Topic: Today’s News

IQALUIT, NU—The federal government and Qikiqtani Inuit Association (QIA) today announced an historic agreement that finalizes a joint governance model for the long-sought Tallurutiup Imanga National Marine Conservation Area which will protect more than 109,000 square kilometres of biologically rich Arctic waters.

The accord, called an Inuit Impact Benefit Agreement, is a major step toward completion of Canada’s largest national marine conservation area at the eastern entrance to the Northwest Passage, and represents decades of work by Inuit to safeguard a culturally significant region crucial to their subsistence way of life. Large populations of narwhal, bowhead whales, beluga and other marine mammals migrate through these icy waters each year.

“We are thrilled to celebrate the protection of this spectacular marine ecosystem in a way that will benefit Inuit and all Canadians for future generations,” said Christopher Debicki, vice-president of policy development for Oceans North. “This is a sign of Canada’s commitment to conserve its Arctic waters, including other biologically rich regions like the North Water polynya.”

The new national marine conservation area will be co-managed by Parks Canada and Inuit under the agreement. An Inuit advisory board will be established to oversee Tallurutiup Imanga. Ottawa will also invest $190 million in the broader region to support new infrastructure, like small craft harbours, and employment opportunities, including an Inuit stewardship program, for the five Nunavut communities bordering the national marine park.

“Co-management of this area by Inuit and the federal government speaks to the critical importance of having Inuit involved in governance of their adjacent waters,” Debicki said. “We believe this is a very positive development and hope it is a sign that Canada recognizes the value of joint governance with Inuit in the larger Canadian Arctic marine region.”

The final boundaries of Tallurutiup Imanga (also known as Lancaster Sound) are much larger than some of the previous proposals for this area. Three years ago, Shell voluntarily relinquished its oil and gas leases on the eastern edge of this region, paving the way to expand the national marine conservation area and the protection of this critical marine habitat. Oil and gas drilling, mineral extraction and seismic testing are not allowed in national marine conservation areas.

Media Contacts:

Chris Debicki, cdebicki@oceansnorth.ca, 204-890-2580

Ruth Teichroeb, rteichroeb@oceansnorth.ca, 613-233-5989

Two groups of 12 – 15 year olds were the first to participate in the Northern Lakes College Robotics Summer Camp. Including virtual reality, 3D printing, and robotics, the one-day camp was held at the High Prairie Main Campus on July 23 and the Slave Lake Campus on July 25.

Chief Information Officer for Northern Lakes College, Bruce D’Sena, leveraged the skills within the College’s Information Technology department to create the camp. “We have incredibly skilled and knowledgeable people working in Information Technology at NLC and we’re committed to providing students a best-in-class experience. The cutting edge technologies, like artificial intelligence and virtual reality, that students explored in our summer camp are also being harnessed to support a number of our College programs, so it was a natural fit to create and host the camp,” he comments.

Students assembled the components of a robot, built using a 3D printer. Artificial intelligence capability allowed participants to customize their robot, including gender, voice, and language, and enabled the robots to respond to voice commands, tell jokes, and recognize objects using machine vision. Camp participant Simon, 13, comments, “This camp is really fun! My favourite is the 3D printing. It is amazing to see reality shaped by a machine, and how smart AI (artificial intelligence) can be.”

Students also had an opportunity to experience augmented reality, where virtual things are experienced in the real world. Wearing specially-designed goggles that they assembled themselves, participants held a physical cardboard cube, on which virtual characters appeared. Trying out the latest headsets being deployed in the College’s regular programming, participants had the opportunity to experience virtual reality and had fun with a few action-packed activities in a virtual world.

At the end of a fun day, students left with a set of NLC Goggles and their 3D creations.

IQALUIT, Nunavut (July 26, 2019) – Minister of Education, David Joanasie, and President of the Qikiqtani Inuit Association (QIA), P.J. Akeeagok, are very proud to announce that new, Nunavut-developed early childhood education resources are being shared with child care facilities across the territory. 

“Early childhood Inuktut resources are key to keeping our language alive.” said Minister of Education, David Joanasie. “Children learn better when their learning tools reflect their environment, language and culture. These Nunavut-developed resources will certainly enable our young generations to preserve and strengthen their Inuit identity.” 

“I am proud to share these early childhood education resources which reflect our language and culture,” says QIA President, Akeeagok. “These puzzles, toys, and books allow our children to learn, play, and imagine themselves in a world that celebrates our Inuk-identity and mother-tongue.” 

QIA and the Department of Education have respectively invested $700,000 and $1.8 million over three years to develop these resources in a fruitful partnership that reflects Inuit life and culture. 

The QIA-developed resources will accompany the Department of Education-developed resources which are being distributed to 55 licensed facilities, including afterschool and preschool locations. A number of the resources in the spring package were also developed as part of QIA’s Benefit Fund Program.

(Ottawa, ON) – Hundreds of First Nations Chiefs, leaders, Elders and youth are set to gather July 23-25, 2019 for the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) Annual General Assembly (AGA) taking place at the Fredericton Convention Center on unceded Wəlastəkewiyik (Maliseet) territory in Fredericton, New Brunswick.  Chiefs and delegates will gather under the theme “Celebrating our Successes and Giving Thanks” to assess progress, set priorities and strategic direction for the coming year.

AFN National Chief Perry Bellegarde will deliver his Opening Address on the first day, July 23, at approximately 9:30 a.m. St. Mary’s First Nation Chief Alan Polchies and AFN Regional Chief Roger Augustine will also address the Assembly on opening day, as well as New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs, the provincial Minister of Indigenous Relations, Jake Stewart, the Mayor of Fredericton, Michael O’Brien, and the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Carolyn Bennett.

The AGA will feature discussion and decision-making on key priorities for First Nations. The AGA will include honouring ceremonies for Autumn Peltier, the former Chair of the AFN Women’s Council Denise Stonefish, First Nations veteran Phillip Favel and others.

Delegates will hear from federal representatives including Green Party leader Elizabeth May, NDP representative MP Guy Caron, Minister of Indigenous Services Seamus O’Regan and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism, Gary Anandasangaree.

The provisional agenda and updates are available on the AFN website at https://www.afn.ca/2019-annual-general-assembly/.

The AGA will be webcast on the AFN website at https://livestream.com/afn/2019aga.

Media accreditation is required and media are encouraged to register in advance through the contacts listed below.

The Assembly of First Nations is the national organization representing First Nation citizens in Canada.  Follow the #AFNSCA on Twitter @AFN_Updates.

(Ottawa, ON) – Hundreds of First Nations Chiefs, leaders, Elders and youth are set to gather July 23-25, 2019 for the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) Annual General Assembly (AGA) taking place at the Fredericton Convention Center on unceded Wəlastəkewiyik (Maliseet) territory in Fredericton, New Brunswick.  Chiefs and delegates will gather under the theme “Celebrating our Successes and Giving Thanks” to assess progress, set priorities and strategic direction for the coming year.

AFN National Chief Perry Bellegarde will deliver his Opening Address on the first day, July 23, at approximately 9:30 a.m. St. Mary’s First Nation Chief Alan Polchies and AFN Regional Chief Roger Augustine will also address the Assembly on opening day, as well as New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs, the provincial Minister of Indigenous Relations, Jake Stewart, the Mayor of Fredericton, Michael O’Brien, and the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Carolyn Bennett.

The AGA will feature discussion and decision-making on key priorities for First Nations. The AGA will include honouring ceremonies for Autumn Peltier, the former Chair of the AFN Women’s Council Denise Stonefish, First Nations veteran Phillip Favel and others.

Delegates will hear from federal representatives including Green Party leader Elizabeth May, NDP representative MP Guy Caron, Minister of Indigenous Services Seamus O’Regan and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism, Gary Anandasangaree.

The provisional agenda and updates are available on the AFN website athttps://www.afn.ca/2019-annual-general-assembly/.

The AGA will be webcast on the AFN website at https://livestream.com/afn/2019aga.

Media accreditation is required and media are encouraged to register in advance through the contacts listed below.

The Assembly of First Nations is the national organization representing First Nation citizens in Canada.  Follow the #AFNSCA on Twitter @AFN_Updates.

Wendake, July 18, 2019 – The Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador (AFNQL) is concerned about the situation between the Mayor of the Municipality of Oka and the community of Kanehsatake. “The comments that are reported remind us of the slippages that only exacerbated the tensions between the Mohawk Nation and the Quebec population in the summer of 1990. At this time, it is irresponsible to raise the risk of another Oka Crisis” said Ghislain Picard, Chief of the AFNQL, who appealed for calm and asked all parties to give dialogue a chance.

The AFNQL welcomes the decision by Mr. Grégoire Gollin who, in a spirit of openness and reconciliation, agreed to cede part of the lands that were at the heart of the 1990 “Crisis”. Why condemn the decision of a person who, obviously, like the Mohawk Nation, has become exasperated at the political dead end allowing for a lasting resolution of the territorial litigation of the past three decades?

The AFNQL also wishes to acknowledge the openness of Grand Chief Serge Simon who invited the population of Oka to an information session so that they can be adequately informed of the issues facing the community of Kanehsatake. “In these circumstances, Grand Chief Simon’s opening gesture demonstrates his good faith and must be commended. Engaging the dialogue can certainly prevent the situation from deteriorating. It is about the harmonious relationship that everyone wants between neighbours living on the same territory”, concluded the Chief of the AFNQL.

About the AFNQL The Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador is the political organization regrouping 43 Chiefs of the First Nations in Quebec and Labrador. Follow us on Twitter @APNQL

AFN Annual General Assembly
Fredericton, NB – July 23-25, 2019

The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) is looking forward to hosting its 40^th Annual General Assembly (AGA) in Fredericton, New Brunswick from July 23 to 25, 2019 under the theme of “Celebrating our Successes and Giving Thanks”.

The AFN believes it is important to convene our Annual General Assemblies in the many different traditional territories of our diverse nations, and to experience their hospitality, traditions and ceremonies. This does mean we need to be flexible and adaptable in using local facilities. The AFN has been working closely with the Host Nation and Host Region to ensure the necessary requirements are in place for the AGA.

We are currently working with the Fredericton Convention Centre to maximize the number of delegates we can accommodate in the main plenary room. There are capacity limitations due to the size of the facility, AFN’s technical needs, and health, fire and safety regulations. We will prioritize space to accommodate Chiefs and Proxies as they are required to address discussion on resolutions throughout AGA. We will ensure there is space in the main plenary as well for all Elders, Veterans, Tri-Council members, Grand Chiefs and AFN staff.

Delegates and observers wearing black lanyards will be accommodated at the theatre adjacent to the Convention Centre where the AGA proceedings will be broadcast live. For those not attending the AGA, there is a live webcast of the AGA which can be viewed on our website at www.afn.ca

ISO is partnering with Netflix to provide new funding opportunities to support capacity building and culturally specific approaches for Indigenous on-screen content creators.  

ISO will be building this program over the coming months, however, we are offering an early deadline for Indigenous production apprenticeships taking place from October 1^st, 2019 to March 1, 2020, to offer creators an extra opportunity.

Eligibility Requirements:

This deadline is open only for Indigenous Production Apprenticeships for the following applicants: 

1. Indigenous Productions: 51% Indigenous ownership of production, with two of the key creative roles (producer, director, writer, showrunner) held by an Indigenous person.

1. Indigenous Applicants: Indigenous creatives may apply directly to serve as an apprentice on a production.  In this case, the production and/or specialist who will be serving as mentor may be Indigenous or non-Indigenous.  
   

For the purposes of ISO programs, “Indigenous” is defined as status and non-status First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples of Canada.

Funding is available for fiction, non-fiction, or documentary screen-based projects in all genres. The following types of productions are eligible: 

• Short works
• Feature-length works
• Television series
• Web series
• VR, 360, digital and interactive works

Training and professional development for the following key creative roles are eligible for apprenticeships:

• Producer
• Director
• Screenwriter
• Showrunner
• Editor
• Director of Photography
• Costume Designer
• Sound Designer
• Production Designer
• Lighting Designer

Other Eligibility Requirements:

In order to be eligible, the production must have confirmed public or broadcast funding (Telefilm, Canada Media Fund, Canada Council, provincial or territorial funding, Canadian broadcaster funding.)

Maximum Funding Amounts: Up to $15,000 for Short Works (running length of 40 minutes or under)

Up to $30,000 for feature-length, series, or non-time-based interactive works.

Application forms available on request at: info@indigenousscreenoffice.com.  All questions about the program guidelines may also be directed to this email. 

Application Form and Guidelines: