| Following are updates on our different departments & programs. This information will be on a handout for tonight's Comprehensive Community Planning (CCP) meeting on the Tsulquate Reserve:
Band Office
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· The new receptionist, Bernadine Clayton, will be taking over more duties like helping with the Yo! News & online calendar
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· We had 2 recent staff meetings at the Band Office, with a larger staff meeting planned for Feb. 2
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| Economic Development
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· Nakwakto Rapids Tours set to begin this summer
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· Work on the Ec. Dev. Corporation has stalled, but is still on the back burner
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· We are working with Nanwakolas on a regional ec. dev. strategy that is focused on tourism and aquaculture
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· We are looking at selling carbon credits based on the forests in our home lands
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| Natural Resources
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· GN is part of the PICFI program, which means a lot of fisheries-related stuff is and will be happening, including training for active and wannabe fishermen
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· There will a focus on safety this year, trying to make sure there are better plans in place for emergencies in our field operations
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· The fisheries crew will be getting a bunch of training in the next few months
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· The Guardian Watchmen are set to carry on this summer, with some training coming up in the next couple of months
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| Treaty
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· We are close to completion of a milestone in the negotiations, the Agreement in Principal. All members will be informed by the Treaty Negotiation Team before being asked to vote.
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· The Treaty Advisory Committee (TAC) has been great, and will carry on in 2012, there are many more participants than in 2011
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· We got two grants (called TRMs, or Treaty Related Measures) one will be completed by the end of May, the other to be completed by March 2013
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· One of them is for Land Expansion, where we will look at the lands around Tsulquate and see where we want to expand for new housing and for economic development purposes
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· The other TRM is on Governance, where we will look at how our nation is being goverened. In other words, we will look at our elected leadership, administration, policies, plans, etc. and see if they’re working for us
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· The film project is coming along, should have the full-length movie ready to view in the spring. It’s about our connection to our home lands and the relocation
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| Social Development
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· People need to come in and sign their B&D form if they want to get wood
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· SA recipients need to come & fill out stubs before the middle of the month and bring in hydro bills as soon as they get them in mail, both pages, not just one page
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· Training for the fisheries crew, guardian watchmen and others is being provided through a TESI grant, through social development
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| Education
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· We’re talking with NIC to try and get Adult Basic Education (ABE) offered in Tsulquate sometime this year
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| Health & Family Services
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· Thomas Jack has been hired as the new Home Visitor (replacing Ev Rolfe) and Missy Henderson was hired as a Nurse’s Assistant, to help out a lot around the office
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| Housing
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· A few community members got training in mould remediation, and are now able to tackle the mould problem in our community
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· The GPS (Global Panel System) houses are coming along a little slower than planned, but are still working out pretty good
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· Our community was on CBC radio in December to talk about the progress that we have made, and what we need (more funding) to move ahead
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· Because of all the house fires this year, our insurance has gotten really expensive and we might not be able to renew it if it gets worse. People can contact Bob Swain or Les if they need fire extinguishers or smoke detectors
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| Emergency Planning
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· Bob Swain has been coordinating our community’s new Emergency Management Committee, which has about ten members now
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· Many committee members have gotten training in the basics of what to do in a community emergency
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· If we get grant funding, the main things we’d like to purchase for the community are back-up generators and some kind of escape route over the Tsulquate River
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| Chief & Council
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· Portfolios were recently reviewed & updated – the most recent Yo! News reflects the changes
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· Council has been looking at housing issues and the dog issue a lot, and have also requested to be more in the loop on staff activities
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| Trust
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· The four Trust projects (Elders, Culture, Emergency, and Youth Sports & Recreation) have been coming along well, with just a few setbacks
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· $68,000 was approved for use for a new house for Marion Wamiss in 2012
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· A Community Healing Feast is scheduled for March 3, to come together as a community and work on healing (part of the Culture grant)
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· The hall painting and purchase of sports equipment has taken place through the Youth Sports & Recreation grant, as well as hockey registration fees
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· The Elders Grant has been managed extremely well, with tons of elders activities and trips that happened in 2011
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· The Emergency fund has been difficult to manage, and when it runs out (which will be soon) there is no more emergency fund unless someone submits a proposal for a new one, in which case it would have much stricter rules
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· Many new policies have been developed for the Trust, including a template for proposals
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· The next big thing is going to be the investment strategy, which will help the committee allocate Trust funds in a way that is sustainable in the long-term while still serving the community’s immediate needs
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| Miscellaneous
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· The Truth & Reconciliation Commission will be holding hearings in Port Hardy on Feb. 27-28, to hear the stories of residential school survivors
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· Aftab Erfan, from UBC, is still visiting to help get a parent’s group set up as part of her school work
Update prepared by Jessie Hemphill, Gwa'sala-'Nakwaxda'xw Executive Assistant & Communications Officer jessieh@gwanakplan.org (250) 949-8343 |