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On June 4 the staff from the Sioux Lookout Diabetes Education Program, Christine Penner Polle, along with the Diabetes Research team from Sandy Lake First Nation met in Thunder Bay to receiving training on the use of the new Diabetic Retinopathy camera. This camera was purchased for the region under the KO / NORTH Network Telehealth CHIPP project. The camera is used to take pictures of the inside of the eye. These pictures are then sent to an opthalmologist to look at. The Opthalmologist can determine if there is any damage to the eye, particularly from Diabetes, that might required corrective surgery. This camera is now in Sandy Lake where it will be until the middle of July. After that it will travel around for six months to the five KO First Nations with the Sioux Lookout Diabetes Educators. These nurses will be using it to send pictures to Dr. Schoales, an opthalmologist in Thunder Bay, who is working with the Telehealth team. This new and easy to use technology will help identify eye disease and help people get early treatment. It is a collaborative effort between the Northern Ontario Diabetes Research Project and the NORTH Network. For pictures of the equipment and the people working on this project, click here.

The headline reads, "K-Net Brings Broadband to Northwestern Ontario, pages 13-15", in the latest issue of Telemanagement - The Angus Report on Business Telecommunications in Canada (June 2002, Number 196). Read the stories at http://photos.knet.ca/telemanagement (posted with permission from Telemanagement) The first paragraph ... "Four years ago, the residents of North Spirit Lake, Ontario, had no telephone service and no Internet access. Today they have both - and the Internet came first." The story goes on to describe the steps taken since 1994 by Keewaytinook Okimakanak to bring broadband services into the KO First Nations and the region. The last section of the story summarizes the work being done by so many groups and individuals in this region and is worth sharing. It is a story about partnerships and what can happen with the right combination, as in the case of K-Net and all our partners (and the list continues to grow)! "K-Net and the five northern Community Broadband Networks (CBNs) we reviewed last month, demonstrate that it is possible to deploy broadband networks now in rural and remote parts of Canada. What it seems to take is a combination of "bottom up" and "top down" initiatives. It takes determination and commitment in the community itself. It also takes government funding programs, to bridge the gap between what communities need and the willingness of private carriers to meet those needs. It also takes champions: individuals in local communities and at the top levels of government, and at every level in between, who have both a vision of what broadband networks can accomplish, and the dogged determination to make it happen. None of those, by itself, can achieve the desired result. Governments can't roll out networks by fiat; communities can't create networks single-handedly; champions by themselves are powerless. But put them all together - combine a relatively small amount of public funding with a lot of local ingenuity, hard work and resolve - and almost anything can be achieved."

On June 21, 2002, Poplar Hill will have a men and ladies road race. This is the third year that this event has been held on National Aboriginal Day. The men's run is a good 5 km and the ladies is half the distance. There will be 1st, 2nd and 3rd place prizes which will be announced later. The race is no cost and will be run come rain or shine. Get in shape everyone!!

Treaty day activities, games and much more are coming up on July 4-6, in Poplar Hill. This is an event that we have every year. Also there's a fishing derby, this weekend June 14-15, 2002. The men are going for the biggest jackfish. The ladies will go for biggest walleye and the kids go for the smallest walleye.

Ontario Aborigonal Economic Development Program is now accepting applications for business and economic development activities. The deadeline date for submission are July 15/02. If you have any questions, please call David Neegan @ 1-800-387-3740 Background The Ontario Aboriginal Economic Development Program (OAEDP) is designed to promote economic development in Aboriginal communities throughout Ontario. The Program operates under funding provided by the Ontario Native Affairs Secretariat (ONAS). Program Principles The Program will promote Aboriginal self-reliance and sustainable economic growth. The Program will strive to address the economic development needs of Aboriginal communities. The Program will maximize accessibility to funding by Aboriginal communities in Ontario. Program funding will be distributed on a fair and equitable basis. Program objectives The objectives of the Ontario Aboriginal Economic Development Program are: to increase community economic activity; to increase the capacity of Aboriginal communities to participate in the economy; to support the business development needs of Aboriginal communities; and to strengthen Aboriginal Communities through initiatives that develop / enhance Aboriginal structures. Program Guidelines: OAEDP has three components of program funding: Organizational Development: maximum funding of $15,000.00 Economic Capacity Building: maximum funding of $25,000.00 Business Development: maximum funding of $50,000.00 OAEDP has 2 proposal calls per year: 1st Request for Proposals deadline: JULY 15, 2002 2nd Request for Proposals deadline: DECEMBER 02, 2002 For more information, please visit Ontario Aboriginal Economic Development Program

NSL E-centre held a meeting regarding plans for future operations. There were several discussions over possible programs and services that can be used for community development, hotel, restaurant, training courses, etc. The meeting went longer than expected due to the concerns of funding and cultural issues, native language, hunting, trapping, arts and crafts, etc. With the support of local band office and community members the North Spirit Lake E-Centre will begin dealing with a few of these issues. Take a look at some of the photos taken during the meeting.

Today the band office, school, clinic and various other offices were closed for the afternoon to join in the Earth Day. All community members participated in helping keeping our community clean. hey! check out the Photos at the photo gallery!

Fathers day, June 16 2002, will be the fifth year since our father passed away in Winnipeg. So here is something I wrote to remember my father, my dad, my Papa, my Friend .... Ennis Meekis - October 11 1932 to June 16 1997 It has been five years since, God called you home Now our Mom is with you, today cause god called her home too, Now you and mom are together again walking down the beautiful streets of gold But it still feels like yesterday when we saw you smiling, laughing. They say the pain gets easier but it's still there, it never seems to fade even though we know that You & Mom are very happy, together once again. We wish we could see you again hold you , hug you , kiss you even though you are both still with us in our hearts and around us all the time it's not the same when we can't talk on the phone, and say Hi, how are you today, How's my little angels (grand children) today. We miss you very much Love, always in our hearts Robert , Donna & Keifer, Roberta & Joey

WEBEQUIE VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT 2002
2ND ANNUAL TOURNAMENT JULY 31, AUGUST 1, AUGUST 2, 2002
MENS CHAMPIONSHIP $3000.00 LADIES CHAMPIONSHIP $2000.00
MENS ENTRY FEE: $600.00 LADIES ENTRY FEE: $500.00
NEED MORE INFO CALL JEFF WHITEHEAD @ (807) 353 - 6531

On Thursday, June 6, Dan Pellerin and Brian Beaton participated in the Thunder Bay Innovation Summit hosted by FedNor. This event proved to be a well organized and well attended event bringing together a wide cross section of business, industry, academic, government and organizations from across the region. The format provided everyone with the opportunity to contribute to the four challenges set out in the document “Achieving Excellence” as they relate to Northwestern Ontario: * creating new knowledge and bringing it to market more quickly * developing skills for the new economy * setting the right business and regulatory environment * strengthening communities across Canada. Ensuring that First Nations, remote and rural communities are recognized as leaders in innovation was a key purpose in participating in these summits. The challenges facing these communities and the people who live and work in these environments demand innovation and respect from all sectors. The majority of the Canadian population, industry, corporate and government sector continue to enjoy the benefits obtained through the contributions and sacrifices made by First Nations, remote and rural communities. A fair and equitable balance of resources and services must be available for the people in these communities to ensure their innovative and sustainable existence is maintained and appreciated by the rest of the country. The detailed report from all 35 summits will be posted on the Innovations Strategy web site under Publications and Reports. In conjunction with these sessions, FedNor hosted a Small Business Info-Fair with displays from a variety of Federal government departments along with local organizations such as NADF and some municipalities. The Rural Innovation Summit was hosted by the Rural Secretariat in Portage la Prairie. This gathering opened on Thursday evening with a challenging presentation by Arthur Bull who recognized that rural Canada is already the most innovative environment in the country. The workshop format the next day involved smaller working groups attempting to contribute to the questions presented in the Workbook for Rural Participation. This session seemed to be more of a sharing and collecting of information on the successes and challenges that exist in the rural sector across the country. I hope the authors of the final report will be able to provide some recommendations that can contribute the formation of government policy that will support the continued development and strengthening of the innovative qualities of First Nations, remote and rural communities across the country. The challenge still exists to make sure every individual and every community in Canada has the opportunity to contribute to the development of the policies and programs that will support Innovation in all communities across the country. The DO-IT-YOURSELF KIT on the Innovation Strategy web site provides a guide for everyone to contribute to this process. Please consider taking a look at the web site and sharing your thoughts on this important issue. Better still, get a group of people together to work through the information and provide a community perspective on local opportunities and needs. Of course, access to broadband connectivity sure would make it easier for everyone to participate in this effort. GET INVOLVED ... MAKE SURE FIRST NATIONS, REMOTE AND RURAL COMMUNITIES ARE INCLUDED IN THIS IMPORTANT PROCESS!!