The consolidated financial statements linked below represent all the Band activity during the last fiscal year including the Qalipu Development Corporation, Mi’kmaq Commercial Fisheries, Qalipu Project Support Services, Qalipu Marine Holdings and Qalipu Management Services. These statements will be presented in detail at the upcoming Annual General Assembly on September 13 in Corner Brook, location to be announced. Our auditor and Director of Finance will be on hand to present the statements and answer questions at that time. You may also e-mail the Director of Finance directly at jwells@qalipu.ca

Please click here to view the Audited Financial Statements for the 2019-2020 Year

In celebration of Indigenous entrepreneurship and empowerment across Canada, Pow Wow Pitch is pleased to announce the launch of its 2020 Pow Wow Pitch competition, presented by RBC. Running from June 22, 2020 through October 20, 2020, Pow Wow Pitch 2020 will offer Indigenous entrepreneurs the opportunity to compete in a virtual, three round pitching contest, with winners awarded prizes up to $10 000.

In partnership with RBC, Shopify, Canada Post, BDC and NACCA, Pow Wow Pitch 2020 will be hosted virtually for the first time, giving entrepreneurs nationwide the opportunity to “pitch” their business idea via video submission starting June 21, 2020. 125 finalists will be selected and will work one-on-one with a business mentor before pitching their ideas via Facebook Live from September 21 to 25, 2020. From there, the Top 25 will pitch a second time with the hopes of becoming one of 3 national winners or 13 provincial winners selected on October 20, 2020.

Launched in 2015, Pow Wow Pitch was first founded by social entrepreneur Sunshine Tenasco with the aim of empowering and elevating other Indigenous entrepreneurs through mentorship, exposure, and start-up funding. Held annually each year during the Summer Solstice Festival in Ottawa, the competition has awarded prizes to over 20 entrepreneurs over the past six years, ranging from photography businesses to soap producers.

“Good business and trade have always been a part of Indigenous ways. We dealt with fairness and we knew that honesty, love for community, and strong relationships are the way we all prosper. It’s time to show the world what ‘good trade’ means,” says Sunshine Tenasco

“Indigenous businesses will play a huge role in Canada’s economic recovery, but this can only be achieved if Canada works in partnership with Indigenous nations toward full economic reconciliation,” says Dale Sturges, National Director, Indigenous Financial Services at RBC. “We are proud to partner with Pow Wow Pitch, a First Nations-owned enterprise, shaping Canada’s future and providing a supportive, collaborative and empowering environment for Indigenous Entrepreneurs.”

The call for video submissions for Pow Wow Pitch opened Sunday, June 21, 2020. Details and rules of the competition can be found at: https://www.powwowpitch.org/

About Pow Wow Pitch
Founded in 2015 by Sunshine Tenasco, who was inspired to pay it forward and give Indigenous people the same drive and inspiration she felt when she pitched her business idea on the Dragons’ Den. Pow Wow Pitch supports Indigenous Entrepreneurs through micro start-up cash and mentorship while providing a safe, supportive, collaborative and empowering environment that addresses the challenges of Indigenous entrepreneurs.

About RBC Indigenous Financial Services Group
For more than 100 years, RBC has been building strong relationships with First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities across Canada. We are committed to serving Indigenous governments, communities, organizations, businesses and individuals by creating opportunities for sustainable economic development through access to banking and capital, community and social development, employment, education and training and procurement. RBC also provides donations and grants that support Indigenous interests. More information is available at: https://www.rbc.com/indigenous

Kellie Kerpan is a community leader from Badger who was nominated for this segment by a number of people. This demonstrates that Kellie is truly a leader and is making a difference in her community. Upon asking Kellie to take part in this segment she said she was surprised and humbled to be nominated, “I do not see myself as any different or stand out any more than my neighbor.  I have a passion for bettering and helping my people.”

For Kellie, being L’nu is her core identity and has been from a very young age. “I have been so fortunate that our family has never hidden who we are as L’nu people.  Though people attempted to shame them for being L’nu, they stood proud of their heritage and genealogy,” she explained.

This is particularly important to Kellie because her grandfather, John Paul was born and raised in a time where being a part of any tribe of Indigenous people was considered a bad thing, she explained, “my grandfather and other relatives often spoke of the racism and poor attitudes towards the Indigenous people that were present in Badger in their time.  They were often treated as servants, not allowed to other children’s birthday parties or gatherings.  Often, they were shunned from jobs with the “company” if it were known you were Mi’Kmaw.”

Kellie is a very active member of the community she sits on the executive of the cultural group, Na’taqamtug and she has coordinated and facilitated a number of cultural activities in her community. “I am connected through the people, my crafting, and most importantly the land and water,” she said. The land and the water are healing for her and you can often find her walking the shorelines of in the forest wondering about our ancestors and the stories that have been passed down. “It is in those times, I know I am connected, and they can hear me and my prayers,” she said. Kellie describes herself as a spiritual person, partaking in sweats when available, making offerings, smudging, sharing knowledge and yearning to be connected to others and to learn from them.

Kellie lives her life in honor of her ancestors and she tries “to effect positive change and opportunities for all Indigenous people,” she said, “ I live each day to try to be better for my child, to teach him things that were taught to me, to learn new things, to listen to the Elders, take the time to sit and appreciate them and all they have been through.  Be kind, be thoughtful, be loving, to forgive and to share what you have, even if you do not want to.”

It was in 2015 when Kellie returned to Badger after living away for many years in Alberta and British Columbia when she felt a huge void in culture and cultural activities for her son. During a drum making event in Badger facilitated by Qalipu Kellie, along with Colleen Paul, held a discussion with Michelle Matthews and it was decided that they would start a group in Badger. The group has since been a huge success and something that many community members had been longing for and needing.

Kellie has brought many activities to the community, oftentimes donating her personal supplies so these activities could happen. The community has seen drum making, moccasin, ribbon skirt/shirt classes, beading, dreamcatchers, birch bark baskets, porcupine quillwork, jewelry making and delivering NIPD events, harvesting and teaching others how to prep and tan and smoke a moose hide for craft use, and many other events, many of which were taught by Kellie herself. She has also facilitated a land-based learning camp with other partners, snowshoe making, mitten making, a youth, and elder group, organizing and starting and indigenous youth dance group, and going to local schools or other organizations to share culture and activities. She has also developed a program where the youth and Elders come together for an annual harvest of various foods in late summer/early fall. The foods are collected, preserved, and then dispersed to Elders and those in need in the community.

This all started in Badger when Kellie saw a need and worked hard herself to fill this cultural gap in the community that many people were longing to have filled for a long time. It is because of her son and her longing to share culture with him that really inspired Kellie to start hosting community events. “It is extremely important to me that my son knows the importance of being connected to others, sharing and caring, and the joy of doing for others that the creator brings you.  Throughout the year, we will make cookies, meals or crafts and distribute them to various members in our town.  Throughout this pandemic, I have realized more than ever the power of physical sharing and connections.  A week into the pandemic, Jaxon asked me about the Elders and youth and how I thought they were doing.  It was at that time, I realized just how much we missed them all and needed them.  Jaxon and I have made bread (over 20 loaves each week), cookies, various meals, and cold plates and delivered them to the Elders in town every Sunday afternoon. We have also put together kits for youth and delivered them. It gives us the connection we need to maintain and in turn gives the Elders a little bit of company and a good meal, even if it is from a distance and a short time,” Kellie said.

Join Comprehensive Community Plan (CCP) Coordinator Samantha Gardiner to discuss your vision and dreams for the future of Qalipu First Nation. The creation of a CCP will set the direction for QFN over the next 50 years, so dream big, what do you want to see happen, what services would you like to see added or improved, what needs do you have that are not being met, how can Qalipu First Nation grow and fill gaps in our communities by meeting the needs of all members? Your participation in the creation of this plan is the most important aspect of the CCP, created by the people.

Please register for one of our first two digital sessions here https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FBZFR2D

The next meeting of Council will be held at 10 am on Thursday, July 23, 2020. At this meeting, Council will review the Audited Financial Statements for the Year Ending March 31, 2020. Salome Barker will also be sworn in as the new Youth Representative.

Due to Covid-19 restrictions, this meeting will be closed to members.

Emily Laite is a Mi’Kmaq youth from Gander who stays connected to her culture by attending band meetings and taking part in cultural days and activities. “There is still so much I don’t know about my culture,” said Emily. “I want to be able to learn about my culture and be able to pass it along to other members of the community for years to come.

For Emily being a Mi’kmaw youth means being a part of a greater community.  She said, “I am proud to live as a Mi’kmaw person and to be able to learn about my heritage and my culture from other members of my community.”

Emily has always taken part in meetings and cultural events over the years but plans to become more involved in her hometown of Gander now that she has finished her post-secondary education and is living home again.

Among her long list of accomplishments Emily is currently on the Board of Directors for the Atlantic Summer Institute, “that takes place in Prince Edward Island in which we do a lot of work with Indigenous people and their mental health,” she explained.

She is also on the Premier’s Youth Council where she has the opportunity to meet with the Premier and several ministers to discuss various topics, “I strive to not only represent youth in this role but also indigenous peoples; therefore, I advocate for different ways of thinking about topics such as mental health, education, and healthcare practices.”

When discussing Qalipu’s Comprehensive Community Plan, Emily said that a part of her vision for the future of Qalipu is that there will be more cultural activities held in Central Newfoundland, “to allow Band members to learn more about our culture and to become more involved,” she said. Right now, Emily said there are not many events held in her area that allow indigenous youth, such as herself, to learn and engage with Mi’kmaq culture.

Emily’s vision for the future of Qalipu also includes seeing initiatives put in place to teach Indigenous education island-wide, “this could involve children having access to resources to help them learn how to speak Mi’Kmaq and also to learn about their ancestors and cultural practices,” said Emily.

The Qalipu Cultural Foundation, along with a multitude of Indigenous community partners, is happy to report that the first-ever “virtual celebration” of National Indigenous Peoples Day was a huge success.  Thousands of people tuned into the online content from throughout the country and participants were happy to have the chance to connect to their culture and their community from anywhere with internet access.  The event was so well received in fact that even when face-to-face celebrations can resume, the planning team commits to offering a digital connection for years to come!

Qalipu Band Chief Brendan Mitchell commented on the positive aspect of the community working together during difficult times.  He said, “Witnessing our Nation finding a way to come together to celebrate and share was such a positive light during this unprecedented and unpredictable time.  This event demonstrates the strength of our community when we work together, and I hope to see many more virtual celebrations in the future.”

Content that was shared included a medicine bag teaching and tutorial, stories, messages from community members, song sharing and a bed-time story for the little ones.  If you missed the day, you can access all uploaded videos on the Qalipu First Nation Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/QalipuFirstNation/videos/

The Qalipu Cultural Foundation and Band would like to thank the following groups and individuals for taking part and sharing in the event:

St. John’s Mi’kmaq Women’s Circle
Michelle Bennett
Mi’kmaq Drumming and Cultural Circle, Inc.
Colleen Paul
Aspen Woodworks Demonstration
St. George’s Indian Band
Burgeo Band of Indians
Indian Cove Women’s Circle
Qalipu First Nation
Qalipu Youth Network
North Shore Aboriginal Group Inc
Dean Simon
Exploits Aboriginal Community Group
Tyrone Mulrooney
Benoit First Nation
Kikmanaq Indigenous Cultural Revival Association
People of the Dawn Indigenous Friendship Center
Newfoundland Aboriginal Women’s Network
Parks Canada

The Qalipu Cultural Foundation has partnered with Ulnooweg Indigenous Communities Foundation and the Mastercard Foundation to bring you this opportunity to win an iPad! If you’re a student struggling to afford an electronic device, please see below for more details including eligibility criteria and how to apply.

• Join ‘Comprehensive Community Plan’ Facebook Group to download the colouring page.
• Share your child’s completed art on social media with #CCPColouringContest.
• E-mail coloured image to sgardiner@qalipu.ca
• Your child could win one of three kids prize packs!

Click here to visit the Comprehensive Community Plan Group and participate in this colouring contest (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1707570856049539)