This year has, to put it mildly, been a challenging experience for us at Frontiers Manitoba. We have had some successes and lots of challenges. We hope that through this we will grow and develop policies and practices that will allow us to be more effective in meeting the needs of communities for housing and skill development.
Highlights of 2009:
Standing Tree to Standing House Curriculum:
In past years Frontiers Foundation offered in-house certificates for trainees in the Standing Tree to Standing House Program. This year Brian worked together with curriculum developers at Red River College to produce a 5 course certificate program. Trainees will now be registered students with Red River College and will get a College Certificate upon completion. We will be piloting the new curriculum with Garden Hill. Projects in Collins, ON and Kitcisakik, QB also want to run the course this year. Thanks to Rylan Reed at CMHC for the funding to develop this program. This is a true example of partnership.
Log Cabin Building Course:
In partnership with Mary Robinson of Forintek, Frontiers Fdn. hosted our third annual Log Cabin Construction course with Master Builder Walter Keller. Graduates of this year’s program were from Garden Hill and Wasagamack. The course has created much interest with three of graduates building their own log homes, a father and son team buying a saw mill and one First Nation opening up a new development area for log homes.
A House for Erin
Erin Courchene is a single mom and the only woman participant in the Standing Tree to Standing House course at Sageeng First Nation. Erin participated in every phase of the home construction from harvesting and milling the timber, to cutting the siding. Her instructor Brian Monkman, says that she is a “crackerjack” sawyer. Thanks to the Laurie Guimond and Wendy Chevrefils, Employ-ment and Training staff at Sageeng who have gone above and beyond in providing not only the training allowances, but many of the materials as well. Funding for this project was gratefully received from the Sustainable Development Innovation Fund of Manitoba Conservation and CMHC.
Submitted by frontiers on December 22, 2009 - 8:47pm.
ASTSIF meeting
The planning meeting of the Aboriginal Skills and Training Strategic Investment Fund (ASTSIF) took place in Toronto on Tuesday December 15, 2009. Frontiers Foundation Executive Director Marco Guzman welcomed participants, particularly Brigitte Lewis and Bradley Henry at Project Amik community room. The ED pointed out about the importance of this meeting in the history of our federally chartered charitable organization. Frontiers Foundation is the largest and oldest Aboriginal voluntary service organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in disadvantaged communities across Canada and Overseas.
On December 9, 2009 Honorable Diane Finlay, Minister of Human Resources and Skill Development Canada (HRSDC) signed a contract with Frontiers Foundation to provide certifiable housing construction skill training to trainees on three Operation Beaver projects, one in each of Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba.
The Quebec project at Kitcisakik (an Algonquin community south of Val d’Or) will be supervised by FF Regional Field Coordinator Lylas Polson and will involve construction of five new frame homes. The Ontario project is at Collins ( an Ojibwa settlement west of Armstrong) and will produce five new square timber homes under the supervision of FF Field Coordinator Liss Larson. In Manitoba, project site is Garden Hill ( a Cree community on Island Lake) where five new log homes will be built under the supervision of Field Coordinator Brian Monkman.
All projects will reflect the Standing Tree to Standing Home concept pioneered by Frontiers / Beaver years ago in Batchawana Bay, Ontario and South Indian Lake, Manitoba. On each project, local timber is being harvested, skilled and milled by local trainees as directed by our co-ordinators. Our portable Woodmizer mills are making dimension lumber on site; the newest mill an LT40 hydraulic easily capable of lifting square timber to the top rank at the Collins site. Our trainers are drawn from trade training institutions in Winnipeg, Thunder Bay and Temiskaming and will provide classroom and onsite training in framing and interior carpentry, electrical, drywalling, plumbing, foundations, roofing, insulation, finishing and maintenance.
These projects will wind up March 31, 2011.
In attendance were: Laurel Gardiner, Frontiers Acting CEO Manitoba; Brian Monkman, Manitoba Regional Coordinator; Steve MacDougall, Garden Hill Delegate; Veronique Lebuis, Kitcisakik Delegate; Lylas Polson, Quebec Regional Coordinator; Evelyn Roy; Patrick Wilson NFARC Director; Liss Larson, Ontario Regional Coordinator; John Okeese, Collins Delegate; Charles Catto, FF Founding Director; and Marco Guzman, FF Executive Director.
Wishing you a Holy and Merry Christmas, we invite you to celebrate great housing news with us! Above, you’re looking at some very happy Kitcisakik Algonquins in an almost completed new home. These first Canadians have lived for uncounted generations at Grand Lake Victoria in northwestern Quebec in Third Word conditions, without hydro or running water – total population 386. After decades of vain efforts to gain federal recognition as an Indian Reserve, Kitcisakik Chief Edmond Brazeau contacted Frontiers Foundation’s Quebec Field Co-ordinator Lylas Polson, an Algonquin himself. After three years of fruitless pleading for either or both Ottawa and Quebec dollars, Frontiers offered Kitcisakik the use of two of our Woodmizer portables to mill their own timber plus $64,000 for other materials and Lylas’ supervision. Then last February a splendid new partner joined the enterprise: Emergency Architects of Canada. This appropriately dedicated group has already provided volunteer architects, detailed house plans and $35,000 worth of donations for the first five homes.
Submitted by frontiers on November 16, 2009 - 12:23pm.
According to the Founder of Frontiers Foundation Rev. Charles R. Catto, the Golf Tournament at Angus Glen was a successful event. May I take the opportunity to thank you for generous contribution towards the success of the event.
In these difficult economic times, it is a more challenging than ever for those desperately in need of housing to get the help that they need. Your contribution to our Aboriginal voluntary service organization will be as faithfully applied as it is gratefully received. We will endeavour to continue toward our goal of solving the homelessness crisis in Canada.
Submitted by frontiers on October 1, 2009 - 9:38pm.
Peter Moran, Volunteer of the Year Award recipient with Olaf Bjornaa and Marco A. Guzman.
