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Welcome to the June 2024 edition of the SFNS
bi-monthly eNewsletter!
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General Information
Please be advised that the SFNS office will be closed in observance of the following holidays:
National Indigenous Peoples Day - Friday, June 21, 2024
Canada Day - Monday, July 1, 2024
Regular office hours will resume the next business day at 8:30 am.
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Welcome to the SFNS Team! | |
Alanis George, Communications Officer Assistant
My name is Alanis George and Teyakotih^ is my Oneida name. I am from Oneida Nations of the Thames and Turtle clan. I have an Advanced Diploma in Graphic Design, a Diploma in Business Marketing, and I am currently pursuing an Honours Bachelor of Commerce in Digital Marketing. At SFNS I am the communications officer assistant at SFNS, while here I hope to learn more about the Meta Business Suite, working within an organization & having the chance to connect more with other First Nations. I like to watch movies, bind books & travel. I’ve only been to a few places, but I absolutely love going to new places and discovering new things.
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Josh Noah, Mentored Administrative Assistant
My name is Josh Noah and I’m from Delaware Nation. My interests include sports and family time. I am currently employed as the Mentored Administrative Assistant in which I am responsible for assisting with the daily administrative duties which include providing general clerical duties, reception, coordinating meetings, preparation of meeting materials, and recording meeting minutes as required.
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For more information, visit the LDCC 5th Annual Golf Tournament webpage by clicking the button below: | |
If you are interested in learning more about the LDCC 5th Annual Golf Tournament sponsorship packages, please visit our website by clicking the button below: | | |
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The Indigenous Skills and Employment Training (ISET) Program is designed to help Indigenous people improve their skills and find employment.
ISETP offers seven programs to assist clients:
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For more information on the LDCC ISETP Department, please contact Janice Noah, Director at ext. 222.
Click here to learn more about ISETP
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Reminder
- Please observe the upcoming application deadlines (May 1st was the deadline for Fall 2024, October 1st will be the deadline for Winter 2025, and March 1st will be the deadline for Summer 2025).
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The Post-Secondary Department would like to remind students that grades are due no later than 21 days after the completion of each semester (grades not received or students not in good standing may not be eligible for ongoing funding).
- We communicate often via email and occasionally via text message, if your contact information changes please let us know as soon as possible so we can ensure you stay up to date with our messages. We also share funding/scholarship opportunities on our Facebook page and Instagram so if you’re not already following us, please do!
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We are proud of your success as a student and would love to share your story in our eNewsletter! | |
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Book receipts can be mailed to:
Southern First Nations Secretariat
Post-Secondary Department
22361 Austin Line
Bothwell, ON N0P 1C0
Electronic receipts can be forwarded to your Post-Secondary Counsellor.
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Are you looking for post-secondary scholarship, bursary, or award opportunities? Check out these easy-to-use databases listed below!
Indigenous Bursaries Search Tool - Click Here
Student Awards - Click Here
Scholarships Canada - Click Here
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Ontario Learn and Stay Grant | |
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The Ontario Learn and Stay Grant provides funding for students studying in priority post-secondary programs in underserved and growing communities in Northern, Southwestern and Eastern Ontario. The grant will cover the cost of:
- tuition
- compulsory fees
- books
- other direct educational costs (for example, supplies, and equipment).
For more information, click the 'Learn More' button below:
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Indspire Bursaries & Scholarships | |
For more information or to apply, click the button below. | |
Canada Post Awards for Indigenous Students | |
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Canada Post gives $2,000 grants to Indigenous Peoples who have renewed their educational learning.
You’re eligible to apply if you:
- Are a Canadian and a member of a First Nation, Métis or Inuit community
- Have been out of school for 1 year or more and are returning
- Have already returned to school and completed 1 full year of studies
- Have never received this award in the past (you can apply as many times as you want, but you can only receive the award once)
August 31st: Deadline for applications
For more information or to apply, click the button below.
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ONECA Four Directions Scholarship Awards | |
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Four scholarships of $1000.00 each will be awarded annually to graduating aboriginal (Status, Non-status, Métis and Inuit) secondary school/adult students. These awards are administered by the Ontario Native Education Counselling Association.
Application Deadline is June 28, 2024.
For more information or to apply, click the button below.
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Indigenous Internship Program | |
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The Indigenous Internship Program (IIP) is a paid 12-month program that provides recent Indigenous post-secondary graduates with an opportunity to gain valuable work experience with the Ontario Public Service (OPS), while delivering important public services to the people of Ontario.
For more information, click the button below:
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LDCC First Nations Health Policy Update | | |
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Since the beginning of January, the health policy team has been actively engaging with First Nation communities who have membership with the London District Chiefs Council to gather valuable input on enhancing healthcare services.
Through various community engagements, we collected approximately 700 surveys and held discussions with community members across five different communities. We are now analyzing the issues and recommendations shared by community members to identify health priorities and recommendations to improve the First Nation healthcare experience.
Anushiik / Miigwech / Yawʌko / Thank You to everyone who participated!
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Economic & Capacity Development | | |
Roster for Mediation Services | | |
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We have made the difficult decision to end the Roster for Mediation Services program effective March 31, 2024.
SFNS remains committed to offering regional mediation training workshops to continue to build the capacity of our member First Nations in this critical area.
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If you’re in need of mediation services, please see our website for alternative resources. | |
Canada’s 2SLGBTQI+ Chamber of Commerce | |
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Canada’s 2SLGBTQI+ Chamber of Commerce (CGLCC) is the only chamber of commerce uniting and advocating for the over 100,000 2SLGBTQI+ owned and operated businesses in Canada.
As a CGLCC Member, your network grows overnight to include the corporations who support us and who are actively seeking to diversify their corporate practices. You also join a welcoming community of 2SLGBTQI+ businesses and professionals looking to connect and support one another.
For more information, click the button below:
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Canada’s 2SLGBTQI+ Chamber of Commerce (CGLCC), Canadian Aboriginal and Supplier Minority Council (CAMSC), and Inclusive Workplace and Supply Council of Canada (IWSCC), (Supplier Diversity Alliance of Canada – SDAC), together with WEConnect International as the event partner, join forces to bring you DEFY Conference 2024, Canada’s largest Supplier Diversity event. Happening June 12 – 14, 2024, at Le Centre Sheraton Hotel in Montréal, QC, Canada!
For more information, click the button below:
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The last couple of procurement sessions that OFNEDA will be hosting are coming up, please plan to attend one closest to your location. Please note that travel funding will be covered for one (1) representative from each First Nation.
To learn more information, click the button below:
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The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) Annual General Assembly (AGA) will be held in-person only on July 9–11, 2024 at the Palais des Congrès, on the traditional territory of the Kanien’kehá:ka Nation, in Montreal, Quebec (QC). Dialogue sessions will be conducted on July 8, 2024. The theme of the 2024 AFN AGA is “Strengthening Our Relations.”
For more information, click the button below:
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Indigenous Energy Support Program (ISEP) | |
The Indigenous Energy Support Program (IESP) promotes broad equitable participation in Ontario’s energy sector for First Nation and Metis communities and First Nation and Métis organizations by supporting community capacity building, including energy planning and energy infrastructure development, as well as the building of energy knowledge and awareness, and skills related to energy projects.
The Program provides funding through three Areas of Funding (AOF):
- Capacity Building
- Economic Development
- Energy Resiliency & Monitoring
Deadline Date
June 28, 2024
For more information, click the button below:
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Funding for Businesses in Southern Ontario | |
Applications can be submitted for no-interest, repayable contributions from $125,000 up to $10 million per project for incorporated businesses that:
- develop, commercialize or produce innovative products, processes and services
- improve productivity, capacity and competitiveness
- scale-up and expand to develop new business opportunities, enter new markets, or reach new customers
Focus is on one or more of the spring 2024 intake priorities:
- Clean economic growth
- Growth companies
- Technology
- Industrial transition
Deadline Date
June 24, 2024
For more information, click the button below:
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As part of the Canada Digital Adoption Program (CDAP), the Government of Canada has partnered with Canadian Council for Indigenous Business (CCIB) to deliver the Grow Your Business Online grant to small businesses across the country.
Eligible Indigenous businesses will receive a micro-grant of up to $2,400 to help with the costs related to adopting e-commerce. These businesses will be supported by a network of e-commerce advisors.
For more information, click the button below:
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Mitacs Entrepreneur International Travel Grant | |
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Mitacs Entrepreneur International offers a travel grant to Canadian start-ups that are housed in an academic-institution-linked incubator or accelerator to connect them with host incubators abroad and explore new business development opportunities in international markets. The Mitacs Entrepreneur International program invites application submissions on a year-round basis.
Canadian start-ups receive a travel grant to support eligible business travel costs, of up to $5,000 to connect with a host incubator in an eligible new target market.
Through the program, start-ups:
- Create direct linkages with their international target market
- Grow their knowledge of international market opportunities and potential sources of investment
- Build new clients, partnerships and business opportunities to scale their company
For more information, click the button below:
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Canada-Ontario Job Grant (COJG) provides opportunities for employers to invest in their workforce, with help from the government.
- Employers can get up to $10,000 in government support per person for training costs.
- The training has to be delivered by an eligible, third-party trainer.
- Employers with 100 or more employees need to contribute 1/2 of the training costs. Small employers with less than 100 employees need to contribute 1/6 of training costs.
- Most organizations acting as an intermediary are eligible for administrative funding equal to 15% of the government contribution.
For more information, click the button below:
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For more information, click the link below: | |
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Technical Services Department provides assistance in the following areas:
- Housing Inspection - CMHC certified inspections through all phases of construction.
- Computer-Aided Design - offer GIS and AutoCAD conceptual design services.
- Capital Project Assistance - assistance for projects that enhance critical infrastructure.
- Training - opportunities to increase capacity among First Nation staff.
- Reporting - assistance provided with annual reporting related to housing and infrastructure.
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If you have any questions, please get in touch with Tim Maness, Technical Services Manager (tmaness@sfns.on.ca). | |
Home Maintenance - Basements | |
To download the Technical Services Department article, please click the button below: | |
For more information or to register, click the button below: | | |
If you are a First Nations leader, technician or community member who works on marine or freshwater protection or conservation, please complete the Assembly of First Nations' survey.
You will help build an understanding of marine and freshwater stewardship, governance, priorities and capacities from a First Nations perspective.
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Aamjiwnaang First Nation Chief Elected To Provincial Post | |
Chris Plain, Chief of Aamjiwnaang First Nation, has been elected deputy grand council chief of the Anishinabek Nation.
Plain’s election was announced Wednesday morning in a tweet on X, by the organization representing 39 Anishinabek First Nations across Ontario, which is holding its grand council assembly this week in Sudbury.
“I come from the southwest region, but I come from Anishinabek Nation,” Plain tweeted. “I don’t believe in regions. I don’t believe in biases. We’re here to respect, protect, and work for all First Nations equally,” he said.
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These Women Teach First Nations How To Stop An Invasive Plant From Choking Ontario's Ecosystems | |
An Indigenous woman in London is educating First Nation communities across southwestern Ontario about an invasive plant species that blocks land and waterways, interfering with traditional hunting and fishing.
It's Danalynn Williams's effort to rid the region of phragmites — an invasive plant that steals water and nutrients from anything it grows around.
"In Walpole, there are acres and acres of phragmites, it's unbelievable," Williams said. "I don't remember the lakes being like that and when you go out to fish, they've cut trails just so people can get through the phrags. It's just devastating because it's a part of our culture."
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Kettle And Stony Point First Nation To Revitalize Local Library Through Partnership With Indigo |  | |
Chippewas of Kettle and Stony Point First Nation – Education Services is looking forward to adding more books to the Kettle and Stony Point Hillside School library through a $50,000 partnership with Indigo. Kettle and Stony Point is one of six First Nation education departments and schools that will receive more than $300,000 in funding through Indigo Love of Reading Foundation grants.
“Our students have worked very hard this year with a lot of our literacy initiatives and I think it will be a wonderful opportunity for them to be able to continue along with that next year as well as have some other exciting opportunities that are going to be possible because of the grant,” says Leslie Skolly, library technician/music instructor at Hillside School, noting that they started a library revitalization last year. “Some of our collection was quite dated and we wanted to make sure that all of the titles … within the library and our collection were current.”
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Date: August 19 - 23, 2024
Location: Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
Accommodations: Camp Connections, Foster Family Coalition of the NWT, Yellowknife, NT
Activities: Proposed activities at the camp include attending post-secondary science and technology, traditional science, and local cultural activities.
Application Deadline has been extended to June 11, 2024
For more information, click the link below:
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Hockey Canada has launched a call for Indigenous artists to create art initiatives that will support the delivery of upcoming national and international events, including the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship in Ottawa, ON.
Indigenous artists from across Canada are invited to apply with a general submission of interest on an ongoing basis, while the deadline to submit a proposal for the World Juniors is June 30, 2024.
For more information, click the button below:
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Trusted Source Coordinator
Full-time, Contract
POSITION SUMMARY
In accordance with the established policies, procedures, and directives of the Southern First Nations Secretariat (SFNS), the Trusted Source Coordinator will plan, organize, and execute the Trusted Source program in partnership with Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) on Secure Certificates of Indian Status (SCIS) Registrations and S-3 Outreach. The Trusted Source Coordinator will support the understanding of applicants relating to registration, and Secure Certificates of Indian Status and facilitate SCIS applications for already registered individuals.
CLOSING DATE: Friday, June 7, 2024 @ 4:00 p.m.
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Mentored Administrative Assistant
Full-time, Contract
- Eligible participants are aged 18 to 30 inclusively, and
- Recipient of Ontario Works financial assistance (supporting documentation and/or Case Manager contact details will be required).
POSITION SUMMARY
Under direct supervision of the Executive Assistant, the Mentored Administrative Assistant will be responsible for assisting with daily administrative duties of the Administration department.
CLOSING DATE: Thursday, June 20, 2024 @ 4:00 p.m.
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Southern First Nations Secretariat
1-800-668-2609
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