Ktunaxa Nation gets downtown office for Family Services
Several dignitaries were assembled to celebrate the grand opening of the new Ktunaxa Kinbasket Child & Family services office in Cranbrook/ They watched KKCFS President Rob Eneas cut the ribbon (left to right): Rachelle Sebastian, St. Mary’s Chief Cheryl Casimer, Anne Jimmie, Chair Metis Nation BC Gerry Legare, Beatrice Stevens, Roberta Van Steinburg, Regional Executive Director for the Ministry of Children Nancy McComb, Ktunaxa Nation Chair Kathryn Teneese, Joe Pierre Jr., Jude Pierre, Lower Kootenay Chief Jason Louie.Accompanied by the Honour Song, performed by the Sookenai Singers, members of the Ktunaxa Nation, officials, family and friends celebrated the opening of the new Ktunaxa Kinbasket Child & Family Services (KKCFS) office in Cranbrook. The new facility is located in a newly renovated building downtown on Baker Street.
Social Work Programs Manager Bart Knudsgaard says about 85 per cent of the families accessing KKCFS programs live off reserve. “We needed to find a way to be more accessible to these people,” he explains. The KKCFS will keep its main office at the St. Mary’s Band just outside of Cranbrook as well as offices in Creston and Invermere.
Services run out of the new office will include mainly early years and preventative programs, but Knudsgaard says the one large and two smaller meeting rooms will also provide the space for group sessions. Child protective services will remain at the main office.
KKCFS has been delivering programs in contracts with the Ministry of Children and Family Development since early 2000 and is now offering services to members of the Ktunaxa Nation, the Metis Nation and any other Aboriginal families in the area. Currently, about 250 families have a file with KKCFS.
Nancy McComb, regional executive director with the ministry, says it is important that these culturally sensitive and adaptive services are available. She hopes this partnership between the ministry, the Aboriginal community and health services can reverse some of the negative effects of the system in the past.
“It just means another step in terms of re-establishing a presence in our territory,” says Ktunaxa Nation Council Chair Kathryn Teneese.
Children and families are the foundation of who Ktunaxa are as a Nation, Teneese adds, and with culturally relevant programs such as this, they will receive the services they need. The goal, she emphasizes, however, is to make the service become less and less necessary. “Hopefully we’ll get to a place where we’ll all be well,” Teneese hopes.
Metis Nation Bc - News
Four years ago, a coalition of provincial, federal and private partners came together to begin promoting the Northwest Resistance and First Nation and Metis contributions to the birth of our Nation. This group spawned the Trails of 1885 Coalition.
Chair Metis Nation BC Gerry Legare, Beatrice Stevens, Roberta Van Steinburg, Regional Executive Director for the Ministry of Children Nancy McComb, Ktunaxa Nation Chair Kathryn Teneese, Joe Pierre Jr., Jude Pierre, Lower Kootenay Chief Jason Louie.
However, notwithstanding anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, institutionalized hate and prejudice concerning first nations, Metis [and] Inuit is Canada's worse shame. Just ask your neighbours their opinions on first nation land title in BC, missing women
The money will benefit many First Nations communities, said Joan Gignac, co-chair of the First Nations, Urban Aboriginal and Métis Early Childhood Development Steering Committee — the organization responsible for allocating the money.
Infrastructure projects linked to the tar sands expansion such as the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline and the Keystone XL pipeline, threaten First Nation communities in British Columbia, Canada and American Indian communities throughout the United
Métis Nation BC makes Strides to Improving Health Information on ...
Métis Nation BC makes Strides to Improving Health Information on Métis Citizens
Métis Nation British Columbia’s Chronic Disease Surveillance Program (CDSP) launched its website on July 22, 2011. The CDSP is a critical three-way partnership between the MNBC, Public Health Agency of Canada and the BC Provincial Ministry of Health Services.
The Goal is to increase the available health information on Métis in BC; The CDSP objectives include developing a survey, identifying Métis Citizens in ministerial databases and a research project on Métis harvesting; and, Métis Citizens will be able to access information detailing the processes required to improve Métis health and well-being. Besides detailing the importance of the CDSP project, the website also outlines how this surveillance program will affect Métis health and our Citizens can actively participate CDSP program manager Dr. Peter Hutchinson says, If this project is to succeed, I can’t underestimate the importance of Métis citizens participating. I am happy to say that many have already stepped forward as volunteers because they realize its projects and partnerships like this that will help MNBC succeed at addressing Métis health and well being across our province.
Health information that influences current program and policy development for Métis in BC is based on surveys of Métis from across Canada. Though useful, this information is not the most timely or accurate way to influence health programs and evaluation in our province.
MNBC Director of Health Tanya Davoren says, We are confident that once this program is complete, we will have accurate, timely data on the health of our Métis population in BC plus, we will be better able to cater programs to address the critical health care needs of our Métis people here at home.
http://www.mpcbc.bc.ca/cdsp
For more information on this story, please visit http://www.nationtalk.ca/modules/news/article.php?
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