GN Newsletter - Sept 28/10

Gwa’sala-’Nakwaxda’xw Gwa’sala-’Nakwaxda’xw Nation Nation

BAND OFFICE

September September 27 27 2010 2010

NEWS

Find out what’s happening in the Gwa’sala-’Nakwaxda’xw Band Office and community!

Deadline for next newsletter: October 7 E-mail submissions to jessieh@gwanakplan.org

CONTENTS p2

Staff Contact Information

Staff Updates p3-4 p5 p6-8

Treaty Communications & Elders CCP

Miscellaneous p9-11 Flood Pics & Emergency Plan p12-15 Job Postings p16 Colouring

Community Hero!

Dustin Hunt is a community hero!

On the evening of September 21 Dustin was walking down the trail beside Trudy’s house when he noticed the flames coming out of the house. Risking his own life, he quickly ran into the house to see if anyone was stuck inside. He found Delaney and they both escaped the burning building.

According to a witness, just as Dustin and Delaney were coming down the steps, the fire blew out the windows of the house and the destruction intensified. Many people have been posting to Dustin’s Facebook Wall to thank him for his heroic actions.

The fire crew that responded to the fire shut down the main road to all foot and vehicle traffic for hours on Tuesday night. Although the fire consumed most of the house nobody was seriously injured.

1

Gwa’sala-’Nakwaxda’xw Nation

September 27 2010

Staff Contact Info The Band Office Newsletter is prepared by Jessie Hemphill, Gwa’sala-’Nakwaxda’xw Executive Assistant and Communications Coordinator.

This newsletter is delivered to all houses on the Tsulquate Reserve every second Monday.

If you have questions or comments about this newsletter, contact Jessie at 949-8343 or e-mail jessieh@gwanakplan.org.

Gwa’sala-’Nakwaxda’xw Band Office

Gwa’sala-’Nakwaxda’xw Band Office Front Desk: (250) 949-8343 Fax: (250) 949-7402 Les Taylor, Band Manager manager@gwanak.info / 902-2307 Margaret Bernard, Finance finance@gwanak.info / 902-2308 Conrad Browne, Economic Development ecdev@gwanak.info / 902-2301 Pat Dawson, Social Development patriciad@gwanak.info / 902-2309 Colleen Hemphill, Treaty colleenh@gntreaty.org / 949-8424 Jessie Hemphill, Communications & Exec. Assistant jessieh@gwanakplan.org / 949-8343 Lorna Henderson, Housing housing@gwanak.info / 902-2303 Grace Smith, Education education@gwanak.info / 902-2320 Ted Stevens, Forestry forestry@gwanak.info / 949-8393 Elisha Taylor-Child, Native Courtworker etaylor-child@nccabc.ca / 902-2223

Gwa’sala-’Nakwaxda’xw Elders Centre Front Desk: (250) 949-7406 Silena George, Elders’ Coordinator silenag@gntreaty.org Crystal Walkus, Treaty Resource Assistant crystalw@gntreaty.org Natasha Walkus, Treaty Resource Assistant natashaw@gntreaty.org

Gwa’sala-’Nakwaxda’xw Health & Family Services Front Desk: (250) 949-8131 Sandra Charlie, Health Director scharlie@gwanakhealth.info / 902-2286

2

Gwa’sala-’Nakwaxda’xw Nation

September 27 2010

Treaty Update The Gwa’sala-‘Nakwaxda’xw Treaty Advisory Committee is Working on the Land Vision!

The Gwa’sala-‘Nakwxda’xw First Nations are at an exciting point in treaty negotiations. A lot of work has gone into the wording of the actual treaty document, and over the past several months, the G&N Treaty Team and community members on our Treaty Advisory Committee have been working hard to develop our vision for G&N lands. When we are ready to present our vision for our lands, the other governments will prepare to make a land and cash offer.

The land and cash offer is the amount of land and money the other governments are offering to transfer to G&N when the treaty is signed and ready to go.

With the land part of the treaty, there are many aspects to G&N asserting control over all the lands in the territory, such as revenue sharing, Forest Licences and other economic development and management agreements, but the land part of the offer is those lands thatwill become G&N lands. These lands are referred to as Treaty Settlement Lands and will be the parts of the Territory G&N will have the most control over.

Similar to lands, there are many aspects to the amount of money in the treaty, such as ongoing program funding and money for specific things agreed to in the treaty, but the cash offer is the amount of money that the other governments will provide to G&N for however we choose to use it, for instance: • Building houses • Economic development • Not to spend at all but to save it.

The first land and cash offer by the other governments will be relatively low, because they know the G&N negotiators will insist that the amounts need to be higher. There will probably be three or four revised offers by the other governments as the negotiations proceed, but the first one will give us an idea of how much Treaty Settlement Lands and how much money the other governments are willing to pay to make the treaty work for us. Once we see the first offer, we will be able to answer such questions as “if the offer is increased by 50% and the other treaty issues are resolved, would this be satisfactory?” (Continued...)

3

Gwa’sala-’Nakwaxda’xw Nation

September 27 2010

Treaty Update Continued...

An important aspect to the land and cash offer is that they are relative – if the amount and value of the land in a particular offer goes up, the cash part will go down. We can say we want more land (and therefore less cash) or more cash and less land. We will look at the first offer to see if the balance of land and cash is suitable for our plans, and can negotiate a different balance for the next offer, as well as an increase in the amounts.

The land and cash offer is a big part of the next “milestone” in the treaty process, which is coming to an “Agreement in Principal” (AIP). The AIP is a draft treaty document, that includes the land and cash offer, that all three negotiating teams agree to take back to their “principles” for agreement to proceed. For us, our principles are the community, and the community will get to vote on whether the AIP is good enough to proceed to the final treaty.

If the commu nity does agree, then the negotiations will continue, any final issues will be resolved, and the other governments will make a final land and cash offer. The community will again get to vote on the whether to proceed with the final treaty.

If you would like more information about the Gwa’sala‘Nakwaxda’xw Treaty Advisory Committee or our treaty negotiations, please contact me at (250) 9498424 or colleenh@gntreaty.org Colleen Hemphill, Chief Treaty Negotiator

It’s

Harvest

Season!

4

Gwa’sala-’Nakwaxda’xw Nation

September 27 2010

Communications Update Our website is almost finished! Within the next couple of weeks we will be finalizing the overall design and “feel” of the site, and I will do some training in how to keep the site updated and maintained. There are two blogs that are up and running right now, one for the community in general and one for Les, the Band Manager. You can check them out at • www.gwanak.posterous.com • www.gnbandmanager.posterous.com Remember, if you have anything you want to share for the site, or questions about it, this newsletter, or other communication issues, please give me a call at 949-8343 or e-mail jessieh@gwanakplan.org.

Jessie Hemphill, Executive Assistant & Communications

Elders Update Hello everyone! Hope your summer was fantastic. Just a brief update of what I will be doing with the elders: Mondays 1-2: Drop-in Exercise Session Thursdays 1-4: Drop-in Exercise Session All elders are welcome to come and have some fun using the equipment down at the Elders Centre. There will be water and light snacks provided.

The elders finally had a lunch meeting, on September 23rd. The meeting was wonderful, we had a total of 17 elders in attendance. One of the major topics that has come up was the use of the elders centre. The elders agreed to strongly enforce all the rules to everyone, with no exceptions. ­­­There’s also been a concern that if you rent the building and have child minding, please make sure that your child minder is paying attention to all the children and doing their job effectively.

The next elders meeting will be on October 13th starting at 12pm with lunch.

Also, I’ve been experiencing people texting or phoning me on weekends.

Please call me at the office during office hours to book the elders’ centre or talk about other work-related stuff.

Silena George, Elders Coordinator 5

Gwa’sala-’Nakwaxda’xw Nation

September 27 2010

CCP Update On September 13 we had a Comprehensive Community Planning meeting at the Gwa’sala’Nakwaxda’xw Elders’ Centre. Rita Walkus, Bobby Williams, Cathy & Bob Swain, Gloria Brotchie, Betty (Walkus) Brotchie, Gloria Walkus, Irene Sheard, Paula Walkus, and several of their children were there.

We went over the “Gwa’sala-’Nakwaxda’xw Community Organizing” part of the CCP, which Johanna Mazur, Christy George, Cathy Swain, Natasha Walkus and Donna Williams wrote.

Everyone at the meeting agreed that Johanna could consider the project finished and use it to graduate at UBC (although we will still be able to make corrections to it if needed). We also went over the “Community Vision & Goals” from the CCP, and after making some minor changes, the group agreed that it should be considered for our official community vision statement. I have given copies to Chief and Council and hopefully, if everyone likes it, we can put this vision statement on our website. We also handed out disposable cameras at the meeting, as part of the CCP photography project.

Vision Statement from CCP: We will be a community with a strong and distinct culture, where our language, traditions, and the teachings of our ancestors live on throughout the generations.

We will continue to be care takers of our sacred and important places. We will gather often to celebrate and support each other.

We will be educated, hard-working and responsible, making sure that we provide for ourselves and our children. We will cherish our traditional home lands, making sure that we care for the natural world so that it can continue to care for us.

We will have strong leaders who are accountable to their people. We will look after one another and strive for good health on all levels, physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. We will build strong families and respect ourselves and those around us. We will show this respect by taking care of our community.

We will be strong and independent, but we will also be connected to other communities across the globe, working together to achieve common goals. We will exist forever as the Gwa’sala-‘Nakwaxda’xw people, building on the legacy left to us by our ancestors and moving towards a bright future. (continued...)

6

Gwa’sala-’Nakwaxda’xw Nation

September 27 2010

Two students from UBC came up last week to meet community and staff members and talk about another CCP-related project that will be happening soon. You may have recognized Jeet Chand, who moved here for a few months last year to work on the CCP. Aftab Erfan was the other student who came up. More information will be coming about the project, see next page.

CCP Implementation: I don’t know when the next CCP meeting will be (since there is no more CCP funding) but I would like to try and have another one before Christmas. In the meantime, take a look at the different parts of the CCP that are being implemented: • In the CCP meetings we talked about the need to deal with some of the Root Issues in our community, like poor communication, lack of trust, lack of community unity, and trauma that’s gone on through the generations. The workshop that Aftab and Jeet are working on is designed to address these issues. Also, this newsletter and the website are part of the strategy to improve communications and trust.

• In Economic Development Conrad, the Economic Development Coordinator, has used the CCP to guide the work that he is doing to try and get businesses going for the benefit of the band. In particular, the desire to have cabins in the home lands is something that he is working towards.

• In Lands & Resources The Stewardship project that began in August is something in the CCP that has been implemented. The boat that was bought for this program has also enabled the band to take people on trips out to the home lands more often, which is another thing that was asked for in the CCP. Also, a Lands & Resources Coordinator has been hired to try and make sure that forestry, fisheries, stewardship, mapping, and other activities in our home lands are coordinated with each other.

• Les is working on getting students from our community to do some job shadowing of staff in the Band Office. This would mean that when any of the regular staff are away (or move on to other jobs) there will be community members who can step in and do the work.

7

Gwa’sala-’Nakwaxda’xw Nation

September 27 2010

8

Gwa’sala-’Nakwaxda’xw Nation

September 27 2010

Saturday’s Flooding...

9

Gwa’sala-’Nakwaxda’xw Nation

September 27 2010

Our Community Needs an Emergency Plan!

Watch for notice of an Emergency Planning Meeting in the coming weeks!

Emergency Kit Checklist The following is a list of basic items that should be contained in your Emergency Supply Kit for your home. The kit should be stored in plastic tubs or plastic garbage cans on wheels and be located in a safe easily accessible area.

• • • • • • • • • •

Water (four litres per person per day) Food (easy-to-prepare that won’t require much water or electricity) Medication & Spare Glasses/Contacts Documents (copies of important identification, insurance papers, emergency contact numbers) Kitchen Equipment (cooking equip., camp stove, cleaning supplies incl. bleach, garbage bags) Emergency First Aid Kit Light Sources (waterproof matches, candles, solar/battery flashlights) Communications (solar/battery powered radio, notebook & pencils) Clothing & Bedding (warm, waterproof, and rugged) Misc. Supplies (baby supplies, pet food, needle & thread, pliers & small tools, duct tape, scissors, tarp, whistle, maps of area & compass, work gloves, toilet paper & toiletries, small shovel, rope)

It is your responsibility to prepare your home and family for an emergency, and preparing an emergency kit is a good first step!

10

Gwa’sala-’Nakwaxda’xw Nation

September 27 2010

Create your own household emergency plan Emergency Exits Draw up a floor plan of your home that shows all possible exits from each room. Plan a main exit route and an alternate exit route from each room. If you live in an apartment, plan to use the stairs instead of the elevators. If you are unable to use the stairs, notify emergency personnel ahead of time. Also, identify an evacuation route from your neighbourhood in case you need to leave in a hurry (and think of more than one option).

Meeting Places Identify safe places where everyone in your house could meet if you cannot go home or if you have to evacuate. Think of a meeting place near your home and somewhere outside of Tsulquate.

Make Document Copies Make copies of your family’s birth certificates, passports, drivers licenses and other identification cards, wills, and insurance papers. Put the copies all together and give them to close friends or family who live outside of Tsulquate, and include copies in your Emergency Kit. Emergency Contacts Make a list of emergency phone numbers and keep it in a highly visible place near your phone, plus put a copy in your Emergency Kit. Also, tell your children who to contact in case of an emergency.

Home Safety Make sure you have a working Smoke Alarm, Fire Extinguisher(s), Carbon Monoxide Detector, First Aid Kit and Emergency Kit (see previous page about the Emergency Kit). Make sure you and your older children know how to shut off your home’s electricity, water, and gas lines. It’s a good idea to put big, easy-to-see signs near your water shut-off and breaker box(es).

[Information adapted from “Your Emergency Preparedness Guide” at www.getprepared.gc.ca]

11

Gwa’sala-’Nakwaxda’xw Nation

September 27 2010

Job Posting: First Nations In-School Support Worker The Gwa’sala-’Nakwaxda’xw Nation is accepting applications for a First Nations In-School Support Worker.

Current Pay Rate: Based on qualifications.

Hours of Work: 30 hours per week Reporting to: Port Hardy Secondary School Principal Qualifications and Experience: At least one year of post-secondary education applicable to work situation that may include courses in English, Mathematics, Social Studies, Science and First Nations Studies.

Knowledge and appreciation of Kwakwaka’wakw culture and communities.

Ability to maintain good working relationships and communicate effectively with students and parents.

Ability to facilitate secondary student’s academic learning.

Previous experience working with First Nations students in an academic environment preferred.

Duties Include: Effective classroom organization and management including student behaviour management.

Effective intervention strategies for students at risk.

Ability to teach study skills.

Good interpersonal skills and communication skills.

Please submit letter of application, resume, and two reference letters to: Grace Smith, Education Coordinator Gwa’sala-’Nakwaxda’xw Nation Box 5120 Port Hardy, B.C. V0N 2P0 Applications should be received no later than 3:00 pm on Thursday, September 30, 2010.

We thank all who apply for this position. However, only those short listed for an interview will be contacted.

12

Gwa’sala-’Nakwaxda’xw Nation

September 27 2010

Job Postings from Service Canada & NIEFS Job Title: Meat clerk Employer: Overwaitea Terms: Permanent, Part Time leading Full Time, Weekend, Day, Evening Salary: $8.70 to $11.15 Hourly for 24 hours per week, As per collective agree ment Anticipated Start Date: As soon as possible Specific Skills: Customer service oriented, Provide advice about merchandise Essential Skills: Oral communication, Working with others, Problem solving, Decision making, Critical thinking, Finding information, Continuous learning Other Information: We REQUIRE everyone to APPLY ONLINE as this is the quickest way for our friendly recruiters to find a great job for you! http://porthardy.overwaiteajobs.com Closing Date: October 4 Job Title: Kitchen helper Employer: Tom’s Kitchen Ltd. Terms of Employment: Permanent, Full Time, Overtime, Weekend, Day, Evening Salary: $2,450.00 Monthly for 40 hours per week Anticipated Start Date: October 1 Other Information: Hard working; Able to perform various tasks in a Chinese restaurant environment such as cleaning and washing dishes. Ability to speak Cantonese as asset To apply: Call Tom Leung between 9:00 and 17:00 at (778) 838-3388 Job Title : Grapple Yarder Operator Full/Part-Time : Full-Time Location : Port McNeill Salary : Union plus benefits Details : Lemare Lake Logging Ltd. is seeking a Grapple Yarder Operator. Coastal logging experience required. Position is full-time camp work with union rates and benefits.

Contact : Fax resumes to 250-956-4888 or Email office@lemare.ca Company Name : Lemare Lake Logging

13

Gwa’sala-’Nakwaxda’xw Nation

September 27 2010

Job Title : Off Highway Driver Full/Part-Time : Casual Location : Port McNeill area Salary : Union Details : Seeking experienced driver for a fat truck for a short-term position in the Port McNeill area. Position starts immediately.

Contact : Please call 250-956-3123; Fax: 250-956-4888 Company Name : Lemare Lake Logging Ltd. Job Title : Net Menders Full/Part-Time : Full-Time Location : Port Hardy Salary : TBD Details : Net mending-experience, First Aid / Forklift tickets are an asset but not required. Must be fit, team player, quick learner, follow directions, have steel toe boots, raingear, and own transportation. To start immediately.

Contact : Apply in person with resume. Attention Dave: 8300 Byng Road, Port

Hardy, BC Company Name : Cards Aquaculture Products Job Title : Shelter Worker Full/Part-Time : 6 Month Casual Position Location : Port Hardy Salary : $11/hr BCGEU Details : Ensure safe environment for clients; provide evening/overnight assistance, incl. meals,snacks; provide emotional support.Conduct nightly check of all facilities/beds; record shift activities; also perform janitorial work.

Additional Info : Must have Grade 12. Applicants with WHIMIS, Foodsafe, and First Aid Certificates given priority.

Apply in person with resume by Oct 1.Attention: Sean Junglas - Extreme Weather Shelter Worker at the vSalvation Army Resource Centre: 8635 Granville St. Pt. Hardy BC Company Name : Salvation Army Lighthouse Centre

14

Gwa’sala-’Nakwaxda’xw Nation

Job Title : Full/Part-Time : Location : Salary : Details :

Contact : Company Name :

September 27 2010

Heli Rigger Full-Time Knights Inlet DOE An experienced Heli Rigger is required for camp work in Knights Inlet.

Must have own gear.

Please leave message at 250-204-6877.

Confidential

Job Title : Custodian on Call Full/Part-Time : Casual Location : Port Hardy/ McNeill Salary : $20.52/hr Details : On call custodian required for Pt.Hardy and Pt.McNeill schools. Experience preferred. Job requires good health and stamina to perform a variety of routine cleaning tasks. Subject to criminal record check. Contact Randy for more info.

Applications available from NI schools or SD 85 office or online at www.sd85.bc.ca.

Company Name : School District 85 Job Title : School Bus Driver Full/Part-Time : Casual Location : Port Hardy/ McNeill Salary : $22.56/hr Details : On call school bus drivers needed for Port McNeill/Hardy area. Must have clean Drivers Abstract, Class 2 license with air brake end. Willing to train for Class 2. Pick up application from NI schools or SD 85 office or online.

Additional Info : North Island College offers air brake course.

For more info contact Randy Ball.

Phone Randy Ball at 250-949-8155 Ext 222 or apply online at www.sd85.bc.ca Company Name : School District 85

15

Gwa’sala-’Nakwaxda’xw Nation

September 27 2010

16