PO Box 188 * Merritt, BC * V1K 1B8 * tel (250) 378-4235 * fax (250) 378-9119 [email protected] Inside this Nicola Tribal Issue: NTA Strategic 2 Planning Session Executive Association Director’s Report 3 FRAFS Report 4

Tmixw Report 5-6

Wild Salmon 7 Newsletter Caravan

NTA AGA Notice 8 Halloween Word 9 October 2017 Search Family Fun Night 10

Halloween Safety Tips 11

Nicola Tribal Association Scw’exmx Child and Family 12 MISSION STATEMENT CNA Notices 13-15

Working in Unity to improve the Quality Health Authority 16-17 Announcements 18 of Life of our People

While Promoting our Language Deadline for NTA Culture and Protecting our newsletter submission is the Ancestral Rights 20th day of every month

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SERVICES IDENTIFIED THROUGH OUR STRATEGIC PLANNING SESSION HELD ON MARCH 14, 15, & 16TH 2016

1. Gathering Place

We provide a gathering place in Merritt, the largest community closest to the majority of our members. We will work with our communities to see how we can better support them and their families. At this time, we provide a number of core services that we provide to members on a walk-in basis, including but not limited to: *A place to rest after or during shopping in town; *Free telephone use; *Free internet use; *Free photocopying service; and *Meeting and other facilities for ceremonies.

2. One Voice

NTA, by mandate, is the single voice for all communities as well, the concept of One Voice has to do with the power and strength in numbers channeled through the single entity NTA. One Voice includes language and culture, centralized communications, and community supported decisions for referrals and environmental interests. These are areas that relate to specific services, most notably fisheries, or to matters where business is conducted within Merritt and where a unified First Nations voice (and approach) is needed. We are continually looking to enhance the conversations where we can demonstrate value, and have identified the following services as those that fall into this category: • Protection and stewardship, especially our work on fisheries and land surveys; • Centralized communications, including seeking to work with our communities to help them with engagement in their own communities; • Centralized engagement where it is expected or required, especially in Merritt and the surrounds and on regional, provincial and national committees as needed through our work; and Acting as a language hub so that the languages spoken within the seven NTA communities can be preserved and grown.

3. Shared Services

We provide a series of valued services to all our member communities that are better performed as one organization rather than seven, either in terms of reducing cost or creating greater effectiveness, using the voice of seven instead of one. Some of these services are provided because of our history, others because we have identified the need. We will continue to work with our communities so that we can constantly offer a NTA-based valued solutions.

2 Executive Director Report by Arlene Johnston:

NICOLA TRIBAL ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS REPORT SEPTEMBER 2017 ʔex́ kʷ n̓ Way’ iskʷist

School is back in and fall is upon us. Some of the fires are now contained and people are back in their homes. Hopefully we can now concentrate on the work to be done at Nicola Tribal. Our AGA had to be cancelled and moved because of prior commitments by our Board of Directors, however the new date of October 18th is now set and will go ahead.

AGA NEW DATE OCTOBER 18, 2017

A great deal has been happening in our offices with our updated boardroom and new smart TV to catch us up on technol- ogy.

Our lands department has been very busy even though we have been with dealing with the smoke from the fires.

Fisheries continue to work with conservation concerns, setting up meetings with the Chiefs and soon.

WEBSITE We continue to update our website. If you have something to advertise please contact our office and we will place it in our website.

FINANCE We have received funding from First Peoples Cultural Council for an Aboriginal Languages Initiative. This project will be completed by Mandy Jimmie. CORRECTION - This funding was for our Lands Department who will be working on files in the office.

TRAINING

I completed my Lands Referral Officers training this month and learned a great deal about how referrals should work, about processes and policy. As well as the legal rights of First Nations re the land, resources and so forth. I look forward

3 FRAFS Operations Manager Activity Report by Greg Witzky

FRAFS Operations Manager Activity Report for September 2017

Prepared By: Greg Witzky Prepared For: FRAFS Executive Committee Date Prepared: October 2nd, 2017

Day-To-Day Operations:

• Coded and authorized invoices & travel claims, then submitted to the NTA Finance Dept. • Email correspondence with FRAFS EC, DFO, NTA, FSMC, and FRAFS support biologists. • Worked out of the NTA office for 5 days, 1 day at DFO in Vancouver, plus another 18 days (some partial) out of my Chase office. • Managing operations tasks for CSPI workplan / budget as per my EC action items and FRAFS workplan, still using Lita’s Excel spreadsheet template to code invoice claims and track expenses but now using the NTA Xyntax accounting program to reconcile expenses to the NTA actuals, tracked hours worked and submitted bi-weekly timesheets, overseeing the FRAFS workplan & tasks for the new Communications Coordinator, and monthly activity & financial reporting to the FRAFS EC. Tasks:

• Reviewed the PICFI workplan and budget amendment to the CMA on September 5th. • Met with the NTA Executive Director on September 8th to get approval to use the Xyntax accounting program, and to utilize the NTA employee performance evaluation forms. • Conference call on September 14th with DFO staff from and Vancouver to fix a budget discrepancy, then successfully amended the 2016/17 Schedule 7 Final Report to reflect the minor discrepancy. • The FRAFS EC assisted the new Communications Coordinator and me with developing the agenda for the September 19th FRAFS EC and DFO-RDG meetings. • Finalized my FRAFS financial report for presentation to the EC at the upcoming September EC meeting in Vancouver. • Helped review and provide feedback into the September 1st & 8th “WST” newsletters. No more in- season newsletters will be distributed. • Helped coordinate and participate in both the September 19th FRAFS EC and DFO meetings in Vancouver. • FRAFS EC approved holding a FORUM at the end of March 2018, so planning to start ASAP. • Received Area 29 background information for review in preparation of the upcoming project operations tasks. • Participated in the bi-weekly CSPI planning conference call on September 28th.

4 Tmixw Research Report by Casey Holmes:

The Tmixw crews have been busy during the month of September. We have had 3 crew members conducting Preliminary Field Reconnaissance (PFR) assessments on forestry blocks and had 2 crew members working on various Archaeological Impact Assessments (AIA) throughout the territory. One of our crews located a lithic scatter site north of Tunkwa Lake. We conducted an AIA on the land feature that the site was originally located, to define the extend of the site boundary. During shovel excavations, the crew discovered additional lithic flakes and a projectile point. This site will be registered with the Archaeology branch and will be protected under the Heritage Conservation Act. Although it will have protected status, developers and proponents looking to condcut land aletering actvites can still apply for an alteration permit, which is submitted to the Archaeology Branch for review and issuance, should they determine the disturbance justified. This is a major issue that we continue to battle against, in my view, no intact archeaeolocial site should be impacted/distrubed regardless of the benefits, but at the end of the day, the Archaeologicla branch has the final say on the approval or denial of the alteration permit.

Lithic Scatter

On September 27, we met with representatives from the Ministry of Transportation (MOT) and Kinder Morgan to discuss a large number of permits that MOT will be submitting to accommodate the proposed work to be carried out on the proposed Trans Mountain pipeline. They will be submitting their permits in three waves, we currently have the first wave that comprises of approximately 35 road permits for review. Although a majority of them are to deal

5 with upgrading existing road infrastructure in place, there are a few permits looking to create new access from the existing highway to work sites along the proposed line. We are currently conducting an Archaeological Overview Assessment (AOA) of the proposed permits to identify any concerns.

We also had a chance to assist the with a site assessment of an accident site, where a truck carrying Class B Biosolids dumped its load. With discussions, along with a site visit with a representative from the Ministry of Environment, we discovered that there are no guidelines for what is deemed 100% cleanup for biosolids, and that there are no minimum levels to classify it as a contaminated site. We also discovered that these loads are being sent to clients before the final test results for the metals and coliform. Their clients are advised to not apply the biosolid until they receive the lab results to confirm that they meet the requirements for use on the land. The coliform results are said to be faster than the metals results, which can take approximately 2 weeks. When they use Class B biosolids for fertilization, there are risk management measures that are required to minimize potential for contact with microorganisms in the biosolid. Restrictions are applied to land fertilized with biosolids to ensure any remaining pathogens are killed and not ingested. This includes restricting domestic animals from grazing in the area for 2 months after the biosolid application and restricting harvesting of plants in that area for a year and a half for above ground plants and to 3 years for below ground plants. We are continuing to seek answers to what deems a 100% cleanup for biosolids and how can they ship the biosolid without having final confirmation that the load meets the minimum requirements for use on the land way' limlimpt k?uk?scemx?-Thank you

Casey Holmes Lands Research and Referrals Manager

6 7 October 18, 2017 Merritt Civic Centre 9am-4pm Lunch and nutrition breaks will be provided

Coldwater Indian Band

Cook’s Ferry Indian Band

Nicomen Indian Band

All members are welcome to attend. For more information call the NTA Office at Shackan Indian Band 250-378-4235 or email [email protected] nicolatribal.org Upper Nicola Indian Band

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Children’s Help Line Contact the NTA office for more information : (250) 310-1234 (250) 378-4235 Scw’exmx Child and Family Services Society Deadline for submissions is the last day of each (250) 378-2771 month. Please send all submissions to: Scw’exmx Community Health Services Society [email protected] (250) 378-9745 Fax: (250) 378-9119 Conayt Friendship Society (250) 250-378-5107 If you would like to have your newsletter emailed to Journey Into Tomorrow you, Send your email address to: Transition House (250) 378-6170 [email protected] ASETS You can now view our newsletter of the NTA website (250) 378-0126 nicolatribal.com Nicola Tribal Association (250) 378-4235

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