BC Métis Federation

Tri-council says it’s not leaving Metis National Council, but stalemate continues The Metis governments of Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta deny they are leaving the Metis National Council despite a report that they are and regardless of the turmoil within Metis Nation that has festered for more than a year. We remain a governing member of the MNC, as do the governments of Métis Nation-Saskatchewan and Métis Nation of Alberta, in spite of continued governance issues surroun...ding the MNC, said MNO President Margaret Froh in a statement to Nation to Nation. The group of three governments are a coalition within the MNC known as the tri-council. They all appeared on N2N last March. Earlier this week, a minister with Manitoba Metis Federation posted on Facebook it appeared the group was leaving the MNC. So it appears that MNA, MNS & MNO have left Métis National Council. They have started a new org called TriCouncil. They have sent several letters to Canada saying they represent themselves & do not participate in MNC, wrote Will Goodon, minister of housing and property management with MMF, on his Facebook on Nov. 17. Goodon provided N2N two recent letters from Clement Chartier, the current, but out-going, president of the MNC. The letters certainly suggest the tri-council is working with the federal government, which has been the case for months. We remain at an impasse on governance at the Métis National Council. I have made repeated attempts without success to hold a board of governors meeting to set the date for a general assembly and election of a new national president. Board members from Saskatchewan and Alberta refuse to attend without the participation of the suspended member from Ontario, Chartier wrote the MNC board of governors, including Froh, in a letter on Nov. 17 Moreover, they have joined with the MNO president in a new organization, the tri council, that attacks and seeks to undermine the MNC, repeatedly alleging that the MNC has been avoiding a board meeting for more than two years. The tri-council was also formed about a year ago. It had a historic meeting in January. Historic has become a sticking point. The MNC says it suspended the MNO more than a year ago. https://www.aptnnews.ca//tri-council-says-its-not-leaving/

Another death in the Moore family is connected to historic Indigenous trauma Over the weekend I learned Chantal Moore’s younger brother Mike Martin, 23, took his life. Moore, 26, made the headlines in June when she was killed by police in New Brunswick during a wellness check. The First Nations mother was shot after police say she ran toward an officer with a knife.... Her grandmother, Grace Frank, told me she viewed Moore’s body and counted seven bullet holes. Moore’s family questions how she, who was five-foot-six and 115 pounds, could have posed a physical threat to a towering male police officer. Chantal was the kindest, caring, loving, supportive, bubbly person. She never had hate for anyone. People loved her, Frank said. This heartbroken family is now dealing with more anguish than most of us can imagine. Less than six months after Moore’s violent death comes more devastation from the suicide of her brother. It is all connected. Indigenous peoples in Canada grapple with violence and suicide in epidemic rates. In fact, Indigenous suicide rates in Canada are some of the highest in the world. You see, suicide was once a very rare occurrence among Indigenous peoples. It was only after contact with Europeans and the effects of colonialism that suicide became prevalent. https://www.thestar.com//another-death-in-the-moore-family

City of Lethbridge recognizes Métis Week with flag raising ceremony On Tuesday afternoon, a flag-raising ceremony recognizing both Métis Week and Louis Riel Day was held on the front steps of city hall. During the week of Nov. 16. Métis people across Canada are commemorating the history and culture of the Métis Nation, along with the historic legacy of Louis Riel.... Members from the local Métis community say, until this day, Riel’s fight for representation in government is an inspiring story for all Canadians, whether they are Indigenous or non-Indigenous. I think the story of Louis Riel is very inspirational, said Adam Browning, president of the Lethbridge Métis Local 2003. As a social studies and history teacher, I look at it as really one of the first great stories in Canada, of people fighting for representation. It paved the way for Western Canada to join confederation. Browing added that it speaks to standing up for principle and what people believe in. https://globalnews.ca/news/7468843/lethbridge-metis-week/

This morning the BC Métis Federation joined a national coalition with the Union Nationale Metisse Saint Joseph du Manitoba, City of Montreal, plus many others to call for the immediate exoneration of Louis Riel. We are calling for the exoneration of Louis Riel in conjunction with the 135th anniversary this November 16th when historic Métis leader Louis Riel was wrongfully hung. If not now when, when will Métis people ever see this injustice corrected? ... This must be done to demonstrate reconciliation for Métis across Canada. We have witnessed Chief Poundmaker exonerated in 2019 for his role in the same Northwest Resistance in 1885. Now is the time.

ATCO completes Canada’s largest solar project in partnership with Indigenous communities Canadians Utilities, an ATCO company announced on Wednesday the completion of Canada’s largest off-grid solar project in partnership with three Alberta Indigenous communities. The project is reported to provide the Northern Alberta Community of Fort Chipewyan (Fort Chip) with clean energy, in addition to reducing local diesel use by around 800,000 liters annually. ... We are committed to assisting our customers and communities in the transition to lower emission energy systems, no matter how remote their location, said Siegfried Kiefer, President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Utilities. Our solar project in Fort Chipewyan, completed in conjunction with our partners, is a great example of this. The partnership is with Three Nations Energy (3NE), which is jointly owned by the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, Mikisew Cree First Nations and Fort Chipewyan Metis Association. According to a news release ATCO designed and built the two-phased project which includes a 600-kW solar farm, owned and operated by ATCO, and a 2,200-kW solar farm owned by all three Indigenous communities and operated by ATCO. https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/atco-completes-canada-s-largest-

Federal fisheries minister should resign over lobster dispute: Indigenous leader The chief of the First Nation at the centre of a lobster fishing dispute in Nova Scotia says the federal fisheries minister should resign because she appears unwilling to deal with the band’s challenges. Chief Mike Sack of the Sipekne’katik First Nation said Wednesday he hasn’t heard from Bernadette Jordan for a week, despite his best efforts to set up a meeting with her.... If they want to break off talks with us, then we’ll take alternative routes, Sack said in an interview. If the minister is not willing to work with us, then maybe she should step down if she’s not capable of doing the job. First Nations in the Maritimes and eastern Quebec say a 1999 Supreme Court of Canada ruling affirmed their right to hunt, fish and gather when and where they want to earn a moderate livelihood. But a subsequent clarification from the court said Ottawa retains the right to regulate the fisheries for conservation purposes. Non-Indigenous lobster fishers have complained that the band’s self-regulated fishery in St. Marys Bay is illegal and should be shut down because the federally regulated lobster season in the area does not open until Nov. 30. https://www.thestar.com//indigenous-fishing-boats-land-100

Manitoba Indigenous entrepreneur gaining international attention A Manitoba Indigenous entrepreneur is gaining international attention for her business. Opaskwayak Cree Nation’s Sierra Lathlin three years ago started The Barkery, a shop that creates treats for dogs, and will be representing Manitoba at the virtual 2020 G20 Young Entrepreneurs’ Alliance Summit.... I’m very excited, Lathlin told Global News Morning. I not only get to represent Manitoba, but also represent Indigenous people as well, Lathlin added. https://globalnews.ca//the-barkery-sierra-lathlin-opaskwa/

Dentistry student works to improve oral health in Manitoba Indigenous communities Evan Loeb, a Métis student who recently graduated from the University of Winnipeg (U of W) with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry, is finding ways to improve oral health in Indigenous communities. Loeb has been involved in the Métis and Indigenous community for four years now. While he was in U of W, he worked with Indigenous Services Canada, travelling to more than 16 isolated and fly-in Ma...nitoba communities. When working at St. Theresa Point and Garden Hill First Nation, he noticed there was a lot of dental decay within the community. People my age already had a lot of their teeth fallen out, and I am only 24 years old, said Loeb on Monday. I saw Elders with only one or two teeth and children who had rapid dental decay. You could visibly see the decay and the systemic issues that were going on, such as food security and the lack of sanitation. https://www.thestar.com//dentistry-student-works-to-improv

BC Metis Federation continues to focus on cultural priorities. It is for our current and future children that live in BC. Just watching this example from this event in 2019 in Batoche is why we work so hard.

Hope BC Metis Federation families enjoyed their halloween. Check out this fun halloween music, Metis style from this weekend,

Indigenous land defenders at Caledonia site recall bitter 2006 dispute The more things change in Caledonia, Ont., the more one group of long-standing land defenders says things stay the same. Tense tableaus played out for months in the southwestern Ontario town in 2006 as Indigenous protesters clashed repeatedly with provincial police over the rights to land located near Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation. Fourteen years later, some of the same protesters are experie...ncing deja-vu as they take up similar positions to continue the same fight. It was very, very similar, Skyler Williams, 38, recalls, standing by the intersection that divides the scenes of past and present protest sites. I was much younger (in 2006), and so my back hurts a little bit more some days. The present-day dispute is playing out across the road from the scene of the 2006 protests at a proposed housing development known as McKenzie Meadows. Williams has been acting as a spokesperson for the land reclamation camp known as 1492 Land Back Lane at the site of the project being led by Foxgate Developments Inc. https://www.google.ca//beta./news/2020/11/1/1_5169956.html

You can walk through this spooktacular Halloween haunt in North Vancouver (PHOTOS) You know what they say, if you've got it, haunt it... A North Vancouver resident is doing just that this weekend, going all out with a frightfully fantastic Halloween walkthrough. ... It’s Christopher Smith’s third year decking out his yard with ghastly surprises and he said this is by far his spookiest display yet. Originally from Ontario, Smith and his family moved to Vancouver four years ago and he was just dying to carry on his Halloween tradition. He said his obsession with the holiday began as a child when his father started a small display with homemade tombstones in the front yard. Eventually, it grew into much, much more. I quit trick-or-treating when I was 12 to start doing these displays and scares, he said. We were always the house on the street with the biggest, best display. But nowadays it's just about having a whole lot of fun. I get a lot of joy from doing it [creating the haunt] and everyone always seems to appreciate it around the neighbourhood, Smith said. It’s a kind of a nice little break from everything that’s been going on. Visitors can look forward to entering the haunt through a creepy quarantine tent before walking through a one-way path full of jack-o-lanterns, smoke machines, graveyards, and animatronics including a moving, talking tree with glowing red eyes and a two-metre-tall skeleton reaper. https://www.nsnews.com//you-can-walk-through-this-spooktac

Indigenizing Halloween with fun, cultural jack-o'-lanterns From formline art to regalia, these are some of the ideas Indigenous people had this Halloween A jack-o'-lantern clad in a Seminole patchwork top and skirt, beaded earrings, and a nickel necklace was Cheyenne Kippenberger's idea of giving the Halloween tradition a dash of Indigenous representation this year.... "As Indigenous people, instead of waiting for the representation we would like and deserve, we just give it to ourselves in any way we can," said Kippenberger. The reigning 2019-2021 Miss Indian World, a cultural goodwill ambassador of the Gathering of Nations powwow, is a member of the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Her community, the Hollywood Reservation, has a restriction on gatherings due to the COVID-19 pandemic but moved its annual pumpkin carving contest online. It's the first year that Kippenberger has participated. "Whether it's Valentine's Day, Halloween or Christmas we always find a way to Indigenize it," she said. https://www.cbc.ca//indigenous-pumpkin-carving-halloween-1

Northern Sask. scares up an alternative Halloween with parade, zombie herd and more It's Halloween day, and northern Saskatchewan is ready for some spooktacular, safe fun. Indigenous Spirits, a La Ronge youth organization, is hosting "Bringing Halloween to You" a parade that will make its way through the tri-communities in the region Saturday evening. ... Shane Bird, an organizer of the event, says La Ronge and the surrounding communities especially need something festive for the whole family this year, as the COVID-19 pandemic rages on. "I grew up loving Halloween and we just wanted to bring Halloween to the youth this year," Bird said. "This year has brought many challenges, and we wanted to celebrate Halloween in a safe way to ease the stress of these trying times." https://www.cbc.ca//northern-sask-halloween-covid-19-1.578

Feds add $204M for anti-pandemic measures in Indigenous communities and institutions Ottawa will spend an additional $204 million targeted at child care, education and infrastructure to help Indigenous communities fight the COVID-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Friday. Trudeau said the government is spending $120 million to support early learning and child-care facilities in First Nations, Inuit and Metis communities during the pandemic.... "Access to safe and culturally relevant early learning and child care is essential to the recovery of Indigenous communities from COVID-19," Trudeau said. https://www.ctvnews.ca//feds-add-204m-for-anti-pandemic-me

First-ever, free Indigenous Horror Film Festival launches online for Halloween Charlie Perry loves a good scare. That’s why he took it upon himself to create the first ever Nightmare Vision Indigenous Horror Film Festival. It’s hosted by Vision Maker Media, based in Lincoln, Nebraska, where Perry is the assistant director. (He’s a former Kansan from the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation.)... The festival will be held online Oct. 30 and 31 at https://visionmakermedia.org/nightmare-vision/ and the program will include two feature-length horror films and many short films by Native American filmmakers. Two of my films (the zombie feature The Dead Can’t Dance and sci-fi short The Burden of Being) are among the lineup. The festival is free and open to everyone. Viewers can join an online watch party at https://visionmakermedia.org/nightmare-watch-party/ hosted by Anthony Hudson of Portland’s Queer Horror scene as his alter ego, drag clown Carla Rossi. The watch parties start at 7 p.m. Central both days, and attendees will be able to interact with each other online during the screenings. Each film will also be posted on the website Oct. 30 and 31 for free on-demand viewing. https://www.kansas.com/entertainment/article246775597.html

Check out how Metis style jigging is being interpreted by this Indigenous youth. https://fb.watch/1rTW3OiI75/

Ottawa to unveil more pandemic support for Indigenous communities Social Sharing The money will target child care, education and infrastructure... More federal financial support is on its way to help Indigenous people and communities cope with the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to announce today additional funding, targeted specifically at child care, education and infrastructure. The new money is on top of more than $2.2 billion the federal government has already allocated to help Indigenous and northern communities get through the health crisis. https://www.cbc.ca//pol/trudeau-covid-indigenous-1.5783159