Present:

Angus Toulouse
Anna Marie Abitong
Arnelda Bennett
Lawrence Solomon
Leroy Bennett
McKenzie Toulouse
Nelson Toulouse
Nicole Eshkakogan (virtual)
Paul Eshkakogan
Rhonda Stoneypoint (virtual in AM)
Sheldon Toulouse

Staff:

Andrea Hajt-Jacobs, Assistant Director – Council Secretariat (virtual)
Darla Boston, Political Office Administrative Assistant
Juanita Skruibis, Director of Family, Community, & Social Services Mark Foden, By-law Enforcement Officer
Meggan McCracken, Director of Finance Nicholas Trudeau, IT Technician
Roger Jones, Council Secretariat (virtual)
Ross Assinewe, Director of Planning & Infrastructure Ryan McLeod, Financial Advisor
Sean Cassidy, Director of IT & Communications
Susan Deschamps, Director of Long-Term Care (virtual)
Wade Owl, Political Office Coordinator
Vance McPherson, Director of Education

Guests:

Cynthia Owl (virtual)

Regrets:

Michael Abitong

Samantha Keysis, Director Lands, Resources & Environment Shelly Watt-Proulx, Director of Mental Health & Addictions

Opening Prayer by Nelson Toulouse Meeting called to order @ 9:56 AM

Opening Remarks | Gimaa Angus Toulouse

As a treaty update, the settlement agreement has been signed. There could be the beginning of disbursement as early as the next few weeks, if there are no motions or other actions taken by the Superior Court. A date range of late February is estimated to be when disbursement, but this does not mean that money will be paid out then, only that the logistics of disbursement will be hopefully finalized.

In addition, there was talk of a photo opportunity being hosted in Sagamok, but there are logistical challenges that will need to be addressed if Sagamok does host, given the crowd an event such as that would draw.

Agenda Items

Motion 2024/01 #01

Sagamok Chief & Council motion to accept agenda as presented and amended.

Moved by: Nelson Toulouse
Seconded by: Arnelda Bennett
A/O: 0
Discussion: The LTC item has been deferred on request of Susan Deschamps. The minutes included will also be revised to include a summary of the RHW discussion that took place during the meeting.
CARRIED

Previous Meeting Minutes

The minutes for the December 18ᵗʰ, 2023 meeting had a number of typographical errors and incomplete sentences. A Membership motion for transfer requires a correction to a name listed on page 8. Will defer the minutes to the next meeting to make the proposed corrections.

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Claims & Negotiations Update | Paul Eshkakogan

Looking for a day or day and a half to review Victoria Mine IBA; would like to bring the agreement in front of Council, possibly last week in February. A portion of the day would also be set aside to discuss Domtar and other claims. A briefing note will be distributed to Council for review.

Dates for the upcoming discussion will be March 6ᵗʰ to March 8ᵗʰ, 2024 for an in-community meeting.

Correspondence

As of January 8ᵗʰ, Sagamok was successful in being added to the First Nations Election Act. As a result, the upcoming Chief & Council election will be for a four-year Council term. Roger Jones will present a briefing note at the next scheduled meeting outlining the new path forward and ensure that any decisions regarding this change made by Council are well-informed.

Incident Management Systems Training for leadership will take place on January 29, 30, and 31 in

Massey at the Sadowski Room. The purpose of this training is to familiarize leadership and directors with the Incident Management Systems to better respond to crises that affect the community. Given the subject matter, it was also recommended that the training be mandatory for staff at Ritchie Falls as they operate at a remote location.

Communications & IT | Sean Cassidy & Mark Foden

Sean will be presenting alongside Mark Foden, By-Law Enforcement on the security cameras now active in the community. Some new signage will be erected throughout the community informing passersby that cameras recording are present, and Council will need to decide which signage is best.

Guidelines recommend that signs depict a camera and a short statement informing that the area is under video surveillance.

Furthermore, the license plate reader operating on these cameras is functioning well; the only known issues are the speed of vehicles as they pass the camera prevent it from being read, and the amount of snow on vehicles tend to obscure license plates. For the speed issue, the speed tracking sign near the access road will be moved ahead of the camera to prompt drivers to slow as they approach the camera. With Council’s agreement, the selected video surveillance signs will be erected near the cameras.

There has been some desire for a video surveillance camera to be placed at the Skate Park and playground near the Youth Center. A “PTZ” camera that allows for panning and zooming would be best for the area, as they have motion tracking capabilities. Council is recommending that further high traffic foot areas be surveyed for potential camera sites.

Regarding the livestreams, the livestreaming policy will be reviewed by the Laws, Justice, Nationbuilding, and Treaties Committee, formerly the Elections Working Group. Membership of the above Committee is Angus Toulouse, Lawrence Solomon, Leroy Bennett, McKenzie Toulouse, and Nelson Toulouse. A key point that requires review is a clearly defined question and answer time frame for community members who wish to participate during Council meetings.

Education | Vance McPherson

Would like to acknowledge the December 21ˢᵗ Solstice Celebration organized by Josephine Toulouse at Espanola High School. All students at the school participated in a feast, with community members from Espanola, Whitefish, and more provided products and produce for the event, and a thank you will be sent to those members and businesses. The successful event will be recognized in the newsletter. Further events coinciding with the solstice are planned and will be communicated.

There is an upcoming Professional Development Day scheduled for the Shkii Waase Binoojihn Gamik, and the ask is to cancel the scheduled PD Day, and reschedule a 2 day PD session for the Keeping Our Fire Burning conference.

Motion 2024/01 #02

Sagamok Chief & Council motion to cancel the scheduled February 2ⁿᵈ PD Day for SWBG staff, and February 28ᵗʰ and 29ᵗʰ be declared the PD Days for SWBG with mandatory attendance at the Keeping Our Fire Burning Conference in Sudbury on those days.

Moved by: Arnelda Bennett
Seconded by:
A/O: 0
Discussion:
CARRIED

Motion 2024/01 #03

Sagamok Chief & Council motion to authorize the Director of Education to sign the letter and remit to the Director of Governance of the First Nations with Schools Collective at the earliest possible convenience, and no later than January 24ᵗʰ, 2024, for inclusion in the attached funding application form.

Moved by: Nelson Toulouse
Seconded by: Leroy Bennett
A/O: 0
Discussion:
CARRIED

Update on Child Welfare | Juanita Skruibis

Regarding Sagamok’s assumption of Jordan’s Principle management, 8 interviews have been conducted for the position, with some of them being Sagamok members with experience with Jordan’s Principle.

Juanita had a meeting with Nogdawindamin on December 27ᵗʰ to outline needed information required for the assumption of delivery of services. The requested information has yet to be received, and will be provided to Chief & Council upon receipt. Another upcoming meeting with Nogdawindamin is scheduled for February 1ˢᵗ and 2ⁿᵈ, and an invite will be circulated to Council for scheduling.

Andrea and Roger met with Valerie Assinewe of Nvision Consulting, who is a member of Sagamok, and are looking to engage them to assist with this process.

Notice was provided on September 29ᵗʰ, 2023, to ISC that we will be assuming the prevention funding in the amount of $4,000,000.00. This will allow for the purchase of services for families living off-reserve while the CFAU builds the necessary capacity for on-reserve services.

Finally, changes are coming to the food bank; staff at the Food Bank and the Food Bank Clients are being surveyed and asked about what they would prefer to see. The results will be presented at the next Council meeting. The Food Bank is also considering becoming a registered Food Bank.

Lunch Break at 12:25 PM from 1:14 PM

Planning & Infrastructure | Ross Assinewe

Indigenous Community Energy Plan Update is being presented; working with S Burnett & associates to update the Community Energy Plan. The electrical needs for new and current residential is to be under capital development.

Ross will ask for a revised report from the S. Burnett & Associates for a breakdown of costs saved as a result of energy retrofits on community buildings.

Motion 2024/01 #04

Sagamok Chief & Council motion to accept the Community Energy Plan as presented.

Moved by: Paul Eshkakogan
Seconded by: Leroy Bennett
A/O:
Discussion: Ross will approach S. Burnett & Associates with discrepancies in energy costs for the Multi Education Center as listed in table 4 of the report.
CARRIED

Motion 2024/01 #05

Sagamok Chief & Council motion to move forward with the recommendation to use the IEP funding on the Multi-Education Centre for solar panels.

Moved by: Arnelda Bennett
Seconded by: Sheldon Toulouse
A/O:
Discussion:
CARRIED

Motion 2024/01 #06

Sagamok Chief & Council motion to approve BCR 2024-01-47 – Public Transportation & Highway Improvement Act Petition for Payment.

Moved by: Nelson Toulouse
Seconded by: Anna Marie Abitong
A/O:
Discussion:
CARRIED

Motion 2024/01 #07

Sagamok Chief & Council motion to approve and sign the Loan Renewal Agreement for CMHC Account. #16-134-892-013.

Moved by: Anna Marie Abitong
Seconded by: Lawrence Solomon
A/O:
Discussion:

CARRIED

Motion 2024/01 #08

Sagamok Chief & Council motion to approve and sign the Loan Renewal Agreement for CMHC Account. #16-134-892-018.

Moved by: Rhonda Stoneypoint
Seconded by: Sheldon Toulouse
A/O:
Discussion:
CARRIED

Finance | Ryan McLeod

The BMO Banking Agreement was already approved at the December 19ᵗʰ, 2023 Council meeting. These additional BCRs are being presented for signature with the assumption of approval alongside the banking agreement.

Additionally, ZEI is looking for support in an application for funding as part of a Community Operations Readiness Plan.

Motion 2023/01 #09

Sagamok Chief & Council motion to support application 2024-01-46 ZEI Community Operations Readiness Plan Application.

Moved by: Nelson Toulouse
Seconded by: Lawrence Solomon
A/O: 0
CARRIED

Human Resources | Natalie Spencer

Health and Safety Committee received some concerns regarding individuals loitering in the bathrooms of the Multi-Education Centre, and drug paraphernalia was found. A recommendation was made to hire a security person to monitor the building, and a posting was put up. Further, the bathroom doors will be locked and keys to access will be given to all offices. Lastly, as food bank clients move through the entirety of the MEC building to access the food bank, Ross is working to ensure that a better access point is made available to limit foot traffic passing through the building.

Regarding the incident at the post office, the APS were called to intervene, but did not show until an hour later, as no one was on call at the time. With regards to security at the Multi-Education Centre, the newly posted job security posting specifies a more direct and intervention based approach for security concerns while keeping safety in mind for all at the forefront.

Council & Community Committees| Andrea Jacobs

Motion 2023/01 #10

Sagamok Chief and Council motion to accept the following recommendation for ten (10) Committees to be community inclusive “Community Committees” and for nine (9) Interim Council and key staff only “Working Groups” as follows for immediate posting to recruit Community representatives to those Community Committees using the committee member application form.

Moved by: Rhonda Stoneypoint
Seconded by: McKenzie Toulouse
A/O: 0
CARRIED

The Committees and Working Groups are as follows:

Council Only Working Groups

1. Finance and Audit Committee

2. Human Resources Committee

3. Housing Committee

4. Case Management Working Group

5. Economic Development and Employment Committee

6. Membership Working Group

7. Elders Council or Gatherings

8. Youth Council or Gatherings

9. Healing Lodge

Community Committees

1. Planning and Sustainable Development Committee

2. Laws, Justice and Nation Building and Treaties

3. Child and Family Wellbeing Committee

4. Integrated Primary Health Committee

5. Mental Health and Addictions Committee

6. In-Home and Community Care Committee

7. Recreation and Cultural Services Committee

8. Education Committee

9. Language Committee

10. Elder’s Eagle Lodge Committee

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In Camera Session

No motions made during in camera session.

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Adjournment

Next Meeting is scheduled for February 6ᵗʰ, 2024 at 5:30 PM.

Motion 2024/01 #11

Sagamok Chief & Council motion to adjourn the meeting.

Moved by: Arnelda Bennett
Seconded by: McKenzie Toulouse
A/O: 0
Discussion:
CARRIED

Closing Prayer by Nelson Toulouse.

Meeting adjourned.

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