Chief and Council Announcements +
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Magnetawan First Nation MONTHLY NEWSLETTER | APRIL 2015 10 Hwy 529, Britt, Ontario P0G 1A0 Phone: 705-383-2477 | Fax: 705-383-2566 Web Site: www.magnetawanfirstnation.com IN THIS ISSUE New Band Manager Chief and Council are pleased to announce that... Henvey Inlet First Nation On March 19th, 2015 our General Election for Band Council was held for the upcoming two year term... Species at Risk Ryan Morin "The Species at Risk boys Terry Jones and Ryan Morin are going to be hosting a workshop on Monday Spotted Along Hwy 529 April 13th 2015... COMMUNITY NOTICE Spring Runoff – Ditches and Road Please remind all children that the ditches are running real fast right now, and as a safety precaution that the children should stay away from them. Heavy equipment will be in to help clear ditches of ice and grading of road will commence, to assist the spring runoff and melt. Thank You Public Work Lloyd Myke NOTICE Please sort your Plastic, Metal, Paper, Styrofoam, and regular household garbage into individual bags before putting it out for pick up. Any unsorted bags will be left behind. Thanks! April 8, 2015 Attention: Community members/Band Members/Students As of April 7, 2015, I am working from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm as Education Counselor at the Band Office! I am looking forward to putting 100% of my time into my responsibilities to Post Secondary, Secondary and Elementary students! As a reminder, all Post Secondary students must have their funding applications in by May 31, 2015. In addition, in order for Living Allowances to be deposited into students bank accounts in September 2015, the Acceptance Letters from their respective institutions must be mailed, emailed or scanned to the Education Department. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at the Band Office. Respectively, Carol Stevens | Education Counselor MAGNETAWAN FIRST NATION | APRIL 2015 | Chief and Council Announcements + Donations collected at the MFN Store NEWS RELEASE Anishinabek Nation congratulates Kina Gbezhgomi’s full designation UOI OFFICES April 1, 2015 – Kina Gbezhgomi Child and Family Services Agency now has full designation status under the Ministry of Child and Youth Services "This designation will provide an opportunity to keep our Anishinabek children in their home communities. I would like to congratulate Kina Gbezhgomi for this significant achievement,” says Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief Patrick Madahbee. For more than 20 years, Kina Gbezhgomi has been working towards assuming full and complete responsibility of child welfare services for indigenous children and families. The vision has always been to ensure that their children are protected “and stay connected with their culture, language and community while strengthening family and community relationships.” Kina Gbezhgomi represents Whitefish River, Aundeck Omni Kaning, Sheguiandah, M’Chigeeng, Sheshegwaning, Zhiibaahaasing First Nation with Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve-Kina Gbezhgomi Child and Family Services. www.kgcfs.org Kina Gbezhgomi’s urban office is currently located at 866 Newgate Avenue, Unit 1, just off Notre Dame Avenue in Sudbury’s central core. www.kgcfs.org. The Anishinabek Nation established the Union of Ontario Indians as its secretariat in 1949. The UOI is a political advocate for 39 member communities across Ontario, representing approximately 55,000 people. The Union of Ontario Indians is the oldest political organization in Ontario and can trace its roots back to the Confederacy of Three Fires, which existed long before European contact. -30- For more information contact: Marci Becking, Communications Officer Phone : 1-877-702-5200 ext. 2290 Email : [email protected] www.anishinabek.ca www.anishinabeknews.ca Follow us on Twitter Facebook YouTube MTO – Magnetawan First Nation Negotiations March 31, 2015 Magnetawan First Nation Band Office In Attendance: John Beaucage Counsel Public Affairs (Chair) Devan Sommerville Counsel Public Affairs (Minute-taker) Chief William Diabo MFN Anthony Laforge MFN Tim Librande MFN Legal Counsel Ian Johnson MFN Counsel Kelly Boudreau MTO 1. Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 10:39 am. John Beaucage provided an opening prayer and thanked MFN for inviting us to their territory for today’s discussion. 2. Remarks John acknowledged the hiatus in the discussions and asked the Chief and MTO to provide opening remarks. John recognized the interests that both groups are bringing to the discussions. o MTO wants to expand the highway to facilitate better transportation between Sudbury and Toronto, and to improve highway safety. o MFN does not object to the project, but wants to ensure that the community receives benefit to offset the impact on its Treaty Rights, unlike developments in the past that proceeded without consultation and with few benefits to the community. o These discussions are an effort to bring together the interests of MTO/the Province and MFN, and ensure that all are able to benefit. John stressed the importance of working together to find a mutually- beneficial resolution to this matter in 2015. Kelly thanked the Chief and Magnetawan First Nation for hosting the meeting, and expressed his commitment to the dialogue. The Chief thanked MTO for coming, and looks forward to continuing the discussion with MTO to ensure that the best interests of MFN are respected, particularly ensuring that the community will benefit from the Highway 69/400 expansion. The Chief expressed MFN’s inability to commit to an end date, but supports continuing constructive discussions. 1 Ian expressed a hope that MTO and MFN will make important progress during 2015. Ian noted that several items on the agenda remain to be resolved from previous discussions, and they want to resolve these soon. o Ian recognized that there are many provincial priorities, such as the Ring of Fire, but noted that both issues include ensuring First Nations are properly consulted and benefit from the project. John recognized 2015 as perhaps an optimistic target, but agreed that important progress can and should be achieved. 3. Agenda Review The agenda was accepted as presented. 4. Previous Meeting Minutes – September 24, 2014 The minutes have been accepted. 5. Action List From Previous Meeting - Status #1: Complete. #2: In progress - MFN is working with legal counsel and an environmental advisor, expect to provide an official response in two weeks. #3: Complete; Anthony may contact Kelly to seek additional information regarding the matter of quarries. o The Chief and Anthony discussed the challenges of quarry development on-reserve, particularly the sale of aggregate off- reserve, and the need to ensure that any project is undertaken by MFN is successful. #4: Complete. #5: Complete. The Chief raised the importance of renewing the agreement past the original 1-year period. Kelly will prepare a renewal of the Whereas Agreement. #6: Ongoing. Task #1: Kelly to prepare renewal of the Whereas Agreement 6. 2015 Work Plan & Expectations Kelly re-iterated the need for MFN input on the MTO Impacts / Mitigation list. John presented two possible approaches – deal with the small matters first, and the more difficult items after; or begin with the more difficult matters, proceeding to the small matters after these are resolved. o John recommended addressing the more difficult items first, outlining these 2-3 items and tackling them at the outset. o Regarding a Task List, Ian believed it will be impractical to address the most difficult matters first in several cases because of the need to gather further information and undertake due diligence. 2 o Ian suggested that addressing smaller matters while these other actions are underway may be prudent. The Chief noted that they are beginning to develop a Task List based on the minutes from previous meetings, and re-iterated Kelly's commitment to maintain a tracking list of these items. o Kelly explained that MTO continues to evaluate and modify this list based on the ongoing meetings, with the ultimate goal of having no further items. Ian also noted that that he & Tim are working with MFN to identify their priority list, and developing criteria to articulate their priorities. Ian raised the question of what the “ramp up” time is, as this is an important matter for developing a Task List. Discussion of possible priority items o Ian noted that all the items on today's agenda are worthy of inclusion in the preparation of the 2015 Work Plan. (Further discussion on each of these items is outlined in separate numbered sections in these minutes). o Anthony raised CEAA4 as a key priority, as it is a key step for MFN towards creating its own environmental laws and maintaining consistency in further CEAA processes. Ian asked how the CEAA is connected to the Crown's Duty to Consult. Anthony explained that previous CEAA processes did not meet the community's expectation of consultation, as the 2012 meetings only provided information on changes to the CEAA process. There was no actual consultation with the Chief and MFN. Tim stated that the CEAA process undermines the Duty to Consult, intentionally or otherwise. Kelly explained that the Federal government does not use the word “approval” when issuing CEAA responses. Although the Province may be in a position to begin construction, there is recognition that MFN does not agree that sufficient consultation has taken place. Kelly expressed his role as ensuring that MTO is respecting the concerns of MFN. Kelly encouraged MFN to reach out to him whenever they have concerns. Anthony stressed the need to find a position between “approval” by the Federal government and “consent” by MFN. Anthony does not want the process to carry on for another decade, and made it clear that MTO has a responsibility to understand its legal obligations in working with First Nations, particularly the importance of “consent”. Anthony described the ongoing professional development that he is involved in to ensure that he 3 understands new legal precedents and government changes and can properly advise the Chief.