1

Gwich’in Participants and Inuvik residents walk to protect the Peel - January 2014 (photo credit: GTC)

Khaiints’àn’/Fall 2014

Board Values Respect: we will treat everyone with respectCommitment: we will work hard every day for the Gwich’in peopleIntegrity: we will follow high standards of behavior and always put the interests of the Gwich’in people firstTrust: we will be trustworthy and keep our wordAccountability: we will set and publish clear goals and regularly report on progress and financial performanceKnowledge: we will build and preserve our traditional and modern knowledge and make decisions based on a thorough understanding of the matters before us

Transparency: we will conduct our business in an open manner; we will report on all aspects of our operations regularly; we will respond fully to questions from participants on a timely basisSolidarity: we will work together in open constructive ways, respecting each other’s viewpoints but standing behind our group decisionsHonesty: we will mean what we say and never be untruthful or deceptiveGwich’in Culture and Beliefs: our Gwich’in culture and beliefs will guide our work and decisions

newsletterGwich’in Tribal Council

2

In this issue:

Acting President Update 3

Upcoming Events 4

Board of Directors Motions Summary 5

Annual Assembly Resolutions Summary 6

Acting Chief Operating Officer Update 8

Finance Department Update 10

Lands, Resources & Intergovernmental Affairs Self-Government 11 GCLCA Implementation 11 10 Year Human Resources Strategy 12

Gwich’in Services Recruitment 13 Education and Training 13 Wellness 14 Other Services 14

Gwich’in Development Corporation 15

Election Notice 16

Gwich’in Harvesters Assistance Program 17

Peel Watershed Litigation 17

Designated Government Organizations Ehdiitat Gwich’in 18 Gwichya Gwich’in 18 Nihtat Gwich’in 19 Tetlit Gwich’in 19

Gwich’in Social & Cultural Institute 21

Gwich’in Language Report 22

Peter & Mary Kay Anniversary 22

Run to Protect the Peel 23

Contact Us 24

3For more information, visit us online at http://gwichintribalcouncil.com

Acting PresidentNorman Snowshoe

Drin Gwiinzii Shilak Kat,

I am very pleased to be providing you with an update on the Gwich’in Tribal

Council (GTC) activities since our last Annual Report in August.

The 2014 Assembly was held in Inuvik and was well attended. There were many concerns that the Gwich’in pre-sented and hopefully we addressed them.

A huge concern was the revision of the GTC and Designated Gwich’in Organi-zations By-Laws to accommodate the Canada Not-For-Profit Corporations Act. Our By-Laws had to be revised to ensure that our Settlement Funds were protected from Taxation. During the discussions, the election process was discussed with the communities. There was NO attempt to take voting rights away from the Gwich’in for the

President and the Vice President posi-tions in the GTC. At the Assembly, the By-Law revisions were passed protect-ing our Settlement Funds.

The Assembly also discussed in detail and at length our business entities in the GSA - namely Dinjii Zhuh Trucking and Mackenzie Valley Construction. There were lots of concerns about our investments and management with Dinjii Zhuh Trucking. We identified the problems and were given direc-tion that no further investments will be made to this company. The GTC, with the cooperation of Gwich’in Develop-ment Corporation (GDC), acquired the services of Mr. Wayne Drury to act in the capacity of GDC President. Part of Mr. Drury’s duties were to review and make recommendations about the future of Dinjii Zhuh Trucking. The assessment was completed and the recommendation was made that it is in the best interest of the Gwich’in to begin the process to discontinue this company. We will put in place a plan to wind down the company. In regard to Mackenzie Valley Construction, the GTC have negotiated the purchase of MVC Assets from Flint. This purchase also includes ending our partnership with Flint. During the transition period, the GTC Board of Directors approved the Nihtat Corporation proposal to lease and operate the Gas Station and Garage.

The GTC is also responsible for imple-mentation of the Gwich’in Comprehen-sive Land Claim Agreement (GCLCA). The major functions of the GTC are to manage the Gwich’in Settlement Fund, manage the Gwich’in Lands, protect the rights of the Gwich’in established by the Land Claim and ensure that eco-nomic development initiatives estab-lished by GCLCA are to the benefit of all Gwich’in.

Over the past two years, the Gwich’in have put a lot of emphasis on education

and self government. We believe that education of our people and Gwich’in self government go hand in hand. You need educated Gwich’in to have a suc-cessful Gwich’in government. As the basis for self government negotiations the Gwich’in Self-Government Team produced the “Gwich’in Agreement in Principle Position Paper”. This is ba-sically the Gwich’in proposed Agree-ment in Principle. It was noted by the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs that this is the first time in Canada that a First Nation has used this very proactive ap-proach. At this stage of the Self Gov-ernment Process, the Governments are reviewing and commenting on the 39 Chapter “Gwich’in Agreement in Principle Position Paper”. In January 2015, the actual negotiations on the contents will begin.

In terms of Gwich’in Capacity Develop-ment, we have developed several ex-citing and innovative initiatives to en-hance the education of Gwich’in. These include the annual Gwich’in Education Forum, curriculum development, and the Gwich’in Mentorship Program (among others). These will be reported on in more detail through staff reports. The goal is to ensure that we have as much education and training initiatives for our people as needed to ensure that they have the capacity to be employed in the future.

In land management, we are dealing with regulatory changes in both the NWT and Yukon. Both the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act and the Yukon Socio-Economic Assess-ment Act are being amended. These are Federal initiatives. We have been negotiating these changes with the government. We need to ensure that our lands are protected as prescribed by the GCLCA.

In the Yukon, the Gwich’in are always concerned with the impacts to our be-loved Peel Watershed. The Gwich’in are

(...cont’d on page 4)

4

(...cont’d from previous page)in litigation against the Yukon Govern-ment about land use planning in the Peel Watershed. The Supreme Court Judge has heard our arguments and now wants to sit down with all parties to see if we can reach an agreement. The Gwich’in will maintain the position of support for the Peel Commission’s recommended Land Use Plan for the Peel Watershed.

In terms of land management in the Gwich’in Settlement Region, the GTC continues to inventory our lands in terms of leased land and land uses. In other water-related matters, we par-ticipated in consultations with GNWT on the BC Transboundary Water Agree-ment. We need to ensure that the pro-visions for water from the GCLCA are included in the negotiations.

The NWT Wildlife Act came into force and the Gwich’in are participating in

the review of regulations established by the Act. This is very important be-cause we do not want our harvesting rights infringed by any regulations that may come into force.

The Settlement Fund is managed by the Settlement Corporation Board. We need to ensure that the fund sustains us forever. This Fund belongs to us and to all of the Gwich’in yet to be born. We must manage our assets wisely and ensure that the Fund continues to grow. With these principles, we need to ensure that we have policies in place to ensure that any disbursement of funds is authorized by the Gwich’in As-sembly.

My people, we have come through a very turbulent time in our history. At the Assembly, we were given direc-tion to work together. We must con-tinue to follow that direction and to do the work to better the lives of all

our Gwich’in Participants. I welcome all comments and criticisms, as long as they are constructive. I need feedback to become a better leader. However, I believe that comments and criticisms that are destructive should not be made. It does not foster good relations among our people. We need to better our relationships among each other to have a successful nation.

Finally, I would like to commend the GTC Board of Directors and staff at the regional and community level for the support over the last few months. Your support has been tremendous.

Haii Cho Shilak Kat

Norman SnowshoeActing President, Gwich’in Tribal Council

Nov 1-2, 2014: Gwich’in Development Corpora-tion Board of Directors Meeting (Vancouver, BC)

Nov 3-7, 2014: Council of Yukon First Nation Special General Assembly (Whitehorse, YT)

Nov 2014: Gwich’in Settlement Corporation Board of Directors Meeting (Inuvik, NT)

Nov 5, 2014: GTC Elections - Advance Polls (see page 19 for locations)

Nov 17, 2014: GTC Elections – Regular Polls (see page 19 for locations)

Dec 1, 2014: Payouts mailed to Participants outside Gwich’in Settlement Area

Dec 8, 2014: Executive Community Tour (Whitehorse, YT)

Dec 9, 2014: Executive Community Tour (Yellowknife, NT)

Dec 10, 2014: Executive Community Tour (Edmonton, AB)

Dec 12, 2014: Payouts available for Participants in Gwich’in Settlement Area (DGO Office)

Dec 19, 2014: Gwich’in Tribal Council Christmas Open house begins at 1:00 p.m. (Chief Jim Koe Zheh, Inuvik, NT)

Dec 22, 2014 – Jan 2, 2015: Gwich’in Tribal Offices Closed

Upcoming Events

Check out the Gwich’in Tribal Council on Facebook!

5Follow the GTC on Twitter! @GwichinSelfgovt

Board of DirectorsMotion Summary

In 2014, the GTC Board of Directors met on the following dates:

February 3, February 13 &14, March 17, May 9 & 10, May 30, June 2, June 6, June 16, July 10, July 30 & 31, August 18, Sep-tember 13 & 14 and October 16 & 17.

The following decisions were made during regular, special and emergency meetings:

Executive• Appoint Carolyn Lennie as lead on the transboundary discussions.• To hire (on) contract (a) Chief Oper-ating Officer and Chief Financial Offi-cer, effective immediately, to be led by the HR Committee and Norman Snow-shoe.• Appoint Norman Snowshoe as in-terim President of the Gwich’in Tribal Council in accordance with Gwich’in Tribal Council By-Law #1, Section 7.3 and 11.13 (b). • Change the location of the 2014 An-nual General Assembly of the Gwich’in Tribal Council to Inuvik, NT.• To call an election for Gwich’in Tribal Council President effective immedi-ately, in accordance with current GTC Elections Policy and Procedures Manu-al for a term ending June 2016.• Enter into a contract with Robert Vardy for a 24 month period as the CFO.• Recommend to the 2014 GTC An-nual assembly to approve the GTC By-Law No. 1 and Election Code to be in compliance with Industry Canada.

Finance• To conduct an independent internal investigation into the $2 million trans-action.• Approve the Gwich’in Tribal Council Operations Budget for the year ending March 31, 2015.

• Approve the GTC Consolidated Fi-nancial Statements for the year ending March 31, 2014.• Approve the Terms of Reference of Finance Committee and Audit Com-mittee as presented.• Approve the revised Gwich’in Tribal Council Operations Budget for the year ending March 31, 2015.

Intergovernmental• To commence legal proceedings against the Yukon Government in rela-tion to the adoption of the “new” plan.• To petition the court to become an intervener in the Peel Legal Action that the Nacho Nyak Dun and Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nations are currently undertaking. • Direct all (GTC Board) directors will attend the legal proceedings regarding the Peel River Litigation in Whitehorse, Yukon.

Lands and Resources• Set up a segregated account for the Land Reclamation Surplus account.

• Support the proposal of Ehdiitat Gwich’in Council to administer and manage the Willow River Gravel Re-source as outlined in the Willow River Management Plan and direct the GTC Lands Department to work with the EGC subject to the DGO review.

• No access will be granted to indus-try on Gwich’in Lands until an Environ-ment Impact Assessment and Access and Impact Benefit Agreements are in place. The process outlined in the GCLCA must be followed.

• Direct administration to research hydraulic fracturing so a position may be established.

Business• Direct administration to research the transfer of business entities owned by Gwich’in Tribal Council to the Gwich’in Development Corporation.• Direct administration to develop

a business plan and evaluation to as-sume the assets of MVC and to bring this back to the Board for review and approval by May 31, 2014.• To remove the on-site manager of Dinjii Zhuh trucking, effective May 30, 2014, upon recommendation of the MVC Purchase and Dinjii Zhuh Integra-tion/Turnaround Plan.• To meet on June 2, 2014 to discuss the purchase of Mackenzie Valley Con-struction and operations of Dinjii Zhuh Trucking Ltd.• Approve the transfer of the 51 shares from GILP to the GTC company 50644 N.W.T. Ltd., for the price of $1.00.• Approve the GTC Consolidated Fi-nancial Statements for the year ending March 31, 2014.• Approve the hiring of additional staff in the finance department.• Agree to lease the shop, land and gas bar owned by Mackenzie Val-ley Construction located in Inuvik to the Nihtat Corporation for a thirteen month term as proposed, with the con-dition that the Grizzly Marine agree to pay down their loan to GTC at equal monthly payments within the terms of the lease agreement.• Accept “An Operational Review, Al-legations of Fraudulent Activity Within Dinjii Zhuh Trucking Limited” report dated October 8, 2014.

Board Appointments• Establish a GTC Business sub-com-mittee: Herbert Blake, Carolyn Lennie, David Krutko, Danny Greenland and Robert A. Alexie. • Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board: recommend (..cont’d from previous page) William Koe, Johnny Peterson, David Krutko and Margaret Begg for consid-eration by the Minister.• Gwich’in Renewable Resources Board: Peter J. Kaye (the representa-tive) and Sarah Jerome (the alternate).

(...cont’d on page 6)

6

• Gwich’in Land and Water Board: Da-vid Krutko, William Koe and Margaret Begg.• Establish a GTC Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee as per the Workers Safety Compensation Council regulations. • Gwich’in Land Use Planning Board: James B. Firth (the representative) and Abraham Stewart Jr. (the alternate).• GTC HR Committee: Jozef Car-nogursky.• GTC Board of Directors: accept Herbert Blake’s resignation and Bar-ry Greenland’s appointment (Nihtat Gwich’in Council representative).• Devolution Intergovernmental Council Land and Resource Manage-ment subcommittee: Norman Snow-shoe.• Gwich’in Development Corporation Board of Directors: Fred Hunt, Wayne Drury, Nick Mansell, Nicole Jauvin and Geordie Hungerford.• Gwich’in Council International: Bob-bie-Jo Greenland-Morgan (Chair) and Ethel Blake (alternate).• Election Committee: Barry Green-land, Carolyn Lennie and David Krutko.• GNWT Tourism Board: Margaret Donovan.

Special Projects• To enter into a partnership agree-ment with Arctic Energy Alliance to explore projects that increase energy efficiency in Gwich’in communities.• To provide financial means and re-sources to implement the Personal Education Credits program in support of participants.

Copies of Gwich’in Tribal Council min-utes are available through the Executive Office or upon request to:

Lucy-Anne KayCorporate Governance Administrator(867) 777-7900lkay@gwichin.nt.ca

Annual AssemblyResolutions Summary

The GTC held the 31st Annual Gener-al Assembly in Inuvik, NT from Au-

gust 19th – 20th, 2014 at the Midnight Sun Recreation Complex. 30 Gwich’in Participants that were elected by their DGOs and 2 official observers from Yel-lowknife and Whitehorse attended as delegates.

GTC would like to thank all those who spoke and participated during the as-sembly. A special thanks to the indi-viduals that organized, set up, secured and catered the event. Here is a sum-mary of this year’s resolutions:

RESOLUTION # 001:2014 AGA “Gwich’in Tribal Council By-Laws No. 1, 2 and 3”1. Authorized and directed to make an application for a Certificate of Continu-ance of the Corporation2. The Articles of Continuance (transi-tion) are approved3. The general operating by-laws of the Corporation (as amended) are re-pealed and the new general operating by-laws which have been submitted to this meeting and are annexed to these minutes as Schedule B are approved and will be effective.

RESOLUTION # 002:2014 AGA “Gwich’in Settlement Corporation By-Law 1 & 3”1. Authorized and directed to make an application for a Certificate of Continu-ance of the Corporation2. The Articles of Continuance (transi-tion) are approved3. The general operating by-laws of the Corporation (as amended) are re-pealed and the new general operating by-laws which have been submitted to this meeting and are annexed to these minutes as Schedule B are approved and will be effective.

RESOLUTION # 003:2014 AGA “Guiding Fiscal Management”Direct the GTC Board of Directors to consider the following:1. Set limits and clear guidelines on the use of lines of credit 2. Ensure that bank accounts be used for the purpose for which they are es-tablished 3. Review existing by-laws and con-sider amendments that will provide flexibility to utilize and manage funds during times of financial downturn or requirement for restraint. 4. All requests of financial resources will require Board approval for all fi-nancial requests.

RESOLUTION # 004:2014 AGA “Board Appointments”Recommends that GTC strive to train Gwich’in participants to be qualified to sit on Boards established by GTC with the goal to have at least 51% of quali-fied Gwich’in participants.

RESOLUTION # 005:2014 AGA “Supporting the Wellness Camp”Directs the GTC Board of Directors un-dertake a review to consider the fol-lowing:1. Seek external funding to cover op-erational and program costs 2. Find ways to reduce operational costs 3. Consider ways to improve the use of the Facility.

RESOLUTION # 006:2014 AGA “Anti-Fracking”Declares the Gwich’in Settlement Re-gion to be a frack-free zone and calls on the Governments of the Yukon and Northwest Territories to prohibit any fracking in the Yukon and NWT.

RESOLUTION # 007:2014 AGA “Protection of Watersheds in GSA”Direct the GTC Leadership to:1. Work collaboratively with the Alaska and Yukon Gwich’in to maintain quality

(...cont’d on page 7)

The GTC is on Instagram! @gwichintribalcouncil

7

(...cont’d from previous page)of water for human use and ensure access to the quantity of water which will protect, maintain and sustain the Gwich’in traditional lifestyle, including our natural resources and environment so that future generations can contin-ue to live on the lands traditionally oc-cupied and used by the Gwich’in; and 2. Give political support to the Gwich’in Council International in their efforts to seek funds to host a Gwich’in Nation Water Conference.

RESOLUTION # 008:2014 AGA “Tetlit Gwich’in/Yukon Lands”Directs the GTC to:1. Work with the Tetlit Gwich’in Coun-cil towards establishing land man-agement and control rules over Tetlit Gwich’in Yukon Lands; and 2. Work with the Tetlit Gwich’in Coun-cil towards a protocol on the admin-istration and management of Tetlit Gwich’in Yukon Lands.

RESOLUTION # 009:2014 AGA “GTC and IGC Bi-lateral meetings”Direct the GTC to participate with IGC in bi-lateral meetings as required.

RESOLUTION # 010:2014 AGA “Gwich’in Regional Youth Council”Establish a Gwich’in Regional Youth Council.

RESOLUTION # 011:2014 AGA “Affirming the Authority of Assembly Delegates”Direct the GTC Executive, GTC Board of Directors and GTC Committees to:1. Recognize and affirm the authority of the Annual General Assembly while it is in session or adjournment;2. Provide any and all information to or requested by the delegates to Annual General Assembly to allow delegates to make an informed and reasoned de-cision with respect to the items noted.

RESOLUTION # 012:2014 AGA “Assembly Budget”To earmark no less than two hundred to three hundred thousand dollars ($200,000 - $300,000) from the annual operational budget of the Tribal Coun-cil to hold future effective Annual Gen-eral Assemblies .

RESOLUTION # 013:2014 AGA “Man-date of the GTC Self-Government Ne-gotiation Team”Approve the self-government negotia-tions mandate for 2013-2014 until the 2015 Annual General Assembly.

Copies of Gwich’in Tribal Council Annual Assembly Resolutions are available on the Gwich’in Tribal Council Website or upon request to:Lucy-Anne KayCorporate Governance Administrator(867) 777-7900lkay@gwichin.nt.ca

Gwich’in Participants at 31st Annual Assembly. Back Row: Daniel Tetlichi, Archie Norbert, Neil Pascal, Neil Firth, Dale Blake, Davie Edwards Middle Row: Sarah Jerome, Morris Blake, Irene Kendo, Serena Wright, Cassandra Francis, Greta Villebrun, Fanny Greenland and Angela Blake

Front Row: Mary Effie Snowshoe, Thomas Norbert and Bertha Francis (photo credit: GTC)

8

Acting Chief OperatingOfficer (COO)Helen Sullivan

During the past four months, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) has focused mainly on the administration and coor-dination of internal operational activi-ties of the organization in accordance with by-laws, policies, goals and objec-tives established by the Gwich’in Tribal Council (GTC) Executive and Board of Directors, including:

GTC By-law RevisionThe new Canada Not-for-Profit Cor-porations Act establishes a new set of rules for federally incorporated not-for-profit corporations in Canada. These new rules impact the By-laws of the GTC. GTC had until October 17th, 2014 to make the transition and come into compliance with the new Act. As part of this process, the GTC needed to review and amend our By-laws to en-sure compliance to the Act. Corpora-tions that do not make the transition by the deadline will be assumed to be inactive and will be dissolved.

Update: • By-law revisions were passed at the Annual General Assembly in August and were filed with Corporations Can-ada by Field Law prior to the October 17th deadline.• AGA delegates agreed that there is a need to further develop and revise the By-laws. GTC and the DGOs will work on them over the winter with the intention of bringing them to the AGA in August, 2015.• Copies of newly revised By-laws, Election Codes, and Certificates of Continuance were received by GTC in early October and were circulated to DGOs and Executive.• The effective date of the By-laws

(the date that each Gwich’in organi-zation can begin to use the By-Laws) is the date that the By-Laws were ac-cepted at their annual Assembly.

Election for GTC PresidentGTC began the process of electing a GTC President by advertising a Request for Expression of Interest (REOI) for the position of Chief Returning Officer (CRO). The closing date for the REOI was July 25th, 2014. The Board of Di-rectors appointed a CRO on August 22, 2014. The CRO is presently conduct-ing the election in compliance with the GTC Elections Policy and Procedures Manual.

Update:• Notice has been given to eligible voters of the GTC that the following individuals have been nominated for President: James A Wilson and Richard Nerysoo.• Advance Poll Date is Wednesday, November 5th from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm.• Election Day is Monday, November 17th from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm.

Advance Poll & Election Day VenuesAklavikAklavik Indian Band – Board Room

Fort McPhersonChii Tsal Dik Gwisheh (The Lodge)

InuvikNihtat Gwich’in CouncilAlex Moses Greenland BuildingBoard Room105 Veteran’s Way

TsiigehtchicChief Paul Niditchie School Gymnasium

Personal Education Credit Program (PEC)One-time Personal Credits of up to $3,000 are redeemable by Common Experience Program (CEP) recipi-ents for personal or group education programs and services provided by approved educational entities and groups. A main purpose of the PEC is to reclaim through education the First Nations’ languages and cultures that were taken away during the residential

Gwich’in Camp, 2014 (photo credit: Helen Sullivan)

(...cont’d on page 9)

For more information, visit us online at http://gwichintribalcouncil.com

9

(...cont’d from previous page)school era. The GTC is a “group service provider” for the PEC program.

Update: • Working team/relationship estab-lished in the GTC Office in early July, 2014.• Procedures and practices were im-plemented to respond to participant inquiries and handling of Redemption Forms.• Business and educational entities were contacted and PEC accounts were established in four Gwich’in com-munities.• Program is well underway in all com-munities.• Deadlines:

October 31, 2014 (midnight)Deadline for CEP Recipient to submit Acknowledgement Form

December 1, 2014 (midnight)Deadline for Education Entity or Group Educational Service to submit Redemption Form

April 30, 2015Deadline to spend the Personal Credit

Organization ReviewIn the summer of 2013, the GTC initi-ated a process to evaluate the sus-tainability of its existing HR Policies and structures. The Association of Management, Consulting and Man-agement and Evaluation Services (AMCES) were hired to conduct a com-prehensive evaluation of the existing human resource situation from both a governance and an operational per-spective. The anticipated results for the 2013/2014 fiscal year were: 1. New job descriptions for all GTC employees

2. A revision to all pay scales for the organization

3. A new performance evaluation scheme

4. A new organizational design, with new lines of authority and a new departmental scheme

Update: • New job descriptions have been competed.• Pay scales of the organization have been reviewed.• A new performance evaluation

scheme has been implemented and annual Staff Performance Reviews have been completed by Directors.• A Compensation Review has been completed by COO and was briefly dis-cussed at the HR/Finance Committee Meeting on October 15th, 2014. This review included the Consumer Price In-dex and Performance-Based Bonuses.

• The GTC’s Organizational Chart is in its final revision stage.

Chairmanship ofGwich’in Council InternationalThe Gwich’in Council International (GCI) was established as a non-profit organization in 1999 by the Gwich’in Tribal Council in Inuvik, NWT, to ensure that all regions of the Gwich’in Nation in the Northwest Territories, Yukon and Alaska are represented at the Arctic Council. The GCI also plays an active and significant role in the development of policies that relate to the Circumpo-lar Arctic. GTC assumed chairmanship of the GCI for a one year term in Au-gust, 2014. Bobbie Jo Greenland-Mor-gan was appointed as GCI Chairperson, effective October 22, 2014.

Records ManagementThe GTC is in the process of adopting a centralized filing management system to better manage records and docu-ments. An information management specialist was engaged to determine steps that need to be taken. Work has begun on this initiative and policies and procedures are being developed to ensure that the records management procedures are established and main-tained throughout the organization.

2014 Year End Reports

The following reports have been post-ed on the GTC website:• GTC Annual Report 2013 – 2014

• GTC AGA Resolutions 2014

Fall Harvest, Husky Channel 2014 (photo credit: Helen Sullivan)

Check out the Gwich’in Tribal Council on Facebook!

10

Finance DepartmentFinancial Management

The GTC will continue to review the performance of all of our programs

to ensure continuous improvements in the quality of services to our partici-pants in a financially efficient manner. We will continue to improve our bud-get management system to provide more timely and detailed financial information for transparency and ac-countability of all operations.

More management information will be provided to the Board on projects and programs. Financial by-laws, policies and procedures are being updated, and financial systems are being reviewed. This will lead to stronger financial con-trols and better risk management.

The overall financial performance of the GTC has been strong over the last

couple of years, but the current prob-lem being experienced in the financial markets and the recent drop in re-source prices are being closely moni-tored. When the GTC budget for the 2014-15 was approved in March, we projected revenues of $10.0 million and expenses of $10.2 million. After six months of operation, we now hope to balance our budget on a non-consoli-dated basis this year.

With the Gwich’in Development Cor-poration (GDC), we will continue to closely monitor our asset mix and the performance of our investment man-agers to ensure that our investment objectives are achieved. To ensure a continued high level of transparency and accountability, organizations that receive funding from GSC will continue to provide an annual budget and work plan and quarterly progress reports.

The performance of GDC will be close-ly monitored. GDC will manage risks by evaluating the current investment portfolio, with consideration given to restructuring, maintaining manage-ment and administrative overhead in GDC and subsidiaries at sustain-able levels, and by looking at invest-ment prospects inside and outside the Gwich’in Settlement Area.

Gwich’in Elders at Self-Government Conference. Standing: Sarah Jerome, Freddy Jerome, Alice Vittrekwa, Alestine Andre, Peter Kay Jr., Ernest Vittrekwa, Robert McLeod, Norman Snowshoe, Fanny Greenland and Mabel Brown.

Seated: Stephen Bonnetplume, Renie Stewart, Annie B. Gordon, Mary Teya and Eileen Koe (photo credit: GTC)

11

Lands, Resources & Intergovernmental AffairsPatrick Tomlinson, Director

Self-Government The GTC continues to negotiate self-government with the governments of Canada and NWT. At present, the par-ties are meeting every three months - sometimes in Yellowknife, sometimes in Edmonton, and about half the time in Gwich’in communities. For example, next January the main table nego-tiations are scheduled to take place in Fort McPherson. Next March, they are scheduled for Aklavik.

Following the instruction of several GTC Board motions, as well as Annual General Assembly (AGA) motions in 2013 and 2014, the Gwich’in negotia-tion team is made up of six individuals: one representative from each commu-nity Designated Gwich’in Organization (DGO), the Vice President of the GTC, and the Director of Intergovernmental Relations. Currently, the community representatives are: Eugene Pascal (Aklavik), Barry Greenland (Inuvik), David Krutko (Fort McPherson), and Carolyn Lennie (Tsiigehtchic).

In May 2014, the GTC negotiation team submitted to the governments a 39 chapter, 105 page position paper that contains proposals for an agreement-in-principle. The position paper was developed by the negotiation team in a series of strategic sessions and ul-timately approved by the GTC Board of Directors in April. Since delivery to the governments, the position paper has formed the basis for all negotia-tions and the GTC has received posi-tive feedback. It is anticipated that the document will be completely reviewed by all parties by January 2015, at which time a more serious set of negotiations will commence.

At a recent negotiation session, the GTC confirmed a very important point related to self-government that should be of interest to many: Status Indian Non-Insured Health Benefits will not be affected by a Gwich’in self-govern-ment. This means that the various vi-sion care, prescription drugs and other benefits from the Non-Insured Health Benefits program would continue un-disturbed if the Gwich’in vote in favour of a self-government agreement.

GCLCA Implementation The GTC Intergovernmental Lands and Resources department continues to implement the GCLCA by various

means and activities. The most impor-tant meetings on implementation con-tinue to be the Implementation Com-mittee meetings (3 or 4 times a year). The most recent meeting took place in Yellowknife in July 2014. At that meeting, GTC secured several commit-ments from the governments, includ-ing a $50,000 grant to re-print revised copies of the GCLCA. The GTC hopes to have the new copies of the GCLCA printed by April 2015, at which time copies will be distributed to each DGO. Other discussions that took place at the previous Committee meeting in-clude: a review of the dispute resolu-tion chapter; a clarification of the GTC role on outstanding Treaty 11 issues; and the development of a plan to con-sider further activities associated with Chapter 10: Economic Measures.

The review of the 10 Year Implementa-tion Plan continues. Recently, GTC met with community representatives and Renewable Resource Council officials in Fort McPherson, Tsiigehtchic and Aklavik, as well as with the Gwich’in Renewable Resource Board in Inuvik. It is expected that the work plan associ-ated with the 10 Year Implementation Plan will be signed off by the parties in December. GTC will continue to meet with community representatives as re-quested to review the work plan con-tents and answer any questions.

(...cont’d on page 12)

GTC Board of Directors. In this photo: Carolyn Lennie, Barry Greenland, Norman Snowshoe, David Krutko (photo credit: GTC)

Follow the GTC on Twitter! @GwichinSelfgovt 12

(...cont’d from previous page) The financial terms related to the 10 Year Plan will begin in mid-November, when representatives from the Gov-ernments of Canada and the Northwest Territories travel to Inuvik to meet with Vice President Norman Snowshoe.

10 Year Human Resources StrategyAs explained at the 2014 AGA, the GTC is currently planning and executing a 10 Year Human Resources (HR) Strat-egy to address community concerns related to Gwich’in capacity to take on the work of self-government. One key component of the HR strategy is a reform of the public school curriculum in GSA high achools. The GTC has con-vened an Advisory committee of spe-cialists in related fields to provide ad-vice and suggestions about a new set of high school courses that will focus on Gwich’in history and culture.

The GTC is now committed to produc-ing several high school courses by April 1, 2015. The first course will be taught in Fort McPherson and Aklavik in the last semester of the 2014-15 school year. Several others will follow in Sep-tember.

Also related to the 10 Year HR Strat-egy is a plan to reform the collection, management and storage of enroll-ment information by the Gwich’in En-rollment Board. GTC staff, including the enrollment board coordinator, the IT specialist and members of the inter-governmental relations team are now redesigning the application form and the identity cards used by the Enroll-ment Board.

As part of these changes, GTC staff will be contacting all Gwich’in participants to confirm their personal information and to acquire some extra information to add to our system. Participants will be given the option to fill out the form online, or in person with the assistance

of GTC staff. The first communities to be targeted will be Yellowknife, Ed-monton and Whitehorse in December 2014. Participants living in GSA com-munities will be approached in January and February 2015.

Intergovernmental Curriculum Committee. Standing: Patrick Tomlinson, John Norbert, Diana Barr, Sarah Jerome, Alestine Andre, Velma Illasiak, Shannon Jensen, Sharon Snowshoe, Liz Gordon and William George Firth. Front: Bertha Francis and Diane Baxter

(photo credit: GTC)

13

Gwich’in Services Robert Charlie, Director

The Gwich’in Services team consists of the following staff:

Margaret GordonManager Education and TrainingCheryl WrightOffice ManagerGina FirthReceptionistSuraj ChhetriIT SupportMariah PetersonCareer Development Officer Susan RossResolution Health Support Worker

We are responsible for various activi-ties within the department that I will report on:

RecruitmentWe continue to assist with vacancies within various departments in the or-ganization.

Education & TrainingWe have 3 sources of funding available for those who want to continue their education.

The Education Foundation sup-ports Gwich’in Participants attend-ing Post-Secondary institutions who have obtained major funding for their program. The Education Foundation will provide a top-up bursary to assist these students. We have received ap-proximately 45 applications for bursa-ries for this semester.

The Imperial Fund is for students at-tending programs related to the Oil

and Gas industry. The Imperial Fund will provide a top-up bursary to these students.

The Aboriginal Skills and Employ-ment Training Strategy (ASETS) fund assists clients with education and training that will lead to employment. The current agreement will end on March 31, 2015. We anticipate that the ASETS agreement will continue with some minor changes. There have been some initial consultation sessions, but we have not had any further meetings.

In addition, we provide scholarships and graduation gifts from the Edu-cation Foundation. Students must achieve an 80% average to be eligible for the scholarships and must obtain a certificate of graduation to receive graduation gifts.

(...cont’d on page 14)

Gwich’in Services. Standing: Suraj Chhetri, Mariah Peterson, Cheryl Wright, Margaret Gordon and Robert Charlie. Seated: Susan Ross and Georgina Firth (photo credit: GTC)

14

(...cont’d from previous page)

Activities:We have been quite busy in the educa-tion and training area with the follow-ing activities:• Assisting clients with resume writ-ing, job searches and training requests• Aurora College – Mobile Trades Training Lab. We are partnering with the College to deliver a “Building Trades Helper” program from August to October• We are also partnering with the Col-lege and IRC on a Personal Support Worker program which started in Sep-tember, 2014• We will assist clients with training to employment on the Tuk Highway proj-ect.

ASETS: The Aboriginal Skills to Employment Training Program (ASETS) is deliv-ered by GTC on behalf of Service Can-ada. This is a five year program up to March 31st, 2015. The three strategic priorities of ASETS are:• Demand driven skills development,• Partnerships with the private sector and across the whole of government , and• Accountability for improved results.

The following are some of the objec-tives of the program:• Help improve the employment op-portunities of aboriginal people• Enable them to fully participate in the Canadian economy• Increase the participation in the Ca-nadian Labour Market• Be responsive to the skills demands of employers and promote strategic partnerships with the private sector.

Our Operational Plan with Service Canada has been accepted and we are presently assisting clients with train-ing that will lead to employment. The criteria for ASETS are very specific. The

program objective is to improve the “Employability of Aboriginal People” within the GSA.

WellnessWe are concentrating on support to cli-ents who are going through the Inde-pendent Assessment Process related to claims under the Indian Residential School program. In addition, we have taken on the responsibility of assisting clients with their applications for Per-sonal Education Credits. Clients who have received a Common Experience Payment are eligible for a $3000 dol-lar Personal Education Credits. These credits can be used for their education, transferred to family, or used for oth-er eligible wellness-related activities. A majority of clients are using these credits for on-the-land activities. The deadlines are very tight and there are a lot of issues with the implementation of this program, but we are doing the best we can under the circumstances.

The following are the deadlines:• October 31, 2014 PEC application deadline• December 31, 2014 Personal edu-cation credits must be spent based on what you have identified in the Re-demption form.• April 30, 2015 Educational services where credits are being applied must be completed.

Other ServicesRegional Training Partnership (RTP) Margaret Gordon attends the meet-ings of the RTP to strategize with oth-er education service providers in Inuvik on potential opportunities for training in the region.

Enrolment This is an on-going activity. To date, we have approximately 3400 participants enrolled.

Gwich’in Harvester’s Assistance Pro-gram A review of the GHAP is in prog-

ress. We have received the report from the Contractor and will be reviewing it with the Communities to get their input and final decision. This will then be presented to the Board for their ap-proval and we can implement this new Policy for the spring, 2015 allocation.

GTC Human Resources Manual The final draft has been completed. This will be presented to the GTC Board for their approval.

GTC Safety Manual This manual has been completed. We have formed a Health and Safety Committee and are holding regular monthly meetings. Margaret Gordon is the lead on this committee.

Liaison Community Employment Of-ficers contact us daily to provide as-sistance with their day-to-day tasks. We support the employment officers in Aklavik, Ft McPherson and Tsiigehtchic with their client interactions and also provide them with training support.

Administration We assist clients with funding requests, job searches and re-sumes, update the KETO database and develop contribution agreements.

Information Technology A new server and telephone system have been in-stalled. We are up to speed with the latest technology.

This ends my report. On behalf of Gwich’in Services, I would like to thank you for the opportunity to provide you with an update on our activities.

Haii

Robert CharlieDirector, Gwich’in Services

The GTC is on Instagram! @gwichintribalcouncil

15For more information, visit us online at http://gwichintribalcouncil.com

Gwich’in DevelopmentCorporation

We are happy to bring you this update on the activities of your

Gwich’in Development Corporation (GDC). Change began in September 2013 with a new Board of Directors out of a selection of candidates from across Canada. Most recently, the Board has hired a President and Managing Direc-tor for Dinjii Zhuh.

The first order of business: to strength-en the GDC with the goal to be a posi-tive contributor to the GTC and to the the Gwich’in People. The objective is to look at each business interest and to decide what action is required in the best interests of the Gwich’in Peo-ple. Most importantly and immedi-ate are decisions with Dinjii Zhuh and Mackenzie Valley Construction. Dinjii Zhuh has consistently lost money and Mackenzie Valley Construction has no management structure to carry it for-ward as an operating company. Both

companies have some excellent assets – equipment, land and contracts. The goal is to undertake business decisions that allow the GDC to take advantage of the best, while getting rid of the rest.

Many will have heard now of the change with Dinjii Zhuh. Dinjii Zhuh holds the road maintenance contract on the Dempster Highway between Mile “0” and Mile 146. The manage-ment team reviewed all options avail-able for reorganization of delivery of the contract and determined that they best was to subcontract the road maintenance to a private operator out of Fort MacPherson. Winter is not the best time of the year to make a ma-jor change, but change was required. The road maintenance contract is now being done by LJ Contracting, a 50% Gwich’in-owned company that will carry on the contract for the next six months to allow GDC management to fully review all options for the road maintenance. We now look to a posi-tive contribution for the GDC from the operations of the maintenance con-tract by LJ Contracting.

Another major initiative underway at this time is providing assistance to the GTC in negotiations with the Govern-ment of the Northwest Territories for access to construct the proposed fibre optic line to Inuvik. The line is proposed to cross approximately 180 kilometers of Gwich’in land. Other than securing lease fees, there was not much securi-ty in the Gwich’in receiving contracting and employment benefits. The GDC management has been working with the GTC to negotiate a Benefit Agree-ment that would see the Gwich’in be-ing directly involved in the construc-tion activities along the fibre optic line within the Gwich’in Land Settlement Area.

Another initiative is the GDC involve-ment in a project at the Inuvik Airport.

These are just a couple of the significant initiatives underway. In all of these, the objective is to build on the strengths of the past towards a sustainable future for the GDC and the Gwich’in People from the activities of the Gwich’in De-velopment Corporation.

Photo credit: GTC

16

2014 ELECTION INFORMATION

NOTICE OF CANDIDATES NOMINATEDNotice is hereby given to the eligible voters of the Gwich’in Tribal Council that the

following individuals have been nominated for the following position:

President:James A. Wilson Richard Nerysoo

ADVANCE POLLS

November 5, 2014Advance Poll hours shall be from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm

Polling Locations:EHDllTAT GWICH’IN COUNCIL -Aklavik

NIHTAT GWICH’IN COUNCIL - lnuvikCHIEF PAUL NIDITCHIE GYMNASIUM - Tsiigehtchic

CHll TSAL DIK GWIZHEH (the Lodge) - Fort McPherson

REGULAR POLLS

November 17, 2014Polling hours shall be from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Polling Locations:

EHDllTAT GWICH’IN COUNCIL -AklavikNIHTAT GWICH’IN COUNCIL - Inuvik

CHIEF PAUL NIDITCHIE GYMNASIUM - TsiigehtchicCHII TSAL DIK GWIZHEH (the Lodge) - Fort McPherson

GTC ELECTIONS OFFICEMary Ann Ross, Chief Returning Officer

198 Mackenzie Road, Capital Suites, Suite 117PO Box 3050, Inuvik, NT X0E 0T0

Phone: (867) 777-4440 Fax: (867) 777-4441gtcelections2014@outlook.com

Gwìch’inat Eenjit Gàdatr’igwijìlcheii Gidilii

Gwìch’in nan, nakhwek’yùu ts’àt gwitr’it tthak nakhwidavee gwiheezàa eenjit

Gwich’in Tribal CouncilGwich’in land, culture & economy for a better future

Check out the Gwich’in Tribal Council on Facebook!

Vice President Norman Snowshoe and citizens of Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation and Nacho Nyak Dun First Nation gather during a break at the Peel Watershed Trial in Whitehorse, YT (photo credit: GTC)

17

The Gwich’in Harvesters Assistance Trust was set up to assist our harvesters. This year we processed all the applications as prescribed by the Gwich’in Harvesters Assis-

tance Program (GHAP) Policy. If there were any issues with the allocation process, the GHAP appeal process was used to address the concerns. 88 participants were eligible for assistance.

Over the years, there have been many issues raised with this program. This year the GTC hired Brian Penney to carry out a review of the GHAP based on direction from the com-munities. Mr. Penney went to all the communities and conducted interviews. Based on these interviews he provided the GTC with his recommendations. The GTC is currently reviewing these recommendations. It is very important that we do this analysis to ensure that the GHAP Trust can sustain any additional funding requirements. The review also discussed the roles of the Renewable Resources and the Program Management Com-mittee. All communities will be informed of the direction the GHAP will take as it assist all Harvesters.

Peel Watershed Litigation

The GTC has taken a strong stand opposing Yukon Gov-ernment’s proposed Land Use Plan for the Peel Water-

shed region. For the past six months, GTC has acted as an intervener in a legal action brought by a consortium of Yu-kon First Nations and environmental groups to strike down a Yukon Government plan and to reinstate a Land Use Plan for the Peel that was created by the Planning Commission in 2012.

The Gwich’in own numerous parcels of land in the Peel Wa-tershed and enjoy hunting and trapping rights – in addition

to other rights – in an even larger area throughout Yukon.

The various Gwich’in rights, benefits and conditions of land ownership in Yukon are contained in Appendix C of the GCLCA, the Yukon Transboundary Agreement.

In July, the entire GTC Board of Directors travelled to White-horse to attend a four day court session to go over the facts of the case and hear the two sides. The parties were then asked by the judge to attend a one day court session in Oc-tober to review possible remedies.

The judge is expected to release his judgment by Christmas.

Gwich’in Harvesters Assistance Program

18Follow the GTC on Twitter! @GwichinSelfgovt

Designated Gwich’in OrganizationsEhdiitat Gwich’in Council (EGC)

Drin Gwiinzii. We are pursuing addi-tional training for Tourism Guides

for Tourism Small Business Develop-ment. They were trained in Aklavik and many of them have achieved their Level I and Level II in Tourism Guiding.

We have accessed funding from the GNWT Anti-Poverty Program and have starting fishing to help low-income families and Elders offset the high cost of living in Aklavik and to provide nu-tritional country food. We are getting ready for fishing under the ice and will include workshops and traditional knowledge from our Elders about fish-ing methods and fish preparation.

This month, we will be working on the Aklavik Visitors Centre, upgrading and building displays to have it ready for next season. We are going to get the wood stove installed and start working on finishing the logs and stairs as well.

Other Activities:

• Building gardening infrastructure through raised bed gardens and gar-den start-ups.

• Receiving and distributing a few bedding plants in the community this past growing season.

• We presented the EGC audit at our Annual Assembly for the EGC; it was approved by membership.

• Acceptance and approval of the re-vised Bylaw No. 1 and the transition to the Canada Not-for-Profit Act.• Ehdiitat Gwich’in Council Elections will take place on Nov 17th; early poll on the 5th for 7 directors.

• Starting work for Gwich’in Munici-pal lands, including creating files on all properties registered to the EGC.

We believe in working cooperatively with other organizations. We support community initiatives and activities. The Take Back the Night event was very successful. The Health Center’s CHR Gladys Edwards and Health and Social Services walked with supporters around town and ended up here at the Band Office for donuts and chili (spon-sored by the AIB).

The EGC will continue to be involved in cultural and language activities. We are getting ready to help families that want to learn about fishing and fish preparation.

The office has been busy with meet-ings for Self-government, Youth Coun-cil, GTC Implementation of the GCLCA and new programs. We welcome and encourage the membership to visit our office and stop by for coffee.

Hai Choo, Robert Buckle, Executive Director

Gwichya Gwich’in Council (GGC)

The GGC of Tsiigehtchic was elect-ed in December 2013 for a one

year term as per the 1992 Bylaw #1. Elected were President Carolyn Len-nie and Members John D. Firth, Char-lene Blake, Maureen Cardinal-Clark, Herbert (Mickey) Andre and Margaret Nazon.

The elected Council completed a stra-tegic plan, budget and work plan for the period of April 1st, 2014 to March 31, 2015. The operating theme for the GGC for the next year is “Evolving”. The Council felt that, over the past couple of years, the goal is moving forward and advancing the Gwicha Gwich’in in-terest at all levels: community, region-al, and territorial.

Since 2010, the GGC has taken mea-sures to update their Bylaw #1. A draft Bylaw #1 was presented to the Gwicha Gwich’in Annual Assembly in 2012 and 2013, with approval to make changes and incorporate changes of the new regulations under the not-for-profit legislation coming into effect October 2014. In July 2014, the GGC received notification from Industry Canada that the Council is now in compliance with the new legislation. The name change “Gwichya Gwich’in” has been accepted and a notice of continuance was is-sued.

Interests of the Gwichya Gwich’in are represented in various forums: Gwich’in Self-Government, Gwich’in Tribal Council board of directors, Gwich’in Renewable Resource Coun-cil, and with the Government of the Northwest Territories.

The next GGC elections will be held in December 2014 to coincide with our Gwichya Gwich’n Annual General As-sembly. Since the new Bylaw changes, the term will be for a three (3) year pe-riod for President and Council.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the GGC office at (867) 953-3110.

Mahsi Cho,Carolyn Lennie, President

19

Designated Gwich’in OrganizationsNihtat Gwich’in Council (NGC)

It is my pleasure to provide this update of the NGC activities for this news-

letter. The current NGC Directors are Amy Amos, Barry Greenland, Duane Debastien, Richard Ross Jr. and myself, Jozef Carnogursky as President. The NGC appointed members to the GTC are myself and Barry Greenland. Staff at NGC consist of Terry Peterson, Lee-Ann Nerysoo and Allen Firth.

The NGC has been very busy on a num-ber of initiatives. We continue to show strong management with regard to fi-nancial matters both under NGC and within our business ventures. In fact, during our term, we have produced surpluses and profits in all of our ven-tures that are currently operating and we have controlled spending which has increased our accumulated surplus for the last 2 consecutive years. Griz-zly Marine Services Ltd. for example, has injected over $1 million in wages into communities last year alone, while continuing to make profits for its shareholders. Over the last year, we have also employed over 30 people in various positions.

As a result of our management con-trols, we are now in a position to utilize the profits generated by our economic arm. Just recently, the NGC decided to purchase some commercial property here in Inuvik. We are in the process of designing a new building for the Nihtat

Gwich’in and we will be seeking com-munity input on what our members want in a building. We are looking to have the building completed by August 2015.

The Nihtat Corporation has also leased the shop and gas bar known as Mack-enzie Valley Construction from the Gwich’in Development Corporation. We will be providing fuel services, au-tomotive repairs and servicing, stor-age and vehicle rentals. This will not only provide alternative options for our community, but it will also create em-ployment opportunities. We also con-tinue to push for economic opportuni-ties for our membership with regard to projects that occur in the Inuvik region, like the Mackenzie Fiber Link Project.

The NGC has also been a strong sup-porter in community functions.Last year, we donated over $20,000 to dif-ferent initiatives. Some of these initia-tives include donations to Aboriginal Day, Canada Day, Gwich’in Day and the East Three Breakfast Program. We have donated to individuals and groups for such things as soccer, hockey, bas-ketball, curling and figure skating, and to families that have lost loved ones over the last year.

The last year has not been without its challenges, but we have worked as a team towards the best interests of our membership.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the Nihtat staff and my col-leagues on Council for their continued support and professionalism. Lastly, and most importantly, I want to thank my wife, family and friends for their support during the last two years. I re-ally appreciate it and I am truly thank-ful!

Best regards,Jozef CarnogurskyPresident, NGC

Tetlit Gwich’in Council (TGC)

The Tetlit Gwich’in Council held their election on October 27th, 2014.

The newly elected representatives are:

President Wilbert Firth

Councillors Glen AlexieLeslie P. BlakeAbe WilsonDavid Krutko

The Council will be undergoing a group orientation and strategic planning ses-sion in the coming weeks.

An update will be provided in the next Gwich’in Tribal Council newsletter.

Mackenzie River. Photo credit: GTC

The GTC is on Instagram! @gwichintribalcouncil

20

Arctic Council – TK PrinciplesGSCI has been asked by Gwich’in Council International (GCI) to take part in meetings and provide input into the Traditional Knowledge (TK) Principles being developed by the Sustainable Development Working Group of the Arctic Council. These Principles are meant to guide all future Arctic Council research. There may be opportunities for GSCI to become involved in other Arctic Council TK initiatives under the wing of GCI.

GSCI Strategic Plan Finalized Iindoo Khehłok Tr’eedah: Mov-ing Forward as One. Gwich’in Social and Cultural Institute 5-Year Plan 2014-2019.

Teetl’it Gwich’in LandUse History Book Project Funding committed for year 1 of 2 Over the next two years, GSCI will work with Dr. Michael Heine and the community of Fort McPherson on the Teetl’it Gwich’in community history book. Dr. Heine was awarded tenure from Western University and is tak-ing a one year sabbatical to work on the book with GSCI and the Teetl’it Gwich’in.

Berger InquiryGSCI will continue to work with Drew Ann Wake, a reporter during the Berg-er Inquiry in the 1970s, to make her au-dio recording and photos (taken by Mi-chael Jackson, legal counsel for Justice Berger) more accessible to the public.

Dempster Highway Grave Signage GSCI will continue to work with Yukon Heritage, the Tr’ondek Hwech’in and the Teetl’it Gwich’in Council and/or RRC to ensure that the remaining signs are installed along the highway.

Gwich’in Curriculum Committee Funded by GTC GSCI has been asked to provide input into the curriculum that GTC is developingin partnership with the local high schools. Alestine is currently sitting on the advisory committee and providing advice and information as required.

(...cont’d on page 21)

William Koe, Peel River, 2014 (photo credit: GSCI)

Gwich’in Social & Cultural Institute (GSCI)

For more information, visit us online at http://gwichintribalcouncil.com

21

(...cont’d from previous page)

Gwich’in Goonanh’kak Googwandak: The Places and Stories of the Gwich’inOnline Atlas, Maps, Yukon submissions

Gwich’in Online Atlas with Carleton University – funded by GNWT GSCI will continue to work with the Geomat-ics and Cartographic Research Centre at Carleton on the atlas.

Gwich’in Maps – 300,000 scale wall map and series of 1:250,000 scale maps GSCI will finalize these maps and make them available in digital form plus print and distribute copies to the communities.

Yukon Official Place Name Submis-sions GSCI submitted 216 place names for official recognition in the Yukon in late March 2013. Twelve names have been officially recognized to date. GSCI will continue to answer any ques-tions and, if funding permits, attend Yukon Geographical Place Names Board meetings in Whitehorse with Elders from Fort McPherson to review the submissions as they are reviewed.

Land Use Permit, Archaeological Permit,Scientific Research Licence Applications & Research AgreementsGSCI continues to review permits and applications and to negotiate Research Agreements based on the GTC TK Pol-icy 2004.

Mackenzie Valley Fibre Link Project Contract with Stantec GSCI reviewed the draft terms of refer-ence for an Archaeological Impact As-sessment for the summer of 2014 be-tween Fort Good Hope and Inuvik.

Species at Risk Projects 2014-2015Funded by Species at Risk and GRRB This project is being carried out by the GRRB with Kristi Benson taking the lead as researcher and GSCI staff assisting and reviewing final reports. Species researched include Bluenose Caribou and Mountain Woodland Caribou.

Steppe Bison Exhibit GSCI will continue to work with a steering committee from the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre (Yel-lowknife) to create a number of stand-alone, travel and web exhibits about this 12,000 year old find - including an exhibit for the Chief Paul Niditchie School in Tsiigehtchic. Ingrid is cur-rently sitting on this committee.

Students GSCI will continue to work with the fol-lowing students as needed.

• Thea Luig, Ph.D. student, Univer-sity of Alberta – “Northwind or not, we’re walking down” – Life Changes and Well-being in a Northern Aboriginal

Community. Teetl’it Gwich’in Stories of Overcoming Hardship and Living a Strong, Healthy Life.

• Crystal Fraser, Ph.D. student, University of Alberta – History of Edu-cation in the NWT from 1940-1996.

• Angela James, Ph.D. student, Simon Fraser University – Long Ago and Today – A narrative focusing on sto-ries of NWT Elders’ traditional Aborigi-nal pedagogies and comparing them to contemporary educational approaches.

• Cathy McRae, M.A. student, Lakehead University – “Northern Fron-tier, Northern Homeland” – An exami-nation of the Impacts of the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry on Hydrocarbon Development in the NWT 1977-2013

• Lawrence Keyte, M.A. student, Trent University – Energy Resilience in Northern communities – Critical Success for Sustainable Northern Energy.

• Daryl English – Yukon College Heritage and Cultural Program

Sharon SnowshoeExecutive DirectorGwich’in Social and Cultural Institute

Gwich’in Wedding Moccasins(photo credit: Shayla Snowshoe,

Snowshoe Studios)

Check out the Gwich’in Tribal Council on Facebook!

Mary & Peter Kay (photo credit: R.A. Alexie)

Peter & Mary Kay Anniversary

Peter and Mary Kay celebrated their 75th Wedding Anniversary on July 12, 2014.

The oldest living Gwich’in person, Peter also celebrated his 99th birthday on October 18th.

Mary celebrates her 95th birthday on December 22, 2014.

Congratulations!

22

Gwich’in Language Report

The Government of the NWT gave greater responsibilities for lan-

guage revitalization programs to the aboriginal groups for the fiscal year of 2014/2015. Additional funding was provided to aboriginal governments to implement their regional language plans, which were developed by each region.

To assist with planning for implemen-tation, the GNWT provided regional Aboriginal Groups with $60,000 each. This funding was used to host a re-gional workshop with participants from each of the four Gwich’in communities in April 2014.

In the workshop, participants set a work plan based on the regional lan-guage plan. The funding was also used for purchasing capital equipment to assist in the delivery of the language revitalization program. There were seven goals identified in the work plan in addition to continuing to work on the online dictionary, collecting elders’ biographies and literacy projects. I will outline three projects that we are cur-rently working on at the current time.

Gwich’in Language Online DictionarySince we began work on the online dic-tionary, we have accumulated numer-ous terms and phrases. These are now being divided into concrete sections for use within the database. We have continued to record the information we have on file and have added other similar terms and phrases.

Eleanor Mitchell-Firth continues to re-cord two elders in voicing over all the entries of the Dictionary and will be en-tering them into the audio dictionary. We began to work with and partnered

with the community of Old Crow, where the Vuntut dialect is spoken.

We are also working with a consultant on dictionary software. We will tap into what the dictionary software has to of-fer in terms of entering the data collec-tion of dictionary terms and phrases.

Mentor Apprentice Workshop William Firth is working on deliver-ing a mentor-apprenticeship program in each of the Gwich’in communities. A person who would like to learn the Gwich’in language is buddied up with an elder.

The apprentice commits to a total of 50 hours a month, where the elder and apprentice have to meet and only speak the language. There is no writing to be done at this point. The goal is to listen to the language and encourage the speaking of the language. There is an agreement between the elder as mentor and student as apprentice on making a commitment to the program. A work plan has to be developed. An evaluation must be done prior to the program and again after the program.

If you would like to participate in this mentor apprentice program, please contact William at the Gwich’in Lan-guage Centre at 867-952-2377.

Gwich’in Literacy and Liturgical WorkshopIn November 18-20, 2014, the annual Gwich’in Literacy and Liturgical work-shop will be conducted by the Yukon Native Language Center. William would like to invite two participants from each of the Gwich’in communities to participate in this workshop.

If you are interested in participating in this workshop, please contact William at the Gwich’in Language Centre at 867-952-2377.

Follow the GTC on Twitter! @GwichinSelfgovt

23

Run to Protect the Peel

Hello to all Gwich’in! I am so grate-ful, thankful, and appreciative to-

wards the strong base of Gwich’in sup-porters out there for my long Protect the Peel runs! A very big Hai Cho for your prayers, thoughts, and personal donations during my runs! I want you to know that your help saved my arse on the highways this spring and sum-mer!

I want to take this opportunity to ex-press my respects and empathy to Renie and the Alexie family for their tragic loss of our friend and President Robert Alexie Jr. Robert was a special supporter to me. I will forever cherish the lessons and stories he shared with me. That man made my belly laugh so hard! Hai Cho to Robert Alexie Jr.

I will continue to share my voice, strengths, experiences and hopes through my runs on the NWT highways and ice roads. Running long distance is my gift and I will continue to run for the protection of Peel Watershed. My wish is to bring youth with me in the Peel Watershed for a Youth Leadership Run-ning Camp someday. Once again thank you for being there for me. My efforts are your efforts!

Long live the Peel Watershed.

Sincerely,

Caribou Legs (Brad Firth)

The GTC is on Instagram! @gwichintribalcouncil

Photo credit: Brad Firth

24

To update your mailing address, please call the Enrolment office (toll free): 1-866-414-4670

Gwichya Gwich’in CouncilPO Box 58 Tsiigehtchic NT X0E 0B0Ph: 867-953-3011 Fax: 867-953-3018

Tetlit Gwich’in CouncilPO Box 30 Fort McPherson X0E 0J0Ph: 867-952-2330 Fax: 867-952-2212

Ehdiitat Gwich’in CouncilPO Box 118 Aklavik NT X0E 0A0Ph: 867-978-2340 Fax: 867-978-2937

Nihtat Gwich’in CouncilPO Box 2570 Inuvik NT X0E 0T0Ph: 867-777-6650 Fax: 867-777-6651

Contact Us

Winter Scenery (photo credit:GTC)

facebook.com/gwichinselfgovernment

@GwichinSelfgovt

@gwichintribalcouncil

Gwich’in Tribal Council1-3 Council Crescent/ PO Box 1509

Inuvik, NT X0E 0T0

Phone: (867) 777-7900Fax: (867) 777-7919

www.gwichintribalcouncil.com