Media.Knet.Ca

Making the Most of Aboriginal Connectivity

Notes for a Keynote Closing Address by The Honourable Jim Prentice, PC, MP
Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-status Indians

To the Fifth Annual National Aboriginal Connectivity and E-Services Forum, Government Conference Centre, Ottawa, Ontario - March 14, 2006

Thank you for that kind introduction. It gives me great pleasure to speak at the closing of the Fifth Annual Aboriginal Connectivity Forum.

Like anyone who’s just starting a new job, I have much to learn, and I appreciate the opportunity to find out more about the remarkable progress that Aboriginal communities continue to make with communications technologies. And I’m impressed to hear about the direct benefits that many Aboriginal peoples can access everyday via Internet.

Je constate que les groupes autochtones ont fait beaucoup de progrès depuis le premier forum sur la connectivité en 2001.

De toute évidence, les peuples autochtones ont atteint un niveau de compétence sans précédent dans l’utilisation des technologies numériques et ont développé des techniques raffinées d’utilisation de l’Internet.

Today, connectivity projects deliver a growing number of valuable and tangible benefits to Aboriginal peoples in remote communities. Telehealth projects improve access to medical consultations and diagnostic tools; e-learning enables students to complete their high-school diplomas, earn college and university credits, and acquire the skills and knowledge they need to qualify for job opportunities. Connectivity can also spur economic development, by bringing markets within reach of Aboriginal entrepreneurs, and can help to strengthen traditional cultures and revitalize ancient languages.

I’m convinced that forums such as this one play an important role in bringing the full potential of computer and satellite-based communications to First Nation, Inuit, Métis and Northern communities. And my conviction is reinforced by the high quality of work accomplished in the past two days.   

I congratulate the Forum organizers for their wise programming decisions. I believe their approach to the Forum helps break conventional thinking and inspire fresh ideas—and both are essential to sound long-range planning, especially in the rapidly evolving field of communications.

Aboriginal groups continue to develop innovative approaches to use new technologies in ways that benefit their communities. I share your view that each successful connectivity project helps improve the quality of life experienced by residents of Aboriginal communities.

Il reste encore beaucoup à faire pour assurer que les Autochtones puissent participer pleinement et équitablement à la prospérité du Canada. Il ne fait aucun doute que la connectivité peut avoir des répercussions positives importantes et durables sur la qualité de vie.

To ensure that a greater number of Aboriginal peoples can benefit from connectivity, though, we must overcome the challenges associated with the vast majority of projects. Common challenges include underdeveloped infrastructure, lack of community capacity,  limited coordination among public-sector agencies, and issues of sustainability.

Of course, many connectivity projects manage to overcome these obstacles and deliver a wide range of services to Aboriginal communities across Canada. Projects such as the Aboriginal Telehealth Planning Partnership and K-Net, and groups such as Nunavut  Broadband Development Corporation and Kativik Regional Government–to mention but a few–have all harnessed the potential of connectivity to deliver valuable benefits. I believe that successful projects manage to overcome the obstacles associated with connectivity by relying on three key strategies.

First, by responding to community demands and delivering real benefits; second, by featuring a significant level of local control and ownership; and finally, by being the product of collaboration among multiple partners. These strategies should inspire the design of future connectivity projects, although, on their own, they are no guarantee of long-term success.

Given the costs of Internet services in remote communities, the sustainability of projects is a common problem. Another issue is community capacity—residents of isolated communities must acquire the skills and expertise they need to design, implement and manage projects that deliver the necessary services.

However, the strategies used in successful projects can be readily applied elsewhere. We must encourage Aboriginal communities to consider their needs carefully. And we must make it easier to establish partnerships among communities, federal departments and agencies, Aboriginal organizations and the provinces and territories.

There’s no question that connectivity projects deliver precisely the kind of benefits that enable Aboriginal communities to thrive. We must do all we can to ensure that more communities can access the benefits associated with communications technologies.

Des collectivités autochtones prospères et auto-suffisantes peuvent apporter beaucoup au Canada, au point de vue social, économique et culturel.

Although I am unable to stay for the rest of the evening’s events, I look forward to hear about the results of your deliberations.

Thank you.

Keewaytinook Okimakanak's Kuhkenah Network (http://knet.ca), Telehealth initiative (http://telehealth.knet.ca) and the Internet High School (http://kihs.knet.ca) were highlighted for workshop participants located in Vancouver on Wednesday, March 15.

The online workshop was hosted as a pre-conference event during the 2006 National Conference on Community Ecomonic Development & the Social Economy being held in Vancouver this week.

Human Resources and Skills Development Canada's Office of Learning Technologies (OLT) provided workshop participants with an opportunity for two of their funded Community Learning Networks from British Columbia and Keewaytinook Okimakanak in northern Ontario to share information about their local applications. The highlighted work has involved working with community members to build learning networks supported by Information Communications Technologies (ICT). The entire four hour session was archived and is available online.

Click here to visit the Pre-Conference Workshop site and check out the actual session.

First Nations across the Sioux Lookout Health Zone are now being kept up-to-date about community health information sessions, workshops and discussions. Community Telehealth Coordinators are working together to support each, sharing information and skills in the development and maintenance of these web sites for their communities.

Barney Beaver recently launched the Webequie Telehealth web site at http://webequiekotelehealth.myknet.org. Links to other community telehealth web sites can be found from the menu box on the KO Telehealth web site at http://telehealth.knet.ca

At INAC's Connecting Aboriginal Canadians workshop in Ottawa this week, INAC officials used this opportunity to launch another web site called a "Virtual Tour of Aboriginal Canada". Aboriginal communities across the country need to now check to make sure their community's web site is properly linked (and updated) on INAC's web site.

The web site can be found at http://www.aboriginalcanada.gc.ca/abdt/apps/VTAC.nsf/splash.html

It is introduced as EXPLORE ABORIGINAL CANADA

by Connecting to Aboriginal Communities

by Connecting to Aboriginal Tourism Businesses

DEVELOP PARNTERSHIPS OR CAPACITY

by connecting to the Aboriginal Business Centre

by connecting to the Aboriginal Tourism Resource Centre

Ever wonder who Aboriginal people really are, where they live, how they live, etc.?

Find out by visiting Aboriginal communities on line. Better yet come and visit us and you'll have an experience of a lifetime.

Indians, Metis & Inuit peoples with unique heritages, languages, cultural practices & spiritual beliefs.

Interestingly enough, this web site and all these conferences are funded from the corporate side of INAC. No new INAC funding programs to support First Nations in building and maintaining broadband infrastructure or for producing and maintaining their own community web sites and developing their own local capacity to do business online are being announced.

Brian Walmark, Keewaytinook Okimakanak Research Institute Coordinator and Brian Beaton, K-Net Coordinator are in Ottawa to participate in this year's Connecting Aboriginal Canadians conference.

The background papers that have been posted on the conference agenda web site at http://www.aboriginalcanada.gc.ca/cac/2006forum/site.nsf/en/si00005.html are addressing some very important issues and questions. The four panel discussions are about determining appropriate policies and identifying effective strategies for the Aboriginal connectivity agenda that will be moving forward.

 Some of the questions and reference material that INAC officials are presenting as the options are included below. There are many other approaches to this work that has been demonstrated over the past few years. Hopefully the people who have been invited to this gathering will sound the alarm about this centralized approached to “taking care of the problem”.

 2006 National Aboriginal Connectivity and E-Services Forum - March 13, 14, 2006, Ottawa, ON

"Sustainable Aboriginal Connectivity as an engine for Social and Economic Growth”

from http://www.aboriginalcanada.gc.ca/cac/2006forum/site.nsf/vGraphics/Agenda/$file/CEDOL_Presentation_en.pdf 

Community Economic Development On-Line Year in Review - Framework for Progress

“The multiplying number of Aboriginal dedicated databases is creating confusion among users and a reduction in ease of use and efficient navigation. This may be resolved by developing a single location registry point for all Indigenous dedicated databases” - 2004 e-strategy blueprint

CEDOL Next Steps

• Seek approval from Aboriginal stakeholders to proceed.
• Establish an Aboriginal Canada Portal and Connectivity Working Group – Community Ec Dev Sub-Committee and develop work plan to:
  • Facilitate process to support collaboration and exchange of information that will engage multiple stakeholders. E.g. 2010 Olympic Games
  • Oversee development of on-line tools, models.
  • Identify connectivity solutions that work.
  • Initiate policy development processes and initiatives to identify and address gaps.
  • Share work plan and develop Internal/External stakeholder partnerships
  • Secure Resources for CEDOL

 From Aboriginal E-Government and Services “Draft” Overview at http://www.aboriginalcanada.gc.ca/cac/2006forum/site.nsf/vGraphics/Agenda/$file/Aboriginal_egov_presentation.pdf 

Key Aboriginal Connectivity and e-services Investment questions

• Do you agree with key Aboriginal Connectivity and e-services priorities (ie infrastructure, operating costs, community capacity and coordination/partnerships)

Aboriginal e-government and services questions/next steps

1.  Were you reasonably comfortable with overview presentation. Should a more detailed paper be developed. Would you help?
2. Should we elevate/enhance Aboriginal single window to the first level of the Canada Site (with business, international, and Canadians)
3. Should we formalize and strengthen a horizontal federal-aboriginal connectivity and e-services governance framework and how do we link regional efforts
4. How do we enable communities to keep and make full use of data (interoperability).
5. Do Aboriginal communities and organizations require information management capacity
6. How do we include and forge linkages between communities and Urban Aboriginal residents
7. How do we ensure FN, Inuit and Metis specific strategies and functionality.

From  Sustainable Broadband Connectivity in Aboriginal Communities at http://www.aboriginalcanada.gc.ca/cac/2006forum/site.nsf/vGraphics/Agenda/$file/Sustainability_Summary_Presentation.pdf 

 Federal-Aboriginal Coordination:

•  National, regional and community connectivity and e-service coordination
• Integrated Aboriginal single window e-services and partnership e-tools

 Questions/Guidance

• Are the primary element of the sustainability solution:
  • Broadband operating expenses
  • Technical capacity
  • Others?
• Is there a need for special Aboriginal measures for broadband operating expenses and technical capacity
• Should Federal Departments and Aboriginal Stakeholders work together to better coordinate Aboriginal connectivity and e-services?
• Is there a need for full or fractional time technical support knowledge in Aboriginal communities?
• At what level should technical support be provided? (1 or 2 people per community, 2 people per 6 communities)
• Are there other elements broadband sustainability that need to be addressed?

George Ferreira was contracted to video tape and produce a short production about that documented how the folks involved with the Keewaytinook Okimakanak Telehealth initiative feel about the evaluation process for this project. Cal Kenny, KO's Multi-media Producer, created a web page for some of the video material that was recorded by George.

Visit http://telehealth.knet.ca/perspectives.html to see George's initial draft production along with several clips from Dr. Joe Dooley and Garnet Angeconeb as they talk about telehealth and what they think it means to themselves as well as the folks in the north.

The Ontario Aboriginal Health Advocacy Initiative is a free information and training resource for front line and community service worker. Workshops can be tailored for your audience. All we ask of you is to set up participants, and arrange for suitable space.

TWO DAY WORKSHOP

Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST)

• Participants will examine their attitudes about suicide, learn how to effectively recognize and review the risk of suicide and develop intervention skills.

ONE DAY WORKSHOPS

Communications and Conflict

• Presents the elements of effective communication and resolution of conflicts through participant based case studies.

Cultural Sensitivity

• Provides cultural sensitivity training for front line/community workers and mainstream service providers.

Hepatitis C

• Provides information about Hepatitis C and it’s prevalence within Aboriginal communities with a focus on prevention and harm reduction.

Report and Proposal Writing

• Presents the complete proposal writing process from planning to evaluation.

Traditional Health: A Guided Discussion on Access and Issues

• Presents Aboriginal traditional concepts of health, the development of traditional health programs and client access issues.

Youth Healthy Sexuality

• Designed to educate front line workers/community members about healthy sexuality and to foster improved sexual health education to Aboriginal youth.

HALF DAY WORKSHOPS

Advocacy for Front Line Workers

• Identifies types of advocacy and the skills and attitudes necessary to be an effective advocate.

Complaints Process: College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario

• Provides basic information about the Regulated Health Professions Act and the formal complaints process for the C.P.S.O. including appeals and alternative complaint routes.

SuicideTALK (can be tailored to a one hour presentation)

• Is aimed for most community members to help make it easier to have open and honest talk about suicide.

PRESENTATIONS

MADD Awareness Training

• MADD Canada (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) PowerPoint presentation reviews MADD services and how to access MADD for community development.

Vicarious and Intergenerational Trauma

• A PowerPoint presentation designed to facilitate discussion.

There are three other Health Advocacy Developers located throughout Ontario.

www.anishnawbe-mushkiki.org 

For Further Information, please call the North West Health Advocacy Developer at Anishnawbe Mushkiki Aboriginal Health Centre in Thunder Bay, Ontario at 807.343.4843 or email at healthadvo@anishnawbe-mushkiki.org. Her name is Michelle Richmond-Saravia. Feel free to drop in at Anishnawbe Mushkiki as well. The address is 29 Royston Court, Thunder Bay, Ontario. We are locatted in Port Arthur off Camelot Street and Algoma Street.

NOTE: The funds provided through the Aboriginal Healing and Wellness Strategy are intended to provide an Aboriginal Health Advocacy Developers initiative. The purpose of the Health Advocate initiative is to address issues and concerns with regard to the equitable access to and quality of health services for Aboriginal, First Nations and Metis people throughout the province of Ontario. The Aboriginal Health Advocacy Developers focus on facilitating awareness, training and education of Aboriginal health service providers, front-line workers and organization representatives about various systems, protocols and approaches for dealing with various barriers to access to health services. The Initiative does not provide direct advocacy services. It is anticipated that Aboriginal cultural approaches will be reflected or used as a part of the activities and services proposed.

Unity is the common theme for this year's race relations week long event starting March 20th.

A new online Aboriginal Youth & Media initiative is being coordinated by the Women in Media Foundation and K-Net. Everyone is invited to visit http://meeting.knet.ca and click on “Media and Youth” to become part of our online learning and discussion environment.

Each student who registers will have a chance to win an iPod Nano! More importantly, youth will have access to the discussion environments as well as to exercises that will help them learn how to create their own media.

As part of the launch of this new initiative, we are asking everyone to forward this information about the new site to young Aboriginal students who might be interested in learning more about making their own media.   

It’s very easy to take part in this e-learning environment. Young people are encouraged and supported within this monitored environment to share their media stories and experiences with others. 

Again, just by creating an account will enter youth in our draw for an iPod Nano. We hope everyone will explore the information available, download some of the media tools or chat about media issues such as music and advertising.

Click here to see the poster promoting this new online resource.

This initiative is being funded in partnership with Industry Canada's First Nations SchoolNet program and Keewaytinook Okimakanak's Regional Management Organization project.