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Aboriginal and Inuit Non-Mining Issues

Canada’s race problem? It’s even worse than America’s. – by Scott Gilmore (MACLEAN’S Magazine – January 22, 2015)

http://www.macleans.ca/

For a country so self-satisfied with its image of progressive tolerance, how is this not a national crisis?

The racial mess in the United States looks pretty grim and is painful to watch. We can be forgiven for being quietly thankful for Canada’s more inclusive society, which has avoided dramas like that in Ferguson, Mo. We are not the only ones to think this. In the recently released Social Progress Index, Canada is ranked second amongst all nations for its tolerance and inclusion.

Unfortunately, the truth is we have a far worse race problem than the United States. We just can’t see it very easily.

Terry Glavin, recently writing in the Ottawa Citizen, mocked the idea that the United States could learn from Canada’s example when it comes to racial harmony. To illustrate his point, he compared the conditions of the African-American community to Canada’s First Nations. If you judge a society by how it treats its most disadvantaged, Glavin found us wanting. Consider the accompanying table. By almost every measurable indicator, the Aboriginal population in Canada is treated worse and lives with more hardship than the African-American population. All these facts tell us one thing: Canada has a race problem, too.

How are we not choking on these numbers? For a country so self-satisfied with its image of progressive tolerance, how is this not a national crisis? Why are governments not falling on this issue?

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Education Report Shows Failures in Federal Education Program – by James Murray (Netnewsledger.com – November 30, 2014)

http://www.netnewsledger.com/

THUNDER BAY – It is a stark indication of the failure of the federal government, and a grim look to the future for Canada’s First Nations young people.

More shocking, is the quiet admission by the Canadian Government that with the grades many of the youth attending schools on Canada’s First Nation reserves, the majority of students are not getting the grades that would allow them to succeed at college or university.

It is the federal government’s dirty little secret.

Timmins James Bay Member of Charlie Angus shares, “We learned the shocking news of the failures of literacy and numeracy in First Nation schools. In the Ontario region, students who participated in provincial standardized testing in 2013-2014 ended up with an average literacy score of 21 per cent for boys and 32 per cent for girls. The numeracy rate was a mere 18 per cent for boys and 20 per cent for girls”.

The results of First Nation student’s on-reserve who participated in provincial standardized testing show that Ontario has a long ways to go to catch up. The literacy rates for elementary school students in Ontario are a very low twenty-one per cent for boys and thirty-two per cent for girls.

That is well below the provincial average for off-reserve schools. It is shockingly low.

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Life in Northern Ontario Depends on Transportation – by James Murray (Netnewsledger.com – September 22, 2014)

http://www.netnewsledger.com/

THUNDER BAY – Life in Northwestern Ontario is a life filled with variety. From the urban centres like Thunder Bay, Sioux Lookout, Dryden, Kenora, Atikokan and Fort Frances to the far reaches of the North, in communities like Fort Severn, Sachigo Lake, Webiquie, Kashechewan and Attawapiskat, there are many contrasts.

Shopping/Food Prices

While many people in the “Southern” parts of Northwestern Ontario enjoy a great variety of choices for shopping, in the North, prices for groceries, and the selection of many products is far more limited, and often far more expensive.

While a case of soft drinks are usually about $3 – $4 in Thunder Bay, in northern communities prices of up to $26 is not uncommon. Prices are equally high for milk or juice. One can of mini-ravioli in an isolated community is around $9.00, the price in Thunder Bay is usually $2.00 or three for $5.00.

Getting fresh fruits and vegetables can bring what is in effect prices more like the diamonds that are mined at the DeBeers mine near Attawapiskat.

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In Canada’s north, a suicide epidemic – by Colin Alexander (National Post – September 10, 2014)

The National Post is Canada’s second largest national paper.

Colin Alexander was publisher of the Yellowknife News of the North and senior consultant for education for the Ontario Royal Commission on the Northern Environment.

Today, September 10, is World Suicide Prevention Day — a day with special significance for traditional Indians, Inuit and the Canadian North.

In 2013, there were 45 suicides in Nunavut, almost entirely among the Inuit population of 27,000. That’s a new statistical peak since the founding of the territory in 1999. That rate comes to 166 per hundred thousand. If this pattern played out in Ottawa, with a population of 900,000, the city’s annual rate would be about 1,500, or four per day.

The suicide rate in Nunavut is almost five times the world’s highest national rate of 35 per hundred thousand in Lithuania. There, many of the suicides derive from financial problems among older and working-age people. But among Canada’s Indian and Inuit, the incidence is concentrated among male youth, with one suicide, in 2013, of a boy of 11, in Repulse Bay.

The overall suicide rate in Canada has been holding fairly steady at about 12 per hundred thousand. So the Nunavut rate is running 14 times the national average. By comparison, the rate of shooting homicides in Canada holds steady at under two per hundred thousand (with a significant proportion of them gang-related, and also disproportionately among aboriginals in dysfunctional communities.)

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Disclosure of First Nations salaries raises eyebrows – by Mike De Souza (Toronto Star – July 30, 2014)

The Toronto Star has the largest circulation in Canada. The paper has an enormous impact on federal and Ontario politics as well as shaping public opinion.

OTTAWA—Records showing a native councillor with construction contracts worth $300,000, a chief with a six-figure salary, and an eight member band council each making about $6,500 annually are among dozens of revelations that emerged Tuesday under a new transparency law targeting First Nations leaders.

The information came from multiple First Nations communities across the country trying to meet a deadline set by the new First Nations Financial Transparency Act, which requires them to publish a range of annual business and financial records, including salaries and benefits.

The communities were previously only required to submit these records to the government without sharing them with the public.

Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada posted some of the records from at least 20 communities on its website Tuesday, including four Ontario First Nations, two from Manitoba, two from Saskatchewan and 10 from British Columbia.

In its own records, the Snuneymuxw First Nation in B.C., revealed that Eric Wesley, a councillor, received $307,201 in contracts for construction related services in the last fiscal year from his own community.

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What’s Behind Canada’s Troubled Relationship With Its Aboriginal Peoples –by Jake Flanagin (New York Times – July 24, 2014)

 

https://news.vice.com/

http://www.nytimes.com/

They call it “Murderpeg.” With 6,222 instances of violent crime reported in 2012, the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba consistently ranks among the most violent cities in Canada.

It’s also host to one of the highest concentrations of Aboriginal peoples (indigenous North Americans) in the country – 11.7 percent and growing faster than any other area in Canada, according to the Canadian National Household Survey.

Aboriginal Canadians – First Nations, Inuits, and the Métis (descended from mixed marriages between Europeans and indigenous peoples) – are arguably the most underserved segment of Canadian society. “One in five Aboriginal Canadians live in dilapidated and often overcrowded homes,” reports Nilo Tabrizy for Vice News. Those in Winnipeg are no exception.

Ms. Tabrizy traveled to Winnipeg to shoot a documentary for Vice, highlighting the plight of the city’s Aboriginal population, and unpacking the seedy history of Canada’s relationship with its indigenous communities.

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Liberal paralysis leaves Ontario native band powerless – by Martin Reg Cohn (Toronto Star – July 17, 2014)

The Toronto Star has the largest circulation in Canada. The paper has an enormous impact on federal and Ontario politics as well as shaping public opinion.

It’s a historic tale of politicians ducking for cover while their bureaucrats create new barriers. And a premier who lets them get away with it.

Ever since becoming premier, Kathleen Wynne has opened every speech with traditional aboriginal words of welcome: “Ahnee. Boojoo.” This month, she added a few key words in English — promising new “opportunities for aboriginal peoples” built on “respect and partnership.”

For all her talk of empowerment, however, real power — electrical and economic — remains out of reach for one of Ontario’s most forsaken native bands.

That’s because Wynne’s Liberals have quietly snuffed out a promising hydroelectric project, bankrolled by a Toronto philanthropist, that could generate clean power and economic opportunity for the isolated Lac La Croix reserve perched along the Minnesota border.

The story of the band’s plight, and promise, is a morality tale of cascading betrayals. Unless someone in the Wynne government finds the courage to rewrite the final chapter, it will have an unhappy ending.

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New First Nations housing standard better than a building code – by Darren MacDonald (Northern Ontario Business – July 14, 2014)

Established in 1980, Northern Ontario Business provides Canadians and international investors with relevant, current and insightful editorial content and business news information about Ontario’s vibrant and resource-rich North. 

A new form of housing in Atikameksheng Anishnawbek First Nation is being hailed as an important step forward in addressing chronic housing issues in First Nations across Canada.

The community just outside of Sudbury, formerly known as Whitefish Lake, unveiled a four-unit complex, the first built with the First Nations Sustainable Development Standard as the guide. Using a new type of concrete, the homes are resistant to mold and fire, and were built using non-toxic materials.

Developed in partnership with several groups – including the Mike Holmes Foundation and the Assembly of First Nations – the standard is more than just a building code. Irving Leblanc, the associate director of housing, infrastructure and emergency issues with the Assembly of First Nations, said the code encompasses a range of issues.

“It’s not just about how you build a house, it’s how you build a community, how you plan a community and move it away from flood plains,” Leblanc said at the July 11 ceremony unveiling the new units. “It’s a great document that really looks at all aspects of community planning.”

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Supreme Court to decide on Grassy Narrows logging dispute – by Jody Porter (CBC News Thunder Bay – July 10, 2014)

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay

Ontario First Nation argues province has no jurisdiction on treaty lands

A ruling from the Supreme Court of Canada on Friday will help determine who controls resource extraction across much of the country.

Grassy Narrows First Nation, north of Kenora, Ont., is arguing that the province does not have the right to issue logging or mining permits on its traditional lands.

“After years of trying to get the [forest] industry and the minister of natural resources to take it easy on the forest, we decided to launch a court case,” said trapper J.B. Fobister, one of the plaintiffs in the case that was launched in 2000.

Fobister said many people in Grassy Narrows need the forest to make a living. He estimates he makes up to $10,000 a year trapping pine marten. Some families rely on moose as a major food source.

But Fobister said industrial logging in the area interferes with all of that. “If you have no forest, you don’t have animals,” he said. “We need to see some benefits from the destruction of our homeland. There is no plan to replace what is taken from us.”

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After 22 Years, Canada’s Aboriginals Issue First Bond – by Ari Altstedter (Bloomberg News – June 19, 2014)

http://www.bloomberg.com/

When Deanna Hamilton returned to her British Columbia Indian reserve after taking early retirement, she found herself revisiting a mystery she had encountered as a child.

Unlike her reserve, the city of Kelowna across the lake didn’t suffer from foul-tasting drinking water, unlit streets or sewage-saturated lawns that discouraged children from playing outside.

In short order, Hamilton discovered an explanation in one of capitalism’s most basic tenets: Kelowna could finance its superior infrastructure by raising money in the debt markets — an option not open to her Westbank First Nation reserve.

From there, it was simply a matter of gaining acceptance for an aboriginal bond — a process that tested her perseverance through 22 years. This is the week Hamilton, 71, should finally see the First Nations Finance Authority, which she helped create, issue Canada’s first bonds backed by aboriginal governments.

Ernie Daniels, chief executive officer of the finance authority, said he expects to sell C$90 million ($83 million) worth of 10-year notes with National Bank of Canada as the lead underwriter.

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Marten Falls First Nation chief says water ’emergency’ ignored – by Jody Porter (CBC News Thunder Bay – June 18, 2014)

 

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay

Remote Northern Ontario reserve has been without safe drinking water for nearly a decade

The Chief of Marten Falls First Nation says the government isn’t taking a drinking water emergency in his community seriously. A boil water advisory for Marten Falls was first issued in 2005. The First Nation has been without potable water since then.

Now, Eli Moonias said a broken water filter at the water treatment plant means the tap water is no longer safe, even for bathing. Moonias said he’s worried someone will get seriously ill from the bacteria in the water.

“It’s possible, you know, we could have a situation here similar to Walkerton if someone ingests bacteria,” the chief said, referencing the southern Ontario town where people died after drinking contaminated tap water.

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NEWS RELEASE: Supreme Court hears Grassy Narrows’ legal case for Treaty rights and against clearcut logging

Ontario’s new plan for clearcut logging at Grassy Narrows looms

Ottawa – May 15, 2014  – Today the Supreme Court of Canada will hear Grassy Narrows’ legal case for treaty rights and against clearcut logging. The case challenges Ontario’s jurisdiction to unilaterally award logging and mining licenses on a vast tract of Treaty 3 lands north of the English River (the Keewatin Lands). The case, called Keewatin v. MNR, has been winding its way through the courts for fourteen years.

In Treaty 3, signed in 1873, Canada promised to respect the right of the Ojibway to hunt and fish in their territory.

However, Ontario continues to plan for clearcut logging throughout Grassy Narrows’ Territory that will seriously limit Grassy Narrows’ rights, and has finalized a new 10 year Forest Management Plan for Grassy Narrows’ Territory that includes numerous large clearcuts permitted by Ontario against Grassy Narrows’ will. The new plan was scheduled to take effect in April 2014, but has been delayed due to a request for environmental assessment and widespread opposition including by grassroots Grassy Narrows youth and Ontario Regional Chief Beardy.

“We hope the Supreme Court will agree that the original intent of our Treaty with Canada must be upheld to protect our way of life,” said Chief Roger Fobister Sr. of Grassy Narrows.

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Grassy Narrows takes logging fight to Supreme Court – by Jody Porter (CBC News Thunder Bay – May 15, 2014)

http://www.cbc.ca/thunderbay/

A case before the Supreme Court of Canada on Thursday could determine the future of resource extraction in much of the country. Grassy Narrows First Nation, in northwestern Ontario, is challenging Ontario’s right to issue logging or mining permits on their treaty lands.

Councillor Rudy Turtle said the clear cutting of trees near his home has ruined trap lines and scared away the moose in the area.

“If someone can’t get a moose, they have to rely on store-bought food, which is unhealthy and very expensive,” Turtle said.”Whenever someone kills a moose, it’s their supply of meat for their whole family for the winter.”

The First Nation argued successfully in an Ontario court that their treaty rights to hunt, trap and fish are “subject only to limits placed by the federal government,” as laid out in Treaty 3. Ontario appealed that decision all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada.

The lawyer for Grassy Narrows said the case will lay out the responsibility of the federal government “to try to help sort things out between the non-Aboriginal people who want to use resources and the Aboriginal people who are also using those resources.”

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First Nations community calls for help after string of youth suicides – by Carey Marsden (Global News – April 29, 2014)

http://globalnews.ca/toronto/

Imagine this: seven students at a Toronto high school with more than 400 kids commit suicide while 27 others attempt suicide in the span of one year.

“You’d have an emergency response,” former Liberal leader Bob Rae said. “And you’d have a long term response. There would be some government response, a group of people who are responsible and accountable and who have some money to say ‘well let’s see what we can do to solve this problem.”

But First Nation leaders say that is not happening in Neskantaga First Nation. The fly-in community, 500 kilometres north of Thunder Bay, has been under a state of emergency for more than a year.

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B.C. Indian band breaking all stereotypes – by Paul Watson (Toronto Star – December 14, 2013)

The Toronto Star has the largest circulation in Canada. The paper has an enormous impact on federal and Ontario politics as well as shaping public opinion.

LAX KW’ALAAMS, B.C.—Out of sight on the rainforest’s edge, just south of Alaska, the people of this ancient fishing village couldn’t wait any longer for rescue.

Outsiders who flew in by float plane or landed at the ferry dock, 20 minutes away along a pot-holed road in Tuck Inlet, brought federal money and stacks of government rule books telling the Tsimshian band how to spend it.

Yet the community was drowning in debt. Leaning on Ottawa’s creaky native bureaucracy for support, it was a life-or-death struggle for Lax Kw’alaams’ people to hold their heads high enough to survive. They didn’t have the experts they needed to save themselves.

So chief councillor Garry Reece and his council looked outside for a new band administrator, eager to get someone who could find profit in the big water and trees that surround them.

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