Media.Knet.Ca

August 1-3, 2006
Fort William First Nation and Online

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine is pleased to present Mii-Kwen-Daan – Continuing the Dialogue Workshop. It is an opportunity for participants, in-person and online, to contribute to the efforts of the medical school in serving the health needs of Aboriginal peoples, on and off-reserve. It will provide participants with the opportunity to comment on the progress that NOSM has made in addressing the issues raised during the first Aboriginal Workshop in the Anishinaabeg community of Wauzhushk Onigum (June 10 - 12, 2003). The workshop is part of a regional consultation that includes all members organizations that form the Aboriginal Reference Group of the medical school. Workshop participants will have the opportunity to comment on the work of the NOSM in five critical areas, including: Communications, Community Engagement, Curriculum, Research, and Admissions

Visit the conference website:www.meeting.knet.ca

► Agenda► Online Registration► Travel and Accommodation Info► Discussion Forums► Session Summaries► Other Links & Resources

The conference website will feature a live broadcast available to anyone with high-speed internet access to join from their home/office computer. Online participants will be engaged by an online facilitator throughout the conference to facilitate questions to presenters and online discussions. First Nations who are not able to attend in person are welcome to participate on-line. The website also facilitates ongoing discussion forums (pre and post conference) and all sessions will be archived for future viewing. More...

From the Ministerial Advisory Council on Rural Health at http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/rh-sr/advis_e.html

Up to one-third of Canadians live in rural, remote, isolated or northern areas of the country ...

The report "Rural Health in Rural Hands: Strategic Directions for Rural, Remote, Northern and Aboriginal Communities" at - http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/rh-sr/rural_hands-mains_rurales_e.html

An important letter to the editor in the Sioux Bulletin, July 5 ...

Mismatch in healthcare needs

By Pete Sarsfield, MD, FRCP©, Medical Officer of Health and Chief Executive Officer Northwestern Health Unit

Health Canada’s Ministerial Advisory Council on Rural Health recently stated, "There is a fundamental mismatch between the health care needs of people living in rural Canada and the availability of health care providers and health services." (Rural Health in Rural Hands: Strategic Directions for Rural, Remote, Northern and Aboriginal Communities, p.2).

This astute and accurate statement regarding a key " fundamental mismatch" includes public health (prevention, promotion/protection) services and providers, by both implication and reality. For example, the availability of public health practitioners and public health services and programs in the Kenora and Rainy River Districts of Northwestern Ontario does not match the need for disease prevention, health promotion and health protection. We are experiencing a fundamental mismatch, especially our smaller communities, the region’s First Nation (Reserve) communities, and the residents of the unincorporated areas.

Of these three - the small communities, the unincorporated areas and the Reserves - the public health service/program situation facing First Nation communities exemplifies the greatest mismatch between need and service. I have lived, worked, and travelled in this region for over 12 years, and during that time have made the following observations:

• Public health programs and services are not symbolic but do have an impact on the prevention of disease, the protection of health, and the promotion of well-being;
• Public health programs and services for First Nation communities (Reserves) in this region lag behind those available to regional municipalities, in both number and intensity;
• Epidemiological evidence regarding the burden of preventable disease facing First Nation communities and Aboriginal peoples in this region is unequivocal and indicates a huge problem as well as a significant gap between the First Nation communities and the municipalities;
• No level of government is willing to assume responsibility for full and adequate public health services to and for First Nation communities (Reserves);
• No service providing agency has been able to obtain adequate funding and/or clarify their mandate in order to permit provision of adequate and full public health services to and for First Nation communities. This includes (but is not limited to) representative Aboriginal organizations, the federal and provincial governments, and the regional health units.

The present fundamental mismatch facing rural and remote residents is destructive and dangerous for both rural/remote and urban residents. The present situation should not continue to be tolerated, not by us or the organizations we represent, and not by our representative governments. I propose that we find remedies for this harmful mismatch of need and service, and that we do so in 2006.

One resource listed in the "Save culture, save lives," report is the The Provincial Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health (http://www.onthepoint.ca/index_e.htm). Their "Dare to Dream" program is a model of a program that might be used in small communities across northern Ontario to support local youth to develop initiatives that contribute to their local community, their region and other young people.

Check out the Dare to Dream program at  http://www.daretodreamprogram.ca/index_e.htm - The Dare to Dream Program provides an opportunity for youth (18 years of age and under) to get involved in mental health awareness activities. If you can come up with a creative idea for a project, then we want to support you to make this happen. Successful applicants are awarded $1000 to do a project that promotes mental health awareness.

"Save culture, save lives,"say Aboriginal youth - Nishnawbe Aski Nation youth talk about the suicide epidemic in their communities and what they’re doing about it. Read the report

From Kenora Daily Miner and News at http://www.kenoradailyminerandnews.com./story.php?id=234216

Health money should flow through First Nations: chief
By Mike Aiken - Kenora Miner and News, June 2, 2006

Shoal Lake 39 Chief John Wapioke would rather see public health money flow through the band council, than the public health unit.

Speaking just days after Northwestern Health Unit medical officer of health Dr. Pete Sarsfield spoke out against the gap in services between aboriginal communities and cities, Wapioke agreed with the assessment.

However, he would rather see his own health director allocate the funds.

“He would know best where the needs of the community are,” Wapioke argued.

As he winds up his battle with restaurant owners over smoking, Sarsfield is getting ready for another campaign against the province, the federal government and possibly the city over public health. This would include money for such things as flu shots, health inspections and emergency procedures in the case of a bird flu pandemic.

The chief noted he helped found the Kenora Area Health Access Centre many years ago, so it could help serve the needs of residents. There is also the Kenora Chiefs Advisory Service, along with health policy advisors for both the band and Treaty 3.

Wapioke would also like to see more preventive services within the community, so elders wouldn’t have to live in homes in Kenora where they may feel isolated from their friends and families.

“They don’t seem to live as long,” said Wapioke.

Instead of a pitched battle over jurisdiction, the chief hoped to see partnerships formed so that whatever resources made available may be use most efficiently.

He vividly remembered the day his uncle had a stroke. By chance, the nurse practitioner from the health access centre was visiting, and she helped stabilize the patient. Through a further coincidence, a doctor was also visiting the reserve, and he helped transport him to Kenora for further care.

Together, the medical staff offered an ideal example of how partnerships can work seamlessly together, he noted.

Other players at the reserve level include community health nurses from the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch of Health Canada, who work in the same building as the health portfolio staff from the band.

However, with so much demand, space is already being rented in buildings as far away as Longbow Lake, in an effort to ensure proper treatment for residents.

First Nations and Metis health and wellness champions will be gathering at Fort William First Nation in August to critique the progress the Northern Ontario School of Medicine has progressed on the its Aboriginal mandate.

Northern Ontario School of Medicine Aboriginal Workshop

Date: August 1, 2, 3, 2006

 Location: In person (Fort William First Nation) & Online (live video feed & online discussions).

Addressing the needs, concerns and vision of the Aboriginal peoples in Northern Ontario has been a cornerstone of the Northern Ontario Medical School.  NOSM is pleased to offer you the opportunity to learn more about the efforts of the medical school to serve the health needs of Aboriginal peoples, on and off-reserve and to share your thoughts, concerns and ideas about what role NOSM can play in closing the health and wellness gaps of First Nations communities.

The workshop takes place in a face-to-face gathering in Fort William First Nation and on-line August 1, 2, 3, 2006. It will provide participants with the opportunity to comment on the progress that NOSM has made in addressing the issues raised by First Nations and Metis peoples raised during the first Aboriginal Workshop in the Anishinaabeg community of Wauzhushk Onigum near Kenora (June 10 - 12, 2003).  The full text of the Follow Your Dreams workshop report is available in English, French and Cree on-line. 

This workshop is part of a regional consultation that includes all members organizations that form the Aboriginal Reference Group of the medical school.

Workshop participants will have the opportunity to comment on the work of the Northern Ontario Medical School in five critical areas, including:

• Communications
• Community engagement
• Curriculum
• Research, and
• Admissions

The workshop will be conducted face-to-face in Fort William First Nation, via video conference and webcast technologies by K-Net Services.

The workshop will be archived and made available from the conference website at http://www.meeting.knet.ca

What:

The NOSM Aboriginal Workshop will be conducted through face-to-face encounters in Fort William First Nation, through videoconference and online (webcast) technologies for the leadership, Directors of Health, CHRs, Community Telehealth Coordinators (CTCs) and other community-based health and wellness champions at the local and regional level who want to learn more about the work of the medical school and to share their ideas about well the NOSM has been in addressing the issues raised in the first Aboriginal Workshop three years ago.  The Aboriginal Workshop is part of a regional consultation being conducted by the NOSM as part of its commitment to increase the numbers of Aboriginal medical doctors and to improve the levels of health and wellness in Northern Ontario.

When:

August 1,2,3, 2006, live presentations will take place starting at 09:00 am Eastern Standard Time. Presentations will also be archived and available for viewing at any time from http://www.meeting.knet.ca

Where:

Live workshops will be conducted through videoconference and webcast technologies. Archived versions of the presentations can be accessed through the K-Net Meeting area http://www.meeting.knet.ca

Who:

Each First Nations and Metis organization which are members of the Northern Ontario Medical School Aboriginal Reference Group will select a list of delegates to participate in the Aboriginal Workshop.  Delegates should represent a broad range of interests, age groups and gender from the broad range of the Aboriginal community, on and off reserve across Northern Ontario.

Three women from the Mi'gmaq First Nation from the community of Listuguj, QC began their cross country cycling journey yesterday, leaving from Vancouver, BC. The Aboriginal Women on the Move-Cross Canada Cycle Tour (http://www.aboriginalwomenonthemove.org) is about making a difference and getting people involved .... "we want to raise awareness and bring attention to the social and health issues of family violence". The trip is sponsored in part by the National Aboriginal Circle Against Family Violence (www.nacafv.ca) along with many other individuals, groups and communities.

From http://www.aboriginalwomenonthemove.org/index2.html

Preparing for Launch : May 28th, 2006 in Vancouver

Greetings from the Listuguj Mi’gmaq First Nation….Home to the Aboriginal Women on the Move-Cross Canada Cycle Tour 2006

Cycling to End Family Violence

Time is fast approaching to the day we kick off from our pedals and start our cycling journey across Canada with our message in hand and in our hearts; to raise awareness and bring attention, initiate dialogue, share best practices and our goal to one day break the cycle of violence in our communities.   

Attached is the most recent revised Route and Date Schedule, there will be revisions depending upon what we experience along the way, visit our website and/or blog for any changes.

Aboriginal Women on the Move proudly announces that our “blog” is on-line at www.awotm.blogspot.com and you also link to the AWOTM blog through our website.  You will be able to follow our journey on a day-to-day basis, as we share our journey, our experiences.  

While on the road, AWOTM can be reached in a couple of ways; e-mail:  mimigeus@hotmail.com , cell: (506)789-3369, Messages at Haven House: (418) 788-5544 and National Aboriginal Circle Against Family Violence: (613) 236 1844

Aboriginal Women on the Move greatly appreciates all the support and kind words of encouragement extended to us over the past two years as we planned and promoted the cycle tour.  Your support, encouragement and friendship have fuelled our spirit, determination and commitment to make a difference.

Share in the AWOTM Journey….Get Involved….Together Can We Make a Difference

• Visit our website:   www.aboriginalwomenonthemove.org
• Tell your family and friends about “Aboriginal Women on the Move”
• Download and post our flyer in your community and/or workplace
• Support “AWOTM” through a donation or Sponsor a Kilometer…become a Friend of the Tour
• In-Kind Contributions
• Support your local Women Shelter
• Organize an information session on family violence in your community and/or workplace
• Denounce family violence and abuse….breaking the silence breaks the cycle!!!
• Join us or visit with us as we cycle through your community/territory/region
• Follow along our journey on our blog:  www.awotm.blogspot.com

Press Release - "A Sense of Belonging: Supporting Healthy Child Development in Aboriginal Families" - 5/13/2006

 The Best Start Resource Centre is delighted to announce a new resource related to maternal / child health in the Aboriginal community. "A Sense of Belonging: Supporting Healthy Child Development in Aboriginal Families".

There are many things that service providers can do to foster a sense of belonging in Aboriginal families with young children, connecting parents to the information and supports that they need in a respectful and caring manner, acknowledging their strengths and thereby promoting health and wellbeing.

The Best Start Resource Centre has released a resource on healthy child development in Aboriginal families that was developed through an Aboriginal researcher and advisory group, with the expertise of Aboriginal service providers and Aboriginal parents of young children.

This strength-based resource focuses on service provider strategies that can be used in working with Aboriginal families with young children, including information about areas of risk and concern, Aboriginal parenting beliefs and teachings, as well as effective approaches. The Best Start Resource Centre was established in 1992 as a key program of the Ontario Prevention Clearinghouse. To view or order this manual please visit:
http://www.beststart.org/resources/hlthy_chld_dev/index.html (7Mb PDF document)

ZS Worotynec
Information Specialist
Best Start Resource Centre
sonia@beststart.org
416-408-2249 ext 345

Community meetings are planned for Red Lake (June 12) and  Sioux Lookout (June 15) to share information about the new health agency being developed to provide services across this region.

The North West Local Health Integration Network, or LHIN - http://www.lhins.on.ca/english/NorthWest/NorthWest.asp, is a new organization designed to plan, coordinate and fund health services in Northwestern Ontario, including hospitals, community care access centres, home care, long term care homes, community health centres, community support services and mental health and addiction services. Click here to read the Integration Priority Report for North West Local Health Integration Network.

The North West LHIN is now in the process of holding public meetings in communities across the region to talk about the role of the LHIN and to obtain the public's input into their first Integrated Health Services Plan (IHSP) which will identify:

• What is working well in health services in Northwestern Ontario
• What are some unmet needs for care and / or services
• What are some opportunities to improve:
  • access to health services
  • organization and delivery of services

Everyone is invited to these public meetings in urban centres across the region. People are invited to let them know if there are any special needs so arrangements can be made to help people attend a nearby session.

For more information contact:

Anne Seeley
Tel: 807-684-9425, ext 2001 or toll-free 866-907-5446
e-mail: anne.seeley@lhins.on.ca

Click here for a complete list of locations for these meetings

June 7, 2006 7-9 pm
Best Western Lakeside Inn & Convention Centre
470 – 1st Avenue, Kenora, Ontario

June 12, 2006 7-9 pm
Couchenour Community Hall
1 William Street, Red Lake, Ontario

June 13, 2006 7-9 pm
Corporation/Dryden Regional Cultural Centre
100 Casimir Avenue, Dryden, Ontario

June 15, 2006 7-9 pm
Sunset Suites
14 Hillcrest Road, Sioux Lookout, Ontario

"An Anishinabe prophesied that "In about 30 years, if we humans continue with our negligence, an ounce of drinking water will cost the same as an ounce of gold."

Water is essential to survival and health.

Everything is related to water. This is proportionate to Mother Earth. Our food sources use water to be nutritious. The medicine wheel teachings are about balance in life.

A group of Anishinabe-que and supports have taken action regarding the water issue by walking the perimeter of the Great Lakes with a copper bucket of water.  They walked around Lake Superior in Spring 2003, around Lake Michigan in 2004, and Lake Huron in 2005.  They plan to walk around the remaining great lakes of North America. This walk is to raise awareness how, we, the human beings on this planet need to know, and take care of our precious resource, the water."

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Press Release - Native women and supporters walking around Great Lakes - www.motherearthwaterwalk.com

NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, ON, April 29, 2006 - A determined group of First Nations women and their supporters will embark on a walk around two Great Lakes beginning Saturday. This spring brings a unique finale to the vision of the Mother Earth Water Walk. Lake Erie and Lake Ontario will be circled simultaneously by two groups of Anishinabe Women and Men.

"It's important to bring awareness to people of the state of our water and that we have to do something about it," said Irene Peters, 67, lead Grandmother on the Lake Erie walk.

"Water is precious and sacred. It is one of the basic elements needed for all life to exist," said Grandmother Josephine Mandamin, 63, who will lead the Lake Ontario walk.

The Fourth Annual Mother Earth Water Walk will begin on Saturday, April 29th 2006 at the Niagara Regional Friendship Centre in Niagara-on-the-Lake at 10:30 a.m. with a potluck feast. Both groups of Water Walkers will commence their walk after the feast. The Lake Erie Water Walk is expected to be completed in mid-May.

Grandmother Peters, Grandmother Mandamin and a group of women and supporters from the Three Fires Society are calling for action from each community that they pass through on their walk.

"It is important for each community to think of what they can do to protect the water. Each community will come up with their own ideas of how they can keep the water clean," said Grandmother Peters. "It is also a personal responsibility. We have to ask ourselves: How are we using the water? We should not be wasting the water. We should not be putting our garbage in there," said Peters.

It is their collective belief that the prayers offered for the water will make a positive impact for the future, in that our future generations and all of Creation will flourish with clean water. Water is being constantly polluted by chemicals, vehicle emissions, motor boats, sewage disposal, agricultural pollution and leaking landfill sites, and residential usage, exports and diversions are taking a toll on our water quality and quantity. Both Grandmothers hope the Mother Earth Water Walk will instil a positive dialogue among grass-roots citizens as well as government and policy makers.

The Mother Earth Water Walk started during the Spring of 2003 when Grandmother Josephine Mandamin led a group of walkers around Lake Superior. The Mother Earth Water Walk continued a year later around Lake Michigan. Last spring, the group completed a walk around Lake Huron.

The Walkers hope to raise awareness about the state of the Great Lakes water system and the importance of water as a sacred resource that is essential for life. Peters explains the correlation between her Anishinaabe teachings as a woman, the Anishinaabe creation story and the personal responsibility these women are taking.

"We know in Creation, women are given the gift to create and sustain life. We respect our bodies when we are carrying our children by watching what we put in our bodies. Well Mother Earth gives birth to all life and the water is her lifeblood. She needs to be respected also."

"The Water Walk is an opportunity for us to shift our thinking towards respect for life," concluded Mandamin.

The Water Walkers are working diligently to raise funds for this endeavour. Donations can be made directly to the Mother Earth Water Walkers - or - at the Bank of Montreal (Hyde Park & Oxford Street Branch, London, Ontario. Account Name: Irene Peters & R. Mark Bruder) - or - send cheques and money orders to: "Mother Earth Water Walk" 14615 Selton Line, Thamesville, Ontario N0P 2K0.

Interesting facts about the Mother Earth Water Walk:

• In 2005 Grandmother Josephine Mandamin, 63, wore out 6 pairs of shoes.
• The Walkers travel an average of 70 kilometres per day.
• The women carry a large copper bucket (8 litres) of water.
• The men carry a symbolic eagle staff to offer strength to the women.
• The Walkers stop to make an offering of tobacco at many streams, rivers and tributaries along the route.
• The Walkers rise before 5 in the morning, hold a morning ceremony and begin their walk before sunrise.

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For further information: Mark Bruder, Danny Deleary, (519) 615-5451,
Email: lake_erie_2006@hotmail.com,
Website: www.motherearthwaterwalk.com

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Native women and supporters to walk around Great Lakes
www.motherearthwaterwalk.com

NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, ON, April 28, 2006

A determined group of First Nations women and their supporters will embark on a walk around two Great Lakes beginning Saturday.

This spring brings a unique finale to the vision of the Mother Earth Water Walk. Lake Erie and Lake Ontario will be circled simultaneously by two groups of Anishinaabe Women and Men.

WHAT: Launch of the 2006 Mother Earth Water Walk around Lake Ontario and Lake Erie

WHO: Grandmother Josephine Mandamin ("Sweet Corn") Grandmother Irene Peters ("Gram") Anishinaabe-Kwe and Supporters from the Three Fires Society

WHERE: Niagara Regional Native Friendship Centre, 382 Airport Rd., Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario

WHEN: 10:30 a.m. Saturday, April 29, 2006

Grandmother Peters, Grandmother Mandamin and a group of women and supporters from the Three Fires Society will commence their walk after the feast. It is their collective belief that the prayers offered for the water will make a positive impact for the future, in that our future generations and all of Creation will flourish with clean water.

-30-

For further information: Mark Bruder, Danny Deleary, (519) 615-5451,
Email: lake_erie_2006@hotmail.com,
Website: www.motherearthwaterwalk.com