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Presentations to Standing Ctee on Aboriginal Peoples by Manny Jules, Shawn Atleo Apr 3, 2012

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Category: Private Property
Created on Monday, 07 May 2012 05:12
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OTTAWA, Tuesday, April 3, 2012

The Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples met this day at 9:30 a.m. to examine and report on the federal government’s constitutional, treaty, political and legal responsibilities to First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples, and on other matters generally relating to the Aboriginal Peoples of Canada (topic: additions to reserves).

Senator Gerry St. Germain (Chair) in the chair.

[English]

The Chair: Good morning. I would like to welcome all honourable senators and members of the public who are watching this meeting of the Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples either on CPAC or on the web.

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Business and art continues with Angelique Merasty Levac

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Category: Private Property
Created on Wednesday, 28 December 2011 21:22
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By Malcolm McColl

PRINCE GEORGE B.C. - The previous time we talked was in 2009, and I interviewed Angelique Merasty Levac after an award ceremony in Vancouver, she was feeling a bit under the weather, “I made myself some Indian medicine,” she said. “It’s a tea made from muskrat roots, peppermint leaves, and a green leaf from the muskeg. You drink this stuff and you sleep all night. I learned that from my Grandmother.”

Angelique was invited to Vancouver as a 2010 recipient of the Individual Achievement Award for her 15-year operation of Angelique’s Native Arts in Prince George, B.C. It's now 18 years and last year she moved her retail store to a new location in the city on Dominion Street and 3rd avenue, Prince George. I met her at the store this fall 2011, and it's bigger with more inventory and a great location downtown .

Angie migrated to B.C. from northern Manitoba where she learned the art of birch bark biting in the tradition of Northern woodland Cree women. She is one of the very few who practice birch bark biting anymore. In 1994, Angelique began selling her own art and the work of other Native artists at her downtown store in Northern B.C.'s hub city. This fall the biggest news came for Angie about a book she wrote entitled Kisemanitow Peyohtena Iskwahtem: God Opens Doors.

Indian Life Ministries is a well-established publisher Canadian and US publisher. An interesting part of Angie's life story is about growing up in the Manitoba wilderness speaking only Cree until the age of 15. The publisher committed to printing it in Canada and the USA in the coming year.

Angie is a fluent speaker of Cree. In fact, at the B.C. Achievement Foundation award ceremony held at the Pan-Pacific Hotel on January 27th, of 2010, Angelique began her speech in Cree, explaining to the audience that birch bark biting changed her life and she credits her faith in God for the entire experience.

“I flew up there and they paid all my expenses. Me and [my sister] Marie went. She was my helper, and we flew in there, and they booked us at the Pan-Pacific Hotel. It was the most beautiful place I ever stayed. I felt like a princess,” she laughs. Angelique admitted that the event was “really stressful for a while until I did my speech. They said I had two minutes to deliver my speech. I really wanted to reach these people. It’s not all my doing.” In the end she credits the Creator. “I had a standing ovation. They clapped for one minute . . . You could hear a pin-drop while I told my story.”

Angelique was born at Midnight Lake, Manitoba in the far Northern reaches of central Canada. She says, “It is bush and nobody lives there.” Yet, Angelique’s story resonates because she holds close to her memories of this place where she lived with her grandparents during the 1950s and 1960s. They lived the ancient way with connection to the land. It was hunting, fishing, and trapping, which meant her grandpa found it necessary to break camp and find a different place every few weeks.

“There was nothing to play with when I was a child,” says Angie, a fact she once pointed out to her grandma. Angie said she wanted a doll, so her grandma made one. “We had a flour sack and she tied up the bag into a rag doll, eyes made from the soot of the fire. That was my doll.”

The book provides plenty of insite into this life in the wilderness, and at 9 years of age, Angie began to spend more time with her mother and less time with her grandparents. She vividly remembers watching the ladies do birch bark biting when she went out with them on berry picking sojourns. On the cranberry picking trips, she saw the women conduct little competitions. They would peel birch bark and make pieces of art with their teeth, but Angie was too young to think much about it.

It was her first impression of the way the ladies had social exchanges and created exquisite artistic impressions by biting birch bark. She remembers some of the art simply got tossed away. It was not until much later that she herself would learn and help to preserve a fast disappearing cultural practice. It was her destiny to become a Cree cultural icon and reigning expert of a disappearing art form important to First Nation culture.

Over the past three decades, Angie garnered a lot of attention for her artistic skill at birch bark biting. Her beautiful straight teeth still take on the task of this ancient artistic craft (she flosses regularly). You can reach Angelique by email ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ).

 

Falling and slashing is the game for Edziza

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Created on Wednesday, 28 December 2011 20:28
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IMG 0009

 By Malcolm McColl

TERRACE B.C. - Clayton Burger is a Northwest Pacific born and raised tree faller from Iskut, B.C., who took his skills with a chain saw all over the province, all types of forest and species of trees. After 20 years as a falle, he worked for a short time as a foreman for logging outfit, which proved to be excellent preparation, “to start my own business . This is our second year operating out of Terrace, B.C..” He moved from Iskut (Tahltan territory to pursue the coastal falling jobs, “I spent ten years in camps, two seasons of heli-logging.”

Today Clayton has 10 fallers working, and anywhere between eight and 15 through the year, and it will grow. “We are training in Nisga’a, and may be working as far as Columbia Valley on a transmission line job there.” Edziza works falling contracts in Edson, Alberta, and Dawson Creek, B.C., and currently, “Right where we are with the Northern Transmission Line project,” running north from Terrace. Falling and slashing is the game.

“Line cutting, right-of-way, seismic, oilfield line, pipeline, routes cut to make trails for industry, or government contracts.” Clayton notes, “We do house construction and renovations. One of my employees was building houses in Fort McMurray. We do renovations. We are thinking about pursuing the idea of Band housing. We do rebuilding projects on trailers and commercial properties, custom cedar fencing.”

Edziza is working on the Northwest Transmission Line survey of the centre line for the 300-plus kilometre transmission line project that proceeds from Terrace in Kitsumkalum through the Nass Valley and Nisga’a Nation, proceeding across Gitxsan into Tahltan territory. “Weather’s been horrible, miserable, raining or cold, but a crew of 12 continues to plug away through the wet conditions. We started last September 2010, and working on the project from point-to-point. I have a 12-man crew working on the centre line.”

Most of these have been trained in chainsaw faller competency at his own company’s expense, by a company called Enform, and these men form the core of a company that is expanding operations to other principalities, including Alberta, and the north. The NTL project involves doing the survey, and at the same time, cutting a walking trail the entire distance so engineers and construction teams or environmental monitoring personnel can access the route.

“We started the project last fall with All-North Consulting, and we’ve been working with McElhanney since the spring on the survey job at NTL. I am also working on a program now in Nisga’a to run a training course for two weeks looking for chain-saw experienced people with no tickets. We will get them out and prepare them to test, then they can pass the tests,” to be certified fallers in the region.

He says, “Business is good and getting better. We go year-round. We worked last winter in Alberta in the beetle control fall and burn program from January to March. and seismic lines. I expect that’ll keep us going again this winter.” The personnel is usually First Nation, “Most of my guys are from Hazelton, Nass Valley, Iskut, Kitimat, and Tsimshian, even Prince George. I just hired four more from Lytton and Kelowna area, since we are hoping to go to work down south on the Columbia Power project.”

Good works, great training, bring awards and prosperity

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Created on Wednesday, 28 December 2011 20:01
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In July we spoke to Chief Percy Guichon regarding his award at the AFN General Assembly held in Moncton in June 2011, and the chief was pleased to discuss their success in forestry over the past two decades in the B.C. Central Interior. 

 By Malcolm McColl

WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C.Tsi Del Del is the name of our community in the Chilcotin langauge meaning Red Stone,” explains Chief Percy Guichon.“ The company started 19 years ago, “out of need to put our youth in the major forest industry that is operating around us, as a way of ensuring we had a company and meaningful way to manage Red Stone resources.” The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) and the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) announced that Percy, Chief of the Alexis Creek Indian Band, and Tsi Del Del Enterprises of Chilanko Forks, B.C., won the FPAC/AFN Business Leadership Award. Chief Guichon was honoured on Jul 14, 2011, at the AFN General Assembly in Moncton.

“We have a forest license, which started out jointly with major licensee at Williams Lake, Jacobson’s Brothers, boiught by Riverside, now owned by Tolko Industries. The goal has always been to keep generating employment for members,” says Percy. “We have probably about 30 loggers and we operate in traditional territory with everything from skidders to hand buckers. Today we are fully engaged in all forestry operations including processors and bunchers.”

Tsi Del Dell is a road- side logging operation, stump-to-dump. “We have our own in-house forestry planning branch conducting block layout at pre-harvest, and now, including post-harvest silviculture operations, we are A to Z in forestry, including timber cruisers. We operate competitively on timber bids, often beating others rates on the bids.” The operations occur in the West Chilcotin area of B.C., and personnel in the company includes a key man educated as a Registered Forestry Technician who does all our consulting. Depending on project, we will consult others.”

The Tsi Del Dell success has spun off other Band-owned businesses, including logging truck owners and operators within the Band. The core of operations run from west of Williams Lake by about 2 hours. Percy explains, “The other major component to our winning the award is from a certain percentage of the profit income generated being incorporated into training and skills development in the company. “Fifty cents per Cubic Metre of harvest is put aside for training and schooling for Band members in post-secondary education and training.”

The program of further education has produced personnel with a forest technician diploma, while another Band member went all the way to get his masters in forestry, and the education component continues to grow. The Band is building capacity and social capital to prepare for new opportunities, including, “getting our more of our own Forest License.”

Operating successfully under the B.C. Forest Range department programs and the Mountain Pine Beetle uplift of timber volumes, “We get to put money aside for housing, which is essential because housing funding is inadequate from INAC.” The Band has 650 on the list, and only 350 get to live on-reserve. “Some would like to move home.” Tsi Del Del operations go from spring to break-up, ten months of the year, and silviculture work is conducted annually. “We are working under existing forest licenses and the Band will have it’s own awarded, to which we will be the sub-contractor.”

Nupqu runs lean in growing forestry concern By Malcolm McColl

Nupqu Development Corporation started on April 1, 2009, explains Norm Fraser, when Ktunaxa Kinbasket Development Corp was absorbed, “It became a new corporation and this was done for variety of reasons, but Nupqu took on the operations (of 13 years development) previously done by KKDC. Nupqu bought all the assets.”

In that context, history and experience of the company is much longer than the start date. “The location is on St Mary’s Reservation outside Cranbrook, B.C., and the change in ownership was made to refit the corporation for new liability concerns. “We expanded, and the amount of business that was increasing is significant. “In 2006, under KKDC, we did $500,000 in sales. Last year we did $4.7 million in sales under Nupqu.”

The expansion has been a boon to employment. “Last year we had 81 different individuals work full-time or part-time, producing 81,000 hours worked,” the equivalent of 45 full-time jobs. It’s a work force that permits Nupqu to take on serious endeavors. “The bigger ones these past couple years? One is related to a BC Hydro transmission line, for which we’ve have had three different contracts. The centre-line slashing to start, then forestry consulting, marking boundary, road-planning, timber-cruising, assessing value of the forest as we did so, and thirdly, we are now clearing right-of-way and building access roads,” to a portion of the line.

“The first two were whole contracts, all 115 km of line, the third contract is a partial road building contract on 6 KM section of the line.” Another area of business activity for Nupqu is an annual contract with TransCanada Pipelines, “It varies from year to year. Last year it was 30-man contract for a month hand-excavating around the pipe, and doing other pipe maintenance jobs,” good paying jobs, “pipeline contracts pay well, and the contract is every year,” for the past 10 years.

“In other work we are more forestry-related, providing forestry consulting services for Tembec, doing all sorts of things, forest-planning work, locating cutblocks, road design work, forest health, danger-tree falling,” and this is an ongoing service agreement through the years since 2006, explains Norm.

“In sliviculture, we are are contracted under the Forest for Tomorrow Program,” he says. “The idea is to reforest MPB areas or wild fires. What we do is some of the technical side, surveys, and plotting, then danger-tree falling; we’ve done 5,000 hectares of danger-tree falling basically to clear the way for siliviculture workers.” That’s ongoing since 2007.

“Last year we had 45 different projects.” Nupqu runs lean, using a fleet of vehicles to move people to contract sites.” We don’t own of a lot of heavy equipment.” They subcontract and lease equipment in concert with demand. “We are working to develop the environmental side of our business. Teck Mining has five operating coal mines in our traditional territory, and in the past few years they have contracted the corporation to do revegetation, grass-seeding, noxious weed control, water quality sampling, and other duties,” in their fourth year working those contracts, “That’s seasonal.”

It’s the forestry opportunities that dominate, so, “Our winters are slow, We keep busy doing contracts on fuel reduction treatments around four reserves thinning underbrush, pruning trees, reducing the fire threat to communities,” by accessing provincial funding to make communities safer.

Four Ktunaxa communities own Nupqu, including St. Mary’s, Lower Kooteney, Akisqnek and Tobacco Plains. “It all took place when one of the triggers was the provincial award of a Community Forest Agreement in 2005,” and suddenly they had capital. “What we had allowed us to develop the Tembec relationship. It allows for a lot of the job training and employment opportunities. We are moving people into positions, now having two Ktunaxa forest technologists on our staff,” and an education program continues on demand.

Sustainable/Alternative harvesting solutions in the forest industry working with First Nations

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Created on Wednesday, 28 December 2011 19:55
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By Malcolm McColl

CHILLIWACK B.C. - Matt Wealick, RPF, of Ch-ihl-kway-uhk Forestry, says, "A lot of preliminary work went into the recent logging with Alternative Forest Operations to make sure the value of the end product was going to make the bottom-line work . We paid for the more expensive single-stem logging operation." The cedar was picked up by Helifor and delivered to the buyer, Gorman Brothers, "They bought  and marked poles on site," said Matt.

"This was our first attempt at logging for a particular market in telephone poles. The market happened to allow for this type of operation   Poles were worth quite a bit more money. We plan cutblocks with all the options on the table and we go with best option. We own and manage the Tree Farm License and actively coordinate projects for the logging contractors, engineers, buyers, and operations conducted by AFO and Helifor."

Ch-ihl-kway-uhk Forestry operates from Chilliwack, B.C., and hired Alternative Forest Operations for a project that took two months to harvest  timber this summer, and a month prior to set up the job. The contract with Ch-ihl-kway-uhk Forestry ensued from AFO's commitment to alternative harvesting and  forestry practices, as Jason Kemmler explains, "The thing is, we have no real piece of technology that sets us apart.  It's men, the training and care we put into work. It's thinking outside the box."

The job in the Lower Mainland involved up to 10 men, "The job was specifically designed to harvest cedar poles. Engineers go in and individually pick the trees that have the characteristics to make  telephone poles. These are straight, and uniform in length and size. We limb, top and jig the tree so there is no damage. The tree gets delivered to the drop pocket without touching the ground."

This type of harvesting leaves no room for damage. "There's a great market for these trees, a strong market for a limited resource. The biggest difference is we don't fall the pole so there's no potential for hidden breakage. It's more time-consuming and costly. Single-stem harvesting makes the opportunity of harvesting cedar poles or other niche markets one tree at a time."

Personnel are trained in identifying poles. Engineers mark the pole, the climber climbs.  The jigger jigs the tree, once the helicopter logs the stem a ground crew walks to the stump to confirm the single stem has been removed. The size of job that warrants something like this usually ranges from  300 to 3,000 trees.

"We create projects with our client," says Jason. "Our methods are more expensive and intense, involving a high level of professionalism/organization/ and communication. We are working with clients looking to maximize value and keep a sustainable forest. We do a few clear-cuts, where there is no retention, and steep drainage. Often we harvest without clear cuts, using no roads."

It's investing, planning, communication and Integrity plus time taken to make a greater return for the clients. "Our operations require someone in the Timber-holder position to consider this. It's value-added forestry to sell logs into niche markets mixed with some conventional logging." Jason says, "We have few competitors. Our goal is to maximum value through recovery methods if the expense of additional harvesting methods warrant it."

A timber sales company goes to log brokers to sell into the commodity market. "We are of the mind-frame that the commodity log market is part of it, but where there is the one red cedar that could be made into a totem pole, we want to find the niche markets to buy the log, to tap into the value-added side of forestry. Some trees double in value when the market is for transmission cedar poles." It all depends on what the client has for trees to cut.

Jason says, "First Nations have a new resource in wood fibre baskets, but they may be missing important knowledge about how to manage it. It's a matter of building trust. Without integrity nothing works. Being a part of the operation at Ch-ihl-kway-uhk Forestry involved Matt Wealick, RPF. He's a young RPF who has other First Nations calling him for advice. We work along side him to manage a timber harvest that incorporates alternative methods."

AFO has a staff complement of 30 to  40 full time personnel, working 10-12 months of the year. "Mostly our operations are on the coast of BC, harvesting fir and cedar. In Bamfield AFO is working with the Huu-ay-aht first nations, we are harvesting Highly valued red cedar logs and cedar trees picked for telephone poles the value or price of lumber that these species produce help the client harvest less valuable species such as Hemlock or Balsam with the helicopter which would normally be felled and left on the hill. "Huu ay aht is harvesting a community forest."

They are taking a percentage of all species on the hill, sustainably logging the profile. There's big wood and steep ground. We've been in there for a couple weeks. We'll be in there another few weeks. The work is the same situation where we had a client who wanted to harvest in their community forest,  the sales value of the wood had the profitability of the project to small to warrant the risk. After re looking at the job we were able to apply the Single Stem method and create a win for all parties. Jason has been impressed the Huu ay aht operations, "They have a well-rounded organization with lots of Band members working in their operations.

First comes NTL, then the world is Nisgaa`s oyster

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Created on Wednesday, 28 December 2011 18:40
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By Malcolm McColl

NEW AIYANSH, NISGA'A NATION - The Northern Transmission Line project is poised for grid delivery of BC Hydro power in and out of the Pacific North West. Early in the summer we reported how affected parties are putting their ducks in a row for a half-a-billion dollar project that means more, as much as $15 billion more, in potential new mining in gold, copper, and coal, plus infrastructure projects (because there`s run-of-river potential throughout the territory).

Aboriginal business in B.C. is working on a number of fronts to expand the skills capacity of First Nations, including Nisgaa Nation. Communities expecting participate in the big investments started prior to federal environmental approval, that came May 5, 2011, as a harbinger of a new economic development age in the North West Pacific.

This new economy will build out from a 400 KM stretch of BC Hydro transmission line in a remote territory, crossing First Nations, and adding new energy and opportunities as a result. Business planners have achieved a Labour Market Partnership Agreement (LMPA) that will lead many new employment initiatives. The LMPA is a wide-spread regional initiative that also puts First Nation skilled labour and business on the economic frontier of a vast area of northern B.C..

BC Hydro has been working toward this labour agreement that puts people into careers starting with the transmission line as a backbone infrastructure project, from which ensues other avenues of employment and skills development.

Bert Mercer is economic development officer for Nisgaà Lisiims which has a large play in the NTL. “Seventy percent of NTL goes through our land,” says Mercer, speaking to the wider 22,000 sq km territorial Nisgaa Nation. ”Nisgaa Lisiims approved it to go through,” including permission to go through the Nisga'a Lava Bed Memorial Park (parallel to an existing BC Hydro transmission line).

Mercer notes mining projects and run-of-river projects will drop onto NTL, and suddenly the territory will be engaged in an expanding economy. Benefits to Nisgaa come immediately in the form of direct awards in the construction phase of the NTL. “It`s a lot of capacity building in the labour force, a demand for skilled labour in many areas,” says Mercer.

The centre line is first, 400-plus kilometres, “McElhanney is doing the survey of the line,” everything tio be built from the centre line, “as the project gets underway. Nisgaa are manning about ten crews of three people each in the construction phase. “We have been working jointly with BC Hydro to assemble training `boot` camps, three of these in the Nass Valley.“

The goal is produce a work force with tickets. In fact, jobs ensue immediately. “We have two more camps running, one in Terrace by the Nisgaa Society, one in Prince Rupert, providing training to Nisgaa people to seize the opportunity.” Mercer said they are training 15 to 20 in Terrace and another 25 in Prince Rupert. Direct awards will ensue from the main contractor, `We began last summer by assessing our capacity for staffing camps, delivering gravel, providing equipment, and labour. We gauged the strength of our labour recruitment, which comes from a good data base.”

Mercer said the good government of Nisgaa is prepared for contractors to come into valley and be certified by Nisgaà Lisiims, “so that people working in our nation are certified personnel, certified by Nisgaa Lisiims.” He noted Nisgaa has taken a few pages of the economic development book from neighbouring Tahltan Nation.

“Treaty is our main driver, and our government has environmental policies that demand liaison in everything from mining, run-of-river, to construction of any kind. It`s written as Chapter 10 under environmental assessment for protection of Nisga`a territory, since May 2000. We will manage what`s coming through our capacity building,” says Mercer.

Projects like the Avanti Mine and many other IBA -proposals will start raining on the offices in New Aiyansh. “We do community consultation in each village by public forums to answer questions of the Nisgaa people,” and Nisgaa has four main villages. Projects like NTL change things dramatically, significant to the future, “One of the major impacts to overcome was the downturn in fishing and forestry. We had a huge dislocation of the work force.

“We turned into one of the highest unemployment areas in the province. It means a lot for Nisgaa as well as others for the NTL to proceed. Now opportunities come from new sectors to create more sustainable employment, something missing for quite some time now. So, where it has been all public administration jobs in our communities, now it will entrepreneurial jobs and careers with training and certification, employment-ready people working in mining.”

In this vein, Nisgaa Lisiims is supporting entrepreneurs, “with the Nisgaa business development fund, through which we are assisting Nisgaa entrepreneurs in leveraging other financial institutions, seed capital, to enable people or corporations to get funded. This initiative has been underway since 2008, and we feel well-positioned here.”

Nisgaa may be better equipped to go it alone in certain capacities, but they are open to joint ventures and other developments in smaller opportunities. “Through the regional LMPA we have a huge opening to individuals, and we can anticipate results similar to First Nations in the area of Ft. McMurray, Alberta, where it went from 15 First Nation companies in operation 20 years ago, to over 100 small business operating today.”

There can be no doubt of a similar expanse in opportunities in the Pacific North West, with proven, and yet to be discovered, resources. Nisgaa Lisiims isn`t waiting for any particular one, indeed, is proceeding by developing their tourism sector as well. They have a wilderness resort underway with a lakeside property and back country cabins to offer a set of day and overnight tours on trails, signage leading to an ice-field. It`s glacier tourism, a summer thing.

Nisgaa Lisiims is proud to announce the recent opening of their National Museum in Greenville, a facility containing over 200 Nisgaa artefacts. Opening day was May 11 2011. Furthermore within the territory of the nation they are acquiring fee-simple properties with facilities, including operations like the Vetter Lodge 10 km out of New Aiyansh. And Nass Valley Tours` Steve Johnson runs tours of the lava lake.

“We are building land base and incorporating infrastructure,” putting the Nisgaa face on things. First comes NTL, then, it appears, a revival of molybdenum mining with a 350-man camp owned by Avanti Mining.

The making of a company to do broad-based marine services

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Created on Wednesday, 28 December 2011 08:16
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Early this summer we did a business report about a new business initiative with First Nation Partners in Prince Rupert, B.C., Tsimshian territory, and that business in the story continues to develop, meanwhile, here's how we reported it in print and here on the website:

PRINCE RUPERT, B.C. - Jun 20, 2011 - Port services are expanding at the Port of Prince Rupert, B.C., in a huge growth area joined now by a tripartite business venture with Island Tug and Barge, Metlakatla, and Lax Kw’alaams First Nations.

While discussing the new marine services company that is being formed on the Northwest coast, Ryan Leighton, Director of Operations for the Metlakatla Development Corporation (MDC) stated, “It`s in the very early stages,” says Ryan, and it is difficult to foresee what opportunities we have for generating employment. It`s a matter of moving assets to Prince Rupert and going from there.”

Ryan says, “There is a multitude of different opportunities we are looking at; however, at this time, everything is preliminary and nothing is set in stone.” The tripartite business group that includes Metlakatla, Lax Kw’Alaams and Island Tug and Barge is building the business portfolio.

Ryan notes that the North has an array of opportunities. MDC has a number of companies that range from forestry, a gas station, a tour company, ferry services, and an education centre that delivers a variety of educational and skills-building programs in Prince Rupert. The MDC is committed to creating opportunities that will sustain the two primary Coastal Tsimshian communities of Metlakatla and Lax Kw’Alaams.”

The new marine services project will operate across the Northwest coast region, “We are involved regionally and we’re going to grow. Barge services up here provide essential fuel, materials, supplies, everything right down to garbage remediation, “and our services will extend as far North as Alaska.”

He goes on to say, “We are faced with labour difficulties and the strong demand for capacity building in our communities. The issue of skill development is widespread and we have to spend a lot of time and money on capacity-building. We have the opportunities; we now need the skilled labour resources.”

The MDC, through their education centre (FNT&DC), has already started training First Nations people in a number of areas including college readiness, adult graduation and labour skills programs. Harold Leighton, MDC’s CEO, is a firm believer in providing the Band membership with the necessary foundational skills that will allow them to pursue further education in the area of their choice. Regarding the agreement between the Port of Prince Rupert and the Coast Tsimshian, Ryan’s comments were, “The signing is imminent. The federal government made their announcement a few weeks ago. The agreement includes many things.”

Metlakatla has a membership of over 800, and the membership for Lax Kw’Alaams is over 3200 members. Ryan affirms, “The agreement between the Port and the Coast Tsimshian allows for jobs, sole source contracting, and participation in all public information programs relating to the port. This agreement has taken a number of years to negotiate. The signing of it will confirm to us that the port acknowledges their obligation to negotiate Impact Benefit Agreements that recognize Metlakatla’s and Lax Kw’Alaams’ rights and title in this territory.”

The Coast Tsimshian community leadership made the business proposal when they approached ITB about forming a broad-based marine services company, “Lax Kw’alaams, Metlakatla (First Nations), and Island Tug and Barge Ltd. signed a joint venture partnership agreement on April 12, at the 2011 National Aboriginal Business Opportunities Conference, held in Prince Rupert.”

The press release says Lax Kw’alaams and Metlakatla First Nations make up the Coast Tsimshian Nation, with the core of their exclusive traditional territory being the Prince Rupert Harbour.

“This is not a tugboat company,” says John Lindsay, ITB vice president and general manager, “It is a fully equipped marine services company in a hot area of economic development.” Lindsay says the Port of Prince Rupert is undergoing all kinds of expansion to meet the shipping demands of commodity sectors like coal, potash, and other export minerals. “Lax Kw’alaams and Metlakatla leaders came to us and proposed the making of a company to do broad-based marine services, and we were happy to be asked.”

The new company will emerge over the coming weeks with port services in all areas of support for vessels, including construction of facilities, and environmental protection and remediation operations that will range along the entire coast. Island Tug and Barge itself is engaged in chartered and scheduled barging and towing services in Canada and abroad. This new tripartite company for BC Coastal communities has a solid foundation. The new company will be providing tug and barge, fuel supply, short sea shipping, marine construction, and other marine services to a range of customers on the north coast.

“We worked in collaboration with our two partners to plan the company launch. Our goals include recruiting and preparing employees with training and development. Employment skills are required with the labour force that we intend to employ,” therefore recruitment includes a strong push into both communities. “We are very pleased to be part of these communities and hire the people who are available,” for the wide range of job opportunities created.

Aboriginal business planners mapped the new employment prospects coming to communities in a situation of business ownership by two respective Band entities. ”The labour base is ready to be trained,” said Lindsay. “Marine operations at port facilities are regulated by Transport Canada, and all kinds of certification is required for our employees. It takes time and we are starting with the basics.”

ITB is working with First Nations that have marine facilities, and some personnel, already at work for ITB, though the company has never analyzed the workforce for the racial make-up of the employees, and always respects the territorial integrity and inherent rights of the communities they have long-served. The new company opens opportunity to expand infrastructure on Watson Island and Metlakatla with port and marine service facilities that could adjunct to Port of Prince Rupert in the future. The commencement of operations for the new company will occur by the end of summer 2011, while naming of this venture will occur during the summer once Elders of both nations are consulted. The new company will be imprinting national imagery in branding and marketing of the entity.

When signing the agreement and making the announcement in late April, Chief Councillor Garry Reece said, “We are extremely pleased to be joining with Island Tug, which will allow us to continue to bring skills and employment opportunities to my People.” Chief Councillor Harold Leighton of Lax Kw’alaams followed by stating, “Our communities have large traditional territories that encompass Prince Rupert and the North Coast. The marine economic development opportunities for us are significant, and partnering with Island Tug will enable us to tap into those opportunities.”

Recently, the Coast Tsimshian agreed to a business and employment package with the Port of Prince Rupert, and Chief Reece stated, “This is just a first of many steps we are taking to build opportunity in the Prince Rupert area, which will be good for everyone.” Lindsay concluded, “Island Tug has a long history of serving First Nations and other communities on the B.C. coast. We’re very pleased to work with Lax Kw’alaams and Metlakatla to develop a range of marine opportunities in their traditional territories on the north coast.”

Police academy training works hands on in Winnipeg

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Category: Private Property
Created on Wednesday, 21 December 2011 11:31
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By Malcolm McColl

Planning for a career in law enforcement and perhaps Band police work? While most police departments in Canada do their own training, police departments and Band police administrations are well-disposed to looking at recruits who have taken education initiatives like those provided by North West Law Enforcement Academy, in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

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