First Nations - CF help, protests, solutions, residential schools, etc. (merged)

[Jarnhamar]

And who keeps pocketing the money?

I think it's an assumption of many that First Nations just keep pocketing all the money but I imagine a lot of companies benefit from this cash flood too. One and two person companies registered to someone's basement skimming millions on these transfers somehow. Or "Indigenous" companies putting in for juicy contracts to deliver whatever.

 

[The Bread Guy]

... I imagine a lot of companies benefit from this cash flood too. One and two person companies registered to someone's basement skimming millions on these transfers somehow. Or "Indigenous" companies putting in for juicy contracts to deliver whatever.

Consultants "helping" First Nations enter the chat ....

 

[Colin Parkinson]

I have met consultants working for FN, who I had to assume were being paid by the word. I also loved putting some onto the spot, particularly if I have been to their client's Reserve more than they had, by asking specific questions about it.

Almost all my experience is with BC bands and a bit with Treaty 8 Alberta and Yukon based FN. The current crop of leaders grew up watching their leaders fight for Rights and title. The FN's mostly won that fight, the issues facing a lot of them now are economic in nature and young population wanting jobs and buying power, but the leaders have little business experience. The bands vary greatly in their ability to respond to that challenge. Partly due to geography and partly to due to attitude. The Haisla and Kelowna Band lead the pack, followed by the Lower Mainland bands and then some of the Vancouver Island bands. In general I have a positive outlook for the bands based on the changes I have seen over the last 20 years.

 

[Booter]

I have met consultants working for FN, who I had to assume were being paid by the word. I also loved putting some onto the spot, particularly if I have been to their client's Reserve more than they had, by asking specific questions about it.

Almost all my experience is with BC bands and a bit with Treaty 8 Alberta and Yukon based FN. The current crop of leaders grew up watching their leaders fight for Rights and title. The FN's mostly won that fight, the issues facing a lot of them now are economic in nature and young population wanting jobs and buying power, but the leaders have little business experience. The bands vary greatly in their ability to respond to that challenge. Partly due to geography and partly to due to attitude. The Haisla and Kelowna Band lead the pack, followed by the Lower Mainland bands and then some of the Vancouver Island bands. In general I have a positive outlook for the bands based on the changes I have seen over the last 20 years.

I’ve got about a decade of working with a variety of different FN governments. I enjoy the work and I like working with them.

But they literally battle on all fronts- so it’s just a matter of survival all the time. The next election. The next minister. The next crisis.

They make very little program headway- because it requires local buy in- and a lot of folks have survival mentality too- so 100 dollars as a gift from the band is worth more than investment in a social program or some infrastructure.

Often more successful as well- these places can’t even get proper cell phone service- where across the high way a town a quarter of the size will have excellent service but a community of 10 thousand can’t get consistent bars, so organizing higher ordered things are not successful- and don’t forget the outsider non-band companies that are ALWAYS preying on the influx of money and delivering shit.

There is no magic bullet on this stuff. I worked a trucking company diesel spill into the pristine useable water of the band and the company tried to lie and obfuscate the damage, the provincial government had no SOPs to respond, the community had no ability to respond, So even where they have clean water- they don’t have the ability to defend or protect it. And if you can’t defend it- is it really yours?