March28

Message from Chief Jenny – March 28, 2025

March 22nd was observed as World Water Day, a day to reflect on the sacredness of water, and to raise awareness about issues that impact our waters. As Mi’kmaq people, we have always understood that water is not just a resource, it is a part of all our relations, deserving of our protection and respect.

While we recognize the vital role water plays, we also acknowledge the harsh reality that many First Nations across the country, including many of our own communities, struggle for access to clean drinking water. Boil water advisories remain a common occurrence, and far too many communities continue to live without the basic right of safe, reliable water. This is unacceptable. Access to clean water is a fundamental human right, and we must continue to advocate for long-term solutions to these issues.

Here in Ktaqmkuk, Qalipu First Nation is working diligently to uphold our responsibility as stewards of the land and water. Our Environment and Natural Resources Department plays a crucial role in monitoring and protecting local ecosystems through our Land and Water Monitor programs, as well as monitoring industry development to ensure that our waterways remain healthy for future generations.

Additionally, through MAMKA, a joint marine research initiative between Qalipu First Nation and our sister Nation, Miawpukek First Nation in Conne River, we are strengthening Indigenous-led environmental stewardship. This is done by combining traditional Mi’kmaq knowledge with modern scientific research, we are working to better understand and protect the marine ecosystems that sustain our communities. This partnership is an example of what we can achieve when we come together to care for our shared waters.

On this day, we encourage all our members to reflect on their connection to water, because water gives us life and sustains us. We must continue to advocate for its protection and support ongoing efforts to ensure clean and safe drinking water for all beings. Let us continue to honour our responsibilities as stewards of our water and stand in solidarity with First Nations still fighting for this basic right.

Relevant Links:

MAMKA: https://aarom.ca/aarom-department-profiles/mikmaq-alsumk-mowimsikik-koqoey-association/

AFN National Climate Strategy: https://afn.ca/environment/national-climate-strategy/

Election 2024-11-St Georges by election winner

Election Results: By-Election for St. George’s Ward Councillor

The voting window for the Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation Band Council By-Election for the St. George’s Ward Councilor closed at 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 26, 2025.

The elected councillor will serve a four-year term on council. Following a 30-day appeal period, as outlined in the Custom Rules governing Qalipu elections, the new councillor for the St. George’s Ward will be officially sworn in and take office.

Custom Election Rules be found here on the website Election Hub: https://qalipu.ca/qalipu-election-hub/

For inquiries, please contact:
Reisha Knott
Electoral Officer
rknott@qalipu.ca
709-486-2427

VOTE COUNT - SUMMARY ST. GEORGES BYELECTION

Election 2024-13-Election Day by election

Election Day: By-Election for St. George’s Ward Councilor

The voting window for the Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation Band Council By-Election for the St. George’s Ward Councilor is open until 8:00 p.m. this evening.

Need to locate your voter information package?
✅ Check your email (if you have an active and valid email listed in your KINU membership profile). If you don’t see it in your inbox, check your junk folder.
✅ Check your postage mail (if your KINU profile has your full, accurate, and current home address).
❗ If you haven’t received your package, please contact the By-Election Helpdesk at 1-833-579-5673.

The Qalipu By-Election Helpdesk is open to assist you!
Today, March 26 – the final voting day – the helpdesk is available from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

For any further questions, contact:
Reisha Knott
Electoral Officer
📧 rknott@qalipu.ca
📞 709-486-2427

 

Council Meeting Report March 2024-1-March 22

Council Meeting Report – March 22, 2025

The Qalipu Chief and Council met on Saturday, March 22, for their regularly scheduled meeting in Corner Brook.

Budget Approval for 2025-2026

The focus of the meeting was to review and approve the Annual Operating Plans (AOPs) and budgets for all departments, aligning with the 10-year Comprehensive Community Plan (CCP).

The proposed budget was approved, and the motion was carried.

Read the Comprehensive Community Plan here: https://qalipu.ca/comprehensive-community-plan/

Highlights of the 2025-2026 Annual Operating Plan

  • Health & Wellness:
    • Expand staff and resources for NIHB services.
    • Improve membership access to mental health counseling.
    • Provide mental wellness programs and on-the-land experiences.
    • Explore housing options for members.
    • Support infrastructure development, including Wigwam Point and other traditional sites.
  • Education, Training & Community Development:
    • Continue the Post-Secondary Student Support Program.
    • Provide youth with opportunities to enhance their career development and employment goals through career exploration, job placements, business creation, and workplace skills training.
    • Pursue partnerships and initiatives to support training and employment opportunities.
    • Increase the frequency of targeted training in traditional and high-demand sectors.
    • Develop and maintain relationships with key funders and stakeholders.
    • Continue to support tourism businesses through Experience Qalipu.
    • Provide learning opportunities and training sessions for members.
  • Environment & Natural Resources:
    • Conduct patrols under the Aboriginal Fisheries Strategy program.
    • Continue research and monitoring around species at risk, including little brown bats, piping plovers, and pine marten.
    • Work with groups focused on species and habitat conservation.
  • Finance:
    • Ensure all pertinent staff are trained on the new accounting software.
    • Provide monthly reports to directors and managers.
    • Conduct a budget planning session with key stakeholders.
    • Create a Compliance Officer position.
  • Executive Office:
    • Review QFN by-laws and policies.
    • Develop an infrastructure plan pending available funding.
    • Investigate the possibility of a tax exemption for members.
    • Continue discussions regarding fishing rights for members.
    • Strengthen relationships with other First Nations across the country.
    • Identify funding for a communications strategy and website redevelopment.
  • Operations:
    • Strengthen IT security and develop online member forms.
    • Implement cybersecurity training for staff.
    • Provide in-person Secure Certificate of Indian Status (SCIS) application assistance.
    • Engage summer students in updating KINU profiles.

Organizational Chart Updates

Aligning with the AOPs, several new positions have been created, including:

  • Assistant Director of Health & Wellness
  • Cultural Wellness Facilitator
  • Compensation & Benefits Officer
  • Compliance Officer

To expand capacity, an additional Mental Wellness Outreach Officer and Early Childhood Educator have been added, as well as an NIHB Administrative Assistant. Some roles have been renamed to better align with the evolving needs of the departments.

Additionally, cultural staff have been reassigned to the Health & Wellness Department, integrating wellness and cultural practices. Community development staff have transitioned to the Education & Training Department, emphasizing learning and career development opportunities.

QFN now employs nearly 90 full-time staff, exceeding 100 with seasonal and contractual employees.

The organizational chart was approved as presented, and the motion was carried.

Band Manager Update

The Band Manager reported that policy reviews are ongoing, and he provided an update on the 2023-2024 audited financial statements.

The delay in the 2023-24 financials is due to the implementation of a new accounting software that caused several challenges. The glitches in the software have been identified, and the system is now stable and working as it should. The audit is ongoing, and work is also being done on the current year’s audit. The goal is to have the 2024-2025 financials ready for Council’s approval on time in July.

Next Council Meeting

The next Council meeting is scheduled for May 24, 2025, in Corner Brook.

Message from the Chief (1)

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

Our Nation has sadly been a target of discrimination by individuals that consider themselves to be the gatekeepers of cultural identity, but they lack understanding of who we are.

I have spoken to many of you this week. I have heard your concerns regarding this hate speech and how it has retraumatized you and your families to days when we were not safe to be open as Mi’kmaq people on this island. My message to you all is to focus on the many voices that support you and mute the loud minority that think they know who we are. How can anyone pass judgement until they have walked a mile in someone else’s shoes?

Through our journey, we have been accepted as members of the Assembly of First Nations, the Atlantic Policy Congress and gratefully supported by our traditional government, the Mi’kmaq Grand Council. We are status members of a First Nation that was formed 14 years ago but we have existed as Mi’kmaq people since time immemorial. Our Nation is an amalgamation of 9 original bands that fought for recognition and eventually structured under one umbrella that is now Qalipu First Nation. Each of us met a criterion for enrollment set by Canada and although some still fight for recognition, we move forward doing our best to thrive by educating our youth and giving them opportunities we did not have.

For us to heal wounds of the past, we must have empathy, respect and understanding. We can get to know one another, hear each other’s stories and experiences. We have two ears and one mouth. We must listen, learn, and think before we speak. I am proud to stand up for folks in our community, confident each one of them would welcome anyone into their homes to share their stories over a warm cup of tea. We may not agree, but we can certainly maintain respect for ourselves and for each other. Everyone’s experience looks different. Why would we throw stones at one another because of those differences when they lead to the same outcome? We are all fighting for our way out of a problem we did not create.

In a time when world leaders are building walls and declaring war, when we are struggling with sickness and poverty, why are we fighting with each other? At Qalipu First Nation, we are no longer listening to hate. We are investing our energy in building, not tearing down.

On this day, of all days, stop and consider how your words impact others.

Message from the Chief

Message from Chief Jenny – March 17, 2025

Our culture is not a competition.

In my life I have had the privilege of getting to know many people from many places all over Turtle Island, Indigenous and non-Indigenous. I have heard so many stories of where folks come from and who raised them, their traumas and triumphs. I have never felt the need to challenge anyone regarding their journey; I was raised to respect that we are all different and that’s what makes us human.

As someone with mixed ancestry, like many folks I have met in Indigenous circles, I respect both our differences and our similarities. For us in Ktaqmkuk, our existence varies from community to community, or home to home. Each family dealt with their own forced assimilation in their own way. Being told they didn’t exist when Newfoundland joined confederation in 1949 left them to decide to either to hide in the shadows or to be punished for living their truth.

As people of what we now call Newfoundland, we are often referred to as resilient, not just the people but the vegetation, the wildlife and landscapes. It is an unforgiving place at times with our harsh weather and short growing seasons. We are rich in resources which is why we were one of the first points of European contact in North America, but for any settler, you weren’t likely to make it here without a good Indigenous guide.

My grandfather, Pearce, would be 107 years old today. He was a very stubborn man. Resilient, perhaps, but most definitely stubborn. In 1945, before Canada took us on as the last province, like other stubborn Mi’kmaq folks on the island, his father James, identified himself honestly as an “Indian”. In a time when we were the Dominion of Newfoundland, this was to no one’s advantage. My grandfather also refused his veteran’s pension because they did not accurately acknowledge which ship he worked on. Years later we found a handwritten letter from my grandmother, Sadie, pleading with Veterans Affairs to excuse my grandfather’s stubbornness as she had many mouths to feed. Despite the hardships that it caused his family to endure, he wasn’t going to deny his truth.

It couldn’t have been easy for her, for any of them. Many families were deeply traumatized by the denial of their Indigeneity. Priests were baptizing children as “child of savage”, jobs were exclusive to non-Indigenous people, folks were not living on reserves. If the existence of the 4 mapped reserves on the island or the Peace and Friendship Treaty that was signed on Codroy Island was acknowledged by the government they’d be responsible for us. Instead, folks were moved to places like Crow Gulch and other areas to keep people out of sight and mind.

Assimilation looks different in different cultures across the world, but the one thing we all have in common is the harm it’s caused. For us, the Indian Act has both hurt and helped us. We want to burn it, but it’s the individuals that twist the meaning of the act that harms us.

Our recognition as Status Indians was a triumph but also a curse and a further means of trauma for many. It has afforded opportunities for reconciliation but has caused community division. Why should the government get to decide who we are?

This path that we are on is one my grandfather could not have imagined in his lifetime, but like many of you, I’m walking this path with my head held high to honour the sacrifices of those that came before us. I will not deny any part of my heritage for anyone’s comfort. We are done with that. My experience may not look like yours, but it is my experience, and no one has the right to judge others.

If you cannot find your connection, if you do not know who you are and where you come from, you can respectfully find your way but always proceed with caution. Be mindful of the space you take and ensure it’s the path your ancestors paved for you. The government of what we know now as Canada has long determined our fates. There will never be enough Land Acknowledgments to heal the harm that has caused, but we can support each other with respect and love. We can protect spaces from exploitation, not by calling people out when we don’t know their stories, but by being strong and confident in our own histories. Those that do not belong will eventually expose themselves. Our focus needs to be on building, not wasting time in tearing down.

As your Chief, I will ask you all to be accountable to who you say you are. If you carry a status card or identify as Indigenous, you must do that with absolute confidence. Understand the responsibility attached to your heritage. Invest in your community, do not tear it down. Understand your history and honour it. Your family line resulted in that privilege and as much as it is a double-edged sword, you have an opportunity your ancestors did not, to be proud and to live out loud. We were hidden in shame too long; we are Mi’kmaq people of Mi’kmak’mi. We are not looking for approval from those trolling the internet, we only have ourselves to answer to. I go to bed each night knowing my Niskamij and Nukumij would be proud, that my parents and children are proud, and that is enough for me.

It’s time to build.

 

 

march 14

Message from Chief Jenny – March 14, 2025

Though winter weather is going strong, we do not stay inside. Our recent Winter Gatherings in Corner Brook and Glenwood reminded us of who we are as Mi’kmaq people and the power of our connection to the land. It was freezing outside, but my heart was warm at the sight of so many smiles.

We came together to learn, teach, and celebrate. From drumming and dancing to food sharing and hunting knowledge, every moment reflected the wisdom of our ancestors and the enduring strength of our people. I was grateful not only to witness but also to take part with the community—helping prepare lusknikn (bannock), singing, and, of course, playing bingo.

One of the most meaningful aspects of these gatherings was the presence of our youth. When we pass down our knowledge—through words, songs, or sharing food—we ensure that Mi’kmaq identity remains strong. Regardless of how others view us, we cannot turn our backs on our ancestors. We must empower our youth to reclaim space and be proud of where they come from. It is our right and responsibility to foster their knowledge and provide them with opportunities we never had.

I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to all those who contributed to making these gatherings a success, as well as to those who continuously support and nurture our culture. Whether you are an organizer, an Elder, a Knowledge Keeper, a member of a drumming group, or someone who actively engages in preserving and sharing our traditions, your efforts are essential. It is through your dedication that our culture remains vibrant and continues to thrive.

As we move from season to season, let us support one another, share what we know, and celebrate the resilience of our community. I look forward to seeing more of these gatherings and hope to see our youth grow into confident leaders who will carry us into a bright future.