Posts By: First Nations Drum

Regina, Saskatchewan, May 13, 2022 – Farm Credit Canada (FCC) is prepared to work with customers concerned about financial hardship due to the impact of avian influenza, a devastating disease for poultry operations.

“We are monitoring the situation closely and talking with our customers to let them know we are prepared to help them overcome any short-term financial issues that might arise as a result of this highly contagious and deadly bird flu,” said Michael Hoffort, FCC president and CEO. “That’s why we’re offering flexibility for customers experiencing financial pressure as a result of avian flu.”

To date, the virus (H5N1) has been detected in several poultry farms across Canada. This affects live birds, bird products and by-products impacting chicken, turkey, ducks and egg sectors, as well as poultry input suppliers and processors. FCC is prepared to help customer poultry operations directly affected by the disease or by bans placed on farms in the proximity of infected farms, which could potentially lead to cash flow problems.

FCC will consider additional short-term credit options, deferral of principal payments and/or other loan payment schedule amendments to reduce the financial pressures on producers impacted by avian flu. FCC will also offer flexibility and even a combination of options based on the individual needs of its customers, since each farm financial situation is unique.

“We are ready to help our customers through these circumstances that are beyond their control,” Hoffort said. “By working together, we can all play a part in helping poultry producers overcome this challenge. It’s the right thing to do.”

Customers impacted by avian flu are encouraged to contact their FCC relationship manager or the FCC Customer Service Centre at 1-888-332-3301 as soon as possible to discuss their individual situation and options.

FCC is Canada’s leading agriculture and food lender, with a healthy loan portfolio of more than $44 billion. Our employees are dedicated to the future of Canadian agriculture and food. We provide flexible, competitively priced financing, AgExpert management software, information and knowledge specifically designed for the agriculture and food industry. As a self-sustaining Crown corporation, we provide an appropriate return to our shareholder, and reinvest our profits back into the industry and communities we serve. For more information, visit fcc.ca. 

The four scholarship winners will receive full tuition to study at VFS and will also receive mentorship & a paid internship from Blackbird Interactive, East Side Games, or Timbre Games

(Vancouver, BC) May 9, 2022 – Vancouver Film School (VFS), in partnership with Blackbird Interactive, East Side Games, and Timbre Games Studio is pleased to present the 2022 Indigenous Scholarship in Video Games, including mentorship and a paid internship.

The scholarship fund, valued at over US$200,000, is open to applicants 18 years of age and older who identify as First Nations (status or non-status), Inuit, or Métis, and who are looking to enter the game industry as developers. The deadline to apply is June 8, and winners will be announced on National Indigenous Peoples Day, June 21.

The Indigenous Scholarship in Video Games is a collaborative initiative between VFS and Vancouver-based game studios Blackbird Interactive (Homeworld 3, Hardspace: Shipbreaker), East Side Games (The Office: Somehow We Manage, RuPaul’s Drag Race Superstar, Trailer Park Boys: Greasy Money), and Timbre Games Studio (part of The Sumo Group).

Three full-tuition scholarships for VFS’s Game Design program and one full-tuition scholarship for the 3D Animation & Visual Effects program will be awarded and may be applied to either the October 24, 2022, or January 3, 2023 intakes. Winners will be selected directly by top-tier AAA studios Blackbird Interactive, East Side Games, and Timbre Games, the latter of which will also select the winner who will enrol in the 3D Animation & Visual Effects program.

Additionally, all winners will receive private mentorship by design professionals from Blackbird Interactive, East Side Games or Timbre Games, as well as by their instructors at VFS. Upon graduation, these winners will also receive a paid four to six-month work contract at their respective studio.

Finally, each of the winners will be provided with a laptop for use during the program and to keep. The winner chosen by Blackbird Interactive will also receive a $5,000 housing stipend while studying at VFS.

“Blackbird Interactive (BBI) is honoured to be collaborating with local gaming studios and VFS on the Indigenous Scholarship in Video Games,” Says Rob Cunningham, CEO & Co-Founder at Blackbird Interactive. “We are working to create impactful opportunities that First Nations, Inuit, and Métis students can explore, fulfilling their creative technology aspirations in meaningful ways. An education from VFS helps open the door to careers in film, games, 3D animation, and VR/AR design, among other fields. We believe that actions speak louder than words and that young people are the future. There is a lot more that needs to be done, but this is a small and important step for just one of our many local industries.”

“Communities thrive on diversity. Whether we’re talking about games, entertainment, or film, we need to ensure we’re including voices and perspectives representative of the community around us. The Indigenous Scholarship in Video Games through Vancouver Film School can do just that,” says Josh Nilson, Co-Founder, Studio Head and General Manager of East Side Games. “As a member of the Métis community, it is an honour to be able to support a program taking a step in the right direction towards a more inclusive creative landscape. While there’s much work to be done, this is a good start.”

“At Timbre Games, our mission is driven by the idea that ‘culture drives creative’. The opportunity to support and collaborate with VFS, Blackbird Interactive and East Side Games on the Indigenous Scholarship in Video Games is a small first step to removing systemic barriers in entering the game industry for the Métis, Inuit, and First Nations people,” says Joe Nickolls, President and Co-Founder of Timbre Games. “All of us at Timbre are thrilled to be a small part of creating space in the games industry for these communities. I believe these students will play a significant role in the world of interactive entertainment in the years to come and we are grateful to have the opportunity to support their careers along the way. There is more hard work to be done in this space and Timbre is committed to listening and learning as we embark on our own journey.”

“It is a pleasure for VFS to be joining forces with three outstanding Vancouver studios to offer the 2022 Indigenous Scholarship in Video Games. This scholarship aims to foster more diversity and more inclusion in the game industry with the aim to have more Indigenous developers actively designing the next generation of games,” says Christopher Mitchell, Head of Game Design and Programming for Games, Web & Mobile at VFS. “At VFS, we are proud of the many Indigenous graduates from our programs who now have successful careers both in Vancouver and globally, and this scholarship is Vancouver Film School’s privilege and opportunity to play a role in emerging Indigenous developers building their creative careers.”

Vancouver Film School is committed to fostering and growing Indigenous representation in the video game industry. Indigenous artists, performers, and storytellers are a foundational thread in the fabric of the Canadian narrative, continuing to grow stronger as key voices within our country’s multidimensional creative landscape.

For more information about the 2022 Indigenous Scholarship in Video Games, or to apply, visit vfs.edu/scholarships/indigenous-scholarship-2022. To stay in the loop on all things Vancouver Film school, follow along on social media at @vancouverfilmschool/@vfs or visit their website at vfs.edu.

Not Invisible Act Commission set to begin active advisory role in combatting violence against Native people

WASHINGTON — Today, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco will recognize National Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day with a virtual event to highlight the Not Invisible Act Commission. During the event, panelists will discuss the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples crisis and the importance of the Not Invisible Act Commission in the collaborative efforts to address the crisis.

The event will be livestreamed at 2:30 PM ET today on the Interior Department’s website.  

The Departments of the Interior and Justice are working to implement the Not Invisible Act, sponsored by Secretary Haaland during her time in Congress. The law established the Not Invisible Act Commission, a cross jurisdictional advisory committee composed of law enforcement, Tribal leaders, federal partners, service providers, family members of missing and murdered individuals, and most importantly — survivors. Today, the Departments announced the Not Invisible Act Commission members.

“Everyone deserves to feel safe in their community, but a lack of urgency, transparency and coordination have hampered our country’s efforts to combat violence against American Indians and Alaska Natives,” said Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland. “As we work with the Department of Justice to prioritize the national crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous peoples, the Not Invisible Act Commission will help address its underlying roots by ensuring the voices of those impacted by violence against Native people are included in our quest to implement solutions.” 

“The Justice Department is committed to addressing the crisis of missing or murdered Indigenous persons with the urgency it demands,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “That commitment is reflected in the strength of our partnerships across the federal government, including with the Department of the Interior as we take the next steps in launching the Not Invisible Act Commission. The Commissioners announced today will play a critical role in our efforts to better meet the public safety needs of Native communities. The Justice Department will continue to work alongside our Tribal partners with respect, sincerity, and a shared interest in the wellbeing of Tribal communities.”

The Not Invisible Act Commission will make recommendations to the Departments of the Interior and Justice to improve intergovernmental coordination and establish best practices for state, Tribal, and federal law enforcement, to bolster resources for survivors and victim’s families, and to combat the epidemic of missing persons, murder, and trafficking of Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian people. 

Among its mission, the Commission will:

• Identify, report and respond to instances of missing and murdered Indigenous peoples (MMIP) cases and human trafficking,
• Develop legislative and administrative changes necessary to use federal programs, properties, and resources to combat the crisis,
• Track and report data on MMIP and human trafficking cases,
• Consider issues related to the hiring and retention of law enforcement offices,
• Coordinate Tribal-state-federal resources to combat MMIP and human trafficking offices on Indian lands, and
• Increase information sharing with Tribal governments on violent crimes investigations and other prosecutions on Indian lands.

The Commission has the authority to hold hearings, gather testimony, and receive additional evidence and feedback from its members to develop recommendations to the Secretary and Attorney General.

SASKATOON, SK, April 29, 2022 – The Oẏateki Partnership is a unique and unprecedented collaboration among three leading post-secondary education institutions in Saskatchewan designed to transform education and employment systems to support success for Indigenous youth. 

Join founding partners the Gabriel Dumont Institute (GDI), Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies (SIIT), and the University of Saskatchewan (USask), and Indigenous youth and community members, to celebrate the launch of this bold initiative on May 3, 2022. 

Date: May 3, 2022
Time: Afternoon program 1-4 pm, evening program 5-8 pm
Location: Wanuskewin, RR #4, Penner Road, Saskatoon, SK
Itinerary: Engaging, entertaining and educational events and presentations will be ongoing throughout the afternoon and evening, with representatives of all institutions onsite. 

Committed to supporting 32,000 First Nations and Métis youth on their path to post- secondary education and on to meaningful livelihoods, the Oẏateki Partnership seeks to create more dynamic, integrated, ‘wholistic’, and responsive education and employment systems that meet the needs of Indigenous youth and involve them directly in decision-making.  

In partnership with the Mastercard Foundation’s EleV program, which aims to support Indigenous youth in their pathways through education and on to meaningful work, Oẏateki is enabling Indigenous young people in Saskatchewan to lead in their communities and to contribute to self-determination. This work is part of the Foundation’s commitment to building a world where everyone has the opportunity to learn and prosper, with sustained efforts to enable young people in Africa and young Indigenous people in Canada to access quality education and meaningful livelihoods aligned with their values and aspirations. 

The concept of Oẏateki as a symbol of this collaboration was gifted to the partnership by Kunsi Connie Wajunta of Standing Buffalo Dakota Nation. Oẏateki is a Dakota word meaning: all people together and leaving no people behind. 

The following statements were issued by Gerri Sharpe, President of Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada, after the Government of Canada tabled its 2022-23 budget yesterday.

“Inuit women face stark social and economic inequities compared to other women in Canada. For example, the rate of violence experienced by Inuit women is 14 times the national average. Most Inuit women do not have access to culturally informed mental health or midwifery services in their communities.

“Pauktuutit is pleased to see the federal budget recognizes these unacceptable realities by investing in co-development of health strategies with Inuit that are culturally appropriate. We are also encouraged to see new funding for a National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence.”

General Comments:

“Budget 2022-23 must be backed by timely action to improve the safety and well-being of Inuit women. Pauktuutit is ready to do the hard work to achieve concrete progress on new Inuit specific shelters and transition housing, on increasing access to Inuit midwifery services across Inuit Nunangat, as well as on empowering the voices and leadership of Inuit women and gender-diverse people at the community, regional and national levels to help end gender-based violence.”

Shelters and Transition Housing & Progress on MMIWG:
“More than 70 per cent of women and children fleeing domestic violence across Inuit Nunangat do not have access to emergency shelters in their communities. Increased investments in infrastructure for Inuit communities must include new funding for shelters and transition housing. With a recent federal commitment for five new Inuit-specific shelters in 2021, we are seeing some concrete progress, but there is still a long way to go.”

“While this year’s budget did not specifically reference measures addressing the Calls for Justice in the final report of the National Inquiry on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, Pauktuutit is focused on working with Inuit partners to implement the Inuit Action Plan, based on the federal government commitment of $2.2 billion over five years in last year’s budget, to end this tragedy, including for Inuit. However, there needs to be more concrete
action to achieve progress on the goal shared by the federal government and Pauktuutit to address the 46 Inuit-specific Calls for Justice in the National Inquiry’s Final Report.”

Community Mental Health Services:

“Pauktuutit is pleased to see proposed investments of $227.6 million over two years for a distinctions-based approach to mental health ‘that is developed and delivered by Indigenous peoples.’ For Inuit women and gender-diverse people, there is an urgent need for healing and counselling services that are culturally informed by our values, traditions, and language, and delivered in our communities by Inuit such as our Elders. Moving ahead, we will continue our focus on supporting immediate progress in this area.”

Access to Inuit Midwifery Services:

“Increasing Inuit midwifery education and services as Pauktuutit has recommended is a crucial way to reduce anti-Indigenous racism encountered by Inuit women forced to leave their communities to give birth in central Inuit Nunangat communities or the south. We will continue our work in this area to advance co-development of new distinctions-based Indigenous health legislation and to improve access to high-quality, culturally informed midwifery services for expectant mothers and their newborn babies.”

Empowering Inuit Women’s Leadership:

“Pauktuutit will continue to work to ensure that both a GBA+ (gender-based analysis plus) lens and evaluation metrics are applied to all areas of implementation of the federal government’s UNDRIP legislation, including justice and policing reforms, food sovereignty initiatives, and the impacts of climate change.”