Write to Read Group Presents to Nova Scotia Virtual Conference

Friday, October 22, 2021 — 11:00 am Pacific Time

Literacy, Learning and Life in Indigenous Communities Through Libraries and Learning Centres

Treaty negotiations pass through six stages. HTG currently in Stage four of the process — the Agreement in Principle (AiP) stage.

Stage One: Statement of Intent
A First Nation wanting to initiate treaty negotiations must file a statement of intent with the Treaty Commission. The statement must:
identify the First Nation and its members;
describe the First Nation’s traditional territory;
indicate that the First Nation has a mandate to enter into and represent its members in treaty negotiations; and
appoint a formal contact person.
Stage Two: Preparation for Negotiations
The three parties confirm their commitment to negotiate a treaty, establish that they have the authority and resources to commence negotiations, have a means of developing their mandates and broadly outline what each of them wishes to negotiate.

Stage Two: Readiness Documents
By the end of Stage Two, Canada and BC must also submit readiness documents to the Treaty Commission in which they identify community interests in the region and establish ways to address those interests. The table moves on to Stage Three when the Treaty Commission is satisfied that the parties have met these requirements.

Stage Three: Negotiation of a Framework Agreement
The Framework Agreement defines the issues the parties have agreed to negotiate, establishes the objectives of the negotiation, identifies the procedures that will be followed and sets out a timetable for negotiations. The parties expand their public consultation in local communities and initiate a program of public information.

Stage Four: Negotiation of an Agreement in Principle
Substantive treaty negotiations take place in this stage. Land, resources, self-government and financial components usually form part of the negotiations. The Agreement in Principle sets out the key objectives and elements to be part of the treaty.

Stage Five: Negotiation to Finalize a Treaty
At this stage, outstanding legal and technical issues are resolved. Formal signing and ratification of the agreement brings the parties to Stage Six.

Stage Six: Treaty Implementation
The plans to implement the treaty are put into effect or phased in as agreed. The table remains active to oversee the implementation of the treaty.

The Write to Read Project finally went “public” on Tuesday October 2nd when highly acclaimed Vancouver Sun columnist Stephen Hume wrote a detailed explanation of the project on the editorial pages of the Vancouver Sun. This excellent outline of the project (Goal of literacy brings together public/private coalition) details all the many “partners” involved in this informal coalition.

The column credits Lt. Governor Stephen Hume, the Government House Foundation and Rotarian Bob Blacker for initiating the project, but the list of partners in the coalition is endless. This includes Rotary Clubs from Williams Lake Daybreak, Williams Lake Rotary, North Vancouver Lionsgate, Langley Central, Steveston, Chemainus, Ladysmith, Qualicum Beach, Parksville, Chilliwack, Surrey, Saanich and Port McNeill. Other companies and organizations named in the column were Britco Structures, B.C. Ferries, Richmond Fire Department 1286, the RCMP, the Coast Guard, Orca Books, and Success by Six.

First Nations partners named in the coalition by Hume include Toosey, Halalt, Penelakut, Kingcome Inlet, Old Massett at Haida Gwaii, Tsawout, Rivers Inlet, Yunesitin, Kluskus, Nazko, Skatin, Bella Bella and Lheidi T’ennah.

Not named in the column but also partnering in the project are the UBC School of Dentistry, architect Scott Kemp, Seaspan, Western Forest Products, Interfor, Vancouver Coastal Health, the Western Diversification Fund and the list just keeps getting longer. The full article can be read in Stephen Hume’s column in the Vancouver Sun.

t’s as easy as a click of a mouse.  No matter if a child lives in the big city or in a remote First Nations community, access to a computer leads to the same results.  Interest in literacy grows immediately a child has access to books, teachers, guidance and a computer. The early years are the most important, as non-profit agency Success by Six has proved in its work.

Success By Six is an early childhood development initiative dedicated to providing all children with a good start in life. It helps to ensure that children ages 0 to 6 develop the emotional, social, cognitive, and physical skills they need as they enter school.

Success By Six builds and enhances community through engaging citizens in early childhood development and funding programs that strengthen services for young children and their families. Funded programs include literacy, nutrition, children’s play, parenting and family skills development.

Provincial manager Kim Adamson explains over a cup of coffee that Success by Six is partnering with the Aboriginal Literacy Project and Write to Read to bring this program to several aboriginal communities.  Sponsored by the Credit Unions of BC and the United Way of the Lower Mainland, Success by Six hopes to expand its work in native communities throughout BC with public recognition and contributions.

Although the main focus of the Write to Read project is partnering with First Nations communities in BC to assist with the Lt. Governor’s literacy project, building those partnerships sometimes results in other offers of assistance. The UBC School of Dentistry has partnered to bring dental services to several small First Nations communities, as this story (below) in the Williams Lake Tribune attest.

Williams Lake Tribune
Wed Aug 7 2013

Byline: Monica Lamb-Yorski
They may have got more than they gave, said University of B.C. Dean of Dentistry Dr. Charles Shuler, referring to a recent UBC dentistry clinic held at the Anaham Reserve west of Williams Lake.
“From my perspective we did a lot of great dentistry, yet I think we might have learned more than the service we provided because we learned a lot about the area.”
The Chilcotin is far from his original home of Los Angeles, but it is a beautiful region, he said.
Between July 25 and 28, the UBC school of dentistry offered a dental mission in co-operation with the Tl’et’inqox-t’in (Anaham) government office.
A team of eight dentists, a dental hygienist, a dental assistant, two instructors, 15 students and two Rotarians travelled to Anaham, and with the help of health centre staff delivered dental care.
“It was the first time we’d been to Anaham,” Shuler said. “We’ve done clinics around the province, some in First Nations reserves on Vancouver Island and in First Nations clinics in the Downtown Eastside.”
Around 75 people of all ages from various First Nations communities attended the clinic, some returning for multiple appointments.
“It was jam-packed, even on the last day people were phoning in for appointments,” Anaham Chief Joe Alphonse said.
“People who came the first day went back home into their communities and rounded up more.”
Shuler said there was an interesting energy and enthusiasm on the part of the people from UBC and the community.
“The patients seemed to be extremely appreciative of everything. Of all the people who were there, no one left saying, ‘I hate to go to the dentist,’ they all said, ‘this was fun.'”
In more remote areas, like Anaham, distance can be a problem, he said. It’s an hour and 45 minutes from Anaham to Williams Lake, a distance people probably aren’t willing to travel unless they are in severe pain.
“I think there’s also been a historical problem with Non-Insured Health Benefits compensation. Some dentists don’t like dealing with NIHB so I think some patients don’t get accepted by dentists,” Shuler said.
The feedback from the students was extremely positive and Shuler has received e-mails from the students saying they can’t wait to go back.
One of those is fourth year student Nadine Priya KandolaListen. It was her first visit to a reserve in the Chilcotin and an opportunity she described as “once in a life time.”
Originally from Kelowna, KandolaListen has been a student leader for one of UBC’s Vancouver clinics, but had never volunteered out of Vancouver before the trip to Anaham.
“They really made an effort to welcome us and include us in their customs,” she said. “I don’t think we were all expecting that because in the past there have been a lot of people who are afraid of dentists.”
After all, when 27 dentist-types arrive in a little community, it can be intimidating,” she said. “We all became like family.”
KandolaListen will graduate in 2014. Due to her experience at the Anaham clinic she’s inspired to go north for at least a year to work in a community where there is no dentist.
“Being on these trips you really see the need in some areas,” she said.
Recently retired Williams Lake dentist Christine Constabel and Williams Lake dentist Hannah Tsao were also part of the team.
Constabel said she “poked her nose” into the project early along and ended up being a substitute team leader.
Constabel credited the blitz’s success to the work the First Nations community did with bringing patients to the health centre for appointments.
“We were there at 8:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday and had three people there waiting for us on Saturday morning,” Constabel said.
The visitors also gained cultural experience.
They toured fishing sites at Farwell Canyon, saw the Woman Who Turned to Stone, and participated in traditional games.
“I had never seen the Woman Who Turned To Stone before,” Constabel said.
“It’s a natural sculpture along the Chilcotin River. It’s a very beautiful site and we enjoyed seeing it.”
They also participated in a sweat lodge on Saturday evening and it was a first for everyone, Shuler said.
When the Anaham health centre was first built, the community had no funding for a dentist, yet went ahead and included a state-of-the-art dentist office, hoping in the future they might be able to offer dentistry, Alphonse explained.
That has been realized partly with the recent addition of Dr. Nick Girn, who through Health Canada delivers a dentistry clinic in Anaham every other week.
It was Girn’s clinic that first inspired Constabel to question the need for the blitz, but she heard loudly from the Anaham band there are more patients than Girn can accommodate.
“I connected with Dr. Grin afterwards to let him know who we had seen that might come for follow up because we didn’t finish the work,” Constabel said.
“I also wanted to tell him we’d used up the large sized gloves in the clinic. ”
To augment the existing dentistry office, UBC brought five portable dental units and portable dentals chairs and instruments.
Thompson Rivers University Williams Lake grants officer Shirley-Pat Chamberlain, who participated on behalf of the Rotary Club of Williams Lake Daybreak, said she hoped the relationship with UBC’s School of Dentistry continues to grow.
“Interested individuals can start their pre-dental studies locally with a savings of almost $10,000 in comparison to cost in the lower mainland. These credits would then be transferable to the programs offered by the UBC School of Dentistry,” Chamberlain said.
Dr. Evan Wiens, who graduated from the school in 2012, helped organize the Anaham clinic.
Comparing it to other clinics, he said the response from Anaham was very warm, which helped make the clinic excellent.
“I would love to come back there next year,” he said.
A measure of the clinic’s success is the fact they were able to offer $18, 000 worth of dentistry for free, Wiens said.
“It’s not to highlight the money so much as to show that even a weekend can make a difference.”
Copyright 2013 Williams Lake Tribune