The Saskatchewan Foster Families Association exists to support and encourage foster families through education and advocacy, helping create healthy homes and brighter futures for children and youth in care across the province. Their goal is to encourage families to open their homes to children and youth who need care, provide positive environments, and ultimately, make our world a better place.
Wayne Roman has been working for the SFFA for eleven years. “There are no problems that are unique to Aboriginal parents,” Wayne said. “All potential parents go through an 8 month assessment process and can be counselled out at any time. All foster parents are required to take 51 hours of training to become foster parents. In Saskatchewan, this includes taking a cultural component which details the cultural beliefs and traditions of the First Nations people.”
The foster care system can be challenging for foster parents to navigate without support. The SFFA is there to guide parents through various processes including Ministry of Social Services investigations. In addition, they explain policy and provide resources to help foster parents and children with any questions that might come up during their time together. “The SFFA reaches out to all foster children,” Wayne said. “Whether or not a child comes into foster care is not bound by race or culture. Foster children do not always come from dysfunctional families either. A single mother needing surgery may seek the assistance of the foster care system to care for her child while in recuperation.”
The right help can make all the difference to foster families. Education, advocacy, and a place to turn for advice can help foster parents provide the support and healthy homes that foster children need. Training programs for parents and children can help foster families develop a deeper understanding of each other and the process, manage stress, and build effective relationships. The SFFA even offers first aid and CPR courses to help ensure that children stay safe.
Wayne Roman emphasizes the importance of supporting the new parent. “There is no guarantee that any foster parent will be successful in their career overall or with any particular child. It is not so much finding the right parent but rather offering them the proper support during career.”
It is estimated that 3 million Canadians have been diagnosed with diabetes, and that figure may climb in the next several years. With National Diabetes Month coming up in November, municipalities like the Toronto Public Health are spreading awareness for the prevention of diabetes.
Lisa Swimmer, supervisor for the diabetes prevention strategy for Toronto Public Health, says the number of Canadian being diagnosed with diabetes is at an all-time high. “According to the Canadian Diabetes Association, in 2010 an estimated 2.7 million Canadians had diabetes, and by 2020 it’s anticipated that 4.2 million—almost 11% of the population—will be diagnosed,” said Swimmer. “It has been shown that the national age-adjusted prevalence of diabetes is 3 to 5 times higher in the Aboriginal population than in the general population. That would mean that there are upwards of 20% of the Aboriginal population living with type 2 diabetes.”
Diabetes affects the body’s ability to use the energy we get from food. The body changes food into glucose (a type of sugar) that is found in the blood after eating a meal. Insulin is a hormone made by the body that helps glucose move out of the blood and into cells so that it can be used as energy. Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not make enough insulin or cannot use the insulin it makes. If not treated, diabetes can lead to serious health problems such as blindness, loss of limbs, and heart and kidney disease.
There are Type 1 and 2 diabetes, and gestational diabetes. About 90% people with diabetes have type 2. It usually occurs in adults over the age of 40, but rates are rising in younger people. Some symptoms to be aware of include being thirsty often, having to urinate often, weight change (gain or loss), feeling tired or having no energy, blurred vision, cuts and bruises that are slow to heal, and tingling or numbness in hands and feet.
“Type 2 diabetes (not type 1 diabetes) can be prevented or delayed with lifestyle changes. Even small changes can help to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes,” said Swimmer. “Being physically active, eating healthy, attaining or maintaining a healthy weight, and being smoke-free can all lower your risk or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes.”
Researchers from Cambridge University have found that a high-fibre diet can help reduce your risk of Type 2 Diabetes. They have found that the more fibre you eat, the lower the risk of the condition. During the 11 year study, individuals with the highest fibre intake (more than 26 grams per day) had an 18% lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes compared with those whose diets contained the least fibre (less than 19 grams per day), even when lifestyle factors such as physical activity, smoking, alcohol use, and calorie intake were accounted for. Examples of high-fibre foods include whole grain products (whole grain breads and cereals, brown rice, quinoa, etc.), vegetables, fruit, and legumes (peas, beans, and lentils). It’s important to also stress that those living with pre-diabetes can still prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes by making lifestyle changes such as smoking cessation, increased physical activity, and healthy eating.
Swimmers says there are several reasons why the Aboriginal community is at an increased risk for type 2 diabetes. They include socio-economic determinants, genetic susceptibility, and lifestyle (tobacco use, overweight and obesity, diet, and physical activity). “Social determinants of health, including disparities in income, education, housing, and employment coupled with poor access to health services put the Aboriginal community at greater risk,” said Swimmer. “People with lower incomes face barriers to good health including difficulty accessing quality food, housing, and education. Chronic stress related to the social determinants of health puts individuals at increased risk of chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes.”
A genetic risk factor called the ”thrifty gene effect” has been shown to increase the type 2 diabetes rates in Aboriginal populations. The theory suggests that Aboriginal populations are predisposed to conserve calories. This dates back to a time when access to food was not always available. Today, this genetic predisposition (combined with the transition from traditional to non-traditional diets and an increase in processed foods) has put Aboriginal populations at a higher risk for obesity.
Toronto Public Health’s new diabetes awareness campaign encourages people who face at least one risk factor for diabetes to take an online risk assessment (CANRISK Questionnaire). During Diabetes Awareness Month (November), they will be promoting this new campaign using online advertising and in person at community events. “We want to get the attention of people who may not consider themselves to be at risk. The main message is: You may be at increased risk for type 2 diabetes. Take this simple online assessment to determine your risk level and learn how to take action to prevent diabetes.”
UBCIC Welcomes NDP Commitment to Indigenous Communities and Rejects Conservatives’ Racist Tactics
(Coast Salish Territory/Vancouver, B.C. – October 7, 2015) The NDP releases a strong commitment to Indigenous communities today, calling for a new era that embraces a Nation to Nation relationship. The NDP have 22 Indigenous candidates running in the federal election, the most Indigenous candidates of any single federal party ever.
Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, President of the UBCIC
Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, President of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC), stated “The NDP platform addresses the key issues of closing the education gap, strengthening Indigenous communities, addressing the housing crisis, prioritizing health care, and growing a sustainable economy – obviously they listened and carefully considered the needs of Indigenous communities.
By stark contrast, the Conservatives are attempting to win public support by deliberately fomenting racial divisions within Canadian society – an insult to the Canadian public.”
Grand Chief Phillip continued, “Conservative Party member and former MP John Cummins recently rebuked women who have gone missing from Highway 16, mostly Indigenous, for engaging in “risky behaviour”. His abusive remarks completely ignore the well-documented impacts of economically marginalized Aboriginal communities and institutionalized racism, and are incredibly offensive.”
The NDP’s new commitments are welcomed on top of the broader, structural NDP platform that is being rolled out, which would increase the well-being of all Canadians, including Indigenous communities. This includes $100 million targeted towards clean energy development in remote communities that are dependent on diesel flown in for electricity generation, as part of a concrete action plan to address climate change. The NDP have also committed $2.7 billion over four years in affordable housing and homelessness across Canada, and committed to investing in youth suicide prevention and national diabetes strategy, as well as food security.
Harper Government’s dismal record, beginning with trashing the $5.2 billion Kelowna Accord, continually and progressively cutting funding to Aboriginal communities and organizations, and a stubborn, irrational refusal to support a National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered indigenous Woman and Girls, demonstrates that the Conservative Party of Canada remains a party of aging, ignorant, and racist bigots” stated Grand Chief Stewart Phillip.
He concluded, “On behalf of my 15 grandchildren, I am looking forward to exercising my right to vote on October 19th, to get the Harper government out, and encourage everyone to do the same- let’s make real change!”
The First Nations Health Authority envisions healthy, self-determining and vibrant BC First Nations children, families, and communities playing an active role in decision making regarding their personal and collective wellness. Community driven and Nation-based, the FNHA is encouraging First Nations to create their own health event or initiative.
Organizations, schools, and health service agencies serving BC First Nations and/or Aboriginal people may be eligible for funding to host a Winter Wellness event or initiative to be held between January 1st–February 15th, 2016. The theme for the coming year is about new year’s resolutions for communities and individuals, with a focus on change and personal transformation in lifestyles or communities.
BC First Nations are encouraged to create an event or initiative focused on one or more of the FNHA Wellness Streams: Nurturing Spirit, Respecting Tobacco, Being Active, Eating Healthy. Winter Wellness events should encourage and sustain wellness in individuals, families, and communities all year long.
APPLY FOR A GRANT:
Download and complete the 2016 Winter Wellness Grant Form from the First Nations Heath Authority website [www.fnha.ca].
To fax your application, please call (604) 693-6575 first, then send the fax to (604) 913-2081.
All applications must be received by 4 p.m. December 3rd, 2015.
Ideas for Winter Wellness Events/Initiatives
Nurturing Spirit: Organize a Volunteer Week! Have registered participants commit to a certain amount of hours volunteering in the community and celebrate the good work and good feelings by having a community meal and sharing circle.
Respecting Tobacco: Start an initiative encouraging abstinence or harm reduction regarding tobacco use. Community members or groups could pledge to go 48 hours smoke-free. Hold a 5km walk and acknowledge or reward community members who have gone smoke free. Tobacco pouches could be made and handed out and the conclusion of the initiative.
Being Active: Host a Snowy 5K walk/snowshoe/ski/sled/Spirit pole! Don’t let the snow outside stop you! Organizing outdoor events or activities during winter weather can be a great way to promote continuous physical activity through the season. Prepare a nice hot community meal at the finish line.
Eating Healthy: Having an Elder provide information to youth through an interactive event about how our relatives ate and prepared food during the winter. Provide youth with food, ingredients, and resources so they can follow along with the teaching.
In August, Ashley Callingbull-Burnham was crowned Mrs. Universe 2015, defeating contestants from around the world. Since then she’s been on national television and has graced magazines and news publications, all while voicing her opinions on murdered and missing Aboriginal women and the latest federal elections, urging people to vote. Now she’s been named the Canadian Dignity Role Model by the International youth empowerment organization Global Dignity Canada.
Ashley Callingbull Burnham is the first Canadian and first First Nations woman to win Mrs Universe.
Callingbull-Burnham is from the Enoch Cree Nation, and joins the ranks of Senator Yonah Martin (Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate), Deputy Leader of the New Democratic Party Megan Leslie, Liberal Party of Canada Leader Justin Trudeau, and Inuit filmmaker Innosar Issakiark, who are just a few of the National Role Models and Champions of Global Dignity in Canada. Callingbull is honoured to work with students around the world and promote “the right to lead a dignified life.”
Global Dignity chose Ashley Callingbull-Burnham as Dignity Role Model because she speaks to youth around the world about her life, ambitions, self-esteem, health, and education. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree focusing on drama and acting/television. She is also a recipient of the Top 20 Under 30 Award and will be on hand to speak to students from across the country at the Shaw Centre in Ottawa during Global Dignity Day on October 21st.
Giovanna Mingarelli, Global Dignity Canada’s Country Chair says they’re honoured and privileged that Mrs. Callingbull-Burnham has joined the Global Dignity movement. “She’s an inspiration to youth nationwide and beyond through her public activities to encourage respect, self-esteem, tolerance of diversity, and the universal right for everyone to lead a dignified life.”
In one of her first interviews after winning the Mrs. Universe title, Callingbull told the Vancouver Sun that she had hoped she’d win the title so that she could address Aboriginal issues. “People don’t expect a pageant girl to go out and say really crazy things right off the bat. They probably just expected me to have a title and be pretty and that’s it: be pretty and shut up. But I’m not going to shut up.” So that’s exactly what she’s been doing, speaking out and encouraging the Aboriginal people to go out and vote and make a difference in the upcoming federal elections. She says that the current government was created to go against First Nations people and not work for us, and Aboriginal issues are always put on the back burner and are never important.
Callingbull said when she found out that the Mrs Universe Pageant platform was on domestic violence and reflection on children, she knew she had to compete. Until the age of five, she experienced sexual abuse, domestic violence, and lived in poverty, and said that it took many years for the healing process. She has also talked about the issue of murdered and missing Aboriginal women and says there needs to be a national inquiry, something the current government has yet to implement.
On the CBC show Power and Politics, Callingbull told host Rosie Barton that Aboriginal people are treated like terrorists when they’re trying to protect and save the environment by having marches and protests. She also said that because the Mrs, Universe pageant judges contestants on public speaking, charitable contribution, and the work you do within your own country, she embraces this title and is excited about the upcoming year.
Callingbull was the first Canadian—and the first First Nations woman—to win the coveted Mrs. Universe title. Because she’s so outspoken and speaks what’s on her mind, she was asked recently if a career in politics could be in her future. Her response: “You know, I never thought I would be Mrs Universe. You never know what’s going to happen for me in the future, so expect anything.”
Bruce Walsh, director of the University of Regina Press since 2013, is two time winner of the Libris Award for outstanding contribution to Canadian Literature. He has worked with writers including Alice Munro, Leonard Cohen, and Margaret Atwood.
In the early seventies when not all universities had Aboriginal programs or courses, the University of Regina under the auspices of Canadian Plains Research Centre Press published books on a variety of educational topics and Aboriginal history. They published 230 books from 1974 until 2013 when the CPRC became the U of Regina Press and Bruce Walsh was hired as director. A savvy veteran of the book industry, Walsh is two-time winner of the Libris Award for outstanding contribution to Canadian publishing and has worked with the best of Canadian writers, including Alice Munro, Leonard Cohen, and Margaret Atwood. “I’m joining a team of publishing professionals who have a history of putting out sophisticated and necessary books,” Walsh said when he was hired. “I have every expectation that we will do great things together.”
David Malloy, the Associate Vice-President (Research) of the University of Regina was happy to have Walsh as director of the U of Regina Press. “I am pleased to have someone of Bruce Walsh’s calibre join us at the University of Regina. With a goal to enhance scholarship, discover great writers, and have our books read around the world, we are very pleased to have Bruce leading the publishing team.”
It didn’t take the team long to produce. Regina U Press have two best sellers in 2015: The Education of Augie Merasty: A Residential School Memoir and Clearing the Plains, both nonfiction. “In less than two years, we’re a player on the Canadian publishing scene,” Bruce Walsh said, “and we’re working very hard to have a footprint internationally.” Walsh also has high expectations for Children of the Broken Treaty written by Charlie Angus and due for release in August. “It’s going to make readers rage at a system stacked against First Nations kids.”
The Education of Augie Merasty: A Residential School Memoir is a true story told by a man who was brought to St. Therese Residential Residential School in northern Saskatchewan in 1935 when he was 5 years old. He would remain there for nine painful years. The book looks back at the sadistic practices of the religious orders, nuns, and brothers against the vulnerable children. Physical punishment, mental and sexual abuse are recounted by Merasty, who still can’t understand why former students and his own family didn’t protest the treatment of children in these schools. Merasty also recounts how the administrators of the school would dupe Native leaders when they made their annual visit by providing hearty meals that gave the impression students were being treated well at the school. The truth was much different; students were never fed proper food—more like the scraps.
Released at a time when the Truth and Reconciliation report stated that the residential schools were cultural genocide, The Education of Augie Merasty is a first-hand account of how the schools operated and the price the children were forced to pay. This book should be in every high school in the country.
James Daschuk, author of Clearing the Plains, is a health studies professor at the University of Regina Kinesiology. Daschuk began researching the book twenty years ago while attending the University of Manitoba, collecting information about the famines First Nations had deal with, many of them brought on by European settlers and most of them controlled by the government. Prime Minister John A. Macdonald was one of the “Fathers of Confederation” who was pushing for the railroad; he promised in parliament that emergency rations for Natives would be suspended “until the Indians were on the verge of starvation, to reduce the expense.” Broken treaties filled with hollow promises and the damage created by the fur trade are also examined in in depth. Historian Elizabeth A. Fenn described Clearing the Plains as “a tour de force that dismantles and destroys the view that Canada has a special claim to humanity in its treatment of indigenous peoples.”
Bruce Walsh and the U of R Press team can take pride in their accomplishments, and the future does look bright. The motto at U of R Press is “A voice for many peoples” Walsh says. “We will try to honour that with our editorial choices, whether by publishing scholars or the homeless.”
McGill-Queen’s University Press (MQUP) has undertaken to publish its own edition of the six volumes of the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in English and French, after the TRC officially releases the report in mid-December. The final report is expected to be over 2 million words with contributions from over 6,750 survivor and witness statements from across the country, after a century of abuse at Indian Residential Schools.
Commented Philip Cercone, Executive Director of McGill-Queen’s University Press: “This is one of the most important documents to emerge in the history of Canada. These ground-breaking volumes are destined to work towards healing the breach of silence and ignorance that has surrounded these issues for more than a century.”
The report will consist of the following volumes:
Canada’s Residential Schools: The History, Part 1, Origins to 1939. The Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Volume I.
Canada’s Residential Schools: The History, Part 2, 1939 to 2000. The Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Volume I.
Canada’s Residential Schools: The Inuit and Northern Experience. The Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Volume 2.
Canada’s Residential Schools: The Métis Experience. The Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Volume 3.
Canada’s Residential Schools: Missing Children and Unmarked Burials. The Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Volume 4.
Canada’s Residential Schools: The Legacy. The Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Volume 5.
Canada’s Residential Schools: Reconciliation. The Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Volume 6.
MQUP expects to release its editions in early 2016 in print and eBook versions. The volumes will be published in MQUP’s prestigious Native and Northern Series, founded by the late Bruce Trigger and currently edited by Arthur J. Ray and Sarah Carter. MQUP will also publish the Executive Summary in French which is to be released in September 2015.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was established as a result of the 2007 Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement. Its mandate is to tell Canadians about the 150 year history of the schools, in part through the statements of those whose lives were affected by them. The TRC seeks to guide and inspire a process of reconciliation and renewed relationships based on mutual understanding and respect.
Established in 1960, MQUP is a joint venture of McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, and Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. MQUP is both a specialist in the Canadian perspective and a publisher of international themes, attracting attention from the New York Times to the Globe & Mail. A Canadian university press with a global reach which aims to advance scholarship, promote public debate, and contribute to Canadian culture.
HIV-Positive Aboriginal Women, in partnership with Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network (CAAN) and the University of Victoria, has received $1.2 million in funding from Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) Institute of Aboriginal People’s Health to develop a culturally-grounded and strength-based intervention for HIV-positive Aboriginal women.
Marama Pala ofNew Zealand is the coordinator for the Canadian Aboriginal Aids Network (CAAN).
Visioning Health II (VH II) builds on the results of Visioning Health I (VH I): an arts-informed and community-based participatory research project that engaged HIV positive Aboriginal women as co-researchers to explore their experience of “health,” rather than illness, and the supporting role culture and gender plays.
Findings from this study revealed that health for HIV positive Aboriginal women is holistic, relational, and fundamentally about “feeling connected.” The study found that the process of participating in this project was, in itself, health enhancing. As one co-researcher reported, Visioning Health is “damn good medicine.”
Visioning Health II is designed to counteract the predominance of research that highlights Aboriginal women’s needs, risks, vulnerabilities, and deficits by emphasizing the multiple ways in which HIV-positive Aboriginal women thrive, not just survive.
Visioning Health II will enable the research to expand to seven sites across Canada to better reflect the diversity of Aboriginal communities and to co-create new knowledge on the meaning of health for HIV positive Aboriginal women that resists the pan-Aboriginal approach typically taken when describing, exploring and addressing their experiences.
“The heart of Visioning Health II is the HIV positive Aboriginal women who are partners in the study. We are so excited to see women bringing strength to the circle by picking up their medicine bundles.” Doris Peltier, Women’s Leadership Coordinator of CAAN and co-‐creator of Visioning Health. “Through this study, women who participate are discovering they are the medicine bundle, a gift of solution to their community. The medicine bundle represents our spiritual path.”
The goals of Visioning Health II are to conduct further research to capture knowledge on the meaning of health and how it intersects with gender and culture for HIV positive Aboriginal women, and to develop and test the Visioning Health model as a health promoting intervention.
Given the results of Visioning Health I, the research team anticipates that Visioning Health II could lead to significant changes to policy and programming that would focus more on strengths instead of deficits, thereby increasing women’s engagement in their own health. Women are central to community building and nation building, so the ripple effect of this study is expected to be far reaching.
Letter to the Editor from Cathy Evarts, former Foster Care parent
I attended the June 22, 2015 vigil on the steps of the Alberta Legislature to honour the 765 children who have died while in the care of the province of Alberta. Since then 4 more children receiving government services have died in June and July, bringing the total to 769. In the past 14 months, 34 child welfare deaths.
I was a foster parent for 18 months. For reasons I fail to understand, I believe the Government of Alberta Children and Youth Services is failing to provide adequate care to children in foster care, their families and foster families. High caseloads, insufficient caseworker training and compensation, a combination of unstable and ineffective agency management, and a lack of resources plague the foster care systems. As a result, children who were removed from their homes for basic protection actually suffer continuing harm in care.
Children are being removed from unstable and unsafe environments into a foster care system that itself is unstable. Our government declares that it is better equipped to care for the children than their dysfunctional caregivers are. It is undeniable that children who reach permanent placement earlier in their lives are significantly better than those who have a more extended stay in foster care.
Marilyn Koren’s four month old grand-daughter died four years ago after being placed in Alberta’s foster care system.
I think it is clear that the foster care system has continually failed to protect and improve the lives of our most vulnerable citizens. Our government needs to invest more into programs and initiatives aimed at helping to speed up children’s exit from foster care. For example, helping families stay together while keeping children safe, finding the relatives of a child in foster care, increasing support for grandparents and other relative caregivers, improving support for young people who age out of foster care, promote healing for the family, and adoption initiatives campaigns for older children.
The result of these efforts would be a significant decrease in the number of children in the foster care system. As a result, caseloads would be decreased, caseworkers would no longer be overwhelmed, and children would benefit from adequate case management.
The government must improve the performance of the foster care system. Promoting strong and vibrant communities starts where children and youth are valued, nurtured and loved, so they will develop to their potential and are supported by enduring relationships, healthy families and safe communities.
The children in care, their families and foster families are not just numbers, not animals; they are humans whom deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. Foster families, foster children and their families are getting lost within the system that was developed to support and protect them.
I have met many good foster parents who have quit. They are good, honest people who were not willing to be part of a team that doesn’t support enhancement for the families in need. I have also met many good foster parents that continue the humble work they do, but they are just as exhausted, under paid and overwhelmed as the caseworkers, which develops into inadequate care for the children.The children deserve more than their basic needs met.
No one wants a child to be neglected, abused or die as a result. As a society we collectively agreed the children must be protected and have allowed our government unquestioned control, “to care for the children”. It is clear by the 769 deaths, that was a mistake. Many blindly trust that our government is making the right decisions then judge and blame the parents. Social workers (only a 2 year university program) have more power then RCMP. They can enter a residence without a warrant or a school and at their own personal discretion remove children based on an anonymous call and unproven allegations of neglect or abuse. Anyone suspected of drug or sex trafficking or child pornography, the RCMP need a warrant to enter the residence. The provincial government must grab control of a child protection system that is all about the well being of the children and families. Everyone across Canada needs to speak up, loud and hard. Enough is enough.
The time for the foster care system to change is now. No longer can we afford to sit by while our children drop out of school, get involved with drugs, engage in sexual activity, continue the cycle of sexual abuse, become homeless, become depressed, or commit suicide. For their sake, our sake, and the sake of our future generations, we must make a change – a lasting change. Our kids are literally dying for it!
The Tsimshian Environmental Stewardship Authority (TESA) is a new organization representing five First Nations Bands (Metiakatla, Kitselas, Gitxaala, Kitsumkalum, Gitga’at) who came together to work with Pacific NorthWest LNG to assess the environmental impact of LNG on their territories. Pacific NorthWest LNG president Michael Culbert told the Globe and Mail, “We applaud the initiative taken by Tsimshian leadership to act and speak with a collective voice when it comes to environmental stewardship.”
BC landscape is already home to a number of natural gas pipelines and some oil pipelines.
LNG was the ticket the Liberal party hoped would fill the coffers with tax money, then it came to a halt when the Fort Nelson First Nation Chief Sharleen Gale ousted the government officials from an Aboriginal LNG conference in 2014. The action, which seemed extreme at the time, was a reaction to the BC government passing a bill without consulting First Nations; the bill would have allowed gas plants to be exempt of environmental assessment.
First Nations leaders were skeptical of government acting behind their backs, and a year later TESA gave them a voice. The members of TESA stated in a letter to government and oil companies: “We look forward to engaging Lax Kw’alaams, the Province of British Columbia, the Government of Canada, and project proponents to work together to find a path forward that protects the environmental legacy with which we are entrusted. Our Nations agree that resource development can only take place when the environment and our communities are protected.”
The Lax Kw’alaams First Nation is a Tsimshian Band that turned down a billion dollars because they felt the LNG project would endanger the Flora Bank salmon habitat. The Lax Kw’alaams did not join TESA, and although there have been negotiations between the Band council and Pacific NorthWest LNG, there are no positive results so far. This will be part of the challenge TESA must deal with. Can they be a liaison in negotiations? The LNG companies have stated they will make changes to their proposal to ensure First Nation leaders demands are taken seriously. David Keane, president of BC LNG Alliance, told the CBC, “Our members are committed to working with First Nations to build a positive, long-lasting, and mutually beneficial relationship.”
The foster care system can be challenging for foster parents to navigate without support. The SFFA is there to guide parents through various processes including Ministry of Social Services investigations. In addition, they explain policy and provide resources to help foster parents and children with any questions that might come up during their time together. “The SFFA reaches out to all foster children,” Wayne said. “Whether or not a child comes into foster care is not bound by race or culture. Foster children do not always come from dysfunctional families either. A single mother needing surgery may seek the assistance of the foster care system to care for her child while in recuperation.”
