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May 27 Seabird Island kids learn the art of paddlinghttp://www.bclocalnews.com/fraser_valley/ahobserver/news/19122574.html By Lorene Keitch - Agassiz Observer - May 21, 2008
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  THE WATER GLISTENS as a group of students and teachers row the 11-man war canoe last Thursday in the slough. Lorene Keitch/ The Observer Seabird Island students are taking part in a unique program, learning life lessons and staying active while they are at it. Expanded fishery a concern, says grand chiefhttp://www.bclocalnews.com/fraser_valley/theprogress/news/19285464.html By Jennifer Feinberg - Chilliwack Progress - May 26, 2008 The head of the Sto:lo Tribal Council is concerned about expanded recreational fishing opportunities just outside the river system, and their impact on aboriginal fisheries. Apology will be full, frank, heartfelt, says Strahlhttp://www.bclocalnews.com/fraser_valley/theprogress/news/19284129.html
By Robert Freeman - Chilliwack Progress - May 27, 2008 On June 11 Prime Minister Stephen Harper will own up to this country’s disastrous residential school policy that scarred the lives of generations of aboriginal Canadians. Canada, U.S. reach salmon overfishing deal
MARK HUME Globe and Mail Update
May 22, 2008 at 4:51 PM EDT
Vancouver — After 18 months of negotiations Canada and the U.S. have reached agreement on a new Pacific Salmon Treaty that will see nearly $50-million directed to conserve, restore and study endangered stocks. Jilted band, company want compensationhttp://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=bf6e10c3-3f43-455b-b288-a1744316924f
But environment minister just says: See you in court Michael Smyth, The Province Published: Tuesday, May 27, 2008
In late March, the Gordon Campbell government effectively killed the proposed Upper Pitt River hydro project, reaping the praise of environmental groups. Strahl gets change of heart on C-21http://www.firstperspective.ca/fp_template.php?path=20080526OttawaWatch
Ottawa Watch May 26, 2008 — By Simon Doyle Seems Indian and Northern Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl had something of a change of heart recently on Bill C-21, the bill to repeal section 67 of the Canadian Human Rights Act. The recent history of drinking water in First Nation communitieshttp://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=532896Kirsten Smith, Canwest News Service Published: Thursday, May 22, 2008Run of River Would Let Energy Flowhttp://www.opinion250.com/blog/view/9413/3/run+of+river+would+let+energy+flow
By 250 News
Wednesday, May 21, 2008 01:12 PM AFN leader rejects calls to restrict school payouts in wake of deathshttp://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/05/21/residential-payouts.html
Last Updated: Wednesday, May 21, 2008 | 8:14 PM ET Comments45Recommend20CBC News May 07 Governments fail native children, two reports showhttp://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080507.BCAUDITORSB07/TPStory/Sports
CHILD WELFARE: FEDERAL AND PROVINCIAL AUDITORS BOTH REPORT
STEVEN CHASE AND BILL CURRY
With a report from The Canadian Press
May 7, 2008
OTTAWA -- The federal Indian Affairs Department is underfunding child welfare programs for on-reserve natives and failing to monitor some of what it does spend, particularly in British Columbia, Auditor-General Sheila Fraser said yesterday.
B.C. native agencies are receiving federal tax dollars to care for aboriginal children, but Indian Affairs is not properly scrutinizing those expenses, the report found.
The verdict is part of a damning investigation of the federal government's approach to child welfare programs. The report pays particular attention to a unique funding arrangement for B.C. communities that it says is not following the rules.
"[Indian and Northern Affairs] pays First Nations agencies in B.C. a pre-determined amount per day of care and makes no attempt to relate this amount to the actual expenses incurred for these children," the Auditor-General's office said.
"We also found that the actual cost of First Nations children placed in care in some First Nations agencies are lower than the amount provided by [Indian Affairs]," it said.
"Further [Indian Affairs] does not review the agencies' expenses to ensure that they are allowable under the program."
Studies show that in British Columbia, an aboriginal child is about six times more likely to be taken into state care than a non-aboriginal child.
Of all B.C. children in state care, 51 per cent are aboriginal, yet aboriginal people represent only about 8 per cent of the provincial population.
Ms. Fraser's office also called for better research on what happens to aboriginal children placed in the care of the state.
"Our legislatures and aboriginal and First Nations communities need to know if the services being provided make a difference. More and better information on outcomes is critical to measure the impact of services and to change or improve them where necessary."
Ms. Fraser's report was released simultaneously yesterday with a separate report from John Doyle, the Auditor-General of British Columbia, also on child welfare services for aboriginal children.
The Doyle report questions the viability of the province's move to shift the delivery of child protection services for aboriginal children from provincial to native agencies.
The report concludes that the government's service delivery approach for aboriginal children has been only partly successful and should be re-examined.
For nearly a decade, the province has been transferring responsibility for child protection to designated aboriginal agencies, but Mr. Doyle's review found that the majority of those agencies were not completely up to the task.
"Only eight of the 24 delegated aboriginal agencies have qualified to deliver full child protection services," the 47-page report says.
In Ms. Fraser's report, her auditors cite many disturbing discoveries from their visits to nearly a dozen reserves. They report an increasing number of babies on native reserves are born addicted to drugs.
But the federal government is letting down these and many other native children with under-funded child welfare programs. Further, Mr. Fraser's latest report to Parliament found virtually no monitoring is taking place to ensure the programs in place do more good than harm.
Although it spends $450-million a year on such programs, the Department of Indian Affairs "does not know whether on-reserve First Nations children are adequately protected and are receiving appropriate services," the report says.
The native population in Canada is growing much faster than the national average, but many children dealing with physical and sexual abuse at home are unable to find refuge.
The large numbers that do end up being removed from their homes are not guaranteed proper care either, as few checkups are done to track these children or monitor the agencies funded to take care of them.
Statistics show an increase in the number of on-reserve children placed in foster care. The numbers spiked by 65 per cent between 1997 and 2001 to nearly 9,000 children countrywide - a number that has remained at that high level ever since.
The hig number of aboriginal children in care was attributed to a "host of reasons" by the province's Minister for Children and Family Development, "some of them historic."
"Unfortunately, that's always been the case," Tom Christensen said.
He said there have been particular challenges in finding out-of-care options for aboriginal children living on reserves, although the number of non-aboriginal children in provincial care has dropped significantly because of such options.
The First Nations Summit welcomed the auditors' recommendations.
Grand Chief Ed John said the provincial report, along with the federal audit, reveal a "startling picture of how the welfare of vulnerable aboriginal children is often subjected to government whimsy."
B.C. auditor criticizes switch to native agencies
SCOTT SUTHERLAND
The Canadian Press
May 7, 2008 at 5:45 AM EDT
VICTORIA — A new report by British Columbia's Auditor-General questions the viability of the province's move to shift the delivery of child protection services for aboriginal children from provincial to native agencies.
The report released yesterday by Auditor-General John Doyle concludes the government's service delivery approach for aboriginal children has been only partly successful and should be re-examined.
For nearly a decade, the province has been transferring responsibility for child protection to designated aboriginal agencies, but Mr. Doyle's review, conducted in conjunction with the federal Auditor-General, found that the majority of those agencies were not completely up to the task.
"Only eight of the 24 delegated aboriginal agencies have qualified to deliver full child protection services," the 47-page report says.
"We recommend the ministry, in consultation with first nations and aboriginal organizations, determine whether transfer of all child protection services to aboriginal agencies is still viable, and if not, adjust the service delivery approach to support some continued ministry service."
The report was co-signed by federal Auditor-General Sheila Fraser, whose office conducted a concurrent review of aboriginal child services across the country. The provincial report makes 10 recommendations in all.
It criticizes the ministry for failing to identify and monitor the needs, resources and funding that are required to protect the province's aboriginal children from abuse and neglect.
"An aboriginal child is about six times more likely to be taken into care than a non-aboriginal child," says the report, tabled in the B.C. Legislature yesterday morning.
"Of all B.C. children who are in care, 51 per cent are aboriginal - yet aboriginal people represent only about eight per cent of B.C.'s population," the report adds, flagging it a "major concern."
The review found that in 2006-2007 there were more than 4,600 children in the legal care of the province.
The disproportionate number of aboriginal children in care was blamed on a "host of reasons" by the province's Minister for Children and Family Development, "some of them historic.
"Unfortunately, that's always been the case," Tom Christensen said.
"I think there have been particular challenges in terms of looking to out-of-care options with aboriginal children on-reserve," he said, noting that the number of non-aboriginal children in care has dropped significantly over the past few years, largely due to options developed by the province that don't involve foster care.
But Mr. Christensen said the report underlines the complexities of a child-welfare system that involves the provincial government, the federal government in the case of on-reserve children, and nearly 200 B.C. native communities.
"It would be nice if it was simply the ministry making decisions, but we have to do it collaboratively if we're going to make the type of progress we want to make," he said.
He said the federal government, through Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, has recently started to fund some out-of-care options for on-reserve children.
However, last week, at the 11th hour and after years of negotiations, the B.C. Liberal government dropped plans to introduce legislation that it said would provide options for native leaders and communities to take on child welfare responsibilities.
One of the most vocal opponents of the legislation was Stewart Phillip, head of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs.
In a letter to Mr. Christensen, he noted that the province's First Nations Leadership Council had expressed strong opposition to the bill and there was minimal consultation and accommodation in the legislative process, yet the government had appeared ready to move unilaterally.
Mr. Christensen maintained the legislation was to provide opportunities for native bands.
"It wasn't intended to impose anything on any particular first nation or tribal council," he said yesterday.
The failure of the legislation is another indication of the very real challenge in working with such a broad range of aboriginal groups to find a path that everyone can walk forward on together, he said.
Child protection issues have plagued consecutive provincial governments.
Last month, B.C.'s independent children's representative released a report that focused on the deaths of four children in the north. Three of the children were aboriginal and she noted that 70 per cent of the children in care in northern B.C. are aboriginal.
Provincial government criticized over its care of aboriginal children
Report slams child care Lindsay Kines, Canwest News Service Published: Wednesday, May 07, 2008 More than half the children in its care are aboriginal, yet the B.C. government has no idea how they're doing, Auditor-General John Doyle said in a report released Tuesday.
Doyle said the disproportionate number of aboriginal children in need of protection likely indicates that government programs are falling short.
But rather than scrutinizing those programs and making changes, the government has little information on what's working and what isn't, he said.
"Neither the federal nor the B.C. government knows enough about the outcomes," Doyle said. "What happens to these children who receive child welfare services? Are they better off?
"Our legislatures and aboriginal and first nations communities need to know if the services being provided make a difference."
Doyle's report also found that the B.C. government has no clear idea what services aboriginal children need, nor how many social workers and other employees are required to deliver them. As a result, the ministry hasn't been able to make a strong case at the cabinet table for more money and in turn faces "funding gaps."
The issue is of major concern because aboriginal children account for only eight per cent of the population, but make up 51 per cent of children in the province's care.
Children's Minister Tom Christensen was unable to explain why B.C.'s numbers are so much higher than other provinces. "It concerns me that over the last eight years we've made significant progress in reducing the number of non-aboriginal children in care . . . and we haven't had that same success with first nations children."
But Christensen said his ministry is already working on many of the issues highlighted by Doyle and others, including former judge Ted Hughes and children and youth representative Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond.
"We recognize that we need to do a better job of identifying what are the outcomes that we are seeking to achieve," Christensen said, adding he expects "significant progress" this year.
NDP children's critic Nicholas Simons said the auditor's report shows the government has little to show for its efforts after seven years in office and numerous scathing reviews.
"In 2001, 42 per cent of the children in care were aboriginal children," he told the legislature. "In 2008, 52 per cent are aboriginal children. The minister refers to doing what they're doing well. I fail to see any evidence that this ministry is addressing the issues at hand. This report simply confirms that."
In a separate audit released Tuesday, federal Auditor-General Sheila Fraser examined the federal First Nations Child and Family Services Program that assists children on reserves. She concluded that Indian and Northern Affairs Canada is using an outdated funding formula.
CSIS finds Olympic opponentshttp://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=40bde8c1-1d9d-4c2f-9426-cba651eaeca7
The Gazette Published: 9 hours ago Ahead of Vancouver's 2010 Winter Olympics, Canada's spy agency has been monitoring anti-Olympic activities for more than a year and found the strongest opposition to the athletic event to be among "the more extreme elements" of First Nations groups, particularly in alliance with anti-poverty groups, according to an internal government document obtained by Canwest News Service.
The censored document was sent by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service to the Department of Public Safety and refers to an event hosted last spring by the Vancouver Olympic Committee. The six-page, French and English document, titled CSIS Threat Assessment and marked "secret," provides little detail about the seriousness of the threat by the groups.
However, it does highlight their convergence in opposition to the Olympics, a concern recently voiced by a former RCMP intelligence and national security expert.
Dated March 21, 2007, the threat assessment analyzed potential disruptions to a planned urban aboriginal friendship celebration, which was to take place three days later. The event was hosted by the Vancouver Olympic Committee "to reach out to the aboriginal community in Vancouver," said the assessment, which was made public under the Access to Information Act. B.C. gov't gets failing grade on native kids' carehttp://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=600238c2-cda2-4fac-8ccd-9010283f8590
Only eight of 24 aboriginal agencies yet up to scratch -- report John Bermingham, The Province Published: Wednesday, May 07, 2008 The safety net for aboriginal kids in B.C. still has gaping holes in it, says a new report by the province's auditor-general.
John Doyle faults the B.C. Ministry of Children and Families for not protecting aboriginal kids.
Victoria has been delegating the care of aboriginal kids to First Nations agencies around the province.
But only eight out of 24 aboriginal agencies are currently able to protect kids, and the ministry still doesn't know what it needs, and how much it will cost, to do the job properly, says Doyle's report.
"The progress has been slower than the ministry has anticipated," said the report's author, Morris Sydor.
Last year, aboriginal kids made up eight per cent of the population, but 51 per cent of all kids in government care.
Children and Families Minister Tom Christensen said the ministry is making progress, but there are still complex challenges.
"We recognize we have work to do, in identifying what gaps in services may exist, on and off reserve," he said. "I don't think the safety of aboriginal children is being compromised."
Grand Chief Stewart Phillip of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs blamed Liberal government cuts to child-protection services in 2001.
"The [ministry] is making a very desperate effort to catch up," said Phillip. "Unfortunately, they have left a wake of tragedy behind them."
The ministry has launched a probe into the brutal abuse of a four-year-old aboriginal girl in Prince George, who was left in her grandmother's care.
By the time authorities intervened, the girl had bruises all over her body, had marks showing she had been tied up, and suffered from pneumonia and malnutrition.
NDP child-protection critic Nicholas Simons said the ministry doesn't know what's needed on the ground in aboriginal communities.
"You cannot talk about First Nations autonomy without at least having the federal government at the table," said Simons. "Resources for First Nations communities just aren't there."
A report by Canada's auditor-general, Sheila Fraser, yesterday found Ottawa is underfunding child welfare on reserves.
Grand Chief Edward John of the First Nations Summit wants government support to go to the families that need help.
"As soon as a child is taken out of a family situation, a lot of resources are put into the province," he said.
jbermingham@png.canwest.com
Lieutenant-Governor praises Nisga’a at Nass assemblyhttp://www.bclocalnews.com/bc_north/terracestandard/news/18569659.html
By Kat Lee - Terrace Standard - May 07, 2008
Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, the Honourable Steven Point, far left, and President of the Nisga’a Nation, Nelson Leeson, look on as elder Hubert Doolan displays headwear left to the Nisga’a by a previous Lieutenant Governor during his visit to the Nass Valley years ago. Point was in the valley last week, speaking to the Nisga’a at their biennial assembly. Kat lee photo THE HONOURABLE Steven Point, 28th Lieutenant- Governor of British Columbia and the first-ever aboriginal to hold the post, has told the Nisga’a their accomplishments have made them leaders in self government.
Speaking April 30 in New Aiyansh at the fourth biennial Nisga’a special assembly since their land claims treaty was signed in 2000, Point said the first academic paper he wrote was on aboriginal self government.
“I have dreamed about what you are doing here,” Point said to the assembly.
He has heard discussions about the Nisga’a all over the province, he said, and he believes the Nisga’a have something tremendous to offer the province and the entire world.
“You’re making a place for the rest of the nations in the country,” said Point who was warmly welcomed at the assembly.
Point spoke about wanting to strengthen the communities from the ground up, adding he’s interested in assisting with early childhood literacy and youth development, and wants to promote aboriginal culture.
Native people have been marginalized for so long, he says, and he’s tired of the imposed poverty in the communities.
“God bless you Nisga’as for what you’re doing. Thank you so much for taking that difficult road,” Point said.
Point has been in the Nass before when he was chief commissioner of the B.C. Treaty Commission.
He’s also served as a provincial court judge.
Point’s appearance is the second Lieutenant-Governor in a row to visit the valley. Predecessor Iona Campagnolo spoke at the 2006 Nisga’a special assembly.
This year’s assembly ran from April 28 to May 2, featuring presentations on lands and resources, finances, treaty implementation, departmental reports, and economic development from the Nisga’a Lisims Government.
It’s the main governing arm of the Nisga’a and has political representation from the four main Nisga’a villages in the Nass and from Nisga’a living in Terrace, Prince Rupert and Vancouver.
The directorate of Fisheries and Wildlife, the Nisga’a Commercial Group, the Nisga’a Youth Advisory Council and the Council of Elders were also presenters at the assembly.
Federal and provincial officials were also on hand to explain how a Nisga’a sales tax will come into effect on June 1.
Ottawa's $300M fund to help First Nations buy on-reserve homeshttp://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/05/05/aboriginal-housingfund.html
Last Updated: Monday, May 5, 2008 | 7:29 PM ET Comments19Recommend5CBC News Chuck Strahl, Indian and Northern Affairs Minister, was present Monday in Ottawa to help launch a $300-million housing fund aimed at helping First Nations people buy their own homes on reserves. (CP)The federal government launched a $300-million housing fund Monday aimed at helping First Nations people buy their own homes on reserves.
Because land on reserves in Canada is owned by band councils, not by individuals, banks have been reluctant to issue mortgages to potential homeowners.
The federal government hopes to deal with the problem with its $300 million First Nations Market Housing Fund, which will be used as collateral to offset the risk to financial institutions of a homeowner defaulting on a mortgage.
Individual band members can work with participating First Nations reserves to get a mortgage.
"The First Nations Housing Market Fund will remove barriers to home financing so people can feel that their hard work is paying off," Indian and Northern Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl said in Ottawa.
The fund will allow more First Nations people to own their homes on reserves or settlement lands, he said, adding that it's estimated the fund will help build 25,000 new homes in 10 years.
"Our emerging middle class needs to have access to the same quality of life that other Canadians take for granted," said Grand Council Chief John Beaucage, the fund's chairperson.
The first bank to participate in the fund will be the Bank of Montreal. Steve Fay, the bank's national director of aboriginal banking, said the lender has been working with First Nations to help provide affordable housing for more than a decade and expects other banks to get involved too because the risk is low.
The fund will be overseen by nine trustees, including a chairperson appointed by the ministers of Human Resources and Social Development and Indian and Northern Affairs.
In the short term, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. will manage the fund's day-to-day activities under the trustees' oversight, the government said. But the plan is for the fund to become a First Nations-controlled entity in the long term, the government said. May 06 In-SHUCK-ch power play for electricityhttp://www.bclocalnews.com/fraser_valley/theprogress/news/18693784.htmlBy Robert Freeman - Chilliwack Progress - May 06, 2008In-SHUCK-ch treaty negotiator Gerard Peters lashed out at the bureaucratic "idiocy" of the B.C. lands ministry which is threatening to delay electricity from finally flowing to about 1,000 band members living in the isolated Lillooet River Valley. The ministry is asking the In-SHUCK-ch to obtain written consent from both the Kwantlen First Nation and the Sto:lo Nation before it approves licensing that will allow B.C. Hydro to build two substations to connect the In-SHUCK-ch to the power grid. The Sto:lo Tribal Council has already given its consent. Peters, whose native name is Eppa, raised the issue before the start of treaty talks with provincial negotiators Monday. The In-SHUCK-ch are close to signing a final treaty agreement. B.C. negotiator Trevor Proverbs declined comment following a closed-door meeting, but Eppa said a promise was made by the provincial negotiators to "expedite" the issue as a priority matter with lands ministry officials. "I'm satisfied with that, at this point," Eppa said. Access to the B.C. Hydro power grid has been a priority of the In-SHUCK-ch people since treaty negotiations started in 1993. "The idiocy represented by the bureaucracy has really stretched my limits," an angry Eppa told the negotiators. "I hope somehow we can have a constructive discussion ... that will break the log jam so we can have a resolution that will allow BC Hydro to allow us to connect to the grid." He said the two small parcels of land involved are of no interest to anyone but the In-SHUCK-ch, and are already included in the treaty settlement lands offered by the province. He suggested land titles could be transferred to the In-SHUCK-ch as a treaty-related measure, and then transferred to BC Hydro so construction of the substations could go ahead. Even without bureaucratic delays, the In-SHUCK-ch people won't get electricity until 2010. rfreeman@theprogress.com May 05 Groups try to revive B.C. treaty talks
Robert Barron, The Daily News Published: Saturday, May 03, 2008 After several days of discussions on First Nations issues in Vancouver, Judith Sayers said it is still "hard to say" if the talks will kick-start stalled treaty negotiations in B.C.
But Sayers, chief of the Hupacasath First Nation in Port Alberni, said if the unified "common table" negotiations between up to 120 B.C. First Nations, including the Snuneymuxw, don't work, "it may be the last hurrah" for treaty negotiations in the province.
"We've all spent so much time and money working through our treaty processes so we appreciate this opportunity to come together in solidarity and we intend to look at every option possible to settle our differences and move treaties forward," Sayers said on Friday.
So far, six B.C. First Nations have signed treaties, but there has been no agreements signed since October 2007. The idea of a common table for the province, Ottawa and B.C. First Nations to address some of the outstanding issues in negotiations was welcomed with cautious optimism when the talks began Wednesday.
The issues include the constitutional status of treaty lands, governance and the co-management of traditional territories, taxation and fisheries.
The opportunity to discuss the issues that are stalling treaty negotiations at one common table with federal and provincial representatives has been demanded for years by First Nations representatives.
Sayers said if these talks, scheduled to conclude by the end of June, don't produce results, the consequences could be dire.
"I don't know if any of the First Nations will stay in the treaty process," she said.
RBarron@nanaimodailynews.com 250-729-4234
Clayoquot Sound agreement extended
Canwest News Service Published: Saturday, May 03, 2008 A historic agreement that more than a decade ago gave first nations power over land use in Clayoquot Sound was extended Friday with the help of a $700,000 cheque from the province.
As wood smoke curled from the firepit on the Esquimalt Reserve, the interim measures extension agreement, or IMEA, was signed by Aboriginal Relations Minister Mike de Jong and leaders of the five Clayoquot Sound bands.
"It is one step further along the path of reconciliation," de Jong said.
"The days of pushing ourselves apart, of separation, of divide are over. We understand we can accomplish great things if we work together."
The agreement was originally signed in 1994 in the aftermath of the battles between forest companies, environmentalists and natives over Clayoquot Sound lands in the early 1990s. It gave first nations control over traditional territory through the Central Region Board, a joint provincial government, first nations and municipal body.
The board reviews development plans and applications for the Clayoquot region and works with government on changes and concerns.
The agreement, which has been renewed four times, is regarded as a bridge to treaties.
The IMEA has resulted in better economic opportunities for first nations in the area, although there is a long way to go, said Elmer Frank, co-chairman of the Central Region Chiefs. With less logging in the area, bands need to develop economic development packages which will allow them to become self-sufficient, he said.
"We have come a long way from where we were in 1993. It has certainly been very beneficial," he said. |
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