Clear Sky Connections

Good morning! Here at Clear Sky Connections, we know that a reliable, fast internet connection can make a world of a difference in our everyday life - especially during Covid-19! We're still here, and we're still advocating and working on behalf of each of our member communities to install what is considered the best in network technology - fibre optic internet! Clear Sky Connections was actually created by Manitoba Chiefs who had a collective goal of bringing high speed in...ternet to First Nations in Manitoba. If your community is one of our 40 "member communities", then check out these Steps to Take! A Letter of Support from community leadership will be included in an upcoming new proposal to obtain $150M for us to bring high speed fibre internet to more Manitoba First Nation communities! Feb 5th is the deadline for Letters of Support and/or BCR's (Band Council Resolutions) from Chief and Council to be submitted and included in the new proposal. So, share this post and tag your community leadership here and share what high speed fibre internet would mean to you! We'd love to be able to continue working towards connecting our rural First Nations with the same connection our urban centers are getting, advancing us all in the end!

Good Morning... Shannon K Spence can you please inbox us.

Closes at 4:30pm sharp! Thanks to all who nominated and took part there are hundreds of responses and ALL of them will be put into a draw tonight. The winners will be posted next week. Thank you again to our sponsors Northwest Company and DoJo Physical Arts!... All 45 families will be contacted before delivery tomorrow. Again many thanks to all who participated. Ekosani!

Here are photos of some of the winners from our 2020 Thanksgiving meal package giveaway! We thank all who had nominated and entered the draw. Congratulations to all 12 winners! Noreen Seivewright. Nomination: Self.... Clarissa Fontaine. Nomination: Self. Jackie Greene. Nomination: Jazzy Felix. Jordan Beaulieu. Nomination: Own family. Claire Lemay. Nomination: Own family. Lizzette Courchene. Nomination: Dasher Eve. Aud North. Nomination: Dora Chubb. Doris Sarah Mayhm. Nomination: Self. Rachel Apetagon. Nomination: Chris Apetagon. Eric Redhead. Nomination: Alvina Miles. Aniika French. Nomination: Lemora Huntinghawk. Pamela Murdoch. Nomination: Candance Murdoch.

We are looking for drivers for Friday for some of the hampers! Please inbox us if you are available Friday afternoon/ evening for distribution with your own vehicle. *****Hamper Drive also in partnership with Northwest Company and Gary Merasty who is matching Clear Sky Connections and CEO Lisa Clarke 50:50 on donations to the drive***** See below for our other partner who is putting together the hampers AND also contributing to the cause!... What an amazing way to spread Christmas Cheer and impact families in the city during such a hard time! YOU still have time to donate to this or our toy drive while you can!!!! See other posts for details We are now at 45 hampers to give out to nominees whose names are drawn! All nominations MUST be done via inbox. DEADLINE FOR NOMINATIONS is tomorrow at 4:30pm! Ekosani!

Words cannot express the gratitude we feel for the support from leadership in moving ahead as a collective. The leaders moved business swiftly today and called for UNITY across the board. Shout out to the team for pulling off another stellar Annual General Membership Meeting in the wake of CoVid19 that put the world on pause. More exciting news to come as we received blessings from our Members to move ahead with all the new partnerships formed. To everyone that helped make... this event happen - Ekosani! From the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer. We look forward to continue serving you until the entire Network of the Future is complete ***if you have photos to share with us from today please post them here. Thank you in advance!***

Aniin! Meet the summer students at Clear Sky Connections! Chantel Fontaine-Henderson- Youth ICT Leader Chelsea McKay- Administrative Support Officer... Taz McKay- Training Officer Naomi Wood- Communications Officer Anjo Murdoch- IT Officer

We would like to acknowledge our 4 Youth ICT workers - Taz McKay, Chelsea McKay, Naomi Wood, and Chantel Fontaine-Henderson who represented Clear Sky Connections by participating in the IRTC Golf Tournament on July 30 at the Breezy Bend Country Club. A huge THANK YOU to Jolene Throop & Tim Catcheway for stepping up and supporting our youth by loaning your clubs. Memories were made and a lot of FUN was definitely had. Shout to IRTC for hosting a good time. (Pics to come)

Deadline is today at 5:00pm!

Reminder deadline is tomorrow at 5:00pm! ***Please share***

***Employment Opportunity *** Deadline is July 17th, 2020. Please share!

We are still seeking two more students to join our team! Deadline to apply is this Thursday at 4:30pm. ***please share***

Deadline has been EXTENDED to Friday, June 26th at 12 Noon.

DEADLINE today at 4:30p.m.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 19, 2020 CYBERSPACE (MANITOBA) Clear Sky Connections supports the efforts of remote First Nations in Manitoba communities who cannot realistically abide by the Government of Canada and Manitobas forced actions during the CoVid19 pandemic to work at home, home school or to invoke social-distancing amongst all other social determinants of health

Are you looking for a summer job opportunity in the ICT field? Are you looking to assist in the building of Manitobas Network of the Future and the MB First Nations Information and Communication Technology Centre of Excellence? We are looking for summer students to fill five 8 week mentorship positions starting as soon as possible! Send us your application today and join our amazing trailblazing team! Deadline is Monday June 22nd so get your applications in via email or fax! Open to students 18-29 years of age entering studies focused in ICT in the fall/winter session!

https://www.cbc.ca//northern-manitoba-fibre-optic-network-

Good announcements made today. It is vital that 100% First Nation owned companies get access to funding opportunities in addition to the in-kind contributions proposed to date. More to come

Congratulations to Chairperson Chief David Crate and Council for being trailblazers for their community and the future generations! Lighting the pathway for Economic Development Opportunities! https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca//the-first-nation-solar-farm-g

Published in the Ottawa Citizen today, collaborative work by the national First Mile Connectivity Consortium that the Clear Sky Indigenous Network is a part of: "...It is time to recognize the essential role that Indigenous and non-profit telecom providers serve in rural and remote communities. Rather than direct more resources to already well-off commercial telcos, the federal government should establish an emergency fund specifically for non-profit and Indigenous telecom pr...oviders. These organizations must also be substantively involved in any decisions that affect the delivery of broadband services in their regions, both during this challenging time, and into the future. Indigenous telecom providers have already demonstrated their commitment to help bridge the urban/rural digital divide now, more than ever, Canadians should be supporting their work." -------------------------- https://ottawacitizen.com//whiteduck-and-co-covid-19-show/

Shout out to telecommunications personnel from Clear Sky Connections! ------------------------ Commemorating ......NATIONAL PUBLIC SAFETY TELECOMMUNICATIONS WEEK Every year during the second week of April, the telecommunications personnel in the public safety community, are honored. This week-long event is a time to celebrate and thank those who dedicate their lives to serving the public. It is a week that should be set aside so everyone can be made aware of their hard work a...nd dedication. During the provincial CoVid19 update this morning they announced: 1.2 million calls per year to ensure people get the help they need when we need it! Thank you for working your hardest for us to get the attention needed during an emergency! ------------------------------- First Nations in Canada link: https://geo.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/cippn-fnpim/index-eng.html First Nations Telehealth links: Did you know the Telehealth network is growing in usage and becomes so much more important during Pandemics?!!! https://fntn.ca/Library/Public-Archive https://mbtelehealth.ca/locations/first-nations/

Sharing on behalf of Chief Eric Redhead of Shamattawa First Nation

Tansi! Sharing employment opportunity information from one of our partners: Treaty 3 Police Service See link for details!... https://www.t3ps.ca//information-technology-systems-coord/

Shout out to the Youth ICT family who named Clear Sky Connections and created the foundation for youth to come! Mizhakwun means the Sky is clear the eagle opened up the sky in ceremony

****Please share for a chance to win yourself a sweater and t-shirt with our logo on it!**** Tansi! It has been a while since we posted about our upcoming Summit on June 2-3, 2020, at the Victoria Inn here in Winnipeg on Treaty One Territory. We are booking contingency planning dates for later on in the year if it comes to postponing until the CoVid-19 pandemic and implications are no longer a threat to humanity. More news to come next week once contingency dates have been s...ecured. We are collaborating with Universities and scholars that have had to postpone their events so we may bring a multitude of Ec Dev opportunities to showcase together! See article attached that eludes to one of the presentations that will be showcased! Fisher River Cree Nation is trailblazing ahead with new ventures that create an array of jobs & economies for the future! Chairperson Chief David Crate and his community will take you through a journey of sovereignty and prosperity for their Nation. BOOM Working in Partnership and Lighting the path to connectivity - the Gateway to Economic Opportunities, Ekosani! Prayers to all! Lisa Clarke BSc BA P2P Prosci Chief Executive Officer

Information for all Manitobans: Just announced this morning. Supports from Federal Government:

Tansi! The Clear Sky Indigenous Network seeks to keep communities informed with the most up to date factual information. See attached release from Ken Sanderson, Executive Director, Broadband Communications North, where they are currently servicing over half of the First Nation communities in Manitoba. As we get contacted more and more for information we want to help keep communities safe and limit visits to communities as much as we can, complying with the First Nations regi...onal plan being established to flatten the COVID-19 curve. See attachments below. Ekosani! Yours in Partnership, Lisa Clarke Chief Executive Officer Clear Sky Connections

Tansi! Effective immediately Clear Sky Connections offices are closed until March 31, 2020, and all queries/ information are to be routed through [email protected] and calls to 1-204-410-3376 or toll-free at 1-(833)-883-5376. We are operating completely virtually and all queries coming in will be answered as soon as possible.... Ekosani! Working in partnership, Lisa Clarke Chief Executive Officer Clear Sky Connections

Amazing opportunity from one of our partners!

Come and check out one of our amazing keynote speakers June 2-3, 2020 at the Victoria Inn, Winnipeg, MB! Your business can BOOM with the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) Female Indigenous Entrepreneur Ms Jenn Harper will share her story! See our website for Summit registration and sponsorship opportunity information!... Amazing Unique Trailblazers Lighting the Pathway to Connectivity Our Gateway to Economic Opportunities ***Sponsor a Youth Rep to come attend from our Member First Nations***Email directly [email protected] for info

1st advertisement release to the public of our upcoming Summit June 2-3, 2020! Please print and post in your local offices! Share and light the Smoke Signals of the Future as we will be announcing some exciting explosive Initiatives that are underway in our Territory! Stay tuned for contests for free passes to the Conference and Gala! And to our Youth....the Trailblazers of the Future....sponsorship opportunities will be coming for you to be able to attend!... Tomorrow January 30th, 2020, we will do an official launch of sponsorship levels for this years Summit - the 5th Anniversary of the Annual Manitoba First Nations Technology Council Summit....now under the umbrella of Clear Sky Connections!! This is the mark of trailblazing change for our people as we continue LIGHTING THE PATHWAY TO CONNECTIVITY!!! Exciting and more to come!

Our leaders met early on this blustery Saturday morning with Minister Miller of Indigenous Services Canada. Determination and dedication to address the issues around connectivity and the Manitoba First Nations ICT Centre of Excellence will enable our youth to become world leaders in technology and be at the forefront of industry! Ekosani Chairperson Chief David Crate and Regional Chief Kevin Hart for giving communities every opportunity to voice their concerns and share what amazing skill set we have in our territory! Welcome to the Prime Minister and his Cabinet to Treaty One Territory as you come together for your planning retreat in Winterpeg! We look forward to continuing to work with you to create change! Keep the dialogue open and listen with an open heart

CSC Holiday Hamper Giveaway In partnership with: Arctic Gateway Group, Circling Buffalo Inc., and Nu-Media! To show our love & spread some holiday cheer, Clear Sky Connections is giving away 4 hampers to 4 families in need this holiday season! ... Please send us the name & contact information (phone number & address) via FB MESSENGER for a family that you would like to nominate for the giveaway! *Hamper includes Christmas Special food hamper from Cantors Grocery, cleaning supplies, non-perishable food items, plates, candy canes, CSC swag, & other items. The draw is for Winnipeg residents only CSC can pick up the Christmas Special food items from Cantors, if the family is unable to pick up Deadline for nominations is Thursday, December 19, 2019, @ 3:00 PM. Hamper will be delivered on the morning of Friday, December 20, 2019 Names will be drawn at random by one of our staff members Winners will be contacted once the draw is complete Ekosani! Miigwetch! Wopida! Mahsi Cho! Thank You! & Merry Christmas!

Come on out during your lunch hour to our Open House! Hot appetizers coming out of the oven they smell delicious! Enter your name for some draws! Chat about exciting news coming up! We are in Unit 209. Draws for awesome prizes!... We look forward to seeing you! See more

Free computer courses!

Please read to learn more about Clear Skys latest developments with Manitoba First Nations Fibre Optic Network!

Groundbreaking ceremony in Nisichiwayasihk Cree Nation today for fibre optic network. It was a momentous day for Clear Sky and First Nations!