SOSMA

I am very concerned to hear from Region 3 Presidents and Citizens that some Election Envelopes did not have all the candidates ballots. This is very concerning to me, please give voice too if you are concerned that you might not be fully represented in your vote. Daniel

Taanishi, I want to thank all of my friends that I have met in the last 14 years in my role as Community President and Region Director. It is a honor to have you as part of my Métis Family forever. Maarsii

This week you will be receiving your mail-in ballot for the 2020 MNBC Election, vote for who you believe might be your best choice for Region Director for the Thompson Okanagan. I have 14 years experience in Metis Politics for MNBC. Proud citizen of SOSMA. VOTE FOR DANIEL PITMAN www.tometis.com

Tansi kiya’wow, Daniel Pitman dishinikashoon. (Hello to all Daniel Pitman is my name). I am six generation Red River Métis. I have lived in the Okanagan for 60 years. I was President of the South Okanagan Similkameen Metis Association from 2006 to 2012. I became a MNBC Board of Director and Minister for Children and Family in 2012 to present. I have over 35 years’ education and work experience in Social Services and Counselling. I firmly believe in family values as they relat...e to culture, tradition and character. I believe Métis culture and pride are vital to our children as they are the most valuable asset we have for now and the future. I believe in ensuring our MNBC Governance allows for communication, connection and collaboration to build strong Métis Communities. I believe in working relationships between Métis Communities and the First Nation Bands in Region 3 to build strength through networking and event sharing to promote our Indigenous Pride. I believe in supporting our Veterans, Elders, Women and Youth to ensure their rights are adhered to, stimulate health services, build education financial assistance and recognize their contributions to our Nation. We need to support our youth with their education and provide financial support for their post-secondary education without limitations. We also need to ensure we support Metis Early Learning so families have a head start to their education and Childcare so mothers and fathers can have their children cared for while they are working to earn a living. In June of 2018 MNBC and MCFD signed a letter of commitment to start the jurisdiction transfer of children and youth in care back to the Metis Nation and this work needs to continue to completion. Maarsii poor tii tashi (thank you for your time). VOTE For Daniel Pitman Region 3 Director

The South Okanagan Similkameen Metis Association Board of Directors is seeking motivated citizens to be part of the Board. If you are interested please contact Jean Jones [email protected]

Hello from SOSMA, we are back posting.

We are excited to show off our brand new DIY Métis ribbon shirts! Last Sunday the 23rd we got together with the Ministry of Youth from MNBC to play games, eat food, and make our very own Métis ribbon shirt. Thank you to all who were able to make it out to this fun event!

Thanks to all who came to our Midnight Paddle last night! What a wonderful event.

Just a reminder to everyone of two great events coming up! The Midnight Paddle Event on July 17th @ 8:30 PM The Metis Beading Workshop on July 27th @ 10:00 AM... See the details below for each of these workshops! MIDNIGHT PADDLE: The South Okanagan Similkameen Métis Association would like to offer a cultural experience open to anyone, young or old, who is interested in exploring their heritage. Community Foundation of South Okanagan awarded a Neighbourhood Grant to Greta Henning and Jodie Rae to sponsor this event. A Midnight Paddle held at Skaha Lake on Wednesday July 17 at 8:30 pm is a collaboration between the South Okanagan Similkameen Métis Association, Penticton Dragon Boat, Penticton Indian Band (Friendship and En’owkin Centers) and the surrounding communities. We will gather at the Skaha Lake Marina Boathouse located on the Marina end of the Park near the Child’s Water Park The intention of this invitation is to bring together like-minded people who have an interest in their personal history and culture as it relates to our journey through this world. We hope to inspire participants to use this event as a means to connect with, and honor the water and the abundance we live alongside in this area and on this planet. Wednesday, July 17 is a full moon with the sun setting at 9:15 pm. Participants will be asked to register for the event before July 15 by calling Jodie at 250-469-4936. Space is limited so do not delay! Promptly at 8:30 p.m. all participants will receive Water Safety Instruction, Life Jackets, and turn in signed waivers. Our Paddle will include a brief history of Métis Culture in BC, Story Telling of your family history in this area and Q&A about how to discover your own roots. Please bring traditional drums, spoons or fiddles if you have them! Light snack and drinks will be provided. This event is open to anyone not just people who identify as Métis or First Nations. *Traditionally, we would hold this event in dug out voyageur canoes. Thank you to the Dragon Boat Society for helping to create our experience of community by offering your boats. METIS BEADING WORKSHOP Under the guidance of SOSMA’s Women’s Rep., SOSMA has organized an opportunity for anyone interested, to join with the Vernon Métis Women’s Rep to learn or improve your Beading skills on Saturday July 27, 2019 in Vernon. The Facilitator will be Linda van Wieringen from Vernon. Supplies and lunch provided to Community members. Beading kits can also be purchased for $25.00 for those interested who are not SOSMA Community members. The plan is to carpool meeting at 10:00 am at the Riverside Mall at the north end of Penticton. Plan is to return to Penticton by 6:00 pm. This is the first organized opportunity of three that will be offered for our Community and for others who are interested. To register & also reserve your spot in the carpool, contact Greta (SOSMA Women’s Rep) either by phoning or text to Cell# 250- 488-8889 by July 23.

SOSMA held a 2-day workshop for Medicine Picking on May 24/25. Dianne MacLean travelled from Vancouver Island to share her knowledge on identifying and harvesting indigenous, traditional, healing plants. Participants were inspired to learn about and use medicines from our own backyard to make lotions and teas that combat aches and pains and can improve overall health.

Ever wonder if you have Aboriginal or Metis Roots? Our Community would like to offer a cultural experience open to anyone, young or old, who is interested in exploring their heritage. Community Foundation of South Okanagan awarded a Neighbourhood Grant to Greta Henning and Jodie Rae to sponsor this event. A Midnight Paddle held at Skaha Lake on Wednesday July 17 at 8:30 pm is a collaboration between the South Okanagan Similkameen Metis Association, Penticton Dragon Boat, Pe...nticton Indian Band (Friendship and En’owkin Centers) and the surrounding communities. We will gather at the Skaha Lake Marina Boathouse located on the Marina end of the Park near the Child’s Water Park The intention of this invitation is to bring together like minded people who have an interest in their personal history and culture as it relates to our journey through this world. We hope to inspire participants to use this event as a means to connect with, and honor, the water and the abundance we live alongside in this area and on this planet. Wednesday, July 17 is a full moon with the sun setting at 9:15 pm. Participants will be asked to register for the event before July 15 by calling Jodie at 250-469- 4936. Space is limited so do not delay! Promptly at 8:30 all participants will receive Water Safety Instruction, Life Jackets, and turn in signed waivers. Our Paddle will include a brief history of Metis Culture in BC, Story Telling of your family history in this area and Q&A about how to discover your own roots. Please bring traditional drums, spoons or fiddles if you have them! Light snack and drinks will be provided. This event is open to anyone not just people who identify as Metis or First Nations. *Traditionally, we would hold this event in dug out voyager canoes. Thank you to Dragon Boat Society for helping to create our experience of community by offering your boats.

We received a notification from Interior health about a name change that affects our nation: "Interior Health, along with the other health authorities and the Ministry of Health, is committed to respecting Aboriginal people in B.C. and furthering reconciliation. In addition to ongoing initiatives around cultural humility, we are adopting a name change: Residential Services will be called Long-term Care Services, effective immediately. This change recognizes the negative conn...otations of the word residential due to the tragic history of residential schools. This change in name is effective immediately. Long-term Care Services is now in the process of working with impacted departments to update materials such as signage, website content, forms, job descriptions, etc. Our initial focus will be on the public-facing materials and widely-used internal documents, after which we will be working to update smaller-scale documents. While implementation will begin immediately, this is a large-scale change and it will take several months. If, after this time, you continue to see the name Residential Care or Residential Services still being used, please bring it to our attention. Email Tracy Glaicar to let us know and we will follow-up. Other terms that are included in this province-wide name change include: Residential Care Facility now Long-term Care Home Short-term Residential Care Services now Time-Limited Services There is no change to the terms Respite Care and Convalescent Care. Residents of long-term care homes should be called people or individuals as we move away from the residential care terminology and focus on person-centred care."