2021 May Messenger

2021 May Messenger

M e s s e n g e r APRIL 2021 T H E

WHAT’S INSIDE... Executive Updates

Current Boards and Committees Site Rehabilitation Program

Federal Update MSSTI Message

Harvesting Update

Health Board Message

...and more!

O u r L a n d . O u r C u l t u r e . O u r F u t u r e .

2

A P R I L 2021 ME S S E NG E R

C o n t e n t s EXECUTIVE UPDATES. ........................................................................1 President’s Message - Herb Lehr............................... 1 Vice President’s Update - Roechelle Gaudet............. 5 Elected Secretary’s Update - Dot Anderson.............. 6 Treasurer’s Update - Sherry Cunningham. ................ 7 FEDERAL UPDATE.............................................................................12 MSSTI UPDATE..................................................................................15 BOARDS AND COMMITTEES............................................................16 VOLUNTEER WEEK. ..........................................................................17 COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT................................................................32 HEALTH BOARD UPDATE..................................................................18 COVID-19 Q&A’s ................................................................................21 DEPARTMENT UPDATES...................................................................35 Administration Update ..........................................35 Harvesting ............................................................36 Consultation & Environment . ...............................38 APPENDIX A - COVID-19 Vaccine Sequencing For Healthcare Workers APPENDIX B - Site Rehabilitation Program APPENDIX C - Oil & Gas Withdrawals Report APPENDIX D - MSGC Letter to the Minister of Education APPENDIX E - Metis Settlements of Alberta: Infrastructure at a Glance SITE REHABILITATION PROGRAM. ..................................................33 SETTLEMENT INVESTMENT CORPORATION. .................................34

Suite 101, 10335 172 STreet Edmonton, Alberta T5S 1K9 Phone: (780)489-9558 Toll Free: 1-888-213-4400 www.msgc.ca M etis S ettlements G eneral C ouncil

O u r L a n d . O u r C u l t u r e . O u r F u t u r e .

1

A P R I L 2021 ME S S E NG E R

A Message from President Herb Lehr HOPING YOU ARE SAFE M e s s a g e f r o m t h e P r e s i d e n t

What a start we have had to 2021 – exciting news and challenging developments: Bill 57, K to 6 Draft Curriculum release, 1976 Coal Policy changes, Federal Budget, COVID-19 vaccination program rollout, on top of our regular Metis General Council ongoing work. First, I am so proud of the work our Metis Settlements General Council Executive and the health teams have been doing across all the settlements in recent weeks. We have moved forward with an effective, and efficient COVID-19 vaccine rollout program. We are on track to achieving our COVID vaccine goals. I want to take this opportunity to thank the many people that have worked and dedicated so much effort to make this all happen. The health of our communities has been in your hands, and we are so grateful to each one of you. I also want to thank the many of you across our Settlement Communities who have gone out and received your vaccine shot. It is important for each of us do our part to ensure we protect our elders, our community and our future. Each vaccination that is delivered gets us closer to stabilizing the COVID numbers and combatting this terrible virus. Much work has been done, and much more remains to be done. To learn more about the vaccine rollout and information about the vaccinations, I encourage you to read the comprehensive information in this Messenger. We also created a video in March to talk about the vaccine. I invite settlement members to watch it here: https://vimeo.com/520155837 On a far less positive note, these past weeks also saw us in a race against time with the Government of Alberta’s tabling of Bill 57: The Metis Settlements Amendment Act. The government tabled the Bill on March 11th and we have been working every day to ensure that our Metis people are properly informed of these changes that will impact each one of us deeply. We have sought legal counsel, we have met as an Assembly on impacts and next steps, and we are working hard to ensure

O u r L a n d . O u r C u l t u r e . O u r F u t u r e .

2

A P R I L 2021 ME S S E NG E R

M e s s a g e f r o m t h e P r e s i d e n t

that the voices of our members are heard. While we have concerns and questions about the legislation Itself, our concern stems from the clear lack of meaningful consultation. We plan to address each concern one by one with the Minister and intend to keep pushing this issue with the Government of Alberta. For two years we have eagerly awaited the announcement of the Federal budget to see if the greatest concerns of our communities have been addressed. I am proud to report that the hard work of our team has resulted in the inclusion of Metis Settlements in every funding protfolio. We are especially pleased that the budget has prioritized infrastructure. We have submitted over $500 million of shovel-ready infrastructure projects at the community level and will be diligently with the council members in each community to prioritize these projects. Shovel-ready infrastructure projects submitted include but are not limited to: • New and existing roads • Water treatment and distribution systems • Septic systems • Power • Natural gas distribution • Homes Other doors are opening as well. We continue to collaborate at the Trilateral table with both the provincial and federal governments to navigate the path forward. We anticipate access to approximately $1billion over the next four years for infrastructure. We will be doing whatever we can to maximize benefits to our communities, not only to expedite the completion of this necessary infrastructure, but also to bring much needed employment opportunites. A huge thank you to the federal government, our federal team (Blake Desjarlais - Strategy Corp., Garry Appelt - Witten LLP) and local leaders for their ongoing support. As you likely know as well, the Government of Alberta launched two new important consultations, the first on the Coal Policy where broad public input was requested through a survey, and a proposed Indigenous specific consultation has been promised. With more than 25,000 survey responses received by government, a hold has been put on exploration during the ongoing consultation period. We are monitoring the situation and expecting our role at the consultation table to come soon.

O u r L a n d . O u r C u l t u r e . O u r F u t u r e .

3

A P R I L 2021 ME S S E NG E R

M e s s a g e f r o m t h e P r e s i d e n t

The second major consultation has begun for the draft K to 6 Alberta Education Curriculum. The media has been reporting on the discontent being expressed by Albertans about the curriculum. Our community echoes thoseconcerns, andhassomeofourownwewouldlikeaddressed. On April 16th we convened a group of Metis Settlement educators, and former educators, to a panel discussion about the proposed curriculum and have since drafted a letter for government outline our core areas of concern, and recommendations for a way ahead. Of particular concern for us is the lack of consultation with our community on the content of the curriculum, the representation of Metis history and experience as a homogenous experience with other Indigenous peoples, the lack of context about our unique place in Canada, and the age appropriateness of the content overall. We are asking the Minister of Education to strike a Metis Settlements advisory committee of educators and elders to help inform the final curriculum during the year-long consultation ahead. The weeks ahead will continue to bring new challenges and new information, and your Council Executive will keepworking hard on these, and other important projects for our members. And we will continue to share news with you as often as we can. Keep watching our social media channels, our website and contact our office if you have questions. It continues to be my honour to work with my Council colleagues for the betterment of our community. Changes, especially big changes, can be unsettling. Even positive change presents some unknowns: will I be included? How will this benefit me? When will normalcy return? When will our constitutional rights and hard-won legal victories be completely implemented? While the important progress reported in this edition of the Messenger is good news, we still have some work to do. We face an almost constant threat of being ignored or avoided; just look at our exclusion from the curriculum development and lack of consultation on Bill 57 as examples. Standing together has never been so important. We can learn from others who have been in this situation before. While all Metis voices must be heard, when we speak to another government, we need to have one voice. One message. We cannot allow dissension among community leaders permit the government or funding agency to use that as a reason to turn us down. This is a time for “all hands on deck.” Cooperation among our leaders, project developers, families and individuals leads to benefits for everyone. If someone has more to offer, we should graciously accept their talent and interest. We can’t view funding opportunities as reasons to compete with each other.

O u r L a n d . O u r C u l t u r e . O u r F u t u r e .

4

A P R I L 2021 ME S S E NG E R

M e s s a g e f r o m t h e P r e s i d e n t We each have different strengths and now is the time to identify those talents and put them to work for everyone. We need everyday heroes whose contributions will lift our spirits and improve all Metis lives. I am working on a program to develop the leadership skills in the next generation. Some of us have given our adult lives to the betterment of our people. Now is the time to prepare the people who will take our places. In the corporate world, this is called succession planning. It is done to ensure the continued success of the corporation. We need to so that for ourselves. I will be proposing a unique training program to elevate the young people for whom being Metis is more than a birthmark, it is a calling. Stay tuned for news on this front. If you know of someone who would take up this challenge, please let me know.

Not every goose knows which way to migrate. But they each take a turn and when it is their time to lead, they get to make those hard decisions. Some will be satisfied to follow. But when they fly, they fly together. And they arrive successfully at their destination. It is less important who turned left at the border as long as the goal is achieved without leaving any goose behind. And as I close out my message for this edition of The Messenger, I want to again express my, and my family’s deepest sympathies to those in our community who have lost loved ones in recent months to COVID or other circumstances. This is a difficult time for so many in our community and our prayers are with you. - Herb Lehr -

O u r L a n d . O u r C u l t u r e . O u r F u t u r e .

5

A P R I L 2021 ME S S E NG E R

A Message from Vice President Roechelle Gaudet M e s s a g e f r o m t h e Vice President

Hello Everyone!

Hope you all are staying safe as we are still navigating through this pandemic. It has been a busy year to say the least at the Central Office and we have gotten off to a busy start this year with an Federal capacity grant that will allow financial support to flow to the local settlements for developing our recognizedMetis Harvesters >Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78

Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online