Media.Knet.Ca

Revival Meetings in Cat Lake

November 11 - 13, 2005

Guest speaker

Roy  Moskotayenene

from Bloodvein, Manitoba

Musicians from Bloodvein and Northwest bay

FOR MORE INFO

PLEASE CALL.

Elsie Gray @ (807) 347-2461       WORK      (807) 347-2100

Alex Bighead @ (807)-582-3176

Chief Charlie Okeese of Eabametoonmg First Nation speaks out...

I am the Chief of a remote First Nation community in Northern Ontario who has witnessed the indignant outrage by non First Nations when the plight of a community was so severe that one wondered why Canadian aid was going elsewhere around the world. What you read in the papers today about the plight of First Nations and their drinking water issue, it is not something new. Across Canada hundreds of First Nation communities suffer the same fate, and it is not just water, every aspect of our lives as Indian people is subject to the tyrannical rule of the Federal Government. Even the Provincial Government negotiated a ‘who’ll pay’ deal before evacuating seriously ill Kasechewan First Nation members.

The fact that most sewer treatment plants are above the water intake lines in First Nation Communities may seem odd to some and of indifference to others but to us, it is a fact of life. The fact that we are subjected to the Political whims of a Federal Government, who see no voter value in us, is our reality.

The fact that most Canadians don’t care until the headlines unfold, is a testament to the level of caring that really exists.

The fact that the Federal Government will stand tall and say this is how many Billions of dollars we gave to the Indians is untrue, you ask the Auditor General how much of those Billions really get to the First Nations.

The fact that they raise the management bar so high that even Municipalities would have a hard time complying and meeting the federal demands is OK after all it’s us, not you.

Research The U.N standards and that of the Kyoto Accord and ask the world for a definition of a Third world country then compare that to an Indian Reserve and you’ll find the similarity’s eerily striking.

What makes it so easy for the Ontario Government to announce a $15 million Far North Bedrock Mapping Initiative when its second class citizens (First Nation people) are living in poverty?

To add insult to injury, the Ontario Government also decided by legislation to take a 20% Winfall Tax on the Casino Rama revenues designated and legislated to benefit Ontario First Nations who can’t access normal channels of financing for economic development.

I don’t have all of the answers, but when I see my community members boiling water, paying between $0.80 and $1.00 per kilowatt hour for electricity that you pay 5 cents for and paying more than $10.95 for a bag of milk, I have to know that the Federal way is not working.

If you, the citizens of Canada want to help, then support us in calling for a complete honest and open review and revamping of the current system, stop this Government and all others to come from equating our welfare to a dollar figure. It’s time for change and Canada we need ALL of you to help.

 NOT PAY………..  HELP!!

Chief Charlie O’Keese
A proud member of Eabametoong First Nations
And a proud Canadian

Dick Mackenzie has installed a live web cam at his place overlooking Pelican Lake for everyone to enjoy the view that he gets to see each day. He has made this service available as part of his business (Sweet Water Cruises), offering criuses on the lake.

Click here to see the live images of Sioux Lookout and Pelican Lake from his location. (must download plug-in to display the image)

Keeweaytinook Okimakanak is hosting another live web cam in Sioux Lookout that looks north along Eighth Avenue from their Sioux Lookout office. Click here to check out this camera (must download plug-in to display the image)

To see live web cams located in communities across Ontario visit http://www.2ontario.com/webcam/home.asp

Thunder Bay Aborginal Arts & Heritage Group will be hosting a Arts & Heritage Gathering, Thursday, November 17 and 18, 2005, at the Metis Nation of Ontario Community Centre ( 226 South May Street).

Artist Workshop and Art Market will be 9am to 4pm on both days and the Coffee House 7pm to 11pm on the evening of November 17. The Coffee House will be featuring The Ira Johnson and Friends Band.

Everyone is welcomed. Artists are encouraged to come out and participate in the workshop, Coffee House and Art Market.

For more information contact Jeanette Posine (Registration) at (807) 475-8146.

Equay-wuk (Women's Group) is sponsoring:

"Nishnawbe Women in Leadership 2005"

Workshop

December 6-8, 2005 in Sioux Lookout, ON

• Women-are you thinking of running in an election?
• Want to learn about campaigning?
• If you are interested in learning about running in a Band Council or First Nation election, this is the workshop for you.

The main goal of this project is to promote women's participation in First Nation elections.

Equay-wuk (Women's Group) will be hosting a "Nishnawbe Women in Leadership" workshop for women in remote aboriginal communities in northwestern Ontario.  The workshop will be carried out using the resource, "Nishnawbe Women in Leadership - A Handbook for Aboriginal Women Running in First Nation Elections."

Potential delegates will fulfill the following criteria:

• be willing to learn
• be active in the community
• want to work towards the betterment of their community
• be vocal
• be serious about running in a First Nation election
• be interested in northern women's issues
• be willing to share learned information with women in their communities
• after successful completion of the workshop, we would like the delegates to organize a meeting of women in their community to share the information obtained from the workshop.  Other workshop topics will include:  family violence, health, training.

Women who want to attend this workshop are asked to write a Letter of Interest which tells us...

• who you are & what you do
• why you want to be on Council
• why you want to be a leader
• your future plans & what you plan on doing for your community

Deadline for submission of letters is:  Tuesday, November 22, 2005 @ 4:00pm.  Letters should be approximately 200 words or no more than 2 pages.  All letters will remain confidential.

Due to limited resources, Equay-wuk is only able to cover the cost of one delegate per community - those served by Equay-wuk.  Equay-wuk will cover delegates' workshop expenses such as travel, accommodations, meals, etc.

Successful delegates will be selected and notified by the Workshop Planning Committee.  Women not selected are still welcome to attend, but at their own expense.  Expenses include travel, accommodations, meals, and incidentals.

For more information on this workshop, visit:  http://www.equaywuk.ca/posteroc.htm

Contact:
Darlene Angeconeb
Phone:  807-737-2214
Fax:      807-737-2699
Toll Free:  1-800-261-8294
email:  equaywuk@nwconx.net
Website:  www.equaywuk.ca

Financial assistance was provided by the Women's Program, Status of Women Canada.

from CBC News Mon, 31 Oct 2005

More than two-fifths of all Canadian households subscribed to broadband internet service in 2004 while the number with slower, dial-up connections fell, the CRTC said Monday.

In its annual telecom market survey, Canada's broadcast regulator said 5.4 million Canadians paid for high-speed broadband internet service. That represents 43 per cent of all households – up 7 percentage points from the 2003 survey. 
 
Two million Canadians had dial-up access. That's down 20 per cent from the previous year.

Taking both dial-up and broadband together, 59 per cent of all Canadian households are now hooked up to the web.

Internet revenues increased 12.9 per cent to $4.2 billion in 2004. The CRTC says that makes the internet "one of the fastest growing segments of the Canadian telecommunications services industry."

The CRTC said 89 per cent of households have access to broadband services. But there is still a wide gap between urban and rural access. Almost all urban Canadians (98 per cent) can access broadband, while only 68 per cent of those in rural Canada can choose high-speed if they want.

Wireless service is the other "engine of growth and innovation" the CRTC identified in the Canadian telecom industry.

Wireless revenues increased almost 18 per cent to $9.5 billion in 2004, the regulator said. Wireless now accounts for 29 per cent of the industry's revenues.

The average wireless subscriber spent $52 a month last year, up from $49 monthly in 2003.

Long distance revenues fell 6 per cent to $5.8 billion even though the number of billable long distance minutes rose by 6 per cent.

"The decline or minimal growth in revenues from local, ... long distance, and data and private line services, collectively, is evidence, not necessarily of declining demand for telecommunications services, but rather, an indication of the deployment of more efficient and effective technologies or platforms to deliver the services," the CRTC said.

From FedNor press releases

Minister Mitchell Announces Youth Retention Strategy for Northern Ontario

NORTH BAY, Ontario, October 28, 2005 — The Honourable Andy Mitchell, Minister of State (FedNor), and Anthony Rota, Member of Parliament for Nipissing–Timiskaming, today announced a comprehensive $8M FedNor Youth Retention Strategy aimed at helping Northern Ontario youth gain valuable skills and work experience. The Strategy consists of three components: strengthening the highly-successful Youth Internship Program, funding for strategic post-secondary education initiatives, and helping build community capacity.

“The Government of Canada, through FedNor, is providing the tools that communities need to help keep their youth living and working in Northern Ontario,” said Minister Mitchell. “This three-pronged strategy will build on the success of past initiatives and provide a framework for future generations.”

“The FedNor Youth Retention Strategy will not only strengthen our economy, it will provide our young people with the necessary skills and experience to help them secure permanent employment in Northern Ontario,” added Mr. Rota.

The first component of the Youth Retention Strategy involves a $3.8M investment to further strengthen the proven FedNor Youth Internship Program. This funding will create at least 150 new and exciting employment opportunities for Northern Ontario youth over the next two years.

The FedNor Youth Internship Program is designed to provide invaluable hands-on work experience, allowing the intern to gain the necessary experience and skills to secure permanent employment in Northern Ontario.

Since its inception in 1997, FedNor has provided funding to help 875 young Northerners, in both the public and private sectors, make the successful transition from the campus to the workplace. Approximately 400 different organizations have benefited from FedNor’s Youth Internship Program.

“Every external evaluation of the Youth Internship Program has recorded impressive results,” said Minister Mitchell. “More than 80% of youth interns were employed in Northern Ontario after their internship ended. The organizations benefit from the skills the interns offer and the funding available while the interns benefit from their work experience and networking opportunities. Clearly, the program is having a positive impact in the North.”

The second component of FedNor’s Youth Retention Strategy, consists of $3.2M for education and skills training. Through strategic investment in partnerships with Northern Ontario colleges and universities, the Strategy will help increase the North’s capacity to provide highly skilled and highly trained graduates to Northern Ontario’s business and industrial communities.

Initiatives under this component will help meet the needs of the mining and forestry industries, as well as industrial and bio-medical research organizations, by producing qualified graduates with strong roots in the North.

The third component of FedNor’s Youth Retention Strategy – community capacity building – will concentrate on engaging and working with First Nations, community economic development organizations and not-for-profit groups to plan and implement initiatives directed at increasing the knowledge and awareness among youth regarding employment opportunities, skills training and socio-economic development. FedNor will invest $1M in eligible activities, including leadership initiatives designed to encourage the participation of youth in community planning and regional issues, as well as regional business fairs.

Through its many youth initiatives, FedNor has supported some 844 youth-related projects across Northern Ontario over the past six years. The FedNor Youth Retention Strategy will be implemented immediately to build on this high level of success and ensure that Northern youth have a future in Northern communities.

FedNor’s Youth Retention Strategy complements the Government of Canada’s Youth Employment Strategy, which includes Service Canada’s Skills Link, Summer Career Placement programs and Youth Service Canada, aimed at putting out-of-school and unemployed young people back to work.

By working with organizations involved in economic development and by creating meaningful work experiences for youth, FedNor is opening doors and building futures in Northern Ontario.

Funding for this initiative was provided for in the February 2005 federal budget and is therefore built into the existing fiscal framework.

To find out more about FedNor, visit us at http://fednor.ic.gc.ca

- 30 -

For more information, please contact:

Graeme Wilkes
Director of Communications
Office of the Honourable Andy Mitchell
Minister of State (FedNor)
(613) 947-5850

Peter Williams
Communications Officer
FedNor
(705) 670-6244 or 1 877 333-6673

Created: 2005-10-28

Neskantaga First Nation 2nd  Sobriety Powwow 2005 

November 18 to 20, 2005

This powwow is to honor the people that live a sober and clean lifestyle!

Everyone is welcome to join the tribe and come share your stories, your songs.

• Tipis will be provide upon arrival!
• Bows and arrows will be provide for your meals! 
• Other events will be announced later!

Please try to confirm your group/ community as early as possible for better arrangements.

Kitchi meequetch!! 

For more information please call Bill Mequanawap or ask for Aleck Ostamas at (807) 479 2530 or Klevin Moonias at (807) 479 2745

The Sioux Lookout Anti-racism Committee's REsolve program is hosting a variety of activities during November including a conference in Sioux Lookout on November 16th entitled "Building Conflict Resolving Communities in the North". The conference will address programs and practices from communities across the north that deal with racism and discrimination through conflict resolution, restorative justice, celebrating diversity, relationship building, aboriginal awareness, youth recognition, etc.

REsolve is a Sioux Lookout Anti-Racism Committee initiative charged with  building a Community Based Conflict Resolution Model for the town.  Wava Fox and Don DeGenova are working on this project together.  

REsolve's goal is to build and nurture a conflict resolving community where ultimately hurtful conflict does not exist.  A community that welcomes all people regardless of race, faith tradition, colour, disability, sex, age, language, political or other opinion, social origin or sexual orientation by providing a safe and secure community where all peoples can live, converse, work and travel without fear of discrimination, racism, bigotry, or prejudice in a community that embraces diversity by celebrating our differences, respecting our traditions and nurtures our commitment to each other.

In the project's early stages, it was soon realized that REsolve was likely to be precedent setting in that Sioux Lookout would be the first Canadian community of its size to adopt a CBCRM for all citizens.  On August 10th, REsolve announced a strategic partnership with the Canadian Institute for Conflict Resolution (CICR) which put the project on the fast track.  CICR is offering Sioux Lookout years of experience in helping citizens build conflict resolving communities. 

For more information, contact

Don DeGenova, REsolve Project Manager OR
Wawa Fox, REsolve Coordinator
Sioux Lookout Anti-Racism Committee
Sioux Lookout  807-737-7492