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Jesse Fiddler, Multi-media Manager for K-Net and Adam Fiser, PhD candidate at the University of Toronto, are travelling to Prato, Italy to present papers about Keewaytinook Okimakanak at the CIRN 2004 Conference and Colloquium. The conference is being presented by Community Informatics Research Network, Inc. and is hosted by Monash University, Australia and Italy campuses.

Click here to download Jesse's paper from the conference web site. Jesse is presenting the KO story on Oct 1 and the title of his paper is "Walking the talk: Connecting remote Indigenous communities globally"

Click here to read Adam's Doctoral Research Project being presented on Sept 29 entitled "ICTs for Education In Ontario First Nations"

Michael Binder, Industry Canada's Assistant Deputy Minister for Spectrum, Information Technologies and Telecommunication and Lillian Beaudoin, Partnerships Program Officer with First Nations SchoolNet visited the Keewaytinook Okimakanak Sioux Lookout office today.

Geordi Kakepetum and the several members of his team provided our guests with a tour of the facilities and telecom infrastructure that has been put in place over the past 10 years in partnership with Industry Canada.

As a follow up to this brief meeting the following message was forwarded to Mr. Binder on Friday, September 17 ...

Good morning Michael … I want to thank you and Lillian for taking the time to visit Keewaytinook Okimakanak in Sioux Lookout yesterday. I believe it is very important for as many people as possible to get to see the type of strategic investment, the innovations and the opportunities that have been created through the development of broadband infrastructure.  Over the years, Industry Canada programs (FedNor, CAP, SchoolNet, Smart, Brand, NSI, etc) have supported the development of all the applications you got to see during your brief trip to our community. I hope you are able to accept our sincere thanks on behalf of your team for making these types of strategic developments possible for the rural and remote communities in this region of Canada.

There is still so much more work to be done to ensure all the communities in Canada are able to experience and develop similar applications that address their local and regional requirements. As discussed, the K-Net team is ready and willing to work with your team to help make these developments possible. We look forward to having more people from your team visiting Geordi Kakepetum and the Keewaytinook Okimakanak offices in Balmertown / Red Lake to learn more about these applications. Our technical team in Sioux Lookout also welcomes all visitors and potential partners.

Dan and I realized afterwards that in our rushed agenda that you did not get a chance to visit our server and satellite operations centre in the building in the rear of the K-Net office. This building was recently renovated with the support of FedNor to accommodate Dan and Adi Linden’s office along with the servers and NOC/NMS for the satellite served communities. This omission is an example of why you need to plan another trip to the north when you are able to visit some of the First Nations that are benefiting these strategic broadband infrastructure development investments by Industry Canada working in partnership with the communities.

I hope that you will be able to bring more people with you the next time you visit, including the Minister of Industry and hopefully the Prime Minister. Sending other key decision makers to visit the organizations and communities is an important professional development requirement for everyone working in this field. I believe they too need to see the type of health care and educational applications you witnessed yesterday, being managed and operated in these communities by local resource people. The socio-economic opportunities created by these strategic broadband developments complement all the other infrastructure requirements of all communities. Without the broadband infrastructure, the other infrastructure priorities discussed (water, sewer, roads, etc) really have very little local influence within today’s information society.

Other important items discussed that require further follow up and development include:

• The need for adequate satellite transponder space so satellite served communities can access equitable services for applications such as the telehealth service being provided by the local nursing stations.  In our January 21, 2004 submission to the National Satellite Initiative we indicated that we would require a second transponder to accommodate the dedicated video connections required for the delivery of telehealth from each of the 10 First Nations participating in the KO Telehealth program. Nine of these communities now are ready to begin receiving these services but the single transponder that is being shared by K-Net, KRG and the communities in Northern Manitoba will only accommodate up to two video sessions at a time. A second transponder would support an expanded telehealth application that can support other communities to access these health services as required.
• There is a need to address the long term connectivity requirements for these small rural and remote communities so they have the opportunity to develop their local applications and capacity to provide and sustain services and the infrastructure. The First Nations SchoolNet (FNS) program is introducing these tools and infrastructure in the communities but if this program is allowed to sunset as presently scheduled in March 2006, then there is a good chance that all this work will be wasted. These types of small remote communities require support to develop local and regional champions and applications that will sustain both the local loops and the regional networks. The present FNS support system involving the six Regional Management Organizations is a good first step. But these community based, First Nation owned support systems need to expanded to include other organizations and regional groups to ensure all the communities are connected. Then the work of ensuring that other departments then support and sustain these applications becomes possible as all the communities gain equitable and affordable access. In the end, everyone becomes a winner with such a development.
• The other five Regional Management Organizations are working and building infrastructure and capacity in First Nation communities across Canada. They too need to be visited and supported to be able to continue the growth and development of local broadband infrastructure and applications. It was unfortunate that we were not able to meet with them via video conferencing during your visit. Each of these organizations are also part of the Kuhkenah IP Video Conferencing Network and therefore it is possible to meet with all of us from your offices in Ottawa. The FNS team in Ottawa organizes monthly meetings with this team and I know everyone would welcome an opportunity to share and discuss their work with yourself and other members of your team.
• The BC Regional Management Organization (the First Nations Education Steering Committee of BC) is hosting the next bi-annual gathering of the RMOs in Cranbrook at the new Delta Resort on the St. Mary’s First Nation. This would be a great opportunity for yourself, Mary Carmen, Deborah Davis and the Minister of Industry or whoever you think should be there from your team to come and meet with all these First Nation organizations and map out a successful strategy for ensuring broadband infrastructure reaches EVERY First Nation across Canada and is sustained.  This meeting is scheduled for October 12-14, 2004.

Cal is busy going through all the video footage that he gathered yesterday during your visit. I am sure that he will be taking you up on your challenge to produce a four minute video clip that you will be able to show to the world. Maybe this message that I am copying to all the RMOs might be the challenge for everyone to be producing such a clip about all the great work in developing broadband infrastructure and applications that is happening in the First Nations across Canada.

I also want to acknowledge Dr. Dermot McLoughlin who provided us with a great presentation about his use of the teleradiology services. Carol Wood, Menoyawin Telehealth Coordinator, demonstrated and explained how the telehealth equipment is making a difference for all the communities with these resources in place. Then the staff and students of the North Caribou Lake First Nation Internet High School shared how these ICTs are making a difference for their community. Brian Walmark of the Keewaytinook Research Institute shared some of the work he is doing in documenting these success stories and First Nation case studies about the use of ICTs in local schools and communities. Of course, the great feast prepared by Jeannie Carpenter and her team helped all us continue through this crazy meeting pace.

I hope you get the chance to return to this region in the near future. I do look forward to working with yourself and your team in support all rural and remote communities to access equitable, affordable and sustainable broadband infrastructure and applications. I am sure these developments and this important work will make a huge difference for every community across Canada.

Brian

George Ferreira (PhD candidate at Guelph U), Ricardo Ramirez (Phd, Guelph U) and Brian Walmark (KO Research Institute) co-authored a paper for the workshop, Measuring the Information Society: What, How, for Whom and What? that is taking place on Saturday September 18, 2004 in Brighton, U.K.

Click here to read the paper they submitted entitled "Connectivity in Canada’s Far North: Participatory Evaluation in Ontario’s Aboriginal Communities". Click here to visit the conference web site.

Conference Information ...

Co-sponsored by:

• The Association of Internet Researchers Conference
• The European Chapter of the American Society for Information Science & Technology (ASIS&T/EC)

Organizers:

• Dr. Michel J. Menou, Information and Knowledge Management consultant, France & International liaison officer, ASIS&T
• Dr. John Daly, Science an technology consultant, USA
• Dr. Philippe Vidal, Coordinator E-Atlas project, GRESOC, University of Toulouse 2, France

Scope and objectives:

As public, private and civil society organizations are increasingly trying to promote and/or take advantage of the information society, or else the networked economy, the need for statistical data and indicators that reflect initial situations, change and its consequences is generating a variety of initiatives. Networked Readiness Index, Digital Access Index, Information Intelligence Quotient, INESXSK, Community Connectivity Indicators, to name a few, have flourished over the years.

This workshop will provide an opportunity for a critical review and unconstrained discussion of:

• existing instruments and the frameworks upon which they are based
• data sources, gathering and calculation methods
• intended audiences, usability and reliability
• requirements for improved measures serving all categories of stakeholders

It is hoped that as a result of the workshop, participants will be equipped with a renewed broad overview of information society measures and a vision of the main directions for future research and development in this area.

Greg Ross, Assoicate Dean of Research with the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, met with KO's Brian Walmark to discuss opportunities to work together. Greg is interested in the various ICT applications that KO has developed in telehealth and teleeducation. He would also like to work with the KO Research Institute to improve the research capacity of First Nation communities in the North.

For more information, email Brian Walmark at KORI

Ron Fisher, Northern Aboriginal Education Circle (NAEC) Coordinator visited KO to discuss potential developments and learn about First Nations SchoolNet applications and opportunities.

KO's Wesley McKay gives Ron a virtual tour of the First Nations SchoolNet web portal. Fisher also participated in a videoconference linking the KO Research Institute with First Nations SchoolNet RMO in Sioux Lookout. He learned about a variety of applications that First Nations SchoolNet is providing to on-reserve schools.

Click here to visit the NAEC web site at Seven Generations. To see more photos, click here... To learn more about NAEC initiatives, email Ron Fisher...

Our friends from New Zealand that Keewaytinook Okimakanak has worked with in the past sent us the following announcement and invitation ...

Te Wananga o Aotearoa is pleased to announce that it will be hosting the World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education (WIPCE) from Sunday 27th November 2005 through to Thursday 1st December 2005 - www.wipce2005.com.

While Te Wananga o Aotearoa is the official host, the conference will be a collaborative effort between Te Wananga o Aotearoa, the University of Waikato and the Waikato Institute of Technology, the three tertiary institutions within the Waikato area. These three institutions will also work alongside the other two Wananga, Te Wananga o Raukawa and Te Wananga o Awanuiarangi and with Hapu (Sub-tribes), Iwi (Tribal groups), Kohanga Reo (Immersion Early Childhood Centres), Kura Kaupapa (Immersion Schools), Community Groups and National organisations to ensure a successful conference.

The conference will open at Turangawaewae Marae with an official powhiri on Sunday November 27th.  Conference presentations will be delivered from Monday through to Thursday 1st December 2005 at the University of Waikato. The finale will be on Thursday evening at the Waikato Stadium with a closing ceremony and cultural extravaganza which will be open to the public.

Te Toi Roa - The Overall Conference Theme

The overall conference theme for WIPCE 2005 calls for us to celebrate our stories and beliefs in our principles, our values and our histories, the quintessence of our uniqueness as indigenous people. It is these beliefs that enhance our experiences and knowledge to guide us to strive for excellence in education.

The themes flowing from Te Toi Roa are Leadership, Research & Development and New Horizons of Knowledge.

• Leadership - This theme calls for presenters to share stories about leadership, where it has come from, where it is going, how it is being effected, and what leadership is needed by indigenous peoples for the 21st century.
• Research & Development - This theme invites presenters to showcase approaches to and examples of research and development that will lead to significant advances for the development of indigenous peoples.
• New Horizons of Knowledge - This theme honours the role of indigenous thinkers and educators in perpetuating and innovating to produce knowledge and insights for future generations.

Submissions for Abstracts and Performances have now been loaded onto the website at www.wipce2005.com

Due Dates:

• Submission of Abstracts 31st December 2004
• Submission of Performances 29th April 2005

Key Dates for Notification of Acceptance of

• Abstracts - 28th February 2005
• Submission of Papers - 31st August 2005
• Notification of Acceptance  Performance - 30th June 2005

For further information refer to www.wipce2005.com which is being updated on a weekly basis.

Please do not hesitate to contact Aroha Te Kanawa (Project Manager) if you have any further queries (info@wipce2005.com or 027 276 4285 or 07 855 2723).Please feel free to forward this email onto others you think may be interested in attending WIPCE 2005.

The newly renovated KO Telehealth and KiHS Centre of Excellence is now occupied and ready to better serve the First Nation partners across the region. Everyone is invited to stop by and take a tour of the new office complex. The former Balmertown clinic was purchased in the fall of 2003 and renovation work was managed by the KO Public Works department using local contractors throughout the winter and spring of 2004. Funding for this project came from Industry Canada FedNor and the Smart Communities project that helped the development of both these innovative KO projects.

Click here to see more pictures and watch for the upcoming Grand Opening event being planned for this building.

Click here for the telehealth story about their new offices.

Orpah McKenzie, NOMS' Aboriginal Affairs Director came to Sioux Lookout to meet with various groups to discuss collaborative opportunities. Orpah is working with different First Nations and aboriginal groups to identify four week community placement opportunities for first year medical school students starting in the spring of 2006.

While meeting with Keewaytinook Okimakanak, Nancy Greaves, the KO Telehealth Service Migration Officer who works with the Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority (SLFNHA) was able to identify a number of opportunities to collaborate with Orpah and NOMS. In particular, during the upcoming telehealth workshop being planning for this fall, it is hoped that Orpah will be able to present information for the Health Directors and the Community Telehealth Coordinators (CTC) to identify each First Nation can benefit from supporting a placement in their communities. The expanded roles and responsibilities of all the different partners involved in this work can create new opportunities for each participating First Nation.

Jamie Ray travelled to Mishkegogamang and Wabigoon First Nations to work with their local teams in identifying strategies for developing their connectivity requirements.

In Mishkegogamang Jamie worked with the Chief and Council members at the band office getting their new computers set up and planning their network. He then worked with Donna Roundhead, the local Health Director to identify the needs to put a broadband connection into the local Health Centre so the telehealth services can be developed. Afterwards, he went with Michael Bottle over to the school to plan their local network.

Wabigoon FN Economic Development office wants to install a wireless connection from the school connection over to their offices.

Check out the pictures of these community visits.