Wasting Indigenous Communities: A Case Study with Garden Hill and Wasagamack First Nations in Northern Manitoba, Canada

2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 232-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Oyegunle ◽  
Shirley Thompson
Keyword(s):  
First Nations ◽  
Indigenous Communities

scholarly journals Measuring What Counts to Advance Indigenous Self-Determination: A Case Study of the Nisg̱a’a Lisims Government’s Quality of Life Framework and Survey

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Bouchard ◽  
Adam Perry ◽  
Shannon West-Johnson ◽  
Thierry Rodon ◽  
Michelle Vanchu-Orosco
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
First Nations ◽  
Qualitative Method ◽  
Household Survey ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Participatory Approach ◽  
Self Determination

Abstract Modern Treaties are presented as a means for improving the lives of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples in Canada by providing specific rights, and negotiated benefits. However, the positive impacts of Modern Treaties on Indigenous well-being are contested (Borrows and Coyle 2017; Coulthard 2014; Guimond et al. 2013; Miller 2009; Poelzer and Coates 2015). Developing a more transparent, consistent, collaborative and contextual way of measuring well-being relevant to the cultural realities of Modern Treaty beneficiaries is an important step for generating comparative methods that could systematically demonstrate whether, and under what conditions, such agreements can effectively reduce socio-economic disparities and improve the quality of life of Indigenous communities. The authors first examine previous attempts at measuring Indigenous well-being, then reflect on well-being in relation to the Modern Treaty context. Subsequently, the authors provide an example from one Self-Governing Indigenous Government, the Nisga’a Lisims Government, to collect well-being data through the Nisga’a Nation Household Survey using a mixed quantitative-qualitative method developed through a culturally grounded and participatory approach.

scholarly journals Indigenous Adoption of Internet Voting: A Case Study of Whitefish River First Nation

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chelsea Gabel ◽  
Nicole Goodman ◽  
Karen Bird ◽  
Brian Budd
Keyword(s):  
Political Participation ◽  
First Nations ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Community Capacity ◽  
Community Consultation ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Real Property ◽  
Internet Voting ◽  
Capacity Strengthen

Indigenous communities and organizations are increasingly using digital technologies to build community capacity, strengthen community consultation, and improve political participation. In particular, Internet voting is a type of technology to which First Nations have been drawn. This article explores Whitefish River First Nation's (WRFN) experience introducing Internet voting in the course of ratifying a new matrimonial real property law (MRP). Specifically, we examine the implications of Internet voting for political participation and electoral administration at the community level. Although community members’ uptake of Internet voting was very modest, we find the experience of adoption had other subtle impacts on community capacity, specifically in terms of empowering the community to pass its own laws and connecting youth and elders. With respect to administration, Internet voting provided an opportunity to connect with community members using technology, to modernize voting processes, and to better accommodate community members needs.

scholarly journals Community Capacity Building for Energy Sovereignty: A First Nation Case Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 177
Author(s):  
Roopa Rakshit ◽  
Chander Shahi ◽  
M. A. (Peggy) Smith ◽  
Adam Cornwell
Keyword(s):  
Capacity Building ◽  
First Nations ◽  
Power Transmission ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Energy Sector ◽  
First Nation ◽  
Effective Capacity ◽  
Community Capacity Building ◽  
Community Based Research

<p><em>Ontario’s 2017 Long-Term Energy Plan has identified the </em><em>Wataynikaneyap Power transmission line </em><em>as a priority project.</em><em> </em><em>The line will connect seventeen remote, off-grid, diesel-dependent First Nation</em><em> </em><em>communitiesin </em><em>northwestern Ontario, Canada to the provincial grid</em><em>. The province’s </em><em>current energy mandates and policies commit program dollars to build the human capacities o</em><em>f the seventeen</em><em> </em><em>Wataynikaneyap Power communities </em><em>through the </em><em>Remote Electrification Readiness Program (RERP)</em><em>. This effort is part of growing interests, changing perspectives, and focus in the continuum of provincial strategies to encourage First Nations to meet their emerging energy transitional needs and to partake in the energy sector.</em></p><p><em>Capacity-building challenges are unique in</em><em> </em><em>the</em><em> </em><em>Wataynikaneyap Power communities because</em><em> </em><em>they experience higher levels of poverty and</em><em> </em><em>socio</em><em> </em><em>economic inequities, are subjected to antiquated and unjust institutional structures, are following a legal and self-governance status, and are maintaining distinct cultures and ways of life.</em></p><p><em>Capacity building as a concept is wide-ranging</em><em> </em><em>and offers</em><em> </em><em>a multitude of expressions</em><em> </em><em>and interpretations. For </em><em>the </em><em>Wataynikaneyap Power communities</em><em>, capacity building</em><em> has offered the opportunity</em><em> </em><em>to exert their inherent rights and to increase their participation in local and regional energy planning and development.</em></p><em>This community-based research is derived from grassroots ethnographic community observation. Through a case study of one of the Wataynikaneyap Power communities, Poplar Hill First Nation, the paper will: a) elucidate a working example of an Indigenous capacity-building process through the RERP; b) demonstrate that capacity development is a key building block for self-determination and to achieve energy sovereignty; and c) illustrate the broader scope of learnings and pathways to effective capacity building for Indigenous communities that will drive energy development initiatives and actions in Canada’s expansive energy sector.</em>

scholarly journals We Are Still the Aniishnaabe Nation: Embracing Culture and Identity in Batchewana First Nation

2006 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gayle Broad ◽  
Stephanie Boyer ◽  
Cynthia Chataway
Keyword(s):  
First Nations ◽  
Community Participation ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Research Process ◽  
First Nation ◽  
Collective Trauma ◽  
Cultural Activities ◽  
Cultural Renewal ◽  
Participation Communautaire

Abstract: This case study was conducted by researchers engaged in “Understanding the Strengths of Indigenous Communities,” a research project involving five participating First Nations (see http://www.usic.ca). This particular study describes the centrality of cultural activities and beliefs in strengthening the community of the Batchewana First Nation. Deploying an innovative form of methodology, which stresses community participation in the development of the research process for the purposes of decolonization, the article explores how this community approaches culture from a holistic worldview. The findings suggest that cultural renewal is self-reinforcing and cumulative, and plays a key role in overcoming collective trauma, but that these benefits can be jeopardized through a lack of resources. Résumé : Cette étude, intitulée “Understanding the Strengths of Indigenous Communities,” a été menée par des recherchistes associés à un projet regroupant cinq nations autochtones. Elle décrit le rôle primordial des activités culturelles et des croyances dans le mécanisme de consolidation de la communauté Batchewana First Nation. Utilisant une méthodologie innovatrice qui attire l’attention sur la participation communautaire dans l’élaboration d’un processus de recherche ayant comme but la décolonisation, ce communiqué explore les points de vue holistiques utilisés par cette communauté. Les résultats suggèrent que le renouveau culturel est autodéterminant et cumulatif et qu’il joue un rôle clé dans la confrontation du traumatisme collectif, mais que ces bienfaits peuvent êtres mis en danger par un manque de ressources.

scholarly journals Drinking Water Consumption Patterns: An Exploration of Risk Perception and Governance in Two First Nations Communities

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (17) ◽  
pp. 6851
Author(s):  
Neal Spicer ◽  
Brenda Parlee ◽  
Molly Chisaakay ◽  
Doug Lamalice
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Risk Perception ◽  
First Nations ◽  
Water Consumption ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Bottled Water ◽  
Consumption Patterns ◽  
First Nation ◽  
Individual Risk

Many Indigenous communities across Canada suffer from the lack of access to clean drinking water; ensuring individuals and communities have safe water to drink either from their home or from their local environment requires the consideration of multiple factors including individual risk perception. In collaboration with local leaders, semi-structured interviews (n = 99) were conducted over a two-year period in the Dene Tha’ First Nation and Kátł’odeeche First Nation to unpack the issue of risk perception and its meaning to local community members. These local metrics of risk perception including smell, taste, safety, health fears and level of concern were then used to explore patterns in other data on drinking water consumption patterns and bottled water use. The results are consistent with previous research related to water insecurity and indicate that both communities consume more bottled water than the average Canadian. Results also varied by jurisdiction; those in Alberta indicated much higher levels of concern and a greater degree of bottled water consumption.

The socio-spatial politics of royalties and their distribution: A case study of the Surat Basin, Queensland

2021 ◽  
pp. 0308518X2110266
Author(s):  
Neil Argent ◽  
Sean Markey ◽  
Greg Halseth ◽  
Laura Ryser ◽  
Fiona Haslam-McKenzie
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effective ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Energy Extraction ◽  
Grant Application ◽  
Coal Seam Gas ◽  
Spatial Politics ◽  
Developmental Needs ◽  
Development Fund ◽  
Effective Use

This paper is concerned with the socio-spatial and ethical politics of redistribution, specifically the allocation of natural resources rents from political and economic cores to the economic and geographical peripheries whence the resource originated. Based on a case study of the coal seam gas sector in Queensland's Surat Basin, this paper focuses on the operation of the Queensland State Government's regional development fund for mining and energy extraction-affected regions. Employing an environmental justice framework, we critically explore the operation of these funds in ostensibly helping constituent communities in becoming resilient to the worst effects of the ‘staples trap’. Drawing on secondary demographic and housing data for the region, as well as primary information collected from key respondents from mid-2018 to early 2019, we show that funds were distributed across all of the local government areas, and allocated to projects and places primarily on a perceived economic needs basis. However, concerns were raised with the probity of the funds’ administration. In terms of recognition justice, the participation of smaller and more remote towns and local Indigenous communities was hampered by their structural marginalisation. Procedurally, the funds were criticised for the lack of local consultation taken in the development and approval of projects. While spatially concentrated expenditure may be the most cost-effective use of public monies, we argue that grant application processes should be open, transparent and inclusive, and the outcomes cognisant of the developmental needs of smaller communities, together with the need to foster regional solidarity and coherence.

Missiological implications for Taylor Seminary arising from Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s recommendations

2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 407-413
Author(s):  
Allan Effa
Keyword(s):  
First Nations ◽  
Truth And Reconciliation Commission ◽  
Final Report ◽  
Cooperative Effort ◽  
Truth And Reconciliation ◽  
Cultural Genocide ◽  
The Government ◽  
Government Of Canada ◽  
Set Up

In 2015 the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada concluded a six-year process of listening to the stories of Canada’s First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. More than 6000 witnesses came forth to share their personal experiences in listening sessions set up all across the country. These stories primarily revolved around their experience of abuse and cultural genocide through more than 100 years of Residential Schools, which were operated in a cooperative effort between churches and the government of Canada. The Commission’s Final Report includes 94 calls to action with paragraph #60 directed specifically to seminaries. This paper is a case study of how Taylor Seminary, in Edmonton, is seeking to engage with this directive. It explores the changes made in the curriculum, particularly in the teaching of missiology, and highlights some of the ways the seminary community is learning about aboriginal spirituality and the history and legacy of the missionary methods that have created conflict and pain in Canadian society.

scholarly journals Dare to Dream: Promoting Indigenous Children's Interest in Health Professions through Book Collections

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 28-55
Author(s):  
Monique Clar ◽  
Éric Drouin ◽  
Sandy Iverson
Keyword(s):  
Academic Success ◽  
First Nations ◽  
Information Science ◽  
School Achievement ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Health Professions ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Book Selection ◽  
Service Project ◽  
Book Collections

Introduction: Indigenous peoples in Canada experience significant health challenges, but few pursue careers in the health sciences. Two programs by medical librarians designed to encourage children in First Nations communities to dream of careers in the health professions will be presented. Description: An academic library in [Province] developed children’s health and science book collections with Indigenous school libraries. Library and information science students, as well as a librarian, participated in health education activities in the recipient schools. This project inspired the community service project of the joint MLA/CHLA-ABSC/ICLC Mosaic|Mosaïque 2016 conference, which focused on placing similar collections in Ontario Indigenous communities. The mechanics, benefits, and challenges of the programs will be discussed including book selection and delivery. Outcomes: Hundreds of books have been delivered and informal qualitative evaluative data from the recipient communities indicates positive outcomes. Some difficulties in providing optimal access to the books were identified due to communication problems or the relative lack of library infrastructure in these communities. Discussion: Reading for pleasure is linked to student's academic success. Access to varied and quality literature is important for school achievement, therefore these collections may potentially impact student’s future life chances. While a direct correlation between these collections and student’s future career choices cannot be easily measured, it is known that Indigenous high school graduates frequently choose to pursue professions linked to the needs of the community. Therefore any materials drawing attention to potential community health needs may well influence student’s choices.

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