Tsiigehtchic Elder feeds his “pets”...Senior Finance Officer Norma Blake 952-2526 A/Controller Evelyn Bullock 777-7917 Finance Officer Ruth Jerome 777-7951 Office Manager / Boards

Gwìch’inat Eenjit Gàdatr’igwijìlcheii Gidilii Gwich’in Tribal Council Gwich’in land, culture & economy for a better future Gwìch’in nan, nakhwek’yùu ts’àt gwitr’it tthak nakhwidavee gwiheezàa eenjit

Tsiigehtchic Elder Noel Andre

feeds his “pets” .

‘Dagwidi’ii - What We Are Doing’ is a quarterly newsmagazine of the

GWICH’IN TRIBAL COUNCIL

1-3 Council Crescent PO Box 1509 Inuvik NT X0E 0T0

Ph: 867-777-7900 Fx: 867-777-7919 Enrolment: Toll Free 1-866-414-4670

Website: www.gwichin.nt.ca

The Gwich’in Tribal Council (GTC) is an Aboriginal organization that repre-sents Gwich’in Beneficiaries in the Mackenzie-Delta of the Northwest Territo-ries and across Canada. The objectives of the GTC are to: protect and preserve the rights, interest and benefits of the Gwich’in in refer-

ence to their use, ownership and management of lands, waters, and re-sources in the Gwich’in Settlement Area;

retain, preserve and enhance the traditional and cultural values, customs and language of the Gwich’in in a changing society;

develop and promote economic, social, educational and cultural programs that will enable the Gwich’in to become self-sufficient and full participating members in a global society;

uphold the rights, interest and benefits of the Gwich’in in reference to the Constitution Act, Treaty 11 and the Gwich’in Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement; and

receive, preserve and enhance the capital and the lands and other benefits transferred to the Gwich’in pursuant to the Gwich’in Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement signed on April 22, 1992.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS President Richard Nerysoo 777-7900 Vice-President Mary Ann Ross 777-7905 Director, Gwichya Gwich’in Council Philip Blake 953-3201 Director, Gwichya Gwich’in Council Jenny Andre 953-3201 Director, Tetlit Gwich’in Council Wilbert Firth 952-2330 Director, Tetlit Gwich’in Council Glen Alexie 952-2330 Director, Ehdiitat Gwich’in Council Charles Furlong 978-2340 Director, Ehdiitat Gwich’in Council James Edwards 978-2340 Director, Nihtat Gwich’in Council Herbert Blake, Jr. 777-6650 Director, Nihtat Gwich’in Council Tom Wright 777-6650

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE President Richard Nerysoo 777-7900 Vice-President Mary Ann Ross 777-7905 Chief Operating Officer Melody Nice Paul 777-7903 Chief Financial Officer Charlene Ross 777-7904 Corporate Secretary Millie Jansen 777-7900 CORPORATE SERVICES Office Manager (Fort McPherson) Vicki Alexie 952-2593 Senior Finance Officer Norma Blake 952-2526 A/Controller Evelyn Bullock 777-7917 Finance Officer Ruth Jerome 777-7951 Office Manager / Boards & Trust Cheryl Wright 777-7916 BENEFICIARY SERVICES A/Director Debbie English 777-7926 Reg’l Manager, Education & Training Debbie English 777-7926 AHRDA Coordinator Diane Koe 952-2501 Career Development Officer Margaret Gordon 777-7909 Administrative Assistant Gina Firth 777-7925 Communications Advisor Lawrence Norbert 777-7923 LANDS, RESOURCES & IMPLEMENTATION Director Norm Snowshoe 777-7912 Lands Manager Mardy Semmler 777-7913 LRI Advisor Jozef Carnogursky 777-7914 GWICH’IN BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Manager Wanda McDonald 777-7932 REGIONAL WELLNESS Wellness Camp Executive Director Jennifer Johnson 777-7934 Wellness Camp Safety/Maintenance Perry Villebrun Manager, Special Projects Denise Kurszewski 777-7927 SELF-GOVERNMENT Director/Assistant Negotiator Karen Snowshoe 777-7924 Regional Coordinator Mavis Clark 777-7942

4 In Unity: Tsiigehtchic - Aklavik - Fort McPherson - Inuvik

EXECUTIVE

These past few months have been a particularly busy time for the newly elected Executive. Im-mediately following the election the Executive held numerous meetings to become familiar with the issues and the work that needed to continue. The Execu-tive met with the four DGO Presi-dents to discuss the up coming CYFN Elections, Self-Government process, Mini-Assemblies, Fred Carmichael Farewell, and set the GTC Assembly date. The Execu-tive also met with the staff in a briefing session to familiarize with the departments and all the work that they were doing. Following the orientation a meeting held with Charlene, Acting Chief Financial Officer to review the GTC finances and the GDC businesses.

The GTC staff moved into high gear in preparation for the Annual General Assembly for Fort McPherson August 11 – 15, 2008. The GNWT held the – Regional Aboriginal Leadership meeting in Inuvik July 7, 2008, topics of dis-cussion were updates on the NWT Water Strategy Initiative, GNWT 2008/09 Budget, Devolution and Resource Revenue Sharing, In-come for Social Assistance, Re-gional Program Transfer and other business. The first board meeting after the election with the Board of Directors was held on July 24, 2008 with the new Executive. The tone was set at the beginning of the meeting, “We are here for the People and need to continue building the team and set the di-rection for the next four years” – Richard Nerysoo.

A two-day Self-Government Workshop was held on July 28th where the current team and new participants were oriented and provided updated information. The GDC Board of Directors held their meeting on August 09, 2008 to review all the GDC activities,

investments and budget followed by a Gwich’in Settlement Corpora-tion meeting, reviewing the finan-cial position. A meeting with the Chiefs on September 17, 2008 was held to discuss the Chiefs’ Side Table on the Self-Government process and their funding. Between September 17 – 19/08 the Self-Government de-partment held a planning session with the Negotiations team con-sisting or Gwich’in Participants and Leadership from the four Gwich’in communities.

The GTC Annual General As-sembly was held in Fort McPher-son 11 – 15, 2008. The Assembly was filled with mixed emotions as many said fare well to past Presi-dent Fred Carmichael. Fred served from 2000 to 2008 as the President. During his tenure Fred accomplished a great deal and raised the profile of the Gwich’in Nation. Fred strived to put in place an economic base to sustain his people and to provide jobs so that Gwich’in Participants can be self-sufficient. During his term the

Gwich’in people gained confi-dence in his leadership and sup-ported him on many initiatives: whether good or bad, they stood behind their leader. Fred’s final report was given to the assembly and after a standing ovation and many wishes for a happy retire-ment, the responsibility of the Gwich’in Nation was turned over from one leader to the newly elected leader, Richard Nerysoo.

Staff Changes

n June, the Executive un-

expectantly received the resigna-tion of long time Chief Operating Officer, Tom Williams. Since join-ing the Gwich’in Tribal Council about six years ago, Tom utilized his business talent to access and develop business and training op-portunities within the Gwich’in Set-tlement Area. The Executive and staff of the GTC wish Tom lots of success in his new position as As-sociate Deputy Minister of the GNWT Department of Human Re-sources.

Melody Nice Paul Chief Operating Officer

Ruth Jerome Finance Officer

5 July—September 2008

EXECUTIVE

Late summer, the Executive also received the resignation of another long time employee, Di-rector of Beneficiary Services, Tammy Rogers. Like Tom, Tammy was a dedicated and tal-ented member of the GTC team. The staff and Executive wish Tammy all the best in her new po-sition.

Changes in the composition of the GTC staff continued, yet again, in September as Melody Nice Paul and Ruth Jerome joined the GTC team. Melody Nice Paul, the former Executive Director the of the Gwich’in Renewable Re-source Board accepted the posi-tion of Chief Operating Officer while Ruth Jerome, formally em-ployed with the Gwich’in Land and Water Board, accepted the posi-tion of Financial Officer. In addi-tion to staff changes the Executive have re-titled the position of Direc-tor of Beneficiary Services to Di-rector of Gwich’in Services and are currently in the process of fill-ing this position.

GOVERNMENT MEETINGS Prime Minister

On August 27th, President

Richard Nerysoo participated in an

exclusive Aboriginal Leadership meeting with Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The Prime Min-ister’s office and officials from Privy Council coordinated this meeting in Inuvik to discuss abo-riginal engagement in the North-ern Economy. President Nerysoo expressed several concerns and ideas to deal with increasing ob-stacles inhibiting economic oppor-tunities in the North.

Although the agenda cen-tered on the economy the discus-sion also include an engaging dis-cussion on education, led by the Prime Minister. The Prime Minis-ter emphasized the interest of the Harper government to address the many educational barriers and challenges.

GNWT Finance Minister

President Nerysoo attended

the stakeholder engagement meeting held in Yellowknife on September 23 -24 by Minister Mi-chael Miltenberger to discuss the financial pressures facing the Government of the Northwest Ter-ritories. Nerysoo challenged the Minister to review existing pro-grams to ensure that value was being achieved through current

spending practices and offered various recommendations for stimulating economic growth.

October – December Updates

On October 1 – 3/08 the

Gwich’in Self-Government Nego-tiations Session was held in Inu-vik. The GTC Board of Directors meeting was held in Calgary on October 6/08 to coincide with the Gwich’in Settlement Corporation meeting and meeting with our in-vestment managers. The Execu-tive, along with Norman Snow-shoe, Charlie Snowshoe, and Robert Alexie Sr. representing the Tetlit Gwich’in Council and our esteemed Elders attended the CYFN Leadership meeting the Peel River Land Use Planning/Nacho Nyak Dun Trans Boundary meetings.

Investment Monitoring, October 7-8

GTC Board of Directors met

with investment managers to dis-cuss the impact of global financial crisis on the Gwich’in Settlement Corporation investments.

George Niditchie, Tsiigehtchic Elder

Tetlit Zheh Elders (l-r) Caroline Snowshoe, Ellen Vittrekwa and

Mary M. Firth picking the last of the summer berries


GTC 2008 ANNUAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTIONS

(Resolution #2008/06) BE IT RESOLVED THAT Tom Williams, Pamela Williams, Aurora Wil‐liams, James Williams, Greg Cayen, Liz Cayen, Ingrid Kritsch, and Miki O’Kane be designated honorary Gwich’in, in recognition of their ser‐vices to the Gwich’in people. (Resolution #2008/07) BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Gwich’in Annual Assembly accepts the Gwich’in Tribal Council consolidated financial statements for the year ended March 31, 2008, as presented. (Resolution #2008/08) BE IT RESOLVED THAT the firm KPMG LLP be appointed the Gwich’in Tribal Council’s auditor for the year ending March 31, 2009. (Resolution #2008/09) BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Gwich’in Tribal Council be directed to work directly with the Canadian Department of Na‐tional Defence to resolve concerns that the Gwich’in Nation has respecting low‐level mili‐tary flights over and around Gwich’in lands and to minimize the impacts such military operations have on the environment and the Gwich’in peo‐ple. (Resolution #2008/10) BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Gwich’in Tribal Council and the Tetlit Gwich’in Council work towards establishing land management and control rules over Tetlit Gwich’in Yukon lands; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Gwich’in Tribal Council and the Tetlit Gwich’in Council work towards a working protocol on the admini‐stration and management of Tetlit Gwich’in Yukon lands.

(Resolution #2008/11) BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Gwich’in Tribal Council and the Senior Ne‐gotiator for self‐government be directed to amend self‐government negotiations to include self‐government powers over those portions of the Yukon in the Tetlit Gwich’in’s traditional ter‐ritory as well as over the associated resources for such lands. (Resolution #2008/12) BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Gwich’in Tribal Council be directed to work with the Designated Gwich’in Organization to lobby the government and the appropriate health department to establish living quarters for a nurse in Tsiigehtchic, NWT. (Resolution #2008/13) BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Gwich’in Tribal Council be directed to work with the Designated Gwich’in Organization to lobby the government and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to establish living quarters and office space for an RCMP officer in Tsiigehtchic, NWT. (Resolution #2008/14) BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Gwich’in Tribal Council leadership be di‐rected to seriously lobby the GNWT Minister of Education, Culture, and Employment to recon‐sider further reinstating and increasing funding levels for the operation of the Gwich’in Teaching and Learning Centre. (Resolution #2008/15) BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Gwich’in Tribal Council be directed to lobby the First Nations Bank to work closely with the Gwich’in communities to establish a banking presence in the Gwich’in Settlement Area so that Gwich’in living in the Gwich’in Settlement Area can have access to banking services on a daily basis.


GTC 2008 ANNUAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTIONS

(Resolution #2008/16) BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Gwich’in Tribal Council and the self‐government committee be directed to work to ensure that Participants attend self‐government meetings and to look at other ways of engaging Participants. (Resolution #2008/17) BE IT RESOLVED THAT the 25th Annual General Assembly recommend that the Board of Directors and Executive under‐take a review of the Gwich’in Tribal Council By‐laws and the Gwich’in Tribal Council election procedures with a view to amending the identi‐fied By‐laws as recommended by the Chief Re‐turning Officer of the 2008 Gwich’in Tribal Council Elections Committee; BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Gwich’in Tribal By‐laws be amended so that petitions can‐not be used to extend the terms of the President and Vice‐President of the Gwich’in Tribal Coun‐cil; BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the 25th An‐nual General Assembly direct the Board of Di‐rectors never to accept any petition intended to extend the terms of the President and Vice‐President of the Gwich’in Tribal Council up to and until the Gwich’in Tribal Council By‐laws

are properly amended, as directed above, and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Gwich’in Tribal Council By‐laws should reflect definitions that are within the Gwich’in Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement. (Resolution #2008/18) BE IT RESOLVED THAT the 25th Annual General Assembly direct the fol‐lowing: a) that all program and service agreements

should respect the rights and interests of all Participants;

b) that the Gwich’in Tribal Council Executive defend the rights and interests of the Gwich’in in all negotiations;

c) that the Gwich’in Tribal Council Executive defend the Gwich’in Settlement Area and all land areas that are defined in the Gwich’in Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement, up to and including the pursuit of legal action if necessary.

(Resolution #2008/19) BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Gwich’in Tribal Council be directed to lobby the Government of Canada to ensure that any proposed legislation has no impact on the Gwich’in Nation’s ability to practice traditional medicine.


BENEFICIARY SERVICES

The Beneficiary Services Depart-ment has seen many changes in the last six months. There has been turn-over of staff and GTC says a fond farewell to Ruth Elanik, Margaret Thompson and Tammy Rogers and good luck in your endeavors. In addi-tion we would like to thank the sum-mer students for all their dedication and hard work. Study hard and get excellent marks to Sheena Snow-shoe, Sheena Campbell, Jody Snow-shoe and Candace Sittichinli. I would like to introduce Margaret Gordon as New Career Development Officer. She comes to the office with experi-ence as she has worked with us in the past as the Employment Liaison Offi-cer.

The department is made up of 6 key areas including, Communications, Human Resources, Employment and Career Development, Education and Training, Education Foundation and Gwich’in Harvesters Assistance Pro-gram. Each of these program areas are managed by one or more of our staff:

Employment and Career Devel-

opment The new Career Development

Officer (CDO), Margaret Gordon has been busy working with clients on updating their resumes in addition she has informed the participants about what is required when applying for southern temporary and permanent employment opportunities in Alberta with the Oil and Gas companies.

On September 11 the Gwich’in Tribal Council (GTC) and the Mackenzie Aboriginal Corporation (MAC) Group agreed to a joint initia-tive to hire up to twenty (20) qualified Gwich’in within the next six months. To date the companies Human Re-source Officers have selected 10 po-tential candidates and interviews will happen after November 6. Most im-portantly, the participants are in-formed about the required drug and alcohol test which has to be done be-fore they leave to a work site. Marga-ret is in contact with Barrie Rob, Vice President Business Development with MAC Group to make sure they are receiving all the resumes. The four companies involved with the MAC Group are Flint Energy Services Ltd, Ledcor Pipeline Limited, Kiewit En-ergy Constructors Corp, and North American Construction Group.

Another new employment initia-tive is with Nabors Production Ser-

vices Crew Coordinator Anita New-man. Ms. Newman mentioned the company are looking to hire northern-ers to train on their rigs. Right now they have four rigs with Shetah Drill-ing in Norman Wells and would like to train one individual per rig. With this training the successful applicant will have to under go a drug and alcohol test before leaving Inuvik. Anita says that a couple of projects will open up in the Inuvik region in the near future

AHRDA Funds The Education and Training De-

partment staff has been very busy with organizing and participating in career and community events. This year our funds are very limited due to our only agreement for training funds are Aboriginal Human Resources De-velopment Agreement funds, unfortu-nately GTC is still waiting approval for Aboriginal Skills and Employment Agreement. Funds are available through AHRDA for Employment In-surance clients. Education and Train-ing meetings were held in March, April and July to approve students and proposals for funding:

April - June 2008 July - September '08 Total

Labour Market Programs 3 programs funded with Aurora College 3 programs

- Wage Subsidy 8 trainees positions,

1 project 2 trainee 9 trainees**, 1 project

- Labour Market Programs CRF 17 students 5 students 22 students

- Labour Markets Programs EI 12 students, 3 CEO/CDL* 11 students 23 students, 3 CEO/CDL*

- Urban Funds 5 students 8 students 13 students - Received Child Care As-sistance 1 student 3 students 4 students

- Youth Programs 3 projects, 16 students 3 projects, 16 students - Persons with Disabilities 2 projects same two projects 2 projects FNICCI - programs 3 centers 3 centers

*Community Employment Officer Positions and 1 Career Development Liaison Position **1 trainee position cancelled

9


The next Education and Training committee meeting will be in Novem-ber and we are making some funds available to assist individuals who are not EI eligible. We estimate about 20 new applications and about 5 propos-als seeking funds.

With the First Nations Inuit Child Care Initiatives the Child Develop-ment Centers’ managers have pro-duced a set of four promotion posters, one for each center. The posters pro-mote awareness about each center and encourage the parents to bring their children to Child Development Centers. In house training was sched-uled by a contractor who delivered training in August and September. The NWT Literacy Council will be pro-viding training in the centers possible in January in addition there will be available evening Literacy program training for participants in the GSA.

I visited all Band Councils and met with Band Managers to discuss po-tential Wage subsidy, youth summer student programs and other commu-nity initiatives. The High Schools in the regions held graduation ceremo-nies and were attended by the Re-gional Manager or GTC Executive staff. There were several meetings

with Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, Dept of Education, Culture and Em-ployment and Aurora Campus staff to review and approve programs for the 2008-2009 program year.

Gwich’in Harvesters Assistance Program (GHAP)

The GHAP opens at the end of

February for Spring/Summer season and applications were received until the deadline date is March 15. A call for GHAP applications opens August 15 and deadline date is August 30. Here re the stats for spring and fall 2008.

Enrolment and Trust

A total of 36 beneficiaries were

paid out from the Children's Trust Fund. Amounts vary depending on

when they enrolled. If they were en-rolled before 2002 they would receive the full amount of $1,919.00 per child. Total amount paid to date is $65,353.

The enrolment board has 3 meet-ings a year with an average of 30 new applicants per meeting. Mostly are new babies being born or people down south that realized hat they can enrol or if they were adopted away long ago and now want to enrol. We have 3,244 enrolled beneficiaries right now. Presently we have 38 new appli-cations waiting to be accessed at our next meeting. A total of 28 applica-tions are for infants and 10 are mid teens or adults.

Education Foundation Fund

The Education Foundation re-

ceived a budget of $300,000 each year to provide support services: Bur-sary, Tutoring, Professional Develop-ment, Training Allowance, Mobility, Scholarship, Grad Gifts for high school and post-secondary students. New programs developed in the last two years: Professional Development and Training Allowance and Mobility.

July-September 2008

Spring

'08 Fall '08 Aklavik 8 11 Fort McPherson 26 52 Inuvik 8 10 Tsiigehtchic 7 7 Out of GSA 1 4

Bursaries

Tutoring

Professional D

evelopment

Training A

llowance

Mobility

Scholarships

Graduation

Gifts

April - Dec. 2008 *Post

Secondary High

School Applications 225 38 Assisted 163 1 16 25 12 36 8 On default list- Recovery 10 Denied or did not attend school 53 Funds Provided $34,600 $15,000 $27,502 $66,287 $12,000 $9,000 $800 Education Foundation Fund $21,800 $15,000 $16,818 $43,237 $1,000 $9,000 Imperial $12,800 $10,684 $23,050

Congratulation goes to the Chief Paul Niditchie school staff and stu-dents for winning the Highest Atten-dance Award allocated funds contrib-uted from Beaufort Delta Education Council. The school had ten months

of highest attendance in this region and for their great achievement the school won $5000.

Attendance is very important to the school because if the students attend 100% in September 2008, the school

will receive their full budget amount in September 2009 for programs and staff wages. Bring your children to school everyday is critical important.



CONCLUSION

The past year has proven to be a very busy one for our staff; we have accomplished a lot and continue to work towards implementing the goals that have been set by our Executive and Board of Directors. This next year we will be working closely with the community on a Capacity Building

Plan for the Region. Our Human Re-source Assessment and Education Strategy will be the guiding docu-ments that we will follow in working on this plan. GTC has committed to set-ting aside financial support from the Education Foundation to establish a working committee to tackle these two documents and see that their recom-mendations are carried out.

would like to take this opportunity to thank my staff for all their hard work this past year. They have as always given their all to this depart-ment and continue to provide a high level of service to all participants. Good work!

Tammy Rogers, Director & Debra English, A/Director

Victor Stewart and Tammy Rogers

Norm Snowshoe bringin’ home the caribou

We would like to take this oppor-tunity to thank my staff for all their hard work this past year. They have as always given their all to this department and continue to provide a high level of service to all participants. Good work!

11

LANDS, RESOURCES & IMPLEMENATION

Since this is the first newsletter after the Gwich’in Tribal Council (GTC) election the LRI staff would like to congratulate Richard and Mary Ann on their successful campaigns for GTC President and Vice-President. The LRI staff looks forward to working together for the next four years.

Implementation

There have been no significant

developments at the Implementation Committee table over the summer months. The GTC continues to work on acquiring funds for our participa-tion in Yukon Land and Resource Management Programs. All the fund-ing issues have been identified and tabled and the IC are working coop-eratively to address the issues.

Since the GCLCA was signed in 1992 there has been a lot of work done on establishing policy on re-source management. The GTC moni-tors all policy development to ensure that harvesting rights established by the GCLCA are not diminished. The

GTC participates on all policy devel-opment in the NWT and the Yukon to ensure that the Gwich'in right to har-vest is not affected.

The GTC continues to submit pro-posals and required reports for fund-ing. Each year the GTC receives funding for implementation and re-ports are required for accountability purposes. The GTC ensures that these reports are submitted as re-quired.

Wildlife and Resource Management

The GTC continues to participate

in the development of the Dall Sheep Management Plan, the Porcupine Caribou Harvest Management Strat-egy and the Gwich’in Forest Manage-ment Plan.

The Dall Sheep Management Plan is now ready for public consultation. Members from the working group will be touring the communities and pre-senting the draft plan during the next few weeks.

The Harvest Management Plan (HMP) for the Porcupine Caribou Herd in Canada is now out for public engagement. Members of the working group have been touring the user communities in order to receive feed-back on this important initiative. The working group is scheduled to meet in Inuvik on November 4, 2008. The working group will then revise the HMP based on feedback received and determine the next steps that the working group will take.

The Gwich’in Forest Management Plan is ready for public consultation. Members from the working group, which consists of representatives from the Gwich’in Tribal Council (GTC), Gwich’in Renewable Re-source Board (GRRB) and Environ-ment and Natural Resources (ENR) will be presenting the Forest Manage-ment Plan to the communities in the next few weeks.

If there are any questions with regard to any of the above mentioned management plans, please contact Jozef Carnogursky at the GTC.

July-September 2008

Holy Name of Mary Parish, Tsiigehtchic


LANDS, RESOURCES & IMPLEMENATION

Land Administration The GTC Land Administration has

finalized the 2008/2009 Fee Schedule which is in effect from April 1, 2008 to March 31, 2009. Ongoing activities on private lands include quarry au-thorizations at Midway Lake and Frog Creek, residential lease authoriza-tions, commercial lease authoriza-tions and research authorizations. The GTC Land Administration con-tinue to review and comment on land use and water license applications from the Gwich’in Land and Water Board and the Yukon Environmental and Socio Economic Assessment Board. Other projects within the GSA are temporary access notifications from Government who do not formally

require an authorization. The GTC Land Administration

continue to represent the GTC on steering committees and working groups, including the Northern Con-taminants Program – Regional Con-taminants Committee, the Protected Area Strategy Working Group, the Cumulative Impact Monitoring Pro-gram (CIMP) Working Group, the Cu-mulative Effects Assessment and Management Committee (CEAM), the Yukon Environmental and Socio Eco-nomic Assessment Board 5 Year Re-view Working Group, the North Yukon Regional Planning Commission and the Peel Watershed Planning Com-mittee.

The GTC Land Administration staff represented the GTC Overland

Access Guidelines Workshop and meetings with industry representa-tives from Northern Cross. The GTC Land Administration also attended the Northern Contaminants Committee 16th Annual Results Workshop and co-hosted the meet and greet with the NCP Secretariat. The function was well attended and performances in-cluded the Dettah Drummers, Lee Mandeville and jigging demonstra-tions by Peter and Cheyenne Fraser.

For information with regard to any of the projects currently being man-aged and administered by the GTC Land Administration, please contact Mardy Semmler, Lands Manager at the GTC Office in Inuvik.

GTC mascot “Gillette” Abraham Peterson checking for caribou at the NWT-Yukon border

13

GWICH’IN BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

“In the struggle for survival, the fittest win out at the expense of their rivals because they succeed in adapting themselves best to their environ-

ment.” Charles Darwin

Hello to all the readers, I hope

that you find my quarterly reports in-formative and direct.

Did you know?

Below is a visual diagram that

illustrates three (3) separate entities that compliment each other. Both the Gwich’in Development Corporation and Business Development Division have separate vision statements that define where each department would like to be in the future. Yet, both enti-ties report to the Gwich’in Tribal Council.

Here some of the new and excit-ing initiatives that we’ve been working on.

Kodiak Energy Inc.

We have been negotiating the

Joint Benefits Agreement with Kodiak Energy and K’ahsho Got’ine Land Corporation. We are making pro-gress with our negotiations. As al-ways, the GTC’s main focus is to achieve the best deal for its partici-pants without compromising the long-term benefits for short-term gain. Ko-diak started out with a very aggres-sive schedule to commence drilling for the 2008/09 winter however, over the past few months, their scheduling and timing have since changed. The tentative drilling activities have not been affected by GTC’s negotiations as the ultimate decision to proceed with drilling has been the sole respon-sibility of Kodiak Energy.

GNWT Memorandum of Under-standing (MOU)

The GTC has requested an addi-

tional six month extension to accom-modate planning and organizing our strategic approach to re-negotiating the MOU. A negotiating team needs to be selected and mandated to com-mence negotiations.

Gwich’in Strategic Plan – Business Development

The final draft for the Strategic

Plan has been completed in August 2008 and is awaiting GTC board ap-proval. However, the approval proc-ess does not deter my office from planning its on-going strategic initia-tives. Once the plan has been ap-proved, it will be placed on the GTC website for you to review and provide any feedback.

Building Gwich’in Business Capac-ity

In the latter part of this year winter

(tentatively November), the Gwich’in Business Development office and the Mackenzie Gas Project (Inuvik office) plan on offering ½-day training ses-sions in the following areas: • Completing Bid and Pre-

qualification documents and crite-ria;

• Develop and complete a Gwich’in Content Plan;

• Develop generic Health & Safety policies – i.e. Alcohol and Drug Policy

• Accounting Procedures and in-voicing;

• Develop and strengthen internal Business controls;

• WCB – NWT Construction Asso-ciation;

• Familiarize and understand Un-ions and Labour Agreements The training sessions are targeted

to address areas of weakness in northern contractors which are not limited to any one region. This infor-mation was gathered through previ-ous field programs conducted by Im-perial Oil. The training packages will be generic and can be offered to other northern contractors from other regions who have signed the Access & Benefits agreement with Imperial Oil.

July-September 2008

GTC

Gwich’in Development

Corp

Business Development

Division


GWICH’IN BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

In their brochure, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada provided the following information:

Procurement Strategy for Abo-riginal Business (PSAB)? The PSAB is a strategy that was launched by the federal govern-ment to increase the number of Aboriginal suppliers bidding for, and winning, federal contracts. Q. Who does the PSAB apply to? The PSAB applies to all federal government departments and agencies. Q. How does the Government of Canada find suppliers?

Typically, federal departments and agencies find suppliers by: Listing requirements on MERX, an electronic tendering system. Federal departments or agencies seeking Aboriginal suppliers refer to Aboriginal business directories, in Contracts Canada’s Supplier Registration Information (SRI) and Industry Canada’s, Strategis, Aboriginal Business Directory, and electronic inventory of Abo-riginal suppliers in Canada. These databases are available on PSAB’s website at http://saea-psab.ainc-inac.gc.ca. Please go and check out the web-

site and sign up your business. These federal contracts equate to lost

opportunities for Gwich’in Business. Did you know that 3 of 58 GTC Ap-proved Businesses are listed on the Government of Canada Aboriginal Business Directory?

As usual I will conclude my report

with the following statement: “Our continued success

“Gwich’in Business” will be deter-mined by your participation and input into our business initiatives which will help develop our approach to a long term future economic success within the GSA and beyond globally. Com-munication is a dual process.”

I encourage you to send any com-

ments or ideas to my office via email at wmcdonald @ gwichin.nt.ca or visit our website at www.gwichin.biz.

15

GWICH’IN SOCIAL & CULTURAL INSTITUTE

GSCI 15th ANNIVERSARY CELE-BRATION At the 1992 GTC Annual Assem-bly in Fort McPherson, serious con-cerns were expressed about the de-cline of Gwich’in culture and lan-guage, and the negative impact that this was having on families and com-munities. In order to turn this situa-tion around, the Gwich’in Social and Cultural Institute (or GSCI) was cre-ated and began operation on Septem-ber 8, 1993. Since then, the GSCI has worked with Gwich’in elders, youth and community steering com-mittees plus heritage professionals, graduate students in the fields of mu-seum studies, cultural anthropology, archaeology, ethno-botany and lin-guistics on over 50 research projects, many of them multi-year. To commemorate our 15th anni-versary, we would like to provide funding to each of the four communi-ties to help us celebrate this occasion and the work that has been accom-plished since the creation of GSCI. Later in the winter, a storytelling work-shop is being planned. The GSCI would like to thank everyone for their support and en-courage each DGO/Band Office in the Gwich’in Settlement Area to host celebrations on Wednesday, Decem-ber 17, 2008. We have come a long way in the past 15 years, and could not have accomplished all that we have without the assistance and dedi-cation of many people and in particu-lar the many Elders who have worked closely with us. We hope that our work will continue to strengthen Gwich’in culture, language, and fami-lies – the reason why we were cre-ated by the GTC. Mahsi’ Choo! ADMINISTRATION Welcome back to William G. Firth who returned to work for the Gwich’in Social and Cultural Institute office in Fort McPherson (Teaching and Learning Centre) on July 11, 2008 as the Language Manager. ‘Farewell and best wishes’ are extended to Sherri Debastien, Research Assistant

Trainee with the Gwich’in Teaching and Learning Centre, as her position concluded on July 31st. HERITAGE PROJECTS Federal Assistant Deputy Minis-ters’ Visit On June 3rd, six Federal Govern-ment ADM’s made a visit to Inuvik as part of their leadership training. The GSCI gave a presentation during their visit to Inuvik in the GTC boardroom along with other staff from the Gwich’in Tribal Council. The GSCI presentation gave an overview of our organization and the challenges and issues that we encounter in our heri-tage research and language work and suggested how the federal govern-ment ADM’s could work more effec-tively with our organizations. GTC Leadership Transition Briefing On June 30th, Alestine Andre and Edward Wright participated in a Man-ager’s meeting with the Gwich’in Tribal Council in Inuvik to brief the new GTC Executive on the GSCI’s programs, Five-Year Strategic Plan and the one-year review of the Five-Year Strategic Plan. They identified the challenges that we encounter in our work and the importance of ongo-ing support from the Gwich’in Tribal Council leadership. CBC Radio Legacy Project The GSCI in partnership with CBC Radio is recording Gwich’in leg-ends and elders’ stories for the CBC Radio Legacy Project with the goal of producing radio dramas for broadcast in 2009. In early July, Alestine Andre and Leah Shaw recorded elders in the communities of Inuvik, Aklavik, Tsiige-htchic and Fort McPherson. An elder’s storytelling workshop is being planned for the winter as part of this project and a way to help us celebrate our 15th Anniversary.

Preliminary Heritage Survey in the Peel Watershed The GSCI and Yukon Department of Tourism and Culture conducted a preliminary helicopter survey of heri-tages sites within the Peel River wa-tershed from July 21st to 24th. In-cluded in the survey were Fort McPherson Elder Walter Alexie, Ingrid Kritsch (GSCI Research Director), Dr. Ruth Gotthardt (Yukon Archaeolo-gist), Greg Hare (Site Assessment Archaeologist), and Barbara Hogan (Historic Sites Registrar). The goal of the survey was to identify and record traditional Teetl’it Gwich’in sites and historic and archaeological sites in the Peel River drainage, concentrating on the Hart, Wind and Bonnet Plume rivers. This research will assist in identifying significant heritage values as part of the Peel Watershed Plan-ning Commission Land Use Planning process. Peel River Dinosaur Research GSCI assisted palaeontologists Grant Zazula (Yukon Paleontologist) and Dr. David Evans (Royal Ontario Museum) with obtaining support, li-cences and research agreements needed to carry out their field work. The dinosaur research was carried out in the Bonnet Plume River area from August 3-13, 2008. A student from Fort McPherson was identified to participate in this project but due to unforeseen circumstances was un-able to participate.

July-September 2008


GWICH’IN SOCIAL & CULTURAL INSTITUTE Historic Places Initiative (HPI) Pro-jects GSCI was successful in access-ing HPI funding from the GNWT to carry out three community projects: • the Black Mountain and Big Eddy

HPI project in Aklavik; • the Khaii Luk Tshik and Teetshik

Googhaa (old Arctic Red site) pro-ject in Tsiigehtchic; and

• Nataiinlaii boundary project in Fort McPherson.

These places were previously identified by the Community Steering Committees responsible for identify-ing significant heritage sites in the Aklavik, Tsiigehtchic and Fort McPherson areas. At this time, a draft of the nomination form for Black Mountain and Big Eddy as a new Ter-ritorial Historic Site has been pre-pared. The Tsiigehtchic nominations and the boundary for Nataiinlaii will be completed this winter. Meetings will be held with the Steering Committees this winter to review the draft docu-ments and maps. Gwich’in Ethnobotany Module for GSCI Website GSCI secured funding with the assistance of the GTC from the Mac-Arthur Foundation to develop a new module for its website based on the ethnobotany research carried out by Alestine Andre and Alan Fehr. GSCI will be working with Outcrop to de-velop this module over the coming winter. Dene Nation Mapping Project GSCI secured funding from the Cumulative Impact Monitoring Pro-gram to complete the conservation of the maps and digitize the tapes from the Dene Mapping Project carried out in the 1970s. This work will be car-ried out during the coming winter. James Jerome Photo Collection Project GSCI has agreed to assist the NWT Archives with identifying people, places and activities recorded in pho-

tos taken by James Jerome in the 1970s. A series of workshops will be held with elders over the course of the coming winter to help with these iden-tifications. GIS Workshop Ingrid Kritsch and Kristi Benson met in Yellowknife at the Research Office from September 15-19 to re-view the GSCI Teetl’it Gwich’in place names and associated GIS data. Over 390 place name records were reviewed and map information com-pared with entries in the Access data-base and GIS to identify gaps and further work needed. GWICH’IN LANGUAGE CENTRE Archival Workshop Edward Wright and Sherri De-bastien attended an archival work-shop sponsored by the Canadian Council of Archives in Regina from May 22nd – 26th. Canadian Indigenous Languages and Literacy Development Institute Edward Wright and Mary Clark attended a language course offered at the University of Alberta in Edmonton through CILLDI from July 7th – 25th. 2nd Language Curriculum n August 18-21, a terminology workshop was held with Gwich’in Lan-guage Instructors from the Mackenzie Delta schools to review the language content of the 2nd language curriculum for Grades 1, 4 and part of Grade 7. Also present at the workshop were Gwich’in Elders and the Assistant Superintendent from the Beaufort Delta Education Council (BDEC). The focus of the workshop was sen-tence structure and vocabulary. As the curriculum continues to be piloted during this school year, instructors are identifying issues regarding resource development. William G. Firth partici-pated in the BDEC Language Instruc-tor In-Service training that was held in Inuvik on September 15-16 and 18th.

The training focused on lesson plans and assessment development related to the 2nd language curriculum. Dene Font Issue William G. Firth and Ingrid Kritsch attended a Dene fonts meeting in Yel-lowknife on August 26-27 in Yellow-knife with the Official Languages Divi-sion, other Dene groups and two ex-perts involved in creating Dene fonts. For many years, the Gwich’in, other Dene groups, government depart-ments and publishers have struggled with properly representing all of the Dene characters because the fonts developed in the 1990s have not kept up with changing technology and soft-ware and are not accessible on all computer platforms. This has made it very difficult to represent all of the Dene languages properly, which does a great disservice to the Dene lan-guages. Several recommendations were made to the Official Languages Division so that a solution can be found that meets everyone’s needs and help keep the Dene languages alive. A follow-up meeting in January 2009 is planned so that we can hear what has been accomplished to date and develop a timeline for further ac-tion to meet the goal of developing a Dene font that is useable by all peo-ple. Standing Committee on Govern-ment Operations On September 25th, the Standing Committee on Government Opera-tions held a meeting on the review of the Official Languages Act in the NWT in Fort McPherson. William G. Firth, Language Manager and Sharon Snowshoe, Executive Director of GSCI made a presentation to the Committee. Bertha Francis, Sarah Jerome, Edward Wright, William Koe and Johnny Kay also made individual presentations to the committee. Liz Wright, Ruby Koe and Connie Alexie attended the meeting.

Sharon Snowshoe Executive Director

O On August 18-21, a terminology workshop was held with Gwich’in Lan- guage Instructors from the Mackenzie Delta schools to review the language content of the 2nd language curriculum for Grades 1, 4 and part of Grade 7. Also present at the workshop were Gwich’in Elders and the Assistant Superintendent from the Beaufort Delta Education Council (BDEC). The focus of the workshop was sen- tence structure and Vocabulary. As the curriculum continues to be piloted during this school year, instructors are identifying issues regarding resource development. William G. Firth participated in the BDEC Language Instruc- tor In-Service training that was held in Inuvik on September 15-18 and 18th.


GWICH’IN RENEWABLE RESOURCE BOARD

Drin Gwiinzii, everyone! The GRRB would like to thank the GTC for including the Board’s update in this newsletter as this is a new opportunity for the GRRB. We would also like to wish everyone a happy fall and winter and hope that you all enjoy this change in season which creates new opportunities to go on the land and experience our unique northern land-scape. This update will highlight some of the Board’s activities and some news from around the Gwich’in Settlement Area. Please contact us if you have any comments or ideas to share and drop in to our webs i te a t www.grrb.nt.ca. Working together we can ensure that the resources are managed sustainably so that future generations will be able to enjoy them. Mahsi Cho! UPCOMING PROJECTS We are making changes to our website. These will include new pages for our co-management part-ners, public hearings and meetings and our new youth initiative, “Get WILD about NATURE”. Linda and the GRRB staff are in the process of cre-ating this interactive youth section for students. This page will be dedicated to the youth of the Beaufort-Delta. We would like to support their creativity by promoting their art, literature, stories and photos relating to the land and our renewable resources. The GRRB is hoping the youth will use this site as a gateway to renewable resource

networks, knowledge and events re-lating to fisheries, wildlife and forestry. This fall, we are having a work-shop to develop consultation and pub-lic hearing rules and procedures The Gwich’in Harvest Study is nearing completion. Look for its re-lease soon! NATURE DAY In June, the GRRB staff visited the grade 3 classes in Aklavik and Inuvik to teach youth about wildlife, fish and forests using fun games and scavenger hunts as part of Nature Day. Youth education is important to the GRRB, which is why Nature Day is such a great opportunity to make learning fun and enjoyable for kids. Despite the bugs, everyone enjoyed themselves. In September/October the staff will also share Nature Day with the grade 3 classes of Tsiige-htchic and Fort McPherson. OCEANS DAY The GRRB is dedicated to engag-ing youth and enthusiastically partici-pates in events such as Oceans Day; we support and encourage the impor-tance of informing youth about our oceans, the creatures that live in them, and how our activities affect our oceans. In July, our staff had a great time entering a float in the parade and assisting in various Oceans Day ac-tivities. Kristen and Amy volunteered to organize an arctic nature tour with elder Mabel English. They took a few kids down the Bootlake Trail and Mabel told them about the medicinal uses of some plants. Kristen helped with face painting and the life of a whitefish game. GRRB Bi-annual Board Meeting The Board meets twice per year with meeting locations rotated be-tween the four communities in the GSA. In February the Board meets to address issues concerning operations or renewable resource management, to approve budgets and to allocate funds for research, management and educational projects. Throughout the

year, the Board may meet or telecon-ference at any time to address spe-cific issues. The Board just held its fall meeting September 11-12 in Fort McPherson. The deadline for wildlife studies fund applications is December 31st and the call for proposals should be going out soon. WILDLIFE PROJECTS Recently appointed Wildlife Biolo-gist, Kristen Callaghan, had some field help from this year’s summer student, Chris Greenland as they did hare pellet counts, small mammal sampling and telemetry collar retriev-als. Kristen is currently working on wildlife management plans with our co-management partners and assist-ing in the wrap up of field activities related to the Richardson project on Dall’s sheep, grizzly bear and wolf interactions. RENEWABLE RESOURCE MAN-AGEMENT PROJECTS Recently appointed Renewable Resource Manager, Nicole Thomas, reviews land use and research appli-cations in the GSA, in communication with the community RRCs. Nicole organized a computer database con-taining research and land use permit applications in the GSA and complied a summary of the Gwich’in Harvest Study. Nicole is currently preparing for the anticipated release of the GHS final report and coordinating a re-gional workshop to develop public consultation. The consultation work-shop aims to set out procedures for the GRRB to consult with those most directly involved with resource man-agement; DGOs, co-management institutions, government and aborigi-nal peoples within the GSA.

GRRB photo


FISHERIES PROJECTS The Fisheries Biologist, Amy Thompson, coordinates and conducts fisheries research and is responsible for the management of fish and for-estry resources in the GSA. Amy is currently working on a loche liver pro-ject in the GSA which is investigating contaminant levels, diet and liver ap-pearance. Amy is also working on manage-ment plans in forestry and fisheries with our co-management partners. This fall/winter the Forest Working Group will be doing a round of consul-tations. In March, DFO organized the fish dissections at SAMS school and Amy helped organize getting fish dona-tions. The kids learned how to iden-tify, tag and measure fish. There were discussions of co-management con-servation and why it is important not to litter. Wade Norman and Amy were interviewed on CBC North after this event.

COMMUNICATION & EDUCATION PROJECTS The Acting Communications Co-ordinator, Linda Wright created a GRRB Conservation Calendar that would creatively educate and promote sustainability within the GSA. Linda also updated and re-designed the GRRB’s informational brochure, high-lighting the collaborative efforts of the RRCs and community members. There is a special focus on work-shops and funding availability pro-vided by the GRRB with the intent to encourage community based re-search projects and building commu-nity capacity for renewable resource management. SPECIAL THANKS The development of the Strategic Plan, the 2009 Conservation Calen-dar and our research priorities were a success thanks to the collaborate ef-forts of the Renewable Resource Councils, the Gwich’in Tribal Council and our co-management partners. We couldn’t have done it without your continued support

BOARD OF DIRECTORS • Robert Charlie (Chair), GTC Inuvik • James Firth, GTC Inuvik • Robert Alexie Sr., GTC Fort

McPherson • Eugene Pascal, GTC Aklavik • Elizabeth Hansen, GNWT Inuvik • Johnnie Charlie, GNWT Fort

McPherson • Paul Latour, EC Yellowknife • Joel Ingram, EC Inuvik • Dan Topolnski, DFO Winnipeg • George Low, DFO Hay River STAFF • Robert Charlie, Chair • Melody Nice-Paul, Executive Direc-

tor • Angela Horbatch, Office Manager • Amy Thompson, Fisheries Biologist • Kristen Callaghan, Wildlife Biologist • Nicole Thomas, Renewable Re-

source Manager • Linda Wright, A/Communications

Coordinator Alex Moses Greenland Building PO Box 2240 Inuvik NT X0E 0T0 Phone: (867) 777-6600 Web:

GWICH’IN RENEWABLE RESOURCE BOARD

GRRB photos

19 July-September 2008

CANADA DAY 2008 Riverside Activities Hosted by the

Nihtat Gwich’in Council




TSIIGEHTCHIC CANOE DAYS 2008


GWICH’IN TRIBAL COUNCIL 2008 ANNUAL GENERAL

ASSEMBLY

TETLIT ZHEH, August 11-14


Ahh, yes, can’t forget the fun games!!!


MIDWAY LAKE MUSIC FESTIVAL

August 1-4



Celebrating 15 years of documenting, preserving and promoting Gwich’in culture, language, traditional

knowledge and values.

The Gwich’in Social and Cultural Institute (GSCI) was created by the GTC and began operation in Sep-tember 8, 1993 to address serious concerns about the decline of Gwich’in culture and language, and the negative impact that this was having on families and com-munities. Since then, the GSCI has worked with Gwich’in elders, youth and community steering committees plus heritage profes-sionals, graduate students in the fields of museum studies, cultural anthropology, archaeology, ethno-botany and linguistics on over 50 research projects, many of them multi-year.

To commemorate our 15th anniver-sary, the GSCI would like to provide funding to and encourage each of the four Gwich’in communities within the Gwich’in Settlement Area to host celebrations on Wednes-day, December 17, 2008 which recognize this occasion and the work that has been accomplished since the creation of GSCI. As part of this celebration, a Gwich’in leg-ends workshop is being planned for later this winter.

We have come a long way in the past 15 years and could not have accomplished all that we have without the assistance and dedi-cation of many people and in par-ticular the many Elders who have worked closely with us. We hope that our work will continue to strengthen Gwich’in culture, lan-guage, and families – the reason why we were created by the GTC. Mahsi’ Choo!

Sharon Snowshoe Executive Director Ph: 867-952-2524 Fx: 867-952-2238

Photos of Land Selection Workshop and Cultural Workshop in Fort McPherson, 1989, by Lawrence Norbert

Photo of Arctic Red River Headwaters (centre), August 2007, by Kristi Benson, GSCI

‘Dagwidi’ii - What We Are Doing’ is a quarterly magazine of GTC activities

published for the information of Gwich’in Beneficiaries.

Please send your suggestions, comments or

photographs to our address or e-mail: [email protected]

Ph: 867-777-7923 Fx: 867-777-7919

All photos by Lawrence Norbert, GTC Communications, unless noted otherwise.

Publisher: Can rctic Graphics

Dagwidi’ii Beneficiary Services Gwich’in Tribal Council PO Box 1509 Inuvik NT X0E 0T0 Canada TO:

a

Documents

Tsiigehtchic Elder feeds his “pets”...Senior Finance Officer Norma Blake 952-2526 A/Controller Evelyn Bullock 777-7917 Finance Officer Ruth Jerome 777-7951 Office Manager / Boards