Report to membership - March 2016

Transcription

REPORT TO MEMBERSHIP MARCH 2016
MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER
Chief & Council are committed to uniting our Nation around a common vision for the future. A
future rooted firmly in the wisdom and knowledge of our grandfathers and grandmothers. A
future based on respect and the creation of shared values between our people and our
neighbours. We are pleased to update Membership on our work and results thus far.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Message from Chief Morin .................................................................................................................. 2
ECN Strategic Plan .............................................................................................................................. 3
Dr. Begay’s Education Session: Nation Building ............................................................................. 4
New Agreement with TransAlta .......................................................................................................... 5
100 Year Integrated Land Use Plan .................................................................................................... 6
New and Improved Communication Channels .................................................................................. 7
Maskêkosak Cree Language Initiative ................................................................................................ 8
Operational Review ............................................................................................................................. 9
Renaming of 23rd Ave to Maskêkosihk Trail .................................................................................... 11
Implementation of New HR Policies & Procedures ......................................................................... 12
River Cree Crossing Phase 1-A ........................................................................................................ 13
1
Report to Membership – March 2016
REPORT TO MEMBERSHIP - MARCH 2016
MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER
Message from Chief William (Billy) Morin:
Tansi Maskêkosak,
I want to start by thanking the Elders for their guidance thus far. Yes, I
am a young Chief and yes we are a fairly young Council so your words
mean a great deal to us. We will always look to you to help us define a
strong and prosperous future for our people.
The world around us is volatile and changing fast and with that comes
challenges and opportunities for our Nation. To meet these challenges
and capitalize on opportunities, we continue to execute our Strategic
Plan. Our Strategic Plan guides leadership to continually address four
priorities designed to ensure a better tomorrow for our Nation:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Stronger Governance
Infrastructure and Economic Development
Improved Band Operations
Unity through Culture
This update will talk about our work on a number of these priorities and
I look forward to sharing more about the progress in the months to
come.
With new federal, provincial, and municipal governments, I believe that
we, along with all Nations, have the best opportunity in generations to
address and heal from the wrongs of the past. However, we cannot
only look behind us, we must look forward, united and take our rightful
place in conversations about the future of Alberta and Canada and
about the use of our lands and its resources. We have a choice to
make. We can stand united and join these conversations to secure real
and lasting benefits for our Nation, or we can fight for the sake of
fighting. Together we can capitalize on the opportunities before us.
Divided, they will pass us by. I choose unity.
Hiy-hiy for your support and commitment to our Nation!
Chief William (Billy) Morin
Enoch Cree Nation
“Our future is ours to
create. It is up to us
to unite and make it
come true. We will
find it in win-win
solutions, not in
fighting for the sake of
fighting.” Chief Billy
Morin







TransAlta is only
rebuilding an old
line – no new lines
are proposed
TransAlta is to pay
ECN nearly $14 M
in compensation
over 20 years
Some of the funds
can be used to
fund a new Elders
Centre
They have agreed
to no new
powerlines in future
We can seek
removal of all lines
when land is
needed for housing
Will support a new
valuation of our
lands
Defined
employment
opportunities
“We assessed the
dispute with TransAlta
using one of Alberta’s
most respected
lawyers. It was clear
that our legal case
was not strong. So we
chose to negotiate
with a goal of
securing real longterm benefits. Mission
accomplished.”
Councillor Michelle
Wilsdon
2
HISTORIC DEAL
REACHED WITH
TRANSALTA
(Details on Pages 5 & 6)
HIGHLIGHTS AND UPDATES – MARCH 2016
ECN Strategic Plan 2015-2017
The “ECN Strategic Plan 2015-2017” document is the result of
a fundamental review of ECN’s current position and is designed
to reflect the goals of our Nation and guide Council in its
decision-making over the next 18 months.
A key responsibility of leadership is to set the strategic direction
for our Nation over the long-term. We fully recognize that 18
months is not long-term. With decreasing revenues resulting
from a weak regional economy, we must identify strategic
priorities for our Nation in the short-term in order to weather the
economic downturn. At the same time, it is Chief & Council’s
responsibility to implement key initiatives that will set the
foundation for good governance and Nation building. It is a difficult task to manage both these efforts
with limited financial resources. We must focus our time and resources to those initiatives that will see
the greatest benefit for our people and promote lasting positive change.
Our Strategic Plan provides direction to C&C, management, employees, and Membership that will
helps us work together towards common goals. Over time, our priorities must and will evolve to meet
future challenges and opportunities. As we adjust to changing priorities, our Strategic Plan will also
evolve.
Summary of ECN Strategic Plan 2015-2017
Priority # 1:
Governance
1.1 Develop an ECN
Constitution
1.2 Develop a Code of
Conduct for Chief &
Council
1.3 Financial
Management Law and
Policy
1.4 TransAlta
Negotiations
1.5 Yekau Lake
Bombing Range Land
Claim
1.6 Create Partnerships
Priority # 2:
Infrastructure &
Economic
Development
2.1 Complete Lapotac
Boulevard
2.2 Develop ECN Land
Use Plans
Priority # 3: Redefine
Band Operations
Priority # 4: Uniting
Through Culture
3.1 Operational Review
3.2 Financial
Restructuring
4.1 Cree Language
Initiative
4.2 Elders Advisory
Council
2.3 Economic
Development
3.3 Re-Evaluate KEA
Board
4.3 Mental Health &
Addictions Strategy
2.4 River Cree
Crossing and
Commercial
Development
2.5 Infrastructure Master
Planning
3.4 Revise Housing
Policy & Procedures
3.5 Communication
Strategy
2.6 New Elders Centre
2.7 Health as a
Business Model
3
Dr. Begay’s Education Session: Nation Building – February 25th & 26th, 2016
Aligns with Strategic Priorities 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, & 2.3
Chief & Council invited Dr. Manley Begay to Enoch Cree Nation on February 25th & 26th, 2016, to facilitate
a two-day special educational session on Indigenous Nation-Building: Leadership, Governance, Culture,
and Economic Success that was open to all Membership. Dr. Begay is from the Navajo Nation and is a
tenured professor at the Northern Arizona University and is the co-director of the award-winning Harvard
Project on American Indian Economic Development at Harvard University.
Chief & Council, Elders and Membership explored the concepts of Nation Building and gained a clear
understanding of what holds First Nations back from reaching their goals of being strong independent
First Nations. Dr. Begay pointed out that the most successful First Nations effectively separate business
from politics, have clear rules, and a leadership that works together and focuses on setting the vision and
long-term strategic direction of the Nation (rather than political factions fighting for “control” of the
“goodies”).
In addition, successful Nations ensure that cultural values are at the center of their governance systems.
When developing our strategic priorities, C&C took a healthy and critical view of the things that hold our
Nation back and shared ideas about how we can overcome the barriers we currently face. We agreed
that the most important element of our success will be uniting our Membership to rally around the changes
we need to make in order to rebuild our Nation so that it continues to thrive far into the future and leaves
a legacy that our grandchildren will be proud of.
If you could not make Dr. Begay’s educational sessions, feel free to stop by the Chiefs Office to pick up
copies of his various presentations over the two-days.
4
A New Agreement with TransAlta
Aligns with Strategic Priorities 1.4, 1.6, & 2.6
After three months of intense negotiations with TransAlta, Chief & Council have reached an agreement
that we feel is in the best interests of our Nation. There is a lot of information going around the Nation
about this issue, some of it is accurate and some of it is not.
Before sharing the benefits of the agreement with you, we want to start by providing you with the facts
so you can make your own assessment of the agreement we have reached.
The facts:

In 1956 & 1981, TransAlta was granted the rights to locate power lines in a right-of-way (ROW)
corridor located at the southern end of our Reserve. ECN, Certificate of Possession (CP) and
Certificate of Occupation (CO) Landholders were provided compensation for the lands taken up
by the ROW.

Today, there are three transmission lines within the ROW
corridor. In 2012, TransAlta began work to upgrade one of
the lines (904L). The work was half completed when the
C&C of the time ordered a stop to the work and prevented
TransAlta from accessing the ROW.

TransAlta is not trying to build a new line. They are
rebuilding the very old line before it becomes unsafe by
replacing the current wooden poles with steel poles.

TransAlta took legal action against Enoch because we
prevented them from accessing the ROW to complete the
transmission line upgrade. The original claim against Enoch
sought a minimum of $3 million in damages.

In November 2015, Enoch retained Ed Molstad of Parlee
McLaws LLP to assess the strengths and weaknesses of
TransAlta’s rights and they have advised us that TransAlta
has the legal right to rebuild its line.
STEEL POLE VS WOOD POLE

According to our legal counsel, nothing that TransAlta has done to change its name or sell the
rest of its transmission system to AltaLink takes away from their legal right to rebuild the line and
they continue to own all of the lines in the corridor.

AltaLink is rebuilding the line outside our Reserve and they are contracted by TransAlta to do it
on our Reserve. According to legal counsel, TransAlta is within its rights to use AltaLink and other
contractor’s service in this way – this technicality does not help in a court case.

The current C&C had to make a decision between trying to find a negotiated solution to the
dispute or sticking to the position that TransAlta did not have the right to be on ECN Reserve
lands and then fighting that question out with TransAlta in court.

Because legal counsel felt our chances of success were very low, we chose to negotiate with the
goal of getting as much benefit for our Nation as possible.
5
You may hear that Chief & Council have not been strong enough with TransAlta and AltaLink, or that we
left money on the table. We do not agree. We looked at the risks and rewards of continuing on with the
litigation and were satisfied that we would do much better to use our leverage in a negotiation.
Our negotiating team worked endless hours, keeping TransAlta’ s feet to the fire to secure said significant
benefits for our Nation. We had four consultation meetings with Nation members including CP and CO
Landholders.
Chief & Council are pleased to announce that we have concluded a Cooperation Agreement with
TransAlta in relation to the utility Right of Way on our Reserve lands.
The Cooperation Agreement will provide Enoch with payments totalling nearly $14 Million over 20 years.
This includes the following one-time payments:






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$2,828,000 of employment and construction opportunities
$700,000 for a Traditional Land Use and Area Structure Plan Study
$250,000 for construction access
$250,000 Nation investment donation this year
$250,000 Nation investment donation next year
$150,000 in legal fees (this means TransAlta is paying for our lawyers)
$50,000 for an Annual Structure Payment Study
Enoch will also receive the following ongoing payments:


$280,000 per year for the lines on the Reserve lands for 20 years which will total $5.6 Million
over the 20-year period.
Ongoing property taxes and annual structure payments of $3.7 Million.
In exchange for the above payments, TransAlta, AltaLink, and their contractors will be permitted to have
access to the power lines in order to complete construction upgrades to their facilities. These upgrades
are anticipated to be completed in November of 2016. They will also be permitted to access their power
lines in order to complete ongoing maintenance over the term of the Cooperation Agreement (20 years).
Should any member wish to review a copy of the Cooperation Agreement, it is available upon request to
Chief & Council.
We are confident that this deal represents the best possible outcome for our Nation and ensures an
improved relationship with TransAlta going forward.
100 Year Integrated Land Use Plan
Aligns with Strategic Priorities 2.2 & 2.3
In 2015, Chief & Council engaged Urban Sytems to work with our economic development arm (River
Cree Development Corporation) and our Lands department to prepare an Integrated Land Use Plan for
our Nation. The Integrated Land Use Plan is being developed for the following reasons:




To develop a long-term vision for our Nation’s lands
To identify and protect culturally and environmentally significant lands
To define areas for Nation growth and economic development
To coordinate efforts between the Nation, Certificate of Possession (CP) and Certificate of
Occupation (CO) Landholders
6
The Integrated Land Use Plan involves Nation engagement and discussion that looks at the past, present
and future land use needs of our Nation. It will project the population, housing and land use requirements
of our Nation up to 100 years from now. The goal is to develop a well understood and supported document
that will be used by our Nation to guide us in making land related decisions.
Over the past several months, we have held numerous workshops and heard from hundreds of students,
Elders, and Nation members to gain significant insight about how our Nation should use and protect its
lands. We are currently in the process of drafting the first concept plan and will be continuing with Nation
engagement into the future to validate what we have heard thus far and to provide additional opportunities
for Membership to get involved.
We are currently on schedule to complete the Integrated Land Use Plan by this summer. Also, we will be
kicking off the Traditional Land Use study in the near future!
New and Improved Communication
Channels
Aligns with Strategic Priority 3.5
Chief & Council have been working hard to
uphold our collective commitment to improve
communication with Membership and bring our
Nation into a new era of honesty and
transparency. While we recognize that we still
have a lot of work ahead of us to improve our
communication, we would like to take a moment
and celebrate some of our achievements to date:









Monthly band meetings
Monthly Elders meetings
New Enoch Cree Nation Website: www.enochnation.ca
Report to Membership - March 2016
Meetings with virtually every band department/program
Public distribution of all C&C and BOD motions
Monthly distribution of C&C schedule
Open meetings at Council Chambers
Hundreds of Nation members successfully engaged in the Operational Review and Integrated
Land Use Plan initiatives
Going forward, Council Divisional Leads with the help of ECN management will be required to produce
quarterly reports to Membership per fiscal year (April 1st to March 31st).
Coming Soon – An App exclusively designed and built for Enoch Cree Nation Members!
7
Maskêkosak Cree Language Initiative: Reclaiming and Revitalizing Cree Language in
Our Nation.
Tansi Everyone,
We are undergoing an exciting new
initiative and with your help we will
grow and develop a brighter future
for our children, grandchildren,
great grandchildren and future
generations of those yet to be born.
Our vision is that all areas of our
Nation will work together, doing
what we can to help one another
speak and retain our traditional Cree language. This will also help to build our Nation by strengthening
our individual and community identity, increasing our sense of belonging, and valuing the wisdom and
strength in the gift of language. Our goal is to identify, increase and develop what is working well in
language learning.
Activities to Date
Throughout the fall and winter, representatives from our various departments/programs including
Health, Kitaskinaw, Daycare, Head Start, Culture, Administration, Archives, Elders, and Infrastructure
along with the Chief and Council Divisional Leaders for Health, Education and Administration have
been meeting regularly to provide input about our Cree language experiences.
Plans
There are many benefits to furthering the use of our Cree language here
at Enoch Cree Nation. Therefore, the Cree Language Initiative working
group has committed to Cree language promotion activities for the longterm. Already you have seen the road signs that are being put up with
Cree words. This is a good start!
We know we cannot leave this initiative on the shelf that is why we are
committed to keeping this going and moving it forward for many generations to come. There are many
ways to teach and learn through songs, ceremonies, stories, computer programs, language camps,
phone apps, videos, conversations, mentors in day-care, IPad, C.D’s, books, pictures, etc. We want to
identify how to help everyone achieve success! Our goal is to develop action plans for programs and
for anyone who is committed to taking on various tasks.
Tâpwehtamowin (We are believing we can do it)! Mamawihkamatowin (Everyone working together)!
8
Operational Review
In September 2015, Chief & Council sent out a
Request for Proposal to several consulting
firms inviting them to bid on a project to
undertake a comprehensive review of our
Nation’s operations. It was important to retain
an outside firm to conduct this work, because
we knew that a third party point of view was
necessary to obtain honest and constructive
feedback. We needed someone to tell us what
we “need to hear” rather than what we “want
to hear”. Nichols Applied Management was
the successful applicant, and they were
brought on board in October 2015. ECN was
successful in obtaining grant funds from INAC’s Professional and Institutional Development Program to
pay for half the cost of the Operational Review.
This review will identify key management, operational and financial issues, generate recommendations
for improvement and outline a plan for implementation. The review is being undertaken to ensure that
ECN resources are being utilized to their fullest potential thereby ensuring Membership receives the
most effective and efficient services possible. Ultimately, a review of ECN’s internal operations will
improve sustainability, transparency, accountability and employee relations. One of the key deliverables
will be a new wage and salary grid for ECN employees.
Chief & Council along with ECN management will aim to implement some of the recommendations
beginning April 2016.
Ron Minks – New Chief Operating Officer (COO)
As of October 19th, 2015, Enoch Cree Nation was pleased to introduce Ron Minks
as our new Chief Operating Officer (COO). Ron has held various key executive
management roles for large environmental corporations and has nearly 25 years
of collective management experience. Ron brings a wealth of experience in
strategic planning, finance, budgeting and organizational development.
Ron’s role as COO will be to lead the organization and all ECN employees in
achieving the Nation’s mandate, goals and objectives. He is responsible for the
overall development, implementation, administration and management of the dayto-day operations of the organization under the direction of Chief & Council.
Welcome aboard Ron!
9
Marie Delorme – River Cree Board Appointment
Chief & Council are pleased to announce that Dr. Marie Delorme has accepted
an appointment to the 1023576 Alberta Ltd. and River Cree Enterprises GP Ltd.
Board of Directors for one year as an Outside Director. This position has been
vacant for several months as Chief & Council put a significant amount of thought
and effort to recruit the brightest talent to serve on the Board.
Dr. Marie Delorme is CEO of The Imagination Group of Companies. She serves
on the RCMP Foundation Board and the National Aboriginal Economic
Development Board. She is an advisor to two universities and also serves on
economic advisory boards to the provincial and federal governments.
She received the Inspire Award in Business and Commerce and was named as
one of Canada’s 100 Most Powerful Women. Dr. Delorme has also received the University of Calgary Dr.
Douglas Cardinal Award; Alberta Chamber of Commerce Business Award of Distinction; Calgary
Chamber of Commerce Salute to Excellence Award, and Métis Nation Entrepreneurial Leadership Award.
Marie’s extensive experience in business, leadership and governance will work to strengthen the River
Cree Resort & Casino, and bring assets that will be key to the ongoing success and stability of our Resort.
Welcome aboard Dr. Delorme!
Dr. Willie Littlechild – Retained as General Legal Counsel and Governance Advisor
Aligns with Strategic Priorities 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, & 4.2
Chief & Council have been successful in retaining Dr. Wilton (Willie) Littlechild
as our in-house legal counsel and governance advisor.
Wilton has the distinction of being the first Treaty First Nation person to acquire
his law degree from the University of Alberta in 1976. He also holds Bachelor
and Master’s degrees in Physical Education, an honorary Doctor of Laws
degree from the University of Alberta, and the Indigenous Peoples’ Counsel
(IPC) designation. An avid sportsman and athlete, he has won more than 70
provincial, regional, national and international championships, was a founder of
the North American Indigenous Games, and was selected as a torch bearer and ambassador for the
2010 Olympics. He has been inducted into seven sports Halls of Fame. Wilton served as a Member of
Parliament from 1988 to 1993 for the riding of Wetaskiwin-Rimby, served on several senior committees
in the House of Commons, and served as a parliamentary delegate to the United Nations. He was
appointed as the Honorary Chief for the Maskwacis Crees and also honoured by the Chiefs of the
Confederacy of Treaty 7 and 8 First Nations as the International Chief for Treaty 6. Chief Littlechild is a
dedicated advocate of the implementation of treaties between Indigenous peoples and the Crown, and
a pioneer of the global Indigenous rights movement. He was recently honoured with the Alberta Order
of Excellence.
Welcome aboard Willie!
10
Renaming of 23rd Avenue to Maskêkosihk Trail
In November 2015, Mayor Don Iveson joined
Chief & Council for dinner at Sage. This meeting
was a first introduction, but many topics of
business were discussed that focused on ways
the City of Edmonton and Enoch Cree Nation
could work together and support each other.
The idea was brought forward to rename 23rd
avenue in honor of ECN, but in a way that would
also honor our Cree language and traditions.
Mayor Iveson was enthusiastic about the idea, as
it aligned perfectly with his commitment to work
hard to repair relations with First Nations citizens
and neighbours, and to recognize and celebrate its centuries of aboriginal history.
After months of planning, it was finally announced on February 12, 2016 that a portion of the road that links
Edmonton with Enoch Cree Nation will bear the name Maskêkosihk Trail pronounced “Muss-Kay-Go-See”.
This Cree word refers to the land location of ECN and is a derivative of Maskêkosak pronounced “MussKay-Go-Suk”, meaning “people of the land of medicine”.
This was a historic day for Enoch, one we are all very proud of!
11
Implementation of New HR Policies & Procedures
As of October 1st, 2015, Chief & Council along with our Human Asset Development department
implemented new HR policies and procedures for all ECN employees. These policies and procedures
are to guide the human resource activities of our organization and outline employee rights and
protections to ensure fair employment practices for all ECN employees and job applicants.
We are very proud of these policies and procedures as they were created by a working committee of all
Nation members. Until October, ECN had not updated their HR policies and procedures since the late
80’s.
Enoch Cree Nation Opened Two Brand New Facilitates in 2016!
New RCMP Police Detachment
On January 8th, 2016, we officially
opened our new RCMP Police
Detachment located in the heart of our
community along provincial Highway
60 (Devonian Way).
New Venue at the River
Cree Resort & Casino
On December 31st, 2015, our
Resort officially hosted its first
show in our brand new Venue.
With phase 1 of construction
completed, phase 2 aims to be
completed late spring/early
summer.
12
River Cree Crossing Phase 1-A
Construction of the River Cree Crossing Phase 1-A commercial development has finally begun. The
following is a brief synopsis of the benefits it will bring to our Nation:










ECN retains 100% ownership of
the $25 million dollar project
Total equity investment of $1.5
million in cash injected and 3.6
acres of land valued at $6 million
Job creation – development and
ongoing operations
Acts as an additional “driver” to
the River Cree Resort & Casino
Keeps First Nation spending with
First Nation economies
Provides better services to
Membership
Convenience store will carry the
Shell brand and all the benefits
associated with the Shell franchise
Appreciation and debt reduction – 20 year equity projection of $40 million
20 year projected income of over $36.6 million
20 year total project benefit of $76.6 million
Development includes:



25,000 square foot office building that includes a bank, spa, and pharmacy
6, 497 square foot convenience store that includes a post office that could operate an additional
1,000 mail boxes
15, 000 square foot car wash with 12 self service bays and one high end automated wash
13
“INVESTING IN OUR FUTURE BY CHAMPIONING
OUR PAST.”
14
Enoch Cree Nation
PO Box 29
Enoch, AB T7X 3Y3
Tel: 780 470 4505
Web: enochnation.ca

Report to membership - March 2016

Transcription

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