Multiethnic friends with coffee cups sitting near campfire on lakeshore

A Taste of the Great Outdoors

Posted by Qalipu on

We’ve all roasted hot dogs and made smores but, you would be surprised about the culinary delights that can be prepared around an open fire.

Let Executive Chefs Frank Widmer and Alain Bosse be your guide to exploring the possibilities!

Accompanied by songs and storytelling by Mi’kmaq Park Interpreter Kevin Barnes and friends, the Chefs will incorporate Mi’kmaq traditional foods to show you how to create something beautiful in a hands-on, interactive evening around the campfire.

June 28, 2017 at 7:00 PM

Shallow Bay day use area, Cow Head (Gros Morne National Park)

This event is a partnership between Qalipu First Nation, Parks Canada and the Gros Morne Institute for Sustainable Tourism.  Everyone is Welcome!

Little girl playing with colors

Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care Round Table

Posted by Qalipu on

In partnership with the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, the Qalipu First Nation will host an Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care Round Table in Corner Brook on July 5, 2017 from 10:00 am- 3:00 pm.

We would like to hear from a broad range of voices including parents, family members, communities, early childhood educators, youth, elders, and experts.  What is your vision for early learning and child care for indigenous children and families?

Food and refreshments will be provided.

Travel subsidy is available for people travelling from outside Corner Brook.

Please register by June 28, 2017 by contacting Vickie MacDonald by email at vmacdonald@qalipu.ca

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Judy White accepts new role as Assistant Deputy Minister of Indigenous Affairs

Posted by Qalipu on

Qalipu First Nation is pleased to share that Ms. Judy White, a well- known Mi’kmaq leader from the community of Flat Bay, has accepted a position as the new Assistant Deputy Minister of Indigenous Affairs for the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Ms. White holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from Dalhousie Law School with emphasis on Aboriginal Law.  She has completed the Intensive Program of Lands, Resources and First Nations Government at Osgoode Hall Law School, as well as a certificate in Leading People’s and investing in sustainable communities, an Indigenous program at Harvard Business school.  Ms. White is also a certified board director through completing the Chartered Directors Program at McMaster University.

Her most recent role was Chief Executive Officer of the Assembly of First Nations, and has also worked as the Self Government Advisor for Miawpukek First Nation, and as a partner with the law firm of McDonald White located at Conne River, Newfoundland Labrador, which specializes in aboriginal law.

Ms. White has vast board and governance experience and has served many agencies and in various capacities including the National Centre for First Nations Governance, the First Nations Financial Management Board, Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, Board of Regents for Memorial University and most recently the Small Departments Audit Committee.

Brendan Mitchell, Chief of the Qalipu First Nation, said, “Ms. White’s education, work experience and involvement with indigenous people, communities and organizations have equipped her with the means to accomplishing much in the position of ADM.  We can all be proud of her achievements and I look forward to working with and assisting her in her new role as Assistant Deputy Minister.  It’s great to have a true indigenous voice in this important position within Government.”

a group of women are sitting in a circle, discussing

Attention Women Trained or Working in Trades, or Currently Seeking Employment

Posted by Qalipu on

Each year the Women’s Policy Office hosts Roundtables on the Economic Status of Women to share information, provide feedback and support, and develop strategies to improve women’s economic well-being. The Roundtables also provide a mechanism for the Women’s Policy Office to consult with stakeholders on the effectiveness of new and existing government policies and programs.

The next Roundtable scheduled for June 8th at the College of the North Atlantic in Corner Brook.  It will be delivered in partnership with the Office to Advance Women Apprentices (OAWA).

To register, women should call Karen Walsh at 757-5434 Ext. 240 or by email at kwalsh@womenapprentices.ca

Girl With Guitar in the Park. Little Caucasian Girl with Acoustic Guitar in Hands. Young Guitarist.

Call for Musicians and Artists- National Aboriginal Day Music and Sharing

Posted by Qalipu on

National Aboriginal Day festivities will be held at Margaret Bowater Park in Corner Brook, June 21, 2017.  This special day will start with a sunrise ceremony in the Park, followed by a light breakfast at the Qalipu Community Room at 1 Church Street.  There will be a variety of activities for the whole family throughout the day starting at 10:00 AM.  Full schedule events coming soon.

As part of the day, we will host Music and Sharing, an opportunity for musicians, poets and dancers to take the stage and share something with all those gathered in celebration.  Individuals or groups welcome.

Please contact Mitch Blanchard at mblanchard@qalipu.ca or phone 634-8046 to add your name to Music and Sharing. Honorariums will be provided.  Deadline to add your name is June 16, 2017.

Chief dancing

Message from the Chief May 29, 2017

Posted by Qalipu on

Kwe’

We made it through the winter and can now look forward to warmer temperatures, sunny days and time outside.  The Mi’kmaq of the island have weathered a lot together, still we find many things to be thankful for.

I am proud to share with you all that our Nation has again this year received an excellent rating in our General Assessment.  Our score of 2.2, gauging effectiveness of our processes, financial management and reporting and other areas that measure our accountability, was among the best of First Nations in Canada.   We are also poised to be the first Nation in Canada to implement an International Standards Organization (ISO) Quality Management System that is representative of our entire operation in the areas of education and training, health, tourism, employment, culture, economic development and natural resources.

Recently, I met with Chief Mise’l Joe of the Miawpukek First Nation.  Along with our respective senior management teams, we looked at mutual areas of interest where we might work collaboratively and speak with a united voice for indigenous rights and issues in Newfoundland.   I’m very excited about the possibilities that exist for teamwork between our Nations.

Also, this month we formalized a partnership with Parks Canada through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).  The partnership between our organizations, leading back to FNI days, has been the source of many positive shared initiatives.  Mi’kmaq interpretation in the Park, summer employment opportunities for our members, development of a beautiful exhibit now stationed in our Mi’kmaq Museum, a travelling show that celebrated our Mi’kmaq heritage throughout the province and the very successful Outdoor Education Program which continues to benefit hundreds of our young people every year.  Perhaps most dear to my heart was the HSMBC commemoration, and opening of the exhibits and walking trail for my great grandfather Mattie Mitchell, a renowned Mi’kmaq hunter and guide.

Through the MOU, we have simply agreed to continue looking for opportunities to work together in areas of mutual interest as we have in the past.  This includes things like natural and cultural heritage resource conservation, public understanding and appreciation, visitor experience, conserving heritage places, providing education and outreach, and employment opportunities for our people to tell their own stories in a land where indigenous history reaches back well beyond 150 years.

As we come into the summer months, there are several exciting events coming up that many of us are looking forward to.  For the first time, the Exploits Aboriginal Community Group will host a Mawio’mi June 16-18 in central Newfoundland.  I expect there should be more detail about this event in the days to come.

As in previous years, our calendars are marked for the first and second weekends of July for our local Powwow Trail.  The Miawpukek First Nation Powwow will take place July 7-9th in Conne River, and the Bay St. George Mi’kmaq Powwow will take place in Flat Bay July 14-16th.

I hope to see all of you out and about this summer, supporting our community events and spending time together with friends and family.

Wela’lin

Chief Brendan Mitchell

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Commercial Space for Lease in Grand Falls – Windsor

Posted by Qalipu on

There are no current spaces available for lease.

Location: 28 Hardy Avenue

Available: July 1, 2017

Approximately 790 square feet is available which is suitable for office or retail space.  Common Kitchen and bathroom areas.  Wheelchair accessible.  Large parking lot.  Centrally located.  Heat and light included.

For more information, please contact Rob Dicks at 634-6895 or email rdicks@qalipu.ca

Health

Healthy Lifestyles Elder and Youth Workshop

Posted by hpot on

The Exploits Native Women’s Association (ENWA) in partnership with the Newfoundland Aboriginal Women’s Network (NAWN) are seeking participants in a six workshop project aimed at Aboriginal seniors in the Central NL area.

Seeking eight seniors (65+) and two youth between (16-20) . The aim of the workshops is to encourage our elders to become involved in our communities and maintain a healthy lifestyle on the four levels important to Aboriginal people: spiritual, physical, intellectual and emotional.

Youth are also sought to participate, in encouragement of that necessary connection between our past and our future.  The workshops are open to both female and male participants.

It is the intention of ENWA and NAWN that the participants have a great deal of involvement in deciding the direction of these workshops.  The first workshop is tentatively scheduled to start June 10, 2017, in Grand Falls-Windsor.

Seats are limited and should interest exceed the number allotted, a fair process will determine the participants.

If you are interested in attending please contact Pat Cameron email address newfie46@hotmail.com or Marie Eastman email address marieeastman@hotmail.com  or by phone 290-0675. The deadline for submission of names will be June 1, 2017.

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Partners Committed to Long-term Sustainability of the Outdoor Education Program

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May 18, 2017, Corner Brook—This week, staff at the Outdoor Education Program in Gros Morne National Park welcomed its first groups of grade five students, their teachers and parent chaperones for the 2017 school year.  The two-and-a-half-day, camp-based program, now in its 20th year, is an educational experience that meets

classroom curriculum requirements, while students benefit from immersion in the great outdoors.

Qalipu has been involved in the Outdoor Education Program since 2014 through the delivery of a cultural teaching module, and last year took on the enhanced role of coordinating the program in partnership with the Western Newfoundland and Labrador English School District and Parks Canada.

Ralph Eldridge, Director of Service Qalipu, said, “The program was a natural fit for Qalipu as it aligns with our mandate to engage youth in learning opportunities. The fact that it takes place in an outdoor setting helps to engrain a sense of importance of our natural world. It goes beyond the classroom, beyond the text book.”

Eldridge noted that the program is structured around seven modules that have children engaged in activities such as an archaeology dig, a night hike, painting, poetry writing, and exploration and appreciation of our natural environment.  Each of the modules corresponds with grade 5 curriculum outcomes.

Michelle Matthews, Education Outreach Officer, hired by the Band to facilitate the program, works with children and teachers on the ground at Killdevil. She said, “while helping to coordinate this program, Qalipu will also continue to deliver one of the modules, Epsisi’tat Awia’tat (Little Feet Travelling in a Circle).  The focus of the culturally based module centers on sustainability, history of the aboriginal people in Newfoundland and Labrador, and how the Mi’kmaq relied on mother earth to provide for the necessities of life. We will also continue to provide unique cultural experiences to students through participation in such things as talking circles, drumming and singing.

Future goals for the program include ensuring sustainability for generations to come, providing opportunities for schools in the central region to participate in the Killdevil program or offering a parallel program in that region, and integrating greater cultural content within the existing teaching modules.

For more information on getting your classroom involved in this opportunity, please contact Education Outreach Officer Michelle Matthews at 634-3856 or by email mmatthews@qalipu.ca