Page 5 Chatter - August

MIKE METATAWABIN OF THE
Nishnawbe Aski Nation writes in Wawatay News Online that the BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico will damage the wintering grounds of the waterfowl that are an essential part of the diet of the Nishnawbe Aski people. Geese and ducks use the Mississippi floodway and are not only a low-cost source of protein, “compared to the high cost of bringing in equivalents to our communities from southern Ontario, but the spring arrival of the geese and the fall migration are also a vital part of the Nishnawbe culture.” He said the hunts of these birds provide a time to “bond with our families and our neighbors out on the land.” The impact and cost of the oil spill will go far beyond the Gulf States, he said. “It will negatively impact the health and economy of our people.”

IT’S BEEN SIX YEARS SINCE
five-year-old Tamra Keepness went missing, and the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations hoped to remind the public of her disappearance by hosting a community barbecue on July 5. The Regina Leader-Post reports that Chief Pauline Okemow of the Lucky Man First Nation, and a member of the FSIN Women’s Commission, said it’s important not to forget about the families of those with loved ones who are lost, missing or murdered. “Today is a good day because they’re remembering a little girl,” she said. “There’s a little girl who’s lost. Who knows if she’s deceased or not? But she has a spirit. Her spirit is probably travelling around here, whether she’s deceased or not. I think it’s good to remember a little girl with a good spirit, you know?” Keepness was reported missing from her home in Regina on July 6, 2004. The police have no explanation as to how or why she disappeared. Police Chief Troy Hagen reported the event brought out mixed emotions. He’s happy with the raised profile of the case, which may bring in new tips, but it’s sad that six years have passed without results despite police efforts to locate Keepness. The Regina Board of Police Commissioners has approved the extension of the $25,000 reward for information leading to the discovery of Keepness. Contact the Regina Police Service at 777-6500 or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 if you have information about the case.

B.C. FIRST NATIONS WILL ESTABLISH
their own gambling authority, reports the Globe and Mail. With $1 billion last year earned by the province from commercial gaming, B.C. is unique from a number of other provinces, in that, it offers no carve out for Native communities. After four years looking to the province to share the wealth, negotiations have come up empty. Said Joe Hall, chair of the BC First Nations Gaming Initiative, “There hasn’t been any indication of the government being prepared to move in this regard.” So First Nations are setting up their own gaming commission to pursue gaming opportunities on First Nations lands throughout the province. George Abbott, the minister responsible for Aboriginal relations, said it is likely any unlicensed gaming would be shut down. The province claims jurisdiction over gaming and revenues, but Chief Hall said that has yet to be tested in the courts. The new gaming commission will create its own terms of reference for operations. The proposed rules are to be in place by November.

THE TORONTO STAR IS REPORTING
that a recent study released by the federal government acknowledged that “there has been little or no progress” in overall community well-being among First Nation and Inuit communities since 2001. While there was a significant reduction in the well-being gap among First Nation and Inuit communities relative to other Canadian communities between 1981 and 1996, progress between 2001 and 2006 stalled, according to the Indian and Northern Affairs Canada paper. Well-being scores measure education, labour force participation, and income and housing, and they are lowest on reserves in the Prairies. Ninety-six First Nations occupy the bottom 100 Canadian communities. Only one First Nation community ranked in the top 100 Canadian communities, Tsawwassen First Nation near Vancouver. Between 1991 and 1996, 18 per cent of First Nations communities experienced a drop in their well-being scores. By the 2001-06 period, 36 per cent of those communities declined, compared to only 10 per cent of Canadian communities as a whole.