Quarterly Report March 2012 By: Off Reserve Councillor Yasmin Prince Danache’a Elders, Band members, family and staff. I would like to start off by saying I am honoured and proud to be an elected member for you. I have been able to attend more workshops, conferences and award ceremonies recently and to say I am from MLIB, and share with other First nations who we are as well as some of our values, is a great feeling and moment. The latest functions I have attended have been; November Aboriginal Business Awards December 2011 Quarterly Meeting in Vancouver January C&C meeting via Teleconference February C&C meeting in McLeod Lake personally. March Aboriginal Awards Ceremony in Vancouver March 8th Environmental Assessment Building Capacity Workshop in Richmond March 15th AFOA Demystifying Finances in Vancouver The Events coming up will be; March 21-22nd– Governance Training in Prince George March Quarterly Meetings in Prince George and Vancouver March Aboriginal Tourism Conference Osoyoos BC May Aboriginal Tourism Workshop Victoria BC I was thankful to attend the Aboriginal Business Awards, it was so inspiring to see and be around all those entrepreneurs and business minded people. It was great to have Duz Cho honoured and recognized. The December Quarterly Meeting in Vancouver was Great! The amount of members and information shared was positive and progressive. Mussi cho to everyone who could attend!! Again it was just as inspiring to be at the Aboriginal Awards Ceremony. My friend and I decided to go and found our way and met up with mutual community and business friends there. I was glad to see some of the youth and Band members made it there as well, another Positive environment to be in and experience. The Environmental Assessment workshop in Richmond provided a great opportunity to understand how Environmental Assessments are done and how the First Nations and Government roles play out. I gain knowledge in the terminology, process, positives and negatives with Government and business involvement. The First Nations are still very much in a buyer beware position since Environmental Assessments are still a new process to Government and ourselves, since the late 90’s. Since MLIB has their own Land code there is also slightly different rules, processes and responsibilities we need to double check!! One of the questions I had was who has the rights to the data collected, for example, with Site C, BC Hydro wants to control and have the collected data but MLIB wants to do the data collecting and then provide them with what information they request. I found out there is a Data website for EA’s in BC and more information on EA’s at http://www.ceaa.gc.ca/default.asp?lang=En&n=499F0D58-1.
The AFOA Financial Workshop was again very informative giving definitions for terminology like AMORIZATION which means depreciation of an asset, and GAAP is the acronym for General Accepted Accounting Principals. This is not rocket science but every bit more we learn and understand we can piece together, share, communicate and work on. I have appreciated these opportunities so far and I look forward to the Aboriginal Tourism Conference and Workshop to attend and learn more there. My Family is doing well, our newest member Teo Munlo Nonda born just after the Dec. Quarterly meeting, is healthy and a joy to have (when he’s sleeping..lol..jk), he has attended a few meetings with me so far. I look forward to bringing my WHOLE family up for the AGA in August and do some camping!! Mussi Cho Everyone!!!! Again if you have Questions please contact me or other C&C members, I have had more Band members asking and chatting with me and I appreciate to have the conversation and hopefully provide an answer. Sincerely Yasmin Prince