At last week's Sioux Lookout District First Nations Teachers' Conference in Winnipeg, Lt. Gov. James Bartleman announced his plans to expand the delivery of the Summer Literacy Camps to 25 First Nations. Below is a story in today's Toronto Sun about this work and the stories from last summer's camps in 5 Nishnawbe Aski Nation communities.

From the Toronto Sun at http://www.torontosun.com/Lifestyle/2006/02/19/1451149-sun.html

Hope for Native youth - Literacy programs are key
By SYLVI CAPELACI, TORONTO SUN - Mon, February 20, 2006

First Nations youth may be fluent in their indigenous languages of Cree, Ojibwe and Oji-Cree, but it's English they need to speak, according to Frontier College's Philip Fernandez, administrator of the Lt.-Gov.'s Aboriginal Literacy Summer Camps.

English is their springboard to career opportunities within their own communities and to the outside world -- to places far beyond their remote towns tucked away in northwestern Ontario, says Fernandez.

Given the right literacy tools, children of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation will see old age. For many, English is a synonym for survival -- a lifeline from death.

"Every other week, a Native child kills themself. One girl hung herself on a tree in front of the school. It's a real tragedy," says Lt.-Gov. James K. Bartleman.

Soaring suicide rates and their high-level of illiteracy are key reasons he initiated the 2005 summer literacy camps in North Caribou Lake, Kingfisher Lake, Muskrat Dam, Neskantaga and Fort Albany.

"Very few children make it through high school. Those that do are about five years behind other Ontario children," Bartleman says of this struggling population in transition from a traditional to modern society.

The five camps, staffed with 20 councillors recruited from Southern Ontario and about 40 from Native communities, hosted a three-week literacy program for 365 kids between the ages of 4 to 14.

Last July, Bartleman visited the camps and found the children dispelled stereotyping:

"They were really anxious to read and to learn. Even though we brought sports equipment, we found them drifting away from the ball diamonds and going back to the books. "  

Already big plans are in the works to run camps in 25 communities this coming summer and Bartleman has pledges from sponsors to pay for summer programs for the next five years.

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PHOTOSENSITIVE

Capturing the essence of the Lt.-Gov.'s camps is a compelling photographic exhibition, Summer of Hope, on view until Friday at The Allen Lambert Galleria in BCE Place (or visit website http://www.photosensitive.com/ps/).

The collection of poignant black and white images of First Nations children were taken by five top Canadian photojournalists who belong to PhotoSensitive -- an organization of volunteers who donate their time and their talent to raising awareness towards global and national issues.

"People think it's hopeless, this (the exhibit) shows that it's not. It shows the joy of life in the communities and that's why it's called Summer of Hope." says Bartleman.

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LT.-GOV.'S INITIATIVES

• In 2004, a program was launched that collected more than 1.2 million books for First Nations school libraries.
• To enrich learning and communication skills, a twinning program was created pairing kids in native and non-native schools.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED:

The Amick (beaver in Ojibwe) Book Club will supply books to aboriginal youth through the months in between summer camps. The Lt.-Gov. urges all Canadians to get involved:

"A $100 donation or even 10 individual $10 donations will pay for a child's participation for one year in the club." With this funding, each child will receive six books a year plus a magazine that they will be encouraged to submit stories to.

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To make a donation, mail to: Club Amick, The Southern Ontario Library Service, 111 Peter St., Suite 902, Toronto, ON, M5V 2H1, or call 1-800-387-5765.

This past week's gathering of Aborginal Community Coordinators at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) was another step in the preparation for first year medical students who will be moving to their four week Aboriginal community placements at the end of April. The meetings took place in Thunder Bay and Sudbury (click here to see the NOSM press release about this gathering).

From Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal news online, Sunday, Feb 19, 2006 - http://66.244.236.251/article_4232.php

Med students in for remote experiences
By JONATHAN WILSON

The future doctors of Northern Ontario could be in for a major culture shock this spring.

Northern Ontario School of Medicine students will be leaving the relative comforts of Thunder Bay and Sudbury for remote First Nations in mid-April for a month-long immersion program. 

“For most of these students, it will probably be their first time in an aboriginal or First Nation or Metis setting,” Orpah McKenzie, NOSM’s director of aboriginal affairs, said Thursday.

“It’s a variety of experiences, and it’s all going to happen in four weeks.”

The 56 first-year medical students will be sent in pairs to 28 communities from Moose Factory to Muskrat Dam to Sucker Creek.

Besides their clinical training, they’ll each be equipped with laptop computers and Internet access to continue their regular classroom studies for 12 hours each week.

Another 12 hours will be dedicated to participating in cultural activities unique to the remote North.

“Our community, they do a lot of fishing and hunting,” said Don Sofea, director of health and social services for Nibinamik, also known as Summer Beaver. “You would hunt moose and possibly geese.

“I think it’s going to be a fabulous four weeks for them, and a fabulous four weeks for us.”

The First Nations placement program was one of the primary components envisioned when the medical school was being developed, to help introduce future physicians to the realities of Northern medicine.

“It’s a major reason why this school exists,” said Joel Lanphear, NOSM’s associate dean of undergraduate medical education for the Lakehead University campus.

“The real value is immersion in the culture, as part of our social accountability mandate.”

The two students in Nibinamik will likely reside at Amik Lodge, a sort of hotel-overnight unit for resource people who come into the community, or in the teacherage next to the community’s school.

“In some places, they’ll be in the chief’s home,” Lanphear said.

Nibinamik’s population is mostly Ojibwa-speaking, and Sofea said the med students will be encouraged to explore the area and mingle with residents and elders.

They’ll also be challenged to quickly figure out what their patients are trying to tell them about their conditions.

“They’re going to have to really learn about us,” Sofea said.

Translators will be available, along with each community’s regular nursing staff, nurse practitioners and travelling physicians.

McKenzie said the students may also learn from traditional healers about alternative health care, and partake in traditional ceremonies and feasts.

Health co-ordinators from the 28 communities toured the med school facilities in Thunder Bay and Sudbury this week, the latest step in a two-year process to develop the student placement program.

The group which toured LU also met with some of the students who will be placed in their communities from mid-April until mid-May.

“I think they’re going to have a very enjoyable experience, they’re going to get an eye-opener from this,” said Dean Wilson, office manager of the Gizhewaadiziwin health access centre near Fort Frances which co-ordinates health care in several communities from Lac La Croix to Big Grassy First Nation.

The two students placed at Gizhewaadiziwin will travel to all its communities during their four-week placement and learn about the unique challenges of rural transportation.

“People in Lac Le Croix have to drive 2 1/2 hours one way just to see a doctor,” Wilson said.

“The students are going to see what the difficulty is of getting around in Northwestern Ontario, how difficult it is for these people to access some of these services and what they have to go through.”

McKenzie said the First Nations officials themselves are also learning about what the med school students need to advance their education.

The overall goal is to provide an enriching experience, and convince at least some of the students to return to the First Nations later in their lives.

“Hopefully, exposing students at an early stage in their career to Northern communities, rural communities . . . in the end they will stay and practice,” McKenzie said.

“If we get five or six new doctors in the next few years,” added Wilson, “for Northwestern Ontario, that’s very important.
“We’ve got four weeks to sell them.”

The First Nations placements will continue throughout the four-year program, Lanphear said, adding the cultural component is also a part of the students’ everyday learning.

"Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack"

Where:  Heritage Centre, Red Lake
Time:  1:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Date:  Saturday, Feb 18, 2006

This workshop will be facilitated by Dr. Celia Haig-Brown, professor at York University, Author of:

• Resistance and Renewal: Surviving the Indian Residential School,
• Taking Control: Power and Contradiction in First Nation Adult Education
• Making the Spirit Dance Within: Joe DuQuette High School and an Aboriginal Community.

This workshop is the sixth of an on-going series that is intended to help heal and develop cross-cultural relationships.  This particular workshop will be about de-colonizing / undoing racism work, with the focus on the residential schools.  The workshop will include a tour of the "Where are the Children?" exhibit now on display at the Heritage Centre.

Everyone is welcome to attend; it is not necessary to have attended previous sessions to participate.  Registration is by donation.  Please bring your own refreshments.

For more information, please call Kaaren at 727-3196 or 727-3006. Miikwech!

Michele Alderton
Director/Curator, Red Lake Regional Heritage Centre
P.O. Box 64
51A Highway 105
Red Lake, ON, P0V2M0
Tel: (807) 727-3006   Fax:  (807) 727-2686
Website:  http://redlakemuseum.com

Showing until March 31st at the Heritage Centre:  Where are the Children? Healing the Legacy of Residential Schools 
http://www.wherearethechildren.ca
 and Residential Schools, the Red Lake Story,  http://www.redlakemuseum.com (Click on the Education Program link from our home page to see our Events Calendar)

From Kenora Daily Miner News online at http://www.kenoradailyminerandnews.com./story.php?id=213733

Treaty 3 youth descend on Kenora for healing conference
Aboriginal youth from across Northwestern Ontario and eastern Manitoba joined with elders and community members Wednesday as they sought ways to the heal the deep troubles facing the new generation.

By Mike Aiken Thursday February 16, 2006

Aboriginal youth from across Northwestern Ontario and eastern Manitoba joined with elders and community members Wednesday as they sought ways to the heal the deep troubles facing the new generation.

Perhaps the most daunting is the appearance of crystal meth in neighbouring First Nations.

“It’s already in my community,” said presenter Kenny Kakeeway of Whitefish Bay.

Even those going through treatment can take five or six months to recover their sense of self, and another four years to regain their thought processes, Kakeeway noted.

“This is a highly addictive drug,” he emphasized, adding local treatment centres are not yet able to handle clients hooked on the drug.

At Whitefish Bay, residents have lost at least eight young members to suicide within 18 months, while another 26 have attempted to take their own lives.

Two years ago, Treaty 3 declared a state of emergency in an attempt to get outside help for their generation in turmoil. At the time, crisis call workers at Wabaseemoong (Whitedog) were logging 300 calls a month, while intervention workers estimated there were 200 children in care.

“We’re Anishinabe,” said Kakeeway.

“We lost a lot of our culture in the residential schools, so we have to go back to that,” he added, referring to the many traditional, sacred practices described by elders during the conference.

Whitefish allows alcohol, which is how harder drugs find their way into homes on the reserve, said Kakeeway.

If young people learned their traditional names and clans, they could claim their roles in society and gain a sense of belonging.

“Once you have that, then you don’t need drugs and other things,” he said.

Organizer Tina Armstrong estimated about 280 attended Wednesday’s session.

The new Boreal Prospectors Association was announced today to promote prosperity through mineral development in Northern Ontario 

Thursday 16th February 2006; Thunder Bay, ON: The Boreal Prospectors Association (BPA) announced today that it has been established to provide a forum in which its members can identify and address the many unique geographical, governmental and cultural challenges facing the mineral industry in Ontario’s far north.

The founding of The Boreal Prospectors Association (BPA) comes at a time of increasing mineral exploration activity and significant discoveries being made in Northern Ontario. It is being pioneered as a member of the Ontario Prospectors Association (OPA) by an executive of independent prospectors, regional First Nation representatives and industry representatives active in Northern Ontario.

Says Doug Parker, a director of The Boreal Prospectors Association: “The role of the mineral industry is becoming increasingly important to economic development of Northern Ontario’s communities. It is the intent of our Association to engage and support individual northern prospectors and to facilitate community-industry interaction by encouraging capacity building and mutual understanding. Through this approach the Association will seek to ensure that mineral industry activities occur to the benefit of local communities, lead to sustainable development within the region and result in a more robust mineral industry.”

Director David Duchesne adds, “The Boreal Prospectors Association can help to enhance northern prosperity by listening to northern voices and echoing the needs of our members. By providing a mechanism that encourages northerners to become part of the mineral industry, the Association can help to create a link to people, land and resources, build lasting partnerships and foster a strong business environment.”

Interested members of the public are invited to attend the association’s annual general meeting and symposium, THE NORTHERN ONTARIO MINES AND MINERALS SYMPOSIUM “Building a Sustainable Future on Bedrock” on February 21st and 22nd, 2006 in Sioux Lookout. For more information visit or email: borealprospectors@hotmail.com.

-30-

Media Contact:

Stephanie Ash, Firedog Communications Inc.
Tel: 1 (807) 767-4443; Cell: 1 (807) 472-5276; Email: stephanie@firedogpr.com

Notes to the Editor:

About The Boreal Prospectors Association

The executive of the Boreal Prospectors Association includes: Thomas Tookate (Attawapiskat), Doug Parker (Independent Prospector), Luc McKay (Shibogama), Mike Fox (NADF), David Duchesne (IFNA), Michael Cunningham (De Beers Canada) and Mitch Diabo (Kasabonika). Currently there are 36 members of the association approximately half of whom reside in northern communities and the remainders are involved with industry and government.

The region North of 51 includes approximately 35 communities all of which are First Nation with the exception of Pickle Lake and Moosonee.

The concept of the association was first proposed by the leadership of Kasabonika Lake First Nation in an effort to encourage capacity building and understanding of the mineral industry in northern communities, improve engagement of the mineral industry with residents of the north and increase local participation in the industry.

Northern Ontario School of Medicine Press Release - Feb 14, 2006

28 Aboriginal Health Leaders From Across Northern Ontario Gather at Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM)

For Immediate Release:  Tuesday, February 14, 2006 -- Aboriginal health leaders from the three major treaty organizations and health access centres of Northern Ontario will be arriving at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine's East and West campuses at Laurentian and Lakehead Universities respectively, later this afternoon for a two-day NOSM orientation session.  The leaders will travel to NOSM from the 28 communities that have been selected as medical student teaching sites.  Each community will host two NOSM students for a four-week placement starting in April, 2006 where the students will learn first-hand about disease, illness, preventative care, healing and health in a rural, remote environment.

NOSM's Director of Undergraduate Medical Education Programs, Marie Matte explained the importance of this part of the NOSM curriculum which provides a hands-on approach to medical education.  "These community placements are the first of many for first year NOSM students.  It is important that we have the input of the community leaders in the development of this unique component of the NOSM curriculum."

Students will spend between 10-12 hours per week in clinical settings such as urgent care, after hours clinics, youth and school programs, substance abuse centres, outpatient settings with RNs, MDs and visiting health care professionals.  Not only will students learn the clinical skills required for the curriculum, they will also examine the roles of all health care providers in rural/remote settings.   During the placements, students will also be required to continue their classroom learning through scheduled sessions that will be delivered through videoconferencing technology.

Orpah McKenzie, NOSM's Director of Aboriginal Affairs noted that the placements will have a large focus on culture.  Students will be expected to spend up to 12 hours per week in community-based, culturally-focused experiences ranging from feasts to hunting and fishing.  "It is important that NOSM graduates are aware of the North's cultural diversity and vibrancy.  By immersing NOSM students in remote, rural Aboriginal communities, they will learn integral communications skills for practicing medicine in the North."

While at NOSM, the Aboriginal leaders will become more familiar with NOSM's curriculum and how it applies to their community.  They will end their orientation session with a congratulatory luncheon on Thursday, where each of the 28 communities will be formally recognized as NOSM Teaching Sites.

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine is a pioneering faculty of medicine. The School is a joint initiative of Lakehead and Laurentian Universities with main campuses in Thunder Bay and Sudbury, and multiple teaching and research sites across Northern Ontario. By educating skilled physicians and undertaking health research suited to community needs, the School will become a cornerstone of community health care in Northern Ontario.

- 30 -

For more information, or to arrange for an interview, please contact:

Tracie Smith
NOSM West Campus
807-766-7314 or 807-624-7862
Tracie.Smith@normed.ca  

or      Joey McColeman
NOSM East Campus
705-662-7275
Joey.McColeman@normed.ca

Communications Unit
Northern Ontario School of Medicine
West Campus
Lakehead University
955 Oliver Rd.
Thunder Bay ON  P7B 5E1
Tel: 807-766-7300
Fax: 807-766-7370

East Campus
Laurentian University
935 Ramsey Lake Rd.
Sudbury ON  P3E 2C6
Tel: 705-675-4883
Fax: 705-675-4858
E-mail: NormedNews@NorMed.ca

From http://www.tbsource.com/Localnews/index.asp?cid=80372

The submission included a list of "Key Messages for Ontario Power Authority Submission Advice to Minister of Energy". Click here for a copy of the complete NADF submission (PDF document). 

The one additional item that has now been added to the Five Nation Energy construction project serving Fort Albany, Kashechewan and Attawapiskat is the inclusion of a fiber optic cable that will serve these First Nations. This First Nation owned resource will support further economic development opportunities across the region.

Residential School Christian Survivors

Sioux Lookout Area

RE: RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL CHRISTIAN SURVIVORS

FORUM: February 21–23, 2006 at Sunset Inn

God Bless !

At this time, I am providing the following:

• Wawatay Radio Broadcast No. 2 – February 8, 2006
• Agenda for the Christian Survivors Forum
• The Canadian Holocaust: Crimes Perpetuated Against Aboriginal Peoples

For the Youth who read the K-Net News; I have a Special Request.

Can you print out this information and provide copies to those Residential School Survivors who have accepted the Christian Faith plus the Reverends; Pastors; and other Church Leaders in each of your communities. THANK YOU !

For further information; the Contact Numbers are as follows:

• Phone No. (807) 535-2620
• Fax No. (807) 535-1152
• mikemorris@knet.ca

Mike Morris
Signatory to Treaty 9
Kitchenuhmaykoosib Nation
Kasabonika Lake Reserve

WAWATAY RADIO BROADCAST No. 2 Feb. 8/ 06

God Bless !

If you fail to deliver the warning; they will die in their sins. And I will hold you responsible, demanding your blood for theirs. Ezekiel 3:18

I will be talking about the Agreement-in-Principle which was signed on November 20, 2005 by Canada; four (4) Churches; AFN; and some Legal Firms. The Honourable Frank Iacobucci must submit his Report for the final Comprehensive Settlement Package to Stephen Harper’s Cabinet on March 31, 2006. THE PLAN is to provide the Common Experience Payment of $ 10,000.00 plus $ 3,000.00 for each year to each Residential School Survivors who was alive on May 30, 2005.

I will not be talking about the Money as that matter is being dealt with by AFN; NAN; and our First Nation leaders. I will only make one comment for our leaders. The leaders must address the issue of Canada, our Treaty Partner, coming to our Nation and taking our Children away to their Residential School. Treaty 9 was broken by Canada. As NAN spent a lot of our money on their recent Treaty Conference; the Grand Chief must provide his Position Paper on this issue.

I want to talk to the Residential School Christian Survivors.

The Major Problem for the Christian Survivors is that over 50,000 helpless Indigenous Children were killed at these 130 Residential Schools which operated across Canada for 122 years. By accepting the offered Compensation Funds; the Survivors are being paid to accept that this Genocide ( Murder ) is only “ Certain Harms and Abuses ”. THIS IS WRONG ! ! ! The Crimes of Genocide is still Murder.

For the Survivors who have accepted the Christian Faith; we must understand what is happening. Even if we don’t say or do anything and our Fellow Survivors accept the offered Compensation Funds; their acceptance will signify our own acceptance.

WHAT will the Survivors be accepting ?

1. We will be accepting the murder of over 50,000 helpless Indigenous Children as just “ Certain Harms and Abuses ”. The Residential School Policy ( which created the Residential Schools where these Indigenous Children were killed ) was one of Canada’s Policies for our People. We will also be accepting the Policy which resulted in the loss of over 50,000 Souls. The Survivors become Accomplices to what happened.

2. We will become Party to the process whereby the 6^th Commandment is not applied to these Murders. If we do this; One Elder has stated that we are condemning our own souls to Hell. I don’t fully understand this teaching but I appreciate the concern. As the Survivors who have accepted the Christian Faith; we cannot ignore the 6^th Commandment and only accept the other nine ( 9 ) Commandments. Personally, I need help on this Issue.

3. Our own People will have paid 6.25 Cents of each and every Dollar of these offered Compensation Funds that you will receive. Our own People ( your Fellow Survivors ; your families ) will be paying for your misery. WHY are our own People paying ? Did our own People send us to these Residential Schools ?

4. You are being paid for your Forgiveness. Once you have spent this money; your Residential School Issues will still remain with you.
WHAT have our own People done to the Survivors ?
WHAT are our own People paying us to forgive them for ?

Example:

1. If you get paid $ 19,000.00 - $10,000.00 for the Common Experience Payment plus $ 9,000.00 ( $ 3,000.00/Year x 3 Years ).
2. Canada pays 75 % or $ 14,250.00.
3. The four ( 4 ) Churches pay 25 % or $ 4,750.00.
4. The Anglican Church pays 25 % or $ 1,187.50.

5. You will be required to forget about those Survivors who have passed on as of May 29, 2005. You will be required to forget about their own misery plus the misery of their families. We have five ( 5 ) Survivors who have passed on as of May 29, 2005.

I don’t know about the rest of you but the killing of over 50,000 Children plus the life-long difficulties of the Survivors is much more than just “ Certain Harms and Abuses ”. What was allowed at these Residential Schools was Murder and goes against the 6^th Commandment.

As one (1) Survivor who has accepted the Christian Faith; I find it very difficult to accept the offered Compensation Funds – at this time. If being paid and accepting the Murder of over 50,000 helpless Indigenous Children means Eternal Damnation; We need HELP to make the Right Choice.

We need help with resolving these Spiritual Issues.

We need help from those Residential School Survivors who are Pastors and Reverends. Our Plan is to hold the Residential School Christian Survivors Forum at Sioux Lookout on February 21-23, 2006. Detailed Information about the Christian Survivors Forum is provided with The Notice ( in the February 9^th Wawatay Newspaper edition ).

If you are Residential School Survivor who is a Pastor or Reverend – we need your help !

You are invited to participate but you are required to pay for your own expenses. We might have Special Wasaya Fares and the Sunset Inn has provided Special Room Rates.

WE NEED FINANCIAL HELP for the following:

1. $ 2,000.00 for Reverend Kevin Annett – Author of HIDDEN FROM HISTORY.

2. $ 932.00 for the Meeting Room Costs.

3. $ 238.00 for The Notice.

4. $ 250.00 for Wawatay Radio.

5. $ 1,500.00 for the Sound/Recording Equipment.

RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL CHRISTIAN SURVIVORS FORUM: February 21-23, 2006

1. AGENDA for DAY ONE

• Opening Prayer

• Approval of Agenda

• Presentation by Reverend Kevin Annett:

Author of HIDDEN FROM HISTORY: The Canadian Holocaust. The Untold Story of the Genocide of Aboriginal Peoples by the State and Church in Canada; A Summary of an Ongoing, Independent Inquiry into the Canadian Native

“ Residential Schools ” and their Legacy.

• Coffee Break

• The Bible: The 6th Commandment – “ thou shalt not kill ”

1. Does the 6th Commandment apply to what happened to over

50,000 Indigenous Children at these Residential Schools ?

2. Are we breaking the 6th Commandment when we accept the

offered Compensation Funds ?

• Lunch Break

3. Are we condoning Murder when we accept these monies ?

4. Can we ignore the 6th Commandment and only accept the other nine ( 9 ) Commandments ?

• Coffee Break

5. Are we condemning our souls to Hell when we accept the offered Compensation Funds ?

6. How should “ breaking ” the 6th Commandment be applied to Canada ? to the Churches ?

• Closing Prayer

2. AGENDA for DAY TWO

• Opening Prayer

• The Purpose of the Residential Schools vs God’s Plan

1. Are we agreeing to The Purpose ( to kill the Indian within the Indian ) of the Residential Schools when we accept the Compensation Funds ?

2. Are we agreeing with the Assimilation Policies of Canada ?

3. Are we agreeing that God’s Plan for our People is wrong ?

• Coffee Break

• Crimes of Genocide ( Murder ) vs Certain Harms and Abuses

1. Is Genocide acceptable for helpless Indigenous Children ?

2. Is Genocide just “ Certain Harms and Abuses ” ?

3. Should this Genocide be addressed by The Apology from Canada at the United Nations ?

• Lunch Break

• Contributions to the four ( 4 ) Church’s Compensation Fund

1. Is it right to pay for your own misery ?

2. Is it right to pay your Fellow Survivors for their misery ?

3. What are our People paying for ?

4. Did our People send us to these Residential Schools ?

• Coffee Break

• May 29, 2005 vs May 30, 2005

1. Do we forget about those Residential School Survivors who have passed on as of May 29, 2005 ?

2. Do we deny their suffering ?

3. Do we deny their family’s suffering ?

4. What will happen to the accepted concept of Intergenerational Impacts of the Residential School System upon our Families, children and grandchildren ?

• Closing Prayer

3. AGENDA for DAY THREE

• Opening Prayer

• Forgiveness

1. Who are the Survivors expected to forgive ?

2. What Wrongs are the Survivors expected to forgive ?

How should Forgiveness be demonstrated ?

1. By Canada

2. By the four ( 4 ) Churches

3. By Fellow Survivors.

4. WHAT are our own People paying us to forgive them for ?
5. WHAT have our own People done to the Survivors ?

• Coffee Break

• Presentations on Forgiveness

1. Arch Deacon Alec Fox

2. Other Pastors and Reverends

• Lunch Break

• Plan of Action

• Closing Prayer
  
  

The Canadian Holocaust: Crimes Perpetuated Against

Aboriginal Peoples

These Offenses occurred at ten ( 10 ) Residential Schools in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario between 1992 to the present time and were perpetuated against Aboriginal children, youth and adults by the clergy, staff, government agents, medical personnel and police. These crimes were experienced and/or witnessed by thirty-eight (38) Aboriginal Survivors and attested to by fifty-one (51) other persons. These crimes were also verified by documentation and evidence from Church, government and police archives. More than 50,000 Indigenous children died from these crimes.

1. Murder, by beating, poisoning, hanging, starvation, strangulation, electric shocks, medical experiments, being thrown from windows and being kicked or thrown down stairs.

2. Criminal negligence.

3. Rape, by individuals and groups, encourage and abetted by staff.

4. Sexual molestation on a routine and daily basis.

5. Daily, unprovoked, systematic beatings, by staff and clergy using whips, sticks, horse harnesses, iron bars, table legs, studded leather straps, pool cues and bare fists.

6. Routine administering of electric shocks to children as young as five as a punishment and disciplinary device and for demonstration ” purposes to visiting Church and government officials.

7. Daily administering of electro-convulsive shocks to the heads of children and youth, under the supervision of doctors, social workers, clergy and the RCMP.

8. Prolonged and deliberate exposure of children as young as five to X-ray radiation, causing subsequent illness and death.

9. Other forms of regular mental and physical torture on children as young as five, as punishment for bed-wetting, speaking Aboriginal languages, or not obeying instructions, including:

1. Tightening fish twine around boy’s penises,

2. Sticking needles into children’s tongues, ears and penises,

3. Forcing children’s heads into toilets and making them eat excrement,

4. Holding children over open graves and burying them alive,

5. Telling children their parents are dead and that they were about to be killed,

6. Stripping children naked in front of the assembled school and physically and sexually degrading them,

7. Ripping the hair from their heads,

8. Smashing their heads against concrete and wooden surfaces, resulting in permanent debilitation, including mental retardation,

9. Forcing them to stand in ice water for hours on end,

10. Forcing them to sleep outside in the middle of winter, and

11. Forcing them to strangle or beat kittens and rabbits to death, and then eat the remains.

10. Medical experimentation on children as young as five ( without consent or parental knowledge ), causing illness and deaths, including:

a. Receiving injections of penicillin and tuberculosis toxins, and other experimental drugs,

b. Skin grafting and other forms of eugenics,

c. Deliberate exposure to communicable diseases, especially tuberculosis,

d. Prolonged exposure to radiation,

e. Sexually sterilizing males and females,

f. Behaviour modification and mind control methods, including sensory deprivation, electric shocks and prolonged isolation, and,

g. Prolonged exposure to sub-zero cold while naked.

11. Regularly operating on children’s teeth without using any pain killer or anesthesia.

12. Slave Labour of children as young as five in fieldwork, domestic servitude and manual labour for as much as sixteen hours a day, including the common practice of “ renting out ” children to local farmers and merchants as unpaid workers in return for kick-backs to the School Principal.

13. Involuntary sexual sterilization of males and females upon their reaching puberty, as a matter of policy, in programs funded by Indian Affairs Department and operated by United Church and Roman Catholic missionary doctors in Church hospitals.

14. Involuntary sexual sterilization of non-Christian Aboriginals as a matter of policy and as punishment for refusing to convert to Christian denomination or to attend United Church, Anglican or Roman Catholic services, according to a “ quota system ” required by the federal government.

15. Deliberating contaminating children with tuberculosis and other infectious diseases by forcing them to sleep with others who were infected, in unventilated, locked dormitories, and forcing then to eat fetid and contaminated food; and concealing their resulting deaths from their parents through cover stories and false death records.

16. As a matter of regular practice, Inducing abortions in young women made pregnant by rape by school staff, clergy and visiting officials, causing miscarriages and deaths; and coercing women into abortions through threats and violence.

17. Deliberately killing the newborn babies of such pregnant mothers, along with the mothers, in order not to implicate the fathers; and burying the remains of mother and child in secret burial sites on Residential School and Church property; and subsequently falsifying school, government and mortuary documents to erase any record of these murdered persons.

18. Regularly drugging and involuntarily hospitalizing students and other eyewitnesses to murder, and other crimes by staff and clergy.

19. Illegal administering of drugs by staff and clergy not medically trained or competent, without the consent or knowledge of those persons drugged or their parents, causing illness and deaths.

20. Forcing children to walk by and observe the dead bodies of so-called “ suicide ” victims who were in fact murdered by staff and clergy.

21. Forcing children to routinely inhale gas until they passed out or died.

22. Involuntarily removing gold teeth from children and adults, and removing entire sets of teeth from others, without anesthesia.

23. Mass removal of organs and of appendixes, adenoids, and other glands for experimental purposes, causing deaths.

24. Kidnapping and imprisoning children as young as three on Church and Residential School property, denying parents access to them or knowledge of their location, in order to:

a. extort money from these parents

b. blackmail Native elders and parents into signing over land titles and resources

c. force parents and Native elders to bring all their children into the Residential Schools

d. “ rent out ” these children in secret pedophile rings, and

e. force parents and elders to convert to Christianity and comply with genocidal laws and practices

25. Regularly forcing children as young as three to eat spoiled and unhealthy food, including maggot-filled and regurgitated food, in direct violation of existing contractual obligations to the government, causing illness and death.

26. Deliberately denying food and water to children as young as three, for as much as three days or more, causing illness and deaths.

27. Physically confining children as young as three in small closets with no ventilation, for periods of more than one week, causing illness and deaths.

28. Forcing children and youths to engage in physical combat and sexual activity with each other, on threat of torture, causing severe injuries and deaths.

29. Forcing children as young as four to line up and perform oral sex on male staff and clergy, including the Principal, and making other children watch.

30. Forcing naked children as young as five to crawl down a line of other students and be beaten by them with belts, whips and sticks, causing severe injuries and deaths ( “ The Gauntlet” ).

31. Denying medical care and attention of any kind to sick and dying children, made ill by bad food and other deliberate practices by staff, and refusing to notify doctors and police officials of these sick and injured children, causing deaths which were then concealed from their parents and falsified on school, government and mortuary records.

32. As a matter of policy and standard practice, forcing children as young as three to live in and be confined to permanently sub-standard, unsafe and unhealthy conditions, in school dormitories and hospital wards, lacking heat, sanitation and ventilation which were prone to fires, causing illnesses and deaths.

33. Illegally consigning children as young as three to non-Native persons connected to organized pedophile rings, and concealing the children’s fate through police, Church and government complicity.

34. Illegally consigning children as young as three to adoption agencies, hospitals, private clinics and non-Native foster homes, for reasons unknown, and subsequently concealing the fate of these children.

35. Obstruction of justice and of police investigations.

36. Blackmailing, threatening and killing witnesses to these and other crimes.

37. Displacing Aboriginal families from their traditional lands, including by evicting non-Christian Natives from their homes and “ squatting ” Church-affiliated Natives on this territory, causing multi-generational conflict, genocide, poverty and abuse in virtually every Native community.

38. Illegally obtaining, selling and speculating in ancestral Native land and its resources, against the laws and wishes of traditional elders, and concealing these acts through intimidating, jailing and killing Native elders and other eyewitnesses.

39. Involuntarily transferring children as young as three to foreign regions, contrary to the provisions of the Indian Act and against the wishes of their parents, and concealing their location and fate from their parents.

40. Forcing children as young as three into Residential Schools and hospitals without first obtaining the consent or written release of their guardianship rights as required under federal law.

41. Operating a regime of terror against non-Christian Aboriginals and others resisting European colonialism, through private constables and police forces under the control of clergy of the United, Presbyterian, Anglican and Roman Catholic Churches, with government consent.

42. From at least 1933 to the present day, operating secret pedophile rings for government, Church, judicial, police and Native officials, using children as young as three from Indian reserves and Residential schools; and concealing these child sex rings and the resulting deaths of these children through intimidation, murder, falsifying records and the active complicity of the most senior officials of the judiciary, Churches, RCMP and the federal government.

43. During the same period, using children from these sex rings in cultritual and sacrificial practices operated by wealthy men, both Aboriginal and Caucasian, especially in the regions around Victoria, BC, Thunder Bay, Ontario and Manitoulin Island, Ontario, and in connection with drug trafficking networks operated by Native leaders using Department of Indian Affairs money.

44. Secretly “ loaning out ” children from Residential Schools and reserves as live test subjects to pharmaceutical companies like Bayer and Upjohn Ltd., and to other corporations, in collaboration with Cornell University and the researchers from the US Department of Defense, through formal agreements between these agencies and the Roman Catholic and United Churches.

45. Continuing to medically experiment on Aboriginal People without their informed consent by indiscriminately forcing on them vaccinations, sterilizing agents and other lethal substances, under the guise of public health programs.

46. Systematically concealing all of these crimes, by murder, falsifying official records, destroying medical records, government and Church correspondence, and other evidence, and disinterring human remains, with the institutionalized collusions of the RCMP, medical personnel, government officials, and Church leaders.

The evidence and testimonies indicating these Crimes were obtained between October 14, 1994 and January31, 2001 from 158 Survivors of these and other Crimes against Humanity.

This evidence was compiled from:

1. Personal interviews.

2. Written affidavits.

3. Videotaped recordings.

4. Public Forums:

a. The Justice in the Valley Commission of Inquiry into Crimes

Against First Nations

Convened in Port Alberni, B. C.

December 1994

b. The Circle of Justice Healing Circle

Vancouver, B. C.

July 1997 to September 1998

c. The Tribunal of the International Human Rights Association

of American Minorities ( an affiliate of the United Nations )

Vancouver, B. C.

June 12 –14, 1998

Reverend Kevin Daniel Annett, B. A., M. A., M. Div.
Advisor and Researcher
The Truth Commission into Genocide in Canada
Vancouver, B. C.
February 1, 2001
1-888-265-1007 ( in Canada only )