Glooscap First Nation Annual Report

Glooscap First Nation Annual Report

1COUNCIL REPORT

It’s hard to believe this is our second full year to report to our Annual General Assembly. The past few years seem to have flown by so quickly but other things seem to drag on forever. I must say that our community members have been very supportive of what we have accomplished over the past few years. We have listened to our membership in regards to accountability, transparency, communications and economic development. As I noted before some things happened quickly and other things just seems to take longer than planned. In our report I will not go through our accomplishments as our staff have done a tremendous job in putting the annual report together for everyone to review. I must commend our staff as they have done a great job through the year in service and program delivery as well as finding new initiatives to help our community members. We as council appreciate the work they have done and must continue to let them do their job. As you all know, we now have our 10 year community plan completed which helps guide ourselves and our staff to work towards the betterment of our entire community.

I will briefly provide a synopsis on what the Council has accomplished in terms of accountability, transparency, communications and economic development.

Accountability: We continue to be available to all membership by being in the office; we have a monthly council meetings where we have set aside an hour for membership to come and meet with council; we have hired qualified staff who possess the designations and qualifications for the positions they hold; we maintain a positive working relationship with out lawyer so if emergencies arise, they can be dealt with in quickly and efficiently; we have annual audits completed and work closely with auditor in setting up good financial practises; we meet with our bank manager on regular bases, and when we are looking at new initiatives we hold community meetings and send out information to our membership. We also offer online services for any members who would like to participate in our community sessions but are unable to attend in person.

Transparency:Our financial records are audited annually; our employments position are posted through our website, on our Facebook page and posted in the community, and career beacon; and at the annual meeting we provide a budget that shows the financial comparison of the year for membership to see. I do appreciate the confusion and frustration at times however breach of confidentiality, labour codes and human rights do not allow us to provide certain information and we need to ensure we pay close attention to these regulations or restrictions to protect the Band, employees and community members.

Communications:We now have our website up and running and our Facebook site is in place.Both of these tools are updated on a regular bases, many of our staff now have the tools to upload new information in both systems;we continue to put together a newsletter particularly our health staff and Fisheries have been very active in getting their information out to everyone; we all have cellular phones we carry daily and our landlines have extensions where if we are not available it allows members to leave messages. I do know that we need to work on physically answering our office phone, in future we will work on that as item was identified as issue and concern of our membership. However please leave a message and we will get back to you;we now have a Senior/Elders association formed and we are working with them closely to help get them up and running and finding a location for them to call home; we work with the Chapel committee, the youth group and we are members of various organisations outside of the community. We feel it is important that we are involved in the surrounding communities so they to be aware that we are growing and we need them to be part of our community as well.

Economic Development:We as council identified the importance of the long-term sustainability of our community.Having said that, we as the political body are not business people, neither do we have the capacity nor time committed to run our own sources revenue businesses as required for long-term sustainability. We knew the importance and need of assessing our operations whether it is marketing, human resources and capacity development and looking at efficiencies of how our business operations could be run was paramount. Knowing how much time, knowledge, experience and capacity required to do this was definitely more than what council could take on. We also knew that time is of essence as well as we are steadily witnessing declines in gaming revenues to the community. As result much discussion took place and the need for a business component of the band was identified. In April, we officially created the Glooscap First Nation Development Corporation.

As our gaming revenues were dropping significantly the need to expand our economic development opportunities was a necessity to see what other opportunities could there be whether in the community or elsewhere. Our community and surrounding communities have taken a big economic drop over the past few years, i.e.; closing of New Minas Basin, Fundy Gypsum Plant closure, the town of Hantsport dissolving and the Annapolis Valley in general which has resulted in our gaming revenues dropping tremendously over the past few years. Because the urgency of requiring additional opportunities, working more efficiency and creating partnerships the development corporation was necessity to fill this gap.

In closing council will continue to do our due diligence for the protection of our community at large and nobody will be left behind. We know there is still a lot to do and we have made mistakes and will probably make more mistakes but we will continue to stay positive as we move forward. We must commend our staff at both the administration, health and business offices as they have endured and experienced many changes in the way we operate and do business.However, we feel the changes are necessary and will benefit all of Glooscap Band membership for long-term sustainably. We are proud of our staff and membership should be proud of their work as we all should be proud to say we are from Glooscap First Nation.

Before we close our remarks, Council would like to express their congratulations to all the students who graduated this year from high school, university, college and adult school. We are very proud of all of you and wish you all the best in your future endeavours.

- Chief and Council

2Administration Report

A lot has happening in the last year at the Band Hall. We have hired a few new people at both the Band Hall and the Health Centre. We welcomed Amanda Peters (Director of Administration), Athena Koros (Financial Controller), Amanda Francis (Native Employment Officer), Kellie Walsh (Health Centre Receptionist), Tammy Mudge (Community Health Representative), Tanya Greencorn (Community Health Nurse), Sharon Morine (Respite Care Workers), Derrick Hughes (Maintenance Crew), Brodie Zwicker (Maintenance Crew). We’ve also been busy creating Job Descriptions and work plans for the staff along with annual evaluations.

In October 2013 the Council instituted and pensions and benefits plan for the administration, health, maintenance, store, gas bar and gaming staff. We’ve also developed or revised and updated a number of policies and procedures including but not limited to Human Resource Policies, Financial Administration Policy, Code of Conduct for staff, Social Media and Internet Use Policy etc. The staff worked together to develop a two year Operational Plan to guide our work. All of these documents can be located on the website at

Glooscap was also able to enter into a new five (5) year block agreement with Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC) based on a positive assessment of all the work being done to increase accountability of the Chief and Council. This agreement took effect on April 1, 2014.

In September the Council hired and external consultant to assist the community in developing a 10 Year Community Plan. There were community sessions, individual interviews and a web based and paper based survey for community members to complete. In December 2013 a hard copy of the Community Plan was sent to all members over the age of 18 and in January the Council officially launched the plan. The staff has used both the Operational Plan and the Community Plan in the development of their workplans for the 2014-2015 fiscal year. However, here are some of the items that the Council and staff are currently working on.

Items from the Community Plan

Item / Page # / Description
Thriving People
Objective 1: Engaged community members of all ages actively participating in community affairs. / 5 / Council has opened their Council meetings for 1 hour each month specifically to hear concerns from the community. They also maintain an open door policy as do the staff to allow any community member to call or stop by with concerns or issues that they may have. Staff have been conducting workshops on a regular basis. (See list at the end of the report) to engage community members in health, natural resources, education etc. For issues that affect the larger population (i.e. AGM, Launch of the Community Plan) the Council ensures that the events are live streamed on the internet so community members can participate regardless of location.
Thriving People
Objective 2: Well, Active Community Members / 6 / Council had the organizations that work with Glooscap First Nation (Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq, Native Council, Atlantic Policy Congress, Mi’kmaq Rights Initiative, and Mi’kmaw Kina’matnewey) come and present to Council and staff on what their roles are and how they benefit Glooscap.
The Health Staff have been conducting numerous activities to get the community involved including Mother Day and Fathers’ Day Events, Family Fun Day, Pre and Post Natal Classes, Diabetic Breakfast etc. Again please see the list at then of the report.
Thriving People
Objective 3: Honouring the gifts of Community Members / 7 / This section is still in the development phase. Hopefully we will have more on this at next year’s annual assembly.
Thriving People
Objective 4: Increase skills and education levels among community members / 8 / The NEO has been conducting numerous recruitment sessions for community members, including pre-employment programs, and training for the trades. She also assists by placing local jobs and First Nations specific jobs on the Glooscap website. There have been over 100 jobs placed on the website. A list of scholarships and bursaries were placed on the website this year. They were also placed on the Facebook site as they were advertised.
Thriving Culture and Language
Objective 1: Honour existing cultural gifts of community members / 9 / We have been utilizing the gifts of our community members. The Council has been promoting our local artisans and will continue to do so in the coming years. There are initial discussions on the development of a cultural centre for Glooscap First Nation, focusing on Mi’kmaq culture and more specifically on the members and history of Glooscap First Nation. Before any construction takes place, the ideas will be brought to the community for input.
Thriving Culture and Language
Objective 2: Increased cultural interest, knowledge and skills / 10 / In October the Council hosted a celebration of Mi’kmaq culture at the Band Hall and invited a drum group, a story teller etc. from other communities to participate. There were areas where you could learn about the history, language etc. as well as a traditional feast of moose stew and luski. Council is hoping to have another event this coming October.
Thriving Culture and Language
Objective 3: Increased Mi’kmaq Language Skills / 11 / Council and staff are currently working on this. A proposal has been developed to host language classes in the fall of 2014.
There are initial discussion on the development of our own Mawio’mi grounds for the community so that we can host our own events in the summer.
Thriving Infrastructure
Objective 1: Improved Physical Infrastructure of Glooscap First Nation / 12 / The Housing and Maintenance Officer and Glooscap First Nation Economic Development Corporation have been working together to update the Glooscap First Nation Emergency Management Plan which is nearly complete.
Thriving Infrastructure
Objective 2: Quality Housing and Accommodation for Community members / 12 / An inventory of required housing maintenance/repairs was conducted in the spring of 2013 and the list was prioritized by the Housing Committee. The work was then carried out and continues. The Council is currently working on an application for the First Nation Housing Market Fund to understand alternative methods for on reserve housing.
Thriving Infrastructure
Objective 3: Improved human service infrastructure within Glooscap First Nation / 13 / In February, the health staff met with the Annapolis Valley District Health Authority to discuss issues related to Continuing Care and Mental Health /Addictions. The meetings were positive and a stronger relationship has been developed. This will help our community members who require assistance.
The Health staff are looking into securing Medical Transportation through the Non-Insured Health Benefits program that would allow the Council to pay a small wage to someone to transport community members to and from medical appointments. The health staff will keep the community undated on their progress.
The Health staff are looking at providing training in Mental Health First Aid to all Band staff in the near future.
Thriving Infrastructure
Objective 4: Skilled Leadership in the Community / 14 / Job Descriptions for all staff have been revised or developed along with performance measurements and annual evaluations (the first round of annual evaluations of all staff took place in Feb/Mar 2014) The staff also have work plans developed using their agreements with the funders, the Glooscap First Nation Operational Plana and the Glooscap First Nation Community Plan.
Human Resource policies have been updated / developed over the past year. These can be found on the website.
Council undertook communications training in the fall of 2013. They are looking into more Governance training.
Thriving Infrastructure
Objective 5: Planning and Processes in place to guide community decisions and work / 15 / The annual report will include updates such as this on the progress being made in the activities outlined in the Community Plan.
An interagency committee has been developed and meet regularly. Staff from Glooscap, members of Council, the RCMP, Mi’kmaq Family and other services providers attend to discuss issues that they can all work on together to make Glooscap a better place overall.
Thriving Leadership
Objective 1: Improved collective understanding among community members about legislation/Acts that affect First Nations / 16 / News of legislation affecting First Nations is posted on the Facebook site and the website. We will continue to work on this and provide as much information to the community as possible.
Thriving Leaderships
Objective 2: Accountable, Honest, Transparent Leadership / 16 / Council has created the Glooscap First Nation Site on Facebook that is updated with information daily. The website also has information on it including job opportunities, scholarship information, Council meeting updates, a community event calendar, news, all of the policies and procedures, the audited financial statements, a Council/staff list with bios. Etc. The Council/staff also send out regular newsletters including the Spring 2014 newsletter.
Council has an open door policy as do the staff. The office is open 8am-4pm Monday-Thursday for any community members to call or stop in if they have question of concerns. The staff have also been hosting numerous workshops and events to inform community members of program/projects or to get their input into new projects, e.g. The Community Harvest Plan, the Community Plan, input into the review on Public Education etc.
Thriving Leadership
Objective 3: Updated Community Bylaws / 17 / Funding has been acquired to conduct a review and revision of the Glooscap First Nation Band Regulations (also referred to as the bylaws) There will be numerous opportunities for the community to provide input in person, through a survey etc. Please see the website and Facebook Site for more information. The revised Regulations will be presented to the membership at the August 2015 Annual General Assembly
Thriving Partnerships and Relationships
Objective 1: Recognized brand for Glooscap First Nation / 18 / More work needs to be done on this objective. Community members and non-community members are beginning to recognize Glooscap First Nation for the innovative way we are addressing economic development. We are being compared to both Membertou and Millbrook.
Thriving Partnerships and Relationships
Objective 2: Ongoing collaboration with nearby towns/municipalities / 18 / Council has been meeting with the Town of Hantsport and Windsor to potentially partner on a few important initiatives. At present, Glooscap is partnering with Hantsport on the Save the Library campaign as well as partnering to provide Glooscap First Nation with a water holding tank in the community.
Glooscap is the only community to participate in a Regional Enterprise Network (REN) to provide regional economic leadership and help develop regional economic strategies, while supporting small, local businesses.
Councilor Jean Labradore-Powers sits on the Save the Library Committee in Hantsport, Counselor Larry Peters sits on the Kings County Race Relations Committee and Chief Sidney Peters sits on the One Nova Scotia Coalition to look at economic development opportunities in Nova Scotia. These are a few examples of increased participation and recognition of Glooscap First Nation.
Thriving Economic Development
Objective 1: Infrastructure for community economic development in place / 19 / The Council formally established and invested in an independent Glooscap First Nation Economic Development Corporation. They are busy setting up the necessary infrastructure to help the community proper in the future.
Thriving Lands
Objective 1: Treaty Implementation Issues Resolved / 20 / Chief Sidney Peters is now the co-chair of the Mi’kmaq Rights Initiative (KMK) and is involved in all aspects of the work they do. We do have to find a better way to inform the community of the work of the KMK in terms of treaty rights etc.
Thriving Lands
Objective 2: Expand land based resources of Glooscap First Nation / 20 / The Glooscap First Nation Economic Development Corporation is looking into acquiring land for the benefit of the community. We have not yet created a ‘green plan’ for the community but we heard in the community engagements sessions that there is a lot of interest in keeping the community residential and ensuring a lot of green space.
Thriving Lands
Objective 3: People taking pride in the lands of Glooscap First Nation / 21 / More work needs to be done in this area. There is currently no land management plan but the community garden was initiated again this year. Also, there is a cemetery committee to work on ensuring the cemetery is maintained. The nature trail has been maintained.

The Glooscap First Nation Community Plan is a 10 year plan. Each year we will monitor and use the plan to develop staff work plans and activities. While we haven’t gotten to everything this year (we are only 6 months in) we will continue to work on all the activities.