Hire an Indigenous student this summer and we’ll pay their wages! Visit the Education and Training Youth Program information page to find out more and to apply. Click here: https://qalipu.ca/youth-programs/
*Applications are due by April 2nd 2021, at noon.
Along the shores of Black Bank Beach, it will not go unnoticed the positive environmental impact one woman has made in her community. Nancy Pearson of St. George’s, Newfoundland continues to dedicate her time to raise awareness of the ocean pollution across our province, simply by taking a bag on her daily walk! She first noticed the excessive pollution, both being dumped and washing up on the beach, when she would venture out with the family dog, Pixel. Wanting to involve her community in her efforts, she planned a Black Bank clean up in 2017 which became an annual event due to the positive feedback she received. Nancy decided that she wanted to bring awareness to a larger audience, so she created her Instagram account “@abagawalk” which promotes picking up a bag of garbage every time you are out for a walk. Her account has quickly gained global popularity, amassing hundreds of followers from all over the world. To encourage participation, Nancy introduced giveaways for followers to enter. Followers would submit photos of themselves with a bag of garbage they picked up from their walk, entering them into the monthly giveaway. These giveaways allowed Nancy to reach a broader audience, with giveaway winners from far and wide, including Turkey, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
Nancy’s goal is to recruit as many people as she can to join the movement to end polluting of the oceans and encourage the cleaning of waste in our natural environments. The easiest way to join the movement is to start going for walks and bringing along a bag to pick up any garbage you come across. Social media is a great platform for spreading awareness on important issues, including the fight against pollution. Anyone who picks up garbage on their walks are welcome to submit an entry to “@abagawalk”, where your photo can be posted and help promote the cause while inspiring others to take part as well. In addition, your name will be entered into a draw, where you can win prizes such as reusable face masks, bracelets, and hair scrunchies, all of which are handmade by Nancy. If you wish to share your photos to your personal social media accounts, especially those on Instagram, Nancy encourages anyone to tag @abagawalk for her to reshare it with her followers!
https://www.instagram.com/abagawalk/
Participating in this movement not only has a great impact on environment, but also to our health! It has been proven that being outdoors in nature can significantly reduce the effects of some mental illnesses, including anxiety and depression. Walking is also a great form of exercise, which can improve your cardiovascular health, blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Since COVID-19 is still very prominent in all our lives, it is more important now than ever that we take time out of our day to get outside and exercise. Overall, combining both daily walks and picking up waste will not only help improve your health, but it will also leave you feeling accomplished as you make a noticeable difference in your community, our beaches, and oceans that can continue to be enjoyed for years to come!
Written by Jameson Pearson
Grenfell Campus is working toward Indigenization priorities with the commitment to fly Grand Council Flag of the Mi’kmaq Nation permanently on campus.
Dr. Vianne Timmons, OC, president and vice-chancellor, Memorial University, and Dr. Jeff Keshen, vice-president (Grenfell Campus), were presented a Grand Council Flag of the Mi’kmaq Nation by Chief Dr. Mi’sel Joe, Chief of Miawpukek First Nation, and Chief Brendan Mitchell, chief of Qalipu First Nation, on Saturday.
In a ceremony to take place in the coming months, the flag will be raised where it will fly at Grenfell Campus permanently. The flag will fly next to the Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Memorial University flags.
The Grand Council Flag, which signifies alliances between people in Mi’kmaq territory, features a cross which represents mankind, white to represent the purity of creation, the sun to represent the forces of the day and the moon to represent forces of the night.
In addition, Grenfell Campus proudly flies the flags of many of the province’s Indigenous groups in the Arts and Science atrium, along with flags representing students’ countries of origin.
“I thank Chief Dr. Mi’sel Joe, Chief Brendan Mitchell and the Mi’kmaq Grand Council for presenting us this gift,” said Dr. Timmons. “The lands that we study on, benefit from and where Memorial’s campuses are located have been occupied, managed and governed since time immemorial by Indigenous Peoples. As president I recognize the importance of having this flag on display at Grenfell; as a person of Mi’kmaw descent, I’ll be thrilled to see it flying.”
Reconciliation in Canada takes many forms, said Chief Mitchell.
“Several months ago, Qalipu First Nation made a request to Dr. Timmons to have the Mi’kmaq Grand Council Flag flown permanently at Grenfell Campus,” said Chief Mitchell.
“On behalf of our Nation, I am pleased to see that we are taking an important step today in presenting the flag to be flown at Grenfell campus, on the traditional territory of the Qalipu First Nation. I thank President Timmons and Vice-President Keshen for acknowledging the Mi’kmaq Nation in Newfoundland. Today, we mark an important step toward our own reconciliation, with the Grand Council flag being proudly displayed in recognition of the First Peoples of this province. I also wish to thank the Mi’kmaq Grand Council for its support in this significant milestone.”
The flying of the Grand Council flag, a flag that has been flown since the nineteenth century, is a sign and symbol of opportunity to teach others about the Grand Council, said Chief Joe.
“I hope people see this as a schoolbook, not just a piece of fabric, that will teach us about hundreds of years of the history of our people,” said Chief Joe. “Mi’kmaq people have an obligation to educate people. The more we know, the more we can learn. We can look to this flag and how our history is being taught in schools and universities as has been identified as an important part of Truth and Reconciliation.”
There are more than 300 Indigenous (having First Nations, Inuit, or Métis ancestry) currently enrolled Grenfell Campus.
“We value our role as leaders in creating opportunity for Indigenous populations, and we recognize we have much to learn as we work toward Indigenization,” said Dr. Keshen. “The raising of the Grand Council Flag is an ongoing territorial acknowledgement that Grenfell Campus is situated on Mi’kmaw territory. This is a significant step towards building a campus that celebrates the ancestry and cultures of our Indigenous students.”
To watch a video of the presentation, please click here https://youtu.be/VxMzP9W1t3Q
The next regular meeting of Council will be held at 9 am on Saturday, February 6, 2021.
Members are encouraged to tune in to a live-stream of the meeting which is accessible through the Ginu membership database.
Ginu login: https://qalipu.ca/login-options/
If you need help accessing your profile, or have questions about how to view the live-stream, please contact our Indian Registration Administrator (IRA) at 709-634-4010 or 1-855-263-6440 Monday – Friday; 9am – 3:30 pm or request help at membership@qalipu.ca
Agenda for the meeting: Click Here
Ask Chief and Council a question at the upcoming meeting: https://qalipu.ca/leave-a-message-for-chief-and-council/
Qalipu First Nation is pleased to announce the launch of a new project focused on the revival of the Mi’kmaw language among our membership. The project, set to begin in February, will take place via virtual workshops, will be available to beginner, novice and intermediate levels and will aim to create opportunities for learners to speak with fluent speakers of the language.
Band Manager Keith Goulding noted, “This is an exciting project for the Band and a positive step forward in reviving our heritage. This language initiative gives us an opportunity to deepen our connection to culture and provide our members with meaningful learning opportunities.”
The language project will be coordinated by newly hired Project Coordinator Dean Simon who has just returned from a two-year Mi’kmaw immersion program in Eskasoni.
“The Mentor-Apprentice Mi’kmaw Program with Mi’kmaw Kinamatnewey has provided me with a solid understanding and comfort with the language and I’m so excited to share what I’ve learned. Right now, to get an understanding of where people are with their level of learning, I am asking everyone who is interested to complete the pre-registration”, Simon said.
The pre-registration can be completed here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/YNGJLVX
For more information, please contact Dean at dsimon@qalipu.ca or call 643-4593
Randy Green is a Marine Planner with MAMKA at Miawpukek First Nation and is currently working on gathering and consolidating input from Indigenous people on amendments to the Navigable Waters Act. Specifically, proposed changes to the Act related to ‘minor works’.
Please see below for information provided by Mr. Green and contact him with any questions or feedback that you may have.
Please send any comments, questions, concerns via mail or e-mail, to:
Randy Green, MAMKA South, Miawpukek First Nation, Conne River, NL, A0H 1J0
rgreen@mfngov.ca
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The Canada Revenue Agency is pleased to host a live and interactive webinar for Indigenous Peoples in Canada on benefits and credits available to them. An audio-only option will also be available. Some of the topics that will be covered include:
* Canada child benefit
* GST/HST credit
* Disability tax credit
* Emergency response benefits
* Northern residents deductions
* Community Volunteer Income Tax Program
* Helpful tools and tips
Participants will have an opportunity to ask questions and get answers throughout the webinar.
If you are an organization that offers services to Indigenous Peoples, you can register for the webinar and are encouraged to share the registration information with your clients.
English session: Wednesday, January 20, 2021, at 2 pm, Eastern time
French session: Wednesday, January 20, 2021, at 11 am, Eastern time
Duration: About 45 minutes
Register now! (https://live.webcastcanada.ca/go/cra-jan20-21?utm_source=txtp&utm_medium=eml&utm_campaign=frrwbnrngns)
This workshop will be a drumming and sharing event with Jenelle Duval and will take place on February 5, 2021 at 2pm. The workshop will run for approximately 1.5-2 hours, depending on participation. Selected participants will receive a drum by mail.
To register, please click here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Q5P6J5V
Click here to register: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/XBKWV38
Marathon Gold is a gold resource development company focused on a gold reserve located in our territory in central Newfoundland. In 2019, representatives from the company expressed a desire to share plans and consult with our membership and attended several regular meetings of the Band Council to share presentations and answer questions. Subsequently, a joint working committee was established to continue discussions and better serve our members’ interests around environmental stewardship and economic opportunities.
A draft Socio-Economic Agreement (SEA) was established between Qalipu and Marathon Gold and in September, the Band hosted a virtual community meeting to review the draft and seek feedback. The Band collected additional feedback through posting the SEA on the qalipu.ca website and inviting responses. All information collected was consolidated and presented to the Chief and Council and edits were made to the initial draft.
The Band would now like to present the second draft SEA and invite membership review and participation at an upcoming Virtual Community Meeting.
Please join Band Manager Keith Goulding for this meeting via Zoom on January 25 at 7:30 PM
Please pre-register for this meeting by emailing council@qalipu.ca
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