COMMUNIQUE
TO: LDMLFN Band and Community Members
FROM: LDMLFN Chief and Council
DATE: February 22, 2018
FROM THE OFFICE OF CHIEF AND COUNCIL
Boozhoo to our Membership and Families! What an extremely busy and productive year we are having! We are pleased to provide you with the following important updates regarding your First Nation.
HOUSING POLICY – Your Housing Committee has been working very hard at completing the Housing Policies and By-Laws for our Community and they are to be commended for their hard work. We understand that many First Nations do not have housing policies, which has created enormous problems within these communities. We believe that our Housing Policies will enable our First Nation to move forward in a good and positive way. Our members are excited with the direction that our First Nation is moving in. We believe that we have incorporated considerable feedback and suggestions from our membership on these policies (via surveys, meetings, and a 6 week review period) in order to get a clear idea of how our membership wants to see our community proceed and grow. – From the February7, 2018 Communique
UPDATE - We would like to extend a huge Miigwetch to all of our members who wrote and called-in with their questions and comments regarding the Housing Policy. Your input and feedback were invaluable and certainly assisted the Housing Committee in creating a detailed and comprehensive policy that is dedicated to meeting the needs and ensuring the health and safety of our community members. This tool will help shape the growth of our physical community in a positive, progressive and responsible manner.
The review period is now closed. The final Housing Policy will be posted on our website on March 1, 2018. We look forward to receiving your applications for a residential lot during the period of March 8 – May 4, 2018. For more information, please contact Jackie Peters, Housing Committee via our First Nations email at: ldmlfn@tbaytel.net or info@lacdesmillelacsfirstnation.ca We have also attached the final Housing Policy Q & A for your information.
ELDERS ASSISTANCE – “All Elders who are 65 years of age and over will be eligible for a quarterly subsidy of $500.00, for a total of $2,000.00 per year. Our goal is and always has been to try to assist our members to the very best of our ability. We believe that this subsidy supports that vision.”– February 7th communique
UPDATE – We have since received many phone calls from our Elders voicing how happy they are with the decision made regarding this subsidy. It will certainly go a long way in assisting our Elders in paying their bills and having good food on their tables, as many struggle to make ends meet towards the end of the month. We have attached a letter addressed to our Elders who are 65 and over. We are blessed and honoured to be able to do this!
MARINE CABLE (HYDRO & FIBER OPTICS) - “We have been diligently working on these two large, significant projects with the goal of bringing Hydro and Fiber Optics into the re-development sites on reserve. We want to be able to supply our members with the best experience in their new homes, and this will help to ensure that our families are living in a safe and comfortable environment. Your leadership and administration have been pushing hard to fast forward commitments from INAC on these projects, and their hard work is coming to fruition. We are optimistic that the Marine Cable will be laid out this year. This is a priority for our First Nation as we move forward with re-establishing our families on reserve, in a good and safe manner.” – From the February 7, 2018 Communique
UPDATE – We now have a solid commitment from INAC that this project will be funded in this fiscal year! We also obtained a solid commitment from Hydro One (Toronto head office) that they will meet our timelines in order for this work to be completed this summer. We will be connected to Hydro this year! Congratulations Team! Your hard work and persistence has paid off.
This is a huge feat as the First Nation was told only a short 12 years ago that we would always remain a remote community that could only be accessible via water. We proved them wrong. With a determination and commitment that went beyond human dedication; we built our road into Reserve 22A1. A road that every government said “could not be built.”
Furthermore, we were told we would never receive any substantive funding from INAC due to their internal formulas for funding, as we didn’t have any people living on reserve. INAC funding is based on on-reserve populations. We didn’t have an on-reserve population; therefore, we were not eligible to receive funding that every other First Nation receives. It is important that we communicate this to our membership as many do not know of the struggles and hurdles that we have had to overcome to get to where we are today.
We have and continue to persevere and break through the bureaucratic red tape and policies of these governments. We have convinced both the federal and provincial governments that they needed to review their policies and make adjustments when it came to our First Nation. We have convinced them that due to the flooding, our people were forced to abandon our lands. The flooding devastated our lands and made them uninhabitable for over half a century.
After many years of frustrated discussions and debating at their tables, we finally broke through to them, and they listened. Today, we are pleased to say that we are receiving more funding from INAC, Health Canada, and other Ministry departments than ever before. Congratulations on a job well done!
CATEGORY 9 GRAVEL PIT - We would like to advise our members that the First Nation Administration made an application for, and was successful in, receiving a Permit for a Category 9 Gravel Pit. This is welcome news as this will provide for the pitting of a 6 to 8 inch topping of crushed granular A gravel on our 22A1 Access Road. Our access road is currently classified as a “secondary road”. Although the foundation is a good one, the topping of crushed granular gravel will make for a more solid, smoother surface. This will greatly assist in the ongoing maintenance of the road. We are planning on applying this same topping to the newly constructed road system in Phase One of the Community Re-Development Site.
The Pit is located off of the Lac des Mille Lacs Road at Maze Bay. The clearing of timber is now underway at this site. We aim to have the Pit developed and the material available to lay on the Access Road this spring. Individuals looking for employment in regards to this project are asked to submit their resumes to Mark Berkan, Director of Education and Training.
QUARRY - The First Nation Administration also applied for and received approval for a Quarry Permit that is located approximately 1 km west of the boundary of Reserve 22A1 on our access road. Extensive research and studies were conducted in this area and it was identified as an excellent Quarry site. We have been working closely with various Ministries in order to advance this project.
This is exciting news for our community!. This deposit is large enough to provide all the material that the First Nation will require over the coming generations for its own use on reserve. Additionally, it will provide a huge future economic development opportunity. Great work team on the tough negotiations that took place in order for us to be successful in this pursuit! For more information on this venture, please speak with Quentin Snider, Band Administrator.
NEW HIRES – “The First Nation is now in a position to bring on additional staff that will work alongside our current administration and enhance the work needed to grow the First Nation. We are pleased to announce that we have hired 2 new staff members. We also anticipate bringing on additional staff members as we continue to grow and as we continue to receive additional funding. All employment opportunities are posted on our website under “Employment”. For those who are interested in gaining employment or know of individuals who are looking for work, please check our site regularly as this is where the postings go up.” – From the February7, 2018 Communique
UPDATE - We are delighted to announce that we have been awarded funding for two more positions in Health and another position in Education! Again, our hard work at negotiating and presenting an indisputable case as to why we should be eligible for funding, has paid off. We are now seeing a steady increase in approvals for the funding of positions that will assist in serving our community and members better.
Our members can appreciate the fact that our Administration staff has demonstrated intense commitment and dedication to the First Nation throughout the years, as we have been severely underfunded. Most of our employees wore two or more hats. This was out of necessity, as the First Nation simply did not have the funds to employ more staff. They are to be commended on their service to the people. We have a great staff that we are immensely proud of and are fortunate that they have stayed the course through the hard and lean years. Unlike many other First Nations that experience high staff turnover, we are proud to support and invest in our employees and believe that our high employee retention over the years has been instrumental in our community accomplishments. We will continue to welcome the opportunity to grow and expand our services to our membership!
SKILLS INVENTORY – “A reminder goes out that the First Nation does have a Skills Inventory, whereby our members and families can submit their resumes and curriculum vitae. Our First Nation has been compiling this information pertaining to the specific education, certifications and qualifications of Community members that have sent in their resumes. We are requesting that any band/community member(s) who may have an interest in employment opportunities, to please forward their information to our Education & Training Director Mark Berkan. With this inventory on-hand, we are able to contact and notify interested members when opportunities for training and/or employment are brought to our attention. Whether you are currently employed or not, we would still like to include you in the Inventory for our Community. This keeps your name in our database and helps to ensure you do not miss out on potential employment.” – From the February 7, 2018 Communique
UPDATE -We thank those band and community members who have sent their resumes in! We will continue to expand our database and contact these individuals as employment opportunities relating to their resumes, become available.
BILL S-3 -“What is Bill S-3? Bill S-3 is an Act to amend the Indian Act in response to the Superior Court of Quebec decision in Descheneaux et al., v. Canada (Attorney General) and was introduced in direct response to the Descheneaux decision. The legislative amendments brought forward by Bill S-3 eliminate the sex-based inequities identified by the court in the Descheneaux case as well as other sex-based inequities in registration. Bill S-3 addresses sex-based inequities in the Indian registration provisions of the Indian Act for the following situations:
BILL S-3 -“What is Bill S-3? Bill S-3 is an Act to amend the Indian Act in response to the Superior Court of Quebec decision in Descheneaux et al., v. Canada (Attorney General) and was introduced in direct response to the Descheneaux decision. The legislative amendments brought forward by Bill S-3 eliminate the sex-based inequities identified by the court in the Descheneaux case as well as other sex-based inequities in registration. Bill S-3 addresses sex-based inequities in the Indian registration provisions of the Indian Act for the following situations:
• the cousins issue: differential treatment of first cousins whose grandmother lost status due to marriage with a non-Indian before April 17, 1985
• the siblings issue: differential treatment of women who were born out of wedlock to Indian fathers between September 4, 1951 and April 17, 1985
• the issue of omitted minor children: differential treatment of minor children who were born of Indian parents or of an Indian mother, but could lose entitlement to Indian status, between September 4, 1951 and April 17, 1985, if they were still unmarried minors at the time of their mother's marriage
• the unstated or unknown parent issue: in response to the Ontario Court of Appeal's Gehl decision, which deals with unstated/unknown parent issue.
Bill S-3 provides flexibility for the Indian Registrar to consider various forms of evidence in determining eligibility for registration in situations of an unstated or unknown parent, grand-parent or other ancestor. Bill S-3 also includes the requirement for the Minister of the Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs to report to Parliament on the collaborative process on broader issues related to Indian registration, band membership and First Nations citizenship, and on the implementation of the bill.
The Minister is required to report to Parliament on the:
• design of the consultations within five months of royal assent
• on the status of the consultations within twelve months of royal assent
• on the implementation of the bill within three years of royal assent.
The bill also includes provisions that will remove the 1951 cut-off in respect of the cousins. This amendment will come into force at a later date, once consultations with First Nations are completed. Once in force, all descendants born prior to April 17, 1985 (or of a marriage prior to that date) of women who were removed from band lists or not considered Indians because of their marriage to a non-Indian man will be entitled to 6(1) status. This will include circumstances prior to 1951 and in fact, will remedy inequities back to the 1869 Gradual Enfranchisement Act. Bill S-3, except for the provisions related to the removal of the 1951 cut-off, came into force on December 22, 2017.”
“For those members who may have family impacted by any registration changes and who require additional information or have questions regarding this bill, please speak with Chief Whitecloud. Members can also call the Regional INAC office and speak to someone in Registration.” –From the February 7, 2018 Communique
UPDATE - The registration forms for Bill S-3 applicants are now available on the INAC website. We would be pleased to assist our members in completing the forms.
2018 POW-WOW – “The dates for this year’s Annual Pow-Wow are set for June 15-17, 2018.” – From the February 7, 2018 Communique.
2018 ELDERS GATHERING – “Our Elders Gatherings are places of support and respect for each and every one of our Elders on an individual and shared basis. These gatherings are a time filled with re-connecting and re-establishing of relationships with our families. It has been an integral part of our Community growth, healing and coming together. Last year, we offered extended activities for our Elders. We had excellent feedback, and have decided to offer this same extended activity week. We are looking to plan this event around the same time as the Pow-Wow, but are having difficulties with securing accommodations. We will be sending out the invite as soon as we have confirmation of the actual dates. We look forward to seeing our relatives smiling faces!” – From the February 7, 2018 Communique
UPDATE – Unfortunately, we were unable to secure accommodations directly following our Pow Wow this year. We are working with the hotel on other dates. We will discuss this with the Elders Council and hopefully have a date confirmed in the next newsletter. Thank you for your understanding in this. Our time together is precious. We want this event to be memorable for everyone.
Note: We went back in our records and would like our membership to know that we have been bringing our Elders (from across Canada) together since 2005. This has had a huge and positive impact on our families, as they were able to reconnect, re-establish relationships and essentially bring about healing within our community. Here is a list of the previous Elders Gathering dates.
1st Annual Elders Gathering - held on June 18th 2005
2nd Annual Elders Gathering - held on June 24-25 2006
3rd Annual Elders Gathering - held on July 21-22 2007
4th Annual Elders Gathering - held on July 19-20 2008
5th Annual Elders Gathering - held on April 17-19 2009
6th Annual Elders Gathering - held on April 9-11 2010
7th Annual Elders Gathering - held on April 15-17 2011
8th Annual Elders Gathering - held on May 25-27 2012
9th Annual Elders Gathering - held on June 20-23 2013 (1 extra day as we combined the PowWow)
10th Annual Elders Gathering - held on June 26-29 2014 (1 extra day as we combined the PowWow)
11th Annual Elders Gathering - held on May 15-17 2015
12th Annual Elders Gathering - held on June 23-26 2016 (1 extra day as we combined the PowWow)
13th Annual Elders Gathering - held on June 19-21 2017 (3 extra days of activities were added on)
14th Annual Elders Gathering - (to be announced when confirmed)
