An opportunity for everyone to contribute their ideas about sustainable development in First Nations ... ONLY 3 DAYS LEFT to share your ideas (deadline of September 30)!!

Visit http://topics.developmentgateway.org/environment/discussion/default/showDiscussion.do~id=1441

Virtual Consultation Forum with Civil Society and Indigenous Peoples in the framework of the First Inter-American Meeting of Ministers and High-Level Authorities on Sustainable Development 

Welcome to the Virtual Consultation Forum with Civil Society and Indigenous Peoples organized by the Department of Sustainable Development (DSD) of the Organization of American States (OAS) in cooperation with the Summit of the Americas Department and Development Gateway Foundation

May 17th – September 30th, 2006
 
Forum’s Moderators: Specialists from the Department of Sustainable Development of the Organization of American States on the three themes selected for the Meeting.

Forum’s Facilitators: Denise Senmartin (Development Gateway) and Oscar Ceville (Department of Sustainable Development, OAS).

This Virtual Forum for Consultation with Civil Society and Indigenous Peoples has been created to facilitate the discussion on three priority areas that will be examined during the First Inter-American Meeting of Ministers and High-Level Authorities on Sustainable Development: (1) Integrated Water Resources Management; (2) Risk Management of Natural Hazards; and (3) Environment Management through Sustainable Agriculture, Forestry, and Tourism.
 
The objectives of the forum are:

1. Mobilize civil society and indigenous peoples support for the preparation of the Santa Cruz Declaration.
2. Build consensus positions and recommendations among representatives of civil society and indigenous peoples and obtain recommendation and follow-up activities on the three themes to be analyzed during the meeting.
3. Benefit from the best practices efforts, including advocacy, of civil society and indigenous peoples work on the three themes to be analyzed during the meeting.

Key Forum Questions:

1. What are the needs on sustainable development that require an immediate response from competent organisms?
2. What do you think should be the priority on sustainable development during the discussion of ministers and why?
3. What are the benefits of using adequate practices for sustainable development?

Reference Documents:

• Invitation to Virtual Consultation Forum
• Consultation Process: how will your comments reach Ministers and High-Level Authorities on Sustainable Development
• Annotated Provisional Agenda
• Announcement
• Background Document: Summary of Preparatory Workshops and Key Guiding Questions for Discussion
• Background Document for the Preparatory Workshop on Integrated Water Resources Management
• Background Document for the Preparatory Workshop on Managing Risks of Natural Hazards
• Background Document for the Preparatory Workshop on Sustainable Agriculture, Forestry and Tourism
• Final Report of the Workshop on Integrated Water Resources Management
• Final Report of the Workshop on Managing Risks of Natural Hazards
• Final Report of the Workshop on Sustainable Agriculture, Forestry and Tourism
• Summary of postings (updated weekly)

To access the documents http://www.oas.org/dsd/MinisterialMeeting/VirtualForumCSandIP.htm
Visit http://www.oas.org/dsd/MinisterialMeeting/ReunionInterAm_eng_v1.htm for more information about the Ministerial

Elections for Chief and Council of Lac Seul First Nation were held on September 26.

The new chief is Clifford Bull, elected with 334 of the 565 votes cast.

The new council includes:

Frenchman's Head

Rod Wesley (84 votes)
Dorothy Trout (78 votes)
Merv Ningewance (69 votes)

Kejick Bay

Hilda Ross (81 votes)
Stan Littledeer (73 votes)
Karen Ningewance (69 votes)

Whitefish Bay

Jack Angeconeb (pending)

From Toronto Star at http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1158961811221&call_pageid=968256289824&col=968342212737

$125M needed to speed e-health

• Electronic record keeping could be in place next year, agency says
• Would build on success of Child Health Network's computerized files

Sep. 23, 2006 - TYLER HAMILTON, STAFF REPORTER

Most Ontarians could have a basic electronic health record by the end of next year if the province expanded a system that already exists for young patients, according to the agency overseeing electronic health infrastructure.

The price tag for getting the ball rolling: $125 million.

Electronic health records have been touted for years as a way to reduce costs in the health-care sector and improve patient care, and their creation was a key recommendation in the Romanow report on the future of Medicare four years ago.

The Smart Systems for Health Agency, charged with electronically linking 150,000 health-care providers across Ontario, has proposed that the Ministry of Health fast-track the move toward a province-wide e-health record by building on the success of the electronic Child Health Network, which already gives 36 hospitals and health centres across the province shared access to a secure database containing medical records of patients under 19 years old.

More than 5,300 pediatric physicians and health-care workers are now using the provincially funded network, which was spearheaded by the Hospital for Sick Children and has been in operation since 1999.

"It's a neat application," Smart Systems chairman Michael Lauber said in an interview with the Toronto Star. "It gives the doctors a lot of good information to work with."

Records include everything from personal information and doctor's notes to X-ray and laboratory results. Authorized doctors are able to see the records and add to them over a patient's lifetime. As the system evolves, it's expected that patients would be able to securely view their own e-health records online.

Andrew Szende, chief executive officer of the children's health network, said a system expansion would require some tweaking and more data storage to accommodate adult records. He emphasized that the network was secure, pointing to a seven-year track record of no privacy or security breaches.

"It's been looked at by the Smart Systems people, the government and the privacy commissioner and everybody is satisfied that it not only meets but exceeds the security needs and confidentially requirements," said Szende. "So far, we haven't heard anybody say that this was not a good idea."

Lauber said it makes more sense to build on what already works "rather than reinvent the wheel," and Smart Systems appears keen to move forward after being criticized for not acting quickly enough.

A Star investigation last November revealed that the little-known agency, established four years ago, has burned through more than $260 million since 2001 on e-health infrastructure projects that have been riddled with delays and so far have failed to demonstrate value — including a standardized e-health record — for taxpayers.

Following the report, Smart Systems' board of directors was overhauled and the agency is now the focus of a ministry-led operational review, which is expected to be complete within the next five to seven weeks.

Lauber, who was brought on to lead the restructuring of Smart Systems, said he's committed to making the agency more transparent. He said a privacy audit will soon take place and a national search has begun for a new chief executive officer after the recent resignation of current CEO Michael Connolly.

"There's still some housekeeping to do," said Lauber, former CEO of the Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments. "This organization is transitioning from an infrastructure and build mode to client services and delivery."

He said Smart Systems has taken its e-health record plan to the government and is optimistic the ministry will accept the proposal before year's end.

Patient files today are largely collected in folders and stored in cabinets. Referrals and lab results are relayed mostly by fax machine, while lab images and hospital reports are most often received through mail and courier. Health-care experts say it's an inefficient system prone to error — sometimes with deadly consequences.

According to a draft of the proposal obtained by the Star, Smart System's first step would be to combine data from the province's existing laboratory and drug-profile databases with the child health network.

"The implementation of phase 1 of the (electronic health record) strategy will immediately provide a significant amount of data on a significant number of patients to a significant number of (health-care) providers," the document states.

Lauber said establishing an e-health record is top of mind for the provincial government and that he expects a major push over the next five years to get a province-wide system in place. "The issue is not technology. It's really a management issue."

Timing could be key. The next provincial election is just over a year away and the Liberal government is eager to show progress on a number of files, including health care.

But getting the job done will require another big injection of funds. Smart Systems, according to its draft proposal, said phase 1 of the plan requires a $125 million one-time investment in 2006-07 and an "annual increment of $40 million for ongoing deployment and operations."

Each health record would gradually contain more information over time. "The question is how much of it could be populated with information and how quickly," said Szende.

"With every field of data you add, you're going to attract more and more doctors, nurses and therapists," Szende added.

Press Release at http://news.gc.ca/cfmx/view/en/index.jsp?articleid=240999 - September 21, 2006 

Government of Canada invests in Aboriginal training for Northern Ontario diamond mine
 
FORT ALBANY, ONTARIO-The Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, today confirmed federal funding of $7.87 million for the James Bay Employment and Training project under the Aboriginal Skills and Employment Partnership (ASEP) program. This ASEP project brings together Aboriginal communities, industry and other orders of government to offer skills development and employment opportunities in the DeBeers Victor Diamond mine operation located near Attawapiskat, a First Nations community in the James Bay lowland in Northern Ontario.

"Canada's new Government is proud to fund this project which will positively impact the future of hundreds of First Nations men and women, their families and their communities," said Minister Finley. "This training program will also help address the need for more skilled workers in the mining sector, which has always been a core part of the economy not only to the North but to Canada as a whole."

Under the project, the James Bay Employment and Training (JBET) project will provide a range of employment tools to assist Aboriginal people in achieving long term, sustainable employment in a region that has traditionally offered limited employment prospects. Employment tools include job information workshops, career counselling, training and work experience interventions, permanent job placements and advancement programs. It is expected that over 600 individuals will take part in training opportunities, with at least 190 Aboriginal people obtaining long-term employment at the Victor Mine operation.

Partners in this initiative include the Attawapiskat First Nation, Weenusk First Nation, Fort Albany First Nation, Kashechewan First Nation and Moose Cree First Nation along with DeBeers Canada, Northern College, and the Province of Ontario.

"James Bay Employment and Training welcomes the contribution made by the Government of Canada for this valuable project," said JBET's Executive Director, Philip Sutherland Jr. "This partnership will provide Aboriginal people in the James Bay region with the opportunity to gain the skills they need to find employment at the DeBeers Victor Project."

The James Bay Employment and Training project is one of nine projects currently underway receiving multi-year funding under the Aboriginal Skills and Employment Partnership (ASEP) program. ASEP is an $85 million private-sector program partnership designed to complement the Aboriginal Human Resources Development Strategy (AHRDS) and fill a gap in training for large-scale economic development projects across Canada. ASEP is scheduled to sunset in March 2009.

For more information, see the attached backgrounder.

- 30 -

For more information (Media Inquiries Only)
Colleen Cameron
Press Secretary for Minister Finley
819-994-2482

BACKGROUNDER

JAMES BAY EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING PROJECT UNDER THE ABORIGINAL SKILLS AND EMPLOYMENT PARTNERSHIP (ASEP) PROGRAM

The Aboriginal Skills and Employment Partnership (ASEP) program is a five-year initiative launched in late 2003 with total funding of $85 million. Its overall objective is to create sustainable employment for Aboriginal people in major economic initiatives across Canada through collaborative partnerships, leading to lasting benefits for Aboriginal communities, families and individuals.

ASEP funding proposals are submitted by partnership consortia that include parties from the private sector, Aboriginal groups, and the province or territory where the large economic or resource-based project is located. Other key partners may include learning institutions, sector councils, labour, and other Government of Canada departments or agencies. Each partnership consortium must set out a comprehensive training-to-employment plan for Aboriginal people that links skills development to specific job opportunities.

A significant amount of funding for a project is expected from the partnership; the Government of Canada's normal contribution to a proposal will not exceed 75 percent. The private sector must also demonstrate, at minimum, 50 long-term sustainable jobs for Aboriginal people once Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC) has completed its funding.

ASEP is administered nationally by HRSDC. It also complements the Aboriginal Human Resources Development Strategy (AHRDS), a five-year initiative that began in 1999 and was renewed until 2009. ASEP also complements the Northern Strategy by providing training and human resource development that is responsive to the needs of community and regional labour market conditions and economies.

The James Bay Employment and Training project is one of nine projects to receive funding under the ASEP program since its launch in October 2003.

JAMES BAY EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING (JBET)

The De Beers Victor Diamond project is an open pit diamond mine located approximately 90 km west of Attawapiskat First Nation in the James Bay lowland. The project has an expected life span of 16 years, requiring 390 workers for the operations phase of the mine with approximately 50 percent of available positions to be filled by Aboriginal people.

Labour market analysis suggested that limited experience and education would hinder access to employment at the De Beers Victor diamond mine. In light of that analysis, the overall objective of the JBET project is to help Aboriginal people in the James Bay lowland region of northern Ontario to prepare for, obtain and advance in jobs at all levels at the De Beers Victor Diamond mine. The training is also intended to provide Aboriginal people of the region with transferable skills that will open doors in the James Bay region and elsewhere in Canada.

PARTNERSHIP

The stand-alone, not-for-profit partnership consortium consists of:

ABORIGINAL

• Attawapiskat First Nation
• Weenusk First Nation
• Fort Albany First Nation
• Kashechewan First Nation
• Moose Cree First Nation

INDUSTRY

• De Beers Canada

EDUCATON

• Northern College

GOVERNMENT

• Province of Ontario
• Government of Canada

FUNDING

The estimated total project cost is $11,901,932, of which:

• Human Resources and Social Development Canada - $7,870,958
• De Beers Canada - $1,730,974
• Mushkegowuk Employment Training Service - $1,000,000
• Province of Ontario - $1,300,000

From http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=25452be5-ec96-4217-87ed-04199f74f7d1&k=45665&p=1

Nunavut hooked on Internet - EBay a big draw for isolated northern communities  

Nathan VanderKlippe, CanWest News Service
Published: Sunday, September 17, 2006

YELLOWKNIFE, N.W.T. - Like many women in Nunavut, Billy Etooangat's wife spends days every fall picking tundra berries on the steep fiord slopes near Pangnirtung, their home on the east coast of Baffin Island.

But this year, she's the talk of the town after Etooangat used a new high-speed Internet service to buy her a Swedish berry-picker, a device that's helping her outpick the other women.

"We never had that in the North, a berry-picker," he says. "So I found it and she liked it and everybody wants to have one."

Such stories are increasingly common in Nunavut, where thousands have leaped to take advantage of the new satellite Internet service, called Qiniq, which just celebrated its first anniversary.

"We're between 25 and 50 per cent over projected sales in every market," said Lorraine Thomas, project manager for the Iqaluit-based Nunavut Broadband Development Corp.

"We've met our end-of-second-year projections, and we're at the end of the first year. So we just expect to continue to grow."

The program's success has spawned plans to roll out Internet phones, online video conferencing for training and distance education -- even a kit that will power Internet access on the tundra using a snowmobile battery. It is also forcing Thomas to scramble for more government funding to keep the heavily subsidized Internet service running.

The Northwest Territories hopes to have a parallel service in place by October.

"In this day and age, it's almost a human right," said Margaret Gorman, whose Yellowknife-based Denendeh Development Corp. spearheaded the effort to bring Internet to 31 territorial hamlets.

"Everyone should have access to the same information and opportunities."

For $60 a month, the service offers speeds equivalent to the cable Internet sold in major Canadian cities. It has revolutionized Internet access in the North, allowing hunters to download satellite ice charts before leaving town and community art shops to sell Inuit crafts online.

"Everybody wants to have a laptop and get connected and make new friends, chat with people, keep in touch, get the weather," said Bob McLean, the Qiniq provider in Sanikiluaq, a hamlet of 800 located on an island in southern Hudson Bay and arguably Nunavut's most isolated community.

"EBay's pretty big around here -- people buying barbecues, Honda tires, Ski-Doo parts, stuff like that."

In Pond Inlet, a hamlet of 1,400 on the northern tip of Baffin Island, more than 100 people have signed up for the service, which also powers the community's municipal offices and major grocery stores.

Before Qiniq arrived, Martha Kyak used a fax machine to order supplies for Kisutaarvik, the convenience store she runs out of her basement.

"But there would be no pictures," she said. "With the Internet, I can actually see the pictures and it seems like it opened the doors to more variety of stuff."

Promoters of the service have billed Qiniq as a critical step in promoting the territory's economic development, allowing students and entrepreneurs access to information and markets never before possible.

Thomas once shared a cab with a person who told her, "It's the best thing that's ever happened in Nunavut."

"Better than hospitals? Better than Grade 2?" she asked herself, before reflecting on the importance of online access to health care and education.

"It's critical to every part of the services and products and economic development," she said.

In reality, said John Henderson, Pond Inlet's Qiniq representative, "I would bet that most people are on for chatting."

Some worry their kids are getting hooked on instant messaging programs, which have spread like wildfire across Nunavut.

"They spend too much time on the Internet," Kyak said. "They could be doing other stuff, but they end up being glued to the computer."

Increasingly, they're also accessing bandwidth-hogging material like videos. That, along with the program's unanticipated success, has sparked concerns over the cost of keeping the North online.

Ottawa kicked in nearly $4 million to install Nunavut's network, plus nearly $1 million per year over eight years to offset the cost of satellite bandwidth, which is hundreds of times more expensive than southern fibre optic connections.

But as people begin downloading movies and using their computers to video-conference, Nunavut will need to double or triple the size of its data pipes in the next few years. Thomas says the only way to do that is with more government funding.

"We're going to have to look at federal programs to make sure there's money flowing into Nunavut so (people) can turn around and purchase the bandwidth required to do what they want," she said.

There's no way around it in a place where everything from fuel to potato chips is subsidized, she said.

"It's actually a pretty small investment when you look at the cost of doing anything else," she said. "It's $1 million to build a kilometre of gravel road up here. Compare that to a few hundred thousand for some additional bandwidth for all Nunavut to share."

nvanderklippe@globaltv.com

From http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2006/09/13/qc-nativehealthstudy.html

Leaders demand urgent action to improve Quebec aboriginal health
Last Updated: Wednesday, September 13, 2006

First Nations leaders in Quebec are calling for urgent action to improve living standards on reserves, in light of a new health study that reveals the majority of the province's 80,000 aboriginal people smoke, and are overweight or obese.

'With those numbers, I'm ashamed to be Canadian. Our health is the same as people in Third World countries.'
- Dr. Stanley Vollant, aboriginal surgeon and former president of the Quebec Medical Association

The study, which was based on interviews with 4,000 Quebec aboriginal people living on and off reserves, found the obesity and overweight rates among adults and seniors were two and three times higher than the national average.

The study also found that more than 50 per cent of people participating in the study smoked cigarettes.

The situation is scandalous, said Dr. Stanley Vollant, an aboriginal surgeon and former president of Quebec's Medical Association.

"With those numbers, I'm ashamed to be Canadian," said Vollant, a member of the Montagnais community of Betsiamites. "Our health is the same as people in Third World countries."

The study found the following obesity and overweight rates within aboriginal communities:

• 52 per cent of aboriginal children.
• 42 per cent of adolescents.
• 67 per cent of adults.
• 71 per cent of elders over age 55.

Aboriginal communities could face an alarming number of cases of diabetes and respiratory disease in the near future if nothing is done to address the situation right now, said Vollant.

"You can expect in 10-15 years, an epidemic in diabetes. The rates will increase two, three, four times," he warned.

Economic and social conditions on both reserves and in urban settings exacerbate the problems, said Ghislain Picard, chief of the Assembly of First Nations for Quebec and Labrador. The combination of underemployment and poor access to healthy foods makes it hard for people to make the right choices.

It's time all three levels of government — band councils, the province and Ottawa — act fast and act together to stem the tide, said Picard.

"Maybe the investment we have so far from the governments hasn't been properly placed," he said Tuesday.

The study was carried out by the First Nations of Quebec and Labrador Health and Social Services Committee in 2002. Aboriginal people living on 23 reserves and in Montreal, Quebec City and Val d'Or took part in the investigation. The study excluded northern Quebec Crees, the Mohawk community of Kahnawake and the Inuit.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• See http://www.turtleisland.org/discussion/viewtopic.php?p=7430#7430 for Bob Kennedy's report on this story
• See NAHO's Regional Health Survey Homepage at http://www.naho.ca/firstnations/english/regional_health.php
• RHS Independent Review Final Report.pdf
• First Nations Regional Longitudinal Health Survey (RHS) 2002/03 - Results for Adults, Youth and Children in First Nations Communities (Nov 2005) - PDF, 4.3M
• RHS at a Glance, PDF, 360K
•  RHS Survey Highlights
• Adult
• Youth
• Children

From http://www.onewebday.ca/

Introducing the first-ever, annual One Web Day on September 22.

Ten years ago, it seemed like only teens and tech-savvy people were online. Now, everybody from 8 to 88 is surfing, emailing, and cybering. In fact, in May 2006, over 21,297,000 Canadians were online, getting connected. And that deserves a celebration!

Watch the 2006 Cross-Country Tour

But before we break out the bubbly for One Web Day, we want to find out what the Internet means to Canadians like you. So from August 7 to September 8, we're embarking on a cross-country tour. Watch right here as Gavin, our One Web Day Ambassador, interviews Canadians from coast to coast to coast to find out how the Internet has changed their lives. What you hear just may surprise you!

How can you celebrate One Web Day?

You can start by exploring this website, watching Gavin's cross-country interviews or learning more about online challenges. What else can you do? Tell a friend, send an email, Google™ something new, or IM your friends. Or check out how the rest of the world is celebrating by visiting http://onewebday.org.

Whatever you do - do it online. You'll make history by being part of the first ever One Web Day. 

From CBC online at http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2006/09/22/tech-onewebday-060922.html#skip300x250

One Web Day celebrates internet
Last Updated: Friday, September 22, 2006

Internet enthusiasts around the globe were celebrating the online world Friday in an event they hope will become an annual occurrence.

Organizers want One Web Day to become a yearly event that encourages individuals and companies to celebrate the World Wide Web, educate the public at large and make personal efforts to mark the day in a variety of ways, according to OneWebDay, Inc., the not-for-profit U.S. company that launched the initiative.

Several prominent and influential bloggers serve on OneWebDay Inc.'s board of directors, including Doc Searls (Doc Searls Weblog), David Weinberger (Joho the Blog) and Mary Hodder (Napsterization).

Examples of activities organizers suggest people can participate in include collective online art projects, gathering accounts of what the web means to people and teaching others how to blog.

Organizers hope the event will continue to be held on Sept. 22 every year.

In Canada, the not-for-profit body assigned to govern the country's .ca Internet domain is spearheading celebrations.

"One Web Day ... was created to connect the more than 21 million Canadians online either surfing, e-mailing or cybering, through the launch of a national tour to discover first-hand the impact of the internet in their daily lives," the Canadian Internet Registration Authority said in a statement.

The authority commissioned Canadian-born feature filmmaker Gavin Michael Booth to tour the country, visiting all three coasts to ask Canadians about their online experiences and share their thoughts about the value of the internet. The footage is online at the Canadian One Web Day site.

The Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples will be in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario during the last week of September, looking at various factors that hinder or contribute to successful business or economic development in aboriginal communities. The committee will hear testimony from various witnesses and experts. All sessions will be open to the public.

From their web site at http://www.parl.gc.ca/common/committee_Senhome.asp?Language=E&parl=39&Ses=1&comm_id=1

As part of their ongoing study on the conditions that foster or hinder successful economic development in aboriginal communities, the Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples will be traveling to Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario, during the week of September 25, 2006 to conduct a series of hearings in Saskatoon, Winnipeg and Thunder Bay.

• Tuesday, September 26, 2006: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Radisson Hotel Saskatoon, 405 20th Street East (Agenda);
• Wednesday, September 27, 2006: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Radisson Hotel, downtown Winnipeg, 288 Portage Avenue (Agenda);
• Thursday, September 28, 2006: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Valhalla Inn, 1 Valhalla Inn Road (Agenda)

For more details about the hearings, contact the committee clerk, Gaetane Lemay at 613-993-8968 or by e-mail at lemayg@sen.parl.gc.ca

THUNDER BAY TOURNAMENT CENTRE

Womens Broomball Tournament

Thursday October 5th to Monday October 9th 2006

Open to 20 teams

more info: www.marcelmckay.myknet.org

Mens Hockey Tournament

Thursday October 5th to Sunday October 8th 2006

Open to 12 Teams

more info: www.timothyfox.myknet.org