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The "Leaders of the First Peoples of the Great Lakes Watershed" are hosting their inaugural meeting in Niagara Falls at the Niagare Fallsview Casino and Resort on April 11 and 12. The meeting will be web cast.

Click here for the agenda.

Click here for the link to the webcast (Windows Media Player required)

On the second day starting at 1 pm EST, the Ontario ministry of Natural Resources will be doing a presentation entitled "No Diversion: The Position of the Government of Ontario."

85 schools kick off Lieutenant Governor's twinning initiative    

TORONTO, April 7 /CNW/ - Eighty-five public schools throughout Ontario have been twinned with a Native school in the first phase of an initiative established by Ontario's Lieutenant Governor, the Honourable James Bartleman.

Today at an event held at Jarvis Collegiate Institute in Toronto, Mr. Bartleman was joined by Grand Chief Stan Beardy of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation; Sheila Ward, Chair of the Board of Trustees, Toronto District School Board; Doug Acton, President of the Ontario Principals' Council; and Andrew Gold, Principal of Jarvis Collegiate Institute in announcing the initiative.

"This twinning initiative will encourage Native and non-Native students to build bridges between their communities," said Mr Bartleman. "I am delighted that so many Ontario schools want to get involved."

The 85 schools, from 24 public school boards across Ontario, will launch the initiative aimed at promoting literacy among aboriginal youth. While all of the Native schools announced today are located in Ontario, Mr. Bartleman has also received requests from schools in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, and is in ongoing discussions to include Native schools from these Territories in the next phase of the program.

Over the course of the next few months, the public schools will:

• Establish a non-Native pen pal for each participating aboriginal student,
• Hold annual drives to collect used books, reference materials and musical instruments for First Nations children and young adults, and
• Host an aboriginal awareness week in participating non-Native schools each June.

"When we put our call out asking schools to take part in this program, we were overwhelmed by the enthusiastic response from principals across Ontario," said Doug Acton, President of the Ontario Principals' Council. "Students are really excited to connect with others from another cultural background. It's the kind of learning opportunity that enhances the ongoing curriculum in schools."

In addition to the 85 public schools taking part in the program's first phase, another 50 public schools have expressed their interest in participating, and will be twinned with Territorial schools once those schools have been finalized.

"Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) is extremely pleased to be part of the Lieutenant Governor's twinning initiative. It not only focuses on the awareness and understanding at the institutional or school level, but also makes a difference by pairing and involving students at the individual level," said NAN Grand Chief Stan Beardy. "This interaction and communication will go a long way in helping to sensitize young people in urban and northern communities."

"In addition," he continued, "the replenishing of books and the annual Aboriginal days will encourage involvement among young people. Promoting literacy will lead to increased educational aspirations, and an improvement in the quality of life for our community members."

The Ontario Principals' Council is a voluntary professional association representing 5,000 principals and vice-principals in Ontario's public elementary and secondary schools. Established in 1998, OPC advocates on behalf of public education and provides professional supports to its Members. 

Note - a list of all participating First Nation schools follows.

Lieutenant Governor's Twinning Initiative

The following schools will participate in the first phase of the twinning initiative:

• JR Nakogee Elementary School
• Michikan Lake School
• White Pine Ridge School
• Titotay Memorial School
• Dokis Indian Day School
• Aglace Chapman Education Centre
• Gabbius Goodman Memorial Learning Ctre
• Vezina Secondary School and Vezina Adult Education
• Lydia Lois Beardy Memorial School
• Biinjiti-waabik Zaaging School
• Kettle & Stoney Point Hillside School
• Migisi Sahgaigun School
• Missabay Community School
• S.G.E.I. School
• Delores D. Echum Composite School
• Wiiji Nimbawiyaang
• Walpole Island Elementary School
• Eenchokay Birchstick School
• Standing Stone School
• Moravian Town Kindergarten
• Standing Stone School
• Pelican Falls High School
• Wasse Abin High School
• Pontiac Elementary School
• David Kejick School
• Simon Jacob Memorial School
• Beedaban School
• Netamisakomik Centre for Education
• Pic Mobert Private High School
• John C. Yesno Education Centre
• Shawanowsowe School
• Thomas Fiddler Memorial High School
• Adults in Motion
• Chief Simeon Mckay Education Centre
• St. Andrews School
• The Georgina Island Indian Day School
• Niimki Miigizi Secondary School
• Miigizi Wazisin Elementary School
• Pic River Elementary School
• Baibombeh School
• Nibinimik Education Centre
• Bimaychikamah School
• Beausoleil Adult Learning Centre
• Keewaywin First Nation School
• Kinomaugew-gamik Elementary School
• Constance Lake Day School
• Kenjewin Teg High School
• M'Chigeeng Literacy and Basic Skills Program (Adult Learning Centre)
• Kenjewin Teg Alternative
• Laura Mckenzie Learning Centre
• Victoria Linklater Memorial School
• Rev. Eleazar Winter Memorial School
• Pegamigaabo School
• Samson Beardy Memorial School
• Neskantaga Education Centre
• Native Sena School
• Wapshki Penasi School
• Northern Eagle High School
• Peetabeck Academy - Elementary 
• Oliver M. Smith- Kawenni: IO Elementary School
• Mary Ann Aganash Memorial School
• Sakatcheway Anishinaabe School
• Lakeview Public School
• Tsi Snaihne Davey School
• Batchewana Learning Centre
• Francine J Wesley Secondary School
• Lloyd S. King Elementary School
• Waninitawa-gang (Chief Cornerstone Christian School)
• Wasauksing Kinomaugew-gamik Elementary School
• Big Island School
• Thomas Fiddler Memorial Elementary School
• Akwesasne Mohawk School
• Nbiising Secondary School
• Ma-tah-ha-mao Public School
• Constance Lake Alternative School
• Morris Thomas Memorial Christian School
• Henry Coaster Memorial School
• Constance Lake Christian School
• I L Thomas Odadrihonya-ni'ta' School
• Kana:Takon School
• Chippewas of Nawash First Nation Elementary School
• Lac La Croix High School
• Lac La Croix Elementary School
• A.Scatch Memorial School
• Martin Mckay Memorial School

For further information: please contact:
Peggy Sweeney, Ontario Principals' Council, (416) 322-6600;
Nanda Casucci-Byrne, Office of the Lieutenant Governor, (416) 325-7781;
Jenna Young, Nishnawbe Aski Nation, (807) 625-4952, (807) 628 3953 (cellular)

Sandy Lake First Nation

Present's

1st Annual Derek Kakegamic Memorial Invitational Hockey Tournament -

May 4, 5, 6 & 7, 2005

Sandy Lake First Nation Present's

Ladies Invitational Broomball Tournament

April 28, 29, & 30, 2005

Career day at the Reverend Eleazor Winter Memorial School in Wapekeka First Nation included presentations by Kuhkenah Network (K-Net) personnel. Included in the presentations was video conferencing connections with the Sioux Lookout office using the school's new polycom unit. The different classes enjoyed meeting Cal Kenny, K-Net's Graphic Artist and Web Site Designer and Jamie Ray, K-Net's Helpdesk Technician.

Click here to check out the pictures

Students indicated they are using the internet for their own personal homepages and spend a lot of their time visiting other people's web site at http://myknet.org.

Lakehead University's Aboriginal Education faculty members visit the Keewaytinook Okimakanak Research Institute in Thunder Bay  ...

Dr. Rosemary White Shield, Dr. Cecil White Hat of Lakehead University's Aboriginal Education and Dr. John O'Meara, Dean of Graduate Studies visited the Keewaytinook Okimakanak Research Institute (KORI) on April 6, 2005 to discuss research opportunities and Keewaytinook Internet High School (KiHS). The visit included a KiHS presentation by Fort William's KiHS teacher Craig Hardy by video conference. The many successes of KiHS were the topics of conversation as well as the mode of delivery of the secondary courses and of future plans.

For a look at some pictures of the visit click here

to visit the KiHS site click here

The Keewaytinook Okimakanak Research Institute completed a report for Industry Canada's National Satellite Initiative (NSI) detailing the impacts of the use of the Public Benefit allocation provided to the Kuhkenah Network (K-Net) and its partner communities. The report details the use of this satellite bandwidth since this resource was first made available early in 2002. It provides a snapshot about the development process, the community and regional engagement work, the management of the C-Band Public Benefit resource and the many impacts on the satellite-served communities that were able to utilize this resource. With Industry Canada's National Satellite Initiative along with FedNor's local infrastructure development dollars, ten remote First Nations in Northern Ontario now are able to access broadband applications and services. 

Click here to see the report.

Sign Language: Talking Hands - Communication Series presented by Sheila Wilson, Sign Language Instructor

Every Tuesday in April 2005.

From the new National Centre for First Nations Governance web site at http://www.fngovernance.org ...

The National Centre for First Nations Governance will develop programs and services that are culturally enriched and empowered by First Nations traditions, customs, laws and inherent governing powers.

The Centre has a two-pronged mandate. First, it is designed to support First Nations as they seek to implement their inherent rights of self-government and second, it will assist First Nations in the further development of their day-to-day government operations.

This means the Centre will support First Nations in their efforts to implement and put into practice their jurisdictional authorities and to achieve the well-designed characteristics of good government.

The Centre is based upon the principle of choice. First Nations may draw upon its services as they see fit and will not be required to do so by legislation or any other means. The Centre will operate under the control and direction of First Nations and is designed to be completely independent from the Government of Canada and our own political organizations.

The organizational structure of the Centre will consist of six corporate units and five regional units co-located in five offices across the country. This reflects an important principle underlying the Centre – that of having a strong regional presence across Canada.

Check out the videos from presentations at a Centre-sponsored Youth Think Tank.

• The Challenge - Patricia Monture uses her own experience to discuss good governance as it promotes healthier social, cultural, community and economic development for First Nations
• The Research - The University of Arizona's Stephen Cornell and Osgoode Professor Kent McNeil talk about current legal and economic research in First Nations governance
• The Centre - NCFNG Interim President Herb George discusses the launch and future role of the Centre, and the "role of our people in determining what the Centre will be and what it will do."