Skills Link BSG Flyer_edited

Skills Link “Ready to Work” program

College of the North Atlantic is offering a 13-week Skills Link “Ready to Work” program. This program
includes 6 weeks of paid classroom training and 7 weeks of paid on-the-job training. Students are
also eligible for a $150 Completion Bonus upon successful attendance and participation.

This program will provide students the opportunity to improve their employability skills with
Professional and Personal Development seminars, Job Search Skills, and Introduction to Computers.
This program will help students recognize and build personal management skills required to transition
to the workforce. Students will become certified in Emergency First Aid, WHMIS 2015, and Back Injury
Prevention. Students will have the opportunity to explore career choices, develop job search tools such
as a resume and cover letter, and participate in a supported job search. Students will then participate in
an on-the-job training session for at least 24 hours per week over a period of 7 weeks.

Entrance Requirements: Students must be:
• between the ages of 15 and 30 (inclusive) at the time of intake/selection;
• facing barriers to employment;
• Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or persons who have been granted refugee status in Canada;
• legally entitled to work according to the relevant provincial/territorial legislation and regulations; and
• not in receipt of Employment Insurance (EI) benefits.
* Open to applicants who have or have not completed high school and meet the requirements
listed above.

Start Date: October 9, 2018**
Location: Bay St. George campus
Registration Deadline: September 10, 2018

**This program will be offered pending sufficient enrollment.

For further information, please contact:
Gail Dober at 709 643 7749, gail.dober@cna.nl.ca or
Deborah Jennings at 709 643 7825, deborah.jennings@cna.nl.ca

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Indigenous Stories Beyond Borders

Indigenous_Stories-Poster

The Canadian Museum of History is currently inviting members of First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities to contribute their stories and oral histories to an upcoming exhibition about the international experiences of Indigenous peoples.

Indigenous Stories Beyond Borders (the exhibition’s working title) will highlight the perspectives of groups and individuals that have travelled the world as diplomats, warriors/soldiers, performers, artists, scholars and athletes, over many centuries.

Please check out their poster for more details

Nominations Close Tomorrow! Ulnooweg Awards

Ulnooweg is pleased to announce we will be hosting our Awards Show in Corner Brook, NL on September 20th, 2018.
Nominations are now open and will remain open until August 3rd.
We have successfully developed online nomination forms for our upcoming Award Show.
Please note the life time achievement award has it’s own link, and please nominate someone you think deserves this award.

Lifetime achievement:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2018lifetimeawards (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2018lifetimeawards)

Award nominations:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2018ulnoowegawards (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2018ulnoowegawards)

Sponsorship:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/awardssponsorship (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/awardssponsorship)

Filing folder featuring health benefits tab

Notice of Rate Increase, Non-Insured Health Benefits

The Health division wishes to advise members that Indigenous Services Canada has initiated a rate increase for mobility and self-care aids, effective June 18, 2018.  Please see below for a table representing these changes.

For more information on your Non-Insured Health Benefits, eligibility, and to find the forms you need to make a claim for reimbursement, please visit our website at https://qalipu.ca/health/non-insured-health-benefits/

Please remember, Qalipu is only processing claims related to the Medical Transportation Benefit.  All other claims must be sent to Health Canada.

Item Description Item Code Recommended

Replacement Guideline

Price

(Up to)

Bath Chair 99400295 5 years $90.00
Commode, Standard 99400296 5 years $115.00
Elevated toilet seat, standard 99400298 3 years $52.84
Elevated Toilet Seat with

Arms

99400299 3 years $90.00
Floor to Ceiling Pole 99400321 Lifetime $330.00
Grab Bar Tub (non-

permanent)

99400649 3 years $66.00
Grab Bar-Bed Purchase 99400322 10 years $110.00
Mat, tub, non-slip 99400301 2 years $25.61
Safety Frame for Toilet 99400302 5 years $67.00
Tub Transfer Bench 99400304 5 years $165.00
Walker Standard Purchase 99400338 5 years $121.80
Walker Wheeled Purchase 99400340 5 years $350.00
Wheel Chair Manual Purchase 99200349 5 years $850.00
businessman working on Desk office business financial accounting calculate, Graph analysis

Audited Financial Statements for the 2017-2018 Fiscal Year

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 in St. George’s on September 15. Our auditor and comptroller will be on hand to present the statements and answer questions at that time.

Please click here to view the Audited Financial Statements for the 2017-2018 Fiscal Year

St. Anne's 2018

St. Anne’s Day Celebration 2018

On July 26, the Qalipu First Nation partnered with Sacred Heart Church and the Corner Brook Aboriginal Women’s Association (CBAWA) to celebrate St. Anne’s Day. St. Anne, the mother of Mary and grandmother of Jesus, is the patron Saint of the Mi’kmaq people.

The Eucharistic Celebration was presided by Father Jim Robertson, with the CBAWA providing a smudging and sharing songs. Following the service, the parishioners were invited to a feast provided by the Qalipu First Nation at St. Mary’s Anglican Church Hall where Father Leonard blessed the meal.

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Photo caption: (L-R) MFN Councilor Corey John, Qalipu Chief Brendan Mitchell, AFN National Chief Perry Bellegarde, MFN Chief Mi’sel Joe

Message from the Chief- July 31, 2018

Kwe’

I’m pleased to greet you today, back home in Newfoundland after a visit to Canada’s west coast for the 39th Annual General Assembly of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) in Vancouver.   The AFN represents some 900,000 First Nations people in Canada, across hundreds of communities and I’m pleased to say that the Qalipu First Nation, and its membership, is now a part of that family.

Acceptance into the AFN is a significant moment for our First Nation.  This move will allow the Band to have a strong national voice and become a part of the wider First Nation community in Canada, sharing ideas and learning from the experiences of other First Nations.

I would like to acknowledge those who supported this positive step forward including Chief Mi’sel Joe of the Miawpukek First Nation (MFN) who brought forward the resolution to admit Qalipu into the AFN, and Corey John, MFN Councilor, who seconded the resolution and voted under the Glenwood proxy.  I wish to also thank MFN Vice-Chief Shayne MacDonald for his valued assistance.  Qalipu was also strongly supported by our Regional Chief Morley Googoo.  Chief Googoo represents Newfoundland and Nova Scotia on the AFN, and we will welcome him for a visit in Corner Brook this fall.

For members who may be wondering who the Assembly of First Nations is, and what they stand for, I encourage you to check out this video What is the AFN?

I would be remiss not to extend my sincere thanks to Chief Robert Bertrand and the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples (CAP), the national organization with whom both the Federation of Newfoundland Indians (FNI) and Qalipu have been affiliated with for many years.  CAP supported our people and communities through a variety of programs and services and helped us on our journey to achieve recognition.

August 31 will mark a disappointing event for our people as 10,500 may be losing their status.  I am disappointed with the treatment of these members, particularly those who are living away from our communities for no other reason than to find employment and better their lives.  Qalipu continues to press government to change their decision and to allow our members to retain their status at this time.  Qalipu First Nation has upheld the decision of the Newfoundland Supreme Court on the Benoit case, and has written to the Minister imploring that the Federal Government allow not just the six plaintiffs impacted by this case, but all members to retain their Indian Status.

This fall will be a busy time for the Qalipu First Nation as we prepare for our Annual General Assembly on September 15.  This Assembly will be hosted in St. George’s and we hope to see many of you make it to this special annual event.  As well, our election for Chief and Councilors is just around the corner and is set to take place on October 23, 2018.  Our Election Reform Committee has been working effectively to make improvements to the election process based on feedback we received following the last election.  Please keep an eye on our website for more information, including the Amendment Vote to change our Custom Rules, and to sign up for mail-in ballots if you will have difficulty making it to the polls.

Before all that, let’s head out for one more Newfoundland Mawio’mi.  It was a wonderful time in Exploits, Conne River and Flat Bay and now, it’s time to head to Burgeo to participate in their first ever Colour and Culture Mawio’mi.  This event will be held on August 18 and I hope to see you all there!

I wish you all the best, and am sending my prayers for health, wellness and happiness all summer long.

 

Wela’lin

Chief Brendan Mitchell

Learn to Camp Program an Experience to Remember

Learn to Camp Program an Experience to Remember

On June 20th, Qalipu First Nation and the Norpen Aboriginal Women’s Circle joined Parks Canada to provide a historically and culturally rich Learn-to Camp experience at Port au Choix’s Historic Site. Here, families gathered on grounds steeped in 6000 years of history, to share in a camping experience anchored in the same barren land and rugged coastline, sculpted by the wild and bountiful ocean, that has called people to this space from time immemorial.

As a family of caribou grazed in the distance, people of all ages found themselves immersed in the richness of nature and togetherness, sharing in art, storytelling, food, songs and ceremony. With the setting of the sun, campers gathered in a circle to celebrate new experiences, new friends, and shared moments in this magical place and the sounds of an incredible Learn-to Camp experience could be heard in the singing and drumming carried by the wind.

Parks Canada’s Lean-to Camp program is a nation-wide initiative to provide opportunity for Canadians to engage in a camping experience that connects them to natural and cultural heritage.  This has been the first Indigenous focused Learn-to Camp event in the province.

Breaking news

Qalipu Becomes Member of the Assembly of First Nations

July 26, 2018

Today in Vancouver at the 39th Annual General Assembly of the Assembly of First Nations, the Qalipu First Nation was accepted as a member of this national group that represents some 900,000 First Nation citizens in Canada. Chief Mi’sel Joe of the Miawpukek First Nation brought forward the resolution to accept Qalipu into the Assembly, seconded by Miawpukek Councilor Corey John who voted under the Glenwood proxy.

In an email to the Qalipu Council following this significant moment, Chief Mitchell wrote “I am pleased to inform you that Qalipu First Nation was accepted into the Assembly of First Nations just a few moments ago. This is a significant and important move for us as we now take our rightful place with other First Nations in Canada. I have to acknowledge the incredible support provided by Chief Joe, Shayne MacDonald, Corey John and Regional Chief Morley Googoo. I want to add that we had full support from National Chief Perry Bellegarde and the Atlantic Provincial Chiefs. I am also thankful for the decades of support that we received from the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, the national body who advocates for the rights and recognition of Indigenous groups across Canada.”

Chief Mitchell added that reconciliation can take many forms. He said, “For the Mi’kmaq of Newfoundland, today’s acceptance and acknowledgement are significant means of reconciliation for all.”

Chief Mi’sel Joe was pleased to see his resolution move forward and has positive plans for the future of the Mi’kmaq of Newfoundland. He said, “I am quite pleased that Qalipu is now a voting member of the Assembly of First Nations. This is very appropriate and long overdue. Now, with four First Nation members of the AFN located on the island portion of Newfoundland which includes Miawpukek, Qalipu, Flat Bay and Glenwood, we feel that we have a strong case to convince the AFN that a regional Vice Chief position is warranted for Newfoundland. The next challenge and task is to have the AFN agree to a Newfoundland Regional Vice Chief position and we will be bringing a resolution to that effect to the AFN Special Chief’s Assembly in December of 2018.”

This move for the Qalipu First Nation will allow the Band to become a part of the wider First Nation community in Canada, sharing ideas and learning from the experiences of other First Nations. Qalipu will have a strong national voice and will be part of shaping future education, lands and economic development programs and services. Qalipu will continue to work toward supports and services for its membership, now with the support of other First Nations in Canada. We share the vision of AFN National Chief Perry Bellegarde in his efforts to create a better tomorrow for First Nation peoples and communities throughout Canada.

Media:
Alison White
Communications Officer
Qalipu First Nation
tel. 634-5162, mobile 649-7194
awhite@qalipu.ca

Cropped view of woman holding pen and filling out application form at table with focus on hand with pen

Electronic Funds Transfer Faster, Safer than Sending Cheques in the Mail

The Medical Transportation Benefit is an element of the Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB), a health plan which all members of Qalipu, and other First Nations and Inuit in Canada, are eligible to receive.  The 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 First Nation provides the support, pre-approvals, processing and payment for all Medical Transportation Benefits of members of the Band who are living in Atlantic Canada and travelling within Canada for medical reasons.

Mitch Blanchard, Manager of the Health Services Divison says that many members still have not signed up for Electronic Funds Transfer but, they should.

“Processing cheques takes time, Blanchard said, “we’re talking about clients waiting an additional week or more when they could already have access to their money if we had the information we needed to put it right into their bank accounts.”

Blanchard also noted that clients who have not signed up for EFT also run the risk of having cheques lost or stolen in the mail or delivered to the wrong address.

“I encourage all members to sign up for Electronic Funds Transfer now,” Blanchard said.  “Our team will be more than happy to assist clients with setting it up.”

Members are reminded that while they may have provided EFT information to Health Canada, they will need to provide this information to Qalipu in order to receive payment on Medical Transportation Benefit claims.

Please click here to access the form to sign up for EFT.

For more information about your Non-Insured Health Benefits, please visit our website and follow us on Facebook for information, tips and upcoming events.