Message From the Chief

Message From The Chief (Published December 4, 2014)
Merry Christmas to all and a sincere wish for a healthy 2015. This past year has been a very busy year for Qalipu and we view it as a successful one. As seen at our Annual General Meeting in Corner Brook, members appear to be pleased with the service they are receiving. To date we have had an incredibly productive and exciting year in our Education and Training division so far this past year we have supported over 1,060 clients in education, training and employment opportunities. We have taken steps in 2014 to ensure that even more members receive support in the future by focusing our funding dollars beginning in 2015, specifically on tuition and books. In 2014, we launched our new Strategic Partnership Office to provide leadership in managing the Band’s partnering activities. This office is dedicated to developing partnerships to aid both our Band and its members.

We continue to work hard to create opportunities for our membership to develop their careers and themselves and we look forward to 2015. In operations we have hired a new Director, we take this opportunity to welcome Robert Dicks to our team. As part of continuous improvement to serve Qalipu members, we will begin processing medical transportation claims at the Corner Brook office for the Central ward members only as of January 1, 2015. This is the beginning of a pilot project to hopefully administer all claims for medical transportation of Qalipu members. We will keep you informed as we take on other wards throughout the year. Our goal is to have all medical transportation claims of all members of all wards living in the Atlantic Canada processed by Qalipu.

Membership cards of children that were registered when the band was first formed are beginning to reach an expiry date. Please view the information on Qalipu website, under Programs & Services, Status Indian Card section, Expiry of SCIS cards for children.

In this past year the Community Economic Development department was renamed Service Qalipu. The new department combined the service delivery model for our economic and social programs under one roof, including Community Economic Development, Health and Social, Culture and Heritage, and Natural Resources.

There has been considerable progress made in reaching the targets outlined in our Strategic Plan. The Band has placed much effort towards creating business opportunities for its members to capitalize on the Maritime Link Project. This was highlighted by the signing of a Socio-Economic Agreement with Emera in September.

2014 was a busy year with many cultural and resource projects including the documenting of our culture into an Aboriginal Traditional Knowledge Directory and completing an update to the 2002 Traditional Use Study.

As a result of the excellent fundraising efforts of Qalipu staff, we were able to provide donations to the Diabetes Assoc., Janeway and ALS(Lou Gehrigs). Some Qalipu staff in the different regions will also be volunteering to assist different charitable groups during the Christmas season. Take the time to visit our website to see how you might be able to support the Band in helping the needy in our communities.

Qalipu is here to serve you and we welcome any ideas that you have to offer.

Have a safe an enjoyable Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Chief Brendan Sheppard

Latest News

Healing Waters Project focus’ on health needs of members and the importance of culture-based healing (Published January 21, 2015)
The Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation (QMFN) has recently launched a new initiative, Healing Waters. This research, consultation and assessment based project should result in a greater awareness of membership needs, and how to meet those needs, in the area of health and wellness.

Health is a priority for QMFN. In 2010, a Health Needs Assessment study of Off-Reserve Mi’Kmaq people in Western and Central Newfoundland was completed. The study focused on communities with high concentrations of Mi’kmaq residents, and included a detailed survey on the health-related practices of Mi’kmaq individuals in those areas. It also delved into the existing health care services available and noted areas for service improvement. Read

Job Interview Skills Training (Published January 7, 2015)
Are you getting invited to interviews but not getting job offers? Do you want to be able to communicate your skills and abilities to an employer? An interview is a marketing situation, where you have the opportunity to sell yourself to an organization. The better you know what you are selling, the more successful you can be. Regardless of whether an interview is for full-time work, a summer position, or for professional school, preparation is crucial to an effective interview. Read

RCMP/Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation Summer Student Program (Published January 7, 2015)
The Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation Band and the RCMP are working together to build a worthwhile work experience for aboriginal youth who are interested in a career in policing and/or justice. This exciting job opportunity will give you an insightful look at the RCMP and may help you decide if this is a career opportunity you wish to pursue. This job opportunity is nine (9) weeks in duration from June-August 2015. Successful applicants will attend a one week training session at the RCMP Headquarters in St. John’s prior to being placed at the RCMP detachment closest to their location. This program is a great stepping stone for individuals interested in pursuing a career with the RCMP. Read

Public Notice (Published December 22, 2014)
To better serve our members Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation Band will begin processing Medical Transportation Benefit claims for its members residing in Atlantic Canada. Effective January 1, 2015 Qalipu will be accepting medical transportation claims from registered members of the central electoral wards of Gander Bay, Glenwood and Exploits and who are also living in Atlantic Canada. During the winter of 2015 Qalipu will continue to perfect the operations of processing the central electoral ward member’s claims. In April 2015, a further notice will be provided regarding Qalipu processing claims from all other members living within Atlantic Canada. All other claims such as dental, prescription drugs, vision and mental health must continue to be submitted to Health Canada. Read

The Qalipu Artisans and Crafters Residency Program (Published December 16, 2014)
The Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation is pleased to support the development of Mi’kmaq Art and Indigenous Craft with the launch of a new pilot project: The Qalipu Artisans and Crafters Residency Program. Qalipu has partnered with the Corner Brook Rotary Arts Centre to provide an emerging Mi’kmaq artist or craft person the opportunity to utilize space of a professional art studio in the new Corner Brook Rotary Arts Centre. The new multi-purpose arts centre includes a 100-seat theatre, art gallery, artists’ studios and exhibition space. Read

Expiry of SCIS Cards for Children (Published December 3, 2014)
Please note that all SCIS (Secure Certificate of Indian Status) cards have a set date to which they will expire. This occurs on all members’ birth dates, with adults expiring in a 10 year time frame, and children’s in a 3 year time frame.

With this being said, it should be noted that the majority of children’s SCIS cards will be expiring in 2015. Parents must re-apply for a new card for their children to ensure they have a card to present to avail of all services offered by Health Canada.

To apply for a renewal SCIS card parents must apply for a new card within 6 months of the card expiring, and complete the following:

The expiring SCIS Card will have to be returned with the application to the SCIS National Processing Unit
Complete a new SCIS Parent or Guardian Application. If members are not receiving assistance from one of our offices they will have to fill out a Guarantor Declaration form as well
New passport photos must be included. If members need the Guarantor then that person must sign the back of the photo that is stamped,
Photocopies of parents ID’s, both front and back (this could include your Provincial Driver’s License and Health Cards, example MCP). Again, if Guarantor is used then they must sign the photocopies as true copies of your original IDs.

Parents will not have to include their children’s original long form birth certificate as there is already a certified copy with the SCIS National Processing Unit.

All completed applications must then be sent to:

SCIS National Processing Unit
10 Wellington Street
Gatineau, QC
K1A 0H4

If you have any questions or concerns, or just need assistance with filling out the application, please feel free to contact Charmaine Bath, Indian Registration Administrator, at (709) 679-2142, or by email at cbath@qalipu.ca

Events

Aboriginal Arts & Stories Youth Contest (Published December 1, 2014)
Aboriginal Arts & Stories is a national educational initiative that invites First Nations, Métis and Inuit youth (ages 11-29) to submit creative writing or two-dimensional artwork about their culture and heritage. Participants have a chance to win up to $2,000; a trip to the annual awards ceremony, and have their work published or exhibited. Finalists are selected by a jury comprised of celebrated Aboriginal writers and artists, including Shirley Moorhouse, Kent Monkman, Maxine Noel, Lee Maracle, and Drew Hayden Taylor, among many others.

The contest is an opportunity for youth to share stories of their families, communities, ancestors, as well as personal stories, with an audience across the country. Now in its 11^th year, more than 2,000 youth have participated in the contest to date. This year’s deadline is March 31, 2015. Visit www.our-story.ca for full guidelines, prizing information, previous winning submissions, and to submit an entry.

Aboriginal Arts & Stories is a program of Historica Canada, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting Canadian history and heritage.

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