The CBC.ca news story about the fire at the Bell Central Office in Cat Lake First Nation is a great example of the importance of First Mile telecom work by the community (see http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/cat-lake-no-phones-1.3805425). After the fire, Cat Lake leaders worked with KNET (see http://knet.ca) to get their C-Band satellite earth station operating again using the[…]
By Jennifer Leask A modern digital tool like social media likely isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when people consider how to preserve First Nations cultures in Northern Ontario, but sites like Facebook and MyKnet.Org are doing just that – and more – for some communities. When Howard Moose wants to get the[…]
By Jennifer Leask For some people living in Haida Gwaii, better internet connectivity and local economic development go hand-in-hand. The efforts of these tech-savvy islanders aren’t focused on catching up with urban residents – they are about taking the lead. Patrick Shannon is one of those people. The 26-year-old Haida man grew up in Skidegate,[…]
Bandwidth: Kids Built Their Own Internet Infrastructure A story in Motherboard about how First Mile youth in the built and now operate their own broadband infrastructure. The story points to many other examples of innovation taking place in Indigenous communities across Canada, as showcased on the www.firstmile.ca website. Three years ago, the people living in[…]
As of March 6, 2015, after months of planning, the Telehealth Expansion Project (FNTEP) is set to deploy new clinical telehealth equipment, beginning with Coastal and Interior communities in British Columbia. The telehealth equipment will offer rural communities (such as Anahim Lake, Klemtu, Three Corners, Bella Coola, Hartley Bay and many others) the opportunity to access healthcare[…]
Read more about First Nations Community Networks and Aboriginal-led broadband development projects in Canada French Publication #35-F Read more than 70 stories of First Nations community broadband development located on this website Explore these stories on a Google Map that shows their distribution across Canada Digital Divides and the ‘First Mile’: Framing First Nations Broadband[…]
These community stories showcase innovative uses of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) by First Nations communities across Canada. They were written in collaboration with members of First Nations communities and organizations. In all cases the stories that appear here have been verified by organization and/or community members. Thank-you to all the community members who helped[…]
First Mile Field Notes : Tyendinaga takes control of the First Mile By Rob McMahon, Kevin Maracle and Chris Maracle Note: This is an introduction to Tyendinaga’s First Mile connectivity story – in the coming months, community-produced videos will offer more detail of the history of community-driven technology development in Tyendinaga… High-speed broadband fibre runs[…]
‘The Witness’ by Bunky Echo Hawk Rapper and Writer Ostwelve Ron Harris Still shot from Leena Minifie’s ‘Geeka’ Beat Nation and grunt gallery : Hip Hop as Indigenous Culture, based in Vancouver B.C., is a virtual community featuring young Aboriginal artists from across Canada, the United States, and South America with one First Nations artist, Ron[…]
On August 19, 2010 the Sunchild E-Learning Centre celebrated its tenth year of delivering quality distance education to Aboriginal learners throughout Alberta and the NWT. The Sunchild E-learning Centre started when, “[i]n 1999, members of the Sunchild First Nation considered the lack of education in their community and decided alternative methods were needed to reach Aboriginal[…]