A newspaper with the headline Important announcement

ANNOUNCEMENT: QALIPU UPDATED MEMBERSHIP

New Membership List

We wish to advise our membership that the updated Membership List has now been provided to us by INAC.  There are 22,251 members on this list which reflects the current membership in the Qalipu First Nation.

Removals from Indian Register

On August 31, 2018 individuals who did not meet the criteria for founding membership had their names deleted from the Indian Register.

Of the 10,400 individuals who were removed from the Founding Members list:

  • 7,658 individuals have been removed from the Indian Register

If you were removed, a letter from the Indian Register dated August 31, 2018 was sent to you advising of the deletion of your name from the Indian Register, which means:

  • You have lost your Indian Status
  • You are no longer eligible for services and benefits available to registered Indians
  • Your Secure Certificate of Indian Status (SCIS) card is no longer valid

Category Amendments in the Indian Register

2,742 individuals who were notified they were not eligible for Founding Membership have maintained registration via an automatic category amendment if they were card holders with a parent on the updated Founding Members list.   The letter dated August 31, 2018 confirms:

  • You have retained your registered Indian Status under a different provision of the Indian Act
  • You remain eligible for services and benefits available to registered Indians
  • Your Secure Certificate of Indian Status card remains valid

Letters Mailed on August 31, 2018

Letters regarding removals from the register and category amendments were mailed on August 31, 2018.  Individuals who remained on the updated Founding Members List will not receive confirmation in writing of such.

If you do not receive your letter by September 14, please contact the INAC Qalipu line at 1-800-561-2266 and let them know.

Protesting the Decision

If you do not agree with the decision rendered in your letter, you can submit a protest.  Protests must be submitted within three (3) years of the date of your decision letter.  The notice of protest must be submitted in writing to the Indian Registrar:

Protest Unit
Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada
10, rue Wellington
Gatineau, QC
K1A 0H4

It is the responsibility of the protester to firmly establish the grounds on which their protest is based and must clearly indicate how they believe the Indian Act was misinterpreted, or what evidence they believe the Registrar overlooked in reaching the decision.

The Registrar will not consider protests if there is no clear indication that the registration provisions of the Indian Act were incorrectly applied or interpreted.

Please see the protest page on the department website for more information.

Address Change-Instructions

If your address has changed, please call the INAC Qalipu Line at 1-800-561-2266.  You can also send a signed letter by fax to 1-204-984-3032.  Make sure to include:

  • Your full name
  • Your date of birth
  • Your registration number or file number from INAC, if available (found at the upper-right corner of a letter from the Enrolment Committee)
  • Your previous and new mailing address
  • The effective date of your address change
  • Phone number
  • Any other information you would like to update (e.g., name, gender, marital status, typos etc.)

New Members-Additions to the Indian Register

5,096 new Founding Members were added to the Indian Registry.  Letters regarding new membership were mailed on July 31, 2018.

All new members will be added to the ginu membership database in the near future. We will notify you when this has been completed.

Please see below for information on applying for you Secure Certificate of Indian Status.

Children of Founding Members

Children of Founding Members are eligible to apply for Indian Status under the Indian Act.

Please note, if you were registered previously and your parent remains a Founding Member, you will not have to reapply.  You will automatically receive a category amendment and maintain your active Indian Status under a different provision of the Indian Act.  Letters regarding category amendments were mailed on August 31, 2018.

Applying for your Card (Secure Certificate of Indian Status, or SCIS)

The application forms can be found on the INAC website here: https://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1462806841047/1462806896945

You may also seek assistance at any of our office locations by calling the Indian Registration Administrator Charmaine Bath (appointments in Glenwood and Grand Falls-Windsor offices), or SCIS Clerk Jody Davis (Corner Brook, St. George’s and Stephenville Offices).

Charmaine Bath: cbath@qalipu.ca or call (709) 679-2142, toll free (NL only) 1-855-263-6440

Jody Davis: jdavis@qalipu.ca or call (709) 634-4010

Please Note: We are experiencing a high demand for the application of SCIS cards.  For instance, appointment times in Corner Brook, Stephenville and St. George’s are booked up through September, and we are making appointments for October.

We kindly ask that callers not leave more than one voicemail and be patient as Charmaine and Jody make their way through hundreds of voicemails and return your call.

Remember, you do not need your card to access services and benefits.  Your letter confirming registration can be used for up to 12 months from the date that it was issued.

Electors List

We have used the updated membership list to generate our electors list for the upcoming Qalipu election.  If you are or will be 18 on the date of the election (October 23, 2018), you are a new member, a member who received a category amendment or a continuing Founding Member, you are eligible to vote in the election.

It is possible that some errors could have occurred with a large membership list, and with category amendments.  Please let us know if you feel your name should be on the voters list but isn’t.

We are working on adding Wards to the Electors List so that members can confirm they are listed in the correct Electoral Ward.  If you are not listed in the correct Electoral Ward, we can update that before the election.  We will post the Electors List with Wards added in the near future.

Email the Electoral Officer at election@qalipu.ca

Find the Elector’s List here: https://qalipu.ca/qalipu/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Voters-List.pdf

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2017-2018 Annual Report

The Qalipu First Nation is pleased to share its Annual Report for the 2017-2018 fiscal year. This report contains the audited financial statements, gives an overview of all activities of Qalipu’s service areas including Education and Training, Culture and Heritage, Tourism, Member Services, Health, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development. The report provides insight into our Strategic Plan, and the 2018 Election and includes messages from the Chief and Band Manager.

The content of this report, and more, will be presented at the upcoming Annual General Assembly. This meeting, open to all members of the Band, will take place on September 15 at 1:30-4:00 at the Parish Hall in St. George’s. Copies of the report will be available at the meeting. Members are reminded to bring their Secure Card of Indian Status to register upon arrival.

Click here to view the 2017-2018 Annual Report

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Notice of Call for Nominations: Qalipu First Nation Band Election

In accordance with the Custom Rules Governing Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation Band Elections, nominations are invited for the positions of Chief, Central Vice Chief, Western Vice Chief, and Councilor for each of the following Electoral Wards: Flat Bay, St. George’s, Stephenville, Port au Port, Benoit’s Cove, Corner Brook, Exploits, Glenwood, Gander Bay.

Nomination forms are available for download below, and are available at the Band office at 3 Church Street, Corner Brook. A nonrefundable fee of $25.00 shall be submitted with the nomination papers in the form of cash, money order, bank draft or certified cheque. The deadline for nominations is September 12, 2018. Nominations received by that date at the Band office will be considered as filed with the Electoral Officer for purposes of the Band Election to be held on October 23, 2018.

Members can view the Electoral Voters List at the Corner Brook Office, at the office of the Electoral Officer or linked below, to confirm their eligibility to vote.

Carol Lahey
Chief Electoral Officer
Suite 313
93 West Street
Corner Brook, NL
A2H 2Y6

Click here to view the electors’ list

See below for links to view the Nomination Forms

Chief
Central Region Vice-Chief
Western Region Vice-Chief
Benoit’s Cove
Corner Brook
Exploits
Flat Bay
Gander Bay
Glenwood
Port au Port
St. George’s
Stephenville

The word NEWS written in vintage wooden letterpress type in a wooden type drawer.

Announcement: Appointment of Electoral Officer for Qalipu Election 2018

We wish to advise our members that the Qalipu Chief and Council have appointed Carol Lahey to the position of Electoral Officer.  In this role, Carol will  administer the upcoming Band Election in accordance with the Custom Rules Governing the Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation Band Elections.

Carol Lahey was a Deputy Electoral Officer in both the 2012 and 2015 Qalipu elections, and as such has become proficient in her understanding of our election process, rules and procedure.  She also brings with her experience working in both provincial and federal elections.

We look forward to another successful election in 2018.

To reach Carol, please email election@qalipu.ca

or call 709-634-7823

The Election Office is located at:
Suite 313
93 West Street
Corner Brook, NL
A2H 2Y6

Junior Police Accademy Featured Image

Junior Police Academy – 2018

The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary and Qalipu First Nation partnered to host the Junior Police Academy program held at Killdevil Camp and Conference Centre from August 7th to August 10th.  This program provides youth with opportunities to learn from community leaders, connect with nature and be immersed in culture. It is intended to foster social growth, promote healthy lifestyle choices and build positive relationships.

This year’s Junior Police Academy welcomed 52 children to camp where they participated in a range of activities and learning sessions including singing, drumming, rattle-making and ceremony. A cultural campfire, with roasted bannock and freshly steeped Labrador tea, was a welcomed treat for all!

Culture Gems Group Activity Officer

Cultural Session at Grenfell Campus

Cultural Session at Grenfell Campus

Grenfell Campus hosted 24 students and their chaperones from Sugiyama Jogakuen University (Nagoya, Japan) from August 6th to August 24th.  As part of their immersion learning, Qalipu First Nation offered a Mi’kmaq cultural session to share songs, stories and cultural traditions with the students, providing a deeper understanding of place.

Nature Conservancy Canada

Qalipu Celebrates New Nature Reserve

On Friday, August 17th, the newly established 79-hectare Barachois Brook Nature Reserve was announced by Nature Conservancy of Canada staff and Goudie Hutchings, Member of Parliament for Long Range Mountains. In acknowledgement of the historical and cultural significance of this land, traditional knowledge and music was shared.

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Announcement: Qalipu to hold Annual General Assembly

Please be advised that the Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation Band will hold its Annual General Assembly (AGA) to discuss the activities of the Band for the fiscal year of 2017-18. The AGA will be held on September 15 at 1:30 pm in St. George’s at the Parish Hall. All members are invited to attend and are reminded that their registration number will be required to sign in. The Annual Report will be published on our website, and copies will be available at the meeting. For your reference, please find a copy of our 2017-18 audited financial statements, which will be presented at the AGA, here: https://qalipu.ca/reports-and-financial-statements/

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Ktaqmkuk Mi’kmaq Place Names Project: Please Contribute Your Photos, Videos and Stories to our NEW Interactive Map!

Throughout Mi’kma’ki (traditional Mi’kmaq lands), places were often named to describe landscape features, to aid in navigation, and to locate specific resources.  Names like Pilmuipke’katik (where mint grows along the brook) speak to a traditional way of naming lands and water features that was useful and practical for the people of the day.

The Ktaqmkuk Place Names Project aims to capture and record this information, these place names and what they mean, for our knowledge, and for future generations.  In this way, we better understand who we are, and where we come from.

The Ktaqmkuk Place Names Project has been evolving since the Federation of Newfoundland Indians (FNI) first Traditional Use Study in 1999, and through subsequent TUS completed by both the FNI and Qalipu.  Recently, Qalipu partnered with the College of the North Atlantic and Memorial University’s Grenfell Campus to compile information into an interactive map which includes more than eighty place names collected from community members.  The map includes translations, Mi’kmaq pronunciations, and other information which is now available on our website.  We encourage you to have some fun exploring the map which you can find linked below.

As an extension to this project, we would like to make the map more interactive by adding photos, videos, audio and stories.

Are you from Nujio’qon (St. George’s) and have a story to tell about this place, the earliest recorded Mi’kmaq settlement on the island?

Or maybe you’ve spent time on the country and have pictures to share of Sko’pa’qan Pim’tin (Lookout Mountain).  What about the little-known community of Nanetetig (Muddy Hole)?

We would love to hear from you on this next phase of the Ktaqmkuk Mi’kmaq Place Names Project.  Please get in touch!

Please contact:

Nicole Travers
ntravers@qalipu.ca
tel. (709) 634-3856

Click Here to view the Ktaqmkuk Interactive Place Names Map