In celebration of Northern Ontario Business' 25th anniversary, we will be publishing a magazine featuring 25 extraordinary northerners. We are seeking input from individuals across the North, to help us compile a list of profilees. Please feel free to forward this message along to anyone you feel who could provide some input.

What is it that makes someone qualify as an extraordinary northerner? Some of the criteria we are looking for are: accomplishment in a chosen field, talent, struggle, overcoming the odds, sacrifice, resolve, determination, zest for life, caring for others, adventure, fearlessness, courage, positive attitude, organizing ability, focus, a love of the outdoors and a concern for the environment - to name a few. We're really looking for individuals who have left a footprint in the North. Although we are making some exceptions, for the most part the individuals should still have some connection to the North. We are looking for a cross-section of individuals, ranging from entrepreneurs to educators, health care professionals, athletes, artists, community organizers, volunteers, etc.

In addition to the name(s) of individuals, I am also looking for a short bio and explanation as to why you feel the individual is an extraordinary northerner, and where they can be contacted (you needn't provide the actual phone number if you don't have it available).

I will be conducting phone calls over the next week and half to compile the list and require the information by Jan. 13 (even sooner if possible).

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me at 705-858-4430 (this is a home number, and also my business number) or e-mail me.

Thanks for your time,
Sari Huhtala, chacha@isys.ca

To vote, you must be a Canadian citizen and be 18 years of age or older on polling day.

Elections Canada is trying to make sure that EVERYONE who is eligible to vote gets a chance to voice their opinion on OR before election day of January 23. YOUR VOTE does count!

Your vote helps the party and the person you support. Every party gets an annual revenue based on the number of votes it obtains during each election. Every candidate is eligible for some federal funding based on the level of support they obtain from their riding. Therefore YOUR VOTE is important financially to both the party and the candidate you support. But most importantly, your vote goes towards helping send someone to Parliament Hill in Ottawa to represent our riding!! So be sure to cast your ballot on OR before January 23!

VOTE BY MAIL by calling 1-866-239-2831 (the Elections Canada office in Kenora) to get your mail-in ballot sent to you. You must complete the necessary forms and send them in before January 17 to be able to vote by mail. These forms are also available on-line at http://www.elections.ca

ADVANCE VOTING DAYS - January 13, 14 and 16 - If you are travelling to or through Sioux Lookout on any of these days, everyone in the Kenora Riding is able to cast their vote on any of these days at the Sioux Lookout Recreation Centre (85 King Street). Other advance polls are available on these days in other major centres across the riding.

VOTE IN PERSON before January 17 in KENORA at the local Elections Canada office at the B.D.C. Building, 302-227 Second Street South (open 7 days a week).

ON ELECTION DAY (January 23), every eligible voter is entitled to walk into any polling station in your riding, complete an application to vote and cast your ballot on that day.

For special assistance (a language interpreter) call the Elections Canada office at 1-866-239-2831 before January 19 so arrangements can be made to have someone available to help you vote.

EVERYONE CAN VOTE in this federal election!

Kasabonika Lake First Nation - Councillor Levi Brown has passed on to the spirit world today.

Leader, entrepreneur, husband, father, grandfather...some of the many titles and responsibilities held by the late Councillor Levi Brown who passed away today in Kasabonika Lake First Nation.

Many condolences to his wife and family; and to the whole community on their loss during this time of year.

For further information please contact Deputy Chief Eno H. Anderson at (807) 535-9070 or (807) 535-2547 ext. 240, or at enoha@kasabonika.ca.

The unilateral imposition of a surtax on Casino revenue by the Mike Harris government in 1996 marked the beginning of a transformation of that dream into a legal nightmare.

The paper describes the so-called 20% Win-Tax that the Ontario gov't imposed on Casino Rama and that has been tied up costly court battles ever since. On November  21, NDP MPP Gilles Bisson raised this issue in the Ontario Legislature with the following discussion (from his web site at http://www.gillesbisson.ca/newsitem.php?id=75)

Question to Premier: Casino Rama win-tax

Mr. Gilles Bisson (Timmins-James Bay): My question is to the Acting Premier. You'll know that in 1996 the Harris government, without consultation, imposed a 20% win tax on gross revenues from Casino Rama. This is money that should have rightfully gone to First Nations to assist those communities to do what is necessary to function. We figure that, including the interest, the win tax has stripped away almost $1 billion and climbing from First Nations as we speak. Your government made a commitment to create a new relationship with First Nations in this province, yet you've maintained the win tax and you're tying up First Nations in a process that will end up pushing them into court. I'm asking you today in this House, will you do the right thing and return the money that rightfully belongs to First Nations that has been stripped away by the win tax to First Nations, which need the money?

Mr. Bisson: I'm not sure what's contentious. What's contentious is that money has been taken away from First Nations and they could have used that money to do things in their communities that are necessary. Communities like Marten Falls, Pikangikum and others that need services in their communities are not able to do so because they don't have the money. So I don't know what's contentious.

You can do the right thing. You can say today in this House that you're prepared to say to First Nations across this province that you'll return almost $1 billion plus court costs to First Nations so they can do what's right. I ask you the question: Will you drop this and will you give the money that's rightfully owed to the First Nations directly?

The NAN Residential School project is planning a "Train the Trainer" Session the week of January 23-27, 2006. The training session is open to 15 participants, seats are limited, so book early.

The training will take place at the Nor'westor Resort Hotel in Thunder Bay. Participants are responsible for their own travel and meals but 15 rooms have been blocked at the Nor'westor Resort (block #101782 at a rate of $74.95 per night). Call 800-528-1234 for hotel reservations.

The training is for frontline workers in NAN communities and deals with the effects of residential schools. Participants should have presentation skills.

NAN will cover the cost of the meeting room and provide lunch for each of the 3 days of the training session. Participants will be provided with a resource manual for their use in their communities.

For more information and to register, contact:

Sam Achneepineskum, Residential School Project Coordinator
Nishnawbe Aski Nation
Tel: 807-623-8228
Fax: 807-623-7730
E-mail: sachneep@nan.on.ca

In the last federal parliament, four aboriginal people were elected to represent different ridings across Canada ... the Hon. Ethel Blondin-Andrew, Secretary of State for Northern Development; Inuit MP Nancy Karetak-Lindell representing Nunavut; and Metis MP's Paul Devillers and Lawrence O'Brien.

In a CBC news story, a local Blood First Nation youth in Alberta is running as an independent in the riding where he grew up. Myron Wolf Child is seeking a seat in the House of Commons for the southern Alberta riding of McLeod - see http://www.cbc.ca/edmonton/story/ed_wolfchild20051222.html

The First Peoples National Party of Canada (http://www.fpnpoc.ca) is a new political entity working to create a voice for Aboriginal people across Canada (see story from Turtle Island discussions below for its platform).

From http://aboriginaltimes.com/Members/Editor/federal%20election%202005

Native leaders push the message that aboriginal vote can make the difference

December 28, 2005
By TIM COOK - Canadian Press

Tina Keeper concedes that the decision to join the rough-tumble world of federal politics was a huge one for her.

It's a long way from the set of the 1990s TV show North of 60, where her role as a First Nations police officer won her a Gemini award in 1997. But Keeper, who spent the last few years as a community activist specializing in suicide prevention and working on aboriginal issues with the Liberal party, says she felt an overwhelming urge to have a direct say in the future of her people.
 
"Any nation has to be self-determining. That is the basis of well-being," says Keeper, who decided to run for the Liberals in the northern Manitoba riding of Churchill.
 
"My personal feeling about it all is that if I can use my profile to . . build bridges between the aboriginal and non-aboriginal sectors of our society, then I think that is well worth it."
 
Keeper hopes she can be a role model for young people, teaching them that involvement in mainstream politics - even something as simple as showing up to vote - is good for aboriginal people.
 
It's a message that aboriginal leaders and Elections Canada have been working to drive home to First Nations, Metis and Inuit as they battle sagging turnout numbers.
 
This year, the focus is on the fact that with a growing aboriginal population and an election shaping up as a tight two-horse race, courting the native vote could make a big difference.
 
"Every vote counts, and there is a real opportunity for us to influence the outcome in a positive way," says Phil Fontaine, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations.
 
"But we will only be able to make a difference if we vote, and so our push here is to try and convince our people to participate."
 
Information on voting rates among aboriginals in the federal election is sparse.
 
An Elections Canada study of the 2000 vote showed turnout was 16 per cent lower at polling stations on reserves than it was for the rest of the population.
 
The reasons vary, according to the study, from a "perceived lack of effectiveness" and "feelings of exclusion," to the disproportionate rates of poverty in aboriginal communities.
 
"It's a tough sell," said Peter Dinsdale, executive director of the National Association of Friendship Centres.
 
"Typically aboriginal people haven't been all that engaged in Canadian elections."
 
In an effort to make the sale, native groups are trying to show that the aboriginal vote will count this year.
 
Statistics Canada points to 26 ridings where aboriginal people account for at least 10 per cent of voters.
 
On its website, the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples has published a list of more than two dozen ridings where the number of aboriginal voters in 2004 was greater than the margin of victory.
 
Dinsdale's association is planning a campaign with briefing material about election issues to be sent to more than 100 friendship centres nationwide.
 
"I think, by and large, people have to see a benefit in turning out to vote," says Clement Chartier, president of the Metis National Council.
 
"I think people see, more and more, the need to do that, and as leaders we need to ensure that they get that message."
 
Fontaine says politicians are starting to respond.
 
He cites the desire of all parties to delay an election until after last month's first ministers' meeting on aboriginal issues as an example.
 
"No one wanted to pull the plug before," Fontaine says. "That tells me they are listening and they see us as an important issue."

The Liberals say they have 15 aboriginal candidates running in this election, while the NDP boasts five. The Conservatives say they don't profile their candidates in that way and declined to give a number.
 
Keeper knows that one of the biggest hurdles she will face is getting aboriginals into polling booths, so that's what she's telling people on the doorsteps.
 
"One of the things I've been trying to do is just key-message that: 'Get out and vote. We have to participate,' " she says.
 
"People need to know that it will impact and that's an important message."

from http://anglicanjournal.com/extra/news.php?newsItem=2005-12-27_sds.news

Church advises dioceses of short deadline in schools agreement

SOLANGE DE SANTIS- STAFF WRITER

“We are aware of the difficulties involved in trying to meet the deadline set by the government and we will do all we can to support you as you deal with due process in your own jurisdictions. We sincerely hope that all dioceses will be able to approve the … agreement based on the benefit that will flow to all dioceses and to the General Synod,” read an information letter dated Dec. 21, 2005, from Acting General Secretary Ellie Johnson and other negotiators.

The letter was sent to all diocesan bishops and chancellors (church legal advisers), members of the church’s national governing body, the Council of General Synod (CoGS) and the Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples, a national committee.

The document reiterated the terms of a plan announced in late November that would compensate all students who were part of a national boarding school system aimed at educating native children. Also announced was an agreement that would release Roman Catholic entities that ran schools from legal liability, but would commit them to funding $54 million in healing programs for aboriginals.

The Anglican church in 2003 negotiated a cap on its legal liability of $25 million, but since the Roman Catholic agreement is more favorable, is reopening its negotiations with the government.

It is likely that the Anglican cap will be reduced to about $5.771 million, an amount based on a proportional formula from the Roman Catholic agreement. The Anglican church would also be required to contribute about $4.975 million in cash toward healing programs and another $4.975 million in “in-kind” healing programs and services, for a total of about $15.721 million.

As of the third quarter of 2005, $16.8 million had been collected toward the $25 million goal, with $6.6 million paid out in lawsuit settlements.

General Synod, the church’s national office in Toronto, has scheduled five conference calls in early January to allow bishops, other diocesan officials, CoGS members and indigenous Anglicans to ask questions about the agreement. 

The letter added that “we are negotiating an extension of (the Jan. 30) deadline and will advise you immediately if such an extension is achieved.”

Major decisions are generally made by the diocesan bishop in consultation with officials and the diocese’s executive council.

The information letter said it is anticipated that a final agreement, which needs approval from seven Canadian courts, would become effective in late 2006 or early 2007. Until then, the current settlement agreement remains in force.

The boarding school system was run by the federal government and administered by various churches. While some former students said they received a valuable education, others told stories of physical and sexual abuse in some schools and said they were alienated from their language and culture. Hundreds of former students have sued the government and churches for damages.

N O T I C E
3rd Annual First Nations Youth Symposium

visit http://chiefs-of-ontario.org/youth for more information

From the Backgrounder of the Press Release (see below) ... THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

Sadly and invariably whenever UN human rights bodies review Canada’s record of compliance with its international obligations, safeguarding the rights of Indigenous peoples readily emerges as a very serious area of concern. Amnesty International’s Human Rights Agenda has consistently stressed that improving the protection of Indigenous peoples’ rights is one of the most pressing human rights challenges that Canada faces.

In 2005, the Human Rights Committee laid out seven recommendations regarding the rights of Indigenous peoples in Canada, including two areas highlighted in Amnesty International’s Human Rights Agenda: violence against Indigenous women, and the plight of the Lubicon Cree.

i)Violence against Indigenous Women

Amnesty International’s October 2004 report, Stolen Sisters, outlined alarmingly high levels of violence and discrimination faced by Indigenous women in Canada. Indigenous women’s groups across Canada have been pressing the government to recognize and respond to this serious human rights concern for many years, such as through the Native Women Association of Canada’s Sisters in Spirit Campaign. Over the past year a number of important initiatives have been announced by both federal and provincial government departments, including substantial funding for NWAC. Indigenous women’s organizations have a central role to play in stopping violence against Indigenous women and need adequate, sustained funding to do so. But other institutions, including the police, also have a crucial role to play.

The Human Rights Committee notes that Aboriginal women are far more likely to experience a violent death than other Canadian women and calls on Canada to:

… gather accurate statistical data throughout the country on violence against Aboriginal women, fully address the root causes of this phenomenom, including the economic and social marginalization of Aboriginal women, and ensure their effective access to the justice system. [Canada] should also ensure that prompt and adequate response is provided by the police in such cases, through training and regulations.

It is time to ensure safety for all Indigenous women in Canada. The government should act immediately to put in place consistent approaches to gathering and analyzing statistics about the level and nature of violence experienced by Indigenous women in Canada. The government should also ensure that effective action protocols are adopted by police forces across the country, so that all police recognize the heightened vulnerability of Indigenous women to violence and take appropriate steps to respond to that violence.

ii)Lubicon Cree

One of the most glaring failures to implement UN level human rights recommendations is the situation of the Lubicon Cree in Alberta. In 1990, the Human Rights Committee issued a detailed report documenting serious violations of the rights of the Lubicon, stemming from a decades-old failure to enter into an agreement with the Lubicon regarding their land rights. The Committee called on the government to ensure a prompt and just settlement of the dispute. Fifteen years later the dispute remains unresolved, the ability of the Lubicon to provide for themselves remains under threat, and there have been no negotiations between the government and the Lubicon for over two years.

Fifteen years on, the Human Rights Committee has called on Canada to:

… make every effort to resume negotiations with the Lubicon Lake Band, with a view to finding a solution which respects the rights of the Band under the Covenant, as already found by the Committee. It should consult with the Band before granting licenses for economic exploitation of the disputed land, and ensure that in no case such exploitation jeopardizes the rights recognized under the Covenant.

It is time, far past time, for a just resolution of the land rights dispute with the Lubicon Cree. Canada must make negotiation of a just settlement a high priority, and ensure that its negotiators are given a clear mandate to reach a settlement that ensures full respect and protection of the rights of the Lubicon Cree under national and international law.

http://www.amnesty.ca/themes/resources/unchr_ip_rights_booklet.pdf

Advancing the Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples - A Critical Challenge for the International Community Voices from a forum at the 61st Session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights - 13 April 2005

Presented by Amnesty International, la Fédération Internationale des Ligues des Droits de l’Homme (FIDH), the Netherlands Centre for Indigenous Peoples (NCIV), Friends World Committee for Consultation (Quakers), and Rights and Democracy  - October 2005

Amnesty International Canada
312 Laurier Avenue East
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
K1N 1H9
http://www.amnesty.ca

Quaker Aboriginal Affairs Committee
Canadian Friends Service Committee
60 Lowther Avenue
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
M5R 1C7
http://www.quaker.ca

Rights and Democracy
1001 de Maisonneuve Blvd. East
Suite 1100
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
H2L 4P9
http://www.dd-rd.ca

PRESS RELEASE - AMR 20/C11/2005 - 19 December 2005

http://www.amnesty.ca/resource_centre/news/view.php?load=arcview&article=3129&c=Resource+Centre+News

Putting human rights on the agenda: It Is Time To Comply with UN recommendations, says Amnesty International Canada

Canada’s commitment to human rights has been weakened but it is not beyond repair, says Amnesty International Canada. The challenge for all the political leaders is to make human rights issues a priority in the next Parliament with a commitment to implement recommendations for Canada by United Nations human rights bodies this past year and years previous. The problems have been identified, now It Is Time To Comply, says Amnesty International Canada in an update released today.

“The rights of Indigenous people, the maintenance of security through human rights, and justice and oversight mechanisms for refugees, torture survivors and prisoners are all areas that require serious attention”, says Alex Neve, Secretary General of the English branch of Amnesty International Canada.

The UN Human Rights Committee’s call for compliance by Canada must be met with federal, provincial and territorial cooperation in a new coordinated public approach that ensures Canada meets its international human rights obligations, says the organization.

In the critical area of Indigenous peoples, the right to safety of all Indigenous women must be ensured. Effective action protocols for all police, that reflect the particular vulnerability of Indigenous women are critical, as the UN Human Rights Committee has asserted. Canada must also make a high priority the negotiation of a just settlement of the land rights of the Lubicon Cree in Alberta. In 1990 the UN Human Rights Committee called for a “prompt and just settlement of the dispute”. It is now long past time for Canada to comply, says Amnesty International Canada.

In December 2004 Amnesty International’s Human Rights Agenda outlined the importance of security grounded in respect for human rights. Without respect for these rights there is only greater injustice and insecurity, notes the organization.

The UN Human Rights Committee and the Committee against Torture have both called on Canada to uphold the absolute prohibition against deporting individuals to torture. Amnesty International Canada says is it time for Canada to enact legislation to ensure that no one will ever be sent from Canada to a place where they face the possibility of torture. And the government must refrain from seeking ineffective diplomatic assurances that allow transfers to countries where there is a grave risk of torture.

The troubling use of security certificates under immigration law to detain non-Canadians has received scrutiny from the UN Human Rights Committee and the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, for failing to meet international fair trial standards. Amnesty International Canada is calling for the process to be brought into line with international law and allow those accused of involvement or support for terrorism to have a fair hearing that meets international standards.

In the last two years there have been a number of cases - Maher Arar, Abdullah Almalki, Ahmed El Maati, Muayyed Nureddin - of arrest, detentions and torture abroad, where questions have been raised about the involvement of Canadian officials. The government cannot play a role in the rendition and torture of Canadians in other countries. The UN Human Rights Committee made it clear in their report this year that a public and independent inquiry must review all the suspected cases and determine direct or indirect involvement of Canadian officials. All cases of Canadian citizens detained and tortured abroad in the context of national security investigations must be subject to a fair, independent and comprehensive public review, says the organization.

In the area of justice and oversight Canada is also failing to meet recommendations set out by the UN human rights committees. Canada must change the State Immunity Act to allow individuals to seek redress in Canadian Courts for torture and other serious human rights violations suffered abroad, says Amnesty International Canada.

Canadians cannot seek redress for torture in other countries and rejected refugees who may face the danger of torture, as the Committee against Torture has noted, are being denied a judicial review on the merits of their cases. The Committee has called for this type of review. Canada must meet this recommendation, says Amnesty International Canada, and live up to the requirement of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and establish the refugee appeal process.

In the oversight area there are two critical issues that need attention to bring Canada into compliance with the recommendations of the UN committees. The UN Human Rights Committee has noted the need for an independent external redress body for federally sentenced women prisoners. This independent oversight body is critical says Amnesty International Canada. And Canada must adhere to the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture that provides for national and international inspection of detention centres to help identify conditions that are conducive to torture. Intergovernmental wrangling cannot be allowed to stall Canada’s commitment to a crucial mechanism to ensure that the conditions that lead to torture do not exist in prisons in Canada and around the world.

This year the UN committees reviewing human rights issues have made it clear what Canada must do to meet its international human rights obligations.

“Amnesty International says it is time for Canada to comply with the UN recommendations,”, says Michel Frenette, the executive director of the francophone branch of Amnesty International Canada. “We are challenging all the political leaders to make a commitment during this election that action on these human rights issues will be a priority in the next Parliament. Canada’s international human rights reputation depends on it.”

For further information, please contact:

John Tackaberry
Media Relations
(613) 744-7667 #236

Elizabeth Berton-Hunter
Media Relations (Toronto)
(416)363-9933 x32

14th annual “Learning To Walk Together” Traditional Pow Wow

March 18 & 19, 2006

Vandament Arena - Northern Michigan University

Marquette, Michigan

Ph:  906-227-1397

Fx:  906-227-1396

www.nmu.edu/nativeamericans