St. George’s Community Session Report
New Dates Added – End of Enrolment Community Sessions
The Qalipu First Nation and the Federation of Newfoundland Indians will be hosting nine community sessions during February and March 2017. The community sessions are being arranged to provide members and applicants with an opportunity to receive information about the enrolment process and to raise questions and concerns. The agenda for the community sessions will be structured as follows:
- Opening prayer and welcoming remarks
- History of the enrolment file
- Present status of the enrolment file
- Appeals process overview
- Questions and answers
Chief Mitchell, who will be accompanied by Elders and the Qalipu Ward Councillor, will lead the community sessions. Information will also be shared with members and applicants regarding support services that are available to help them through this difficult time.
The next round of community sessions will take place from February 19 – March 7, 2017 as per the following schedule:
| Community | Where? | When? |
|
Benoits Cove
|
Town Hall | Feb 19, 2017 @ 7:00 pm |
|
St. John’s
|
Innovation Hall, Room IIC2001 at the Bruneau Centre for Research and Innovation
|
Feb 22, 2017 @ 5:00 pm |
|
Gambo
|
Smallwood Interpretation Centre | Feb 25, 2017 @ 2:00 pm |
|
Appleton
|
Appleton Recreation Centre | Feb 25, 2017 @ 7:00 pm |
|
Grand Falls-Windsor
|
Mount Peyton Hotel
Newfoundland Room |
Feb 26, 2017 @ 2:00 pm |
|
Corner Brook
|
Pepsi Centre (Room 2) |
Feb 27, 2017 @ 7:00 pm |
|
Port Saunders
|
Recreation Centre |
March 5, 2017 @ 2:00 pm |
|
Burgeo |
Jolly 50 Plus Club Main Street
|
March 7, 2017 @ 7:00 pm |
|
Gambo |
Smallwood Interpretation Centre |
March 12, 2017 @ 2:00 pm |
|
Appleton |
Appleton Recreation Centre
|
March 12, 2017 @ 7:00 pm |
For more information regarding the community events, please contact:
Mabel MacDonald, 634-5111 or email mmacdonald@qalipu.ca
Information on Criteria of Group Acceptance through Residency
End of Enrolment Community Sessions
The Qalipu First Nation and the Federation of Newfoundland Indians will be hosting nine community sessions during February and March 2017. The community sessions are being arranged to provide members and applicants with an opportunity to receive information about the enrolment process and to raise questions and concerns. The agenda for the community sessions will be structured as follows:
- Opening prayer and welcoming remarks
- History of the enrolment file
- Present status of the enrolment file
- Appeals process overview
- Questions and answers
- Closing prayer
Chief Mitchell, who will be accompanied by Elders and the Qalipu Ward Councillor, will lead the community sessions. Information will also be shared with members and applicants regarding support services that are available to help them through this difficult time.
The first round of community sessions will take place from February 13 – 16, 2017 as per the following schedule:
| Date | Time | Community | Meeting Location |
| Feb 13, 2017 | 7:00 pm | Flat Bay | Flat Bay Band Office |
| Feb 14, 2017 | 7:00 pm | Port au Port East | Port aux Port Leisure Club |
| Feb 15, 2017 | 7:00 pm | St. Georges | Ktaqmkuk Mi’kmaq Museum |
| Feb 16, 2017 | 7:00 pm | Stephenville | Lions Den |
Community sessions will also be held in Corner Brook, Grand Falls-Windsor, Appleton, Gander Bay, and Hawkes Bay. Further details on these sessions will be released in the coming days.
For more information regarding the community events, please contact:
Mabel MacDonald, 634-5111 or email mmacdonald@qalipu.ca
End of Enrolment Support
On January 31, 2017, approximately 101,000 letters were mailed to applicants, including current members, informing them of the decision of the Enrolment Committee. All those who have applied for membership, except those previously rejected, will learn if they are eligible or ineligible for Founding Membership and next steps.
Applicants and current members are advised that the first point of contact for information regarding the end of enrolment decision letters, questions about the appeal process, and to make a request for a copy of your applicant record, is the Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation help line at 1-800-561-2266.
At Qalipu First Nation, we are doing everything we can to offer support for our members and applicants. We have put in place an End of Enrolment Support Team including Enrolment Assistants that will be available to take your call or meet with you in one of our five office locations – St. George’s, Stephenville, Corner Brook, Glenwood and Grand Falls-Windsor.
Applicants with the right to appeal the decision of the Enrolment Committee are reminded that our Enrolment Assistants cannot file an appeal for you. However, they will be available to do the following:
- Provide general information regarding the appeals process.
- Provide general information regarding the enrolment process.
- Help you to understand your decision letter.
To contact our End of Enrolment Support Team:
Flat Bay (709) 647-1370
St. George’s (709) 647-3514
Glenwood (855) 263-6440
Grand Falls-Windsor (709) 489-2898
Stephenville (709) 643-3774
Corner Brook 1-844-368-7160
(709) 634-4010
Toll Free 1-855-263-6440 or 1-844-368-7160.
We ask that you keep in mind that these individuals are here to help provide support; they are not involved in the processing, or decision, of your application.
For more information including End of Enrolment and appeals related Questions & Answers, the history of the Mi’kmaq movement in Newfoundland, Messages from the Chief, the Agreements and related documents that are referenced in your decision letter, please visit our website www.qalipu.ca. Once on the site, a pop-up will appear containing all available information.
Qalipu First Nation 2017 Traditional Land Use Study
Qalipu First Nation will be conducting interviews in communities along the south shore of the Bay of Islands from January 30th to February 24th. The purpose of these interviews is to gather information from Qalipu members about their experiences on the land. Topics will include hunting, fishing, gathering, farming and camping. This study will document how Qalipu First Nation Band members traditionally interacted with their environment and will allow for the preservation of this valuable information for future generations.
To participate in an interview, individuals must be Qalipu Band members and at least 18 years of age.
Please contact Project Coordinator, Sara Leah Hindy, at shindy@qalipu.ca or 634-9653 if you would like to participate in this study.
North American Indigenous Games Team 2017 Looking for Athletes
The North American Indigenous Games(NAIG) is the largest continental sporting and cultural gathering of Indigenous people, welcoming more than 5,000 athletes, 2,000 volunteers and a number of spectators and dignitaries from across North America. The City of Toronto will be Host to this years NAIG that will take place from July 16 – 23, 2017.
BSG Aboriginal Sport and Recreation Circle is planning to enter teams (male and female) in the sports bolded below:
| SPORT | AGE CATEGORY | YEARS OF BIRTH |
| Archery | 16U, 19U | 2001 & later, 1998 & later |
| Athletics | 14U, 16U, 19U | 2003 & later, 2001 & later, 1998 & later |
| Badminton | 16U, 19U | 2001 & later, 1998 & later |
| Baseball (Male) | 17U | 2000 & later |
| Basketball | 14U, 16U, 19U | 2003 & later, 2001 & later, 1998 & later |
| Boxing1 | 17-18, 16 can upgrade | 2000-1999, 2001 upgrade |
| Canoe/Kayak | 14U, 16U, 19U | 2003 & later, 2001 & later, 1998 & later |
| Box Lacrosse (Female TBD)2 | 16U, 19U | 2001& later, 1998 & Later |
| Golf | 16U, 19U | 2001 & later, 1998 & Later |
| Rifle Shooting | 16U, 19U | 2001 & later, 1998 & Later |
| Soccer | 16U, 19U | 2001 & later, 1999 & later |
| Softball | 16U, 19U | 2001 & later, 1998 & Later |
| Swimming | 14U, 16U, 19U | 2003 & later, 2001 & later, 1998 & later |
| Volleyball | U16, 19U | 2001 & later, 1998 & Later |
| Wrestling | 16-18, 15 can upgrade | 2001–1999, 2002 upgrade |
If you are interested in trying out for our NAIG team, please check out the application which can be found hereNote: For volleyball, we will only be sending U19 teams (male and female).
For more information contact:
St. George’s Ward Councilor
Arlene Blanchard White
ablanchard-white@qalipu.ca
2015 Qalipu Mi’Kmaq First Nation Green Team (Green Crab project) to be featured on new TV show: EcoVision
The Conservation Corps Newfoundland and Labrador’s (CCNL) has a new TV show, EcoVision, and our youth will be on it!
Each episode of EcoVision has 4-6 short segments about the exciting environmental action happening right here in Newfoundland and Labrador. The segment about the Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation’s initiative is in Episode 4: Ocean Protection. The premiere for this episode is Tuesday, February 14th at 8:00pm on ROGERStv St. John’s. After the initial premiere, our episode will screen another 12 times throughout the week of its release (February 14th – February 21st).
For those outside of the St. John’s area: EcoVision will air cross-island (Gander – GFW- Corner Brook areas) on Saturdays @ 12:00 p.m. / Sunday @ 2:30 p.m. ROGERStv and Rogers subscribers can also stream content live online at www.rogerstv.com. All they have to do is enter their MyRogers account information on the main page. In addition, after each initial premiere week, full episodes will be made available for free on CCNL’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/CCNLvideo
Click here for a short video promoting the show on Facebook, and spread the word about our appearance on EcoVision!
https://www.facebook.com/ccnl.ca/videos/10158054809730611/
Video: Chief Mitchell talks Enrolment at Corner Brook Café
Earlier this week, Qalipu Chief Brendan Mitchell sat down with Wendy Woodland at Corner Brook Café to talk about the upcoming conclusion of the Qalipu enrolment process; at the end of January, 101,000 letters will be mailed out to applicants, including current members, outlining the decision of the Enrolment Committee and next steps.
While the enrolment process may be at an end, the story of our people is far from over. Click play on the video below to hear Chief Mitchell talk about the process he inherited when he was elected to lead the Nation in 2015, what he’s been doing to represent our people at the table with Canada, and how he feels about the too often unkind commentary that is dividing the people on social media.