• https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89494370355?pwd=ejlsRW54QnRRcjZDYVl2WGg3ZWs3Zz09
• Meeting ID: 894 9437 0355
• Passcode: 583153

The successful candidates are:

Lorraine Cobiness – Chief
Reno Cameron – Councillor
Bernice Major – Councillor
Fabian Blackhawk – Councillor
Martina Strong – Councillor

This system only works when people exercise their right to vote. This was a very difficult election to orchestrate considering the restrictions COVID-19 has forced upon the community. Chief and Council gives their warmest thanks to each and every Band Member who came out and waited for hours to vote.

The new Chief and Council are committed to continuing progress and moving forward together as a community.

Miigwetch!

Their emergency food bank program is now available for anyone in the Kenora area during the COVID-19 pandemic.

An intake must be completed and delivery is to your doorstep.

Requests made by Tuesday @ 4pm will be delivered the same week.

Please call or SMS message 807.407.1442 or email healthybabies@nechee.org.

Councillor Bernice Major of Niisaachewan Anishinaabe Nation and Councillor Terri Meekis of Wabauskang First Nation at Niisaachewan’s new library.

SchoolBOX brought our mission ‘home’ after learning that Indigenous Youth Empowering Students (IYES) volunteers were helping to build libraries and schools for kids in Nicaragua and yet had neither books nor schools in their home community of Wabauskang First Nation in Northern Ontario. Terri Meekis, IYES alumnus and now Wabauskang Councillor, helped SchoolBOX translate their model and create the newest First Nations Library in Ontario in her home community! In her desire to champion kids, Terri continued to volunteer to help us implement SchoolBOX’s next learning center project in Niisaachewan Anishinaabe Nation.

The project transformed an unused bay of the community fire hall into a beautiful learning center for all kids K-12; creating the only educational facility on the reserve. The space serves children and families, elders and youth, with an area to come together to learn, teach and share. The garage door was replaced with an open picture window to allow for natural light, and a children and family library collection was installed downstairs along with a youth library upstairs. Kids can receive support in completing their high school in an effort to break the cycle of poverty left by residential schools. Only 1 in 4 kids on-reserve finish their high school in 4 years according to a 2018 Auditor General report. Together, we are investing in amazing local leaders to overcome these barriers and ‘make education possible’ for all kids!

Niisaachewan’s Agindaasoowigamig (library) is now open.  Located at the Seven Generations Classroom at the Fire Hall Building.

Hours of operation are Tuesday 10am – 6pm, Wednesday 10am – 3pm, and Thursday 10am – 3pm.

You can download a PDF of our book list or you can call (807) 548.4912

The All Nations Hospital is in it’s planning stage, and the hospital will follow a model based on the Meno-Ya-Win Health Centre in Sioux Lookout. It aims to ensure that Kenora and the First Nations communities in the region have better access to health-care, along with the combination of traditional and modern medicines and practices.  Involvement of community partners and First Nation representation on the hospital’s board will play a vital role in it’s success.

Our Health, Our Ways, Our Lives… Walking this Path Together.

In a report compiled by Cancer Care Ontario and the KCA, colon and rectum cancer rates are higher in both men and women in the Treaty 3 territory, compared to the rest of Ontario. Myeloma, cervix and kidney cancer rates are higher amongst women in Treaty 3 than the rest of Ontario. However, prostate, breast and thyroid cancer rates are lower in Treaty 3 compared to Ontario.

Due to the higher rates of cancer, the KCA has initiated a seamless cancer care journey project which brought together service providers, bureaucrats, administrators and physicians at Seven Generations Education Institute Tuesday, May 28. The event was intended to bring everyone together to share their stories and KCA president and Chief of Niisaachewan Anishinaabe Nation Lorraine Cobiness highlighted the importance of the elders and others who don’t always get a chance to speak in attendance

“There are people here who don’t necessarily always have a chance to connect with everybody all in the same room and voice their concerns,” Cobiness said.

Members of Treaty 3 face obstacles in accessing cancer treatment, the biggest one being fear according to Cobiness.

“It’s not having all the information,” she said. “It doesn’t matter where you are, it’s absolute fear.”

Some of the other barriers Treaty 3 members face include difficult relationships with providers, difficulty travelling to screening site, confusion about follow up steps and results being received too late or not at all. These were all identified by community members and providers in the Northwestern Ontario First Nations Cancer Screening Research Project which is still in progress.

The event held at Seven Gens is hoping to take the stories and experiences shared by those in attendance and develop an action plan to “make meaningful steps towards a seamless cancer journey,” a KCA news release reads. The project has funding provided for the next four years.

“Health transformation is happening, it’s here, it’s going to happen,” Cobiness said.

Cobiness is encouraged by the development of an All Nations Hospital and healthcare system in the works for the Kenora area, calling the project one of KCA’s biggest priorities. The seamless cancer care journey initiative can help contribute in the development of an All Nations Healthcare system, Cobiness said.

rstelter@postmedia.com / Kenora Daily Miner and News

We feasted and celebrated our documents and relationship with our new Board of Directors for our People helping People – Charitable Corp members Hannita, Steven, Gary, David, Vernon, and Eric!

This partnership will bring a wealth of resources, contacts, and build capacity in our members, especially our young people and kids! I must acknowledge the support and guidance from our Elders Council and the awesome work from our staff (cudos to our Executive Director Joe), and last but not least, the time and efforts put forth from our Chiefs, my friends, my compadres!

This week is filled with so much exciting news and events around health, so stay tuned!

Chief Lorraine Cobiness

I need to acknowledge the long and hard work that has been put into this project over the years, special acknowledgement to my former council members Merv Copenace, Roberta Jameson, and Martina Strong for their contributions along the way. My council Fabian Blackhawk, Ted Perrault, Bernice Major, and Reno Cameron for their continued commitment. Our partners Fednor, NOHFC, Bimose, KCA, and Nelson for helping us capture our vision. My staff for all their support. Our community members patiently waiting and supporting the efforts. Allan Luby, who has put his blood, sweat, and tears to get us to this point.

Most important, the hard work put into this project is for our children, their future, and their prosperity. It’ll be a place to gather, celebrate, and create opportunities in Training and Economic Development.

Last but not least, our creator who continues to guide us. Miigwetch.