Top News - January - 2003
2002 Year in Review Teen wins race relations award
Band economy gets a boost
First Nations work together for betterment of whole
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Teen wins race relations award
Jolene Davis, Birchbark Writer, TorontoOne might wonder how a shy girl from the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation (Saskatchewan) won the 2002 Lincoln M. Alexander Award. This award recognizes youths who demonstrate leadership in promoting racial harmony and eliminating discrimination in their schools or community.
Tamara McDonald, now a confident 18-year-old living in Thunder Bay, won the community part of this award. Bikramjit Nahal, 19, of southern Ontario, won for his work at school. The teens received their awards in early December in a ceremony at Queen's Park with Citizenship Minister Carl DeFaria, Lt.-Gov. James Bartleman, and the former lieutenant-governor Lincoln Alexander among the dignitaries.
This is the first time an Aboriginal woman has won this award. Nominees must be between 16 and 25. McDonald was 17 when she was nominated by the Regional Multicultural Youth Centre in Thunder Bay, where she is the president of the youth council.
Moffatt Makuto, volunteer director of the centre, said, "Competition for this award is tough. Several local dignitaries also wrote letters of support for Tamara."
McDonald was not aware she had been nominated until she won the award, which comes with a cheque for $2,500.
McDonald won for her work with the youth council and for taking workshops designed to break down stereotypes about Aboriginals into local schools.
Under her organization, the youth council also does peer training in order to continue these workshops. This past spring they began the Race Relations Image Awards, which they hope will take place annually.
As well as abolishing stereotyping, McDonald wants other youth to understand the huge effects that residential schools have had on First Nations.
"I was surprised when some students admitted they hadn't heard about the sexual and psychological abuse some Aboriginals endured at residential schools," she said. "Sometimes I'm the only Aboriginal in the room. I'm talking to fellow students who think I'm pretty quiet. I tell them it's okay not to know everything but this discussion will enlarge the circle of knowledge."
Makuto said, "Tamara is a good educator. She identifies with the problems of First Nations people and is willing to provide cultural understanding to others."
No longer shy, McDonald plans to attend university to study sociology or political science. "With this education, I can see myself helping others," she said. She credits her mother Bev and Makuto for her self-confidence and drive. Her advice to other young people is, "Stay positive by surrounding yourself with positive people."
Band economy gets a boost
Margo Little, Birchbark Writer, Manitoulin
With a large contingent of First Nations youth aged 20 to 30 entering the job market, economic development has become a top priority for many communities.
Dawn Madahbee, general manager of Waubetek Business Development Corporation in Birch Island, believes it is important for bands to join forces to create jobs. She told a recent meeting of the Manitoulin-LaCloche Economic Partners that a new professional association has been formed to advance their collective goals.
The new organization for economic development officers (EDOs) has adopted the theme "working together as one."
Madahbee said the association will aid better communication and networking among EDOs. New training opportunities also have been offered through the University of Waterloo. A Web site has been set up to ensure that EDOs talk to each other about economic development in communities served by Waubetek.
According to Madahbee, Waubetek has worked to market 55 tourism products over the past two years. Staff have been hired to promote a series of First Nations attractions known as the Great Spirit Circle Trail throughout North America and Europe.
Recent familiarization tours provided for European journalists have proven to be invaluable, in her view.
"We hosted seven media tours and all the articles had positive write-ups," she stated. "We calculated that if we had to actually buy that amount of advertising, it would have added up to $1.7 million."
With so much competition for tourism dollars in the Manitoulin area, some conflict and controversy has been inevitable. Madahbee has reprimanded non-Aboriginal tourist operators for unauthorized appropriation of Native cultural works and traditions. In an autumn address to the Manitoulin Chamber of Commerce, she noted that "some (non-Native) businesses are trying to capitalize on and take advantage of the Aboriginal cultural component in our area. This needs to cease immediately. We are opposed to the blatant commercialization of the land, water and culture."
A move to establish a regional tourism marketing body for Manitoulin and the North shore of Lake Huron, has encountered stumbling blocks this past fall because First Nations were not consulted. Madahbee criticized the non-Native agencies for ignoring Aboriginal stakeholders.
"The feasiblility study (for the unified tourism agency) has some good aspects to it and the direction is positive," said Dawn Madahbee. "But the study does not mention the tourism products already marketed by our First Nations."
Delegates to an economic development meeting in Gore Bay heard further concerns about the inadequate consultation. "We feel there is value in being involved with the regional marketing agency," Madahbee stated.
"But we see a need to return to the terms of reference. In the (feasibility) study it said Aboriginal stakeholders were to be consulted. We feel it would be important to the shaping of this new organization if they revisited what the First Nations have to say. We did attend the steering committee meeting (for the new agency) and we think it is really important to have the Aboriginal people of the area involved in the regional organization."
In keeping with Waubetek's motto of "investing in the Aboriginal business spirit," an economic development conference is planned for March. The conference will focus on business opportunities beyond the borders of First Nations, she said.
First Nations work together for betterment of whole
Margo Little, Birchbark Writer, Manitoulin
Because economic development is crucial for small reserves as well as for towns, several communities in the Manitoulin-LaCloche area have chosen to co-operate for mutual benefit. Instead of working in isolation, a diverse group of individuals meets in the spring and fall to share progress and tips on economic initiatives.
The Manitoulin-LaCloche Economic Partners group includes First Nation economic development officers and representatives from small municipalities. Delegates from the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines, FedNor and the Ministry of Tourism, Recreation and Culture are also invited. Funding sources, on-going projects and future plans are outlined in the free ranging discussions.
Ojibways of Sucker Creek Chief Patrick Madahbee and band EDO Kathy Bebamash participated in the December roundtable in Gore Bay. The First Nation located near Little Current recently started construction on a 27-lot housing development.
Madahbee stressed the need to keep the lines of communication open between First Nations and non-Native organizations. "It is important to get Aboriginal groups involved in economic development decisions in the region," he told the assembly. "Sucker Creek is open to do business; we're open to do business with anyone. This isn't new policy; in the past we have looked as far away as Trinidad and Tobago. We look for opportunities wherever they are," he said.
"We are embarking on a 20-year economic development strategy," he said. "It is too short a time frame to do five-year plans. Encouragement of small business development has to be a major thrust."
In addition, he stressed the need to implement an education strategy encompassing students from day care age through to adult re-training programs.
He said Sucker Creek has taken steps to expand its ecotourism attractions. The band is promoting the peace and serenity of two nearby islands in the North Channel of Lake Huron. Endaa-aang provides housekeeping cabins, lakeside camping experiences as well as a chance to sleep in a teepee.
Riding stables, arts and craft outlets and annual powwows also draw visitors.
The subdivision under construction is the band's biggest project to date. "We are working on seven homes right now," Patrick Madahbee said. "There are 27 lots there with the ability to expand two more times in the future. A new water treatment plant will go in this spring. Our present water system is outdated so we are revamping it in conjunction with the subdivision. And of course we are looking at options to upgrade our landfill site."
Madahbee emphasized the importance of hiring local people. "We try to keep business on the island. We have the capacity and the people in the area to do the job. We have to fight vigorously to maintain local content in local projects. It is unconscionable to take business elsewhere when we have the equipment and the manpower here."
He pointed out, however, that government projects require an outside tendering process. Large projects usually go to off-island bidders.
"Sucker Creek uses local contractors for the subdivision project and we tried to keep it local. But it's a struggle because of the ceilings and the tendering process," he said. "Outside firms bring in their own equipment and their own men. They are in and out quickly and they don't leave anything here. They take a big chunk of money out of our community and don't give anything back. Sometimes they even bring their own lunch and gas. Every project should include local content or they don't get the deal."
The proposed wind farm project slated for the McLean's Mountain area near Sucker Creek is a case in point. A consortium of off-island businesses plans to test the feasibility of developing wind power on Manitoulin. Pending the outcome of public consultation and environmental assessment, one tower will be erected with the possibility of 20 more in future.
Madahbee said only five jobs will be created on the island. Since the propellers and equipment won't be manufactured on Manitoulin, the Sucker Creek band has abandoned the idea. "Wind energy is no longer a high priority with our community," he said. "If it looked viable we'd have a business plan prepared."
Sucker Creek is also looking at the advantages of becoming a member of a recently formed Northern Ontario Aquaculture Association, as the band established one of the first fish farms in the area several years ago. Madahbee tentatively supports the idea of joining the lobby group. The next meeting of the Manitoulin-LaCloche economic partners will take place in April.
