Media.Knet.Ca

See the Press Releases issued by AFN and NAN below for their reaction to this federal budget along with CBC North news article about the new Conservative government's first budget. News coverage is describing this budget as the Conservative's attempt to get re-elected in a majority government by trying to attract urban voters through tax credits and reducing GST by 1 percent. 

The Budget Speech 2006 - Focussing on Priorities - Excerpts for Aboriginal Canadians

Mr. Speaker, people from many nations have built a good life in this country and contributed to its strength. But our First Nations, the first people to live here, face special challenges.  We must support our Canadian Aboriginal communities in addressing their particular needs.

• We are providing $450 million for improving water supply and housing on reserve, education outcomes, and socio-economic conditions for Aboriginal women, children and families.
• We are confirming up to $300 million to the provinces to address immediate pressures in off-reserve Aboriginal housing.
• We are setting aside funds to meet the Government’s obligations associated with the legacy of residential schools.

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ASSEMBLY OF FIRST NATIONS FEDERAL BUDGET REACTION 2006

Assembly of First Nations Statement on the 2006 Federal Budget - First Nations Sacrificed to Build a Better Canada

     OTTAWA, May 2 /CNW Telbec/ - "First Nations will remain in last place as a result of today's so-called "Building a Better Canada" federal budget. This disappointing budget does not begin to address the gap in quality of life between First Nations and other Canadians and could increase the gap through inaction.

     The Canadian public may see a $3.2 billion figure dedicated for Aboriginals in the 2006 budget, but $2.2 billion was already set aside last November as compensation for residential schools survivors. We welcome the money for survivors, but it was a measure to provide redress and acknowledge liability, not a new measure to build a better Canada for First Nations.

     The money allocated to address the critical socio-economic and infrastructure gaps faced by First Nations is more realistically described as a portion of the two-year, $450 million funding commitment that has been earmarked for "Aboriginal Canadians". That money is a drop in the bucket when compared to the $17 billion surplus, and is only a third of the money that had been allocated to improving quality of life for First Nations and other Aboriginal Canadians under the corresponding first two years of the Kelowna targets.

     The government committed in this budget to measures that will correct fiscal imbalances at the provincial and territorial level. Nowhere is fiscal imbalance more apparent than in the critical under-funding of First Nations health, education, housing and infrastructure, yet today's budget perpetuates the imbalance for our communities.

     There is a critical need to address First Nations health, social and childhood development issues, yet First Nations are excluded from the government's new comprehensive plan on wait time guarantees. This budget committed to a 6% escalator in health for provinces and territories, but despite previous announcements, there was no corresponding escalator for First Nations health. There is no First Nations-specific component in the government's child care plan and, while over $300 million was committed to addressing diseases like tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS in developing countries, there was no funding to address rising tuberculosis and HIV infection rates for First Nations.

     This government stated today that they will consult with provinces, territories and Aboriginal leaders to "develop a new approach". The approaches developed in Kelowna were developed with and supported by Aboriginal leaders, provinces and territories. These were not commitments from a particular party, but by the federal and all provincial and territorial governments. The Minister of Indian Affairs, Jim Prentice, has stated publicly that he was committed to "putting the wheels on Kelowna". Why is it now necessary to reinvent the wheel?

     This government has consistently stated that they are willing to discuss Kelowna targets. We are more than willing to meet to discuss implementing measures that will improve quality of life for First Nations, but this budget does not appear to offer much."

Phil Fontaine
National Chief
Assembly of First Nations

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

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/For further information: Don Kelly, AFN Communications, Director, (613) 241-6789 ext. 320, cell: (613) 292-2787; Ian McLeod, AFN Bilingual Communications Officer, (613) 241-6789 ext. 336, cell: (613) 859-4335/

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NISHNAWBE ASKI NATION FEDERAL BUDGET REACTION 2006

NAN Grand Chief disappointed with fraction of FMM commitments in budget

     THUNDER BAY, ON, May 2 /CNW/ - Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) Grand Chief Stan Beardy is disappointed only a fraction of the priorities addressed by the former Liberal government at the First Ministers Meeting on Aboriginal Issues was part of the 2006 federal budget announced by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty in the House of Commons this afternoon.

     "It's good to see the Harper Government recognize the need for resources to upgrade water, housing, and social services both on and off-reserve, especially considering the ongoing challenges of many of the communities across Nishnawbe Aski territory, including the second evacuation of Kashechewan in less than one year," said NAN Grand Chief Stan Beardy who represents 49 First Nation communities across Ontario.

     "It remains disappointing, however, that other priorities identified at the November 2005 First Ministers Meeting, such as health and economic opportunities continue to be neglected."

     As announced in Budget 2006, the Conservatives are committing $450 million to improve water supply and housing on reserve, education outcomes, and socio-economic conditions for Aboriginal women, children and families, $300 million to provinces to address immediate pressures in off-reserve Aboriginal housing, and funds to meet governmental obligations associated with the legacy of residential schools - a fraction of what was announced by the former federal government last November.

     The First Ministers Meeting on Aboriginal Issues, which took place in Kelowna, B.C. November 2005, had former Prime Minister Paul Martin's Liberal government announcing contributions of more than $5 billion over the next five years to close the gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians in the areas of education, health, housing, and economic opportunities.

     "If significant steps and strategies for implementation are not taken today to close the gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians, there will be continued hardship in taking responsibility for ourselves in terms of decreasing the burden currently posed on all of Canada," said Beardy. "In order to take responsibility for ourselves we need economic development and business opportunities, particularly in terms of skill development and partnerships with industry."

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/For further information: Jenna Young, Director of Communications, Nishnawbe Aski Nation, (807) 625-4952 OR (807) 628-3953 (mobile)/

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from

Tory budget kills Kelowna deal  May 2 2006 - CBC News

The Kelowna Accord– an agreement to raise aboriginal health, education and housing standards – has been killed in the new Conservative government's first budget.

Finance Minister Jim Flatherty told the House of Commons on Tuesday that the Tories want to meet the targets of the agreement made last November… but estimates show it plans to spend far less money than was promised under the former Liberal government.

The accord set aside $5.1 billion to raise aboriginal living standards.

Instead, Flaherty promised to spend $150 million this year and $300 million next year for vaguely defined efforts to improve education programs, provide clean water, repair crumbling housing stocks and close "the socio-economic gap."

But the budget states the new government is still committed to meeting the targets agreed upon at the Kelowna meeting of native leaders and politicians last November.

"The government will work with aboriginal leaders, and provinces and territories to develop a new approach with workable solutions," the budget says.

Other northern spending– or not

 
Finance Minister Jim Flaherty tables the Budget in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. (Tom Hanson/ Canadian Press)
 
There's some new support to ease housing pressure in the North. Flaherty confirmed up to $300 million will be spent over the next three years for affordable housing in the three territories. That money will be used to buy more affordable housing, including rental units and transitional homes.

Programs to improve off-reserve housing in the provinces will also get a $300-million boost.

There was also no mention of spending for a new military base in the Arctic. While on the campaign trail, Conservative Leader Stephen Harper surprised many observers when he promised to build a new military base in the Arctic to watch for signs that other nations were encroaching on Canada's sovereignty in the North.

Although the budget includes increased funding for the military, amounting to $1.1 billion this fiscal year, no specific mention was made of the new northern base.

One commitment the government did keep from previous Liberal promises was for a $500-million socio-economic fund for the Northwest Territories. The money is to be used over the next 10 years to help communities along the Mackenzie Valley pipeline project path address problems caused by the megaproject.

However, "[f]unding will be linked to project milestones and is conditional on the project moving forward," budget documents warn.

Ottawa spent $9.1 billion last year for education, social services, health and housing programs for aboriginal people, many of whom are owed the support under historic, mutually agreed upon treaties.

Opposition critics and most native leaders urged the Conservatives to honour the Kelowna deal. Crafted after 18 months of talks, it included a 19-page plan of targets and reporting requirements.

There have long been hints that the Tories would scrap it.

Conservative MP Monte Solberg, now immigration minister, was most blunt last January when he accused the Liberals of drafting the deal "on the back of a napkin on the eve of an election. We're not going to honour that."

Fulfilling campaign promises

The Conservative government used its first budget to follow through on several campaign promises, with initiatives that include reducing the GST and bringing in its monthly child-care allowance.

INDEPTH: Federal budget 2006

"For years, Ottawa has been overtaxing Canadians," Flaherty said in the advance copy of his speech to the House of Commons. "In this budget, we deliver real tax relief for Canadians."

The Conservatives said they will cut the GST by one percentage point to six per cent on July 1. The move is expected to cost the government $3.52 billion this year and $5.17 billion in 2007.

The government didn't specify when it would cut the rate to five per cent, as Prime Minister Stephen Harper promised during the last election campaign.

Income tax measures both remove and add some relief.

The tax rate on the lowest tax bracket will go to 15.5 per cent on July 1, after the Liberals cut it from 16 per cent to 15 per cent in their fiscal update in November.

At the same time, the government is introducing a new Canada employment benefit that will offer working people a $250 tax credit for 2006 to cover work-related expenses, such as home computers, uniforms and supplies. The credit rises to $1,000 for the 2007 tax year.

Child-care money

The government also followed through on another of its five promises by introducing a $1,200-a-year child-care benefit for all children under the age of six.

The government said it will spend $3.7 billion on the program, starting when the first monthly cheques are mailed in July. The payments will continue until the month in which the child turns six.

"While the universal child-care benefit will support child-care choices by families, we also intend to invest in creating new child-care spaces," Flaherty said in his prepared remarks.

He said the budget includes $250 million, beginning next year, to create child-care spaces.

More cash for the military

Canada's military will see its budget increased by $5.3 billion over the next five years, including money to speed up recruitment of 13,000 regular armed forces and 10,000 more reservists.

The extra money for the armed forces will also go toward new equipment, such as transport planes to replace the country's fleet of aging C-130 Hercules planes.

In keeping with the government's stated focus on security, the budget also includes $303 million over two years for border security and $161 million over two years to expand the number of RCMP officers and hire additional federal prosecutors.

Business tax cuts

Flaherty said the Conservatives will retroactively eliminate the federal capital tax as of Jan. 1, 2006. The tax, which is charged at 0.125 per cent on taxable capital in excess of $50 million, was originally slated to be phased out in 2008.

In order to encourage Canadian companies to hire apprentices, the government is also introducing a non-refundable tax credit equal to up to 10 per cent of the wages paid to qualified workers. The credit will have a maximum of $2,000 per year.

Flaherty said the government will try to curb its expenses by cutting some programs deemed to no longer be serving their purpose.

Flaherty said the Treasury Board will aim to find $1 billion in savings for 2006-07 and 2007-08. Details about the cuts, which could affect department and agency employees and the programs they offer, are expected by the autumn.

After putting aside $3 billion in both this year and next for debt reduction, the government said it expects a surplus of roughly $600,000 for the current year and $1.4 billion the following year.

Platinex described by Mining Watch Canada as "a penny stock junior company with no other properties" (Feb 2006 article) is now trying to get the Ontario courts to give it access to Big Trout Lake traditional territories.

From the Ontario Superior Court of Justice order dated April 18, 2006, Platinex Inc. and their lawyers are now suing ... 

Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation, Donny Morris, Jack McKay, Cecilia Begg, Samuel McKay, John Cutfeet, Evelyn Quequish, Darryl Sainnawap, Enus McKay, Eno Chapman, Randy Nanokeesic, Jane Doe, John Doe and Persons Unknown.

The plaintiff claims the following relief against the defendants, jointly and severally:

• General damages in the amount of $10,000,000,000;
• Special damages in the amount of $1,000,000;
• Punitive damages in the amount of $500,000
• An interim, interlocutory and permanent injunction:
  • enjoining the respondents and any person who has notice of the order from impeding, obstructing or interfering with, directly or indirectly, Platinex's and its officers', employees' consultants', contractors' or agents' access by road or by air or by water to the Platinex camp, drill sites and claims and leases.

Are you a community innovator? Does your community support and encourage innovation?

The following document provides a great resource for community leaders and individuals to review and work through to identify areas of innovation that are happening in your community and across the region. TAKING control and building the type of community where are children and families are able to thrive is what this work is all about ...

from http://www.innovativecommunities.ca

A Framework for Innovative Rural Communities
Supporting an Innovation Culture within Rural & Northern Communities

The Innovative Rural Communities project has been undertaken by a collaborative led by the University of Guelph along with three independent consultants specializing in rural development: M.E. Robertson & Associates, Alpha Projects and C. Lang Consulting.

Northern Distinctions ...

Although the research shows many similarities in terms of the innovation process and the conditions that enable innovation to flourish across rural and northern communities, the unique characteristics and conditions of northern communities warrant special reference.

• Northern communities express an understanding that they are the masters of their own destiny and responsible for the future of their communities. Communities of interest in the north are finding ways to overcome differences to address common community goals. Volunteers are playing a critical role in innovation and are being encouraged and supported. Youth out-migration issues are a priority among northern innovators.
• Northern regions are vast. Innovators in the north are, however, finding ways to work within these large areas to aggregate needs and pool resources. Northern communities are embracing and innovating with new information technologies as a way of overcoming isolation, addressing service provision and access, and providing business links for dispersed populations.
• Community and business representatives are looking at new opportunities associated with legacy industries in the natural resources that build on local knowledge and skills. Collaboratives with community agencies, business, educational and research institutions and governments are making these innovations possible. On the other hand, niche businesses and community-based initiatives are also helping to expand the local economy beyond the traditional resource industries.

Why rural innovation?

Many rural and northern communities today are surviving — not thriving. Yet rural innovators are creating new opportunities and bringing a sense of renewal to their communities and regions. Innovation is alive and well in rural Ontario!

Rurality is key — not a barrier — to these innovations. Innovation is one way to harness rural assets and put them on the path to progressive change. Innovators and their ingenuity have always been important in northern and rural communities. Nurturing this spirit in your communities is what Innovation Pathways is all about.

“Innovation responds to needs and establishes what you do. There is a healthy discontent with the way things are, and innovation addresses this discontent.”
- Rural Innovator

What is innovation?

When you work with these tools, think about innovation in its broadest sense. Innovation is about new products, processes and markets. It’s also about change.

Innovation for what?

Innovation can be for commercial purposes — a new product, service or market. For instance, value-added production of wood or agricultural products is an innovation for commercial purposes.

Innovation can be for community development. For instance, a community might lobby for new broadband services. Or it might start planning how to combine efforts for a new economic or cultural activity.

Innovation can be for environmental or natural resource management. For instance, a community might design new recycling services or form a wind energy co-operative.

Innovation can be for public program or policy. For instance, a community might develop a new land use policy. Or it might create a youth mentorship program.

Looking at your community through the ‘innovation lens’

When you look for innovation in your community, be sure to look for projects that are having different kinds of impacts. You may find creative projects that benefit individuals, organizations or businesses. Innovators in these cases are often overlooked. Think about the potential these projects have for benefiting more people in your community. Try to include everyone whose ‘know-how’ could be an asset in your innovation planning.

And try to include local innovators to look at things through the ‘community lens’. Are they planning a project that might create work? Have they linked up with local training and employment services?

Finally, remember to look at innovations that reach beyond your local community. These may bring in new wealth by making the most of both regional and local assets. Rural innovators need to think globally as well as locally — both to find good ideas and to market their innovations.

AFN Press Release - April 27

National Chief Denounces Government Inaction in Addressing The TB Outbreak in Garden Hill First Nations

            OTTAWA, April 27 /CNW Telbec/ - Assembly of First Nations National Chief Phil Fontaine commented today following a meeting with Garden Hill First Nation Chief David Harper regarding the deplorable lack of assistance provided to the Garden Hill First Nation which currently is facing more than a dozen cases of active tuberculosis (TB) in their community of 3,500. National Chief Fontaine stressed the need to raise national attention to the alarming situation in Garden Hill.

            "This community requires urgent assistance to protect further spread of this TB outbreak, a highly communicable disease that most Canadians would associate more closely with the Third World," stated National Chief Fontaine, "A strong commitment from federal and provincial governments is also immediately required to prevent recurrent outbreaks in Garden Hill and other First Nations communities in the longer term."

            In a 1999 report, Health Canada's First Nations and Inuit Health Branch recognized that: "TB is far more likely to occur in communities with higher levels of crowding (and) other risk factors for TB, such as poverty, substance abuse, remoteness, and various underlying medical conditions."

            77% of the homes in Garden Hill were built before 1979, and only 4% of those homes have access to running water. Compounding the problem, overcrowding is three times greater than the Canadian average.

            "When we first told of the presence of active TB in our community, doctors from Toronto and Vancouver were flown in," recalls Chief Harper. "They told us to cough with our hands over our mouths and then wash our hands. We had to tell them that in this community there is no such thing as turning on a tap and having easy access to safe water. Things other Canadians take for granted is not the reality in our community."

            Recurrent outbreaks in isolated communities such as in Garden Hill First Nation require new investments in housing and infrastructure, health human resources and public health. The Government of Canada committed in the 2005 budget and in the First Ministers Meeting in Kelowna to improve housing conditions.

            "The $600 million in housing and the $1.3 billion in health announced at the First Ministers Meeting must be honored by the new government," emphasized National Chief Fontaine, "Otherwise, situations such Garden Hill and Kashechewan First Nation will continue to bring shame to Canada. This is simply unacceptable in a country that is boasting of a surplus. If we do not invest now then Canada will continue to pay for the social and economic costs of this broken system. We hope that in the upcoming federal budget the new Government will recognize the need to work with us to build a better quality of life for First Nations."

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

                   Backgrounder on Tuberculosis in First Nation Communities
                   --------------------------------------------------------

            - In 2001, the incidence of tuberculosis (TB) disease in First Nations communities was, on average, ten times higher than that of the Canadian population as a whole (6 per 100,000).

            - Between 1975 and 2002, there was a significant decline in the number of cases and incidence rate of TB among First Nations. Most of the positive impact was achieved by 1992.

            - Over the last ten years, there has been limited improvement in further reducing the incidence of TB among First Nations, especially in western provinces.

            - Health Canada's First Nations and Inuit Health Branch (FNIHB) implemented the Tuberculosis Elimination Strategy in 1992, with the goal of reducing incidence of TB disease in the First Nations on-reserve population to 1 per 100,000 by the year 2010. FNIHB underwent a major review of the Strategy in 2005-06. No results have yet been shared with AFN.

            - It is not uncommon for communities in western provinces to have 30-50% of their population infected with the bacteria that causes TB. In 2005, Manitoba overall had a total of 42 cases (down from 67 the year before) of TB disease reported on reserve.

            - People who are infected with these bacteria may or may not develop TB disease during their lifetime. Only a small minority (10%) of people with these latent infections develop disease.

            - Repetitive TB outbreaks in endemic communities contribute substantially to the national TB notification rate. In 1999, 40% of First Nations on-reserve cases of active TB disease occurred in only 5 First Nations communities.

            - The Canadian Lung Association states that "For Aboriginal peoples, the overall proportion contributed to the total Canadian TB case load continues to be substantial (...) TB continues to infect Canadians because there exists a reservoir for the disease among population groups considered "high risk". Individuals at high risk for tuberculosis fit into one of two groups: first are those whose immune system is compromised, such as patients with HIV; and second are those located in socio-depressed areas, which may include inner-city slums, reservations, or underdeveloped countries". (http//www.lung.ca/tb/tbtoday/resurgence/)

            - Housing is an important determinant of health. Inadequate housing can play role in the spread of tuberculosis and other diseases, according to many sources:

            - The 1999 Tuberculosis in First Nations Communities report from FNIHB states that: "TB is far more likely to occur in communities with higher levels of crowding. It is recognized that overcrowded communities may also be more likely to suffer from other risk factors for TB, such as poverty, substance abuse, remoteness, and various underlying medical conditions." In fact, housing density was seen as a significant predictor of TB incidence.
            - The Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Chapter 6, April 2003, page 3: "Poor housing conditions negatively affect the health, education, and overall social conditions of individuals and communities on reserves".
            - The Canadian Policy Research Networks Inc, December 2004, page 2 , "There is a growing body of evidence that housing circumstances effect the physical and well being of families and individuals. This relationship has important practical consequences for policy, as improving housing circumstances should improve health". "Housing Advocates must argue, with supporting evidence, that housing expenditures can reduce health care costs"
            - The Greenlining Institute. Housing: the foundation for individual and community health. San Francisco: The Greenlining Institute; 2002, page 23. "They note that poor physical housing conditions are associated with respiratory infections, asthma, tuberculosis, and injuries in children."

            - The Government of Canada committed, both in the 2005 budget amendments and in the commitments from the First Ministers Meeting in Kelowna, to improving housing for First Nations. The overcrowding at Garden Hill First Nation and in other First Nation communities, and the consequent effects on health, require immediate action to let those funds flow.

                                   Garden Hill First Nation
                                   ------------------------

            - Manitoba Health is currently reporting a new TB outbreak in 20 First Nations living in Manitoba. This includes both confirmed cases and suspected cases of TB. The majority are Garden Hill First Nation residents.

            - Garden Hill First Nation's total population living in the community is over 3,500 members. Garden Hill First Nation has only 504 dwellings. The town of Altona, Manitoba, by comparison, has a population of 3286 (1996 census), with 1455 occupied dwellings. No new housing units have been built since 1998 and 77% were built before 1979. Garden Hill's overcrowding ratio is 6.35 persons per room; this is nearly three times the Canadian average of 2.6 persons per room. Only 20 dwellings or 4% of the community has access to running water. Of the 504 units, 16% require a major repair which is twice that required by Canadians overall (8%). In fact, according to Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, only 59% of existing units can be termed as adequate housing.

            - Garden Hill First Nation has no year-round road access to a service centre and, as a result, experiences a higher cost of transportation. Distance, measured directly, to the nearest service centre is between 400 Km and 480 Km. Patients who need to be medically evacuated from the community must travel by boat from the health centre to the airport.

            - Manitoba Health and FNIHB (Manitoba Region) are conducting contact tracing activities in the community. However, since the first TB case was not diagnosed for more than eight months, the community's leadership has requested community-wide screening; however, they are not being granted this request based on the lack of resources made available to assist them.

            - While a full complement of nine (9) nurses is required in the community on an ongoing basis, this level of capacity has never been reached and the community relies on less than half the number of nurses. Due to the outbreak only, FNIHB has increased the number of nurses available in the community on a temporary basis. On April 18, a full time TB nurse for the community started. As well, 2 TB regional nurses and an X-ray technician have travelled into Garden Hill.

BRIEFING - Garden Hill First Nation Tuberculosis Outbreak - April 25, 2006

            Manitoba Health is currently reporting a cluster of tuberculosis (TB) cases in northern Island Lake communities. A total of 20 active cases have been detected to date. 14 of these cases are among residents of Garden Hill First Nation whose total population is over 3533.

            These numbers are not insignificant, and represent half of the total number of TB cases seen last year in Manitoba.

            Garden Hill First Nation requires immediate assistance to prevent further spread of the disease, as well as long-term investments to eliminate the threat of recurrent outbreaks.

Immediate Assistance Required

            The source case remained undiagnosed for over eight months. Health Canada's First Nations and Inuit Health Branch (FNIHB) and Manitoba Health are conducting contact tracing, but the community is requesting community-wide screening. This request has been denied by FNIHB due to the need for additional resources to be made available to the community. As well, community leadership is having difficulty accessing information on the number of active cases and those undergoing treatment in a timely fashion.

            Chief David Harper temporarily closed the elementary school and day care due to workers at these facilities having been diagnosed with the disease. The community leadership is seeking reassurance that more cases will not remain undetected and expose children to unnecessary risk.

            Additional nursing staff is required to support Directly Observed Therapy. While a TB nurse has been assigned to Garden Hill in the interim (since April 24) and 2 TB regional nurses and an X-ray technician visited the community, regular nurses are overburdened with dealing with new TB cases and the overall standard of care has been seriously compromised.

            The Northern Medical Unit of the University of Manitoba will be conducting a self-assessment of what led the TB source case to remain undetected for so long. This assessment should be conducted by an independent agency, selected by the Garden Hill First Nation leadership, since the Northern Medical Unit is responsible for service delivery in the community. There is a clearly a lack of objectivity.

Sustainable Solution

            In 2001, the incidence of tuberculosis (TB) disease in First Nations communities was, on average, ten times higher than that of the Canadian population as a whole (6 per 100,000). Between 1975 and 2002, there was a significant decline in the number of cases and incidence rate of TB among First Nations. Most of the positive impact was achieved by 1992. This is despite FNIHB's Tuberculosis Elimination Strategy, implemented in 1992, with the goal of reducing incidence of TB disease in the First Nations on-reserve population to 1 per 100,000 by the year 2010.

            Over the last ten years, there has been limited improvement in further reducing the incidence of TB among First Nations, especially in western provinces.

            The 1999 Tuberculosis in First Nations Communities report from FNIHB states that: "TB is far more likely to occur in communities with higher levels of crowding. It is recognized that overcrowded communities may also be more likely to suffer from other risk factors for TB, such as poverty, substance abuse, remoteness, and various underlying medical conditions." In fact, housing density was seen as a significant predictor of TB incidence.

            The TB outbreak in Garden Hill is no doubt rooted in a series of confounding factors: isolation, lack of community control over resource requirements and intervention strategies, poor housing conditions, lack of running water and lack of nursing capacity.

            - No new housing units have been built since 1998. The total number of units if 504 of which 392 (77%) were built before 1979. Garden Hill's overcrowding ratio is 6.35 persons per room; this is nearly three times the Canadian average of 2.6 persons per room.
            - Only 4% of units have access to running water. Despite this, INAC has not included Garden Hill First Nation, or any other Manitoba First Nation community, in its "high-priority" list of communities to be addressed in the newly announced First Nations Drinking Water Action Plan.
            - Of the 504 units, 16% require a major repair which is twice that required by Canadians overall (8%). In fact, according to Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, only 59% of existing units can be termed as adequate housing.
            - Garden Hill First Nation has no year-round road access to a service centre and, as a result, experiences a higher cost of transportation. Distance, measured directly, to the nearest service centre is between 400 Km and 480 Km.
            - Patients must travel by boat from the health centre to the airport when they require medical transportation. Often, the boat must turn around before reaching the airport due to the need to stabilize the patient.
            - FNIHB has defined the total complement of nurses needed in Garden Hill First Nation to be 9 nurses. This level of capacity has never been achieved and the community relies on 4 nurses or less than 50% of FNIHB's estimated capacity requirement.

            In light of the above, the elimination of TB in Garden Hill First Nation requires a commitment from the federal government to the following:

            - Investments in housing and infrastructure. INAC Region has expressed some support for new water infrastructure, but restricted it to the central part of the community. This will only reach 200 units.
            - Investments in nursing capacity, to ensure recruitment and retention of a minimum of 9 nurses, as determined by FNIHB to be required.
            - Improved sharing of data between First Nations leadership, FNIHB and Manitoba Health to ensure a coordinated and agreed-to approach to addressing public health issues and emergencies.

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/For further information: Don Kelly, AFN Communications Director, (613) 241-6789 ext. 320, cell (613) 292-2787; Ian McLeod, AFN Bilingual Communications Officer, (613) 241-6789 ext. 336, cell (613) 859-4335/

Community members from Fort Albany and Kashechewan are now living in temporary shelters in Thunder Bay and Geraldton due to spring flooding in their communities. See the news coverage below ...

NAN Press Release - April 26

NAN commends City of Thunder Bay and Red Cross for emergency preparedness

THUNDER BAY, ON, April 26 /CNW/ - Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) Grand Chief Stan Beardy highly commends the efficiency and effectiveness of combined efforts of the City of Thunder Bay, Police, Fire and Rescue, Superior North EMS, Emergency Management Ontario, and Canadian Red Cross in preparing for approximately 300 evacuees from Fort Albany First Nation - the second NAN community evacuated in the past five days due to severe flooding.

"I commend the City of Thunder Bay's initiative and preparatory work of the Red Cross, emergency personnel, and volunteers in coordinating two working shelters well before the majority of residents from Fort Albany arrived in Thunder Bay yesterday afternoon," said NAN Grand Chief Stan Beardy who represents the 49 First Nation communities part of James Bay Treaty 9 territory, including Fort Albany. "It's great to see the community of Thunder Bay come together to assist our people and we look forward to working along side them at the two sites."

Evacuees from the First Nation community neighbouring Kashechewan First Nation on the coast of James Bay arrived in Thunder Bay late Tuesday afternoon after concern of flooding and ice movement in and around the community with an approximate total population of 700.

"I'd like to thank the city Thunder Bay and volunteers for their assistance and am hopeful the current situation is short-term and expect community members will be able to return home soon," said Fort Albany Chief Mike Metatawabin.

The evacuation is not expected to last more than a week.

The Canadian Red Cross is accepting volunteers through their Human Resources department at the local office, however will not accept clothing or food donations.

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/For further information: Jenna Young, Director of Communications, Nishnawbe Aski Nation, (807) 625-4952, (807) 628-3953 (cellular)/

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from http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2006/04/25/fort-albany060425.html

Ontario flies people out of a second reserve, chief says no need
Tue, 25 Apr 2006 - CBC News

Some people from a second Cree reserve in Ontario's James Bay lowlands are being flown south to avoid possible flooding, although the band chief says there's no clear danger.

The Fort Albany First Nation faces Kashechewan – the scene of epic water problems and repeated evacuations – across the broad delta of the Albany River.

Fort Albany declared a state of emergency on Sunday amid fear that the spring ice breakup would release a deluge, but the alert was put on hold after a surveillance flight on Monday.

Chief Mike Metatawabin told CBC News he did not request an evacuation but people living in one of three settlements on the reserve, Sinclair Island, called a provincial agency and said they wanted to leave.

He said he expected about 130 to make the trip to Thunder Bay.

The other Fort Albany settlements are on the mainland and Anderson Island. The combined population is about 900.

An Emergency Management Ontario official said the agency was acting on a request from a band representative and was set to provide flights for as many as 330 people.

Meanwhile, people from Kashechewan continued to be airlifted out to join others in Cochrane and elsewhere.

See CBC News story after the AFN press release ...

AFN PRESS RELEASE

Assembly of First Nations National Chief Statement on Minister of Indian Affairs - 

Announcement on the Residential Schools Final Agreement

OTTAWA, April 25 /CNW Telbec/ - Today in the House of Commons, federal Minister of
Indian Affairs and Northern Development Jim Prentice stated: "It's with pleasure
that I rise to inform the House that the Government's representative, the Honourable
Frank Iacobucci, together with the Assembly of First Nations legal representatives
of the former students of the Indian Residential Schools and representatives of
three of the churches running the schools have today reached substantive agreement
on a final Residential School settlement agreement. ... I've been informed that the
lead representatives for the Catholic Church groups involved with, has given their
assurance as well that all of those organizations will be confirming their support
for the settlement agreement. The Government will now immediately consider the
settlement agreement and the interim payments and the timing of those payments, and
I will keep the House informed, Mr. Speaker."The Assembly of First Nations National
Chief Phil Fontaine stated in response:

"When I went public with my own experience in 1990, I knew that any efforts to
resolve the legacy of the residential schools would have to involve not only
compensation, but healing and reconciliation as well. In 2004, the AFN issued a
major report that presented a better approach than what had been available up until
that time. It set-out an approach that provided for healing and reconciliation
between First Nations and Canada as well as fair and just compensation for all
residential schools survivors. Our approach was and is comprehensive. It is good for
First Nations because it provides for healing and redress and it is good for Canada
because it is faster and more cost-effective than lengthy court battles and class
actions. I stated earlier this week that the AFN endorsed the Final Agreement which
can now go to federal Cabinet because it is based on our approach. The AFN and
survivors have been leading this process and we endorsed the Final Agreement earlier
this week because it is based entirely on our approach. We welcome today's
announcement by Minister Prentice and his statement that the government will give
immediate consideration to the Final Agreement. He has our full support as he
secures approval from the federal Cabinet. This is a tremendous day for First
Nations, for survivors of residential schools and for Canada."

Phil Fontaine
National Chief
Assembly of First Nations
        
A Chronology of events leading to the Residential Schools Final Agreement is
attached. Media are invited also to review the AFN statement endorsing the
Residential Schools Final Agreement issued through Canada Newswire on April 23rd.
        
The Assembly of First Nations is the national organization representing First
Nations citizens in Canada.
        
Residential Schools - A Chronology
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
        
1890s - early 1900s
-------------------
Residential and Industrial Schools were established in locations across Canada,
predominantly in Western Canada for the purpose of "killing the Indian in the
child." Over 150,000 children attended these residential schools up to 1973.
        
1990
----
Phil Fontaine, Grand Chief of the Manitoba Chiefs goes public as the first Indian
leader to tell the story of his own abuse in residential school and calls for
recognition of the abuse, compensation and an apology for the inherent racism in the
policy.
        
1991
----
Several individual law suits are launched.
        
Some residential school survivor groups are formed
        
1996
----
The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples recommends that a public inquiry be held
to investigate and document the abuses in Indian Residential Schools
        
1997
----
July - Phil Fontaine elected as National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations.
        
AFN initiates negotiations with federal government officials for an out-of-court
settlement for the residential school abuses.
        
1998
----
Consultative dialogues take place between AFN, survivors, federal government and
church officials to set out the Guiding Principles for resolution of residential
school claims.
        
January - AFN and National Chief Phil Fontaine negotiate the Statement of
Reconciliation with a Healing Fund of $350 million for survivors of residential
schools. Government admits wrongdoing for the first time and apologizes to
residential school survivors in the Statement of Reconciliation.
        
May - The Aboriginal Healing Foundation is established.
        
A class action is commenced for a single Indian Residential School in Ontario.
        
2000
----
Further class actions launched by law firms.
        
2001
----
Department of Indian Residential Schools Resolution Canada is formed to deal with
the out of court settlement of residential school abuse claims.
        
2003
----
November - Canada launches an Alternative Dispute Resolution process.
        
2004
----
March - AFN and the University of Calgary Law School organize a national conference
to examine the ADR process and delegates find it to be seriously flawed.

November - AFN, through an expert committee, publishes the Report on Canada's
Dispute Resolution Plan to Compensate for Abuses in Indian Residential Schools,
which sets out the requirements for a holistic, just and fair settlement for all
residential school survivors, the key elements of which are:
- a lump sum payment for all survivors of $10,000 and $3,000 per year for every year
attended;
- and early payment for the elderly;
- a truth commission;
- a healing fund;
- a commemoration fund;
- a more comprehensive and fair and just process for the settlement individual abuse
claims.
        
2005
----
January - AFN begins discussions with officials to consider the elements of the AFN
Report.

May 30 - National Chief Phil Fontaine signs the Political Agreement with Canada. The
Agreement appoints the Hon. Frank Iacobucci to be the government representative in
final settlement negotiations. The Agreement states that the AFN will pay a "key and
central role" and that the AFN Report will form the basis of the Settlement.
        
July - Negotiations with all parties commence in various locations in Canada.
        
November 30 - All parties to the negotiations sign the Agreement in Principle,
incorporating all of the key AFN Report recommendations.
        
2006
----
All parties commence negotiations leading towards a final settlement agreement.
        
April 24 - All parties sign a final agreement, which awaits final Cabinet approval.

-30-

/For further information: Media Contacts: Don Kelly, AFN, Communications Director,
(613) 241-6789 ext. 320 or cell (613) 292-2787; Ian McLeod, AFN Bilingual
Communications Officer, (613) 241-6789 ext. 336 or cell (613) 859-4335; For general
(non-media) inquiries on residential schools please contact: Shannon Swan, AFN
Project Assistant, Residential Schools Unit, (613) 241-6789 ext. 332 or toll free
1-866-869-6789/

+++++++++++

From http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2006/04/25/residential060425.html

Residential school deal almost final - Tue, 25 Apr 2006 - CBC News

A final deal to compensate thousands of people who attended native residential schools has passed another hurdle and the federal cabinet could approve it within days.

Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice announced all parties have approved compensation for victims of residential schools. 

All parties in the negotiations have approved the agreement, Jim Prentice, minister of Indian affairs and northern development, announced Tuesday in the House of Commons.

The statement caused members of cabinet to stand up and applaud.

Although negotiators had indicated that the Conservatives would not give elders early payments, that now appears to have changed.

"The government will now immediately consider the settlement agreement, and the interim payments and the timing of those payments," said Prentice.

There are about 78,000 residential school survivors in Canada and about 8,000 are seniors.

'Painful part of our history'

All those over age 65 and living in poverty will be able to apply immediately for $8,000 in compensation even before the agreement is finalized in the courts.

Rosemarie Kuptana, who went to residential school for 10 years in Inuvik, says she has met a number of them in the Northwest Territories.

"It's time that the First Peoples in this country dealt with a very painful part of our history," she said.

Liberal Indian Affairs critic Anita Neville has seen a copy of the agreement that was approved by the parties involved in the negotiations.

She says it hasn't changed much under the Conservatives. It still includes a promise to spend $1.9 billion to compensate survivors.

"I am pleased to see that the government has finally agreed to endorse the agreement in principle signed in November 2005 by the previous Liberal government, the Assembly of First Nations and church leaders," said Neville in a news release.

Phil Fontaine, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, says approval by all parties is significant, since it took many years of complicated negotiations to get to this point.

"It's very significant to have all of the diverse interests that have been involved in the very complicated process of negotiations accept the final agreement," said Fontaine.

Two online news stories describe the current evacuation that is underway in Kashechewan First Nation.

from http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2006/04/23/kashechewan060423.html

Flooding forces 750 from Kashechewan reserve - Sun, 23 Apr 2006 - CBC News

Spring flooding has forced hundreds of people to leave the northern Ontario reserve of Kashechewan. 

A helicopter takes Kashechewan residents from their water-logged Ontario reserve to nearby Fort Albany, before they go south by plane.

About 750 people, of a total population of 1,750, had been flown south from the James Bay community to Geraldton and Cochrane late Sunday afternoon, Chief Leo Friday told CBC News Online.

Kashechewan declared a state of emergency Saturday when water levels rose quickly and asked for immediate help from the province.

Starting with old people and infants on the first day, about 350 people were flown to Cochrane by Sunday morning and 400 were being flown to Geraldton on Sunday.

Julian Fantino, Ontario's commissioner of emergency management, said as many as 900 could be flown out.

He said there's both good and bad news in the fight against the flooded Albany River.

Kashechewan's airstrip has been too wet to use – the evacuees are being flown by helicopter to nearby Fort Albany, and then south by plane – but workers started at 6 a.m. Sunday to compact the surface.

"It may be solid enough to be used" on Monday, and a plane will attempt a landing in the morning," the chief said.

But the dike that protects the community is leaking and basements are already flooded.

"At this point it's starting to leak slowly," Friday said. "Our generators may be flooded tomorrow."

On Sunday afternoon, Kashechewan asked for pumps to be brought from Moosonee. "If we can have at least a couple of pumps, we can save the whole community from being damaged," he said.

There is also a drinking water problem. Ice has taken the water-treatment plant out of service and the remaining residents are drinking water that was delivered, but Friday is not sure how long it will last.

The community has asked the federal Department of Indian Affairs to bring in more water.

Drinking-water quality not problem, Fantino says

Fantino said the flooding is unrelated to problems that forced the evacuation of more than 1,100 Kashechewan residents in the fall of 2005.

"This problem has nothing to do with the quality of the community's water," he said.
 
The water level receded by about half a metre early Sunday, but is still 3½ to 4½ metres higher than normal, the province said in a release.

Residents 'cranky'

Friday said people are 'cranky' with the federal government, which is responsible for the infrastructure, and has rejected local proposals as too expensive, he said.

"They're really pissed off at the (federal) government for not making the infrastructure work."

For example, the community wanted above-ground steel storage tanks for the water plant, but got below-ground concrete ones, which get contaminated by ground water.

The flooding is Kashechewan's third water-related problem in a year.

About 200 people were flown off the reserve last spring when the Albany River broke through the dike and flooded some homes.

Then in the fall, water-quality issues sparked a mass evacuation.

+++++++++++++

from http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/24042006/2/national-ontario-government-evacuating-hundreds-kashechewan-due-flooding.html

Ontario government evacuating hundreds from Kashechewan due to flooding - Mon Apr 24, 2006

KASHECHEWAN, Ont. (CP) - Spring flooding has forced the evacuation of this First Nations community, the third time in 12 months that emergency teams have descended on the remote James Bay reserve.

Kashechewan declared a state of emergency on Saturday and asked Emergency Management Ontario for immediate assistance. The Ministry of Natural Resources began by airlifting 232 residents to Cochrane, Ont., on Saturday night. Up to 900 additional residents were to be flown out Sunday to Cochrane, Ont., and Greenstone, Ont., said Julian Fantino, Ontario's commissioner of emergency management.

But Sunday's evacuations were slowed by the sheer volume of residents being shuttled by helicopters across the Albany River to Fort Albany, where 37-passenger Dash 8s and nine-passenger Twin Otter aircraft ferried residents onward.

Kashechewan's own airport was unusable due to damage to the road leading to the airport, and because of water and ice on the runway.

As residents lined up to be airlifted from Kashechewan, those in Fort Albany also prepared for the possibility that they, too, could be uprooted from their homes by the rising waters.

"Last time I've seen this was when I was a kid about 10 years ago," said Fort Albany resident Ross Ashmock. "I've heard that they're packing bags right now, preparing for the worst."

Fantino stressed the flooding is unrelated to problems with contaminated water, which forced the evacuation of more than 1,100 Kashechewan residents last fall.

Still, it's yet another setback for the community of about 1,900, said David Ramsay, Ontario's minister of aboriginal affairs.

"It was last spring they had an evacuation because of flooding (and there was the evacuation because of contaminated water), so this is basically the third evacuation now in 12 months," he said.

Ramsay said he planned to speak with his federal counterpart, Jim Prentice, and Kashechewan Chief Leo Friday about doing more for the community.

"There was an agreement by the federal government to do a partial move off the community, to rebuild some of the community on higher ground, and I think we need to . . . have a broader discussion (about doing more)," Ramsay said.

"I intend to bring this up with (Prentice) when I meet him (Monday)."

The water level had receded about half a metre earlier Sunday, but was still 3.5 to 4.5 metres higher than normal.

"Last night, the power system was down," Ramsay said. "In fact, they had to light fires at the airport so the helicopters could find where to land."

"There's a lot going on but we're getting the people out, getting them to safety."

Fantino said the military is also on standby with personnel and equipment ready to be deployed if necessary.

Monte Kwinter, minister of community safety and correctional services, said in a statement that Emergency Management Ontario had been preparing for possible problems in northern Ontario communities for more than a month.

"Flooding is an annual problem, and EMO has been working with communities to ensure their emergency flood plans were in order, and we have been talking with all parties involved to ensure a co-ordinated response to the spring flooding situation in northern Ontario," he said.

Medical students from the new Northern Ontario School of Medicine (http://www.normed.ca) are finally spending time learning from the people and the communities that they are suppose to be serving after their graduation. In pairs of 2, the 56 medical students will be spending the next four weeks in host Aboriginal communities as part of their final learning module for their first year of medical school. In August, Aboriginal leaders and health leaders will be meeting virtually in Fort William First Nation and in other First Nation sites to review the work of the school and the students as it relates to the experiences of the Aboriginal communities.

from http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2006/04/23/northern-doctors060423.html

Medical students bound for immersion in aboriginal communities - Sunday, 23 Apr 2006 - CBC News

More than 50 students from the Northern Ontario School of Medicine have left on what their institution says is a unique one-month immersion program in remote First Nations communities.

The school, a joint initiative of Lakehead University in Thunder Bay and Laurentian University in Sudbury, was started in 2005 up to address the shortage of doctors in northern areas.

Pairs of first-year students departed on Sunday to visit communities that don't have full-time doctors and are served by physicians who usually fly in for a few days at a time.

"No other medical school in North America incorporates a required cultural immersion experience into a student's learning," the institution says on its website.

Dan Hunt, vice-dean of academic activities at the medical school, said doctors who plan to work in the North need to be immersed in the communities they will serve.

"Both the aboriginal community and people who study cultural competency tell us to truly understand a culture, one must actually live there for a little while," he said.

Students to join in fishing, hunting and feasting

Students will spend 10 to 12 hours a week in clinical settings such as urgent care wards, after-hours clinics and youth and school programs, the university website said.

They will also spend up to 12 hours, experiencing feasts, hunting, fishing and other community activities.

The students are also expected to keep up with their studies through teleconferencing sessions.

The school is trying to graduate more aboriginal doctors and is focused on training people to work in the North, which means there is special attention to aboriginal needs.

Traditional native healers visit the two campuses, one each at Lakehead and Laurentian, and students can attend a sweat lodge.

Could boost respect for alternate healing methods

James Lamouche, a policy analyst with the National Aboriginal Health Organization, said aboriginal and mainstream views of healing are significantly different, and neither a community visit nor a classroom can properly teach traditional medicine.

"Elders will tell us that the healing is in the land, or it's in the language or it's in the ceremonies they're passing on, and it's not necessarily in a chemical or a treatment," he said.

But the immersion program does have the potential to imbue students with respect for another way to heal, he said.

School tries to reflect cultural makeup of North

The medical school, which began with the 2005-06 academic year, decided to include the immersion month after a community consultation with aboriginal delegates.

A 2005 report from that meeting recommended that "the graduates of this medical school be culturally competent in issues related to aboriginal health" and emphasized "the need to have partnerships with the aboriginal communities."

It ran a pilot program in June 2005 with student volunteers from universities in Ontario and Manitoba.

It recently held interviews with 400 students from all over the north for 56 open spots in the next school year.

It tries to reflect the cultural makeup of northern communities and seeks students who are from the North.

Among the 400 applicants interviewed, 16 per cent are francophone and 5.6 per cent are aboriginal. Women outnumber men by 61 per cent to 39 per cent.

Recent press coverage for INAC Minister Prentice and the AFN (see below for both stories) is now indicating that the long await Residential School Settlement package is close to being completed and agreed upon by all parties.

AFN Press Release - April 23, 2006

Assembly of First Nations Approves Final Agreement on Residential Schools Resolution: Urges All Other Parties in Negotiations to Sign-off So Agreement Can Be Approved by Federal Cabinet

            OTTAWA, April 23 /CNW Telbec/ - Assembly of First Nations National Chief Phil Fontaine announced today that the AFN has approved the final agreement to resolve the legacy of Indian residential schools. The National Chief is urging all other parties in the negotiations - Churches, lawyers and other representatives of residential schools survivors - to endorse the agreement so that it can be put before the federal Cabinet for approval and implementation.

            "The final agreement is consistent with the approach the AFN has been advocating since day one," said National Chief Fontaine. "It is a holistic approach that allows for healing and reconciliation, and provides for a faster and more cost-effective approach to deal with individual claims of abuse. The approach is good for residential schools survivors and it is good for Canada. We urge all other parties in the negotiations to endorse this final agreement so it can be approved by the federal Cabinet and we can begin the long-overdue process of bringing about healing and reconciliation for all parties in this sad chapter of our shared history. This approval is a necessary step in this settlement process and we thank the survivors for their patience and understanding as we move to final resolution on residential schools."

            On November 23, 2005 an agreement in principle was struck between the AFN, federal negotiator the Honourable Frank Iacobucci, survivors, lawyers and churches involved in residential schools cases. The agreement was to set in place a comprehensive approach that would include: a lump sum payment for all survivors to compensate for loss of language and culture resulting from the schools; a more efficient and effective process to deal with serious claims of abuse; a national "truth-telling" commission to bring greater understanding and awareness of this issue; and expedited compensation payments for the elderly. Based on the agreement-in-principle, a final agreement has now been struck and awaits approval by all parties.

            The AFN is of the understanding that once Cabinet has approved the agreement, early payments to the elderly will be processed by Service Canada. On April 19, 2006, Prime Minister Stephen Harper stated at a news conference that: "Our government is prepared to move forward with (the agreement in principle) towards a final agreement as quickly as possible. Cabinet has given its approval for that as has our caucus. The difficulty is that one of the parties on the other side is at the current time blocking the signing of a final agreement.

            The AFN Regional Chief for Saskatchewan, Alphonse Bird, stated: "The party being referred to is clearly not the AFN. I would hope that none of the First Nations representatives - including the lawyers who represent survivors - would hold-up a fair and just resolution for people who have waited far too long for healing. The survivors are aging and with each day another one passes on who has not seen justice or reconciliation for their time in the schools. This agreement is far too important to be blocked for petty or insignificant reasons."
       
            The Assembly of First Nations is the national organization representing First Nations citizens in Canada.

-30-

For further information:
Contacts: Don Kelly, AFN Communications Director, (613) 241-6789 ext. 320 or cell (613) 292-2787; Ian McLeod, AFN Bilingual Communications Officer, (613) 241-6789 ext. 336 or cell (613) 859-4335/

+++++++++++++++++++++++

From http://www.cbc.ca/sask/story/residential-schools060421.html

Deal close on residential schools, Indian Affairs minister says 
Apr 21 2006 - CBC News

A final deal on a compensation package for residential school survivors is only days away, Indian and Northern Affairs Minister Jim Prentice said Friday.

It was last year when Ottawa and First Nations organizations settled on a $1.9-billion compensation package for as many as 86,000 aboriginal people who attended church-run schools.

Prentice made his comments in Whitehorse on the last day of a week-long tour of the three northern territories.

Earlier this week, lobbyists and lawyers for the survivors said they had heard a final package may not be ready until next year.

There was great concern some people wouldn't live long enough to receive the compensation.

Prentice told reporters Friday the Conservative government isn't stalling on residential school payments. He says the final document is in place and court approval is being sought.

"I expect to have the final agreement in my hands within the next several days," he says. "I anticipate from my discussions with [special mediator Frank Iacobucci] that it will take another week or so to secure the agreement of all the parties."

The common experience payments would be for all residential schools students, which would release the government and churches from all further liability relating to the Indian residential school experience, except in cases of sexual abuse and serious incidents of physical abuse.

About 13,000 people who attended aboriginal residential schools in the 20th century have sued Ottawa and church organizations, alleging physical, sexual and emotional abuse and loss of culture and language. About 3,000 of the claims are from Saskatchewan.

Earth Day events were hosted on Friday and Saturday in an effort to support the need to protect and help our environment.

Students from Eel Ground First Nation with support from the Atlantic Chiefs' First Nations SchoolNet Helpdesk (http://firstnationshelp.com) hosted a national video conference with other schools from across the country. The archive of this special event can be found at http://webcast.knet.ca/fnhelp (Page 6) under the session entitled "Earth Day".

The session began with a special prayer from a local elder providing the teaching of the four directions as a guide for each of us to live the good life. INAC Minister Prentice provided a strong message about protecting the environment. Industry Canada Broadband Program Director, Kathy Fisher, spoke about the importance of video conferencing as one way to save on the use of fossil fuels. The session ends with a special combination of poetry, photos and music that celebrates our relationship with our mother earth.

Environment North in Thunder Bay hosted a special meeting on Earth Day, see Chronicle Journal article below ...

from http://66.244.236.251/article_5817.php

Environment North on the rebound
By CHEN CHEKKI - Thunder Bay Chronicle Journal -Apr 23, 2006
 
Earth Day is a time to think about how to make positive changes to the environment, a new director with Environment North said Saturday.

Graham Saunders, one of nine people elected to the environmental advocacy group’s board of directors on Saturday — Earth Day — said people can do something to prevent climate change.

He believes it is the biggest environmental problem facing society, and said people are trapping themselves if they use more fossil fuels, which leads to more climate change.

Climate change can then alter wildlife and crops, Saunders said. Reducing the use of fossil fuels and other consumption is a way to prevent climate change.

“Climate change is so interconnected with our energy policies and decisions,” he said.

Environment North was founded in 1972.

But it fell dormant in recent years, dwindling from a membership in excess of 300 down to about 10.

An effort to rejuvenate the group is underway. More than 30 people attended Saturday’s meeting and the group hopes to draw more participants over time.

Saunders said Earth Day symbolically recognizes that “we, as Earthlings,” have a connection with the planet.

Protecting land, water and air is Environment North’s focus, said the Chronicle-Journal columnist.

Environment North will push for bylaws to stop people from beautifying their lawns with pesticides, which can get on children playing in yards and contaminate ground water.

Saunders said the group also wants regulations governing the cutting of certain trees in the Northwest that have medicinal value. The trees could be part of a new economy in the region, he said.

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