report to membership - march 2016 - enoch cree...

Chief & Council are committed to uniting our Nation around a common vision for the future. A

future rooted firmly in the wisdom and knowledge of our grandfathers and grandmothers. A

future based on respect and the creation of shared values between our people and our

neighbours. We are pleased to update Membership on our work and results thus far.

REPORT TO MEMBERSHIP -

MARCH 2016

MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER

Report to Membership – March 2016

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Message from Chief Morin .................................................................................................................. 2

ECN Strategic Plan .............................................................................................................................. 3

Dr. Begay’s Education Session: Nation Building ............................................................................. 4

New Agreement with TransAlta .......................................................................................................... 5

100 Year Integrated Land Use Plan .................................................................................................... 6

New and Improved Communication Channels .................................................................................. 7

Maskêkosak Cree Language Initiative ................................................................................................ 8

Operational Review ............................................................................................................................. 9

Renaming of 23rd Ave to Maskêkosihk Trail .................................................................................... 11

Implementation of New HR Policies & Procedures ......................................................................... 12

River Cree Crossing Phase 1-A ........................................................................................................ 13


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REPORT TO MEMBERSHIP - MARCH 2016

MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER

Message from Chief William (Billy) Morin:

Tansi Maskêkosak,

I want to start by thanking the Elders for their guidance thus far. Yes, I

am a young Chief and yes we are a fairly young Council so your words

mean a great deal to us. We will always look to you to help us define a

strong and prosperous future for our people.

The world around us is volatile and changing fast and with that comes

challenges and opportunities for our Nation. To meet these challenges

and capitalize on opportunities, we continue to execute our Strategic

Plan. Our Strategic Plan guides leadership to continually address four

priorities designed to ensure a better tomorrow for our Nation:

1. Stronger Governance

2. Infrastructure and Economic Development

3. Improved Band Operations

4. Unity through Culture

This update will talk about our work on a number of these priorities and

I look forward to sharing more about the progress in the months to

come.

With new federal, provincial, and municipal governments, I believe that

we, along with all Nations, have the best opportunity in generations to

address and heal from the wrongs of the past. However, we cannot

only look behind us, we must look forward, united and take our rightful

place in conversations about the future of Alberta and Canada and

about the use of our lands and its resources. We have a choice to

make. We can stand united and join these conversations to secure real

and lasting benefits for our Nation, or we can fight for the sake of

fighting. Together we can capitalize on the opportunities before us.

Divided, they will pass us by. I choose unity.

Hiy-hiy for your support and commitment to our Nation!

Chief William (Billy) Morin

Enoch Cree Nation

HISTORIC DEAL

REACHED WITH

TRANSALTA

“Our future is ours to create. It is up to us to unite and make it come true. We will find it in win-win solutions, not in fighting for the sake of fighting.” Chief Billy Morin

TransAlta is only rebuilding an old line – no new lines are proposed

TransAlta is to pay ECN nearly $14 M in compensation over 20 years

Some of the funds can be used to fund a new Elders Centre

They have agreed to no new powerlines in future

We can seek removal of all lines when land is needed for housing

Will support a new valuation of our lands

Defined employment opportunities

“We assessed the dispute with TransAlta using one of Alberta’s most respected lawyers. It was clear that our legal case was not strong. So we chose to negotiate with a goal of securing real long-term benefits. Mission accomplished.” Councillor Michelle Wilsdon

(Details on Pages 5 & 6)


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HIGHLIGHTS AND UPDATES – MARCH 2016

ECN Strategic Plan 2015-2017 The “ECN Strategic Plan 2015-2017” document is the result of

a fundamental review of ECN’s current position and is designed

to reflect the goals of our Nation and guide Council in its

decision-making over the next 18 months.

A key responsibility of leadership is to set the strategic direction

for our Nation over the long-term. We fully recognize that 18

months is not long-term. With decreasing revenues resulting

from a weak regional economy, we must identify strategic

priorities for our Nation in the short-term in order to weather the

economic downturn. At the same time, it is Chief & Council’s

responsibility to implement key initiatives that will set the

foundation for good governance and Nation building. It is a difficult task to manage both these efforts

with limited financial resources. We must focus our time and resources to those initiatives that will see

the greatest benefit for our people and promote lasting positive change.

Our Strategic Plan provides direction to C&C, management, employees, and Membership that will

helps us work together towards common goals. Over time, our priorities must and will evolve to meet

future challenges and opportunities. As we adjust to changing priorities, our Strategic Plan will also

evolve.

Summary of ECN Strategic Plan 2015-2017

Priority # 1: Governance

Priority # 2: Infrastructure & Economic Development

Priority # 3: Redefine Band Operations

Priority # 4: Uniting Through Culture

1.1 Develop an ECN Constitution

2.1 Complete Lapotac Boulevard

3.1 Operational Review 4.1 Cree Language Initiative

1.2 Develop a Code of Conduct for Chief & Council

2.2 Develop ECN Land Use Plans

3.2 Financial Restructuring

4.2 Elders Advisory Council

1.3 Financial Management Law and Policy

2.3 Economic Development

3.3 Re-Evaluate KEA Board

4.3 Mental Health & Addictions Strategy

1.4 TransAlta Negotiations

2.4 River Cree Crossing and Commercial Development

3.4 Revise Housing Policy & Procedures

1.5 Yekau Lake Bombing Range Land Claim

2.5 Infrastructure Master Planning

3.5 Communication Strategy

1.6 Create Partnerships 2.6 New Elders Centre

2.7 Health as a Business Model


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Dr. Begay’s Education Session: Nation Building – February 25th & 26th, 2016 Aligns with Strategic Priorities 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, & 2.3

Chief & Council invited Dr. Manley Begay to Enoch Cree Nation on February 25th & 26th, 2016, to facilitate a two-day special educational session on Indigenous Nation-Building: Leadership, Governance, Culture, and Economic Success that was open to all Membership. Dr. Begay is from the Navajo Nation and is a tenured professor at the Northern Arizona University and is the co-director of the award-winning Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development at Harvard University. Chief & Council, Elders and Membership explored the concepts of Nation Building and gained a clear understanding of what holds First Nations back from reaching their goals of being strong independent First Nations. Dr. Begay pointed out that the most successful First Nations effectively separate business from politics, have clear rules, and a leadership that works together and focuses on setting the vision and long-term strategic direction of the Nation (rather than political factions fighting for “control” of the “goodies”). In addition, successful Nations ensure that cultural values are at the center of their governance systems. When developing our strategic priorities, C&C took a healthy and critical view of the things that hold our Nation back and shared ideas about how we can overcome the barriers we currently face. We agreed that the most important element of our success will be uniting our Membership to rally around the changes we need to make in order to rebuild our Nation so that it continues to thrive far into the future and leaves a legacy that our grandchildren will be proud of.

If you could not make Dr. Begay’s educational sessions, feel free to stop by the Chiefs Office to pick up copies of his various presentations over the two-days.


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A New Agreement with TransAlta

Aligns with Strategic Priorities 1.4, 1.6, & 2.6

After three months of intense negotiations with TransAlta, Chief & Council have reached an agreement that we feel is in the best interests of our Nation. There is a lot of information going around the Nation about this issue, some of it is accurate and some of it is not.

Before sharing the benefits of the agreement with you, we want to start by providing you with the facts so you can make your own assessment of the agreement we have reached.

The facts:

In 1956 & 1981, TransAlta was granted the rights to locate power lines in a right-of-way (ROW) corridor located at the southern end of our Reserve. ECN, Certificate of Possession (CP) and Certificate of Occupation (CO) Landholders were provided compensation for the lands taken up by the ROW.

Today, there are three transmission lines within the ROW corridor. In 2012, TransAlta began work to upgrade one of the lines (904L). The work was half completed when the C&C of the time ordered a stop to the work and prevented TransAlta from accessing the ROW.

TransAlta is not trying to build a new line. They are rebuilding the very old line before it becomes unsafe by replacing the current wooden poles with steel poles.

TransAlta took legal action against Enoch because we prevented them from accessing the ROW to complete the transmission line upgrade. The original claim against Enoch sought a minimum of $3 million in damages.

In November 2015, Enoch retained Ed Molstad of Parlee McLaws LLP to assess the strengths and weaknesses of TransAlta’s rights and they have advised us that TransAlta has the legal right to rebuild its line.

According to our legal counsel, nothing that TransAlta has done to change its name or sell the rest of its transmission system to AltaLink takes away from their legal right to rebuild the line and they continue to own all of the lines in the corridor.

AltaLink is rebuilding the line outside our Reserve and they are contracted by TransAlta to do it on our Reserve. According to legal counsel, TransAlta is within its rights to use AltaLink and other contractor’s service in this way – this technicality does not help in a court case.

The current C&C had to make a decision between trying to find a negotiated solution to the dispute or sticking to the position that TransAlta did not have the right to be on ECN Reserve lands and then fighting that question out with TransAlta in court.

Because legal counsel felt our chances of success were very low, we chose to negotiate with the goal of getting as much benefit for our Nation as possible.

STEEL POLE VS WOOD POLE


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You may hear that Chief & Council have not been strong enough with TransAlta and AltaLink, or that we left money on the table. We do not agree. We looked at the risks and rewards of continuing on with the litigation and were satisfied that we would do much better to use our leverage in a negotiation.

Our negotiating team worked endless hours, keeping TransAlta’ s feet to the fire to secure said significant benefits for our Nation. We had four consultation meetings with Nation members including CP and CO Landholders.

Chief & Council are pleased to announce that we have concluded a Cooperation Agreement with TransAlta in relation to the utility Right of Way on our Reserve lands.

The Cooperation Agreement will provide Enoch with payments totalling nearly $14 Million over 20 years. This includes the following one-time payments:

$2,828,000 of employment and construction opportunities

$700,000 for a Traditional Land Use and Area Structure Plan Study

$250,000 for construction access

$250,000 Nation investment donation this year

$250,000 Nation investment donation next year

$150,000 in legal fees (this means TransAlta is paying for our lawyers)

$50,000 for an Annual Structure Payment Study

Enoch will also receive the following ongoing payments:

$280,000 per year for the lines on the Reserve lands for 20 years which will total $5.6 Million over the 20-year period.

Ongoing property taxes and annual structure payments of $3.7 Million.

In exchange for the above payments, TransAlta, AltaLink, and their contractors will be permitted to have access to the power lines in order to complete construction upgrades to their facilities. These upgrades are anticipated to be completed in November of 2016. They will also be permitted to access their power lines in order to complete ongoing maintenance over the term of the Cooperation Agreement (20 years).

Should any member wish to review a copy of the Cooperation Agreement, it is available upon request to Chief & Council.

We are confident that this deal represents the best possible outcome for our Nation and ensures an improved relationship with TransAlta going forward.

100 Year Integrated Land Use Plan Aligns with Strategic Priorities 2.2 & 2.3 In 2015, Chief & Council engaged Urban Sytems to work with our economic development arm (River Cree Development Corporation) and our Lands department to prepare an Integrated Land Use Plan for our Nation. The Integrated Land Use Plan is being developed for the following reasons:

To develop a long-term vision for our Nation’s lands

To identify and protect culturally and environmentally significant lands

To define areas for Nation growth and economic development

To coordinate efforts between the Nation, Certificate of Possession (CP) and Certificate of Occupation (CO) Landholders


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The Integrated Land Use Plan involves Nation engagement and discussion that looks at the past, present and future land use needs of our Nation. It will project the population, housing and land use requirements of our Nation up to 100 years from now. The goal is to develop a well understood and supported document that will be used by our Nation to guide us in making land related decisions.

Over the past several months, we have held numerous workshops and heard from hundreds of students, Elders, and Nation members to gain significant insight about how our Nation should use and protect its lands. We are currently in the process of drafting the first concept plan and will be continuing with Nation engagement into the future to validate what we have heard thus far and to provide additional opportunities for Membership to get involved.

We are currently on schedule to complete the Integrated Land Use Plan by this summer. Also, we will be kicking off the Traditional Land Use study in the near future!

New and Improved Communication Channels Aligns with Strategic Priority 3.5

Chief & Council have been working hard to

uphold our collective commitment to improve

communication with Membership and bring our

Nation into a new era of honesty and

transparency. While we recognize that we still

have a lot of work ahead of us to improve our

communication, we would like to take a moment

and celebrate some of our achievements to date:

Monthly band meetings

Monthly Elders meetings

New Enoch Cree Nation Website: www.enochnation.ca

Report to Membership - March 2016

Meetings with virtually every band department/program

Public distribution of all C&C and BOD motions

Monthly distribution of C&C schedule

Open meetings at Council Chambers

Hundreds of Nation members successfully engaged in the Operational Review and Integrated

Land Use Plan initiatives

Going forward, Council Divisional Leads with the help of ECN management will be required to produce

quarterly reports to Membership per fiscal year (April 1st to March 31st).

Coming Soon – An App exclusively designed and built for Enoch Cree Nation Members!

http://www.enochnation.ca/


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Maskêkosak Cree Language Initiative: Reclaiming and Revitalizing Cree Language in

Our Nation.

Aligns with Strategic Priority 4.1

Tansi Everyone,

We are undergoing an exciting new

initiative and with your help we will

grow and develop a brighter future

for our children, grandchildren,

great grandchildren and future

generations of those yet to be born.

Our vision is that all areas of our

Nation will work together, doing

what we can to help one another

speak and retain our traditional Cree language. This will also help to build our Nation by strengthening

our individual and community identity, increasing our sense of belonging, and valuing the wisdom and

strength in the gift of language. Our goal is to identify, increase and develop what is working well in

language learning.

Activities to Date

Throughout the fall and winter, representatives from our various departments/programs including

Health, Kitaskinaw, Daycare, Head Start, Culture, Administration, Archives, Elders, and Infrastructure

along with the Chief and Council Divisional Leaders for Health, Education and Administration have

been meeting regularly to provide input about our Cree language experiences.

Plans

There are many benefits to furthering the use of our Cree language here

at Enoch Cree Nation. Therefore, the Cree Language Initiative working

group has committed to Cree language promotion activities for the long-

term. Already you have seen the road signs that are being put up with

Cree words. This is a good start!

We know we cannot leave this initiative on the shelf that is why we are

committed to keeping this going and moving it forward for many generations to come. There are many

ways to teach and learn through songs, ceremonies, stories, computer programs, language camps,

phone apps, videos, conversations, mentors in day-care, IPad, C.D’s, books, pictures, etc. We want to

identify how to help everyone achieve success! Our goal is to develop action plans for programs and

for anyone who is committed to taking on various tasks.

Tâpwehtamowin (We are believing we can do it)! Mamawihkamatowin (Everyone working together)!


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Operational Review

Aligns with Strategic Priorities 3.1 & 3.2

In September 2015, Chief & Council sent out a

Request for Proposal to several consulting

firms inviting them to bid on a project to

undertake a comprehensive review of our

Nation’s operations. It was important to retain

an outside firm to conduct this work, because

we knew that a third party point of view was

necessary to obtain honest and constructive

feedback. We needed someone to tell us what

we “need to hear” rather than what we “want

to hear”. Nichols Applied Management was

the successful applicant, and they were

brought on board in October 2015. ECN was

successful in obtaining grant funds from INAC’s Professional and Institutional Development Program to

pay for half the cost of the Operational Review.

This review will identify key management, operational and financial issues, generate recommendations

for improvement and outline a plan for implementation. The review is being undertaken to ensure that

ECN resources are being utilized to their fullest potential thereby ensuring Membership receives the

most effective and efficient services possible. Ultimately, a review of ECN’s internal operations will

improve sustainability, transparency, accountability and employee relations. One of the key deliverables

will be a new wage and salary grid for ECN employees.

Chief & Council along with ECN management will aim to implement some of the recommendations

beginning April 2016.

Ron Minks – New Chief Operating Officer (COO) Aligns with Strategic Priority 3.1

As of October 19th, 2015, Enoch Cree Nation was pleased to introduce Ron Minks as our new Chief Operating Officer (COO). Ron has held various key executive management roles for large environmental corporations and has nearly 25 years of collective management experience. Ron brings a wealth of experience in strategic planning, finance, budgeting and organizational development. Ron’s role as COO will be to lead the organization and all ECN employees in achieving the Nation’s mandate, goals and objectives. He is responsible for the overall development, implementation, administration and management of the day-to-day operations of the organization under the direction of Chief & Council.

Welcome aboard Ron!


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Marie Delorme – River Cree Board Appointment

Chief & Council are pleased to announce that Dr. Marie Delorme has accepted an appointment to the 1023576 Alberta Ltd. and River Cree Enterprises GP Ltd. Board of Directors for one year as an Outside Director. This position has been vacant for several months as Chief & Council put a significant amount of thought and effort to recruit the brightest talent to serve on the Board.

Dr. Marie Delorme is CEO of The Imagination Group of Companies. She serves on the RCMP Foundation Board and the National Aboriginal Economic Development Board. She is an advisor to two universities and also serves on economic advisory boards to the provincial and federal governments.

She received the Inspire Award in Business and Commerce and was named as one of Canada’s 100 Most Powerful Women. Dr. Delorme has also received the University of Calgary Dr. Douglas Cardinal Award; Alberta Chamber of Commerce Business Award of Distinction; Calgary Chamber of Commerce Salute to Excellence Award, and Métis Nation Entrepreneurial Leadership Award. Marie’s extensive experience in business, leadership and governance will work to strengthen the River Cree Resort & Casino, and bring assets that will be key to the ongoing success and stability of our Resort.

Welcome aboard Dr. Delorme!

Dr. Willie Littlechild – Retained as General Legal Counsel and Governance Advisor

Aligns with Strategic Priorities 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, & 4.2

Chief & Council have been successful in retaining Dr. Wilton (Willie) Littlechild

as our in-house legal counsel and governance advisor.

Wilton has the distinction of being the first Treaty First Nation person to acquire

his law degree from the University of Alberta in 1976. He also holds Bachelor

and Master’s degrees in Physical Education, an honorary Doctor of Laws

degree from the University of Alberta, and the Indigenous Peoples’ Counsel

(IPC) designation. An avid sportsman and athlete, he has won more than 70

provincial, regional, national and international championships, was a founder of

the North American Indigenous Games, and was selected as a torch bearer and ambassador for the

2010 Olympics. He has been inducted into seven sports Halls of Fame. Wilton served as a Member of

Parliament from 1988 to 1993 for the riding of Wetaskiwin-Rimby, served on several senior committees

in the House of Commons, and served as a parliamentary delegate to the United Nations. He was

appointed as the Honorary Chief for the Maskwacis Crees and also honoured by the Chiefs of the

Confederacy of Treaty 7 and 8 First Nations as the International Chief for Treaty 6. Chief Littlechild is a

dedicated advocate of the implementation of treaties between Indigenous peoples and the Crown, and

a pioneer of the global Indigenous rights movement. He was recently honoured with the Alberta Order

of Excellence.

Welcome aboard Willie!


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Renaming of 23rd Avenue to Maskêkosihk Trail


In November 2015, Mayor Don Iveson joined

Chief & Council for dinner at Sage. This meeting

was a first introduction, but many topics of

business were discussed that focused on ways

the City of Edmonton and Enoch Cree Nation

could work together and support each other.

The idea was brought forward to rename 23rd

avenue in honor of ECN, but in a way that would

also honor our Cree language and traditions.

Mayor Iveson was enthusiastic about the idea, as

it aligned perfectly with his commitment to work

hard to repair relations with First Nations citizens

and neighbours, and to recognize and celebrate its centuries of aboriginal history.

After months of planning, it was finally announced on February 12, 2016 that a portion of the road that links

Edmonton with Enoch Cree Nation will bear the name Maskêkosihk Trail pronounced “Muss-Kay-Go-See”.

This Cree word refers to the land location of ECN and is a derivative of Maskêkosak pronounced “Muss-

Kay-Go-Suk”, meaning “people of the land of medicine”.

This was a historic day for Enoch, one we are all very proud of!


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Implementation of New HR Policies & Procedures Aligns with Strategic Priority 3.1 As of October 1st, 2015, Chief & Council along with our Human Asset Development department implemented new HR policies and procedures for all ECN employees. These policies and procedures are to guide the human resource activities of our organization and outline employee rights and protections to ensure fair employment practices for all ECN employees and job applicants. We are very proud of these policies and procedures as they were created by a working committee of all Nation members. Until October, ECN had not updated their HR policies and procedures since the late 80’s.

Enoch Cree Nation Opened Two Brand New Facilitates in 2016!

New RCMP Police Detachment

On January 8th, 2016, we officially opened our new RCMP Police Detachment located in the heart of our community along provincial Highway 60 (Devonian Way).

New Venue at the River Cree Resort & Casino

On December 31st, 2015, our

Resort officially hosted its first show in our brand new Venue. With phase 1 of construction completed, phase 2 aims to be completed late spring/early summer.


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River Cree Crossing Phase 1-A


Construction of the River Cree Crossing Phase 1-A commercial development has finally begun. The

following is a brief synopsis of the benefits it will bring to our Nation:

ECN retains 100% ownership of

the $25 million dollar project

Total equity investment of $1.5

million in cash injected and 3.6

acres of land valued at $6 million

Job creation – development and

ongoing operations

Acts as an additional “driver” to

the River Cree Resort & Casino

Keeps First Nation spending with

First Nation economies

Provides better services to

Membership

Convenience store will carry the

Shell brand and all the benefits

associated with the Shell franchise

Appreciation and debt reduction – 20 year equity projection of $40 million

20 year projected income of over $36.6 million

20 year total project benefit of $76.6 million

Development includes:

25,000 square foot office building that includes a bank, spa, and pharmacy

6, 497 square foot convenience store that includes a post office that could operate an additional

1,000 mail boxes

15, 000 square foot car wash with 12 self service bays and one high end automated wash


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“INVESTING IN OUR FUTURE BY CHAMPIONING

OUR PAST.”

Enoch Cree Nation PO Box 29

Enoch, AB T7X 3Y3

Tel: 780 470 4505

Web: enochnation.ca

report to membership - march 2016 - enoch cree...

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