Please be advised, priority vaccination for Qalipu Band members will begin next week. Registration will take place online through the Regional Health Authorities; we will share the registration link on our website, social media and newsletter as soon as it becomes available.

Priority will be given to Band members aged 60+.

Please remember to have your Band registration number ready when completing the registration form.

We encourage everyone to support their families, friends and community members who may have limited online access or ability in completing the online registration form.

$154,000 in total benefits have been processed for payout to members of the Band who were essential workers with childcare costs during the pandemic.

Eligible applicants who did not receive approval for benefits before the fund expired will be kept on file. We will continue discussions with our partners around securing additional funds to better meet the needs of our membership. Those applications will be processed should additional funds be secured.

Although there are no remaining funds to distribute at this time, the application will remain open to give the Band a better understanding of need.

Job Description: The 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 2021. Successful applicants will attend a one-week training session at the RCMP Headquarters in St. John’s, (all expenses paid) prior to being placed at the RCMP detachment closest to their location. This program is a great stepping tone for individuals interested in pursuing a career with the RCMP.

Location of Position: For the Summer of 2021, successful applicants are placed in locations near their hometown within the RCMP jurisdictions of Grand Falls, Stephenville, Deer Lake, Corner Brook, Gander, Bay Roberts and Harbour Grace.

Eligibility Criteria:   Interested   applicants   must   meet   the   following   eligibility   criteria:

• Have completed high school
• Be a member of the Qalipu First Nation Band or Self-Identified Person (students are asked to indicate on their cover letter their Indigenous Ancestry)
• Be between the ages of 19-29 as of June 30, 2021
• Not have a criminal record
• Currently registered as a full-time student
• Be planning to attend full-time studies in September
• Valid drivers’ licence

Salary Scale: $ 16.00 per hour which includes 4% vacation pay @ 40 hours per week for 9 weeks.

Apply: Please apply with resume, covering letter, a completed RCMP/Qalipu First Nation Summer Student Program Employment Application, Confirmation of Enrollment into full-time studies and a current Certificate of Conduct by mail or email:

Education & Training RCMP Summer Student Program
Attention: Yvonne MacDonald
PO Box 460, St. George’s, NL A0N 1Z0
Or email to ymacdonald@qalipu.ca

Please click here to view our application

Join the circle to meet and share with other Indigenous women, recharge and be inspired!

Wednesday November 25, 2020 at 7:30PM

Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID:
815 3728 5912

Passcode:
768899

June 5, 2020, Corner Brook—In October 2019, Qalipu First Nation was approached by Marathon Gold, a gold resource development company focused on a gold reserve located in our territory in central Newfoundland. Representatives from the company expressed a desire to share plans and consult with our membership and were welcomed at several regular meetings of Council to share presentations and answer questions.

We aim to serve our members’ interests by ensuring that environmental stewardship is a top priority for Qalipu First Nation with respect to all major development projects in our province. Additionally, we wish to explore economic opportunities for our members and their communities. The Chief and Council have appointed a committee of Council and senior staff to have focused discussions with Marathon Gold on these topics.

It is our responsibility to be proactively involved in projects that impact our territory and people. We will continue dialogue with Marathon Gold on their Valentine Lake Project and share news of this with our membership as we move forward. We also encourage our members to be aware of the development project by participating in community engagement as it becomes available and staying up to date via the Marathon Gold News Releases and other information that can be found on their website and via the company’s social media channels.

Please click here for the latest news from Marathon Gold.

Qalipu First Nation is committed to supporting Mi’kmaq artists during this time when opportunities for events including exhibitions, music shows, and workshops have essentially disappeared. We’re pleased to announce that our Experience Qalipu division will support Mi’kmaq artists and craftspeople through a Virtual Artist Series that will promote four local creators. Throughout the months of June and July, we will be sharing videos highlighting the work of Marcus Gosse, Marcella Williams, Cole Stagg, and Tyrone Mulrooney.

Tara Saunders, Director of Community Development, explains the project as “an outlet for Mi’kmaq artists to be celebrated while also passing on their traditional skills and teaching others”.

The first video will be Petroglyph drawing with Stephenville artist, Marcus Gosse. This video will be shared on the Qalipu First Nation Facebook Page on Wednesday, June 10th, at 7: 30PM.

Watch for more details coming soon!

Experience Qalipu is a division of Qalipu First Nation that focuses on Indigenous tourism, art, and craft. These industries are all interconnected and contribute to the preservation of traditional skills and Indigenous knowledge.

Experience Qalipu is pleased to offer craft workshops to make dreamcatchers, sealskin mitts, sealskin broaches and beaded keychains.

Registration closes on Friday, June 5th. If there is high interest for these workshops, there will be a random draw for participants on Monday, June 8th.

Participants can only attend one workshop. If you have been selected to participate in one of the workshops, you will be notified on June 8th. All materials will be mailed or delivered to participants and the workshops will take place over Zoom.

*Internet access is required for these workshops*

Please click here for the registration link

For Salome Barker from Grand Falls – Windsor being a Mi’Kmaq person is her entire identity, “I live my everyday life as a Mi’kmaq person, it is so entrenched into who I am that I cannot pinpoint something exactly, she says. For Salome, a big part of being a Mi’kmaq person means she must help lift up others and create a safe environment for them to be themselves and explore who they are.

Making strong relationships with other Mi’kmaw people across Ktaqkuk to build on and learn from one another is something Salome feels strongly about. This is why you will most likely find Salome at almost any gathering or get together held by Qalipu in her ward. Salome is an active community leader and she is currently working on a 9-month fellowship called ‘Who We Are’. This is a project that she developed it is aimed at revitalizing Mi’kmaw culture among youth and is based in central Newfoundland. She leads conversations with youth focusing on their experiences of growing up as a Mi’kmaq person in Ktaqmkuk, what changes they would like to see within their community, schools, and their everyday life when it comes to their Indigeneity.

This falls in line with Salome’s own vision for what she would like to see for the future of Qalipu, she says “I would like for the vision of Qalipu to have a focus on Indigenous youth and helping them to achieve their dreams and inspiring them to do community work within their own communities and assisting them in whatever capacity that is. Where that is through funding, training, giving them the proper teachings, the future of Qalipu is at this point in the hands of the youth. However, for youth to take charge of projects they must feel supported and encouraged [by] the leaders within their communities.”

Salome herself tries to live her life by being honest with others, respecting the land, all her elders, and everyone she encounters. She tries to live her life with humility and always being conscious of her actions and words. She has taken the lead in making new connections and being more vulnerable which she says has helped her tremendously with staying connected to her culture. “I have learned so much from other community members and Elders that I will hold onto forever. As well, taking the time to be connected to the land is vital for [me]. Learning about where my ancestors came from and how they lived in Ktaqmkuk always keeps me grounded and secure in who I am. The land is healing and has so much to offer us as Mi’kmaq people, that I really try to not take it for granted” she said.

This has encouraged Salome to organize cultural workshops led by Elders and Mi’kmaq leaders across Newfoundland for the youth in her community where they can explore their own culture and learn more about who they are.

Thank you for your commitment to the community, Salome. Keep up the good work!

Elaine Ingram is more than an active community volunteer in Burgeo.  Elaine is one of those super doers – building community in a dozen different ways.  Local Chief of the Burgeo Band of Indians, Greg Janes, reached out to share his appreciation and praise for this community leader.

“Elaine has been steadfast in our band and our community.  We are all proud of her for her dedication and commitment.”

Janes added that as Secretary and Treasurer for the band, Elaine not only manages the finances and keeps the records, but also supports all activities including developing and delivering cultural programs; as a talented crafter, she is able to delivers workshops to share her skills with others.

Janes said, “There’s nothing she can’t make.  Everything from sealskin mitts, moccasins, beading.  She even made her own sealskin jacket,”

Elaine admits that a lot of work goes on behind the scenes in preparing for these workshops but says she is motivated by her belief that it is a privilege to help others, and it is a very rewarding endeavour.

“Sharing my knowledge gives that person so much joy and the reward to me comes in a form of knowing I made an impact on their lives,” she said.

Eileen also leads a women’s group, looks out for the elderly, is engaged in learning the Mi’kmaw language, and is a mother, wife, and full-time home care worker.

“She has been the glue that keeps us running,” Janes said, “the Burgeo Band of Indians is very fortunate to have such a strong woman who has served her community with devotion.”

Gratitude is an important part of walking a good path like Eileen’s, and she is sure to give a shout out to people who support her.

“I’m starting to get help from my niece and that has taken a lot of stress off.  I also want to thank Joe Warren for being there when I doubt myself.”

Keep up the great work, Elaine!