The next regular meeting of Chief and Council will take place on Saturday, September 23 at the Days Inn in Stephenville. The meeting is scheduled from 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and will be streamed live through the ginu membership portal.
To register to attend this meeting in person, please contact Suzanne at 709-643-5111
Youth in grades K-12 are invited to submit their original poem commemorating the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.
One poem will be selected to be read aloud at the gathering in Corner Brook on September 29th, and published in our weekly newsletter, Maw-pemita’jik Qalipu’k (the caribou are travelling together).
Submit your poem to lswift@qalipu.ca by 4:00 PM on September 22, 2023.
To recognize the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Qalipu First Nation will once again host a logo contest. This contest is open to both Indigenous and non-Indigenous children in Grades Kindergarten to Grade 12 within Canada. Contest submissions must be received by September 28th, 2023, 4:00pm NST.
The logo contest winner will receive a cheque for $250.00 as well as prizes including swag, books, and cultural supplies. In addition, the winner’s school will be presented with a donation of $500.00 towards their school breakfast program. The winning logo will also be featured on orange shirts produced by the band in time for next year’s National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.
Contest entries and the accompanying media release form signed by a parent/guardian must be received by September 28, 2023 at 4:00pm NST. All entries and media release forms must be scanned and emailed to communications@qalipu.ca, or mailed to:
Attn: Alison Muise
Qalipu First Nation
PO Box 460
St. George’s, NL
A0N 1Z0
Click on the link below for full contest details.
The Band is excited to share that starting this coming Tuesday, September 19 at 10:00 a.m. we will be live on air with Bay FM for the new radio talk show, Qalipu Today. The weekly recurring broadcast will feature guests from various members of the staff team along with our Chief, Band Manager, and community members. It will focus on a variety of topics relevant to the membership and broader Indigenous community including information about benefits, programs, and services, new projects, top news and all the latest about upcoming events and gatherings.
Listeners can tune in to Bay FM at 100.1 FM in the Corner Brook area or from anywhere by selecting “listen live” on the station’s website, www.bayfm.ca.
Past programs will also be available at www.bayfm.ca/player/podcasts.
Last year, Qalipu First Nation launched its first annual logo contest for the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation. Students across Canada from grades K-12 were invited to create artwork that represented the theme, goals and purpose of Truth and Reconciliation.
Kali Gill, a grade 9 student from Corner Brook Intermediate, was the winner of the 2022 logo contest whose prize included $250, books and cultural supplies, and a $500 donation to her school breakfast program. Kali would also have her winning logo featured on orange shirts produced by the Band the following year.
Kali explained her logo design and the impact of the residential school system on families and through generations.
“My artwork can be interpreted in different ways. It could show a mother remembering when her child was taken from her, or it could be a memory of herself as a survivor of the residential school. It represents the sadness and loss of so many innocent lives, like this little girl walking into the school with false hope. I drew the lady as an elder because even though time passes and we age, our teardrops hold memories that will never be forgotten.”
A limited number of orange shirts featuring Kali’s winning design now available for sale by calling Jason at 709-634-0411.
The shirts cost $15 each and all profit will be donated to an organization or charity that supports Truth and Reconciliation.
Keep an eye out for the 2023 logo contest which will be launched this week!
Kwe’
It’s a busy week for many with back-to-school activities in full swing! I’ve enjoyed seeing all the pictures of children looking sharp on their first day of school and seeing the hustle and bustle of buses and parents getting the kids to class as I drive into the office each morning. I pray for a good year for all the students of our communities, one filled with many opportunities to grow and learn.
At Qalipu First Nation we have a few events coming up that I would like to share with you.
We are setting out on a community tour to meet with members for something we’re calling Community Conversations. There are nine wards making up our territory, and more than 100 communities. Often, we pick central locations to hold meetings or community engagement but this fall, we’ve decided to set out to visit more people in more places, off the beaten path. The tour begins on Wednesday, September 20th in Port au Port East. From 6:30 to 8:00 PM members of our team will be on hand at the Twilight 50+ Club at 15 Hynes Rd. to share information about programs and services and hear from Band members on whatever they would like to talk about. We’ve never had a meeting in Port au Port East, and we hope to see a nice turnout of community members from the area.
Also coming up in the Bay St. George area is our Annual General Assembly scheduled for Sunday, September 24 from 2:00-4:00 PM at the Days Inn in Stephenville. Qalipu staff Departments will have information tables, and Indian Registration staff will offer free passport-style photos and take care of your SCIS renewal if needed. There will also be prize giveaways, music, a light lunch and an annual report that includes a presentation on the bands’ audited financial statements. I’m looking forward to gathering once again in Stephenville where we have always seen a nice crowd of people turn out when we visit.
Finally, I want to share some details with you about a community event that we’ll be co-hosting in Corner Brook on Sunday, October 22. The One Spirit Unity Run is an effort by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to advance Reconciliation by partnering with Indigenous communities and organizations for a community walk or run. Their vision is to create an event that fosters healing, Reconciliation, and understanding between Indigenous communities and all Canadians.
We were approached to host an event, one of 12 happening concurrently across Canada, and I was pleased to be able to partner in this positive step toward Reconciliation.
Participation in the event is free, however, there is an optional registration where donations can be made. All proceeds for the Corner Brook event will go towards our annual contributions to School Breakfast Programs across the territory.
Join the Qalipu First Nation team here:
https://raceroster.com/events/2023/77101/one-spirit-unity-run/register?team=569652
I encourage everyone to save the date and plan to come out in support of this great initiative.
Wela’lin
Chief Brendan
Qalipu First Nation invites band members in the Port au Port East area to meet them at the Twilight 50+ Club on September 20th at 6:30 PM. Staff members from all departments will be on hand to share information about programs and services, talk about upcoming opportunities, and gather feedback for the Band’s future direction.
Band Chief Brendan Mitchell noted that this is the beginning of a series of community gatherings that will move across the territory, visiting areas where the Band has not yet hosted a meeting.
“There are nine wards making up our territory, and more than 100 communities. Often, we pick central locations to hold meetings or community engagement but this fall, we’ve decided to set out to visit more people in more places, off the beaten path.”
The First Nation is hoping to meet many of its Band members on the community tour.
Additional details regarding dates and locations will be shared on the Band’s website www.qalipu.ca.
Qalipu’s Annual General Assembly will take place on Sunday, September 24, 2023, in Stephenville at the Days Inn from 2:00-4:00 PM. All Band members in the area are encouraged to attend.
Qalipu staff Departments (Environment and Natural Resources, Health, Housing, Education and Training, Culture, Tourism and Community Development) will have information tables, and Indian Registration staff will offer FREE passport-style photos and take care of your SCIS renewal if needed. There will also be prize giveaways, music, a light lunch and an annual report that includes a presentation on the bands’ audited financial statements.
There will also be a special door prize provided by a local artist!
Chief Brendan Mitchell and the team hope to see you there.
One of the greatest barriers to continuing education beyond high school is cost. Through Registered Education Savings Plans (RESPs) and the Canada Learning Bond (CLB), the Government of Canada can help youth aspire to attend post-secondary.
The Canada Learning Bond (CLB) is money that is deposited directly into a RESP from the Government of Canada. The initial payment is $500.00 for the first year the child (beneficiary) is eligible, plus $100 for each additional year of eligibility up to the age of 15, for a maximum of $2,000.00. Once a child turns 18, they can become a subscriber of their own RESP and request the CLB themselves, until the day before they turn 21. Children in care, for whom a Children’s Special Allowance is payable, are also eligible for the CLB.
Personal contributions are not required to receive the CLB. However, if you do make personal contributions to the RESP, the Government of Canada may match up to 20% as part of the Canada Education Savings Grant (CESG). The lifetime limit for the CESG is $7,200.
To be eligible for the CLB, the beneficiary must:
The primary caregiver of the beneficiary must:
If the beneficiary does not pursue post-secondary education, the CLB is returned to the Government.
Qalipu First Nation has a limited number of $500.00 participant bonuses for members, or children of members, who open a RESP and eligible for the Canada Learning Bond.
The process is easy, just contact Kevin Green, CLB Project Coordinator and he will support you through every step.
Contact Information:
Kevin Green – CLB Project Coordinator
Phone: (709)643-3191
Email: kgreen@qalipu.ca
Qalipu recently partnered with the Rural Development Network (RDN) to offer engagement sessions which took place this past week in Gander, Corner Brook and Stephenville. The intent of the sessions was to meet with Band members to gather information about housing needs and concerns and later use that information to compile statistics and data that will guide the band in program creation and assist in accessing additional housing funds.
Travis Hulan, Housing Development Officer for the band, provided some feedback about the sessions which he said were well-attended and incredibly valuable.
“It was inspiring and powerful to hear personal stories from members on their housing situations, and about homelessness in their communities. There’s so much we can do to help and that’s exactly what we intend to do.”
Travis noted that RDN will compile the information that was collected during the sessions and provide it to the band to use. H Qalipu will also continue working with the RDN to gather additional input from band members. One option being explored is the recruitment of community members to collect additional data from within their communities.
“This data will support our proposals for additional funds which, based on what we heard during these sessions, and the demand we have seen for funds from Qalipu’s Emergency Housing Program, are much needed.”
The band recently announced that funding for emergency home repairs has been exhausted under high demand while it continues to offer financial support for housing set-up and short-term accommodations.
Travis explained, “The Emergency Housing Set-Up fund alleviates homelessness by providing funding of up to $2000 for things such as first and last months rent, damage deposit and other costs associated with getting a residence established. Since the program was launched in May of this year, 49 band members have received financial support and are now housed.”
He added that many others have availed of funding under emergency short-term accommodations which provide for up to ten nights in a hotel.
For more information or to apply for the Emergency Housing Support Fund, please click here.
If you have questions or would like to provide feedback about housing in your community, please contact a member of the Housing Team:
HOUSING DEVELOPMENT OFFICER
Travis Hulan
709-634-3176
thulan@qalipu.ca
HOUSING PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT YOUTH INTERN
Jason Park
709-634-0411
jpark@qalipu.ca