June 2016 - Lax Kw`alaams
Transcription
June 2016 - Lax Kw`alaams
June 2016 the lax kw’alaams band quarterly newsletter Introduction Welcome to our new community newsletter, Lax Kw’alaams life. In these pages, we will bring you all of the news and stories that are important to you, our members. We will inform you of recent developments, including the work of Band Council, major projects, department updates, and community initiatives – everything that impacts us, in our communities and as a Nation. It will be more than just the news, it will be, as the title says, about Lax Kw’alaams Life. We want to share stories about our members and community group, as there are a lot of them to share. The stories may be connected to larger news items, such as employment and training programs and how individual members are navigating them, or seemingly smaller slices of life, such as the latest results of our community biggest loser contest! We want to share achievements, whether it be an individual getting a degree, becoming a figure skating star (see page 12), or a group achievement like our Intermediate Men’s Basketball Team that made an entire Nation jump out of its seats! Of course, we can’t do this on our own so we urge you to share stories, of today, tomorrow, and from years past. These are busy, exciting, and interesting times for the Nation. We strive to find a balance between developing economically and preserving our resources, between excelling in a modern world while staying true to our traditions. We may live in different communities but we are family, and we fall and rise together. That’s who we are. That’s Lax Kw’alaams Life. Lax Kw’alaams Life | Summer Issue | June 2016 Message from Council To the Membership, I thank you for your patience and understanding in allowing us, as the newly elected Council, to take the time necessary to gather and implement the positive steps needed to have the proper human, financial, and technical resources to provide the important information to you. I don’t want to make any excuses, but it is taking a little longer than I had expected. We went before the community at a swearing in ceremony and pledged to be open and transparent. We still commit to this and will be getting you the information you need to be informed, and included, on what is happening with Council and our leadership, going forward. As a Council, we are working diligently to ensure that the decisions we make are in the best interests of our members. As you will see in this newsletter, there are a lot of good, positive events and initiatives happening. Thank you, Mayor John Helin Our new newsletter! 2 Message from Council 3 You’re looking at it 4 Tuck Road project 5 New driving rules 6 Training opportunities 7 Port visits, contributes 8 New developments 9 Academy shines 10 Recreation report 11 Skating star! 12 Out and about 13 Big red truck! 14 Community services 15 Fisheries update 16 Contents 5 8 12 Ferry retrofit 17 Down and dirty 18 Once more for our champs! 19 Staff directory 20 14 Lax Kw’alaams Life | Summer Issue | June 2016 Road project will create better travel, jobs The Tuck Road improvement project will commence at the beginning of July, 2016. Yes, it will be a shame that all those years of honing your pot-hole avoiding skills will have been a waste, but it’s a small price to pay for better, safer transportation. business procurement opportunities for Band members. The contractor is obligated to deliver at least $400,000 of local work but the Band will push them to exceed that number. The Tuck Road project begins in early July and is expected to be finished at the end of September or early October. The project was placed for bid in May and Prince Rupert contractor, Adventure Paving, was awarded the job. “That number ($400,000) is the minimum expectation,” said Band Administrator, Linda Simon. “We will be vigilant in ensuring our members get as many opportunities as possible to benefit from it.” Having won the bid, Adventure will now work with the Band and its Economic Development Corporation to talk about employment and The Tuck Road project, which stretches between the community of Lax Kw’alaams and the Tuck Inlet ferry launch, is one of the biggest projects in the province. There will be no getting around some traffic issues but the work plan will take traffic flow to and from the ferry launch into consideration. Something for Band members to start thinking about now is that, as the Band is working with the Province of BC, Tuck Road will officially become a provincial highway, meaning that all drivers must obtain a valid drivers license and insurance. The local RCMP detachment will work with the Band to ensure that members have adequate time to transition to the provincial regulations. New road means following Motor Vehicle Act One of the big changes that will soon be coming into effect in the community of Lax Kw’alaams is the addition of the Motor Vehicle Act. The Motor Vehicle Act (MVA) will be in effect in Lax Kw’alaams by September 2016, as the road from Tuck Inlet to the community will be considered a Provincial roadway under the Act. This also means that the community of Lax Kw’alaams will be accessible by a Provincial roadway, and therefore the MVA will be effective in the entire community. This move will be a very positive step in the direction of public safety as all motorists will be required to have a valid driver’s license, vehicle registration, and insurance, etc. Over the last month the Lax Kw’alaams RCMP have been working with interested community members during study sessions in the evenings to help prepare them for the Learner’s licence (“L”) written and oral exam. As a group, we have been going through the ICBC practice exams and discussing the rationales for the answers. The MVA is there to protect you – drivers and passengers – while operating or riding in a motor vehicle. The introduction of the MVA in Lax Kw’alaams will be a great start to helping support road safety for everyone. If you have specific questions about the MVA, your license and road laws, please call either the Lax Kw’alaams RCMP at 250-625-3400 or ICBC in Prince Rupert at 250-624-2288. Cst. “Whiskers”, aka Dave Thorson, did some face-painting on Aboriginal Day, with Chase and Vada Green. Lax Kw’alaams Life | Summer Issue | June 2016 Training opportunities abound! Whatever the future holds, whether major projects go through or not, Lax Kw’alaams members are prepared for work as numerous education and training opportunities have been made available to them over the past year. The Elders Lodge in Lax Kw’alaams has been occupied for the past three months with education upgrading and trades training classes while several courses have been available in Prince Rupert, including entrepreneur training and mentoring. At last count, the Business Development office reported receiving over 40 resumes that were forwarded to the contractor for the paving project. Some of the resumes were handed in or emailed, while others were received via the new database. “What information is the employer looking for?” said consultant Derek Rope at an info session in April. “It’s not just your skills they want to know about. It’s things like, do you have a vehicle? Will you work in a camp?” Once your resume is in there, you don’t need to put it on a thumb drive anymore; it is a living document that you can update online. The program will also send email messages and alerts to members, informing them when opportunities suitable to them are available. One-stop shopping The Lax Kw’alaams Employment & Training Database was unveiled in May and provides a one-stop service for members, including: • Create work profiles; • Craft work profiles; • R egister Lax Kw’alaams Band businesses to be matched with opportunities; and, • T rack the needs of membership with training programs as they become available. A training instructor demonstrates the proper way to secure rebar for pouring cement to members outside of the Rec Centre earlier this month. Port Board comes to Lax Kw’alaams The Prince Rupert Port Authority paid a visit to Lax Kw’alaams June 22, 2016, hosting a feast and announcing a significant funding agreement — all part of a new relationship between the two, according to President, Don Krusel. “As two entities, we cannot build a relationship just on contracts,” said Krusel. “We have to build it on understanding each other, by forming a relationship with a common purpose of strengthening our communities.” The Port is partly funding the Band’s huge IT overhaul, to the tune of $500,000, making it the largest contribution the Port has made to a community project. “What it comes down to, this new relationship, is respecting each other,” said Mayor John Helin. “It is about our communities. Watching the kids earlier and realizing the potential that each and every one of them have, we know it is our job to best equip them to deal with their futures. The IT project is a part of that.” The Port Board passed resolutions to have members from Lax Kw’alaams and Metlakatla on the board, as well as making a request to the federal government to allow it to hold official meetings in those communities as well. A community lunch was served and entertainment was provided by the Academy band. Academy Principal, Kelly Rambeau, and students show off the kayaks that were purchased with a grant from the Port Authority. LNG community meetings coming soon Lax Kw’alaams Band Council is planning to hold community information meetings on the subject of LNG and, in particular, the Pacific Northwest LNG project, soon. Meetings had been originally slated for the last week of June but were postponed due to a delay in the preparation and review of the information that was to be introduced at the meetings. Council wants to be sure Band members receive the full and accurate presentation of facts. Keep checking to the Band’s website and Facebook page for new dates. Lax Kw’alaams Life | Summer Issue | June 2016 Business Development office Economic growth is high on Council’s priority list, so we have created a business development entity called Lax Kw’alaams Business Development. This office will seek and oversee new opportunities in business and employment — we are hiring two summer students this year! Our staff for this new office includes: Erminio Pucci, Chief Executive Officer, Harbour work and fuel dock The new fuel dispensing facility will include installation of a new ramp from the dock to the new dispensing float. This facility will improve the operation and safety of the users and better protect the marine environment. The project is currently awaiting creosoted timbers from Oregon and will commence shortly. In addition, Small Craft Harbours, of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, commenced work on the Lax Kw’alaams inner harbour in early June and plan to complete the project at the beginning of July. Steven Blacklock, Chief Financial Officer, and Carl Sampson, Jr., Director of Business & Employment Services. Lax Kw’alaams Business Development is located at our Prince Rupert office on First Avenue East. Financial responsibility As Council has promised, we are striving for transparency and accountability as it relates to our fiscal management and have taken a number of steps to ensure that it happens within our governance responsibility. Recently, we passed 22 financial policies, created budgets, and are working towards financial certification from the First Nations Financial Management Board. Academy mixes tradition with innovation The Coast Tsimshian Academy school community is surely one of the most fortunate learning communities anywhere. It was created in response to the desire of the Lax Kw’alaams community to have its children learn in an environment sensitive to First Nations needs and cultural heritage without sacrificing academic achievement. Cultural practice and education is a main pillar of the Academy’s mandate. Students greatly enjoyed the Smalgyax language and cultural teaching of Tom Dennis as well as cedar weaving instruction from Naomi White, which included the gathering of the bark and the creation of beautiful, traditionally woven hats. Braeden Dudoward generously gave his time to re-invigorate traditional dancing and drumming at the school and, in the years ahead, the Academy will continue to support student journeys into the rich cultural heritage of the nation. The school also supports student growth beyond the confines of the school campus. Volunteer coaches and teachers have helped create school teams in volleyball, soccer, crosscountry running, track and basketball, and have been able to attend outside competitions. Students have also gone diving, hiking, biking and kayaking using Academy resources. This year, industrial education students were able to create with wood and gain marketable outdoor skills with clippers, rakes and a new ride-on lawn mower. Soon the school will begin milling its own lumber with a chainsaw mill. A little mill music may save a lot of money! A more agreeable kind of sound has been produced every year by the CTA School band. Cheryl Stewart (right) taught students Pam Auckland (left) and Amber Henry to make these beautiful moccasins. Enjoying the handiwork is Principal, Kelly Rambeau. Under the good humoured leadership of Pat Dudoward, Academy students have been introduced to and coached in band for a number of years. Last year’s school entry in Seafest was award-winning and this year saw the largest number of participants in recent memory. Reading music has prospered under Dudoward’s guidance and reading stories has become a stronger skill for students in recent years as well as innovative new literacy programs, which have have strengthened student literacy markedly in recent years. With such a wide base of resources and a talented, dedicated staff led by Principal Kelly Rambeau, the Academy has a lot to offer its 150-strong student body and the community. Coast Tsimshian Academy is a great place to be for educators and learners – and the best is yet to come! Lax Kw’alaams Life | Summer Issue | June 2016 Band looks to “recreate recreation” Lax Kw’alaams has a new recreation director and he plans to create more programming and make the centre the hub of the community. “The weekend is, obviously, a time when most families like to go swimming,” said new Recreation Sports Days, which includes foot-races, were Director, Rudy a big hit again this year. Seen here are Rachel Kelly. “We Aukland-Green (left) and Georgina Alexcee. brought on three new guards, who are all enthusiastic An important first step has been taken about the opportunity to be a part of and that was the training and hiring of growing our programs.” more lifeguards. This has allowed for the re-opening of the aquatic facility on weekends. A survey has also been put out by Lax Kw’alaams Recreation to see what residents want for programs. The Swim Lax Kw’alaams! This summer, Lax Kw’alaams Recreation presents Swim Lax Kw’alaams, a program that offers free swim lessons – 8 sessions in total – with every new monthly or punch-card rec pass purchase. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity for you and your children to learn how to swim for free! Offer starts now and goes throughout the summer. For more information, see the Recreation Centre front desk or call 250-625-3352! survey asked questions on customer service and satisfaction and listed a variety of activities to choose from, whether it be sports, crafts or the arts. “Certainly, we have ideas on what people might like but we serve the members and it’s their opinion, what they are interested in, that is going to give us our direction,” said Kelly. The centre boasts a large gym, fitness room, and a beautiful aquatic facility. If anyone has an idea for a program, club or league, they should drop in and speak to the staff or Kelly. His door is always open. Oh, Henry! She’s a rising skating star! Lax Kw’alaams has a rising young star in Teysean Henry, who has seen considerable success in the sport of figure skating recently. Henry, just 12-years-old, lives in Terrace, BC, but is a member of the Lax Kw’alaams Band, the greatgranddaughter of Vera Henry and granddaughter of Band Councillor, Barb Henry. Mother Robyn Henry is extremely proud of Teysean and the great strides she’s made. “She started when she was six and, in just two years, she really blossomed,” said Henry. “She’s done a lot in a short time. We’re very proud of her.” Teysean was the Can Skate champ in her first year joining the club in 2010, having earned at least a silver medal in every competition she has been in. She took her first gold medal for solo dance at the 2016 Regionals in Prince George and won the Most Improved Junior Skater this year. This year, Teysean attended her first worldwide broadcast skating competition in Surrey, BC, earning a silver medal in interpretative dance and finishing sixth in the solo event. Other media have taken notice of her as well, as she was featured in Hoop Magazine in 2013. Teysean was asked to be an inspirational speaker at the recent 2016 Salmon Run in Kitsumkalum, one of the biggest road runs in the Northwest. “It all started when I was watching TV, the Olympics, with my mom,” Teysean recalls of her first exposure to figure skating. “I thought it was cool and I joined the club right away.” The Super Series in Surrey is definitely her highlight to date, she said, especially since she did something she had never done in competition. “I was able to land two axles in my skate,” she said. “I had done it in practice before but never in a competition, so I was very happy about that.” As for the future, Teysean isn’t sure of what career path she may take (”I like social studies”) but she is hopeful that her skating career could lead to Nationals, the Olympics and, course, Stars on Ice. She even looks ahead to a day when she could be coaching her baby sister, who is just six months! Until then, she looks forward to more achievements and honoring her heritage, as she honored her great grandmother in her speech in Kitsumkalum at the Salmon Run. Lax Kw’alaams Life | Summer Issue | June 2016 Out and about Pictured, clockwise starting at top are: the stunning harbour view from the school; Physio student Caitlin DuBiel having a chuckle with Homer Tait at the pool; ferry workers Daryn Lawson, Gordie Simonds, Evans Morven and Michael Helin wearing their new jackets; and Emma Sampson playing recycling hockey on Earth Day! New community fire truck on its way During basic firefighters training a few years ago, the Lax Kw’alaams Fire Chief James Henry and the instructors discovered the 500-gallon reservoir in their existing fire truck was beginning to rust through. This was a concern, as the reservoir would eventually not be reliable for storing water; a critical function of the fire suppression and pump system, wherein the reservoir remains filled for up to three minutes before needing to be refilled by the hydrants to retain water pressure. Of course, safety and the protection of our homes and members is of the utmost importance and, working with our partners at Embark Engineering, Council is pleased to announce the acquisition of a new $380,000 fire truck, funded by Aboriginal Affairs Canada. Built by Fort Garry Fire Trucks—a Canadian owned and operated manufacturing company based in Winnipeg — the new MXV model has been making its way north for the last few weeks. The truck made a brief pit stop in the Lower Mainland, on display at a conference in Richmond, BC. Following the truck’s arrival in Lax Kw’alaams, community volunteer firefighters will be doing two days of training with the Fort Garry staff at the Band fire hall. The full complement of 19 volunteers and Chief Henry will be brought up to speed on the truck and its new gear. “Safety and the protection of our homes and members is of the utmost importance” With the arrival of the fire truck, scheduled for the week of July 1, we would like to see more community members joining the ranks of our volunteer firefighters. We are also looking into the possibility of a new fire hall to accommodate the new truck, equipment, training, and office space for staff. Lax Kw’alaams Life | Summer Issue | June 2016 Health centre has many wellness options Lax Kw’alaams Health Centre offers a variety of services including a nurse, doctor, dental and other health-related services to members. Our staff includes: • F ull-time Community Health Representative (CHR); • Full-time nurse; • Doctor (visits twice a month); • D ental care (one week every 3 months); • Pre-natal worker; and Our Home & Community Care program assists members with household tasks they cannot do themselves while promoting client independence and community involvement. We also provide travel assistance to members of the community to meet health needs (e.g. visiting doctors, dentists, specialists). We also offer mental health counseling, community workshops and events to members. Lavita Trimble regularly visits the community to provide massage therapy. • Youth care worker. Head Start gives early childhood support Lax Kw’alaams Aboriginal Head Start is a community based program designed to enhance early childhood development, school readiness and overall health and wellness for First Nations families. Salmon Feast drummers (l-r) Acelen Wells, Vera Cooper, and Lyra Wells. It is a drop-in program, where families can come in and visit anytime we are open. Our hours are from 10am12pm, Monday to Thursday, and 1pm-3pm, Monday to Friday. We are open year-round, so we will be open all summer. There will be lots of beach visits, walks and playing in our backyard. Head Start supports the family as a whole and provides opportunities to learn and grow together. In May this year, we hosted a Threeyear-old Fun Day, sponsored by Prince Rupert Early Years. Recently, our little drummers and singers performed for the annual Salmon Feast (pictured) in June. They painted their own drums with hand prints and performed very well! If you have any questions you can contact us at 250-625-3467 or come and visit at the Preschool building on Legaic Street. Lax Kw’alaams Fisheries Society update 2016 is shaping up to be a very busy year, and the Lax Kw’alaams Fisheries Society has accomplished great work in the last few months. As of June 2016, over $1 million has been secured for the Lax Kw’alaams fisheries programs alone! This has led to expanded support for existing programs, and the kick off of new ones. Now in the fourth year of operation, our resident biologist Jen Gordon and team have been continuing their work with the North Coast Juvenile Salmon Monitoring Project in the Skeena Estuary. This project is an example of the important work being done by the Lax Kw’alaams Band to protect valuable marine resources. Additionally, the Lax Kw’alaams Fisheries Society has recently finalized extensive foundational work on a completely updated governance framework to improve communications and coordination with other branches of the Lax Kw’alaams Band, and the new Lax Kw’alaams Business Development sector. Keep checking back for ongoing updates and information as we head into the busy fishing season! News about the following programs to come: • N orth Coast Juvenile Salmonid Monitoring; • Lands Management Capacity Development; • Lax Kwaxl Resource Monitoring; • Dungeness Crab Monitoring; • S ec 35.1 (Salmon) Harvest Survey; • Shellfish Biotoxin Monitoring; • Abalone Surveys; and • Stream Enumeration. Lax Kw’alaams Life | Summer Issue | June 2016 Lax Kw’alaams ferry service The Nicola ferry will go to retrofit as planned on August 2, 2016. We have informed the province that rather than taking the Nicola back, the Band would like a new ferry. The province is receptive to this request, and discussions will continue over the next few months regarding the purchase of a larger ferry that would provide more space for passengers and vehicles. Six-week-old Vanessa Wesley, her cousin, Cole Robinson, age 3, and auntie, Samantha Brooks, enjoyed the National Aboriginal Day event June 21 at the Lax Kw’alaams Rec Centre and Tsimshian Academy. Live life cleaner and make Lax Kw’alaams greener The Lax Kw’alaams Recycling Program is underway! Check out the handy Guide Book on our website for the pick-up schedule and how to recycle. The Road Ahead The LaxWaste Kw’alaams RecyclingStation Program is set to Solid Transfer begin. In the following pages are tips, The Solid Waste Station for wasrecycling completed instructions andTransfer the schedule and waste pick-up in the on community. on time and officially opened April 22, 2016. We know that the recycling program will take Wesome are pleased to not have to seeto. It our adaptextra to a getting used willhouseholds take a tolittle burning garbage alongside the road as community recycling program. work. the first introduction visitors have to As part of the implementation of the community. We also know the new management that residents ofsolid Laxwaste Kw’alaams system, recycling boxes are being about The care old landfill will be the community, for today and for provided to every household with decommissioned, cleaned and for our grandchildren. what we will up, leave newly established drop-off stations capped with a layer of aggregate for special recyclable products. It is So let’s all the pitch material to restore site toinits— not only by recycling but the responsibility of all community natural by condition. reducing litter. The street is not a place for members to “Live life greener and make Lax Kw’alaams greener!” Also, over the next several monthswaste. we will all be making changes in Live life cleaner and make Lax kw’alaams greener! Effluent sewage lift station The existing effluent pump station, located across from the Band office on Shashaak Street, will be replaced within the next few weeks. In addition to this work, we have a company that will begin the assessment of a new waste water system. This project is long overdue and we are seeking funding from the federal government to finance the new facility, which will ensure greater efficiency and that will protect our sea resources from pollution. Lax Kw’alaams Life | Summer Issue | June 2016 Of course, we can never forget . . . The 2016 All Native Intermediate Men’s Champs! It was the undoubted story of the year for Lax Kw’alaams as the Strike Force claimed the community’s first All Native Basketball Tournament Intermediate Men’s Championship in 42 years. And they did it in convincing fashion, going undefeated and crushing Bella Bella in the final, 92-47! A huge community celebration, entirely funded by the Band and including jackets for the team and travel for out of town team members to attend, was held in honor of the Champs at the Reg Sampson Memorial gym. “Just a great day for the community to be able to share and show our appreciation of the spirit and talent shown by these young men,” said Mayor John Helin. At your service – Staff Directory Administrator, Linda Simon 250-625-3293 ext.237 [email protected] Director of Fisheries , Bill Shepert 250-600-6970 [email protected] Assistant Administrator, Lonnie Mather 250-625-3293, ext. 237 [email protected] Biologist, Jen Gordon 250-627-8509 [email protected] Finance, Polly Dudoward 250-625-3293 ext.227 [email protected] GIS Technician, John Latimer 250-627-8509 [email protected] Finance, Karen Knott 250-625-3293 [email protected] Fisheries Technician, Jim Henry Jr. [email protected] Finance, Deanna Wesley 250-625-3293 [email protected] Fisheries Technician, James Russell [email protected] Clerk, Jody Musgrave 250-625-3293 ext.223 [email protected] Director of Recreation, Rudy Kelly 250-625-3352 [email protected] Executive Secretary, Tressa Johnson 250-625-3293 [email protected] Education Coordinator, Lisa Green 250-625-3293 ext.230 [email protected] Reception, Gerri Johnson 250-625-3293 [email protected] Social Development, Gwen Tait 250-625-3293 [email protected] CEO, Business Development, Erminio Pucci [email protected] Community Coordinator, Gwen Green 250-627-5733 [email protected] CFO, Business Development, Steven Blacklock Housing Coordinator, Reggie Sampson 250-625-3293 [email protected] Director of Business & Employment Services, Carl Sampson [email protected] Indian Registry, Karen Knott 250-625-3293 ext.234 [email protected] Director of Health, Betty Reece 250-625-3393 [email protected] Maintenance, Reuben Dennis [email protected] Brighter Futures, Jocelyn Morrison 250-625-3099 [email protected] Fire Chief, Jim Henry Sr. James 250-625-3323 [email protected] Community Health Rep, Leanne Alexcee [email protected]