The next regular meeting of Council will be held on August 26 at 9:00 AM in Corner Brook at the Qalipu Community Room.  To register please contact Mabel MacDonald at 634-5111 or email mmacdonald@qalipu.ca

Qalipu First Nation is pleased to announce that it will be offering the Dancers and Drummers of the New Dawn program at the Bay St. George Cultural Center from August 28^th to 31^st. This program will help raise awareness on the issues of violence and bullying through a mix of educational presentations, cultural activities, and teachings in drumming and dance. In turn, youth will be provided with opportunities to gain valuable knowledge, engage in cultural practices, form friendships, and feel empowered.

Background

• DDOND began as a concept to empower youth to become advocates for healthy relationships. This would be achieved through a combination of information sessions, cultural teachings and lessons in dancing and drumming.
• Last summer, the first phase of this program, DOND, was implemented. Girls, ages 11-15*, learned valuable information about violence and bullying, participated in cultural activities and learned fancy shawl dancing.
• This summer, we have added a drumming component to the program and are inviting applicants of any gender to register. We also hope to extend the program from two days to four, providing more opportunities for learning and interaction among our youth participants.

 

To express your interest in participating in this program, please call Sarah Leah Hindy at 634-9653 or email shindy@qalipu.ca.  To access the registration form, please click here

Qalipu provides the support, preapprovals, processing and payment for all Medical Transportation Benefits for members of the Band in Atlantic Canada who are travelling for medical reasons.

Medical Transportation is one of the benefits of the Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) program, a health plan which all members of Qalipu, and other First Nations and Inuit in Canada, are eligible to receive.  This benefit provides financial compensation, based on rates set by Health Canada, for the cost of travel, meals, and accommodations for members with a health condition requiring travel to locations outside their communities to receive necessary medical services.

Qalipu began administering the benefit last year with a six-month pilot in the Glenwood Ward, and has since expanded the delivery to include all members living in Atlantic Canada who are travelling for medical reasons within Canada.

Jenna Osmond, Manager of the Qalipu Health Division said the move to administer the benefit to all members living in Atlantic Canada was a big piece of work but, that it’s going smoothly.

“After the expansion, the demand for service enhanced significantly.  To keep up, we hired another Data Entry Clerk.  With more than 20,000 members living in the region, our health team is busy!”

Osmond noted that many members are calling to ask for their claims within days or a couple of weeks of sending it in.  She added that while returns may happen sooner, the standard for processing claims is 6-8 weeks.

She said, “Members should wait the full 8 weeks before calling the office to ask if their claim has been processed.  This will allow our team to focus on processing claims rather than responding a high volume of calls.”

Members are reminded that all Medical Transportation Benefit claims are to be sent to Qalipu’s Corner Brook office.  Claims sent elsewhere will be redirected back to the Corner Brook office which will likely cause a delay.  Members should also be aware that they are required to sign up for Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) to receive payment on their claims.  Find these details, and other important facts regarding the Medical Transportation Benefit by reading the Medical Transportation Benefit Fact Sheet and Useful Links

For more information, please contact a member of the Non-Insured Health Benefits team at 1-855-675-5743

At the June 10 meeting of Council in Corner Brook it was decided that Ward Councilor’s would seek recommendations from their communities to establish an Elders Advisory Council.  The Elders Advisory Council will ideally consist of individuals who are respected and engaged in their communities and are able to represent a broad range of voices when the Band is making important decisions, planning events, delivering programs and identifying & developing key initiatives.

We need your help to help identify the elders in our communities who could be a representative on the Elders Advisory Council. While these individuals can be Elders in the traditional sense of the word, they can also be an elder that you see as a strong community leader who is involved in one or more active community groups, who communicates well with others.

With their permission, you are invited to make a recommendation on who you would like to have representing the communities in your Ward.  Please contact your Ward Councilor to make the recommendation.  Click here to find your Ward Councilor and their email address

When the Council meets again in August, they will discuss the feedback received from this request, and determine how to move forward with this initiative and the establishment of the Elders Advisory Council.

Sign up Now! Experience Qalipu presents Petroglyph Paint Night with Host Marcus Gosse.

A paint night with a cultural twist.  Join Marcus as he leads you through a discovery of ancient Mi’kmaq petroglyphs, and then have fun incorporating them into your own painting.  You will leave with your own beautiful piece of art.

Corner Brook, July 20 at 6:30 PM in the Qalipu Community Room

 St. George’s, July 27 at 6:30 PM in the Mi’kmaq Museum

 Stephenville, August 3 at 6:30 PM at 90 Main Street.

 Cost is $40 per person, all materials included.

To register, contact Tara Saunders at tsaunders@qalipu.ca or call 709-634-5972

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A group of exceptional young athletes from Newfoundland and Labrador will represent our province in competition with teams from across North America, at the North American Indigenous Games this July 16-23 in Toronto.

Team NL, a group of 90 representing the province’s four indigenous groups; Inuit, Innu, Metis and Mi’kmaq, will compete in volley ball, swimming, badminton, athletics, wrestling and rifle shooting.

Mike Alexander, Regional Coordinator of the Aboriginal Sports and Recreation Circle in Newfoundland, said that some members of the team are returning athletes who won medals at the 2014 games in Regina but noted, “there are a lot of new faces as well.  They are all exceptional athletes.”

Best of luck to Team NL and have fun at the games!

Culinary Tourism Training Opportunity

A great proportion of visitors to Newfoundland and Labrador are looking for unique opportunities to connect to place and people.   As a people food has been much more then just something that we eat, it is something that sustains a way of life in NL.  Our traditions of food gathering and preparation have deeply connected us to the land and sea for centuries.  So the great question now is how do you make sure that every visitor that comes to NL gets a little of who you are as a people through a unique experience.

Join Lori McCarthy, award-winning owner of Cod Sounds who will share with you her story of growth and development as one of the top “foodie” experiences in Newfoundland and Labrador.  Over the course of the day Lori will engage you in an actually food experience and use that as the basis for larger discussions on how you can capture and tell your story to visitors through food.

When: July 10^th, 2017

Where:  Corner Brook Qalipu Community Room, with an outdoor excursion to a neighbouring Bay of Islands community

Space is extremely limited.  For more information, or to sign-up, contact Tara Saunders at tsaunders@qalipu.ca or 709-634-5972

*Preference will be given to current tourism operators or those who are currently developing tourism products and  those who can demonstrate the greatest need for the training