Chiefs Summary Activity Report of the Mandate 2019-2023
Chiefs Summary Activity Report of the Mandate 2019-2023
Our mandate began on August 19, 2019, and 7 months later on March 11, 2020, COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. The community and the entire world found itself confronting a virus that had the potential to kill. Normal life was shut down and sadly we lost a couple of elders. Movement was severely restricted, and many places shut down, stores, schools, businesses and offices.
Fortunately, the council had identified its priorities and presented these to the community and received strong support for its priorities at the General Assembly of October 2019 before COVID-19 hit us.
Obviously, no one foresaw the pandemic, and everyone did the best that they could under the circumstances. I would like to express my appreciation to everyone that was involved in helping us through the pandemic. Many were personally impacted including members of our council. Nevertheless, with the support of health services, public security and many more we persisted in our mandate to lead the community through the pandemic. The following summary are the files in which I was most active. You may also see my weekly updates that I have provided since 2019.
Housing
With a back log of 77 units housing was made the priority for the Chief and Council in this mandate. It wasn’t the first priority identified by the administration, but it was what the elected representatives of the community saw as their number 1 priority for the mandate beginning in 2019. Housing was in trouble and had slowed to the point of taking over 18 months to complete a quadruplex and major difficulties in getting the labor needed. We set out with the objective of providing 15 units per year. Despite the Covid situation during this mandate from 2019 to 2022, approximately 50 units were completed and this year in 2023 we have a possibility of another additional 12 to 15 units.
Housing inspector
Finally, after years of advocating for an inspector, we have opened and filled the position. I believe that this position will play a big part in maintaining our housing units in good condition. At this point it is costing the band 100’s of thousands of dollars every year in repairing housing units mainly due to neglect and senseless vandalization of our units. The condition of the units will begin to be inspected regularly and the problems addressed.
Elders
From the beginning I have met with elders throughout each year, some at my office some at their residence. All though I must admit that we have not been able to respond to every request we did our best to provide assistance and repairs in many cases. The time spent with elders has been appreciated and I always maintained an open-door policy.
Homeless Situation
There are several reasons why people end up homeless and judging people does not help or improve the situation. For what ever reason people find themselves in such a situation they need a helping hand and some compassion. There are many contributing factors that cause people to end up homeless. Mental health and addictions are important ones but there are other factors as well, such as the lack funding by the government of Canada to First Nations housing. Another factor that is entirely on some people not caring about paying their rent or making their housing payments. This deprives the community of monies that would go to housing. We could do so much more if people assumed their responsibilities.
The council did secure four tiny units to provide shelter for those who are homeless. We had hoped that we would be able to secure a crew of maybe 3 or 4 workers. The problem we continue to experience has been the shortage of experienced workers in our community. We have opened a bidding process and should have these units up by early fall.
Windmills and Revenue Sharing
Prior to 2019 there was little to no communication or effort on the part of the three Chiefs and Councils of Gespeg, Gesgapegiag and Listuguj to sit down and resolve the issue of revenue sharing between the three communities. With the support of council, I initiated discussions individually with the chiefs. Our council with Christianne Bernard leading the discussion on developing a formula for revenue sharing did come to an agreement on a draft Revenue Sharing formula that we believed would be acceptable to all 3 of our communities. We have been successful in bringing the 3 Chiefs and Councils to the table to discuss the RS formula and we have made significant progress. Hopefully these discussions will continue, and the 3 Chiefs and Councils should be able to come to an agreement on the RS formula that can be presented to the 3 communities for approval in the near future.
The Cascapedia Society
Regarding the Cascapedia Society and the take over of the river. After much discussion with council the board of directors of the society which had been dysfunctional for a few years was terminated and the Quebec government advised accordingly. A number of options were looked at from complete takeover to a restructuring of the society, as well as the pros and cons of these. In the end it was decided that we would work with the municipal council of Cascapedia Saint Jules. Short of a takeover, we have rebranded the society and have agreed to a process to review the administrative structure and governing policies of the society.
Collaboration on the part of the mayor and municipal council of Cascapedia-Saint Jules has been excellent, and both councils are temporarily acting as the board of the society until such time the policies can be reviewed and revised accordingly. Once the work has been completed, a process will be conducted to confirm the board of directors. The restructuring and resulting more equitable/fair distribution of the beats did cause a reaction from the Cascapedia Club because this did impact them because they can no longer dictate to the society leaving the society at a disadvantage.
The Cascapedia Society has been renamed to better reflect our presence and it is now officially called the Société Sipuminu Society. The letterhead has been changed and all signage will be changed to reflect that the Society is a collaboration between the Gesgapegiag and Cascapedia-Saint Jules.
Plamugwet
During these discussions with Quebec and the change in the management of the river we created Plamugwet Outfitting. Rather than taking away rods from a successful outfitting operation, we have secured 5 additional rods. Our first year of operation was last year and there was some outside reaction to this, but we had a good first season and this season is shaping up to be an even better season. One camp has been built to date, by our people that are being trained in carpentry and so much more. There will be at least one more camp and a cookhouse built to support the bands Plamugwet Outfitting operation. To date this initiative has generated an additional 8 jobs on the river and we expect to have more jobs coming out of the Plamugwet Outfitting operation.
Education Services
One of the spin offs from the outfitting operation is the current carpentry training program. In setting up the outfitting operation we needed a fishing camp. Council members Bernard Jerome, Danny Condo and I along with our DG collaborated on a project to purchase a small mill and to train a crew to cut the lumber necessary to build the camps needed. This led to a collaboration with Adult Education led by Tammy Martin, who presented a project to the First Nations Regional Adult Education Commission who worked to secure a 3-year pilot training program specifically for First Nations.
The training is being provided by the Innu company Mitshuap and has been working very well. The company is specialized in every aspect of building portable units for the northern isolated communities. The training includes carpentry, cabinetry, plumbing and electrical training. The training will be certified by the Quebec Ministry of Education that is recognized by the construction industry in Quebec. If successful, this program will result in becoming the First Nations center for training First Nations individuals across Quebec.
First Nations Regional Education Agreement
Since the beginning of our takeover of education services (1979-1980) our teachers and support staff have been under paid. This is true for every First Nation community across Canada including Gesgapegiag. Having worked in education all my life in and outside the community, three years ago I was given the education portfolio at the regional level and the national level.
During these past three years as the Chief portfolio for education services for the Quebec region we successfully negotiated a 5 year, 6-billion-dollar agreement. This agreement will be renewable every 5 years and it benefits all 21 of the FNEC communities. It is a major agreement that has finally brought the teaching and support staff salaries in all 21 communities to the same level as the provincial schools and education services. Our school is one of the beneficiaries of this agreement. The agreement also provides further development of services in “First Nation schools” exclusively.
Migmaw Language Institute
“Our” language situation in the community is in serious trouble. As you know we had been collaborating with the University College Cape Breton to try and get something going with regards to training our speakers as instructors. Unfortunately, this has not panned out as hoped for. The situation with the language is something that we remain committed to and work on this will continue.
The Language Institute project continues to move forward. Construction of this institute is scheduled to begin in 2024. It will be dedicated to the preservation and promotion of our language. Some of what is entailed will be researching effective language strategies and programs, storing of Migmaw language materials, the development of materials in different formats such as digital and hard copy but not limited to these. The institute will support, develop and deliver Migmaw language services in different forms, be it on the land, online, in a classroom or office setting.
Policing Services
As a result of COVID-19 our policing services did acquire additional officers and the numbers went up to 18 officers including the Police Chief. With COVID winding down in the past year, we are now at 14 and our negotiations are currently based on this number.
With regards to the funding of policing services, this service has been chronically under funded for several years. The band along with another community has begun legal procedures against both federal and provincial governments for deliberately under funding these services. This case will move forward as soon as we receive the Supreme Court decision regarding the governments appealing the favorable court decision in the Mashteuiatch case for the same reason.
The new police station was put on hold due to certain changes made and the rising costs of construction materials during the COVID pandemic. The cost difference has been successfully negotiated and preparations are currently underway for the bidding process to be initiated. The next phase will be the selection of the contractor and construction.
Fisheries
During this mandate the fisheries department the band has built two new lobster boats and done significant repairs on some of its vessels. Holding tanks for the lobster have been expanded to assure a steady supply to the Lobster Hut.
We signed a five-year Department of Fisheries and Oceans agreement with Gespeg with the which created a partnership agreement that provides our fisheries department with additional funding to support increased access. The agreement totals over 7.8 million dollars. This sector will continue to see growth as we move forward. (See annex 1, provided by fisheries for additional summary)
Estuary Agreement
Prior to COVID-19 the council had been working and preparing for a community discussion on the agreement. Going through the COVID pandemic for the past 2 ½ years kind of put a damper on that process. Loosing important council members during that period also contributed to the delay.
In the past year, council decided to negotiate an extension of one year to the agreement which was scheduled to end in 2022. This is the reason why the households were able to benefit from the agreement again this year. We believe that the economic and social benefit to the household is significant, providing households with low income the opportunity to purchase household items they normally could not afford with the low income.
Along with the extension, additional dollars are being secured to cover the costs of a broad consultation with our members. This is scheduled to begin this fall.
Forestry
For the past couple of years, I have been fighting to get access to a volume of wood for the community. Although we have been involved in forestry through brush cutting, there was a need to begin moving up the ladder in terms of our benefits from this valuable resource. Forestry accounts for a very significant portion of jobs here on the Gaspe coast and we wanted our share. Brush cutters can earn anywhere from a thousand dollars a week to 15 or 16 hundred a week. It pays well, but the work is tough and only the best can handle it.
Finally, this past spring we succeeded in securing 50,000 cubic meters of wood. I had the support of our Forestry Engineer Ken Arsenault and council members, as well the support of the industry and even the mayors of the MRC.
We will now begin training a forestry crew on the operation of harvesters. This volume of wood was needed for us to be able to train our people and acquire harvesters. Harvesting wood is serious business which requires workers that are committed, and “care” for the equipment. Its not a job for slackers, people must be on their game. There will be good salaries to pay and “production” will be the key and keeping the equipment in tiptop condition for steady on-going production. Our success will depend on the due diligence of our people in taking care of the tools we need to get the job done. There is potential for a few well-paying long-term jobs.
Black Ash
This year the federal government has begun the process of including black ash as an endangered species. Species on this list are protected by the Species at Risk Act and are protected. Protection under this act overrides aboriginal rights and our basket makes would loose access to the black ash they need to make baskets. Harvesting black ash would be illegal and subject to prosecution in a court of law. A few Chiefs and I did meet with the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Mr. Steven Guilbeau on two occasions and have been successful in securing a commitment that there will be an exemption for First Nations in the act. We successfully demonstrated our sustainable harvesting practices and long-standing relationship with this tree.
Consultations
Throughout the mandate I have either responded directly, met in person ministers as well as through video conference, or advised the Migmawei Mawiomi Secretariate consultation unit on positions, on protective measures, on responding strongly on the protection of our rights be they aboriginal, inherent or treaty. In certain cases, I recommended legal advice be sought after and have done so as well.
On an annual basis these consultations average over a hundred per year and vary from, fisheries, to provincial transportation, federal transportation, to forestry, to development projects, to provincial and federal policies and laws being modified that may impact us. Going into the last week before election, I am still following up on at least two different consultations. Only the major files are brought to council. If every consultation was brought to council, the deliberations and resulting costs and time would simply be too much and overwhelming. The issue of time, expertise, and financial resources needed are issues I have continued to raise at many levels with different ministers. Follow-up on consultations is important as changes in policies and laws as well as development have a strong potential to impact our rights and title.
Expansion of Community Land Base
To date there has been one small purchase, that being the Apo’qon’ma’tultinej Center and property. We are however in the process of negotiating two other important purchases. We are running out of space and there is a need to expand the reserve.
Regional and National Representation
On the regional level I have actively participated in representing our community on all files brought to the table. Issues dealt with at this table are mainly focused on government impacts on our rights and impacts on programs and services to our communities. These include public security, health, education, housing, territorial issues and more. On both the regional and National level I was assigned as the portfolio for Education.
I have been most vocal on the impacts of Québec’s language law and its negative impacts on First Nations in Quebec especially our community. I have presented in parliament to the sitting members of parliament entirely in “our” language the negative impacts of their language law on us and presented recommendations on what changes could be made to their law to prevent the negative impacts on us. I was accompanied by Regional Chief Picard who also presented entirely in his (Innu) language. (We provided translation services:)
As a result of the numerous press conferences and articles we have had some success. The Minister of Superior Education has provided a proviso within the education act to exempt First Nations having lived on reserve from the 3 course French language requirement. So, once you have your secondary French language credits, you no longer need to take French language courses at the post-secondary level.
At the national level, I have also represented our community and the Quebec region on the education files. One of the bigger most important files we have succeeded in making significant changes are the School Space Accommodation Standards. The new standards are much more generous than the old standards and recognizes the needs of First Nation students. At this level I have remained active mainly in the education files and more recently on the Indigenous languages file as well.
In closing, I would like to say that it has been both an honor and my pleasure to serve and represent our community as your Chief. Welaliog mst wen!
ANNEX 1
Fisheries evolvement since 2019
INSHORE: Implemented a new 5-year contract structure for lobster fishers that includes a tier system that allows more revenue to flow to community programs as well as creating a Reserve Replacement account to upgrade vessels as needed. Acquired vessel trailers, storage domes, additional truck as well as two used inboard vessels Knot Too Bad and Little Pax, built new inboard Waseteg, built new aluminum Ngijinu (arriving in coming weeks) and contracted another new aluminum Apaqt Getanteget (for 2024 season). Inshore has also developed lobster trap training and production, obtained a new wharf at the NR Marina, assisted in wharf dredging plan, participated in training for Halibut, Tuna, and Rock Crab. FSC (Food, Social and Ceremonial) Fisheries have been developed to allow community members access to lobster fishing.
MIDSHORE: three vessels officially Captained by Gesgapegiag community members (Derek, Greg, Preston). APC’s “Fleet Supervisor of the Year” was awarded to Eric. Ongoing training and recruitment for crew members, repairs and upgrades to vessels and equipment including a new forklift. Eco-friendly and whale safe equipment testing. Ongoing research and quote capturing for 2 new replacement vessels to accommodate emerging and multi-species fishing such as redfish. Exploring opportunities for transforming/processing product. The fluctuation of quotas and pricing is always a concern in mid-shore fisheries however the fisheries remain an important source of revenue for the community.
LOBSTER HUT: Has undergone many repairs and upgrades to the building and equipment such as new interior doors, a new store front door, upgraded fridges/freezers, stove, BBQ grill, display cases, sales counters, visually appealing paint, floors, shelving, and décor, as well as staff uniforms. Safe food handling and customer service training has been conducted and upgrades to the Point of Sales system make for more efficient sales transactions. Lobster Hut has monthly customer appreciation draws and provides donations of gift cards for community events. They’ve also, in partnership with Council, provided various community lobster distributions over the years. Lobster Hut strives to remain open for business as long as possible after each season providing longer term employment for community members as well as additional retail sales.
WHOLESALE: Underwent repairs, obtained new forklift, generator, 10,000 lb. capacity live lobster holding tank as well as a purging tank, which had its challenges in its first year of operation, but has been upgraded by the manufacturer and is proving to be a worthwhile addition to the operations. Due to the abundance of lobster fishing over the years, staff requirements at wholesale have been on the rise and provided on the job training opportunities.
WHALE SAFE AND GHOST GEAR PROJECT: To accommodate upcoming industry regulation changes, a training plan was implemented to provide up and coming fishers in partnership with the Adult Ed program to test innovative gear and equipment such as weak rope, weak swivel and ropeless technology, that can be used industry wide. Participants are also obtaining valuable fishing knowledge in all sectors.
Fisheries administration continues to grow and evolve – Management has completed FN Fisheries Enterprise Management training, been involved in various committees and negotiations, and obtained funding from sources such as QPP, SOCCA, SAA, MAPAQ, ISC and new avenues within DFO such as RRA in order to continue to strive forward for the benefit of the organization and community members.