DECEMBER 2017 Issue 12

Micmacs of Gesgapegiag

100 Perron Blvd

Gesgapegiag, QC G0C1Y1 418-759-3441

www.gesgapegiag.ca Micmacs of Gesgapegiag

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NEWSLETTER FOR THE FIRST NATION MI’GMAQ COMMUNITY IN THIS ISSUE

Gesgapegiag continues to strive with their Natural Resources By: Melissa Bryan (Communications & Policy Manager)

Gesgapegiag continues to strive with their Natural Resources………..…..1-2

Employment Opportunities…………2

Social Assistance Payments………...3

Council Approves Residential Development Action Plan………..3 & 4

Mawiomi Treatment Center…………4

Treatment Center Intake Schedule..5

National Children’s Day……………6 & 7

My Father’s Tools……………………7 & 8

Gesgapegiag Mini Carnival………9 & 10

Gesgapegiag NAAW Re-Cap……11 & 12

Wejgwapniag School Update………13

Health Canada……………………..……14

Gesgapegiag Education Services….15

Economic growth and substantial financial investment opportunities continue to come upon the First Nation of Gesgapegiag. With the recent expansion of the Lobster Hut, it only made sense for the community to strategize for the long run. A major component of the strategizing factor comes directly from a PMAT (Project Management Action Team). This group consists of Chief Rod Larocque, Director General Fred Vicaire, Director of Economic Development Angel Ward, Fisheries Consultant, Business Development Team Leader, Administrative Assistant of Fisheries Tara Two-Axe, & Director of Fisheries Virginia Martin. Through monthly meetings, they are able to brainstorm new initiatives and maintain the current ones. One initiative they worked on was the purchase of their own truck for retail seafood. The Micmacs of Gesgapegiag have been using a rental truck from E. Gagnon et Fils for the past 3 years which was costing the Fishery Department $10,000 a year. They knew they were losing money that way. Once the PMAT agreed that they would go ahead with purchasing a truck for their retail seafood, Director of Fisheries Virginia Martin took the lead with the support of Economic Development Director Angel Ward.

Continued on pg.2

Design & Layout: Melissa Bryan (Communications and Policy Manager)

Editor: Fred Vicaire (Director General)

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After deliberation amongst the team and several compare and contrast of different potential trucks, the PMAT team went ahead with purchasing a 2018 Frightliner M2106. This truck has a refrigerated box, which allows the temperature to be controlled based on what they are transporting. It also has an exceptional hydraulic lift, which is galvanized to prevent rusting from the harsh salt water.

Although the Micmacs of Gesgapegiag are no longer renting a transportation truck from E. Gagnon et Fils, they will continue to be a main customer of Gesgapegiag’s lobster and snow crab sales.

Current Employment Opportunities

Assistant Health & Social Services Director (Deadline to apply) Dec 22, 2017

Walgwan Residential Educator (Deadline to apply) Dec 26, 2017

School Librarian & Media Specialist (Deadline to apply) Dec 22, 2017

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Chief and Council approve decision note in regards to the priority of residential development

By: Melissa Bryan (Communications & Policy Manager)

With different initiatives in the works for the community, it is key that community members stay informed along the way. In mid-November, Chief & Council approved a decision note which tackled several matters in Gesgapegiag in regards to residential development. For the time being, one six-plex unit and one duplex on the north side of Gasgusi Lane will be built.

Another update that administration would like to communicate to the community is in regards to the contract that the Micmacs of Gesgapegiag has signed with Grand Conceil de la Nation Waban-aki (GCNW), which is funded from Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC), to provide technical services. The range of services listed below applies to activities and projects covered by the core budget in terms of the Mic Mac Council of Gesgapegiag.

1. Feasibility study, assistance, estimates, preparation of documents; 2. Application for funding, call for tenders; 3. Management of budgets, standards, procedures;

NOTICE TO COMMUNITY MEMBERS:

Schedule of social assistance payments during

holiday season

This notice is to inform Social Assistance

Recipients of the following:

January 2018 payments by check

will be available for pick-up on

December 22, 2017 but are post-

dated for December 29, 2017.

January 2018 payments by direct

deposit will be available for

Desjardin account holders on

December 28, 2017 and for

Laurentian account holders on

December 29, 2017 (due to their one

day check hold)

Declarations for January 2018

payments are due on December 11,

2017

If you have any questions please feel free to

call the Interim Social Assistance

Coordinator Richard Joe Jerome at the

Administration Building at 418-759-3441.

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4. Various engineering services; 5. Architecture services; 6. Community infrastructure project management; 7. Various project management; 8. Inspection and supervision; 9. Final report and issuance of a certificate of conformity and/or approval for final payments; 10. Any other task relating to the tasks listed above; 11. Capacity building (support public works); 12. Maintenance and operation of community facilities.

Council will not allocate new lots for private home construction. The Micmacs of Gesgapegiag plans to develop a Land Use Plan. The purpose of a Land Use plan is to provide strategic direction to respect traditional and existing land uses while protecting the environment. It also identifies opportunities that can contribute to a stronger community economy. Council has asked the Director General Fred Vicaire to develop an interim policy and procedure for the allocation of lots until this Land Use Plan is approved by Chief and Council before the end of March 2018. Until the approval of the policy, Council will not allocate new lots for private home construction.

Message from Mawiomi Treatment Center:

MAWIOMI TREATMENT SERVICES INC. 85 SCHOOL STREET, GESGAPEGIAG, QC G0C 1Y1

MAIN OFFICE : TEL: (418) 759-3522 FAX: (418) 759-3048 Intake Worker: Jim Skinner (418) 759-3522 ext. 208 - jim@mawiomi.org

This is to advise the community members of Gesgapegiag that Mawiomi’s Out-Patient office has re-opened in Listuguj. We would like to welcome our new Out-Patient Counselor, Mr. Michael Martin to our team at Mawiomi. Should you need to speak to our Out-Patient Counselor he is available at (418)788-5135 from Monday to Friday between the hours of 8:30am to 4:30pm (N.B. time). He is also available for appointments in the community of Gesgapegiag when requested.

Mawiomi Treatment Services’ offices will close for the holiday season starting on December 18th, 2017 and will re-open on January 2nd, 2018.

Wishing You every Happiness this Holiday Season

and Throughout the Coming Year.

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DECEMBER 2017 Issue 12

National Child’s Day walk on November 20th 2017

was a success!

Huge thank you goes out to the staff, parents, family members, and most of all the children for participating in the National Child Day walk!

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1st Ever Indigenous

Vimeo Staff Pick Premiere Is a Short from Gesgapegiag

Press Release by Wapikoni Mobile: Magenta Baribeau (Communications & Social Media

Agent)

Montreal, November 29, 2017 – Today is a proud day for Aboriginal people around the world as Vimeo selected Heather Condo’s My Father’s Tools as its first ever Staff Pick Premiere. This is the first time since Vimeo launched its Staff Picks Premieres channel last year that an Indigenous short is featured to make its global debut to hundreds of millions of monthly viewers. Not only is the first Indigenous Staff Pick Premiere a Canadian film, but it was also directed by a first-time female filmmaker. Go to Vimeo.com/channels/Premieres to watch the film that will go live on November 29 at 10:30 EST.

My Father’s Tools (6 min 30) is an observational Canadian documentary directed by emerging filmmaker Heather Condo which premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival before touring the world (Telefilm Canada’s Not Short on Talent (Cannes and Berlinale), Seattle International Film Festival, ImagineNATIVE, DOXA, and over 50 others.)

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The story, which introduces Condo’s spouse Stephen Jerome, a traditional basket maker, is produced by Wapikoni mobile, a travelling audiovisual creation studio fully equipped with cutting-edge technology that visits Indigenous communities across Canada and Latin America to help spark the creativity of young Indigenous people. These videos become powerful tools for social change and are part of a journey towards reconciliation that also involves protecting the cultural heritage of Indigenous Nations.

Weaved in cinema vérité style, the story of My Father’s Tools shows the craftsmanship of the man from the Mi’gmaq First Nation community of Gesgapegiag in the province of Quebec, Canada. Stephen continues to create traditional baskets just like his ancestors did, honouring his father with each stroke, finding peace in his studio as he connects spiritually with the man who taught him this ancestral art form.

“My uncle John made baskets and I was always proud of that. I moved out of the community when I was a child and went to live in a predominantly white community in Massachusetts. I would bring his baskets to show and tell because I was very proud of my Native heritage. The kids used to make fun of me, but I didn’t let that bother me. Then I started dating Stephen, a basket maker from Gesgapegiag. I saw how much effort it took to make the baskets. It’s very physical. He is the last man in the community to make black ash rib baskets, and so I decided it was important to capture this craft before it becomes extinct”, stated Heather Condo.

Founded in 2004 and based in New York City, Vimeo is home to the world’s most imaginative video creators and the hundreds of millions of viewers who love them. Vimeo empowers over 50 million creators with the tools they need to host, share and sell videos in the highest quality possible. Also a leading online entertainment destination, Vimeo now reaches viewers in over 150 countries who can watch content anytime, on nearly every Internet-connected device. The Staff Picks Premiere channel was launched in 2016.

About the Director Heather Condo was born in Maria, Quebec on October 14, 1971. She was adopted and grew up in Massachusetts. In 2005, Heather moved back to the First Nation community of Gesgapegiag where a lot of her family members reside. Her son Zachary Greenleaf who also made short films with Wapikoni Mobile encouraged her to try this medium and let her creativity soar.

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National Childrens Week Stat #’s Mon.-Arts & Crafts 42 ppl Tues. Mini Carnival 94 ppl Wed. Elders Scavenger Hunt 28 ppl Thurs. Beading 12 ppl Fri. Swimming 34 ppl

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National Addictions Awareness Week Re-Cap By: Sandra Boisvert

National Addiction Awareness Week was held the week of November 19th 2017. The week began with its annual candle light vigil. Two guest speakers were present at the event, Melissa Bryan and Julian Augustine who shared their personal struggles directly or indirectly with alcohol and drugs. Throughout the week many activities were held , to name a few: Medicine pouch making, Al-Anon introduction, presentation by Walgwan ‘Street-Smarts’, activities for the youth as well as a guest speaker Alvin Powell who inspired the youth with his story. Statistics were taken for every event. The activity that generated

the most presence was Alvin Powell at New Richmond High

School, where students from grade 6-11 attended as well as

students from grade7/8 Wejgwapniag . Due to the weather, the

Vigil had fewer participants than previous years. A total of 189

participants attended the activities during the week. Feedback

forms were completed and were overall positive with suggestions

for the upcoming years.

The National Addiction Awareness Week team would like to

thank all those who helped throughout the week as well as

community members who participated in the activities. Special

thanks to GHRDC, Wejgwapniag, NRHS, and Galgoasiet.

Congratulations to Shirley Legouffe who won a tablet which was

donated by Eddie Zoelner, Ez Consulting.

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Some photos of the meet and greet with Alvin Powell

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