First Nations - CF help, protests, solutions, residential schools, etc. (merged)

[Jarnhamar]

And who keeps pocketing the money?

I think it's an assumption of many that First Nations just keep pocketing all the money but I imagine a lot of companies benefit from this cash flood too. One and two person companies registered to someone's basement skimming millions on these transfers somehow. Or "Indigenous" companies putting in for juicy contracts to deliver whatever.

 

[The Bread Guy]

... I imagine a lot of companies benefit from this cash flood too. One and two person companies registered to someone's basement skimming millions on these transfers somehow. Or "Indigenous" companies putting in for juicy contracts to deliver whatever.

Consultants "helping" First Nations enter the chat ....

 

[Colin Parkinson]

I have met consultants working for FN, who I had to assume were being paid by the word. I also loved putting some onto the spot, particularly if I have been to their client's Reserve more than they had, by asking specific questions about it.

Almost all my experience is with BC bands and a bit with Treaty 8 Alberta and Yukon based FN. The current crop of leaders grew up watching their leaders fight for Rights and title. The FN's mostly won that fight, the issues facing a lot of them now are economic in nature and young population wanting jobs and buying power, but the leaders have little business experience. The bands vary greatly in their ability to respond to that challenge. Partly due to geography and partly to due to attitude. The Haisla and Kelowna Band lead the pack, followed by the Lower Mainland bands and then some of the Vancouver Island bands. In general I have a positive outlook for the bands based on the changes I have seen over the last 20 years.

 

[Booter]

I have met consultants working for FN, who I had to assume were being paid by the word. I also loved putting some onto the spot, particularly if I have been to their client's Reserve more than they had, by asking specific questions about it.

Almost all my experience is with BC bands and a bit with Treaty 8 Alberta and Yukon based FN. The current crop of leaders grew up watching their leaders fight for Rights and title. The FN's mostly won that fight, the issues facing a lot of them now are economic in nature and young population wanting jobs and buying power, but the leaders have little business experience. The bands vary greatly in their ability to respond to that challenge. Partly due to geography and partly to due to attitude. The Haisla and Kelowna Band lead the pack, followed by the Lower Mainland bands and then some of the Vancouver Island bands. In general I have a positive outlook for the bands based on the changes I have seen over the last 20 years.

I’ve got about a decade of working with a variety of different FN governments. I enjoy the work and I like working with them.

But they literally battle on all fronts- so it’s just a matter of survival all the time. The next election. The next minister. The next crisis.

They make very little program headway- because it requires local buy in- and a lot of folks have survival mentality too- so 100 dollars as a gift from the band is worth more than investment in a social program or some infrastructure.

Often more successful as well- these places can’t even get proper cell phone service- where across the high way a town a quarter of the size will have excellent service but a community of 10 thousand can’t get consistent bars, so organizing higher ordered things are not successful- and don’t forget the outsider non-band companies that are ALWAYS preying on the influx of money and delivering shit.

There is no magic bullet on this stuff. I worked a trucking company diesel spill into the pristine useable water of the band and the company tried to lie and obfuscate the damage, the provincial government had no SOPs to respond, the community had no ability to respond, So even where they have clean water- they don’t have the ability to defend or protect it. And if you can’t defend it- is it really yours?

 

[lenaitch]

Often more successful as well- these places can’t even get proper cell phone service- where across the high way a town a quarter of the size will have excellent service but a community of 10 thousand can’t get consistent bars, so organizing higher ordered things are not successful.

Strangely I've noticed the exact opposite in remote northern Ontario; the feds fund better data access than the the nearby (non FN) communities because the feds give money to Bell and Rogers to improve local access who turn around and pocket the money, think up excuses and deliver a watered-down service 10 years later.

The more FNs are allowed to participate in their own futures, even if it is via grants or guaranteed loans to make equity stakes in a project, the better off they will be, and the less of a financial burden. Some are taking stakes in resource projects, power transmission projects, etc., in turn for a share in employment and the profits. It's never going to be consistent. Some want to be partners in resource development; others adamantly not.

One thing I would like to see is the Nations and feds work out some manner of title transfer for reserve lands. No resident has property equity and there is virtually no 'pride of ownership. I don't know how they would do that. Right now, the feds aren't great landlords, but some councils can be be pretty draconian as well. Housing and infrastructure in remote, fly-in FNTs is always going to be a challenge no matter who is responsible for doing it.

 

[Booter]

Strangely I've noticed the exact opposite in remote northern Ontario; the feds fund better data access than the the nearby (non FN) communities because the feds give money to Bell and Rogers to improve local access who turn around and pocket the money, think up excuses and deliver a watered-down service 10 years later.

The more FNs are allowed to participate in their own futures, even if it is via grants or guaranteed loans to make equity stakes in a project, the better off they will be, and the less of a financial burden. Some are taking stakes in resource projects, power transmission projects, etc., in turn for a share in employment and the profits. It's never going to be consistent. Some want to be partners in resource development; others adamantly not.

One thing I would like to see is the Nations and feds work out some manner of title transfer for reserve lands. No resident has property equity and there is virtually no 'pride of ownership. I don't know how they would do that. Right now, the feds aren't great landlords, but some councils can be be pretty draconian as well. Housing and infrastructure in remote, fly-in FNTs is always going to be a challenge no matter who is responsible for doing it.

are you sure that’s why the telecoms are doing it? I was in the room for those conversations elsewhere and the reason for the upgrade was the federal employees needed it and it was a community upgrade to services by proximity.

I find it interesting that it would be different in Ontario. Wish I knew that a few years ago lol

 

[lenaitch]

are you sure that’s why the telecoms are doing it? I was in the room for those conversations elsewhere and the reason for the upgrade was the federal employees needed it and it was a community upgrade to services by proximity.

I find it interesting that it would be different in Ontario. Wish I knew that a few years ago lol

It's admittedly been a number of years since I've been up there but any of the Reserves I worked on the only resident federal employees were at the nursing station and school (the teachers might be provincial now, not sure). A relative did an inquest a couple of years ago from a fly-in Reserve and there was enough bandwidth that my wife could stream it live. I get the sense that their connectivity - either satellite or microwave hop (depending on location) is pretty decent.

I'm 10 minutes from a city Walmart (that line was actually in the real estate listing) and the best I can do beyond DSL is Starlink ($$). The feds have given a few $Billion to Bell to improve rural and remote connectivity in certain areas. The condition was to give 98% of residents 50/10Mbps service. It's supposed to be completed next year. The latest from our township is Bell is "working on it" but have decided to "re-scope" the project and reduce the number of customers to be served. Yay.