Topic: NEWS

By Frank Larue

On August 3, the Federal government announced the Chief Commissioner of a five-member task force who will be responsible for the inquiry on missing and murdered women. B.C. First Nations judge Marion Bulller has been nominated. Buller was the first female aboriginal judge in British Columbia and was appointed in 1994. She founded B.C.’s First Nations Court and was commission counsel for the Cariboo-Chilcotin Justice Inquiry that examined the treatment Aboriginal people were receiving from the legal system. The Law Foundation of B.C. chair Warren Milman described Marion Buller as “An extraordinary human being. We were very glad to have her and disappointed that we’re going to lose her, but it’s for a good cause.”

Judge Marion Buller speaks after being announced as the chief commissioner of the inquiry into murdered and missing Indigenous women. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)

The commissioners who will be joining Buller are Michele Audette former president of the Native Women’s Association of Canada and Qajaq Robinson, Nunavut lawyer specialising in Aboriginal issues and land and treaty claims, Marlyn Poitras from the University of Saskatchewan, and Brian Eyolfson former vice-chair of the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario. They have their work cut for them. The inquiry that was stalled by the Harper government for years and now is scheduled to begin in September comes with high expectations. Buller knows the problems that lay ahead but she has stated that, “The spirit of the missing and Indigenous women and girls will be close in our hearts and in our minds as we do our work.” Buller told the media, “The families and the survivors losses, pain, strength and courage will inspire our works.”

A budget of $53.8 million has been set aside to finance the inquiry and it will run from September 1st to Dec 31, 2018. Their mission is to find the root causes behind the violence against Indigenous women and girls and what role the legal system plays, including the police, when it comes to Indigenous women. “We need to identify the causes of these disparities and take action now to end them,” Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould told the CBC, “The government of Canada is committed to doing better and we will take action together to reach the goal of eliminating, as much as we can, violence against Indigenous women and girls.”

Gladys Tollley’s mother was killed by a Quebec Provincial police cruiser while she was crossing a highway. She told the CBC, “I hope we get justice. Pray, pray and pray for us. We want justice, it hurts too much. I don’t want to do this any more, it hurts. I’m just hoping and praying that this helps some families if not mine, that’s all.”

Will she get justice? If history has demonstrated anything the answer will be no. The Saskatchewan police who left native men in desolated areas in Saskatoon so they could freeze were never punished thanks to the internal investigation, which, like all police investigations, never holds any of their officers accountable for acts of racism against native people.

Everyone may be thankful for the inquiry but there are many skeptics, “Families made it very clear that they wanted answers,” Native Women’s Association of Canada president Dawn Lavell-Harvard told the media, “that many cases they felt were closed prematurely, that they don’t accept the conclusion. They want those reopened.” The commissioners may suggest cold cases be re-opened but a request will likely be turned down by police who will demand a budget for re-opening cases. This would mean the government would have to come up with the cash, which will take time and therefore the cases may remain cold.

The cost of the inquiry which is now at 53.8 million, seems high. “If we are spending $50+ million, that could have been going towards shelters and programs and services,” Cathy Macleod, conservative party critic for Indigenous Affairs told the CBC, “So it’s got to provide a real tangible path forward.” Charlie Angus NDP critic for Indigenous Affairs is afraid the inquiry might raise false expectations, “I hope the pressure will be on to put the resources in now to keep other young women from being trafficked or victimized or murdered.”

The main concern is will the inquiry change anything or will their findings simply confirm the Truth and Reconciliation findings. The RCMP receiver $7 million dollar budget for several years to solve the Highway of Tears murders and came up with nothing. Twenty-seven women have disappeared yet the task forces were not able to solve anything of value. The native bands who live near the Highway of Tears demands for a shuttle bus service so native women would no longer have hitchhike, were never taken seriously and the millions spent on the RCMP served no purpose. We don’t need to know that racism is part of the problem, the legal system failures need to be examined and why native women in the sex trade work on street corners. This will solve nothing, we need action and the inquiry is supposed to be the stepping-stone to action from the government.

In a recent meeting of police chiefs in Winnipeg, the question of missing women came up and the RCMP admitted that they had racists in uniform. If native women are five times more likely to deal with violence than white women, police should be more sensitive to the problem. “We cannot ignore the fact that many family members and survivors of violence do not feel like they were treated respectfully or fairly by the justice system,” NWAC president Dawn Lavell-Harvard told the CBC.

by Frank LaRue

“The main thing for us is the mould issue. All our houses are subject to mould because the river here never freezes,” Chief Harold Turner of the Misipawistik Cree Nation (MCN).

The housing issue for Indigenous people remains a priority for the federal government who have set up a fund for native housing. Chief Harold Turner of the Misipawistik Cree Nation borrowed $9 million to build 30 new houses, which are mould and fire resistant. Architect Douglas Cardinal designed new the houses that will hopefully prevent mould. Cardinal was wary of the previous pre-fabricated homes that he felt ‘weren’t built with native people in mind,’ being “Extremely unhealthy houses, they’re built so badly,” he stated.

The problem with pre-fabricated homes, according to Cardinal who was the architect for the Canadian Museum of History and the Thunderbird House in Winnipeg, is “the condensation build-up along vapour barriers which line the insulation in the walls. Humidity builds up along the plastic, which leads to mould growth.” The spores created by mould create respiratory issues including coughing, allergic reactions and symptoms of asthma, and is harmful for children and the elderly. This information is from Health Canada, proving the government has known for years about this problem, which Cardinal refers to as the Silent Killer.

Douglas Cardinal’s designer homes use cross-laminated timber (CLT), which is environmentally sustainable and has replaced concrete and steel. “The timber structures like this are lighter than concrete or steel but because they’re heavy timber construction, they’re even more fireproof,” he explained. Cardinal’s experience with controlling humidity is extensive after designing the Canadian Museum of History, a building which had to have a 50% humidity level to keep the artifacts intact. There are no basements because in Cardinal’s words, “basements can lead to increased humidity as well as radon gas in the home.” Cardinal also mentioned that the ground floor would also resist mould.

Misipawistik Cree Nation Chief Harold Turner said many homes in the community have mould problems because of their proximity to open water year-round. (Winnipeg Free Press/CP)

Chief Turner is not a hundred percent convinced, but he is willing to take the chance and if it works, Douglas Cardinal’s design with CLT might provide a solution for the northern Ontario Bands who are dealing with the same mould and poor housing problems. “If they are what they say they are…then obviously we’ll be purchasing more in the future,” Chief Turner told the CBC. Turner had to secure a loan to buy the houses because he feels the government is more promises than action. “We can’t wait for the federal government to build the homes since even though they are obligated to build us homes under treaty, they failed us.”

By Kelly Many Guns

When entering Vancouver Island’s Stz’uminus First Nation’s Oyster Bay, drivers see a billboard sign that reads, “We are building a new town.” For months, the billboard has piqued the interest of many local residents, and last month construction began on the Oyster Bay Development, which will continue for at least the next five years.

Construction starts on New Town. Photo Submitted.

Ray Gauthier, CEO Coast Salish Development says, the first phase of development is to develop 65 acres of land, with 10,000 square feet of retail & office buildings, an Esso Gas station and hotel and living residential area, all of which is already under construction.

“The land development at Oyster Bay has taken 4 to 5 years of planning,” said Gauthier. “When we’re done the hotel next summer, we’ll be creating 30 new jobs for the local community.”

Creating new jobs and a future is something the people of the Stz’uminus First Nation have been waiting for a long time.

“It couldn’t happen any faster,” said Gauthier, “some of the challenges we face are that First Nations businesses always have to be ten times better, and financing on First Nations is not easy, it’s a bit of a challenge.”

The community is ready to embrace those challenges.

Construction at Oyster Bay is the culmination of the Stz’uminus First Nation’s efforts to become a self-sufficient and self-governing nation. Stz’uminus has been working toward this goal to literally build a new future for many years and is essentially building a new municipality brick by brick.

Today, that work is yielding tangible results. Expected to grow to 1,300 residents by 2020, Oyster Bay is the keystone for Stz’uminus First Nation’s economic development. The new businesses and residents joining Oyster Bay will translate to revenue for the Nation, opportunities for Stz’uminus members and improved services for the entire community. With construction underway, the new town of Oyster Bay is fast becoming a reality.

Stz’uminus Chief John Elliott said, “To be successful, we knew we had to be able to move at the speed of business. A lot of work has gone into achieving that.”

By Lloyd Dohla

Saskatchewan First Nations leaders are condemning the provincial RCMP’s handling of the fatal shooting of a young unarmed aboriginal man near Biggar, Sask. by a local farmer.
Colten Boushie, 22, was killed after the vehicle he was in with friends drove onto a farm in the rural municipality of Glenside, west of Saskatoon, on Tuesday, August 10th, 2016.
Boushie’s cousin, Eric Meechance said he and three other friends were also in the car and were on their way home to the Red Pheasant First Nation after spending an afternoon swimming at a river.

“ColtenBoushie” Caption: Boushie was 22 years old when he was fatally shot. Photo: Facebook

Gerald Stanley, 54, is charged with second-degree murder. The first RCMP news release said that the people in the car had been taken into custody as part of a theft investigation. Leaders of the Federation of Sovereign Saskatchewan Indigenous Nations (FSIN), formerly the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations, said the shooting death of the young man brings to light Saskatchewan’s underlying racial issues and tension between the communities. They say the RCMP’s initial release about the fatal shooting was biased and influenced subsequent media reports and an online racist public backlash against the province’s First Nations people.

“The family of Colten Boushie is devastated by the loss of their son,” said Chief Clint Wuttunee of the Red Pheasant First Nation. “The media’s initial portrayal of the event made the incident sound like a crime was about to be committed by the passengers in the car. The media based their reports on the RCMP’s press release.” FSIN leader Chief Bobby Cameron said they are extremely disappointed in the RCMP’s handling of the case. “The news release the RCMP issued the following day provided just enough prejudicial information for the average reader to draw their own conclusions that the shooting was somehow justified,” said the grand chief. “The messaging in an a RCMP news release should not fuel racial tensions.”

In a statement issued late Friday, August 12th, Saskatchewan RCMP Supt. Rob Cameron expressed his condolences to the friends and family of Colten Boushie and addressed the FSIN statement about the issue. “It is deeply concerning for us as the provincial police service to hear one of our media releases categorized as biased and not in line with the relationship we have developed with the FSIN and all the communities we serve, he said. “We have heard the concerns of the FSIN and we welcome the opportunity to discuss them and work together to address them. The FSIN is one of our essential partners and we value this partnership and their input greatly.

Cameron said the provincial RCMP force needs the support of its partners and the communities they serve to keep the province safe. The Supt. Cameron added comments made on social media are concerning and could be construed as criminal in nature. “It’s understandable that during a situation like this emotions run high, but it is important to let the court process run its course,” he said. “Therefore, I ask for everyone to be respectful in their online communication.”

Since the incident, racist comments about the shot and slain youth have appeared on Facebook and other social media sites. Some have been taken down, but screenshots of the comments are still circulating online. AFN national chief Perry Bellgarde condemned the racist online comments made in the wake of the tragedy. “To see racist, derogatory comments about this young man and about First Nations people online and on social media on response to this tragedy is profoundly disturbing … they are racist and insensitive and ignorant. They are disheartening and a stark reminder of how much work we have to do to eliminate racism and discrimination. In too many ways, this is a sad day for Saskatchewan.”

The FSIN executive is demanding an immediate strategy from the top Sask. RCMP to examine whether the shooting is a crime based on race – a hate crime. The FSIN is calling for a review of the RCMP’s communication policies and writing guidelines in respect to the August 10th, media release about the shooting incident. “The people of this province deserve an immediate strategy to be put in plane by all levels of leaders in order to feel safe, including the assurance that this tragedy will be investigated for what it is, a crime based on race. Coulen Boushie deserves justice and anything else is unacceptable.”

By Frank LaRue

‘In some ways, the oil industry in Saskatchewan has been given a free pass by the province. Pipelines seem to be a particularly under-regulated part of the industry,” Regina University professor, Emily Eaton.

The pipeline discussions and protests will not go away and neither will the oil spills. There have been eleven this year, three of which were from Husky in the Lloydminster area. The first spill happened last December, a relatively small spill of three gallons but in June there was another Husky spill, leading to fifty-three gallons lost near the Saskatchewan river.

Neither of the spills were reported and now in July 50,000 gallons of oil and diluent, the equivalent to 1,572 barrels, leaked into the north Saskatchewan river. The city of Prince Albert have already been given $5 million from Husky but are expected to hand the company a bill for damages that will far exceed that budget. The expenditures so far include salaries of city workers and contractors, material costs in constructing two water pipelines, wages for workers involved with running the city’s Emergency Operations Centre and lost wages from outdoor workers at civic facilities who were temporarily laid off for nearly three weeks.

A great blue heron brought in for treatment at Maidstone, Sask., near the site of a pipeline leak that spilled more than 200,000 litres of oil into the North Saskatchewan River. Photo Credit: CBC News, Submitted by Wendy Wandler

“The majority of the staff is students that rely on their wages earned during the summer to pay for tuition,” Prince Albert Mayor Greg Dionne told the CBC. “The city is doing their part to make sure they are taken care of and we have no doubt that Husky will then reimburse us for the lost hours to our staff and facilities during the oil spill situation.” The bill is expected to be $2 million a month to maintain the water supply until WASA gives its stamp of approval that the water from the river is again drinkable.

Dionne seems to be confident that Husky will live up to it’s responsibilities and the $5 million is a good sign. “This is a payment in good faith. Husky Energy has promised from the onset that they would take full responsibility for the spill and pay all associated costs,” Dionne told the CBC, “And the payment is a good indicator that they are delivering on that promise.”

Husky will have several questions to answer, how three oil spills happened in the same area within a year and nothing was done to prevent them, for example. Fifty thousand gallons of oil seeps into the North Saskatchewan river and all Husky can say is “We’ll look into it.” There has been no valid explanation as to why the cleaning crew didn’t start until a day after the spill. These are the issues that protesters against the pipelines in BC have been pointing out for years.

The stark reality is that oil companies are not honest and that government cast a blind eye on oil company practices. The Saskatchewan Energy Regulator stated, “throughout the course of our review, we will further examine our regulatory practice. Should the review identify any necessary changes, we will be prepared to act quickly to make those changes.”

It’s a bit late to make changes now that the spill has already happened – you don’t lock the stable door after the horses have escaped. The reality is that Husky are making up their own rules and environmental concerns have never been their priority. Perhaps if there were a large government fine for every oil spill, things would change. If the company continues to have spills they should have all licences removed and be replaced by another company who are more sensitive to the dangers of oil spills. If the pipelines are to be used to transport oil they must be watched carefully and the companies that own them should always be under heavy surveillance.

WEST VANCOUVER, BC – COAST SALISH TERRITORY –

The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) released a report on Indigenous child poverty rates made possible by the availability of the 2011 National Household Survey data. The report affords a fuller picture of the hardship confronted by Indigenous children unavailable to us in the past. This picture the CCPA report calls “obscene,” “unconscionable.”
The report details three tiers of poverty for children in Canada:

The worst poverty is experienced by status First Nation children, 51% of whom live in poverty, rising to 60% for children on reserve. Child poverty rates on-reserve worsened between 2005 and 2010.

The second tier encompasses other Indigenous children and disadvantaged groups. The children of immigrants suffer a child poverty rate of 32%, while racialized (visible minority) children have a poverty rate of 22%. Between these are found non-status First Nations children (30%), Inuit children (25%) and Métis children (23%).

The third tier consists of children who are non-Indigenous, non-racialized and non-immigrant, where the rate of 13% is similar to the OECD average.

Eight-year-old Shakira Koostachin plays on a swing in the northern Ontario First Nations reserve in Attawapiskat, Ont. File April 19, 2016. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

The authors of the CCPA report detail three policy areas “likely to provide the greatest impact on Indigenous child poverty”: sustainable funding for reserves, resource revenue sharing, and self-government. Among these, the report advises that “self-government is the key to unlocking the potential of First Nations to improve the lives of their own citizens, including their children.” It cites studies that show a correlation between “lower suicide rates and greater self-governing institutions that provide cultural continuity to young people.”

Mary Teegee, Board President of the BC Aboriginal Child Care Society (BCACCS), adds that “cultural continuity is most strongly and deeply affirmed in the important work of Indigenous early childhood care and development which is why a national framework is needed without delay.” The Federal Liberal government has committed to, and budgeted for creating and implementing such a framework, the details of which Teegee hopes will be forthcoming.

The hope for a “reconciliation framework” responsive to the truth of Indigenous hardship and oppression cannot fail to put First Nations children at its centre. Along with their neglect on-reserve, Indigenous children are overrepresented in state care by a factor of ten. Teegee asks, “If we won’t admit the symptoms of colonialism, how can we confront and reverse its causes?”

In Memory Of Alicja Rozanska; story by Danny Beaton Mohawk

 
Her name is Katsitsiase or Betty Maracle. I know her as Ista in Mohawk, which means Mother, and she is very much a wisdom keeper. Ista lost her partner/husband this year and I lost my partner two years ago, so it brought us closer. The love that we both had and lived helped us both in so many ways and that love grows in both of us for life, Creation, Mother Earth and our people all peoples! So when Rick asked me for a story about one of our elders in Ontario my mind went to the Maracle family. In Tyendinaga, the Mohawk community gathered at the sacred fire at the Maracle home last month. The Fire Keepers there were tending the Sacred Fire at their home for ten days in respect for Jacks Sacred journey to the Spirit World. We all offered our condolences and I heard later that Tom Porter, our Mohawk Spiritual Leader, had conducted the Sacred Ceremonies for Jack/John Hills funeral for his Sacred Journey.

Betty Maracle, Photo by Danny Beaton

Katsitsiase Speaks Out For Life

Since the passing of my partner, I look at life quite a bit differently. You know, I go out and sit on the deck and I look at all the plants and the trees and everything in the yard, and I think about him. He was a part of it all, he helped me plant all these trees and take care of everything. He’s always present in my memory and my thoughts but at the same time, not so much that I cant still see the beauty. I can see beyond my loneliness or my pain and I just feel so grateful that we had the time we did together. So our home and our yard is a reinforcement of his presence here but now as time goes on, I see new life.  It’s a new chapter in my life.

I am not anxious to get on with it, I am very content where I am, if anything this has made me more accepting of anything that comes along. Even the hard time and the pain of losing Jack, no matter what happens, I will be able to stay connected to this natural world until it’s time for me to leave. Because I feel I have been through one of the hardest pains that humans go through, by loosing someone they really love, I realize there are so many people that truly care and love you for who you really are. People are always there to help you and support you in any way they can, so life is still beautiful here. We need to embrace every moment, every day, because we don’t know when we will be leaving this world, and I love it here especially the environment that my partner and I have created.

He has come to visit me a few times because our daughter was having an operation Wednesday and I was thinking I have to get up at four o’clock. I never use an alarm clock, so I said to my daughter please call me and wake me up that morning. But you know, she did not have to call me because my partner came and knocked on the wall three times. I knew he was there to wake me up and I knew it was him and it was time for me to get up to be with my daughter. So he’s still taking care of us, the family, I don’t have any fear. I am so contented with everything and I am just so grateful, truly grateful to the spirit guides I have.  I know who they are I acknowledge them and praise them for the gifts that they bring, the protection, everything, because they are as real as any human being that would stand before me.

I give thanks to our Great Creator for being able to be here, what a wonderful gift. No matter what one goes through in life it really builds who you are. We wanted to come here, we were granted that wish to come here. We weren’t promised that life would be easy and we were not promised anything except to be here, to be able to breathe the air and be in the water that protected us in our mother’s womb. That’s the beginning of the gifts that we were given. When we arrive into this world we need to acknowledge that, and be grateful for those spirits that helped us because the water has a spirit and that spirit of the water helps protect us. When it’s our time that water comes forward and falls on Mother Earth and Mother Earth takes care of it. It’s not hard to be grateful everyday, its very simple. Life is very simple. We make it complicated for ourselves. I personally understand the gifts of Creation, therefore, life is beautiful. I am excited about life and I want to do the things I came here to do.

A few weeks ago, it came to me after my partner crossed over to the other side, my slate was being cleaned so I could move forward and do the work that I said I would do years ago when my daughter was sick.  I made a commitment to our Great Creator and Creation and Future  Generations to do my part to take care of the natural world so that the generations coming will be able to enjoy the things that I have been able to enjoy in my life. It isn’t hard to be happy and be grateful every day now, I am on a new path and new chapter in my life and I am excited about it. I started writing a book, it’s been on hold since my partner passed away, but now I am ready to move forward because the spirit said my book will be finished in eight months. My life will change again once my book is finished. I don’t know what it all means, but I am ready to embrace whatever comes along. I know I have nothing to fear because those spirit guides are with me every day. Little things happen that reassure me every day that they are there so I am excited about life.

I get sad when I see people that are disconnected and don’t understand because life would be so for fulfilling for them if they could see everything has a purpose; the plant life, the air, water, insects and animals. It can be hard to see the positive side when you’re hurt, but there is always a positive side. Our pain is teaching us a lesson. It makes me sad because people can’t see the fullness of life, so in many ways so life is suffering. If we never suffered how would we teach anybody when they are suffering? How could we comfort someone if we didn’t suffer? When you have to go through pain and suffering it comes from the heart and then you share that with someone else because you have lived it and experienced it. So we enrich each other that way. That’s what I understand by my life and the things that happened to me. Even though something is happening with someone else, when they share it’s a great gift to you to be able to experience what comes through their pain and suffering too. There is no greater gift than that of suffering. You look at the trees and plant life now they suffer because this summer is so hot and dry there is no rain the plant life would love a drink of water but there’s none for them. They too are suffering. If we look at life that way, our own personal suffering wouldn’t be so heavy on us humans and we would be able to embrace it in a good way.

Thank you for listening. I was born October 13^th, 1949, in New York State. We moved to Tyendinaga when I was three my name is Katsitsiase, which means flower opening or what the flower is doing is blossoming like a new flower opening up in the world.

by Lee Rivers 

Suicide rates among First Nations are six to eleven times the Canadian average, and since the creation of Nunavut in1999, suicide has accounted for more than one in four deaths in the Northern Territory. In the recent Attawapiskat suicide crisis more than 100 of 2,000 members of the remote community have attempted suicide in the last several months, including 28 in March, prompting Chief Bruce Shisheesh to declare a state of emergency.

Regional, provincial and federal governments sent support and crisis workers to the community in response, but as things calmed down, several workers left.

Attawapiskat is very isolated and access is limited to air travel for most of the year and an ice road for a couple months in winter. This results in many citizens never leaving. Overcrowding is rampant and homes are run down, and at $22 for a12-pack of pop cost of living is extremely high.

Map of James Bay showing Attawapiskat – Wikimedia

However, these conditions are not unique to Attawapiskat, many reserves share similar socio-economic situations as well as high levels of suicide.  Bill Yoachim, a member of the Snuneymuxw First Nation on Vancouver Island and executive director of Kwumut Lelum Child and Family Services explains in an interview with CBC that his community once experienced the same issues. “Unfortunately, I’ve witnessed one too many suicides in my backyard as well.” he told the CBC. “It’s scarring. It’s very painful…. You carry it for your whole life. You carry it every day, sometimes every hour,” he says.

Snuneymuxw First Nation is very different from Attawapiskat. It is urban, located within the city boundaries of Nanaimo, B.C, but like many First Nations, Yoachim’s community experienced clusters of suicides. In addition to his mother, he lost many cousins and says it was devastating not only to families but the entire community.

Snuneymuxw has been suicide-free for five years now. Yoachim credits the significant change to a determination to include youth in reviving traditional Snuneymuxw culture and to offer athletic programs to youth. “Connecting the community and culture is our main template… and we’re having some positive results.” He told the CBC.

A Chipewyan woman and child set out to hunt muskrat in Garson Lake, western Saskatchewan. – Wikimedia

Health experts are agreeing with Yoachim’s explanation of culture and community being a more important factor than housing, employment or finances. In a recent interview with The World Post, Dr. Rod McCormick, an indigenous mental health expert based in British Columbia’s Shuswap reserve and professor of Aboriginal Child and Maternal Health at Thompson Rivers University, explained some of the reasons why suicide rates may be high, “Young people may not feel like they belong anywhere or that they’re contributing to the community. They might not be connected to the culture or spirituality, and their only real connection is to their peer group. If their peer group is obsessed with death and dying, then to belong to that group they have to be immersed in that culture of suicide.” He continues, “There isn’t the possibility of going to movie theaters or driving fancy cars, or those things kids see on TV. There’s the living conditions of feeling like a second-class citizen when one watches TV and sees what other people have that they don’t. In addition, most isolated reserves have very few facilities. There really is next to nothing for mental health services. “

One doesn’t have to look far to see this sentiment echoed. In a widely shared Facebook post, a 13-year-old Attawapiskat youth, Amy Hookimaw, wrote “I didn’t know that people cared about me. But people do care,” after she was taken to the local hospital for experiencing suicidal thoughts.

Healthy community, healthy people

Research by University of Victoria psychologist Christopher Lalonde, also shows the key to tackling suicides is a community-based approach rooted in indigenous culture and values.

One of Lalonde’s most surprising revelations is that suicide rates aren’t actually linked to the “usual constellation” of socio-economic and psychological risk factors that plague many First Nations such as high unemployment, low education levels or inadequate housing, he told to the CBC. Instead, Lalonde’s research suggests, communities with epidemically high suicide rates tend to have one major thing in common: They’re the least “culturally healthy.”

“What we found is when communities have a sense of their collective past and have the tools and resources to navigate toward their future, those are the places that support youth health and well-being better than others.”, he explained to the CBC.

Lalonde has monitored youth suicide rates in 196 First Nations in British Columbia for 21 years, and is now working with First Nations in Manitoba.

His findings show suicide is not a universal epidemic amongst First Nations. Rather, a tiny fraction of communities seem to have the heaviest risk. Amongst First Nations in B.C., more than 90 per cent of suicides occur in only about 10 per cent of communities.

“The solutions to youth suicide in Attawapiskat or any other community are not going to come from Ottawa,” he says. “They’re going to come from communities taking ownership.”

This truth is reflected not only in First Nations communities but in tribes and communities around the world. Scientists have coined the term ‘Blue Areas’ where they have discovered the healthiest and consistently oldest living humans. These areas have the highest population of centurions on Earth.

Found in places such as Panama, Costa Rica, Ecuador and an ancient island off of Italy called Sardinia, these communities all share several things in common. Along with a diet in healthy fats, vegetables, low in meat, and an active lifestyle, the most common characteristics of these healthful people are their low stress levels and deep connection to their communities. They maintain a sense of purpose and participate in cultural, spiritual and communal activities daily. They also found many other communities that share a similar lifestyle, but do not have such a healthy population, and it is believed this was due to the missing “ strong family and community” link.

Changing The Tides

Examining what the Snuneymuxw community did to drastically lower rates of suicide is helpful in the pursuit of change. One obvious addition can be seen Nanaimo’s Departure Bay, where young Snuneymuxw men and women can be seen pulling 11-person canoes.

According to CBC, Mike Wyse leads the Island Brave crew, men all under age 20 who practise every day and compete as a team in indigenous canoe gatherings across British Columbia and the US. Wyse revived the youth paddling program at Snuneymuxw a decade ago, after his mother urged him not to let the sacred tradition of paddling fade. “Canoeing has given our young people an alternative to look to a better life,”  he told CBC.

Wyse credits the lessons the youth learn on the water to be part of what helps them to gain employment or pursue higher education. “You never get on a canoe when you’re angry or upset. That’s one of our strong teachings that are passed down from older people. Canoe ain’t gonna react the way you want it to,” Wyse says. Canoe clubs aren’t the only healthy option for Snuneymuxw youth: basketball, lacrosse and soccer programs are also popular. The community is planning the grand opening of its new gym next month, a $4-million recreational facility that Snuneymuxw First Nation built mostly with its own revenue. “We need to create space, whether through sport or culture or recreation, to make people feel alive,” Yoachim says.

While there are several Aboriginal Support and Crisis Intervention Response Teams in British Columbia, whom Yoachim praise for their continued help, the best method is prevention. “The communities know their own people. They know their own culture,” explains Emmy Manson, the mental wellness advisor for the Vancouver Island region of B.C’s First Nation Health Authority, “The capacity is in communities. They’re able to provide follow-up support, and they’re able to create a relationship of trust and safety for people who are really vulnerable.”

The Ontario government has pledged $2 million over the next two years for health support and a youth centre for the Attawapiskat community. But Manson reminds, this support must go into sustainable skill-sharing and building stronger communal programs, “Our communities are building a foundation of our own skilled people. It has to be our own people who bring us out of the darkness.

By Frank LaRue 

The 40th Annual BC Elders Gathering was held this year in Williams Lake from July 11th to the 14th. More than 2,000 Elders were there to celebrate the event and it was the most successful Gathering in four decades by all accounts. The Theme this year was “Keeper of the Land and Water”, a very accurate description of our people who have always watched over the environment and very timely considering our current environmental issues.
 

Elders at Williams Lake Elders Gathering

The passing on of history may be one of the Elders true missions but the intuitive and cultivated instinct to defend Mother Earth has always been one of our great strengths.

The Gathering underwent preparations for months, Cecil Grinder chair of the organizing committee told the WIlliams Lake Tribune, “A highlight has been people getting together to make a difference. It’s not just our Native communities, it’s the city of Williams Lake. I’m very impressed with the outcome and everyone’s interest in what we are trying to do here.”
 

Cecil Grinder, chair of the organizing committee of the 40th Annual BC Elders Gathering.
Image Credit: Monica Lamb-Yorski Photo

There were several events including the rodeo that kicked off the Gathering, as well as entertainment on different stages and traditional feasts were served every day. One of the keynote speakers included Dr. Evan Adams.

Also featured was a Tent City, which was a reminder of time gone by when First Nations attending the Williams Lake stampede would camp near the grounds. This year Pow Wows, cultural activities, Sweat Lodges and Healing Circles could be found near Tent City along with a convoy of motor homes.

Kudos to the organizers who seemed to have forgotten nothing and ensured everything ran smoothly. Cecil Grinder was thankful for the volunteers, “We had the local volunteers and people coming in from all over. I think we are looking at 4,000 to 5,000. And I thank our volunteers because they are the ones that have made this possible,” Grinder added, “Even the vendors at the arts and craft venues were surprised when I thanked them for being here. I told them that’s who we are as Tsilhgot’in, Shuswap, Carrier, St’at’ imc and Nuxalk people.”

The success of the 40 Elders Gathering in Williams Lake came as no surprise to Grinder, “Williams Lake is made out of mining, forestry and Native people. That’s what supports the economy. We’re just trying to get more recognition for the part we play and what we bring to the economy. It’s all about building bridges for the Native and Non-Native communities to get together.”

By Frank Larue  

“We are now a full supporter of the declaration, without qualification” Canadian Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett stated at the UN. “We intend nothing less than to adopt and implement the declaration in accordance with the Canadian Constitution.”

Canadian Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett

There was a standing ovation from members of the UN when Bennett made her statement. The Canadian Constitution now officially recognizes Aboriginal peoples rights to self-determination, language, equality and land. Former commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Chief Wilton Littlechild told the CBC “It was a very emotional moment for me. The Declaration is much like the treaties, it calls on us to work together. Today would not be too late to start the journey together.”

Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould was also at the UN for the historical day, Canada was ready to implement Declaration. Through Section 35 of it’s constitution” Bennett told the members of the UN. “Canada has a robust framework for the protection of Indigenous rights. By adopting and implementing the UN declaration, we are excited that we are breathing life into Section 35 and recognizing it as a full box of rights for Indigenous Peoples in Canada.”

The Federal Government of Canada will now have to consult with Aboriginal leaders before implementing laws that affect Indigenous people. B.C’s Grand Chief Ed John told the media that “Indigenous governments are not some inferior form of authority. They are the original form of authority over their lands, resources and territories.”

The declaration was actually accepted in 2010 but the Harper government dismissed it as an “aspirational document”. The new Liberal Government had promised after being elected that it would re-instate the declaration in their efforts to solidify their relationship with Indigenous people. Senator Murray Sinclair, a former Manitoba judge, told the Ottawa Citizen “You have large numbers of Indigenous people here and they are bringing with them a sense that they have certain rights that they would like you and want you to respect.”

The Trudeau government lived up to its promise. Now the real work begins and it must be in conjunction with the provincial leaders. It will be a process that will take time and the economic climate in different areas of Canada will make it difficult. Will provincial governments include Aboriginal leaders when they make decisions on the environment and will the pipeline projects and LNG aspirations of certain provinces respect the declaration. Time will tell and there maybe optimism today but tomorrow will be the real test.