Did you know that Jordan’s Principle is named after a little First Nations boy named Jordan who was denied health benefits and died at just five years old while the provincial and federal governments argued about who was responsible for his care?

The blue teddy bear that you see associated with Jordan’s Principle was the friend that Jordan kept at his side in the hospital.  After he passed, a human rights case was filed.  Jordan’s bear was brought to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal hearings to remind those in attendance of the little boy whose life was lost, and to bear witness.

On May 10^th, we celebrate Bear Witness Day and bring remembrance to the little boy whose life led to the creation of Jordan’s Principle, a program that ensures that children can access all public services in a way that is reflective of their distinct cultural needs, takes full account of the historical disadvantage linked to colonization, and without experiencing any service denials, delays, or disruptions because they are First Nations.

The Health and Wellness Department is asking community members to join in remembrance and bring awareness to Jordan’s Principle by staging a picture with a teddy bear and sharing it on your social media accounts using the hashtags #JordansPrinciple, #BearWitnessDay, #QalipuFirstNation.

Also on May 10, 2023, between 1 pm to 3 pm, anyone who is in the Gander area is invited to stop by the Qalipu First Nation office at 265 Airport Boulevard to share a piece of Birthday cake with Jordan’s Principle Service Coordinator Ann Strowbridge.

Additional Information:

Jordan River Anderson was from Norway House Cree Nation.  Jordan spent the first two years of his life in a hospital for a rare genetic condition. The two years following, while living with his family, he was denied health benefits. The federal and provincial governments argued over which government was financially responsible for the child’s health care. In 2005 Jordan passed away at the age of 5.

This jurisdictional dispute caused a lapse of service to a First Nation’s child, where other children would have normally received care or service. A human rights case was launched and won, resulting in First Nation children and families accessing Jordan’s Principle. Spirit Bear served an important role in the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal hearings on Jordan’s Principle.

After ten years at the Tribunal, using the powerful case of Jordan River Anderson and a history of racism as evidence, the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society was finally successful in proving that discrimination existed, and the federal government was ordered to make things right. The CHRT issued the first of several compliance orders on May 10, 2016. May 10 is Spirit Bear’s birthday, which has become the mascot and an important symbol of Jordan’s Principle.

Bear Witness Day serves as a reminder – and a day for us all to “bear witness” that First Nations children receive the services and support they need when they need them.  If you or someone you know have a child in need, please reach out to Ann Strowbridge, Jordan’s Principle Service Coordinator at astrowbridge@qalipu.ca or (709) 651-6952. 

Please be advised, registration for this program is now closed.

Band members interested in the tourism industry or who own a tourism-based business, let us pay your registration to the Atlantic Indigenous Tourism Summit!

If you already registered, the cost of registration will be reimbursed.

Please note: travel and lodging are not covered.

Please click here to register: https://surveymonkey.com/r/28PK5WN

The next regular meeting of the Chief and Council will take place on May 13th at the Community Room in Corner Brook beginning at 10:00 am. Members who would like to attend the meeting can register by contacting Suzanne at 709-634-5111 or by email at spark@qalipu.ca

To watch a live stream of the meeting, please log in to your ginu membership profile.

The Youth Summer Employment Program provides wage subsidies to businesses across the province so that they can hire Indigenous students.  This program has been running since the Band’s formation in 2011 and has infused more than 1.5 million dollars into small businesses and the provincial economy.

Each year, a call-out is made inviting businesses to apply for the program.   While we would love to be able to accommodate all those who apply, we are limited by funding availability.  This year, we are pleased to announce wage subsidies for 41 businesses.

Benoit First Nation
Benoit’s Cove Indian Band
Brook Construction
Clarenville Wave Runners Swim Team
DMLT Holdings Ltd.
Eatery on Main
Environment Resources Management Association
Flat Bay Band
G & T Enterprises
Gander Boys and Girls Club
Grenfell Campus Extended Learning
Gros Morne Adventures
Kikmanaq Indigenous Cultural Revival Association
Lakeside Cabins
Little Sky Dreamers
Lourdes Regional Recreation Association
Nomad Stages
Our Lady of Mercy Heritage Complex and Museum
Pasadena Minor Baseball
PBO Industrial Disposal
Pirates Haven
Port au Port Mi’kmaq Band
ProCurve Inc.
R & L Electrical
Recreation of Mainland
Red Indian Adventures
Renie’s Convenience
Saunders General Store
Sentrex Pharmacy
Sheaves Cove Recreation Committee
Shelby’s Machine Shop
St. George’s Indian Band
Sweet Berry Farms
Town of Appleton
Town of Badger
Town of Glenwood/Recreation
Town of Irishtown-Summerside
Town of McIvers
Upper Humber Settlement
West Coast Wedding & Party Rentals
White’s One Stop

QFN is conducting another land use survey in partnership with GH2 Energy. Focused primarily on the west coast region, the aim is to collect data surrounding traditional land and resource use to help advise the potential impacts of the GH2 wind energy project.

For more information on GH2’s project, please visit https://worldenergygh2.com

Complete the survey below to be entered to win a set of camping and fishing equipment!

The Prize pack (valued at $500) includes:

• 1x Woods 8-man tent
• 1x Woods Queen-size air mattress with 2-in-1 pump
• 2x Shakespeare fishing rods with tackle boxes

To take the survey, copy and paste this url into your browser: https://trailmarkapp.com/tm/?client=qalipu&survey=1056d36d984bb8a5a9abfff31fa03194&fbclid=IwAR1L4gz3gH9BfjhuCbovceB_ULSQ17Yq8oQ1uLOqUjZaPQru1ScjQU4i9Cg

The survey is estimated to take 15-30 minutes to complete.

**Note: while most individuals were successful in completing our last survey, some encountered errors. If any issues arise, please contact Ian Sullivan at isullivan@qalipu.ca any time or at 709-634-0998 Monday-Friday, 9am-4pm.**

This land-based camp will take place April 28-30 at Max Simms Camp.

Youth will have the opportunity to learn on-the-land training and survival skills, explore Mi’kmaw culture through ceremonies and teachings from local knowledge sharers, and enjoy games, crafts and outdoor activities.

Registration for youth aged 12-16 is now open and can be accessed through this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RW6ZPR6

Band Members Beau and Lennox Callahan, Small Town Girls with Big Dreams

Beau and Lennox Callahan, aged 12 and 10, are small town girls from the west coast of Newfoundland who are making a big impact in figure skating on the provincial and national stage!

The sisters each started skating when they were just two years old at their hometown skating program at the Siki Bennett Memorial Stadium in St. George’s.  Getting on the ice at such an early age is something their parents, Shantelle Lasaga of Flat Bay, and DJ Callahan of St. George’s, believe helped them recognize their talent early on and to begin building their athletic skills.

Shantelle said, “The skating program was very well organized, it allowed the girls to get on the ice at such a young age.  Honestly, we could see immediately that they both had something special.  They seemed like they were born to skate.”

The girls also joined the Canskate program in Stephenville once they were old enough, and even played hockey for a while.  The eldest, Beau, caught the eye of Josée Picard at a skating seminar in Corner Brook.  Picard noted that Beau was remarkable for such a young age and encouraged Shantelle and DJ to put both girls into figure skating.

The girls then joined the Silver Blades skating club in Corner Brook to focus on figure skating.  They spent six years there, training and competing.

“They did amazingly well” reported Dad DJ, “during their last season both of them did all five competitions in the province and won them all.  We knew it was time to take them to the next level.”

Over the years, DJ and Shantelle had invested in additional training in Quebec and knew that the people and coaching there were great.  In June 2020, just after the pandemic hit, the family made the difficult decision to move to Quebec where Beau and Lennox could be enrolled in Ecole Patinage Julie Marcotte, an elite figure skating school in Sainte Julie, Quebec.

A few weeks ago, Beau competed in the 2023 Canada Winter games in singles and earned a personal best score and 5^th place overall.  At 12 years old, competing against athletes as old as 16, there’s nowhere to go but up and both girls are dreaming big.

“Both girls share the goal of being at the top in Nationals some day, to compete in the worlds and possibly even the Olympics.” Reports Shantelle.

Shantelle added, “Figure skating is one of the toughest sports in the world and this has been an amazing journey for our family with many highs and lows.  They love to skate, and that love drives them to where they are today.  They work so hard.  As parents, we could not be prouder.”

We’re all proud of you Beau and Lennox, keep up the great work and good luck on your incredible journey.