Wishing You All Merry Christmas and Season’S Greetings
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VOL. 4 ISSUE 4 DECEMBER 2013 Wishing you all Merry Christmas and Season’s Greetings DAKOTA OJIBWAY TRIBAL COUNCIL “Indian control of Indian Development” Long Plain First Nation Waywayseecappo First Nation Swan Lake First Nation Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation Birdtail Sioux First Nation Roseau River Anishinabe First Nation DOTC Room 230 - 5010 Crescent Rd. West, P.O. Box 338, Portage la Prairie, Manitoba R1N 3B7 | PH: 204-239-8650 | Email: [email protected] | www.dotc.mb.ca Dakota Ojibway Tribal Council Chairman’s Message Message from the CEO Annual ReportChief Francine Meeches Robert Daniels 2008 Chair- 2009 / DOTC Council of Chiefs CEO/Dakota Ojibway Tribal Council Arising from the Annual General Meeting on October 25, 2013 held in I am pleased to provide a brief overview of the major activities undertaken by Waywayseecappo First Nation, I am honoured to serve as Chair of the DOTC Council DOTC Administration and Finance. These are in addition to the normal duties of Chiefs. Chief Russell Beaulieu and Chief Dennis Meeches will serve as Vice- and efforts required for the operation of the organization. Chair and Secretary-Treasurer respectively. Together, the DOTC Council of Chiefs looks forward to working on behalf of the Tribal Council and also meet needs and Aviva Community Fund Competition- for the second year DOTC and its expectation as expressed individually or collectively by our respective First Nations. partners competed in order to win $150,000 for its project idea- “DOTC- These are exciting times for the Dakota Ojibway Tribal Council as it will be celebrating Ranger-DOPS Sports and Education Initiative for the Youth” that would benefit its 40th year in 2014. During 2014 as well, Yellowquill College will be celebrating students in schools based in the DOTC communities. It is a competition in its 30th year. How opportune as our future lies first and foremost with education. which individuals vote on-line to support their favourite ideas. Despite our Education is and must be a priority if we are to provide hope and progress to our First best efforts, we were not able to convince our members to mobilize and vote Nations and its members. The youth need to be accorded attention- this is no longer for our idea. We do feel that DOTC can win this competition but; it requires a choice. It is a must! On this front, I along with the other members of the Council buy-in and support from us all. Disappointingly, our best efforts fell short. of Chiefs, am fully supportive of the DOTC Strategic Plan 2012-22 that prioritizes in Meetings with Program Managers- the quarterly-based program managers order of importance- education, employment and economic development. meetings will from here-on be augmented with meetings with individual To reiterate, the Tribal Council has identified and is committed to three main priorities- Program Managers. This is to ensure that there is effective communication education, employment and economic development. If our members are to progress and, that any issues or concerns are addressed in a timely manner. and have improved economic opportunities, we all must work together towards the realization of these three main priorities. For our part at the DOTC, when delivering Conferences- the CEO and the Director of Operations attended two conferences the services, all programs must have in mind to how each can directly or indirectly in Toronto- Indigenous Issues in Post-Secondary Education: Transition to the participate and contribute towards realization of one and/or all three priorities. Workplace, October 6 & 7, 2013 and the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, Private Sector Liaison Educational Forum, October 28 & 29, 2013. Yellowquill College is in the midst of its strategic planning. I, along with some of the The conference on post-secondary education for us confirmed that there is Chiefs, did attend the proceedings on November 1st, 2013. I was struck both by the a need to both inform our students and create appropriate means so that commitment and passion that the staff (and indeed the Leadership) has for the College they too can avail better economic and employment opportunities through and its accomplishments to date. However, I was also impressed by the appreciation consideration to science, technology, engineering and maths. There is a and recognition that the College must work to be relevant (while retaining its focus critical under-representation from our students in these domains. There on culture and tradition) in meeting the needs of our students/communities for the is a need for us all to be aggressive and proactive in finding ways to get 21st century beyond. Towards this end, as referenced elsewhere, a YC Working students interested in these areas. The Policing conference addressed the Group on Strategic Directions and Priorities has been established to provide the issue of public-private partnerships for provision of services. The Director of necessary support to facilitate the work that needs to be undertaken by the College. Operations also attended a seminar by Dr. Martin Brokenleg on “Reclaiming Chaired by Robert Daniels/Chief Executive Officer, the first meeting has taken place our Youth: The Circle of Courage”. and, on monthly basis, over the coming months, meetings will take place to address specific issues and tasks that have been identified for consideration. Advisory Services- DOTC Administration and Finance worked with Chief On behalf of the DOTC Council of Chiefs, the Tribal Council congratulates and offers and Council and, Senior Administration of Birdtail Sioux First Nation. Two its best wishes to Chief and Council and the membership of Waywayseecappo meetings were held. All required and/or requested documentation has First Nation. After a long drawn out effort, the First Nation has been successful in been completed and forwarded for use by Chief and Council. As part of replacing the police services by the RCMP. Effective April 2014 (or thereafter), police on-going major workshops in each of the five areas of advisory services- services will be offered by the Dakota Ojibway Police Service. Again, this takes place the fourth workshop on Understanding First Nations Taxation: A Leadership in 2014- the 40th year of celebration of the Dakota Ojibway Tribal Council. Workshop, was held on November 29, 2013 in Winnipeg. Participants were representative of the Leadership, Administration and Economic Areas from “Indian control of Indian Development”, the above initiatives (and others referenced each of the DOTC member First Nations. The final workshop will be in the in this newsletter) are a great stepping stone to the next 40 years. first quarter of 2014 and, it will focus on Project Management. Finally, I too express my appreciation and thanks to the DOTC staff for its commitment First Nations Education Act Community-based Information Session (January and dedication to the work each undertakes on behalf of DOTC First Nations and its 2014)- DOTC has been again requested by AANDC to undertake on membership. The DOTC Council of Chiefs wishes everyone best wishes for the its behalf a follow-up session to the one in September 2013. It will take festive and holiday season. Merry Christmas and may 2014 be one of health, peace place on January 15, 2014 at the Keeshkeemaquah Conference & Gaming and prosperity for one and all! Centre, Long Plain/Portage. Technically oriented in its approach, this time (Continued on page 2)... 1 VOL. 4 ISSUE 4 DECEMBER 2013 CEO Message continued from page 1... representation and participation will be sought from the Leadership, Band Administration, Principals, Education Authorities and Guidance Counsellors. Focus will be two-fold namely the “deconstruction of the First Nations Education Act” and compiling an effective communication strategy by which to affect the required changes. The session will be open to all First Nations located in the southern Manitoba. Land Environmental Action Fund Program (2013-14) - as per terms and conditions of the program, a two-day workshop on “First Nations and Participation in the Green Economy – Communication, Capacity, Creating Opportunity” was recently delivered on 19th and 20th November 2013. Developed and facilitated by David Lane, the workshop focused on capacity, capability and opportunity. Day 1 addressed both the high-level and specific examples of projects initiated by First Nations in Manitoba and elsewhere in Canada. Day-2 in Swan Lake First Nation, it had a on-site and practical hands-on focus in respect to the housing initiative on improved efficiencies and savings of energy (and resources). The main deliverable of this project will be 2 issues of Newsletters focusing on “Green Economic Initiatives and Outlooks” and; secondly, a “tool-kit” on small, medium and large sized projects by which the DOTC communities (and other First Nations) can assess and evaluate their ongoing or future projects. Another initiative, sometime in January 2014, there will be school-based presentations and hands-on interactions on issues of environment and green economy to teachers and students in some of the DOTC communities. Language Classes- under terms of the First Nations Confederacy of Cultural Education Centres program for 2013-14, DOTC Administration has contacted and made a call to the school principals in DOTC communities, if they are interested in implementing language classes for January-March 2014. A school-based initiative, it can be open to community members. We have received enthusiastic response from some while we await the same from others. Enhanced Service Delivery Project- As referenced elsewhere in this newsletter, DOTC Administration has provided the required assistance and support to the two partners- Dakota Ojibway Health Services and Social Development Program. Finally, DOTC Administration together with the Leadership expresses it appreciation to all staff members for their commitment and dedication in working to meet the needs and expectations of our member First Nations and its larger membership.