It's now easier to call numbers on the rez

Page 11

Have you ever tried to find the phone number of a close friend or family member and hit a brick wall?

The reserve you are trying to contact isn't listed or the operator has never heard of that community or, if the operator has heard of it, it's listed under a town or city number somewhere else in the region that the operator just can't find. That's the way it is for most First Nation communities - provincial or municipal borders can be a real barrier to communication.

"They don't have to be," said Philip Johnston, publisher of the newly released Midwest Regional Directory, from the Northern Canadian Directories Company. "A good regional phone directory should pull people together, help them reach out and touch one another. It should pull down barriers, not put them up. Effective, easy communication should be the name of the game today."

Enter one of the first user-friendly (read First Nations friendly) new phone books on the market today. One that is definitely not your traditional phone book in any sense of the word.

"What we wanted to do was put together a phone book that made sense for the communities of this region, not only for finding the names of friends and relatives but businesses as well, on both sides of the border. A large area from Payton to Innisfree, from Loon Lake to Unity, from Provost to Sedgewick, Cold Lake to Bonnyville including major centers like Lloydminster, Vermilion, Wainwright and the Battlefords. It's not your traditional phone book in the usual sense of the word," said Johnston.

The new phone directory does not chop people up by town, city, province or reserve.

All you have to do is know the name of the person you want to talk to, go straight to the letter of the alphabet and look up that name. You don't even have to know what reserve, settlement or town someone lives in to find their phone number. It's all listed from A to Z.

Whether you live in Little Pine, Thunderchild, Poundmaker, Frog Lake, Loon Lake (Makwa), Ministiwan, Fishing Lake, Salteaux, Onion Lake (Seekaskootch) or in a small town or city within the region, finding the listing of friends and entire families is easier than skinning a cat. You don't have to call through to Turtleford to get Thunderchild First Nation or Heinzburg to get through to Onion Lake.

"When we decided to create the directory for this region there were a number of problems we wanted to solve, the first being the provincial border which was dividing the midwest district right down the center. We had looked at markets all over British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan and of all of them, this one made the most sense because of the nature of the border. We have included comprehensive community maps, service maps and numbers for all urban and rural areas, reserves and settlements in the area. As well as yellow classified in full color, we also have a nice community section with write-ups highlighting post offices, parks, recreation, historical sights and cultural events like the International Onion Lake Powwow which is featured in full color on page SH in the blue section," Johnston added.

The cost saving in terms not having to constantly be calling "information" to find phone numbers will be significant. The new reverse index is also an innovative feature.

Got a phone number, but no name to go with it.

"Well, to solve that problem we have a reverse number index. Look up the number and find the name. It's very useful for caller ID, and for that number you scribbled down and can't remember the name for. You can see something for sale in the newspaper and find out who's selling it."

The regional directory also has all city, town, provincial and federal numbers, including a "Hard To Find" section with airports, bus terminals, pools, arenas, theatres.

Sage asked the publisher if he was aware or just how cutting edge this kind of publication was in serving First Nations people.

"We wanted to take away borders and barriers. When we put together this directory e knew that we had to focus on real market areas. Within this region, First Nations people are a big part of the economic development and spending. Onion Lake is a perfect example. They straddle both sides of the border and use and provide important services all over the region. They did not even have a phone book that covered both sides of the reserve. When we meet with band officials, they were very supportive, very excited at the prospect of having a directory that would address the realities of the region, both personal and business." said Johnston.

"The new phone book will help bring families together, families spread across the whole region," explained Stuart Wolfe, council member of Onion Lake First Nation. "We are very excited about this new phone book. We have never had this kind of service or recognition before. Having all of our First Nations families listed together on one page (Sunchild, Tootoosis, Dillon) will make life a whole lot easier."

Households on the reserves in the region will be receiving a card in their mailboxes with information on how to pick up their copy of the phone book at a central depot like their band or post office.

"It's only been out for delivery for a few days and already, it is being very well received. Even the RCMP are asking for extra copies to put in their vehicles," added Johnston.