Mino Nipamaniwan

We wish you a Christmas season sprinkled with happiness, joy and magic moments surrounded by the people closest to you.
The Tribal Council's team wishes you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg School 25th Anniversary

On Saturday September 17th, 2005 the community of Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg celebrated the 25th anniversary of its primary-secondary school. For the occasion, entertainment was provided in the form of a comedian and a supper was served. The event was attended by more than 200 individuals. Here's some of the pictures that were taken that evening.

Wood Workshop in Long Point

Thanks to the initiative of community members, Long Point now has its own wood workshop. Last year, Mr. Kenneth Polson, Housing Director, and the school's ex-director Mr. Mohand Anand, got in touch with Mr. Magella Barette to start a wood workshop. Mr. Barette is a professional wood worker who owned a cabinetmaking factory. He was interested in sharing his knowledge and supervising the creation and functioning of the shop. It was therefore decided to renovate and adapt an already existing building as well as to install the necessary tools and machines to do wood work. The workshop currently operates under the supervision of Mr. Barette. Two employees, Derek Mathias and Jonathan Polson, have been hired to work full time. In addition, other workers come in occasionally to accomplish various jobs such as varnishing products. Due to high interest and the potential of the community, the idea of holding woodworking classes for the population is now being contemplated. The classes would start beginning of 2006 or spring 2006. Already the shop fabricates a variety of objects, notably
promotional items for Temlam (a Tembec affiliate) such as chests, wine racks, pen holders, etc. made of LVL (a wood product made by Temlam), baseboards used in new houses built in Long Point, etc. Eventually it's also possible that the wood shop would be able to accept orders from private clients, outside the community.

For readers who would like more information, please feel free to contact Mr Magella Barette, at (819) 722.2080.

Thanks to Mr Magella Barette for his collaboration to this article.

Year of the Veteran

During the Year of the Veteran, Aboriginal Spiritual Elders, Veterans and youth will participate in an Aboriginal Spiritual Journey to Europe. A spiritual ceremony to call home the spirits of fallen warriors will be held. While there, First Nations, Inuit and Métis
Veterans and youth will visit European battlefields and cemeteries.

The spiritual journey is expected to be a source of healing and closure for Aboriginal Veterans and their families, and will provide an opportunity for Veterans to pay final respects to their fallen comrades. It will also serve to educate Canada's youth, Canadians and Europeans about the proud tradition of service and sacrifice by Canada's First Nations, Inuit and Métis soldiers.

Upon return from Europe, spiritual ceremonies to receive the spirits of fallen warriors will be held in Aboriginal communities
throughout Canada. All Canadians are encouraged to participate and learn more about the contributions and sacrifice of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Veterans.

For more information, visit the VAC Web site at www.vac-acc.ca or call toll-free 1-800-443-0394.

Source: www.vac-acc.gc.ca

October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month

In October 1999, following a mammogram I was warned that there was a possibility for breast cancer. A series of exams confirmed the diagnosis. Today, six years later I consider myself a breast cancer survivor.

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in Canadian women. One in every nine women is at risk of getting breast cancer in her lifetime. This year about 21,400 women will develop breast cancer and 5,300 will die because of this disease that has already touched a large number of us, but against which we have excellent weapons such as prevention and early detection. During the month of October numerous Canadian organizations work at distributing information on breast cancer through different initiatives such as the annual walk held in Montreal on October 2, 2005. That's how I got the idea of organizing a walk here in the community of Kitigan Zibi and to invite people from nearby communities to join in. With the help of Doreen Paul, Home and Community Care Coordinator in Kitigan Zibi, we organized the walk. The activity brought together about a hundred people, men, women and children. With the collaboration of the Kitigan Zibi Police and the Surete du Quebec, we walked ten kilometres. An amount of $5,500 was raised and will be sent to the Fondation quebecoise du cancer du sein. Being the first walk organized in Kitigan Zibi and the region for breast cancer we consider the activity a success and hope to do it again next year. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everybody that encouraged me to organize this walk, especially my husband Bob, my children Karen and Jo Ann, my sister Marcelle and my friend Doreen. I strongly encourage all women and even men to get informed about this disease. It could save a life. It is through working together that we will be able to vanquish breast cancer. Thank you to everyone that contributed to this success.

A breast cancer survivor, Nicole Buckshot
Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg

Council for the Advancement of Native Development Officers (CANDO) Conference

The CANDO National Conference took place in Sault Ste Marie, Ontario from the 17th to the 21st of October 2005. The CANDO Conference Committee and Working Group worked very hard over the past year to help make their national conference a success and an enjoyable experience by all who attended. They also provided many opportunities throughout the various conference activities to meet, share, learn, honour and celebrate the growing success of Aboriginal community economic development in Canada. One of which includes their first ever National Youth Panel, comprised of six panellists chosen from across the country, and given an opportunity to showcase their hard work and share their experiences as well as recognize their achievements. Entrepreneur Jay Odjick from Kitigan Zibi was chosen as an inaugural youth panel member. He spoke of his experiences as an aboriginal businessman and youth. CANDO's National Conference 2006 will be held in Saskatoon.

Tribal Council's Golf Tournament

Our first annual Golf Tournament has been a huge success. The event was a fundraiser organized to help finance activities for the YOUTH of our six member communities. We are happy to say that we have raised approximately $5,481.34 in total. This amount will be equally distributed between our six member communities. Megwetch again to everyone who took part in the event. We are looking forward to next year where we will come up with new ideas and surprises.

Human Resources Section, by Angela Benedict

Quebec Parental Insurance Plan

On March 1, 2005 an agreement was signed between the Quebec and Federal Government implementing the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP). Beginning on January 1, 2006 all employers, employees and self-employed persons will be required to contribute to the QPIP. The QPIP is designed to replace maternity and parental benefits paid under the federal Employment Insurance program and offers a more generous, flexible and accessible plan tailored more towards your needs.
The purpose of this plan is to respond to the changing labour market in Quebec and takes into account the growing economic contributions of women and also the potential labour shortage that may result from Quebec's aging population.
The QPIP provides for payment of financial benefits to all eligible workers who take maternity, paternity, adoption or parental leave during which they do not receive a salary.

This plan replaces the maternity and parental benefits under the federal Employment Insurance Program and offers a number of advantages. The maximum insurable income will be increased and the two-week waiting period will be eliminated. Parents can choose between a basic or special plan (See Table 1). Under the basic plan, the income replacement is lower than for the special plan, but the benefits period is longer. Self-employed workers and salaried employees alike are
eligible under the condition that all applicants have accumulated at least $2000 in insurable income. Unlike the federal Employment Insurance Program, this plan offers exclusive paternity benefits for fathers.
Maternity benefits are payable exclusively to the mother, and paternity benefits, exclusively to the father. However, the total number of parental and adoption benefit weeks may be shared between the parents, who can take their benefit weeks simultaneously or consecutively.
The eligibility for QPIP is under the following conditions:
Be a parent of a child born on or after January 1, 2006.
Or
Be the parent of a child adopted on or after January 1, 2006.
AND
Be a salaried employee residing in Quebec at the start of the benefit period.
Or

Type of
Benefits
Maximum number of benefit weeks
Percentage of average weekly income
Maximum number of benefit weeks
Percentage of
average weekly
income
Maternity
18
70%
15
75%
Paternity
5
70%
3
75%
Parental
7
25
70%
55%2575%
Adoption
12
25
70%
55%2875%
Basic Plan
Special Plan
Under the basic plan, for example, the number of benefit weeks can reach 50 weeks for the mother, that is, 18 weeks of maternity benefits at 70% and 32 weeks of parental benefits (which can be shared between parents), with the first 7 weeks at a rate of 70% and the remaining 25 weeks at 55%.
Be a self-employed worker residing in Quebec at the start of the benefit period and having resided in Quebec on
December 31 of the year prior to the start of the benefit period.
AND
Have ceased being paid at the same time of the birth or adoption of a child.
AND
Be a salaried employee with insurable income of at least $2000, regardless of the number of hours worked
Or
Be a self-employed worker with insurable income of at least $2000.
Employers will deduct their employee's contributions to the QPIP from their salary, and must also pay an employer's share to the plan.
Human Resources Section (Continued)
With the introduction of the QPIP employees will contribute less to the Federal Employment Insurance Program.
On September 7, 2005, the Québec government published a draft of the Regulation respecting premium rates under the parental insurance plan. The applicable premium rates are shown in the table below.
Employees
0,416 %
Self-employed workers
0,737 %
Employers
0,583 %
Subject to the note below, these rates will come into force on
January 1, 2006.
Self-employed workers are required to pay their contribution when they file their 2006 income tax return. The contribution will be calculated based on their company's net
income.
All maternity and parental benefits that were granted under the federal Employment Insurance Program prior to January 1, 2006 will remain the responsibility of the
Department of Human Resources and Skills Development (HRSDC). These benefits will continue to be paid in accordance with the terms and conditions of the federal program, even if they continue after the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan comes into effect. Therefore, the introduction of QPIP will have no effect on current applications.For all new applications for maternity, parental or adoption benefits set to begin before January 1, 2006, you must contact your local Human Resources Center of
Canada.
Parents expecting the birth of their child between mid-December 2005 and mid-February 2006 may qualify for either the federal Employment Insurance Program or the QPIP. In this case, they may chose under which of the two plans they prefer to receive their benefits. However, in the case of the Quebec plan, the birth or adoption must take place on or after January 1, 2006. Parents in this situation are asked to contact the Government of Canada or the Quebec government to find out more about the options available to them.
The QPIP is an idependant insurance plan. To manage the plan, the government has created the Conseil de gestion de l'assurance parentale, an organization made up of representatives of unionized and non-unionized workers, employers and government. The Conseil is responsible for ensuring the plan's funding and sustainability.
For more information feel free to contact me at (819) 449-1225.

Information received by Revenue Quebec Quebec Parental Insurance Plan Pamphlet