario.

The trucks will carry the books as part of Operation Wawatay Express, in which military supplies are taken over winter ice roads to Canadian Ranger patrols in 15 First Nation communities. Wawatay is the Cree word for the Northern Lights. Canadian Rangers are part-time reserve soldiers.

Some of the trucks will travel more than 6,000 kilometres, driving in challenging conditions over frozen tundra, rivers and lakes. Blizzards can block roads and temperatures can plunge to -50C. All crews must have completed winter survival training.

The departure will provide excellent photo opportunies for both still and video photographers. The Lieutenant-Governor, convoy crews and Brigadier-General Guy Thibault, commander of Land Force Central Area, the army in Ontario, will be available for interviews.

Representatives from the Toronto Police and Ontario Provincial Police, who provided police stations and detachments as drop-off points for the books, will also be present.

The event begins at noon on Sunday, February 18, in front of the main entrance to the Legislature at Queen's Park.

Military and police escort vehicles will occupy the area in front of the Legislature. Media parking will be available at the east side of the building.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Land Force Central Area
Lieutenant (Navy) Joe Frey
(416) 633-6200 extension 5501
Cell: (647) 221-3373

or

Canadian Rangers
Sergeant Peter Moon
(416) 364-0376

AFN press release ...

AFN National Chief Phil Fontaine announces Chief of Staff Bob Watts will become Executive Director of Truth and Reconciliation Commission; Roger Augustine appointed new Chief of Staff

     OTTAWA, Feb. 16 /CNW/ - "I am very pleased to announce that my Chief of Staff, Bob Watts, has accepted a position as Interim Executive Director of the Truth and Reconciliation. Bob played a key role in the negotiation of the historic Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement," said Assembly of First Nations National Chief Phil Fontaine. "An important element in the settlement will be the opportunity for survivors to tell their stories to a Truth and Reconciliation Commission."

     "The fact that Bob has been chosen for this pivotal role speaks highly of the government's commitment to ensuring that this Commission fulfills the needs envisioned by its creation," said the National Chief. "I have asked that Roger Augustine assume the new role in my office as Chief of Staff. Roger is currently a senior advisor in my office, and brings sixteen years of experience as a former Chief of Eel Ground First Nation in New Brunswick, and as a former Indian Claims Commissioner.

     "Please join me in congratulating Bob on his important posting, and in welcoming Roger as he carries out his new responsibilities."

     These changes will take effect on Monday, February 19, 2007. Bob Watts can now be reached at 613-947-6556.

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

-30-

/For further information: Bryan Hendry, A/Director of Communications, (613) 241-6789 ext 229, (613) 293-6106, bhendry@afn.ca; Nancy Pine, Communications Advisor, Office of the National Chief, (613) 241-6789 ext 243, (613) 298-6382, npine@afn.ca

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From http://www.turtleisland.org/discussion/viewtopic.php?p=8016#8016

Truth and Reconciliation Commission - by Tehaliwaskenhas - Bob Kennedy, Oneida - February 18, 2007

"An important element in the settlement will be the opportunity for survivors to tell their stories. . ." Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement

The first national Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Canadian history is being created this year, as part of the comprehensive Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement.

What will it do?

"Promote public education and awareness about the Indian Residential School system and its legacy."

On Friday, AFN National Chief Phil Fontaine announced that his chief of staff, Robert Watts will be the Interim Executive Director of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. He was a key AFN player in the negotiations that led to the settlement agreement.

A Truth and Reconciliation will have a budget of $60 million over five years.

Former students, their families and communities will be able to (if they wish - this is a volunary process) share their Indian Residential School experiences "in a safe and culturally-appropriate environment".

Short term - the Truth and Reconciliation Commission will undertake a series of national and community events.

Long term - it will establish a research centre for ongoing access to the records collected throughout the work of the Commission.

In December, the leader of the AFN issued a statement after Canadian courts said the settlement agreement is fair and reasonable.

“The Truth and Reconciliation Commission will ensure that all Canadians will understand the significance of the serious harm done to our people. First Nations are determined to send the message to the world that ‘Never Again’ will such a racist agenda be tolerated in Canada.”

For more information about the residential school visit http://www.turtleisland.org/resources/resources001.htm

AFN and Quebec Chiefs press releases ...

National Chief responds to Aboriginal Affairs Committee's report on post-secondary education

     OTTAWA, Feb. 16 /CNW Telbec/ - There is an urgent need to increase financial support for both First Nations' students and First Nations controlled institutions in Canada, according to a report released this week by the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development entitled "No Higher Priority - Aboriginal Post-secondary Education in Canada".

     "I am very pleased that this Parliamentary committee calls for the removal of the 2 % cap for post-secondary education, and recognizes the importance for First Nations controlled post-secondary institutions," said National Chief Phil Fontaine. "The federal government must provide necessary financial support and ensure recognition of First Nations' institutions."

     The report recommends that the federal government take immediate action to provide adequate funding to every eligible student based on actual costs and acknowledged "a failure to invest in the future of First Nations and Inuit learners now would also undoubtedly entail immeasurable long-term costs".

     The Assembly of First Nations applauds the timely release of this report, in advance of the federal budget, because the AFN has for many years clearly articulated the urgent needs for First Nations students and First Nations controlled institutions to no avail.

     "We have a young and growing population who need full access to all levels of education," said the National Chief. "We want our children to be able to have the opportunity to make significant contributions to their communities, and to Canada."

     The report concludes that "the successes of Aboriginal-controlled institutions should be acknowledged by government, supported and built upon.
In our view, government's objective should be to put in place measures that strengthen and promote the long-term viability of these key institutions for the future of Aboriginal post-secondary education".

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

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/For further information: Bryan Hendry, A/Director of Communications, (613) 241-6789 ext. 229 or cell.: (613) 293-6106; Nancy Pine, Communications Advisor, Office of the National Chief, (613) 241-6789 ext. 243 or (613) 298-6382, npine@afn.ca

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Aboriginal Post-Secondary Education Calls for a Non-Partisan, Practical, Forward-Looking Approach says Report of the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development

QUEBEC, Feb. 16 - The First Nations Education Council (FNEC) and the Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador (AFNQL) have reacted positively to the report of the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development entitled, "No Higher Priority: Aboriginal Post-secondary Education in Canada".

The report puts forward 10 key recommendations, which need to be implemented in the short and long term by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) in collaboration with First Nations.

Ms. Lise Bastien, Director of the FNEC located in Wendake, Quebec, stated, "We are pleased to see that the Parliamentary Committee has confirmed and recognizes the problems connected with post-secondary education among First Nations. The elimination of the 2% annual cap and the assurance of admissibility for First Nations students to post-secondary education are urgent measures to put in place.

"Another major priority is the availability of basic funding and support for the creation of First Nations post-secondary education institutions. These institutions are an obvious solution for the improvement of academic success among our students. This measure should be considered immediately," she added.

The Parliamentary Committee also recommends that INAC rectify the anomaly of vocational training affecting the First Nations of Quebec, who have raised this question for years now.

"It is completely unjustified and unacceptable that the Government of Canada still demands to this day more studies and analyses in order to demonstrate what the Committee has stated in its report. A number of previous studies and reports already confirmed the Committee's conclusions and if the government ignores these recommendations, it will have to assume full responsibility for and accept the consequences of the First Nations social and economic situation," stated Mr. Ghislain Picard, Regional Chief of the AFNQL.

"The new Government of Canada has the responsibility to act in an honourable manner and to collaborate with First Nations in order to implement these recommendations immediately," he affirmed.

The FNEC has represented 22 communities throughout Quebec for over twenty years now. Its principal mission is to defend the interests of First Nations communities in order to improve the educational services that are offered to all First Nations students.

The APNQL is the regional organization which represents the Chiefs of the First Nations of Quebec and Labrador.

For further information: Lise Bastien, Director, First Nations Education Council, (418) 842-7672, lbastien@cepn-fnec.com.

The Centre of Excellence for Children and Adolescents with Special Needs is holding a two day workshop on Thursday and Friday, March 22nd & 23rd from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Valhalla Inn in Thunder Bay. Visit www.lcnorth.ca for full details.

“The focus of this workshop came from a community needs survey distributed throughout Northwestern Ontario, participants identified Behaviour and Early Intervention as areas where more information and training was needed,” says Jodi Kurzhals the workshop organizer.  “To meet this need, we have chosen to bring together 25 presenters providing 18 unique sessions.” 

The event will also feature some talented local youth. The Children’s Aid Society Black Light Theatre group will perform at noon on March 22nd and the Churchill High School Jazz Band on March 23rd at noon.

The workshop will feature two days of sessions highlighting a variety of topics.    Among the presentations on Behaviour are:  Teens who Hurt: An Examination of Violence and Interventions; On the Cutting Edge:  Working with People Who Self Injure; Tough Kids and Substance Abuse; Classroom Strategies for Disruptive Behaviours in Students;   Tapping Hidden Strengths - Planning For Students Who are Alcohol-Affected; The Family Help Program and Distance Treatment; and Enhancing Academic and Social Learning Opportunities for Developmentally At-Risk Children.

The sessions with a focus on Early Intervention include:  Resilient Thinking:  A Tool for Prevention and Intervention with Special Needs Children and Adolescents which is a 1 ½ day comprehensive session; Facilitating Communication and Participation for Children with Special Needs; The Importance of Early Intervention for Special Needs Infants and Toddlers; The Autism Spectrum Disorder School Support Program – Meeting the Needs of the North;  Towards Nutrition Screening in Ontario Preschoolers- Tool Development around best practices and implementation across the province; and Promising Practices for Service Delivery in Speech-Language Pathology Using Videoconferencing

The two day workshop will provide practical information for participants to take away and put to immediate use.

Full presenter information, session details and registration forms are available at www.lcnorth.ca or by phoning 807-343-8196.

The cost is $100 per day or $175 for both days.  Scholarships may be available for caregivers and students to attend. 

The workshop is organized by the Centre of Excellence for Children and Adolescents with Special Needs at Lakehead University.  Funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada, the centre focuses on the distinct challenges faced by children and adolescents with special needs in northern Canada.

Contact:  Jodi Kurzhals, Site Coordinator, 807-343-8196

Greenstone press release ...

Greenstone Community Portal launch helps communities get online

Greenstone, ON: The Greenstone Community Portal, a community-focused web portal, was officially launched today at www.greenstone.ca. Pioneered by the Municipality of Greenstone and its partners, Geraldton District Hospital and Geraldton Community Forest, the Greenstone Community Portal is strategically designed to connect and build capacity for Greenstone residents, non-profit organizations and businesses online.

Using advanced wireless and web technologies to meet the needs of communities in Northern Ontario, the Greenstone Community Portal provides an interactive experience that will enhance communication, offer access to new economic opportunities, improve professional recruitment and dramatically increase cooperation between individuals, businesses and organizations, both within Greenstone and across the world. 

The community owned and operated web portal was primarily funded by the McGuinty Liberal government's Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs’ Rural Economic Development (RED) program in the amount of $747,444.

The Greenstone Community Portal is user-friendly and has been specifically developed to allow the Greenstone communities at large to take full advantage of the Internet,” said Michael Power, Mayor of the Municipality of Greenstone. “It will act as an evolving resource for community information and services, event listings, tourism information, directories and e-commerce business solutions. All of the portal content will be created and developed by local residents, organizations and businesses who want to benefit from exposure on the World Wide Web.”

In addition to providing a diverse range of content, a key objective of the Greenstone Community Portal is to increase awareness and usage of web-based technology by local residents to support the emergence of a more diversified economy in Greenstone.

During today’s Greenstone Community Portal go-live event at the Geraldton Curling Club, it was also announced that a series of training workshops will be held in Greenstone, commencing March 2007. In addition, residents are being offered free access to internet tools such as web hosting and E-commerce shopping capabilities for one year.

“We want to ensure that residents have the skills they need to gain the most benefit from the portal,” continued Mayor Michael Power. “By providing workshops and developing training partnerships within the region, our residents will have the opportunity to learn how to use new technology and most importantly, how to leverage the portal to develop new economic growth initiatives for our region.”

“This initiative will open new windows of opportunity for the residents of Greenstone and provide an effective gateway for communication between government, the public, industry and business,” said Mayor Michael Power. “This entire Greenstone Community Portal project culminates in the realization of our aims to build a global communications channel to connect Greenstone residents with the world through www.greenstone.ca," concluded Mayor Michael Power.

For more information visit: www.greenstone.ca

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For further information: Contact: Stephanie Ash, Firedog Communications Tel: (807) 767-4443; Cell: (807) 472-5276; Email: stephanie@firedogpr.com

Click here to see the REPORT SUMMARY (PDF, 43K)

Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority and Northwestern Health Unit press release ...

Cost of Eating in Remote First Nations Unaffordable

Every year the Northwestern Health Unit (NWHU) and health units across the province, calculate the cost of a basic food basket.  In June 2006 in partnership with the Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority (SLFNHA), data regarding the cost of eating and some staple household items were collected from three remote First Nation communities; Sachigo Lake, Sandy Lake and Wunnumin Lake. The average monthly cost of feeding a family of four in the three communities was $1382.44.

This is almost 200% more than the cost of eating in the Kenora Rainy River Districts in 2006.   In 2006, a family of four on a remote First Nation would have paid about $16, 600 for food for the year. If that same family relied on social assistance they would only have brought in about $14, 400 for the year, this leaves a $2200 deficit before factoring in shelter, heating of homes, clothing and other necessities. “Because of high rates of unemployment and the reliance on the social assistance programs, many people are living way below the poverty line and in deplorable, third world conditions,” says Janet Gordon, SLFNHA Director Health Services.

The food basket is based on meeting basic nutritional needs. People in the north are being forced to compromise their nutrition by settling on less nutritional food to feed their families. This results in compromised health status, increasing the burden of preventable chronic disease like diabetes, heart disease and stroke, which already run rampant in the north. “The cost of eating in the north is unacceptable.  Good food is either unaffordable or unavailable and people can’t keep up.  It’s time for government to step up and support First Nations to meet their basic needs”, says Jennifer Maki, NWHU Public Health Nutritionist.

The food basket results will be used to lobby government for a reasonable living wage, to increase access to affordable food and to ultimately improve health in First Nation communities. For more information contact the Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority or Northwestern Health Unit.

For more information contact:
Janet Gordon
Director, Health Services
Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority
807-737-6125

Jennifer Maki
Public Health Nutritionist
807-737-2292, ext 29
jmaki@nwhu.on.ca