A Message From Chief and Council
Walter Naveau (chief), Jennifer Constant (council member), Dereck McKay (council member), Leonard Naveau Sr.(council member), Clayton McKay (council member)
Ahnii Mattagami Members! We are hoping that this newsletter finds you all in good spirits this spring. As an effort to improve communications we are once again distributing a newsletter to our members. We are, however, in the process of re-launching our website where future updates will be posted.
This past year has proven to be a very busy year not only within the First Nation, but also with various industries. This year has seen the build and near completion of a Nishnawbe-Aski Police Services Detachment within the community, which will be hosting a Grand Opening once the structure passes all necessary inspections.
The Chief and Council have been involved in many negotiations with industries ranging from Mining to Forestry. Impact Benefit Agreements are currently underway with Liberty Mines, as well as with Lake Shore Gold Corp. New mines in the exploration phase in our territory are resulting in Exploration Agreements. Examples of these companies are: Lakeshore Gold Corp.
Timmins West and Thunder Creek, Bell Creek, Platinex Inc., Trelawny Mining and Exploration Inc., Augen Gold Corp. and Gold Corp.
The First Nation has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Domtar to work towards a Long Term Forestry Agreement; which is scheduled to commence in July.
Mattagami is also involved in a Multi First Nation Trucking Venture which is in the first phase of development of the business plan. With all of these agreements being negotiated and with the prospects of future agreements within our territory we are looking forward to building the First Nations capacity, and foster our administrations ability to provide services to our members.
We are also continually looking into pursuing other viable long term economic development involvement. These benefits have proven to have a direct impact on our members. Since entering into agreements, we are seeing an increase in the meaningful employment of our members.
Apart from moving forward with discussions with industry, our administrations various departments have also carried out many events or new relationships for the benefit of members. You can read their updates to find out more information.
With that brief update of what has been happening at the Council level, I extend an invitation to all members to contact our office if they’re interested in finding out more information. Chi-meegwetch!
Membership Department
Melissa Ethier
2010 TREATY DAY ANNUITY PAYMENT
No third parties pickups (Notes will not be accepted)
All members must produce their Status Cards
Mattagami First Nation Band Office
July 14, 2010 10:30 am - 12:30 pm
Timmins Native Friendship Centre
316 Spruce St S
Timmins, ON
10:00 am - 4:30 pm.
The Membership office needs information from members
To ensure that the information in our Indian Registry is up to date, we require that all members give updates pertaining to address change, name change, birth and in the unfortunate event of death, contact Membership office to provide or submit the supporting documents.
GENDER EQUITY IN INDIAN REGISTRATION ACT
"...In April 2009 the Court of Appeal for British Columbia rule in the case of MeIvor v. Canada that the Indian Act discriminates between men and women with respect to registration as an Indian and violates the equality provision in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. In ruling, the Court gave Parliament one year to amend the provisions of the Indian Act that were found to be unconstitutional. In order to comply with the Court of Appeal's decision, the Government of Canada is moving forward with legislative amendments to certain registration provision of the Indian Act..."
For more information on the criteria please consult the website:
(www.ainc-inac.ca/index-eng.asp)
Or call (toll free) 1-800-567-9604
Economic Development Department
Gary Naveau
Boozhoo! Just to let everyone know that I resumed my position as of November 2, 2009, and I received my certification as an Economic Development Officer. With this, I've been looking at Mattagami's long-term goals, which are; an Elders Residence, Daycare Centre, Health Centre, Arena (completion), and a Small Business Centre. With the assistance of our Chief and Council and the membership I'm sure we can achieve these goals.
In the meantime, I've been handling the day-to-day needs for employment and training. The mines in the area have certainly been chipping away at our on-reserve work force, but we will be helping those who wish to secure employment with any of the mines that we are looking for First Nation employees, and we're getting more mines seeking interests in our future. We will be meeting with each of them as time allows, and we'll be inviting everyone to come out to the meetings to participate and give your input for our Impact Benefit Agreements that we will sign eventually with each of the mines.
I would like to invite you to drop by my office and we can discuss your plans for the future, whether it's for employment or business.
Meegwetch,
Gary Naveau
Social Services Department
Pamela Gaudreau
For the past year and a half I have been attending Algoma University’s First Nation Social Services Administrator Certification Program. On May 13, 2010 I graduated from the program along with seventy of my classmates.
As of July 1, 2010, I will be taking a one year educational leave of absence from my job as the Ontario Works Administrator and Accounts Payable Clerk. Melissa McKay has been appointed to fulfill my duties during my absence. I am confident she will do a wonderful job.
Pamela Gaudreau
Ontario Works Administrator
Recreation
Jo-Anne Naveau
To maximize fundraising potential, all Events are conducted by volunteers. To find out more information on any of the events, or how you can become a volunteer please call the Recreation Department @ 1.888.269.7729.
Mattagami Recreation Upcoming Events
Mattagami First Nation invites you to:
11TH ANNUAL LIVE RELEASE WALLEYE TOURNAMENT
JUNE 5TH & 6TH, 2010
$18,000 IN CASH PRIZES
Entry Fee $200.00 per team
We are currently LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS for this event. For more information please call 705.894.2072 or 1.888.269.7729.
Health Department
Eileen Boissoneau, Darlene Naveau, Therese Mannila, Christine McKay, Geraldine Andress
The Health Staff would like to thank everyone who participated in the Community Spring Clean up. It was an event that was enjoyed by all. We would like to encourage all residents to use your garbage cans to help keep our community beautiful and clean.
Several Crisis Team members participated in First Aid Training on April 21 & 22, 2010 in Timmins. First Aid Training in our community in the very near future. A poster will be distributed within the community with the available dates.
Mattagami First Nation welcomed once again two first year medical students from the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. The students visited our community from April 26th until May 21st, 2010. The purpose of their visit is to experience life on this First Nation and how urban agencies such as health care, education, justice system and government are affiliated with Mattagami First Nation.
During their visit the students were required to prepare a community profile of this First Nation and presented it to the community at a feast on Thursday May 20th.
Thank you.
Eileen Boissoneau CHR
Management
Juanita Luke
Greetings and welcome to the first issue of Mattagami First Nation’s quarterly newsletter. This is an effort on behalf of Chief, Council, Management and Staff to communicate with all Mattagami First Nation members both on and off reserve. It is sincerely anticipated that this newsletter will help alleviate the concerns of on and off reserve members as to what is happening within Mattagami First Nation. Since this is the first newsletter, it will be mailed to all MFN members off reserve; but future issues will be posted on our website www.mattagami.com.
As many of you know, Mattagami is under financial intervention by the Department of Indian Affairs. What this means is Mattagami has a cumulative deficit of more than 8%. This has been the case since 2008 at which time Mattagami developed and implemented a Remedial Management Plan. The RMP is basically a budget for Mattagami to follow in order to get out of deficit. For the 2010-11 fiscal year, Mattagami is required to hire a co-manager so that the current levels of funding from INAC will not be cut.
What the co-manager will be responsible for is updating the current Remedial Management Plan so it will allow the First Nation to get out of deficit. This involves restructuring the budgets so that there is enough funding to repay creditors. Once INAC is confident that Mattagami is able to function without going into further deficit, the co-manager will no longer be required.
Further details will be made available to members as they are known. The annual audit is tentatively scheduled for the second week of June. All band members are welcome to visit the office to receive a copy of the annual audits as they become available.
Have a good summer everyone!
Juanita Luke
Band Manager
Housing Department
Gerald Luke
In March of this year I attended a Water Symposium in Niagara Falls which was an information session on the Safe Drinking Water Act. The water plant is currently being monitored by Josh Luke on a part time basis.
As well during the second week of May, I attended a workshop on Tangible Capital Assets. This workshop provided training on the new regulations handed down by the Provincial Government. It is now a requirement for First Nations to list all capital assets on the Annual Audit in a more in depth manner than before. We are currently working on our inventory to give to our auditors for the 2009-10 Annual Audit.
Mattagami was presented with a brand new fire truck funded by Ontario First Nation Technical Services Corporation. Along with this, the Band received fire equipment for the volunteer fire crew. We are currently looking into training by Mike Cooper for the existing volunteer fire department as well as any residents of Mattagami that are interested.
As for our unfinished housing projects, we are still in talks with CMHC and our financiers for completion. This is one of the high priority issues that we must resolve this year.
Gerald Luke
Housing Manager
Education
Deanna Heyde
It’s been since late February since school news has been sent out, so we’ve decided that school news will be posted here in the MFN Newsletter, and larger school news will come out quarterly with pictures of the elementary students and with information of events that have taken place as well as a word from our teacher’s as to what’s going on in class.
May is here and ole man winter has finally passed. Over here at the school everyone is always busy and on the go especially for our Teachers, support staff and of course our students. And, whether you’re a student in elementary through to university there’s always homework and studying to be done so time is of the essence.
It’s also that time of year again and our college and university students have wrapped up another semester and are finished for the year. As for our high school students and elementary, they are eagerly awaiting for the coming weeks to come to an end. With summer just around the corner and the nice sunny days we’ve been having, they’re probably having a hard time to concentrate looking out our school windows. With that in mind, our school trips have been planned and the staff did an excellent job researching the costs and where their classes are going to go at the end of this school year. So, if you’re not busy or can donate when asked to do so for “fundraising” efforts, it’s very welcomed and much appreciated. The end result of your help is “a child, your child or grandchild” is able to experience a fun and educational trip somewhere making a memory that they will carry for all of their years.
Those of you who are graduates, who may need assistance filling out your applications for MFN Education, are welcomed to contact me at the school and I will gladly assist you with that. As well, for those returning to complete their next years, the application deadline is June 15th, 2010.
Graduation is in the planning stages and we will announce the theme and date as soon as plans are final. If you would like to volunteer your time to this, we would be happy to have you on board.
Parents & Grandparent and Community Members… I can’t stress enough to you that we need to get a school committee together. It would also be great to have those of you who are in higher education to sit on this committee as an advisor. Please submit your name by email to mfneducation@knet.ca or message me on our MFN Education Facebook group.
We need to stop talking about making “EDUCATION” a priority and be there at all levels, from Parents to Grandparents to our Higher educated students, community members as well as our leaders and meet regularly to ensure that our children’s education is aiming to the direction of “SUCCESS” so become involved in any way you can! “Volunteering your time is not costly, and the benefits are rewarding”
Meegwetch,
Deanna Heyde
Lands and Resources
James Naveau
Hello, my name is James Naveau, and I’m currently the Lands and Resources Coordinator for Mattagami First Nation. At present, I sit on three planning teams within the Ministry of Natural Resources, the newest being ARF- Abitibi River Forest (Smooth Rock Falls, Iroquois Falls, Nighthawk and Cochrane Moose River Forests); the two other teams are Chapleau (pineland Forest) and Temisksaming Forest. All three planning teams are at various stages of planning, the Pineland Forest FMP(Forest Management Plan) is close to completion. On May 26th 2010 there will be an open house in Gogama from 2pm to 8pm. It is very important to attend these open houses. If there is something that you do not like happening in the forest, this will be your chance to let the MNR know how you feel, or you can write your comments down and I will see that they are mentioned at the next meeting.
The Pineland Forest (FMP) is getting near to completion and there are still a few items that have to be discussed. An open house will be held in the near future and once again you can make comments on the plan.
The Abitibi River Forest which is new is the combination of 4 area forests, Smooth Rock Falls, Iroquois Falls, Nighthawk and Cochrane Moose River Forest, with the upcoming closure of the mill in Iroquois Falls; new plans have to be put in place with the joining of all these forests.
With the restart up of the newsletter, I will keep the members updated on the progress of these plans and should you have any concerns regarding any of these forests please let me know.
Meegwetch,
James Naveau
Special Announcements
Congratulation to Natalie Chookomoolin on the
safe arrival of her baby girl
Alison Levielle
7lbs 12oz -19 and 3/4 inches long
born at 3:17 pm- April 23, 2010
Congratulations to Pamela Gaudreau on graduating from the First Nation Social Services Administrator Certification Program at Algoma University.
Also congratulations to Eileen Boissoneau on graduating from the Diabetes Prevention Worker Program at Yellow Quill College.
Sponsorship Appreciation
By Jennifer Constant
As a Recreation Committee Member and a council member, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Domtar Forest Products Division for being the Major Sponsor for this year’s Walleye Tournament (scheduled to take place June 5th & 6th.) They have agreed to sponsor the 1st Place prize ($10,000) that is awarded in our annual tournament, and for that we are very grateful. We’d also like to thank Trelawney Mining and Exploration Inc. for sponsoring our 2nd Place prize ($3000) in our tournament.
From Shore, to Shore, to Shore: Connecting Community
Join MCCO and Mattagami First Nation for a summer camping event that will have us story-telling, listening, and understanding with one another, the ways we 'connect as community'.
Mattagami First Nation
Tuesday, August 3 to Friday, August 6, 2010
For more information contact lyndsaymk@mennonitecc.on.ca
or call 705-264-2494
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