"Government of Canada, Province of B.C. and First Nations Leadership Council sign First Nations Housing Memorandum of Understanding"
May 21, 2008
—The First Nations Leadership Council, Government of Canada, and Province of B.C. today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), agreeing to work together to develop a comprehensive approach to improve housing for First Nations communities, individuals and families both on and off reserve.

"Nothing is more important to First Nations individuals than having a healthy, high-quality environment in which to live," said Chief Judith Sayers, First Nations Summit Task Group member. "For too long our people have lived in substandard, unhealthy homes which affect our physical and emotional well being. We need comprehensive, strategic action to address the critical housing crisis First Nations in BC are facing.”

"not only in B.C but right across NDN COUNTRY"

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By JIM KELLY
Tuesday, March 18, 2008


For their continued disobeyance and defiance of a court order, six members of Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) First Nation were sentenced Monday to six-month jail terms in Thunder Bay‘s Superior Court.
Last Dec. 14, Justice Patrick Smith found Chief Donny Morris, Deputy Chief Jack MacKay, councillors Cecilia Begg, Darryl Sainnawap, Samuel McKay, Enus McKay and Evelyn Quequish, and committee member Bruce Sakakeep in contempt of a court order dated Oct. 25, 2007.
That order allowed Platinex, a junior exploration company, to proceed with Phase 1 of its drilling project and prevented members of KI from impeding, interfering or obstructing Platinex or its representatives access to the exploration property, which is not on the KI reserve but is claimed as part of KI‘s traditional lands.
When Platinex officials flew into the community on Nov. 6, 2007, a group of individuals, including those charged, prevented them from entering the airport building and threatened them with arrest if they trespassed on KI land, Smith said in his reasons for sentencing.
Smith imposed suspended sentences on Quequish and Enus McKay, who gave an undertaking to the court that they will obey future orders of the court.
As they were led to jail, the others waved goodbye to supporters who filled the main courtroom of the Camelot Street courthouse.
Security at the courthouse was tight; all those entering had to pass through a metal detector checkpoint.
Smith said a jail term is the only appropriate penalty and he cited several cases including one a month ago involving Ardoch Algonquin First Nation Co-chief Robert Lovelace who received a six-month jail term and a fine.
A fine was not imposed as Smith said those jailed “lack the ability” to pay a fine.
“KI has repeatedly and publicly stated its defiance of the order of this court and has stated that it will continue to disobey any court orders allowing Platinex or its representatives to enter onto the property,” Smith said.
“To allow a breach of an order of this court to occur with impunity by one sector of society will inevitably lead to a breach by others, or to the belief that the law is unjustly partial to those who have the audacity or persistence to flout it,” he said.
“If two systems of law are allowed to exist – one for the aboriginals and one for the non-aboriginals – the rule of law will disappear and be replaced by chaos. The public will lose respect for, and confidence in, our courts and judicial system,” Smith said.
Nishnawbe Grand Chief Stan Beardy saw the sentencing as a message from the Ontario government that it‘s getting tough on FirstNations peoples.
“The McGuinty government got labelled weak in dealing with Caledonia and now they say, ’We‘re not weak and we‘ll show you by throwing these Indians in jail‘,” Beardy said prior to the sentencing.
“What is happening here is we‘ve been criminalized for practising our way of living. The government wants to make an example of us,” he said.
“What‘s being done is, once more, we‘re being moved out of the way, our valuable resources are being exploited and everybody is benefitting except us.”
KI lawyer Chris Reid said the provincial government has the power to negotiate land use planning and to consult with First Nations before approving mineral exploration on their lands.
“They simply refused to do that,” he said.
“They‘ve acted like the only interests that matter in Ontario are those of the mining companies and everything else has to get out of the way.
“This whole thing is being driven by greed – the greed of a few individuals in the mining industry, and the government of Ontario appears to be right in their pockets,” Reid said.

Ontario Regional Chief Angus Toulouse said jailing natives who are fighting for their constitutional rights is not the answer.
“It‘s sad that the court system is wher