Prepared for self government

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An innovative course offered by Swampy Cree Tribal Council (SCTC) is preparing eight Aboriginal communities in northwest central Manitoba for local Aboriginal management of lands and resources.

The Lands Trusts and Services (LTS) pilot project is jointly funded by the Assembly of First Nations and Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) and is a partnership between SCTC, INAC and Keewatin Community College in The Pas.

Two trainees from each of the eight First Nations comprising SCTC are taking the comprehensive course, which aims to prepare Aboriginal communities to assume responsibility for 21 areas presently administered by INAC.

Trainees are learning, for example, to manage a range of issues associated with elections, band membership and additions to reserve lands.

They're learning how to draft bylaws and devise methods of enforcement at the local level.

There's a large component that deals with environmental issues, protection and remediation, while another component looks at natural resources management, and issues of resource access.

Lands management is another key part of the LTS course, with trainees becoming familiar with surveys, registration, and title to land.

And the course also provides instruction on wills and estates.

The trainees spend about one week a month at Keewatin Community College, with the remaining three weeks spent in their communities applying what they've learned to problems and situations at the local level.

For example, a dog control bylaw drafted largely by the two trainees from Chemawawin Cree Nation is scheduled to be presented to band members for consideration, having been approved by chief and council late last year.

A second bylaw drafted by the trainees deals with community curfew.

Loraine Young, one of those trainees, says that part of the process involved surveying people in the community to determine if they were in favor of a curfew bylaw. This was followed by comparisons of existing curfews in force on other First Nations. Some elements of these were then incorporated into Chemawawin's draft bylaw.

Tara Turner, a trainee from Grand Rapids First Nation, says her community is working on drafting a drug bylaw, with the intent to shut down trafficking. Turner says Grand Rapids wants to incorporate a banishment component, so that "if they're charged and convicted they'll be removed from the reserve."

Judy Head, project manager for the LTS course, explains that they must proceed carefully in drafting this bylaw.

"Because there's a Criminal Code component, they're trying to write it so it will comply. Although you can enact bylaws through LTS, enforcement has to come mostly from somewhere else," Head explains.

In addition to bylaws, a big issue for reserve members is wills and estates.

"We did a presentation in English and Cree over the local radio stations," said Loraine Young. "So now if people get letters about family matters they come to us and we can clarify it for them. We're thinking of getting Canadian will kits. There's a real need there, and a lot of interest."

There's a lot of interest in something else, too. Turner says that when the trainees return to Grand Rapids from their week in The Pas, they're often asked if they obtained more reserve land.

Judy Head explains that the LTS pilot project is a starting point for a long-term initiative.

"We're training two people, but the whole band structure is not used to dealing with LTS. Most people know about elections and membership, but a lot of the other things are new."

In addition to the classroom time and practicums spent in their communities, all trainees go on a week-long field trip to the INAC offices in Winnipeg at some point during the course.

"I brought back lots of background information," Young notes of her field trip experience. "I got copies of the first treaty pay list. I also found out who had the first treaty number for our band." Young adds that the trainees did some job shadowing, sch as inputting membership information into a computer program.

Also useful, Young says, was a meeting she attended with the lands manager from INAC.

"They were meeting with some First Nation from southern Manitoba. There were problems with the location of a school. It was kind of a negotiation meeting. If we ever have to do something like that, we'll know how to do it."

Adds Turner, "It was really good to meet the people behind the work, to get to know them and what they do."

The LTS pilot project is scheduled to wrap up in May of this year.