Congratulations to FMCC member Western James Bay Telecom Network (WJBTN), which received the 2020 DeBeers Indigenous Partnership Award on August 13, 2020! The award is given out by the Timmins Chamber of Commerce each year. When it was announced that WJBTN had won, a video produced by Louis Noah from Attawapiskat was played. In the[…]
Original article by Cybera; republished with permission The ConnectIN project was a two-year pilot project evaluating the internet connectivity in First Nations communities in BC, Alberta and Manitoba. Led by three First Nations’ regional technology organizations, and facilitated by Cybera, the goal of this project was to better assess gaps in infrastructure and services. ConnectIN wrapped up[…]
Aug. 21, 2019 The University of Alberta (Faculty of Extension and School of Library and Information Science) and Gwich’in Tribal Council are proud to share two new digital literacy resources. These free open educational resources (OERs) focus on digital content and connectivity with Dinjii Zhuh (Gwich’in) contexts. They include a student workbook and a facilitator[…]
From http://knet.ca/content/fort-severn-first-nation-satellite-broadband-upgrade-relief-community – Submitted by alvinfiddler on Thu, 2019-02-14 Ontario’s most northern remote First Nation has completed a broadband upgrade that has made a real impact. Everyday services are affected by broadband speeds, not just email and web browsing. Fort Severn First Nation is located 715km north of Sioux Lookout and uses satellite broadband for access to health[…]
Company president Curtis Shaw made the statements to standing committee in November From https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/northwestel-connect-to-innovate-1.4960892by Sara Frizzell · CBC News · Last Updated: January 3 Northwestel began offering 15 mbps internet in September 2018. (Travis Burke/CBC) Northwestel asked the federal government to consider the “unique characteristics” of northern operating costs when making decisions on major infrastructure investments. Company president Curtis Shaw spoke at a[…]
Robinson-Huron Treaty wins historic victory for First Nations From http://anishinabeknews.ca/2018/12/25/historic-victory-for-first-nations-court-finds-constitutionally-protected-treaty-right-to-resource-revenue-sharing/ SUDBURY (December 24, 2018)–168 years after signing the Robinson-Huron Treaty, the calls from former and current Anishinabek Chiefs for the Crown to fulfill its Treaty promise to share the resource revenue of the Treaty territory have finally been heard. “We are so pleased that the[…]
INAC Press Release Pikangikum First Nation marks historic connection to provincial electrical grid through Indigenous-led Wataynikaneyap Power project Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) Dec 20, 2018 PIKANGIKUM FIRST NATION, TREATY 5 TERRITORY, ON, Dec. 20, 2018/CNW/ – The Government of Canada is committed to working in partnership with First Nations to build critical community infrastructure and invest in[…]
First Mile partners featured in this year’s Global Information Society Watch report on Community Networks as the Canadian contribution. The chapter is found at https://www.giswatch.org/node/6034 and can be downloaded at https://giswatch.org/sites/default/files/gw2018_canada_0.pdf From https://www.giswatch.org/community-networks Global Information Society Watch Global Information Society Watch (GISWatch) is a collaborative community committed to building an open, inclusive and sustainable information society. 2018[…]
From https://www.internetsociety.org/events/indigenous-connectivity-summit/2018/ The 2018 Indigenous Connectivity Summit is an initiative of the Internet Society, University of Alberta, First Mile Connectivity Consortium, the Town of Inuvik, and Inuvialuit Regional Corporation. The Pre-Summit Training Session at University of Alberta in Edmonton The training session will be held on October 9, 8:30am – 4:30pm for Indigenous people who are currently operating[…]
The journal Northern Public Affairs has published a special issue focused on connectivity in Northern and Indigenous communities. The issue includes research and commentary about Indigenous digital innovations in communities across northern Canada, and features several articles contributed by FMCC members. These articles include: A “whole-community” approach for sustainable digital infrastructure in remote and Northern First[…]