March 19th 2012

Weytkp,


We would like to announce that, by request from the community, we have created a TIB Facebook page.  The page will display news, events and photos from the TIB band office but there will be no wall for comments. Click here to visit us at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tkemlups-Indian-Band/160131284089314.

_________________________________________________________

Chief and Council has a duty to inform Membership of the Band’s Business, as well as, General Band Meetings, Elections, Referendums and other community events.  Within the organization, the Administration Department is responsible for the “Band Membership Master Mailing List” for the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc (TteS) membership mail-outs  including the following: Annual Information Packages; Annual Reports; Audited Financial Statements; Christmas Bonus Cheque: Quarterly Lexéy ̀em (Newsletter); and various Monthly Departmental Newsletters and announcements.

Please find below a Request Form for Band Members to complete and send in to Administration:

TteS Request for Band Membership Contact Information REVISED FEB 2012

_________________________________________________________

For all TteS band members; please complete the survey below, which concept is to develop an affordable transportation service for the Kamloops Indian Band.

Thank you,

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/D3RG9XF

_________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

Pictures from the “So not G” workshop: 

 

Tk’emlúps legal department hosts inspiring aboriginal youth gang conference

Traditional territory of the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc (Kamloops, B.C.) – The Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc legal department in partnership with the RCMP – Tk’emlúps Rural Detachment and School District No. 73  hosted an extremely successful and inspiring workshop at the Henry Grube Centre targeting aboriginal youth in grades eight through eleven.

The aim of the conference was to help create awareness about aboriginal gangs and violence and to put an end to the cycle of dangerous behavior before it begins.

Special guest presenter and facilitator was First Nation rapper and former gang affiliate Shawn Bernard aka “Feenix”. Bernard, a positive Aboriginal role model, spoke candidly about his inspiring life story and how he was able to change his dangerous lifestyle and overcome a very difficult up-bringing proving that anything really is possible.

“This is an important issue. I have a lot of friends and cousins that are still in gangs and I am not here to bash anybody; I just tell my story about what happened to me and how I was able to change my lifestyle and all the positive things that have now happened and will hopefully continue to happen,” said Bernard.

His life story about living the gang lifestyle, dealing drugs and spending time in jail, to giving everything up and starting a new and healthy journey as a successful rapper and public figure was nothing short of awe inspiring.

Chief Shane Gottfriedson was also a speaker at the conference providing an up-beat and inspiring message to the students.

“Education is the most important key to your future and the future generations – you are all role models, whether you think so or not, just by being here and going to school, you are role models. Each and every one of you in this room is important, always remember that you are important,” said Gottfriedson.

Over 40 First Nations students from across the district were in attendance at the event and the response was extremely positive. Rapper “Feenix” gave an energetic performance that got the crowd going and the youth engaged right from the beginning.  The individual working groups concentrated on a number of important topics aimed at helping youth to make positive choices in their lives while also teaching students about culture, education, decision making and the law.

The conference continues tonight with evening discussions open to parents, caregivers and community members and runs from 6:30pm – 9:00pm at the Henry Grube Centre.

-30-

For more information contact:

Kelley O’Grady
Tk’emlups Indian Band
Marketing and Events Coordinator
Tel: (250)828-9775 Email: kogrady@kib.ca

______________________________________________________________

Northern Development Initiative Trust Partners with the British Columbia Aboriginal Mine Training Association in Five Year Funding Agreement

“A huge step forward” – new funding agreement for First Nations skills training begins.

For Immediate Release
March 8, 2012

Prince George/Vancouver – The British Columbia Aboriginal Mine Training Association (BC AMTA) is pleased to announce a new funding agreement has been reached with Northern Development Initiative Trust. The agreement begins today and provides for a five year funding formula. “This agreement will contribute to long term sustainability for our programming,” said David Watkins, Chair, Board of Directors, BC AMTA. “It is proof that BC AMTA’s results and its potential for future growth are recognized as important elements for economic development in central and northern British Columbia.”

BC AMTA collaborates with First Nations communities, mining and exploration companies, industry associations, government and educational institutions to create and deliver mine industry training and staffing programs. The model develops skills training specifically for Aboriginal students and focusses on matching the local workforce with local jobs. In less than two years BC AMTA has generated employment opportunities for more than 235 Aboriginal candidates. Almost two-thirds of these people have transitioned from unemployment. With a retention rate of 95%, BC AMTA’s industry partners are seeing measurable impacts on turnover rates and recruitment costs.

“The BC AMTA model is very successful in training and placing First Nations members in BC’s growing mining sector,” notes Janine North, Chief Executive Officer, Northern Development Initiative Trust. “Our mandate is to foster business growth in central and northern BC. We believe this partnership is a good fit and will help to fill the skills gap the mining industry is experiencing.”

“With more than 120 BC Indian Bands represented in our candidate pool, the alignment to industry’s need for workers is very strong,” said BC AMTA’s Executive Director Laurie Sterritt. “This funding agreement is a huge step forward and is very important when you consider that many operating mines and proposed mines are located on traditional First Nations territory in northern communities. Northern Development’s support will lead to direct benefits for both companies and First Nations.

Sterritt notes that this agreement is tied to the development of additional funding arrangements for BC AMTA programs. This commitment shows strong support for the Association and can only help in funding discussions with other stakeholders.

About the British Columbia Mine Training Association

The BC Aboriginal Mine Training Association (BC AMTA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing BC’s Aboriginal people with the skills they need to work in the minerals exploration, mine development and mining industries.

The BC AMTA model uses partnerships among mining and exploration companies, industry associations, First Nations, government, and educational institutions to recruit, evaluate, coach, train, and place aboriginal workers in BC mining projects.

Please visit the BC AMTA website to learn about BC AMTA programs and services and watch our informative BC AMTA video.

About Northern Development Initiative Trust

Northern Development Initiative Trust is an independent regional economic development corporation focused on stimulating economic growth and job creation in central and northern British Columbia. Northern Development’s region spans over 70% of the province, from Lytton to Fort Nelson, and from Valemount to Haida Gwaii. This region includes thirty-nine incorporated communities, nine regional districts, one regional municipality and eighty-eight First Nations communities.

The Northern Development Initiative Trust is uniquely structured with regional community and business leadership to make great investments ‘in the North, for the North’. The Corporation was established as an initiative of the Province of British Columbia and is independently governed by a board of thirteen regionally-based directors. Northern Development’s Board has approved over $103 million in committed funding to more than 900 projects since its inception in 2005.

Media Contacts:

Laurie Sterritt, Executive Director
BC Aboriginal Mine Training Association
lsterritt[at]bcamta.ca
Telephone: 604 681-4321 ext. 112

Janine North, Chief Executive Officer
Northern Development Initiative Trust
info[at]northerndevelopment.bc.ca
Telephone: 250 561-2525

________________________________________________________

Statement by the Government of Canada on the Royal Assent of Bill C-10

OTTAWA, March 13, 2012 – The Honourable Rob Nicholson, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, accompanied by the Honourable Vic Toews, Minister of Public Safety, The Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, and Senator Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu made the following statement today:

“We are very pleased to announce that today our Government’s Safe Streets and Communities Act received Royal Assent. During the last election campaign, we made a commitment to better protect Canadians by reintroducing the suite of law-and-order measures contained in this legislation. We promised to do this within the first 100 sitting days of Parliament, and we have delivered.

“One of the greatest responsibilities we have as a government is to protect Canadians and ensure that those who commit crimes are held to account. Canadians are rightly concerned that police-reported child pornography incidents increased by more than 30 percent in 2010 and that drug crimes have been rising since the 1990s.

“Canadians gave our Government a strong mandate to crack down on child predators and violent drug dealers. By moving expeditiously to reintroduce the Safe Streets and Communities Act, our Government is fulfilling its commitment to protect families and hold criminals accountable. By imposing sentences that are in proportion to the crimes committed, this Bill recognizes that victims have suffered and gives them confidence in Canada’s justice system.

“Canadians want and deserve to feel safe in their homes and communities, and this means that dangerous criminals need to be kept off our streets. Our Government is committed to ensuring that criminals are held fully accountable for their actions and that the safety and security of law-abiding Canadians comes first in Canada’s judicial system.

“We will continue to fight crime and protect Canadians so our communities are safe places for people to live, raise their families and do business.”

-30-

Ref.:

Julie Di Mambro
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Justice
613-992-4621

Media Relations
Department of Justice
613-957-4207

________________________________________________________________

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is pleased to announce that an exciting new job opportunity for Aboriginal Students has been published on the CRA careers website. The job notice can be found at the following link:

http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/apps/careers/external/english/2012-1227-PAC-3001-0842-Notice.html

The Aboriginal Student Employment Program (ASEP) is a unique employment equity initiative that addresses the recruitment, development and retention of qualified Aboriginal students. This is an excellent opportunity for students in Grade 11 & 12 and in post secondary institutions to gain valuable work experience in a large federal organization.

We would like to share this opportunity with you and would greatly appreciate you sharing this job notice with potential applicants. With your support we can ensure that this opportunity is widely distributed to as many eligible students as possible.

This opportunity is open to Aboriginal students who reside or have a permanent residence in the following areas:

·  Fraser Valley or Lower Mainland northward up to Squamish OR

·  South Vancouver Island area OR

·  Northern BC including Omineca, Cariboo Chilcotin, Skeena, Lakes and Peace River

Students must be currently enrolled in full-time studies at a secondary school or accredited post-secondary institution and who will be returning to full-time studies in the next academic term.  Please see the job notice for further eligibility requirements.

Note: The deadline to apply is 8pm Pacific Standard Time – April 3, 2012.

Lisa Hall
Student Recruitment Advisor / Conseillere régional en recrutement étudiant
Human Resources, Pacific Region / Ressources Humaines, Région des Pacifique
Canada Revenue Agency / Agence du revenu du Canada
(777DM) 9755 King George Hwy
Surrey, BC
V3T 5E1
Bus. Telephone: (604) 691-3757
Fax: (604) 691-3798

_________________________________________________________

For immediate release:

Good for Entrepreneurs, Practice Pitch and Great Exposure for Kamloops

Do you have a hot new invention or the next million-dollar idea? Does your small business need a boost from an investor? Think you can take on the Dragons?

If you said yes to any of those questions, you should audition for Dragons’ Den! No experience is necessary – just be ready to pitch your business in under 5 minutes and you could qualify for the show.

Are you ready to pitch to the Dragons? Do you need some help polishing your presentation skills or have any questions regarding the whole process? Now is the perfect time to come down and visit Colin O’Leary, the Business Retention and Expansion Specialist at Venture Kamloops to help perfect your pitch for the Dragons. Colin has extensive experience in new business start-ups and has helped numerous entrepreneurs successfully compose and pitch to various Venture Capital and Angel Investor panels.

Hurry and register for your audition and then book an appointment today with Venture Kamloops as the Dragon’s Den auditions are less than a week away!

To help the local applicants prepare for auditions, appointments can be made for Tuesday, March 20^thst or Wednesday, March 21 by contacting Venture Kamloops @ info@venturekamloops.com or
phone 250-828-6818

This is a fantastic opportunity for entrepreneurs and small business owners to come down and pitch their business concept for the chance to appear on national television. So come down and let`s show them what talent Kamloops has to offer!

*Please see below for the details regarding registration for the
DRAGON’S DEN auditions in Kamloops:

DRAGONS’ DEN will be holding open auditions in Kamloops on Thursday, March 22nd looking for the next big thing for the hit series on CBC Television. The auditions will be held at the TRU Residence & Conference Centre (located at 900 McGill Road, Kamloops BC) between 11AM-6PM.

Note: There are two ways to audition for DRAGON’S DEN:

In Person:

• If you are attending an in-person audition please bring a completed Audition Consent and Release form (PDF) ( French Version of Consent and Release (PDF) ).
• If attending an in-person audition you are strongly encouraged to fill out an online application and to bring a printed version of this application to the audition.

Online Audition:

     ·         Visit the online application website and complete the easy to follow steps

- 30 -

For more information contact:
Dan Sulz, Executive Director
Venture Kamloops
Tel: 250-819-4429   Email: dan@venturekamloops.com

_____________________________________________________________

Weytkp,


We would like to announce that, by request from the community, we have created a TIB Facebook page.  The page will display news, events and photos from the TIB band office but there will be no wall for comments. Click here to visit us at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tkemlups-Indian-Band/160131284089314.

Chief and Council has a duty to inform Membership of the Band’s Business, as well as, General Band Meetings, Elections, Referendums and other community events.  Within the organization, the Administration Department is responsible for the “Band Membership Master Mailing List” for the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc (TteS) membership mail-outs  including the following: Annual Information Packages; Annual Reports; Audited Financial Statements; Christmas Bonus Cheque: Quarterly Lexéy ̀em (Newsletter); and various Monthly Departmental Newsletters and announcements.

Please find below a Request Form for Band Members to complete and send in to Administration:

TteS Request for Band Membership Contact Information REVISED FEB 2012

Pictures from the week gone by: 

The awesome carwash staff,

The wonderful ladies at the Gas Station,

The knowledgeable Museum staff,

Ed Jensen and the amazing fish trap he made!

_______________________________________________________________

News:

TIB, city want CN to help bridge river gap

By Jeremy Deutsch – Kamloops This Week
Published: March 05, 2012 12:00 PM
Updated: March 05, 2012 12:51 PM

It’s been 200 years since the fur traders who settled Kamloops first came in contact with the First Nations that lived in the area.

Two centuries later, politicians on both sides of the river are hoping to bridge the two communities literally — with a walking span across the Thompson.

The idea to build a walking bridge from Tk’emlups Indian Band land to Riverside Park — in an effort to keep people off the CN Rail bridge — has been in the works for years.

But, after little movement on the project, both the City of Kamloops and the TIB have agreed to use their political muscle to pressure the railroad to build a pedestrian crossing.

At a meeting at Sun Rivers between Kamloops city council and TIB on Monday, March 5, the two governments agreed to write a joint letter to CN Rail outlining their interest in the construction of a bridge.

Tk’emlups Indian Band Chief Shane Gottfriedson said the bridge is an issue of safety for his people, noting many use the CN Rail bridge as a shortcut.

He urged Kamloops city council to work with the band to pressure the railroad into building the structure.

“I don’t understand why it’s so hard for it to happen,” Gottfriedson said, suggesting a bridge could cost up to a half-million dollars.

Mayor Peter Milobar agreed CN Rail needs to join the project, but added the city has no budget to pay for a bridge.

Milobar said CN Rail has embarked on similar projects in smaller communities where a crossing is a safety issue.

“I don’t understand why a larger centre should be treated differently than a smaller centre from a CN [Rail] corporate point of view,” he said.

Horses trotting off and into history

Though one major Tk’emlups Indian Band project is slowly picking up steam, a longtime tradition appears to be scratched.

The TIB has hired a consultant to help redevelop the Kamloops Exhibition Association grounds.

The plan effectively puts an end to horse racing in Kamloops.

“I don’t see horse racing happening this year,” Gottfriedson said.

He said the band has been subsidizing the grounds for between $100,000 and $200,000 a year, noting its current operation is not economically viable.

Gottfriedson didn’t specify exactly what the land would ultimately become once redeveloped.

The city and band are also working to finalize transit service to the reserve.

The two sides will meet with BC Transit on March 19 to confirm routing and scheduling.

The TIB is expected to receive 3,540 hours of conventional service, with the band and BC Transit picking up the $235,000 tab.

Meanwhile, the TIB is working on plans to upgrade and realign the intersection leading to the Chief Louis Centre.

The project is expected to cost $1.5 million and is part of a major redevelopment of the area near the centre.

_______________________________________________________________

City and band join forces to improve bridge safety

By Michele Young
Daily News Staff Reporter

The troubled bridge over the meeting of the waters was one of the big items on the list as City and Tk’emlups Indian Band governments talked common issues Monday.

Chief Shane Gottfriedson suggested the band and the City join forces to lobby CN Rail to add a walkway to its train bridge spanning the South Thompson River from the TIB reserve to Riverside Park.

Gottfriedson said it’s a safety issue since people cross the bridge despite the train danger, using it as a shortcut to get downtown. Contributing to the bridge use is the fact there’s no transit service on the reserve.

He felt it should be up to CN, not the City or the TIB, to cover the cost.

“We’re looking at ways they would pay for it, as good corporate citizens,” he said.

Despite raising the issue several times over the years, Gottfriedson said it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.

“I don’t understand why it’s so hard for it to happen,” he told Kamloops City council at the meeting in Hoodoos Restaurant.

“We need a political push from both of us. . . . We’ve got to use our government strength to get it solved for once and for all.”

Coun. Marg Spina said perhaps the two sides could get CN to build the bridge as part of the 200^th anniversary of the arrival of Europeans in Kamloops.

Mayor Peter Milobar agreed with Gottfriedson that it’s time for a joint effort. He suggested writing a letter, signed by him and the chief, and to use that as a springboard for a lobby trip to visit CN officials.

However, he noted, the Kamloops bridge issue might be more complicated than some others because the centre portion is a turnstile that shifts open to allow passage for tall boats on either side.

He was aware there are cities smaller than Kamloops that have CN-funded walkways on train bridges.

In a telephone interview later Monday, CN spokesman Warren Chandler said the walkway has been a topic of discussion in the past that has remained unresolved.

Among the factors involved are cost, safety and CN’s operation in using the bridge, as well as where to locate the walkway approaches on both sides.

“We’ll continue to have further discussions on these major items,” he said.

Back at the City-TIB meeting, Gottfriedson also discussed his band’s ambitions for more development.

That included a $1.5-million realignment of the intersection between Highway 5 and Shuswap Road. The chief said the goal is to have a strip-mall commercial area and better access to the Chief Louis Centre as well as Sun Rivers.

There’s about 20 hectares of land to be developed there, and another 182 hectares further north by the CN Rail station, he said.

“It’s open for development,” he said.

On the band’s development agenda for that area is the idea of an inland port, a hotel, commercial and retail businesses, Gottfriedson said.

The two sides also discussed expanding transit services to the TIB.

B.C. Transit has offered the City of Kamloops extra hours to expand its service, and put forward 3,540 hours of conventional service to the band. HandyDart is also being offered.

The cost of that, excluding revenue from fares, would be about $235,000 — an amount Gottfriedson said the band can handle.

He said the need for transit on the TIB is well documented.

“We’re going to work hard to meet the deadlines,” he said.

The deadline for the band to sign on is May, for service that would start in September.

The band, City and B.C. Transit are meeting later this month to discuss issues around the expansion.

BAND CHIEF SAYS HORSE RACING IS DONE

“Horse racing is dead in Kamloops,” Tk’emlups Indian Band Chief Shane Gottfriedson said during a meeting with City council Monday.

Horse racing is on the decline and last year’s season at the Mount Paul Centre saw some events for the Sagebrush Downs track cancelled, he said.

“We’ve tried to make it work for nine years,” he said. “We’re moving in a new direction.”

The band has hired Colliers out of Vancouver to do a master plan to develop the former Kamloops Exhibition grounds.

Gottfriedson said the band has worked patiently with the Kamloops Exhibition Association over the years, and has been more than fair and reasonable.

But the City, province and federal governments wouldn’t help out, and the band can’t subsidize it any more. Gottfriedson estimated the band has subsidized the Mount Paul Centre property by $100,000 to $200,000 a year.

Calls to the Interior Horse Racing Association and the KXA were not returned by press time.

________________________________________________________

“A huge step forward” – new funding agreement for First Nations skills training begins.

For Immediate Release
March 8, 2012

Prince George/Vancouver – The British Columbia Aboriginal Mine Training Association (BC AMTA) is pleased to announce a new funding agreement has been reached with Northern Development Initiative Trust. The agreement begins today and provides for a five year funding formula. “This agreement will contribute to long term sustainability for our programming,” said David Watkins, Chair, Board of Directors, BC AMTA. “It is proof that BC AMTA’s results and its potential for future growth are recognized as important elements for economic development in central and northern British Columbia.”
BC AMTA collaborates with First Nations communities, mining and exploration companies, industry associations, government and educational institutions to create and deliver mine industry training and staffing programs. The model develops skills training specifically for Aboriginal students and focusses on matching the local workforce with local jobs. In less than two years BC AMTA has generated employment opportunities for more than 235 Aboriginal candidates. Almost two-thirds of these people have transitioned from unemployment. With a retention rate of 95%, BC AMTA’s industry partners are seeing measurable impacts on turnover rates and recruitment costs.

“The BC AMTA model is very successful in training and placing First Nations members in BC’s growing mining sector,” notes Janine North, Chief Executive Officer, Northern Development Initiative Trust. “Our mandate is to foster business growth in central and northern BC. We believe this partnership is a good fit and will help to fill the skills gap the mining industry is experiencing.”

“With more than 120 BC Indian Bands represented in our candidate pool, the alignment to industry’s need for workers is very strong,” said BC AMTA’s Executive Director Laurie Sterritt. “This funding agreement is a huge step forward and is very important when you consider that many operating mines and proposed mines are located on traditional First Nations territory in northern communities. Northern Development’s support will lead to direct benefits for both companies and First Nations.

Sterritt notes that this agreement is tied to the development of additional funding arrangements for BC AMTA programs. This commitment shows strong support for the Association and can only help in funding discussions with other stakeholders.

About the British Columbia Mine Training Association

The BC Aboriginal Mine Training Association (BC AMTA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing BC’s Aboriginal people with the skills they need to work in the minerals exploration, mine development and mining industries.

The BC AMTA model uses partnerships among mining and exploration companies, industry associations, First Nations, government, and educational institutions to recruit, evaluate, coach, train, and place aboriginal workers in BC mining projects.

Please visit the BC AMTA website to learn about BC AMTA programs and services and watch our informative BC AMTA video.

About Northern Development Initiative Trust

Northern Development Initiative Trust is an independent regional economic development corporation focused on stimulating economic growth and job creation in central and northern British Columbia. Northern Development’s region spans over 70% of the province, from Lytton to Fort Nelson, and from Valemount to Haida Gwaii. This region includes thirty-nine incorporated communities, nine regional districts, one regional municipality and eighty-eight First Nations communities.

The Northern Development Initiative Trust is uniquely structured with regional community and business leadership to make great investments ‘in the North, for the North’. The Corporation was established as an initiative of the Province of British Columbia and is independently governed by a board of thirteen regionally-based directors. Northern Development’s Board has approved over $103 million in committed funding to more than 900 projects since its inception in 2005.

Media Contacts:

Laurie Sterritt, Executive Director
BC Aboriginal Mine Training Association
lsterritt[at]bcamta.ca
Telephone: 604 681-4321 ext. 112

Janine North, Chief Executive Officer
Northern Development Initiative Trust
info[at]northerndevelopment.bc.ca
Telephone: 250 561-2525

______________________________________________________________

\

March 12th 2012

Weytkp,


We would like to announce that, by request from the community, we have created a TIB Facebook page.  The page will display news, events and photos from the TIB band office but there will be no wall for comments. Click here to visit us at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tkemlups-Indian-Band/160131284089314.

Chief and Council has a duty to inform Membership of the Band’s Business, as well as, General Band Meetings, Elections, Referendums and other community events.  Within the organization, the Administration Department is responsible for the “Band Membership Master Mailing List” for the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc (TteS) membership mail-outs  including the following: Annual Information Packages; Annual Reports; Audited Financial Statements; Christmas Bonus Cheque: Quarterly Lexéy ̀em (Newsletter); and various Monthly Departmental Newsletters and announcements.

Please find below a Request Form for Band Members to complete and send in to Administration:

TteS Request for Band Membership Contact Information REVISED FEB 2012

We have got our hands on the NewGold Tkemlups Agreement Video made by NewGold. Watch it here:

Pictures from the week gone by: 

The awesome carwash staff,

The wonderful ladies at the Gas Station,

The knowledgeable Museum staff,

Ed Jensen and the amazing fish trap he made!

_______________________________________________________________

News:

 

Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc Officially Returns to its Original Name 

The First Nation formerly known to most Interior residents as the Kamloops Indian Band has received official confirmation from Ottawa that its name has been replaced with the title of Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc (TteS).

Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc is the Band’s traditional name. Translated into English it states that we are the Tk’emlúps (Kamloops) division of the Secwépemc (Shuswap) Nation with the word Tk’emlúps meaning where the rivers meet.  The phonetic spelling of the name is “t-kem-LŌŌP-s  tu  su-KWEP-emx”.

“We are going back to our traditions and customs, it starts with our name, Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc is who we are. Our roots have brought us to the traditional name, our foot prints are deep in our lands and it echoes through the wind to the mountain tops,” said Chief Shane Gottfriedson.

The Band changed its name through a Band Council Resolution (BCR) which was the result of a unanimous vote by the membership almost three years ago; however, the change had not been formally accepted by Aboriginal Affairs Northern Development Canada (AANDC) until this week.

It’s important for the TteS and Band’s alike from across the country to utilize their traditional names to help preserve the culture of the people.

“We are proud of who we are and the future is only going to be brighter as we continue to develop and foster change for the future,” said Gottfriedson.

-30 -

For more information contact:

Kelley O’Grady
Marketing, Communications and Events Coordinator
Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc
(250) 828 – 9775
kogrady@kib.ca

_______________________________________________________________

TIB, city want CN to help bridge river gap

By Jeremy Deutsch – Kamloops This Week
Published: March 05, 2012 12:00 PM
Updated: March 05, 2012 12:51 PM

It’s been 200 years since the fur traders who settled Kamloops first came in contact with the First Nations that lived in the area.

Two centuries later, politicians on both sides of the river are hoping to bridge the two communities literally — with a walking span across the Thompson.

The idea to build a walking bridge from Tk’emlups Indian Band land to Riverside Park — in an effort to keep people off the CN Rail bridge — has been in the works for years.

But, after little movement on the project, both the City of Kamloops and the TIB have agreed to use their political muscle to pressure the railroad to build a pedestrian crossing.

At a meeting at Sun Rivers between Kamloops city council and TIB on Monday, March 5, the two governments agreed to write a joint letter to CN Rail outlining their interest in the construction of a bridge.

Tk’emlups Indian Band Chief Shane Gottfriedson said the bridge is an issue of safety for his people, noting many use the CN Rail bridge as a shortcut.

He urged Kamloops city council to work with the band to pressure the railroad into building the structure.

“I don’t understand why it’s so hard for it to happen,” Gottfriedson said, suggesting a bridge could cost up to a half-million dollars.

Mayor Peter Milobar agreed CN Rail needs to join the project, but added the city has no budget to pay for a bridge.

Milobar said CN Rail has embarked on similar projects in smaller communities where a crossing is a safety issue.

“I don’t understand why a larger centre should be treated differently than a smaller centre from a CN [Rail] corporate point of view,” he said.

Horses trotting off and into history

Though one major Tk’emlups Indian Band project is slowly picking up steam, a longtime tradition appears to be scratched.

The TIB has hired a consultant to help redevelop the Kamloops Exhibition Association grounds.

The plan effectively puts an end to horse racing in Kamloops.

“I don’t see horse racing happening this year,” Gottfriedson said.

He said the band has been subsidizing the grounds for between $100,000 and $200,000 a year, noting its current operation is not economically viable.

Gottfriedson didn’t specify exactly what the land would ultimately become once redeveloped.

The city and band are also working to finalize transit service to the reserve.

The two sides will meet with BC Transit on March 19 to confirm routing and scheduling.

The TIB is expected to receive 3,540 hours of conventional service, with the band and BC Transit picking up the $235,000 tab.

Meanwhile, the TIB is working on plans to upgrade and realign the intersection leading to the Chief Louis Centre.

The project is expected to cost $1.5 million and is part of a major redevelopment of the area near the centre.

_______________________________________________________________

 

City and band join forces to improve bridge safety

By Michele Young
Daily News Staff Reporter

The troubled bridge over the meeting of the waters was one of the big items on the list as City and Tk’emlups Indian Band governments talked common issues Monday.

Chief Shane Gottfriedson suggested the band and the City join forces to lobby CN Rail to add a walkway to its train bridge spanning the South Thompson River from the TIB reserve to Riverside Park.

Gottfriedson said it’s a safety issue since people cross the bridge despite the train danger, using it as a shortcut to get downtown. Contributing to the bridge use is the fact there’s no transit service on the reserve.

He felt it should be up to CN, not the City or the TIB, to cover the cost.

“We’re looking at ways they would pay for it, as good corporate citizens,” he said.

Despite raising the issue several times over the years, Gottfriedson said it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.

“I don’t understand why it’s so hard for it to happen,” he told Kamloops City council at the meeting in Hoodoos Restaurant.

“We need a political push from both of us. . . . We’ve got to use our government strength to get it solved for once and for all.”

Coun. Marg Spina said perhaps the two sides could get CN to build the bridge as part of the 200^th anniversary of the arrival of Europeans in Kamloops.

Mayor Peter Milobar agreed with Gottfriedson that it’s time for a joint effort. He suggested writing a letter, signed by him and the chief, and to use that as a springboard for a lobby trip to visit CN officials.

However, he noted, the Kamloops bridge issue might be more complicated than some others because the centre portion is a turnstile that shifts open to allow passage for tall boats on either side.

He was aware there are cities smaller than Kamloops that have CN-funded walkways on train bridges.

In a telephone interview later Monday, CN spokesman Warren Chandler said the walkway has been a topic of discussion in the past that has remained unresolved.

Among the factors involved are cost, safety and CN’s operation in using the bridge, as well as where to locate the walkway approaches on both sides.

“We’ll continue to have further discussions on these major items,” he said.

Back at the City-TIB meeting, Gottfriedson also discussed his band’s ambitions for more development.

That included a $1.5-million realignment of the intersection between Highway 5 and Shuswap Road. The chief said the goal is to have a strip-mall commercial area and better access to the Chief Louis Centre as well as Sun Rivers.

There’s about 20 hectares of land to be developed there, and another 182 hectares further north by the CN Rail station, he said.

“It’s open for development,” he said.

On the band’s development agenda for that area is the idea of an inland port, a hotel, commercial and retail businesses, Gottfriedson said.

The two sides also discussed expanding transit services to the TIB.

B.C. Transit has offered the City of Kamloops extra hours to expand its service, and put forward 3,540 hours of conventional service to the band. HandyDart is also being offered.

The cost of that, excluding revenue from fares, would be about $235,000 — an amount Gottfriedson said the band can handle.

He said the need for transit on the TIB is well documented.

“We’re going to work hard to meet the deadlines,” he said.

The deadline for the band to sign on is May, for service that would start in September.

The band, City and B.C. Transit are meeting later this month to discuss issues around the expansion.

BAND CHIEF SAYS HORSE RACING IS DONE

“Horse racing is dead in Kamloops,” Tk’emlups Indian Band Chief Shane Gottfriedson said during a meeting with City council Monday.

Horse racing is on the decline and last year’s season at the Mount Paul Centre saw some events for the Sagebrush Downs track cancelled, he said.

“We’ve tried to make it work for nine years,” he said. “We’re moving in a new direction.”

The band has hired Colliers out of Vancouver to do a master plan to develop the former Kamloops Exhibition grounds.

Gottfriedson said the band has worked patiently with the Kamloops Exhibition Association over the years, and has been more than fair and reasonable.

But the City, province and federal governments wouldn’t help out, and the band can’t subsidize it any more. Gottfriedson estimated the band has subsidized the Mount Paul Centre property by $100,000 to $200,000 a year.

Calls to the Interior Horse Racing Association and the KXA were not returned by press time.

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“A huge step forward” – new funding agreement for First Nations skills training begins.

For Immediate Release
March 8, 2012

Prince George/Vancouver – The British Columbia Aboriginal Mine Training Association (BC AMTA) is pleased to announce a new funding agreement has been reached with Northern Development Initiative Trust. The agreement begins today and provides for a five year funding formula. “This agreement will contribute to long term sustainability for our programming,” said David Watkins, Chair, Board of Directors, BC AMTA. “It is proof that BC AMTA’s results and its potential for future growth are recognized as important elements for economic development in central and northern British Columbia.”
BC AMTA collaborates with First Nations communities, mining and exploration companies, industry associations, government and educational institutions to create and deliver mine industry training and staffing programs. The model develops skills training specifically for Aboriginal students and focusses on matching the local workforce with local jobs. In less than two years BC AMTA has generated employment opportunities for more than 235 Aboriginal candidates. Almost two-thirds of these people have transitioned from unemployment. With a retention rate of 95%, BC AMTA’s industry partners are seeing measurable impacts on turnover rates and recruitment costs.

“The BC AMTA model is very successful in training and placing First Nations members in BC’s growing mining sector,” notes Janine North, Chief Executive Officer, Northern Development Initiative Trust. “Our mandate is to foster business growth in central and northern BC. We believe this partnership is a good fit and will help to fill the skills gap the mining industry is experiencing.”

“With more than 120 BC Indian Bands represented in our candidate pool, the alignment to industry’s need for workers is very strong,” said BC AMTA’s Executive Director Laurie Sterritt. “This funding agreement is a huge step forward and is very important when you consider that many operating mines and proposed mines are located on traditional First Nations territory in northern communities. Northern Development’s support will lead to direct benefits for both companies and First Nations.

Sterritt notes that this agreement is tied to the development of additional funding arrangements for BC AMTA programs. This commitment shows strong support for the Association and can only help in funding discussions with other stakeholders.

About the British Columbia Mine Training Association

The BC Aboriginal Mine Training Association (BC AMTA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing BC’s Aboriginal people with the skills they need to work in the minerals exploration, mine development and mining industries.

The BC AMTA model uses partnerships among mining and exploration companies, industry associations, First Nations, government, and educational institutions to recruit, evaluate, coach, train, and place aboriginal workers in BC mining projects.

Please visit the BC AMTA website to learn about BC AMTA programs and services and watch our informative BC AMTA video.

About Northern Development Initiative Trust

Northern Development Initiative Trust is an independent regional economic development corporation focused on stimulating economic growth and job creation in central and northern British Columbia. Northern Development’s region spans over 70% of the province, from Lytton to Fort Nelson, and from Valemount to Haida Gwaii. This region includes thirty-nine incorporated communities, nine regional districts, one regional municipality and eighty-eight First Nations communities.

The Northern Development Initiative Trust is uniquely structured with regional community and business leadership to make great investments ‘in the North, for the North’. The Corporation was established as an initiative of the Province of British Columbia and is independently governed by a board of thirteen regionally-based directors. Northern Development’s Board has approved over $103 million in committed funding to more than 900 projects since its inception in 2005.

Media Contacts:

Laurie Sterritt, Executive Director
BC Aboriginal Mine Training Association
lsterritt[at]bcamta.ca
Telephone: 604 681-4321 ext. 112

Janine North, Chief Executive Officer
Northern Development Initiative Trust
info[at]northerndevelopment.bc.ca
Telephone: 250 561-2525

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\

March 5th 2012

Weytkp,


What a great night the Rewards and Recognition turned out to be, we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did! A big thank you goes out to the Social Committee, HR department, TIB custodians, TIB security,  Chief and Council, Dee’s Country Cafe, Kamloops Art Gallary, the Horse barn, Casper’s Creations, ML Picture Framing, Sage Hills Drum group and dancer Grey Cloud Camille.

We would also like to announce that, by request from the community, we have created a TIB Facebook page.  The page will display news, events and photos from the TIB band office but there will be no wall for comments. Click here to visit us at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tkemlups-Indian-Band/160131284089314.

Chief and Council has a fiduciary duty to inform Membership of the Band’s Business, as well as, General Band Meetings, Elections, Referendums and other community events.  Within the organization, the Administration Department is responsible for the “Band Membership Master Mailing List” for the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc (TteS) membership mail-outs  including the following: Annual Information Packages; Annual Reports; Audited Financial Statements; Christmas Bonus Cheque: Quarterly Lexéy ̀em (Newsletter); and various Monthly Departmental Newsletters and announcements.

Please find below a Request Form for Band Members to complete and send in to Administration:

TteS Request for Band Membership Contact Information REVISED FEB 2012

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Tk’emlups Chief applauds report
Shane Gottfriedson says educating public is key

Last Updated: Sunday, February 26th, 2012 | 4:17pm PST Story by: Sandy Hall

The commission looking into the legacy left behind by residential schools in Canada released its interim report this past week.

Shane Gottfriedson, the Chief of the Tk’emlups Indian band, says he’s pleased with the work the truth and reconciliation commission has done.

Educating the public about what happened at residential schools is one of the key recommendations from the report.

Gottfriedson says that would go a long way in helping the public understand the position many first nations are in today.

He says the report also has information in it that supports his band as it prepares it’s class action lawsuit against the government.

That lawsuit is in regards to abuse suffered by day scholars at the Kamloops residential school and has yet to be certified.

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Bicentennial logo connects two peoples
By Jeremy Deutsch – Kamloops This Week 

Published: February 29, 2012 4:00 PM
Updated: February 29, 2012 4:56 PM

Every good celebration needs a good logo — and this year’s Kamloops bicentennial celebration has one.

The city has unveiled the Two Rivers Two People logo, which will be featured at various festivities to mark Kamloops’ 200th anniversary this year.

The winning logo, designed by Karen Reese, was chosen from among 40 entries in a city-sponsored competition.

Reese said the idea was to illustrate how First Nations in the area at the time embraced the fur traders who settled and founded the city.

“I think it speaks for itself,” Reese said.

The winning design was chosen by a group of judges, which included representatives from the Tk’emlups Indian Band, Thompson Rivers University and the City of Kamloops.

To see logo, please visit: http://www.kamloopsthisweek.com/news/140965013.html

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Good Afternoon,

We have a fast track drilling Scope of Work to perform on a critical path timeline.

If you are interested and have the expertise at your disposal please confirm your interest in:

Complete a site drilling investigation using sonic drilling techniques to obtain core samples of the debris material at the bottom of Afton Pit.  Drill must be capable of completing angled boreholes up to 45 degrees to a depth of 120m.  Between 3 and 6 boreholes are anticipated.  Drilling work will be supervised and directed onsite by a New Gold representative.

The successful proponent will be required to mobilize, complete D&A testing and site orientation and be prepared to start work on March 13, 2012.

I will require your proposal to be submitted by 12:00 noon Wednesday March 07, 2012. We will award as soon as reasonably can be expected for this fast track work.

If you have any questions or clarifications please do not hesitate to call me.

Regards

Derek Condie
Contract Specialist
New Gold Inc.
New Afton Mine,
P.O. Box 948 Stn. Main
Kamloops, BC
T   +1-250-377-2809
derek.condie@newgold.com
www.newgold.com
TSX/NYSE AMEX:NGD

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February 28th 2012

Weytkp,


What a great night the Blazer Aboriginal Night turned out to be, we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did! A big thank you goes out to the Sage Hills Drum group and all of the dancers – Sisiasket Jules, Travis Marr, Maylani Marr, Austin Big Sorrel Horse, Shawnee Big Sorrel Horse and Grey Cloud Camille.

Also thanks to the business development departments Stacie Coutlee and Maureen Lowe for setting up the TIB promotional booth.

We would also like to announce that, by request from the community, we have created a TIB Facebook page.  The page will display news, events and photos from the TIB band office but there will be no wall for comments. Click here to visit us at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tkemlups-Indian-Band/160131284089314.

Chief and Council has a fiduciary duty to inform Membership of the Band’s Business, as well as, General Band Meetings, Elections, Referendums and other community events.  Within the organization, the Administration Department is responsible for the “Band Membership Master Mailing List” for the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc (TteS) membership mail-outs  including the following: Annual Information Packages; Annual Reports; Audited Financial Statements; Christmas Bonus Cheque: Quarterly Lexéy ̀em (Newsletter); and various Monthly Departmental Newsletters and announcements.

Please find below a Request Form for Band Members to complete and send in to Administration:

TteS Request for Band Membership Contact Information REVISED FEB 2012

February 20th

Weytkp,


We would like to announce that, by request from the community, we have created a TIB Facebook page.  The page will display news, events and photos from the TIB band office but there will be no wall for comments. Click here to visit us at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tkemlups-Indian-Band/160131284089314.

We would also like to announce that we have received tickets for the Blazers Aboriginal night, Wednesday Feb 22nd. Come and pick your tickets up from Kelley (office number 316, Administration building TIB).

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First Nations students deserve a safe place to learn

By Marc And Craig Kielburger, Times Colonist 

Robert Genaille was not a big fan of teachers.

His mother would talk about the scars the Kamloops Indian Residential School had left on his grandfather, how he refused to teach her his native language because his own experiences made him fear it would get her hurt.

Living on his mother’s Sto: lo Nation reserve, Genaille was bussed to a public high school in nearby Hope. It was not a happy time. The school was not a welcoming place for aboriginal students and their culture. Teachers did nothing to break down the barriers between aboriginal and nonaboriginal students.

The courses were devoid of aboriginal culture. History classes touched briefly on Canada’s First Nations, but only in broad generalities.

“It planted aboriginals firmly in the past, and then went right back to talking about explorers like Champlain. The people who had supposedly ‘shaped the country’,” remembers Genaille.

School is a difficult time for any young person.

Imagine on top of that sitting in a classroom hearing your cultural identity dismissed as a figment of the past, or simply ignored completely.

“I didn’t feel well treated in high school. It wasn’t a safe environment to learn.”

Genaille persevered. He finished high school, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree and was considering becoming an actor. That’s when the chief of his band pulled him aside and gently suggested he consider a different career – as a teacher.

The chief was concerned about the failure and dropout rates among local First Nations youth. He wanted someone in the school who understood the challenges the kids faced.

So it was that Genaille found himself in Hope, facing an English class full of aboriginal youth caught in a school system that did not reflect their culture or experiences, much like he once had been.

Into his class came 16-year-old Mary (not her real name). Genaille had been warned about her. Mary had a reputation with the principal and other teachers for being confrontational. She was apathetic. Given an essay assignment, she would hand in a page with one line written on it, if she handed anything in at all.

Genaille was pretty sure Mary was “on her way out” – close to dropping out of school.

How could he engage her and get her interested in learning?

Instead of introducing his students to the usual suspects of English literature, Genaille produced a selection of short stories by aboriginal authors like Sherman Alexie and Eden Robinson.

“[Mary] came alive,” remembers Genaille.

Asked to write a short paragraph describing how the stories reflected their own life experiences, Mary did not hand in one line, or even one paragraph. She wrote a whole page.

By giving his students the opportunity to connect with their culture in the classroom, Genaille had made a breakthrough. When last he heard, Mary had completed high school and enrolled in college.

“First Nations students really seem to step up when they see themselves reflected in what they’re learning.”

The 2006 Canadian Census found that 40 per cent of aboriginals between 20 and 24 did not have a highschool diploma. For First Nations on reserves, 61 per cent hadn’t finished high school. The rate among nonaboriginals was 13 per cent.

Part of the solution is funding. According to a study from the Caledon Institute of Social Policy, reserve schools receive on average $2,000 less in annual funding per student than provincial schools. On Feb. 8, the National Panel on First Nation Elementary and Secondary Education released a report calling for an immediate funding increase for First Nations education.

The other half of the solution has to happen in the classroom, making curriculum more relevant and recruiting aboriginal teachers. “If we don’t do something at the classroom level, we’re wasting our time,” says Genaille.

British Columbia and Ontario have both made promising starts on education programs that integrate aboriginal culture and history. B.C. has created high school First Nations Studies and aboriginal-centred English courses, and is experimenting with aboriginal-run schools. Ontario is developing native studies courses for grades 9-12 and a native languages program that extends from grades one through eight.

Beyond the curriculum, our European-styled education system has to recognize that aboriginal cultures often have a very different style.

“The whole 30 kids in rows facing the teacher thing, it’s not the most ideal way to do it. It doesn’t feel natural, for First Nations students or teachers,” says Genaille.

Aboriginal cultures place much more emphasis on learning by experience. You aren’t given the answers by a lecturer, you find them yourself. If you fail, it’s not an ending, it’s part of the learning process.

Aboriginal classrooms incorporate practices like circles and storytelling. Schools should be flexible by giving students time off to attend ceremonies and engage in traditional activities like family hunting trips .

When the classroom reflects aboriginal culture and experiences, says Genaille, it creates a safe space for aboriginal youth.

“When kids feel safe, they can learn.”

© Copyright (c) The Victoria Times Colonist

Read more: http://www.timescolonist.com/news/First+Nations+students+deserve+safe+place+learn/6177294/story.html#ixzz1mwQjRjXw

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Mount Lolo lands to be granted formal reserve status

February 13, 2012

By Mike Youds
Daily News Staff Reporter

The site of a Cold War military base on Mount Lolo is expected to revert to native reserve status this year, Chief Shane Gottfriedson said Monday.

Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC) has granted the Tk’emlups Indian Band approval in principle for the move after the band spent more than 25 years working on the file.

Gottfriedson estimated the land — known by its Secwepemc name of Etsxem — represents five to 10 per cent of the existing 13,350-hectare reserve.

“It was expropriated by National Defence for war purposes,” he said. “I think at the time that was pretty well the norm.”

Known as Canadian Forces Station Kamloops, the Mt. Lolo site was part of the Pinetree Line of radar defence during the height of the Cold War from the late 1950s until it closed in 1988. It was part of a line of defence designed to give the U.S. early warning in the event of a bomber attack from the Soviet Union. For its first four years, the station was operated by the U.S. Air Force before being handed over to the RCAF in 1962.

The site was decommissioned in the 1980s, but ensuing studies, site remediation and environmental cleanup took almost 20 years to complete.

“Our patience and commitment to this process has been challenging but also very rewarding,” Gottfriedson said.

Freda Jules, the band’s lands and leasing manager, has been working on reacquisition of the land since 1986. She pointed to its cultural importance.

“This is really important because it has been such a long process and this is a large site that has significant spiritual importance to the band,” Jules said. “This is a historic place for young people’s spiritual training and vision questing. It’s also a place for many traditional medicines and ceremonies.”

A B.C. Forest Service fire lookout was located at the mountaintop site prior to its defence use. In the 1990s, the radar dome once visible from town was purchased by the late Ray Dunsdon, a former city councillor and base commanding officer, for crop storage at his Westsyde ginseng farm. The last search antenna is installed as a monument off River Street.

A band council resolution will be submitted to the federal department to clear the way for an order-in-council, which will make official the return of the land.

Men’s Respectful Relationships (RR) Program 2012

Co-Facilitated by Rose Miller and Kamloops Probation Office
Maximum: 15 people
Location: ”Masters A”  Room, Hoodoos at Sun Rivers, 1000 Clubhouse Drive, Kamloops, BC

Coffee & Snacks will be provided

5:30 pm to 8:30 pm each evening
 

Dates:

Thursday, February 23-Lindsay
Thursday, March 1-Lindsay
Tuesday, March 6   and   Thursday March 8-Nicole
Tuesday, March 13  and  Thursday, March 15-Nicole
Tuesday, March 20  and  Thursday, March 22-Carol
Tuesday, March 27  and  Thursday, March 29
To register, please contact:

Edith Fortier
Aboriginal Justice Coordinator
Telephone: 250-571-1021 or email edith4@live.ca

Co-ed (men’s and women’s) respectful relationship program in Chase at the Neskonlith Indian Band Wellness Centre starting Wednesday, February 15, 2012 from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. Every Wednesday until end of March 2012.

Co-facilitated by Rose Miller and Elder Ethel Billy.

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B.C. will return to the PST on April 1, 2013

Transition plan will raise rebates to homes under $850,000

CBC News 

Posted: Feb 17, 2012 8:38 AM PT 

Last Updated: Feb 17, 2012 7:38 PM PT 

B.C. will scrap the HST and return to the PST on April 1 2013, Finance Minister Kevin Falcon announced on Friday in Victoria.

Until that time new home buyers will be able to take advantage of expanded rebate program and a transitional tax designed to ensure that there is no tax difference whenever they choose to buy their home — provided it costs $850,000 or less.

“The B.C. new housing rebate threshold will be increased to $850,000, meaning more than 90 per cent of newly built homes will now be eligible for a provincial HST rebate of up to $42,500,” said a statement issued by the Ministry of Finance on Friday.

“The housing transition rules help ensure when people buy a newly constructed home under the PST, whether built entirely under the HST, entirely under the PST, or partly under HST and partly under the PST, they will all pay a consistent and equitable amount of tax.”

The government also rolled out a new grant designed to encourage people to buy vacation homes outside of Metro Vancouver and Victoria.

“In addition…purchasers of new secondary vacation or recreational homes outside the Greater Vancouver and Capital regional districts priced up to $850,000 will now be eligible to claim a provincial grant of up to $42,500 effective April 1, 2012.”

Falcon said he expects the new rules will bring certainty to new home buyers and the building industry.

“The relief measures announced today are a boost to home buyers purchasing either a new primary residence or a secondary home. At the same time, they help an important job-creator in all parts of the province.”

The move was welcomed by the homebuilding industry on Friday.

More details on how the transition back to the PST will affect other goods and services will be rolled out later this spring.

“For goods and services that will be subject to PST, PST will generally apply where tax becomes payable on or after April 1, 2013.”

 ____________________________________________________________________________

February 13th

Weytkp,


We would like to announce that, by request from the community, we have created a TIB Facebook page.  The page will display news, events and photos from the TIB band office but there will be no wall for comments. Click here to visit us at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tkemlups-Indian-Band/160131284089314.

We would also like to announce that we have received tickets for the Blazers Aboriginal night, Wednesday Feb 22nd. Come and pick your tickets up from Kelley (office number 316, Administration building TIB).

_______________________________________________________________

February 7, 2012

Tk’emlúps receives notification Mt. Lolo lands will receive Reserve status 

Traditional territory of the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc (Kamloops, B.C.) – The Tk’emlúps Indian Band received notice from Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC) that the land commonly referred to as Mt. Lolo “Étsxem” is soon to be granted formal reserve status.

BC Region Additions to Reserve Committee has reviewed the Band’s submission requesting reserve status be granted “approval- in-principle”, meaning that the Band’s proposal meets departmental guidelines with respect to granting reserve status to the grounds. Currently B.C. region is preparing the documentation required to facilitate an Order in Council that will officially grant reserve status to the lands.

“Mt. Lolo has always been a very important and historic piece of land for that Band, our patience and commitment to this process has been challenging but also is very rewarding. Étsxem has always been in our hearts and will now officially be a part of TIB lands again,” said Chief Shane Gottfriedson.

The process of returning the former National Defense site back to the Reserve started in 1986 and has been through three Chief’s, numerous council members and two land managers. Freda Jules, Lands and Leasing department manager is one of the few who have seen this project through its entirety.

“This is really important because it has been such a long process and this is a large site that has significant spiritual importance to the Band,” said Freda Jules. “This is a historic place for young people’s spiritual training and vision questing, it’s also a place for many traditional medicines and ceremonies.”

The former CFS site was constructed as part of the Cadin-Pinetree line in 1957 and 1958 by the American Armed Forces and operated until 1988, when it was decommissioned.  Since 1962 the station was the responsibility of the Canadian Armed Forces.  (Hemmera Envirochem Inc., Supplementary Site Investigation, October 2001)

Although the Department of National Defense conducted decommissioning of the site in 1988, in 1991 another environmental review revealed that there was still environmental concerns that amounted to over $1,000,000 in clean up.  In 1998 another study was done for the site assessment, sub-surface assessment and state of the buildings.  After many years of applying for funding for further environmental clean, decommissioning, dismantling of the building and remediation of the site to its original state; funding was allocated in phases.  The final works were completed in, 2007.

The Band will now submit a BCR to AANDC to receive an Order in Council from BC Regional AANDC and the land will be officially returned to reserve status.

“Congratulations to our staff for 25 years of perseverance and dedication towards continuing to advocate for additions to the reserve such as Mt. Lolo and the Douglas Reserve Initiative.

-30-

Kelley O’Grady
Tk’emlups Indian Band
Marketing and Events Coordinator
Tel: (250)828-9775 Email: kogrady@kib.ca

______________________________________________________________

February 9, 2012

Tk’emlúps move sheep to new habitat 

Traditional territory of the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc (Kamloops, B.C.) – With over 100 sheep taking over the development area at Sun Rivers, the Tk’emlúps Indian Band’s (TIB) Natural Resources Department has stepped in to move some of the sheep out and create a better habitat for those remaining. The goal of the move is to maintain the local heard and avoid high localized sheep density.

The TIB’s Natural Resources department in conjunction with the Ministry of Forest, Lands and Natural Resources, the Kamloops Fish and Game Society and the Wild Sheep Association of B.C. moved eight lambs, five rams and twenty-five yews out of the Sun Rivers area and relocated them to the west side of the Fraser River north of Lillooet and immediately north of McKay Creek. This area is particularly good for the sheep because the habitat is in great shape and also because of a low population in the area, they will be helping to re-grow and re-populate the land where there was a sheep die-off many years ago.

The sheep were moved out using a humane man-made trap and then relocated by trailer. The team bated the area with fruit and salt for the past month to get the sheep used to it, and then set the trap for approximately a week.

Currently there are 100 plus sheep living in the Sun Rivers area of the reserve which wreaks havoc on the habitat and in turn causes stress on the sheep resulting in lungworm and death. To help preserve the herd and the habitat the best move is to relocate part of the population to start new healthy growth in other areas.

The team wants to move around 15 more sheep to the McKay Creek area and bring the numbers on the Reserve back down to around 50.

-30-

Kelley O’Grady
Tk’emlups Indian Band
Marketing and Events Coordinator
Tel: (250)828-9775 Email: kogrady@kib.ca

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TteS Request for Band Membership Contact

The Chief and Council (C&C) has a fiduciary duty to inform Membership of the Band’s Business, as well as, General Band Meetings, Elections, Referendums and other community events.  Within the organization, the Administration Department is responsible for the “Band Membership Master Mailing List” for the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc (TteS) membership mail-outs  including the following: Annual Information Packages; Annual Reports; Audited Financial Statements; Christmas Bonus Cheque: Quarterly Lexéy ̀em (Newsletter); and various Monthly Departmental Newsletters and announcements.

Please download and fill out the form below;

TteS Request for Band Membership Contact Information Feb 08 2012 FINAL

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Expansion not the solution: councillor

By JASON HEWLETT
Daily News Staff Reporter

At least one Kamloops councillor doesn’t believe the City’s bus system has enough riders to justify putting $2 million in operational costs onto taxpayers’ shoulders.

Nor does Ken Christian believe expansion to the Tk’emlups Indian Band will do anything to boost the number of people who ride the bus, he said Sunday.

“Our ridership is pathetically low. We need to look at that,” said Christian.

And councillors contacted by The Daily News on Sunday do not want the proposed expansion to go ahead without a financial contribution from the Indian band.

B.C. Transit has notified the City it can have an additional 5,697 service hours for 2012/2013. Plus there’s an offer for 2,000 handyDART hours and a custom bus for the City and TIB.

All this will cost – when operational increases are included – close to $2 million. B.C. Transit will pay for 47 per cent with City taxpayers called on to cover the rest.

Christian said the Tk’emlups land is sparsely populated save for Sun Rivers, where many of the homeowners are seniors or working families with more than one automobile.

“You’re not going to get any kind of densification that is
going to support public transit that way,” he said. “I’m not thinking it’s the kind of development that lends itself to a large ridership.”

Coun. Pat Wallace said Tk’emlups would certainly need to pay its share for the service. What that amount is would need to be negotiated and meetings have yet to take place.

“The taxpayers have made it abundantly clear that they don’t want a hefty tax increase. So I think we have to see what the contributions from the band would be,” she said.

Tk’emlups Chief Shane Gottfriedson could not be reached for comment Sunday.

Like Christian, Wallace questions how much additional use an expanded service would
generate. Even at the current level, bus fares don’t cover the cost of running the system, she said.

Coun. Donovan Cavers believes he has a solution to the added expense. He’s put forward a notice of motion to increase parking fines – for overtime parking paid within 24 hours – to $7 from $5.

The motion in this week’s council agenda lists his proposed increase as $10, but Cavers lowered the number in an effort to garner support, he said. He’d like the money put into carpooling, public transit and cycling improvements.

His council colleagues don’t like the idea at all. Arjun Singh and Nancy Bepple don’t believe revenue should be taken from one area to pay for another.

Singh is a member of the Kamloops Central Business Improvement Association’s parking solutions working group. The group was formed to deal with parking issues in the city centre.

He said a one-off solution like upping fines is not the way to ease parking pressures or fund public transit.

“You don’t want to do something good and have a bad effect somewhere else,” said Singh.

Bepple said you can’t improve any service, be it busing or otherwise, without spending money. But increasing parking fines isn’t the way to ease the cost.

Kamloops Chamber of Commerce president Maurice Hindle said Cavers has good intentions, but making people pay steeper parking fines could come with a price.

He said the City should consider carefully such a change could discourage people from shopping and eating in the downtown.

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Expanded transit hours?

BC transit offers expanded hours with expanded costs
Last updated: Saturday, February 4th 2012. 12:27pm PST
By Sandy Hall 

Kamloops is in line for more transit service but it could come at high cost.

BC Transit has offered the city around 82 hundred hours of basic service and a couple thousand hours of handy dart service. As well 35 hundred hours are being offered to service the Kamloops Indian Band.

Come September 1st taxpayers will have to ante up close to two hundred and fifty thousand dollars for 25 hundred extra hours of service to the end of the year if approved.

On Tuesday if city council votes to accept the new expanded hours for 2013, taxpayers are looking at just under a million dollars in extra costs for an 8 percent boost in service.

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Hefty price tag for new bus service

$2 million plan would include TIB in new routes

 By Michele Young

Daily News Staff Reporter

B.C. Transit has offered the City thousands of hours of extra transit service, as well as new service to the Tk’emlups Indian Band.

But the cost to taxpayers — when operational-cost increases are included — will be close to $2 million, City development and engineering services director David Trawin said Friday.

The expansion issue will go to City council Tuesday.

Last year, B.C. Transit offered 2,500 additional service hours to the City, but it was agreed it would be held until the Kamloops Transit Future Plan was completed.

That plan was adopted by the City in December and the expansion is tentatively scheduled to begin on Sept. 1. It’s included in the City’s supplemental budget that’s up for discussion in the coming weeks.

Now, in addition to those 2,500 hours, B.C. Transit has notified the City it can have an additional 5,697 service hours for 2012/2013.

Plus there’s an offer of 2,000 handyDART hours and a custom bus for the City and the TIB to use, and another 3,540 regular transit service hours and a bus for the Indian band.

Trawin said if it’s all accepted — and negotiations haven’t begun yet with the TIB about its portion of the service hours and costs — the end result would be an eight per cent boost to transit hours in Kamloops.

The City currently provides about 100,000 hours of transit service. The Tk’emlups Indian Band has none, so any service there would be new.

Trawin said the City’s focus in expanding transit would be evening and Sunday service, then improvements to the following routes: Gleneagles, Batchelor, Juniper and Tranquille/Parkcrest.

“Council will have to let us know what they wish,” he said.

While B.C. Transit pays 47 per cent of the cost for the additional service, City taxpayers will also have to ante up.

The 2012 transit budget — with zero additional service hours — is being hit by inflation, increased costs, plus debt servicing and the bill for the new transit depot for a total of $647,212.

The additional 2,500 hours of service slated to start Sept. 1 will cost taxpayers another $223,000 to the end of the year.

In 2013, if all the extra transit hours are accepted, Kamloops taxpayers will have to come up with another $972,000.

Trawin said the amount taxpayers had to direct to cover the cost of transit in 2011 was $3.2 million. If the City doesn’t add any service in 2012, inflation and the depot and other costs will boost that to $3.85 million. With the extra 2,500 hours, taxpayer contribute $4 million toward transit.

And in 2013, if all the additional service hours are accepted, the bill for taxpayers will be close to $5 million

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Dear Friends,

My friend Kimlee Wong kwong@aptn.ca and her colleagues at ‘Aboriginal People’s Television Network’ (APTN) produced this excellent documentary which has major implications for all Indigenous communities throughout the world. It shows what colonialism has done to the health of Indigenous people and gives us some direction as to where to go so the health of Indigenous People of this World might improve.

Here are links so you can watch this documentary on your computer:

part 1 http://aptn.ca/pages/news/2012/01/23/civilized-to-death-part-1/

part 2 http://aptn.ca/pages/news/2012/01/23/civilized-to-death-part-2/

‘Civilized to Death’

Here is a brief Synopsis of this documentary:

Aboriginal peoples suffer from some of the worse health and social stats of anyone in Canada. Many blame aboriginal peoples for their dismal living conditions yet health professionals point to the social determinants of health as the primary cause for these conditions. Things like poverty, racism, housing, access to healthy food and colonialism have long been recognized by experts as key causes of ill health.. Many Canadians believe that if aboriginal people would only assimilate into the dominant culture their problems would be solved, however, in Civilized to Death, APTN’s Kimlee Wong talks to experts who say the solutions lie elsewhere.

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11^TH ANNUAL TIB WOMEN’S RETREAT

FEBRUARY 24-26^TH

EVENT IS OPEN TO:

FEMALE TIB MEMBERS, SPOUSES RESIDING WITH TIB MEMBERS &

FEMALE TIB EMPLOYEES

MUST BE 19 YEARS OR OLDER.

NO CHILDREN PERMITTED.

SATURDAY INCLUDES A LOONIE AUCTION, DINNER & ENTERTAINMENT BY COMEDIAN/MAGICIAN CLINTON W GRAY

ALL PROCEEDS FROM THE LOONIE AUCTION WILL GO TO THE RIH CANCER WARD

IN MEMORY OF TRUDINE MENSIES.

Registration Friday February 24^th

Location: Social Development

Elders: 2:00 pm- 4:00 pm

All Others: 4:00 pm- 6:00 pm

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