Community Vitality Monitoring Partnership Process Eleventh ...us.areva.com/.../Mining/Annual_Report_2009.pdf · recommendation from the Panel states “Protection of northern communities

Community Vitality Monitoring

Partnership Process

Eleventh Annual Report 2009

Community Vitality Steering Committee

January 2010

Community Vitality

Monitoring

Partnership Process

Eleventh

Annual

Report

2009

Community Vitality Steering Committee

January 2010

Community Vitality Monitoring

Partnership Process

Steering Committee

Richard Gladue AREVA Resources Canada Inc.

John Tosney AREVA Resources Canada Inc.

Alun Richards AREVA Resources Canada Inc.

Morris Onyskevitch (Jan – June) AREVA Resources Canada Inc.

Roxanne Baldwin (Jan – July) Cameco Corporation

Gary Merasty Cameco Corporation

Walter Smith Cameco Corporation

Darwin Roy Cameco Corporation

Scott Boyes Ministry of First Nations and Métis Relations

Warren Kelly Northern Mines Monitoring Secretariat

Dr. James Irvine (Chair) Population Health Unit

Northern Regional Health Authorities

Community Vitality Partnership Process 2009 Annual Report

__________________________________________________________________________________

Steering Committee Page 1

Overview

This eleventh Annual Report describes the development of the Community Vitality

Monitoring Partnership Process (CVMPP), its activities in 2009, and general plans and

expectations for 2010. Cameco Corporation and AREVA Resources Canada Inc. fund

the process. The Northern Mines Monitoring Secretariat (NMMS), the northern Regional

Health Authorities, and other northern organizations also provide assistance.

The initiative to assess community vitality (the social well-being and quality of life of

residents) arises directly out of the recommendations of a joint Federal-Provincial Panel

on uranium mining developments in northern Saskatchewan. As a result of the Panel’s

review and reports, surface leases for northern uranium mining projects require the

companies to participate in a community vitality monitoring program. The

recommendation from the Panel states “Protection of northern communities and the

people in them is as important as the protection of the biota. Qualified professionals

should be engaged to monitor and study the impacts of uranium mining on the quality of

life in northern communities. Any detrimental impacts should be mitigated.” The scope

and definition of the program, however, are developed on a partnership basis with the

NMMS, the northern Regional Health Authorities and other northern organizations.

The vision for activities is “to show that monitoring information related to uranium mining

impacts and other community influences can be used to address and act upon issues of

priority to northern communities”.

The goal is to identify and track indicators that provide insight in community vitality

such that people can use that knowledge to improve and maintain the quality of life

in northern Saskatchewan, focusing in particular on the following:

1. providing information related to uranium mining impacts on community

vitality that is useful to northern community stakeholders;

2. encouraging partnerships that will work cooperatively on specific community

vitality monitoring activities of common interest; and

3. developing communication activities that will assist northern community

stakeholders to use community vitality monitoring information to improve

and maintain the quality of life in northern Saskatchewan.


__________________________________________________________________________________


The Community Vitality Monitoring Partnership Process began in late 1998. At a

workshop in 1999, northern participants identified the following five topics as priorities for

information gathering:

a) environment and land;

b) health;

c) economic/social/infrastructure;

d) communication dynamics and relationships; and

e) special topics (youth/outmigration/poverty).

A number of projects have been undertaken in consultation with northern stakeholders

and involving northern consultants. 2004 focused on youth and related issues; 2005

work comprised a review of past projects and a major study on the social impacts of the

mine site work rotation system; and 2006 again focused on northern youth. The

Challenges to Post-Secondary Education for Residents of the Athabasca Basin project

was started in 2007 and finalized in 2008. A planning workshop occurred in 2008 and

2009 included the initial planning for the Career Ambassador project.

The Community Vitality Coordinating Committee appreciates the involvement and effort

of all the northern people and organizations who helped with these activities. The

committee members thank Dr. James Irvine for his work as the Coordinating Committee

chairperson.

For more information, please contact the present coordinating committee members:

Dr. James Irvine, Population Health Unit, Athabasca, Keewatin Yatthé and

Mamawetan Churchill River Health Authorities, La Ronge

Alun Richards, AREVA Resources Canada Inc., Saskatoon

Richard Gladue, AREVA Resources Canada Inc. Saskatoon

John Tosney, AREVA Resources Canada Inc., Saskatoon

Gary Merasty, Cameco Corporation, Saskatoon

Walter Smith, Cameco Corporation, La Ronge

Darwin Roy, Cameco Corporation, La Ronge

Warren Kelly, Northern Mines Monitoring Secretariat, La Ronge

Scott Boyes, Ministry of First Nations and Métis Relations, La Ronge

Waiting for

spring at

Pinehouse


__________________________________________________________________________________


Table of Contents

What is “Community Vitality”? _____________________________________________________ 4

2.1 Initial Meetings and Committee Formation ___________________________________ 5

2.2 Development of Monitoring Issues __________________________________________ 5

2.3 Background Study _______________________________________________________ 6

2.4 Goal and Vision __________________________________________________________ 7

Completed Projects _______________________________________________________________ 7

3.1 Migration _______________________________________________________________ 7

3.2 Healthy Foods Assessment ________________________________________________ 8

3.3 Youth Initiatives Conference _______________________________________________ 9

3.4 Northern Saskatchewan Community Vitality Youth Workshop ___________________ 9

3.5 Reviewing the Past – Five Years – Planning the Future ________________________ 10

3.6 Youth Focus Groups ____________________________________________________ 10

3.7 “We Say 2 . . .” Workshop ________________________________________________ 11

3.8 Project Review and Evaluation ____________________________________________ 12

3.9 The Impact on Families and Communities of the Fly In/Out Work Rotation System in

Uranium Mines in Northern Saskatchewan ________________________________________ 12

3.10 “Learning through Leadership” Conference _________________________________ 13

3.11 Challenges to Post-Secondary Education for the Residents of the Athabasca Basin 14

3.12 “Growing the Spirit of Our Youth” Planning Workshop ________________________ 14

2009 Activities __________________________________________________________________ 15

4.1 Career Ambassador _____________________________________________________ 15

4.2 Northern Saskatchewan Awards of Excellence Gala __________________________ 16

Plans for 2010 __________________________________________________________________ 17

Conclusion _____________________________________________________________________ 17

Appendix “A” ___________________________________________________________________ 19


__________________________________________________________________________________


What is “Community Vitality”?

The present community vitality monitoring initiative arises directly out of the

recommendations of a joint Federal-Provincial Panel on Uranium Mining Developments

in Northern Saskatchewan. As a result of the Panel review and reports, the revised

surface leases for northern uranium mining projects require the companies to participate

in a community vitality monitoring program.

The original idea of community vitality focused on the social well-being and quality of life

experienced by community residents and how a community could respond to changes

such as those that may be caused by an industrial project. In general, “community

vitality” requires adequate formal services, a strong network of social supports, effective

political leadership, and a viable local economy that is both diverse and resilient. Self-

sufficiency is also an important part of the definition of community vitality.

There are, however, many alternative approaches to assessing a community’s vitality,

including approaches that assess community health (physical, mental/emotional,

spiritual/cultural, and social), community quality of life, community sustainable

development, and community wellness. In the case of the CVMPP, northerners helped

to define community vitality and to outline the related issues.

Athabasca Student Awards – Fond du Lac


__________________________________________________________________________________


Development of the Community

Vitality Program

2.1 Initial Meetings and Committee Formation

The two District Health Boards and one Health Authority, together with the Northern

Mines Monitoring Secretariat (NMMS), Environmental Quality Committees (EQCs), the

uranium mining companies and Saskatchewan Northern Affairs (SNA), provided the

framework of local organizations to help guide the development of the community vitality

monitoring initiative.

An initial exploratory meeting was held in December 1998 involving representatives from

NMMS, SNA, the uranium industry, the northern Health Boards and the co-managed

Population Health Unit, Saskatchewan Health and the Northern Inter-Tribal Health

Authority along with other resource people familiar with the topic. Participants noted that

there was no “off-the-shelf” approach for monitoring community vitality, and that

community vitality goes beyond both the issues of uranium industry impacts and the

issues of physical and community health. The meeting confirmed a broad interest by the

participants in the community vitality monitoring initiative. A coordinating committee was

established to organize a workshop and to finalize an initial draft work plan by the fall of

1999 for the community vitality monitoring initiative.

2.2 Development of Monitoring Issues

A workshop was held in 1999 in La Ronge to identify information-gathering priorities for

the Community Vitality Monitoring Partnership Process common to all potential partners

that could be used to make a difference to the quality of life in northern Saskatchewan.

The workshop identified a consensus on topics for information gathering. These are as

follows (no specific order of priority):

(1) Environment and Land: Local physical and biophysical environment, local

relationships to the land, and impacts related to development.

(2) Health: Local health status, behaviors, self-perception and self-esteem,

delivery systems, and health determinants. There is interest in focusing on

information gaps and developing surveys that involve partnerships among

interested parties.

(3) Economics/Social/Infrastructure: Compiling and synthesizing existing data,

and making information accessible in such a manner that the community will

find it useful.

(4) Communication Dynamics and Relationships: Within families and

communities as well as with industries, etc. Maximize the effectiveness of


__________________________________________________________________________________


communicating the information gathered on the identified topics to all

community members.

(5) Special Topics – Youth/Outmigration/Poverty: The status, causes and

impacts of these special topics were identified in this workshop as priority

issues for northern Saskatchewan communities.

There was strong agreement that the process of drawing together, communicating and

using information in northern communities merits high priority. Participants noted that

there is already substantial information collected by various parties on each of the above

topics that needs to be better coordinated, communicated and translated into something

useful to community members.

The topics established at the workshop are broad and could encompass a wide array of

specific community vitality topics, not all of which could be tackled within this initiative or

would prove to be useful in addressing community issues.

2.3 Background Study

Consultants were contracted to complete a background study to:

Identify and assess various professional approaches that are similar to the

definition of community vitality. A review of various professional approaches

helped to identify similar undertakings that have been attempted before.

Review the influences of resource development, in general, on community life to

help identify potential impacts on community vitality by the uranium industry.

Identify and examine existing/available data sources for their potential application

to the monitoring of uranium mining impacts on community vitality.

Identify and assess possible options for engaging people in northern

communities.

Identify and evaluate the main alternative approaches for monitoring community

vitality in Saskatchewan’s north.

Information from this study was used to assist in developing priorities and work plan

activities. It will also be used for reference for any community level monitoring activities

that may take place.

Official opening of

the Hatchet Lake

Rink


__________________________________________________________________________________


2.4 Goal and Vision

The specific monitoring goal for the first two years of the initiative was as follows:

“To identify and track indicators that provide insight into community vitality such

that stakeholders can use that knowledge to improve and maintain the quality

of life in northern Saskatchewan, focusing in particular on the following:

providing information related to uranium mining impacts on community

vitality that is useful to northern community stakeholders;

encouraging partnerships that will work cooperatively on specific

community vitality monitoring activities of common interest; and

developing communication activities that will assist northern community

stakeholders to use community vitality monitoring information to

improve and maintain the quality of life in northern Saskatchewan.”

The vision for activities for the first few years has been:

“To show that monitoring information related to uranium mining impacts and

other community influences can be used to address and act upon issues of

priority to northern communities.”

The coordinating committee concluded that information should contribute to resolution of

issues and should not be collected for its own sake. The initiative cannot accept primary

responsibility for assembling and maintaining a broad socio-economic and health

database for northern Saskatchewan communities. Much of this is being done through

existing organizations and programs. New data collection efforts should focus on data

gaps identified by interested parties, who are in the best position to identify their own

needs.

Completed Projects

3.1 Migration

In 2000, the reasons for northerners moving to and from the north were studied. The

project included northern consultants and provided opportunities for “capacity building”

through acquiring northern survey skills. Four of the significant issues identified are:

An education opportunity is the primary factor for migration out of northern

Saskatchewan;

An employment opportunity is the primary issue that could have made residents

continue living in northern Saskatchewan;


__________________________________________________________________________________


Friends, family and a sense of home are important factors for northern residents;

and

There are regional differences within the north.

These results were developed into a set of recommendations that were presented to

various agencies and organizations whose activities and decisions could potentially have

an effect on migration decisions.

3.2 Healthy Foods Assessment

Some of the community health impacts being seen in northern communities are a result

of the lack of availability and utilization of healthy foods along with major changes in

physical activity. Impacts include increasing rates of diabetes, heart disease, stroke and

cancer.

Food cost is one influence on healthy eating, along with knowledge and awareness,

family and cultural eating practices and experiences, and the availability of food choices.

Conducted in 2001 with the assistance of the Community Vitality program, the Healthy

Food Costs survey looked at the cost of healthy store-bought foods in northern

communities. It assessed some average costs for what it takes to feed a family in

various regions of the north and compared the results with other parts of the province.

The survey found a large variation in the price of some food products even within the

north and, for example, documented a large range in the price of milk in the fly-in

communities. Following this initial Community Vitality food cost survey, nutritionists

through the health authorities are continuing to monitor costs every few years.

Drying Fish at

Grandmother’s

Bay


__________________________________________________________________________________


3.3 Youth Initiatives Conference

One of the main focuses of the Community Vitality process is northern youth. A two-day

conference was held in March 2001 in Prince Albert to discuss positive factors and

influences affecting the success of northern youth in school and in life. About forty

people took part, including community leaders, friendship centre workers, health and

other government officials, Environmental Quality Committee members, mining company

officials, First Nations representatives and, of course, several youths. One of the major

outcomes of the conference was the organization of a Community Vitality Youth

Workshop.

3.4 Northern Saskatchewan Community Vitality Youth

Workshop

The workshop focused on a theme similar to the 2001 conference:

What do you as youth see as the positive and negative influences on your lives

and communities and what would you recommend as actions to build upon the

positives?

Thirty-four youths from 20 different communities throughout northern Saskatchewan

attended the workshop held from March 22 to 24, 2002 at Cameco’s Rabbit Lake

uranium operation. The youth delegates were free to direct the discussions wherever

they wanted. In addition to the workshop activities, the participants toured the nearby

McClean Lake uranium mine and mill operated by AREVA Resources. They also

participated in sports and a variety of entertainment activities including hosting the first-

ever rock and roll concert at a northern Saskatchewan mine site.

The youth participants developed a number of very practical recommendations around

the issues of education, leadership, recreation and communities. These are included in

the workshop report: We Say . . . Community Vitality Northern Saskatchewan Youth

Workshop. The Executive Summary was reproduced in the Appendix to the 2003

Community Vitality Annual Report. The “We Say” report begins with the vision

statement:

“We may not be able to change the world, but we can change our

communities by starting with ourselves.”

The youth from each region selected two representatives from their region to carry the

message forward. Using a PowerPoint presentation and presenting in Cree, Dene and

English, the workshop results were presented throughout the north as well as to

Provincial Government Cabinet Ministers and other MLA’s in Regina. A presentation

was also made at the 2004 Northern Health Conference.


__________________________________________________________________________________


3.5 Reviewing the Past – Five Years – Planning the Future

When the CVMPP was initiated in 1998, a formal review of the various projects and their

effectiveness was planned to take place in the fifth year. Much of this work was done in

2003 with the major project being the “Reviewing the Past – Five Years – Planning the

Future” workshop held in La Ronge. Over 30 people representing various groups and

organizations active in northern Saskatchewan attended the workshop.

The workshop’s recommendations and conclusions are summarized below:

Three areas of immediate focus should be:

To evaluate the first five projects in terms of results, communication and

implementation of recommendations;

To identify the quality of life determinants as defined by the communities

themselves;

To build upon the initial youth workshop.

The five projects undertaken by the Community Vitality Partnership Process since 1999

were successful and provided significant and useful information. The results generated

by each study have not been shared widely enough and the information provided in the

various reports may not be reaching the appropriate target audience. There should be a

discussion of what the communication requirements are for each of the completed

projects.

“Quality of life” must be defined by the communities themselves and may be different in

each community. A study should be commissioned to explore the definition of quality of

life and related issues in northern Saskatchewan communities.

A second youth workshop (“We Say 2”) was recommended.

In every project, effective and meaningful partnerships should be fostered with agencies

and organizations active in the north and, when possible, residents of Saskatchewan’s

north should play active and meaningful roles.

Every project should contain a comprehensive communication component for project

planning and the dissemination of research results.

3.6 Youth Focus Groups

Given the enthusiasm received from the results of the “We Say” youth workshop and the

very large northern youth population, there was a need to “step back” and seek a more


__________________________________________________________________________________


basic examination of youth and community vitality issues such as justice, health and

family.

The focus groups were held in February and March 2004 in six northern communities

with 63 Grade 9 to 12 students participating. They had a number of thoughts and

recommendations on the justice, health and family topics. The youths concluded that:

The most important issue for northern youth is the availability of more youth

activities such as sports, cultural activities, dances etc. Parents need to take a

more active role with their children through volunteering for events their children

are involved in, setting rules for their children and generally being positive role

models.

3.7 “We Say 2 . . .” Workshop

This 2004 workshop was held at AREVA’s McClean Lake Operation on June 11 to 13.

The organizing committee sought participants who had completed Grade 9 and who

were 15 to 25 years old. Northern health regions worked with the schools to select

participants. The workshop involved 23 young people from communities across northern

Saskatchewan.

The workshop established several definitions including:

“Family” is a number of people who stick together, communicate, work together,

act as role models, support one another, have good attitudes, love one another,

trust and respect one another.

“Health” is the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well being of the

individual and the community.

Winners of “Who

Wants to be a

Miner?” – La Loche

South Bay Youth

Camp


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“Justice” means being treated fairly, being respected, discipline, co-operation and

communication.

After the Conference, the elected members of Team North prepared a presentation to

summarize the most significant results of the “We Say 2 Conference”. The presentation

was given to the Provincial Youth Advisory Committee and the Northern Labour Market

Committee in 2004 and to other organizations in 2005.

3.8 Project Review and Evaluation

The project review evaluated the design, implementation, outcomes and communication

of previous projects to ensure future work done by the CVMPP is completed in an

efficient, effective manner that best meets the needs of northern communities. This

included reviewing the project files from the perspectives of:

Project design to meet intended outputs;

Appropriateness of partnerships developed to implement the project;

Actual project implementation;

Outcomes of the project;

Effectiveness of communicating the results to the target audience.

The evaluation also investigated actions taken by other agencies in response to the

outcomes of the projects, and involves a stakeholder spot survey to measure awareness

of the CVMPP. Most respondents were pleased with how the projects were carried out

but there were issues related to communication. They included project decisions made

without proper communication, reports released without consultation and the participants

not knowing what was ultimately done with the reports. Everyone felt the projects were

relevant to the needs of Northern Saskatchewan and were easily understandable.

3.9 The Impact on Families and Communities of the Fly In/Out

Work Rotation System in Uranium Mines in Northern

Saskatchewan

This study was undertaken by consultants through an interview program in selected

communities in three regions of Northern Saskatchewan using a structured interview

guide. A reference group, including the CVMPP Steering Committee and a cross-

section of other northern residents with first-hand experience of the effects of the work

rotation systems, identified issues and guided study design. Interviews were conducted

with mine workers, their families, and other community residents. Community

Consultants in each of the six communities played an invaluable role in identifying

possible participants, setting up interviews and assisting in interviews.


__________________________________________________________________________________


The recommendations from the study applied to the mine sites and to the communities.

The mine site suggestions ranged from addition of pick-up points and fly days, increased

number of phones, cellular service and internet capability, more family site visits and

improved worker orientation. The recommendations to the communities included

awareness of available social services, increased daycare, recreation programs and

volunteer activities. A presentation on the work rotation study was given to the “Work-

Family Balance & Labour Force Shortages” conference in Saskatoon in 2007.

3.10 “Learning through Leadership” Conference

The main activity undertaken in 2006 was a youth event focusing on leadership. In May,

36 young people, aged 14 to 19, from 16 northern communities met at the Cameco’s

Key Lake operation. The “Leadership Through Learning” conference consisted of six

leadership training workshops held over three days to fulfill two main objectives:

To strengthen leadership qualities through a series of training sessions to

become more effective leaders in their schools, communities and their own lives.

To introduce the young people to mine related employment opportunities by

meeting and interacting with people currently involved in the industry.

The summary report and conclusions from the conference are reproduced in the

Appendix to the 2006 Community Vitality Annual Report. The northern youth

spokespersons for the “Learning Through Leadership” conference gave presentations on

their findings at appropriate venues in 2007.

Uranium Mining

Employment

Training (UMET)

Students at McClean

Lake


__________________________________________________________________________________


3.11 Challenges to Post-Secondary Education for the Residents

of the Athabasca Basin

One of the major focuses for 2008 and 2009 was finalizing the project, The Challenges

to Post-Secondary Education for the Residents of the Athabasca Basin. The project

documented that according to the respondents the biggest barrier was social challenges

at 50%. The most significant of these social challenges was the act of simply leaving

home. The other challenges were academic and financial at 18% each and cultural and

other at 7% each. This project required partnership expertise to ensure it was properly

designed to be inclusive and rigorous. The Prince Albert Grand Council, Ministry of

Advanced Education, Employment and Labour, Northern Lights School Division No. 113

and Hatchet Lake Band Education participated in the study.

There were also factors that contributed to success in post-secondary programs. The

top three were attitude, family support and role model and/or mentors. There were two

types of recommendations from this report being long-term and near-term

recommendations. The long-term recommendations were stricter academic standards

and to improve parental engagement in education. The near-term recommendations

were:

Develop a transitions program to enable potential post-secondary students to

make a smoother transition to an urban and post-secondary setting;

Acknowledge and recognize successful post-secondary participants at a

community level;

Implement extracurricular programming at community schools;

Strengthen the local teaching force;

Establish an Athabasca Education and Career Counseling Program;

Take steps to ease the financial challenges faced by post-secondary students.

The summary report and conclusions from the project are reproduced in the Appendix to

the 2008 Community Vitality Annual Report.

3.12 “Growing the Spirit of Our Youth” Planning Workshop

In November 2008 CVMPP hosted a planning workshop entitled “Growing the Spirit of

Our Youth” in La Ronge. The objective of the workshop was to bring together

representatives of various organizations and groups active in northern Saskatchewan

communities in order to engage them in discussions designed to guide the future

development of the initiative and to elicit ideas for new, effective and meaningful projects

for consideration by the CVMPP Steering Committee.


__________________________________________________________________________________


The Growing the Spirit of Our Youth Workshop was well attended by more than 35

people representing 26 different organizations active in the Northern Administration

District of Saskatchewan. After an analysis of the information and input provided by all of

the participants it is recommended that, subject to feasibility, timing and the interest of

partner agencies, organizations and/or communities, the Community Vitality Monitoring

Partnership Process Steering Committee consider the implementation of the following

five projects in the listed order of priority:

NAD Achievement/NCVMP Gala Awards (renamed Northern Saskatchewan Awards

of Excellence)

Enhanced Career Counselling

Reduce/Reuse/Recycle in the North

Youth and the Environment

Youth Training and Involvement in the 40 Developmental Assets

The conclusion and recommendations from this report are listed in Appendix A.

2009 Activities

4.1 Career Ambassador

The Enhanced Career Counselling initiative from the Growing the Spirit of Our Youth

Workshop has been renamed as the Career Ambassador project. This project is

designed to increase the awareness of northern youth of the employment opportunities

in the mining and health fields. A website and written material will be available to First

Nation schools, provincial schools and post-secondary schools based in the Northern

Flipping

burgers

at Pine

Channel


__________________________________________________________________________________


Administration District to promote post-secondary opportunities. According to the

Saskatchewan Ministry of Education the number of grade 10 students that actually

complete and graduate from grade 12 have dropped at an alarming rate. Out of the 602

students who enrolled in grade 10 at northern public schools in 2005-2006, only 149

obtained their grade 12 diploma in the graduation year of 2007-2008. That means only

24.75% of students that enrolled in grade 10 completed grade 12. This is a powerful

statistic that shows the need for the Career Ambassador project in the Northern

Administration District. Advising a student on which classes to take and how to prepare

for their academic and career futures is a priority for this project.

The website and DVD will contain a 24-question test that will direct the student via their

answers to careers that relate to their interests. There will be information sheets on a

variety of careers in the mining and health fields to assist the youth in learning about the

duties of the job, where the person could work, what characteristics you need to excel in

the position and the pre-requisites for the post-secondary education. The highlight of the

website will be a variety of videos by northerners discussing their job, their life

experience, education required to obtain their positions and advice for the student.

The website, DVD and written material will be available in 2010. It will be distributed to

the provincial and First Nation schools in the Northern Administration District.

4.2 Northern Saskatchewan Awards of Excellence Gala

Initial planning started in 2009 for the Northern Saskatchewan Awards of Excellence

Gala. The inaugural event will be held on October 2, 2010, at Jonas Roberts Memorial

Community Centre in La Ronge. The awards will consist of the following categories:

1. Arts and Entertainment

2. Health and Wellness

3. Entrepreneur

4. Sports and Recreation

5. Volunteer

6. Science and Technology

7. Education

8. Culture and Language

9. Youth Achievement

10. Legacy Award

The physical awards will be created by northern artist(s) and all nominees must be

northerners. The Gala will include a meal and local entertainment. We need to

celebrate being a northerner and be proud of what we can do.


__________________________________________________________________________________


Plans for 2010

2010 will include presenting the Career Ambassador project to the Northern schools and

starting our journey of increasing the knowledge of northern students regarding a variety

of careers. The project will continue to grow as we receive recommendations from the

career counsellors, teachers and students. The 1st Northern Saskatchewan Awards of

Excellence Gala will occur in 2010 and share success stories with the North.

Athabasca Student Awards at Hatchet Lake

Conclusion

As can be seen by the past and present activities, the CVMPP has been working in a

methodical manner, bringing northern stakeholders into the planning and implementation

processes. Youth issues are common and of significant interest to northern

communities. As such, they are developing into a major focus of this program.

The concept of community vitality as raised by the Federal-Provincial Panel has gone

through much discussion with stakeholders in the north as well as in the uranium mining

industry. It is apparent that:

community vitality should be monitored;

the monitoring should be as a collaborative partnership of stakeholders (industry,

northern communities, northern agencies, etc.);


__________________________________________________________________________________


monitoring is a developing process of addressing issues of concern rather than

simply collecting data; and

this process can help build research capacity in the north.

By assisting, coordinating, financially supporting and/or implementing (depending on the

project) various projects, the Community Vitality Monitoring Partnership Process can use

the approach that best suits the needs and circumstances of northern Saskatchewan

communities.

Because research design, implementation and follow-up, in this program, involves

extensive stakeholder communication, results often appear to be delayed and simplified.

However, this type of research has very high credibility in the north and elsewhere. All

parties in this innovative CVMPP realize that a major part of the work is finding the right

questions to ask and ensuring there is community support for asking them and for acting

on the knowledge gained. A deficiency in the Community Vitality Monitoring Partnership

Process has been sharing the information gathered from the projects with relevant

stakeholders and northern communities.

The full-time Community Vitality Program Co-ordinator is Shannon Cholin. Please

contact Shannon at 306-425-6883 or via e-mail to [email protected] with any

questions or ideas regarding Community Vitality. If you would like a copy of any of the

Community Vitality reports, please contact Shannon Cholin.

The Community Vitality Coordinating Committee would like to thank all of those who

have helped make this project creative, effective and, most of all, relevant to northern

communities.

Cluff Lake

Uranium City


__________________________________________________________________________________


Appendix “A”

“Growing the Spirit of our Youth” Workshop

Conclusion and Recommendations

Over the past ten years, the concept of community vitality as defined by the Federal-

Provincial Panel on Uranium development in Northern Saskatchewan has gone through

much discussion with stakeholders in the north as well as the uranium mining industry.

During these discussions and throughout the activities of the program it has become

apparent that:

Community vitality is important and should be monitored,

The monitoring must be community driven (or defined) and be a

collaborative partnership of as many stakeholders as possible (industry, northern

communities, northern agencies, etc.). The activities could range from what would

traditionally be defined as a research or investigative study to the implementation of a

new program or initiative in a particular community, and;

Community vitality monitoring must not be allowed to stagnate as it is a

“developing” process targeted at addressing issues of concern to the community and

using the information generated constructively rather than simply collecting data for

data’s sake, and;

The process itself has helped to build capacity in general and research

capacity in particular in northern Saskatchewan.

Based on the results of the most recent CVMPP initiative - the “Growing the Spirit of Our

Youth” Workshop, held in La Ronge, Saskatchewan on November 13 & 14, 2008, and

an analysis of the information and input provided by all of the participants in that

workshop it is recommended that, subject to feasibility, timing and the interest of partner

agencies, organizations and/or communities, the Community Vitality Monitoring

Partnership Process Steering Committee consider the implementation of the following

five projects in the listed order of priority:


__________________________________________________________________________________


1. NAD Achievement/NCVMP Gala Awards

The NAD Achievement/NCVMP Gala Awards project will consist of the organization and

delivery of a Northern Achievement Awards event designed to identify and publicly

recognize significant achievements by northern individuals, northern communities and/or

organizations. As identified in the previous table, the subject areas for this public

recognition of excellence ranged widely from student success (K to 12 and post-

secondary achievements) to the recognition of excellence in the retention and sharing of

“traditional knowledge”.

2. Enhanced Career Counselling

The Enhanced Career Counselling project would be designed to increase the

awareness of northern young people at an early age of future career choices

(including professional and trades) by broadening their exposure beyond those

careers that they observe within northern communities and enhancing their

understanding of the numerous career opportunities available to them. The project must

also focus on methods to couple this enhanced awareness with effective counselling in

northern schools that is designed to ensure that a student is aware of high school

requirements for continuing education and that appropriate assistance is provided to

allow the student to obtain the necessary prerequisites to continue their education and

achieve their career goals.

Some ideas to support the realization of these project goals include increasing the profile

of community members that have achieved diverse career goals by having them attend

and make presentations to students in northern schools, structured “career tours” of

workplaces both inside and outside the Northern Administration District and organizing

tours of post secondary education institutes early in the student’s high school career.

3. Reduce/Reuse/Recycle in the North

This project will involve the identification of opportunities in northern Saskatchewan

communities to maximize the potential to reduce, reuse and recycle all manner of

resources wherever and whenever possible. Significant success has been achieved in

various jurisdictions (including Manitoba and northern Manitoba communities) with the

implementation of this type of program. It is recommended that the initial step in the

implementation of this project be a wide ranging and comprehensive review of existing

programs (both successful and none) in order to identify opportunities, risks and

requirement for the success of the program

In other jurisdictions, the successful implementation of this type of a project has

relied heavily on the effective education of all levels of the community in the

program, the reason it is being implemented and the program’s overall goals. It is


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recommended that this be the initial focus of a northern Saskatchewan program to

maximize the potential to reduce, reuse and recycle all manner of resources wherever

and whenever possible.

4. Youth & the Environment

The focus of the Youth & the Environment project is to engage northern young

people in enhanced environmental awareness at all levels. As such, there are some

direct links with the two previously discussed projects. Opportunities to couple the Youth

& the Environment project with the Reduce, Reuse and Recycle and the Enhanced

Career Counselling projects should be actively pursued.

One avenue that the project may wish to pursue is to actively organize and support the

development of local, community based youth organizations with an environmental

focus. Again, success in this type of youth organizations have been achieved in various

communities (including the Junior Rangers in Stanley Mission, and, although not focused

exclusively on the environment, the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment’s Aboriginal

Conservation Officer Junior Rangers program and the Fond du Lac Junior Canadian

rangers program). Similar, to the previous project, it is recommended that the initial step

in the implementation of this project be a wide ranging and comprehensive review of

existing programs (both successful and none) in order to identify opportunities, risks and

requirement for the success of the program.

Opportunities also exist to integrate this project with the Reduce/Reuse/Recycle in the

North Project by having a local youth club spearhead the initiative in each community. In

addition, the natural offshoot of a community based youth organization with an

environmental focus is the opportunity to expose club members to the numerous and

varied environmental careers available to them.

5. Youth Training & Involvement in the 40 Developmental Assets

This project is relatively self explanatory and, should a decision be made to pursue the

project, the CVMPP should contact Jacquie Hakes (Mamawetan Churchill River Health

Region) and Linda Pedersen (Keewatin Yatthé Regional Health Authority) as the “40

Developmental Assets” initiative has already been launched as a partnership that

includes all three Northern Health Regions and the Northern Lights School Division.

Documents

Community Vitality Monitoring Partnership Process Eleventh ...us.areva.com/.../Mining/Annual_Report_2009.pdf · recommendation from the Panel states “Protection of northern communities