Happy 5th Anniversary Qalipu First Nation!
Today we celebrate the anniversary of our Band, established five years ago on September 22, 2011. In the years since our inception we have grown and journeyed together as a community. We have worked toward common goals of rediscovering and sharing our culture, and building a bright future for our Nation.
Looking back over these past five years we have much to be proud of:
- Our new Council has been working hard to be actively engaged with our membership—all our regular meetings of Council are now open to membership and include an opportunity for them to ask questions. We have also worked to increase the number of Ward meetings that are held each year. Town Hall meetings are now being organized in all of our Wards for this Fall.
- Our new Council has purchased buildings in Grand Falls-Windsor and in Stephenville. In addition to the recent establishment of the Qalipu Community Room in our existing building at 3 Church Street, Corner Brook, we are also working toward establishing community rooms at each of the new buildings to better serve our members in Central and Bay St-George.
- We lobbied and secured funding for the hiring of a much needed new position to administer the Aboriginal Fisheries Strategy. Through matching the funding provided by DFO, Qalipu has recently hired two new River Guardians.
- We have recently established an Urban Reserve Planning Committee and have been working hard toward realization of this shared vision for the future.
- We currently provide employment for 33 full time employees, 10 term employees and 12 seasonal employees.
- We have provided assistance to more than 600 members with wage subsidies, self-employment assistance and youth employment programs.
- $39.4 million dollars has been paid out in education funding to thousands of members for post-secondary diploma, degree and masters programs.
- The Qalipu Cultural Foundation was developed to support cultural documentation, and promote the involvement of youth and elders in cultural activities including educational outreach, celebration of special days and the support of other organizations who are working to bring cultural offerings to the people.
- Nearly $52 million dollars in health benefits have been paid out to our membership. We continue to pursue continued growth in this area. We are currently set to launch administration of the Medical Transportation Benefit for all Wards and for members living in Atlantic Canada. This initiative will improve the services and speed up reimbursement processing time for our members.
- We have begun to move forward on the first year of our five-year Tourism Strategy with the hiring of a Tourism Development Officer. Implementation of the strategy will lead to sustainable aboriginal tourism in our nine Wards.
- We administer 13 inshore fishing licenses and one 65-foot enterprise, manage real estate, and have developed a number of companies. Each of these endeavors are earning own-source revenue to help the Band build for its future.
- We have developed many beneficial partnerships in terms of business development and community involvement.
Chief, Council and Qalipu Staff are committed to ensuring the growth, effectiveness and prosperity of Qalipu on behalf of our People, our Communities, and our Nation.