Topic: Today’s News

Western Nations, fuelled by Co-op, will support strong, vibrant communities through  mutually beneficial relationships built on shared values 

SASKATOON (Jan. 18, 2021) — Federated Co-operatives Limited (FCL), in consultation with  Indigenous leaders and communities across Western Canada, has developed the new, exclusive  Western Nations gas bar brand.  

FCL aims to grow a network of independent, locally owned Indigenous gas bars using the modern  Western Nations brand that is relevant to all customers and respects Indigenous culture. The brand and  supporting gas bar program are unique in their focus on re-investing in the Indigenous communities  where Western Nations gas bars are based. 

“Co-op values the relationships we have with our Indigenous communities and are looking to expand  these partnerships through the new Indigenous gas bar program,” says Brian Humphreys, FCL’s Vice President of Energy. “We know the energy sector is changing in Western Canada. With that, we see an  opportunity to build a brand with Indigenous partners for the collective benefit of our people and  communities.” said Humphreys. 

Co-op will supply and support independent gas bars in Indigenous communities across the West and  manage the Western Nations brand. Communities will maintain ownership of their locations and make  their own decisions. The Western Nations brand can be applied to existing locations or new  construction. 

According to Humphreys, developing a Western Nations gas bar means creating jobs and economic  spin-offs for communities, partnering with a trusted brand and supplier, and securing access to  numerous supports, including the unique Community Building Assistance Program.  

“Community support is an important value of local Co-ops across Western Canada and a critical  component of Western Nations. Co-op will provide funding to participating Indigenous communities and  those communities will direct the money toward community infrastructure, programming and events,”  said Humphreys.  

To learn more about Western Nations and how an indigenous organization can participate, contact the  administration office for the local Co-op association nearest you or email westernnations@fcl.crs.  

About Federated Co-operatives Limited and the Co-operative Retailing System  Federated Co-operatives Limited (FCL), based in Saskatoon, is the largest non-financial co-operative in Canada.  FCL is a unique multi-billion-dollar wholesaling, manufacturing, marketing and administrative co-operative owned  by more than 160 autonomous local co-operatives across Western Canada. Together FCL and those local retail  co-operatives form the Co-operative Retailing System (CRS). The CRS serves our members and communities  with products and services that help build, feed and fuel individuals and communities from Vancouver Island to  northwestern Ontario. Our total workforce of 25,000 employees serve 1.9 million active individual members and  many more non-member customers at 1,500 locations in more than 580 communities. We are a different kind of  business – we are locally invested, community-minded and offer lifetime membership benefits including patronage  refunds, quality products, quality service and fair prices. More information is available at www.fcl.crs.

At 12:01 a.m. Monday, January 18, Nunavut Independent Television (NITV) makes history when it launches Canada’s first all-Inuit Inuktut TV channel. 

Uvagut TV (“Our” TV) will broadcast 168 hours a week of Inuit-produced culture, arts, movies and information programming available nationally to more than 610,000* Shaw Direct customers as well as Arctic Co-ops Cable subscribers in Nunavut and NWT. Other satellite and cable systems will be added over the months ahead.  Viewers around the world can stream Uvagut TV online 24/7 at uvagut.tv  

(* Subscriber count current as of November 30, 2020)

Breaking ground as the first Indigenous–language channel and, with APTN, only the second Indigenous television service among 762 broadcasting in Canada, Uvagut TV increases total Indigenous-language television programming available to Canadian audiences by 500%. 

Uvagut TV builds on the hard work of countless people over the past four decades who dreamed it was possible to deliver Inuktut television to Inuit audiences to preserve, promote and revitalize Inuit culture and language. The team behind Uvagut TV represented Canada at the 2019 Venice Biennale of Art, presenting the Inuit-language film One Day in the Life of Noah Piugattuk to mark the 2019 United Nations Year of Indigenous Languages.

“For me, Uvagut TV is a dream come true – to see Inuit culture and to hear our language full time on TV,” says Lucy Tulugarjuk, NITV Chair and Executive Director, and director of the Inuit-language children’s film, Tia and Piujuq. “As our elders pass away, we are fighting against time to keep Inuit culture and language alive for our children and grandchildren. TV in Inuktut all day every day is a powerful way to keep a living language for future generations.”

Filmmaker Dr. Zacharias Kunuk O.C., NITV co-founder and Head of Isuma, welcomes the historic breakthrough. “We’ve been independent from day one and after 35 years we finally have our own channel,” he says. “Our ancestors survived by the strength of their wits and their community. These new ways of storytelling can help Inuit survive for another thousand years. People who turn on Uvagut TV any time of day or night will see our own stories in our own language.”

Uvugat TV broadcasts five hours every day of Inuktut children’s programs including Inuit Broadcasting Corporation’s award-winning Takuginai series and programs by Inuvialuit Communications Society; shows by Isuma, Arnait Video, Artcirq, Kingulliit and Taqqut Productions; award-winning Inuktut movies like Atanarjuat The Fast Runner; classic series, documentaries and new programs like Silakut Live From the Floe Edge and Tunnganarnik broadcasting live from Nunavut communities and the remote arctic wilderness. Uvagut TValso will include live coverage of the upcoming Nunavut Impact Review Board Public Hearings into the controversial Baffinland Iron Mine Phase 2 expansion, bringing vital transparent coverage of this issue live to Inuit, national and global audiences.  

About Uvagut TV & NITV

Uvagut TV is Canada’s first 24/7 Inuktut television channel created by Nunavut Independent Television Network (NITV) and IsumaTV with programs from Inuit Broadcasting Corporation and other Inuit independent producers hosted on www.isuma.tv.  NITV is an Inuit-owned and controlled non-profit Northern Online Distributor and Eligible Broadcaster. Founded in 1991 in Igloolik, Nunavut, as a training centre for Inuit community filmmaking, NITV is dedicated to the enhancement and preservation of Inuktut and Inuit culture through the creation and exhibition of Inuit video art linking Nunavut communities through Internet television channels and local access internet-TV, media training and digital literacy initiatives, and the production and distribution of Inuktut video, film, and now broadcast television.  

Uvagut TV gratefully acknowledges launch support provided by the Indigenous Screen Office.

Lakehead University International is excited to announce the launch of the Lakehead Global Certificate (LGC) program.

A specialized, non-academic co-curricular program, the Lakehead Global Certificate provides a unique opportunity to recognize and celebrate Lakehead students who, through their work on campus and involvement in the community, are building their cultural intelligence, global awareness and intercultural communication skills.

“Lakehead International strives to develop competent and socially engaged leaders,” said James Aldridge, Vice-Provost, International. “It is our hope that the Lakehead Global Certificate program inspires students to seek out skills and experiences that will help them thrive in culturally diverse environments.”

Unlike a traditional certificate program, the LGC is earned at no cost to the student and is completed during their undergraduate or graduate studies. The program is designed so that students can demonstrate cultural intelligence and intercultural skills to potential employers or on applications to future academic programs.

“Not only will this program enable students to set themselves apart from their peers by giving a global edge to their Lakehead University degree, it provides students with an opportunity for personal development and growth,” said Aldridge.

Students can achieve one of three levels that will indicate their commitment to global learning: Global Inquirer, Global Explorer, Global Citizen. Points are awarded for each level under six pillars: Peer to Peer Engagement, Community Involvement, and Intercultural Education and Awareness, International and Global Experience, Diverse Work Experience, and Language Learning.

Lakehead International will be hosting an information session on Thursday, Jan. 21 at 2 pm for individuals, organizations and businesses interested in learning more about how these experiences are helping our students and how to get involved. Register at https://bit.ly/3r4QJbC.

More information can be found on our website at lakeheadu.ca/lgc.

(Moberly Lake, B.C., Treaty 8 Territory, January 15, 2021) West Moberly First Nations is calling on Premier John Horgan to immediately suspend all work on the Site C hydroelectric dam after the Premier confirmed Thursday that the long-awaited report by his special advisor Peter Milburn had failed to identify any options to safely complete the bedraggled project.

Mr. Milburn’s appointment came on July 31, 2020, as the public learned that over seven months earlier, in December 2019, BC Hydro had encountered major dam stability problems on the south bank of the Peace River. There were no plans released detailing whether the dam could still be constructed safely or at what cost.

The news came as no surprise to West Moberly. In December 2015, independent hydrologists retained by West Moberly and neighbouring First Nations documented that BC Hydro had failed to adequately model the groundwater regime at the dam site, particularly on the south bank. The report warned of the potential for dam failure, and recommended immediate installation of water pressure monitoring devices. The recommendation appears to have been ignored.

The Premier also revealed Thursday that he has commissioned two more independent opinions to see if there is any way to complete the dam safely. But while admitting that he may eventually need to cancel the project, he was unwilling to suspend ongoing work or expenditures on the project while awaiting the additional reports.

“With all these independent experts, it’s obvious that Mr. Horgan has lost all faith in BC Hydro and its ability to safely build his project. How many more billions will he sink into this dam without knowing if it can even be finished?” said Chief Roland Willson of West Moberly First Nations. “And if they decide to let BC Hydro continue building it, would you want to be living in the area? Would you want to go to sleep worrying that you’ll wake up after the foundation has cracked and the dam has burst?” said Chief Willson.

BC Hydro is reportedly spending $100 million per month on Site C construction, meaning that over $1.2 billion dollars have been sunk into the project since the discovery of potentially unfixable dam stability issues in December 2019. This is about the same amount of money the federal government is spending to buy COVID-19 vaccines for the entire country ($1.3 billion) and over four times as much as it will spend on vaccine preparedness ($284.2 million).

In fact, concerns over COVID-19 have also prompted calls to suspend work at Site C. Vulnerable Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities are worried that an outbreak at the project’s work camp could overwhelm scarcely resourced local hospitals. Last March, several prominent leaders, including Councillors from the City of Fort St. John, called for a work stoppage at Site C due to COVID-19. Since that time, BC Hydro has confirmed 35 separate cases of COVID-19 at Site C and numerous additional workers have been placed into isolation. 

West Moberly is suing the Province, BC Hydro and Canada over the project, alleging that Site C violates constitutionally protected rights under Treaty No. 8. The Treaty guarantees West Moberly’s right to hunt, fish, trap and carry out a traditional mode of life free from forced interference. The 120-day trial will begin in March of 2022 with a trial judgement expected the following year. If West Moberly prevails, the court will be asked to order a permanent work stoppage and full reclamation of the site to its natural state. However, if the project has not been suspended until that time, two and a half more years and approximately 3 billion dollars of additional public expenditures will have been wasted.

OTTAWA – With changes coming to the eligibility criteria for the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB) to prevent non-essential foreign travellers from accessing the program, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is calling on the Liberal government to take the opportunity to fix the program’s flaws to make it easier for people to access the program and get help more quickly.

“Let’s fix the program for those who need it by making it easier to access and faster to get help,” said Singh. “Canadians are willing to make the sacrifices necessary to stop the spread of the virus, but it is imperative that we do everything we can to provide them with the tools they need to do so.”

The NDP believes that this would be a good time to correct the program’s shortcomings and ensure that all workers have the financial support they need to comply with public health guidelines.

Among other measures, workers should be able to take one or two days of sick leave at a time, receive full replacement income as soon as possible, and have guarantees that they will be able to keep their jobs if they get sick. The NDP also finds it unacceptable that still too many people are not even aware of the program and that they would be eligible for it due to a lack of publicity.

“The paid sick leave benefit is significantly under-utilized right now,” said Singh. “A large proportion of COVID-19 transmissions occur in the workplace because workers don’t have access to paid sick leave, so they can’t isolate themselves at home and help minimize the spread of the virus. We need to help them stay home.”

Letter to the Prime Minister on paid sick leave.

With the arrival of the first COVID-19 vaccines in Canada, most are eager to roll up their sleeves. But not every Canadian is feeling confident about getting the jab.

According to a recent survey conducted by Angus Reid, less than two thirds of Canadians surveyed said they would get the vaccine right away. Twenty-three per cent indicated they would prefer to wait, while 12 per cent reported they would not get vaccinated and five per cent remained unsure.

Dr. Julie Bettinger is an associate professor in UBC’s faculty of medicine, a vaccine safety scientist at the Vaccine Evaluation Center at BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, and a member of the National Advisory Committee on Immunization. In this Q&A, she discusses vaccine hesitancy and what to expect when it comes to the short and long-term side effects of COVID-19 vaccines.

Why are some people hesitant when it comes to getting a COVID-19 vaccine?

Vaccine hesitancy is defined as refusing vaccination in spite of the availability of a vaccine. Given the severely restricted supply of COVID-19 vaccines, we do not have vaccine hesitancy, yet, but some people have expressed concerns or worries that we hear anytime we have a new vaccine. Many are concerned about whether or not the vaccine will work, about short- and long-term safety of the vaccine, about its “newness” and the unknowns that come with a new vaccine.

Most of these concerns can be addressed. We know the two vaccines we are currently using (the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines) work incredibly well. The clinical trial results were striking in terms of efficacy. We expect to see some decrease in terms of how well these vaccines will work when used in real-life settings, but given how well they performed in clinical trial settings they will still be very effective.

What can be done to combat vaccine hesitancy? 

Improving scientific literacy among all ages, but particularly in children is critical to combatting vaccine hesitancy. B.C.-developed platforms such as www.kidsboostimmunity.com can be used and integrated into formal and informal teaching and outreach to achieve this.

It’s important to educate yourself and your friends and family about the immune system and how vaccines work. Recognize and counter vaccine misinformation and disinformation, in-person and online. There is no debate in the scientific community about vaccines. They work and are safe.

Will we be able to reach herd immunity in Canada if not everyone is vaccinated against COVID-19? 

We don’t currently know if any of the vaccines will lead to herd immunity. We know they prevent symptomatic disease, but we don’t know if they stop transmission of COVID-19. If they can stop transmission, then it would require high vaccine coverage to reach herd immunity.

What are the short-term side effects of the COVID-19 vaccines?

In terms of safety, in the short-term people can expect a sore arm. Some will feel bad, perhaps like they are getting sick with a cold or the flu, for 2-3 days, but then will be fine. These are normal side effects to the vaccine and demonstrate the immune system is responding.

We have seen some allergic reactions following vaccination. Again, these are expected and are not occurring at a rate higher than what we would expect with a new vaccine. It is important for us to monitor these effects so we can make sure they are what we expect to occur and at a frequency lower or similar to what occurs in a population that has not been vaccinated.

What are the long-term side effects of the COVID-19 vaccines?

In terms of long-term side effects from the vaccine, we don’t have the data and will need to continue to monitor to ensure the safety of COVID-19 vaccines. We also don’t know the long-term effects of being infected with COVID-19. But what is emerging shows there are long-term effects from COVID-19 infection, such as “brain fog,” which severely alter an individual’s health.

Based on what we know about how COVID-19 vaccines work, we would not expect them to have long-term adverse effects. It is our hope that they will provide long-term protection against disease, but this also remains to be seen.

Hello, 

FPCC has funding available for post-secondary tuition, living expenses and language mentorship for B.C. First Nations youth who are pursuing a Bachelor of Education degree. Up to $36,400 per year is available for eligible B.C. First Nations students who are interested in becoming Language Immersion Teachers.

For more information view the program page.

We are here to help
Please contact us for assistance with your application. Contact Aurora Skala, Language Programs Coordinator, via email at yes@fpcc.ca.

Spread the word!
Please share this funding opportunity with your network by downloading the program poster here. 

Pishshapmishko, 
Shireen Banaee 
Communications Officer 
First Peoples’ Cultural Council

This is the last week to nominate for The British Columbia Reconciliation Award.

This award is a partnership between BC Achievement and The Office of the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia and serves to recognize individuals, groups and organizations who have demonstrated exceptional leadership, integrity, respect and commitment to furthering reconciliation with Indigenous peoples in the province of British Columbia, and/or inspired others to continue reconciliation efforts.

You can complete your nomination at bcachievement.com. Deadline to nominate is midnight, January 15, 2021

SITKA — Twenty-seven high school students, including students from the Rural Alaska Students in One-Health Research (RASOR) program, took part in the Sitka Sound Science Center’s annual WhaleFest Science Festival and UAS course. A highlight of Sitka WhaleFesteach year is workshops where students collaborate with researchers in hands-on science. Dr. Andrew Cyr, a UAF research advising and mentoring professional (RAMP) has spent six years developing a fish sampling workshop where students learn fish anatomy and collect samples that scientists will use for research on fish diets and to monitor concentrations of contaminants, like mercury.

This year, students weren’t able to travel to Sitka but that doesn’t mean they didn’t get their (gloved) hands dirty.  Instead some fresh frozen salmon and dissection kits got on planes and came to them. Juneau student, Adrian Whitney, commented on this strange reversal, “If you asked me what I thought future WhaleFests would look like a year back, I would definitely not tell you I would be dissecting a fish over a video call with a group of scientists from my own home.“

Fish were provided by the Sitka Sound Science Center hatchery and shipped via Alaska Seaplanes. Of his first virtual workshop Cyr said, “the workshop forced our team to think outside the box but it all came out better than we could have predicted.” Seven students from Hoonah, Cordova, and Juneau participated. “The students were patient, attentive, open and basically the most amazing students we could have had,” Cyr added.  Students shipped their samples back to Sitka so they can contribute to research. Other workshops for high school students included activities related to whale tagging, marine mammal capture and solving a shellfish mystery.

The Sitka WhaleFest is an annual event, which includes lectures by marine science experts  on topics such as sea turtles, climate change, dolphin communication and more.  Students participate in  hands-on workshops, and compete in ocean science trivia.  University credit is available by enrolling in the one-credit BIOL 175 course “Current Topics in Marine Research.”  For complete information about WhaleFest visit sitkawhalefest.org.  The workshops were coordinated and funded by the UAS Rural Alaska Students in One-Health Research Program RASOR) and the UAF Biomedical Learning and Student Training Program (UAF BLaST).

The University of Alaska Southeast (UAS) announces a tuition scholarship offered in support from Sealaska Corporation for students enrolled in Spring 2021 Alaska Native Language courses. Identified Indigenous languages of Southeast Alaska coursework includes beginning, intermediate, and advanced courses in Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian languages. 

Dr. X̱’unei Lance Twitchell notes, “One of our beloved elders, Shaksháani Marge Dutson, once told us «hél daa sá a yáx koogei haa yoo x̱ʼatángi» which could be interpreted as ‘nothing measures up to our languages.’ At UAS, we want to make sure that we are actively removing barriers to language learning, and scholarship opportunities such as this open doors that create a brighter future for our previous and irreplaceable languages. We are committed to safe learning environments, and doing all we can to strengthen our languages and the bonds we have between one another.” Twitchell is an associate professor of Alaska Native languages at UAS.

Sealaska Corporation and Sealaska Heritage Institute, its’ non-profit organization, are ardent advocates of education. UAS welcomes this support on behalf of our students. Joe Nelson, Chair of Sealaska, said, “There isn’t anything more precious than our kids, our languages, and our way of life. That should be the center of everything.”

This scholarship is available to any student enrolled in UAS Spring 2021 Alaska Native Language courses.  Scholarships are intended to support tuition expense for students not receiving other language scholarships.  Fees associated with a course scholarship are the responsibility of the student. 

To access this resource students must be registered for the course and sign a release of Information statement that allows the UAS Financial Aid office to complete the payment process. This form can be requested either by email at uas.finaid@alaska.edu or by calling (907) 796-6255. 

Those interested but not yet registered can do so at alaska.edu/uaonline.  Assistance with the process is available through the UAS Registrar’s Office by email at uas.registrar@alaska.edu or by calling (907) 796-6000. 

Chancellor Karen Carey states, “This is such a wonderful opportunity for our students and to help keep our Alaska Native Languages alive.  We sincerely appreciate the ongoing support of Sealaska Corporation and Sealaska Heritage Institute.”