First COVID 19 vaccines administered in Sioux Lookout, Ont., long term care home
January 7, 2021
As medical interpreter Tom Chapman received his COVID-19 vaccination on Thursday, 85-year-old patient Eunice Fiddler told him in Ojicree: “Don’t cry.” Fiddler was the first person at the William A. George long-term care home in Sioux Lookout, Ont., to receive a dose of the Moderna vaccine. All of her fellow residents at the 20-bed facility and its staff — including Chapman — were also vaccinated.
https://globalnews.ca/news/7561185/sioux-lookout-covid-19-vaccines/
Ontario reports record 4,249 new COVID-19 cases, Premier Ford gives update
January 8, 2021
Ontario reported a record 4,249 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, with the caveat that about 450 were attributable to a data upload delay from Toronto Public Health. Even so, that would mean about 3,800 were newly confirmed infections, considerably more than the previous record of 3,519 reported yesterday. The cases that were delayed were “primarily” from Jan. 5 and 6, the province said.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/covid-19-ontario-january-8-2021-1.5865874
Ontario Extends Teacher-Led Online Learning Until January 25 to Keep Students and Staff Safe in Southern Ontario
January 7, 2021
As COVID-19 cases continue to rise at an alarming rate throughout the province, the Ontario government, in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health and other health experts, is extending certain measures to keep students, education staff, and residents of Northern Ontario safe.
Announcement naming Mike Harris to Order of Ontario an insult, says Grand Council Chief Hare
January 8, 2021
Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief Glen Hare says the announcement of former premier Mike Harris being appointed to the 2020 Order of Ontario on January 1 was an insult to First Nations peoples across Ontario.
Clean water for First Nations critical during the COVID-19 pandemic: Activists
January 7, 2021
Activists in northeastern Ontario fighting for safe, clean water in First Nations communities across Canada are getting tired of broken promises. After five years and millions in spending, the Liberal government announced in early December that it would not fulfill its commitment to end all long-term water advisories on reserves by March 2021.
Akwesasne long-term care home grappling with COVID-19 outbreak
January 7, 2021
Akwesasne’s Tsiionkwanonhso:te long-term care facility is among a growing number of care homes coping with a COVID-19 outbreak during the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. Ten residents and 10 staff members tested positive for the virus at the facility in recent weeks. While seven of the cases have since resolved in the last few days, the outbreak still makes up nearly half of active cases in the northern portion of Akwesasne. One resident has died.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/akwesasne-ltc-covid-19-outbreak-1.5864666
Calls for Ribbon Skirt Day after Saskatchewan Indigenous student wearing one shamed
January 8, 2021
Chris Kulak says his 10-year-old daughter, Isabella, thinks it might be time for a new downstairs closet to hold all the ribbon skirts arriving from around the world. The brightly patterned handmade skirts adorned with bands of ribbon are worn by Indigenous women during ceremonies and as an expression of cultural pride — something the Grade 5 student has touched off in others after a bad experience at her school.
First Nations scholar says AFN stuck in old ways, needs to change
January 7, 2021
National Chief Perry Bellegarde says he won’t seek reelection to lead the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) and that’s opened the door to discussions on how the First Nations lobbying group needs to transform, says Niigaan Sinclair.
Work with communities to address vaccine hesitancy, say Indigenous leaders
January 8, 2021
As the Moderna vaccine rolls out in the N.W.T., Indigenous leaders say the territorial government must address vaccine hesitancy if it wants to reach target immunization levels. The territory received 7,200 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine last week, and unveiled its vaccination strategy on Tuesday.
What’s in store for harvesting rights? InFocus looks forward to 2021
January 7, 2021
This week on APTN InFocus, host Melissa Ridgen looks back at the most intriguing and monumental harvesting rights stories from 2020 and what comes next in 2021. Mi’kmaw lobster fishers started their own moderate livelihood fishery in Nova Scotia and were met with violence, destruction of gear, and arson in a story that grabbed headlines around the globe last fall.
https://www.aptnnews.ca/infocus/whats-in-store-for-harvesting-rights-infocus-looks-forward-to-2021/
UBC student’s project translates COVID-19 information to world’s Indigenous languages
January 7, 2021
A UBC medical student has joined forces with colleagues in Toronto and the U.S. to help ensure Indigenous people around the world can access COVID-19 information in their own languages.
https://globalnews.ca/news/7562043/coronavirus-indigenous-translation-ubc/
Opinion: UNDRIP will slow, not hasten Indigenous development
January 8, 2021
Late last year, the federal government introduced legislation — Bill C-15 — to ensure that the laws of Canada are consistent with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). While the affirmation of Indigenous rights is always welcome, the legislation as currently drafted is likely to have negative impacts on the many Indigenous communities that rely on resource development as a source of jobs, business contracts and own-source revenues.
https://financialpost.com/opinion/dale-swampy-undrip-will-slow-not-hasten-indigenous-development
Angie Thomas Writers Scholarship to be awarded for 2nd time
January 8, 2021
A private university in Mississippi is preparing to award a second scholarship to an incoming freshman who will major in creative writing.
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/angie-thomas-writers-scholarship-awarded-094433683.html
Sports Series: Former NHL star hoping to resume his appearances in 2021
January 8, 2021
Reggie Leach, 70, prefers maintaining a hectic schedule, travelling across the country as a motivational speaker. Leach, a former National Hockey League (NHL) star, is also a frequent guest instructor at Shoot To Score Hockey, a Winnipeg-based hockey school owned by his son Jamie, also a former NHLer.
Nipissing-Timiskaming MP sees bright future for Indigenous people in 2021
January 7, 2021
The member of Parliament for Nipissing-Timiskaming is certain that 2021 will be a better year for his Indigenous constituents and indeed for all Canadians.
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/nipissing-timiskaming-mp-sees-bright-135426923.html
Indigenous TikTok star in Montreal keeping her culture alive through music
January 7, 2021
It is said that you can’t really know where you’re going unless you know where you’ve been. One Montreal family is trying to live by those words by keeping their cultural traditions alive. As Global’s Phil Carpenter reports, those traditions have led her to social media stardom and opened doors to helping others.
2020 brought ugly truths about inequity to the forefront — like how Ontario’s Medical Association still upholds structural racism
January 7, 2021
2020 was an awakening in the ongoing struggle against inequity. Race-based health inequities highlighted the persistence of structural racism in health care.
Opinion: Genocide, Macdonald and Canadian history
January 8, 2021
Controversy over terminology is inhibiting the implementation of many of the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. People who casually allege that Canadian leaders have been guilty of “genocide” overlook two important considerations. The first is that there is a need to get agreement on the meaning of the term “genocide” to have a fruitful debate.
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/j-r-miller-genocide-macdonald-and-canadian-history
Blue Sky Community Healing Centre is staying ahead of its time
January 6, 2021
After experiencing a shift in her reality, Cindy Crowe started Blue Sky Community Healing Centre in 2005 to assist people with empowerment and self-healing
Report finds more POC representation in children’s animated TV but gaps remain
January 7, 2021
A new report suggests there’s been an increase in the portrayals of people of colour in children’s animated television content in Canada in recent years. But Indigenous characters in the genre remain largely underrepresented, along with several other minority groups.
Diabetes is an epidemic, and we need a national plan to get it under control
January 8, 2021
Today, 11 million Canadians – nearly one in three – live with pre-diabetes or diabetes, a figure that has doubled since 2000. Canada ranks among the worst countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for the number of diabetes cases per capita, and the prevalence and direct costs of treating the disease are rising at a rate of 4 per cent and 10 per cent respectively per year.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/opinion/opinion-diabetes-360-national-strategy-1.5842301
Rodney Levi’s family asks Quebec investigators to hand over their report on his fatal shooting
January 8, 2021
Becky Levi says her Uncle Rodney lived with her for years and was just like a child at Christmas. Levi, 34, who was brought up Catholic, had been steeling herself for a difficult holiday. But, she wasn’t prepared for what happened Christmas Eve. That’s when the Quebec agency tasked with investigating how the RCMP ended up tasering her uncle before shooting him dead, issued a release that its work was done.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/rodney-levi-family-asks-for-report-1.5865510
Coroner’s inquest into Joyce Echaquan’s death to be held May 10-27
January 8, 2021
The coroner’s inquest into the death of Joyce Echaquan will take place May 10-27 at the courthouse in Joliette, Presse Canadienne has learned. The investigation will be presided by Géhane Kamel, the coroner already in charge of a committee on mortality in First Nations and Inuit communities.
Manitoba shipping 5,300 vaccine doses to First Nations communities
January 7, 2021
First Nations throughout Manitoba will be receiving doses of the Moderna vaccine as early as Thursday in an attempt to stem the tide of the COVID-19 pandemic, the province said.
https://globalnews.ca/news/7560889/manitoba-shipping-vaccine-doses-first-nations-communities/
‘A light at the end of the tunnel’: COVID-19 vaccine begins arriving in Manitoba First Nations communities
January 7, 2021
The arrival of the first shipment of the Moderna vaccine in Pimicikamak Cree Nation Thursday evening is “a light at the end of the tunnel,” Chief David Monias said. About 10 elders in the northern community became some of the first people in Manitoba First Nations to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/manitoba-first-nations-covid-19-vaccine-1.5865595
Brandon mom shocked to find worksheet with racist Indigenous stereotypes in son’s schoolwork
January 7, 2021
A Brandon, Man., mother says she’s considering filing a human rights complaint after her son found a worksheet depicting racist stereotypes against Indigenous people in a package of his take-home schoolwork.
https://globalnews.ca/news/7562274/brandon-mom-shocked-racist-worksheet-sons-schoolwork/
Indigenous-led non-profits say they are better equipped to deliver cultural services than Siloam Mission
January 8, 2021
The leaders of Indigenous-led non-profit organizations say they are better equipped than Siloam Mission to provide spiritual care and cultural services to Winnipeg’s homeless population. “They’re not an Indigenous organization, but delivering services to Indigenous people and yet we have almost no relationship with them at all,” said Diane Redsky, executive director of Ma Mawi Chi Itata Centre, an Indigenous-led social service provider in Winnipeg.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/indigenous-cultural-services-siloam-mission-1.5865348
Clearwater shareholders approve sale to Mi’kmaw bands, B.C. firm
January 7, 2021
Clearwater Seafood shareholders approved the sale of the seafood giant Thursday to a partnership of Premium Brands of B.C. and a coalition of Mi’kmaw First Nations led by the Membertou band of Nova Scotia and the Miawpukek in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Sask. woman shares domestic violence experience in hopes of helping others and herself
January 7, 2021
It’s been years since Kendra Weenie left an abusive relationship, but she still bears some of the emotional scars. Weenie made headlines seven years ago when she put out a public plea for someone to track down her abuser. She had been beaten by her partner, the father of her baby daughter.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/abuse-weenie-kendra-sweetgrass-1.5865050
Situation in Saskatchewan Penitentiary ‘real dire’ as outbreak continues says advocate
January 6, 2021
Advocates are concerned for the health and mental well-being of inmates at a correctional facility 140 km north of Saskatoon that has more COVID-19 cases than any other federal prison and the highest test positive rate in the country.
Minister optimistic that Indigenous economic development heading into a growth phase in 2021
January 7, 2021
Indigenous Relations Minister Rick Wilson expects economic growth for Indigenous communities in Alberta in 2021. In an interview with Windspeaker.com, Wilson said announcements are likely to come this month about economic development opportunities and those will combine with an aggressive Indigenous tourism plan to spark that growth.
Feds defend housing record for shíshálh Nation
January 7, 2021
The federal department overseeing Indigenous services has responded to its provincial critics, pointing out that Ottawa transfers housing funds to shíshálh Nation under the band’s self-government agreement and that shíshálh Nation is eligible for additional federal funding for housing but has not applied for it.
Cowichan First Nation issues stay-at-home order as COVID-19 spreads on its reserve
January 7, 2021
The Cowichan First Nation on Vancouver Island has issued a shelter-in-place order as COVID-19 spreads through its territory. The First Nation says in a statement that there have been 23 confirmed cases since the first case was diagnosed on Jan. 1.
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/cowichan-first-nation-issues-stay-004910136.html
Vuntut Gwitchin councillors resign, leaving only chief, deputy chief on council
January 8, 2021
Two Vuntut Gwitchin councillors have resigned from their positions, leaving only the chief and deputy chief in leadership.
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/vuntut-gwitchin-councillors-resign-leaving-110000449.html
MLAs grill N.W.T.’s top doctors on COVID-19 vaccine strategy
January 7, 2021
Members of the N.W.T.’s legislative assembly pressed the territory’s top doctors for more answers on their newly-released vaccination strategy on Wednesday night.
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/mlas-grill-n-w-t-160044012.html
Gervais & Roulette support Indigenous Gaming to provide eSports opportunities for Aboriginal youth
January 7, 2021
There’s no question eSports and professional gaming is one of the fastest growing industries on the planet, and two Western Hockey League stars have spent their extended off-season supporting an Indigenous Gaming league all while developing their own eSkills in hopes of pursuing successful eSports careers.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Save the Date: Chiefs of Ontario 15th Annual Health Forum
The Chiefs of Ontario 15th Annual Health Forum will take place on February 23-25, 2021. This year’s theme is Sharing Stories: The True Test of Resilience Amidst Pandemic. Click learn more for additional information.
For more information, please visit: https://www.chiefsmeeting.com/coo-health-forum
Save the Date: Chiefs of Ontario – Chiefs Forum on Justice
The Chiefs of Ontario will be hosting a Chiefs Forum to discuss the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and the provincial engagement on the Commission Safety and Policing Act on January 12, 2021.
For more information, please visit: www.ChiefsMeeting.com/chiefsforum
Save the Date: Chiefs of Ontario Special Chiefs Assembly
Please see the attached save the date notice for the next Special Chiefs Assembly held online on February 3-4th, 2020. More information will be shared atwww.chiefsmeeting.com in the coming weeks.
Request for Proposals: Early Learning and Child Care Asset Mapping Report Consultant and Economist Team
You are invited to submit a proposal for a project by the Chiefs of Ontario (COO) to utilize your research expertise and economic expertise to create an Early Learning and Child Care Report that analyzes the existing landscape of early learning and child care programming and services in Ontario for First Nations children 0-6 years old.
Contract Opportunity: Research and Knowledge Translation Specialist
The Chiefs of Ontario (COO) is inviting applications for a contract position: Research and Knowledge Translation Specialist
https://chiefs-of-ontario.org/contract-opportunity-research-and-knowledge-translation-specialist/
Chiefs of Ontario Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates
Find Our Latest Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates Here. This website provides information on emergency planning and preparedness, as well as on the unique programs and services that are available to First Nations in Ontario during times of emergency.
Issue 8 of The Official Chiefs of Ontario Magazine, The Advocate is now online! To view, please click here: https://www.mediaedgemagazines.com/the-chiefs-of-ontario-coo/oo20/
