First Batch of Photos from T'it'q'et January 9th

We wrapped up our first community open house/ info session today! We're currently at the office preparing for tomorrow's meeting in Tsl'álh (Seaton).

I am attaching some photos that the communications officers took at different points during the meeting. We'll post a full report and a lot more photos tonight. Stay tuned.

Jacob

Community Info Session Agenda

Hello Everyone, 

We've had a great response to the community info session schedule and the biggest question is "when is the session?" We are happy to present the meeting agenda here:

Community Info Session and Open House Agenda

Open House (2 hours)

Come ask your questions and get answers in a relaxing and safe environment. St’át’imc leaders will be on hand along with negotiators from BC Hydro and the province. Come ask questions and be entered for a door prize!

Open House Starts at:
  • 10am on Weekends
  • 4pm on Weekdays

Meal (1 Hour)

Please join us for a meal.

Meal Starts at:
  • 12pm on Weekends
  • 6pm on Weekdays

Presentation and Group Discussion (2 hours)

A short powerpoint presentation will cover the basics and will be followed by a facilitated group discussion.

Presentation Starts at:
  • 1pm on Weekends
  • 7pm on Weekdays
If you aren't sure what date your community open house and info session is being held, please check here: www.statimchydro.ca/communities

Signing Ceremony - January 5, 2011

Hello Everyone,

Today marked a historic new beginning for the St'at'imc when a ceremony to celebrate the signing of the Ratification Agreement was held in Xwisten (Bridge River) at the the Administration office. The Signing Ceremony was precluded by an Evening Sweat yesterday evening, which plays an important role in the beginning of any major agreement.

Today's agenda began with a PIpe Ceremony this morning in T'it'q'et behind Julianne Hall.  After the Pipe Ceremony, everyone travelled to Xwisten to finish the celebration. There was an opening prayer done by Carl Alexander, followed by a feast. Once everyone was full of delicious food, St'at'imc Chief Negotiator Mike Leach welcomed everyone with some opening remarks. Bev Van Ruyven, Deputy CEO and Executive Vice-President of BC Hydro was the first speaker, followed by Hon.  Barry Penner, Minister of Aboriginal Relations & Reconciliation,  as well as the Chief Negotiators from both BC Hydro, and the St'at'imc Chiefs Council respectively.

The day ended with some singing and drumming followed by a closing prayer. The mood was great, and everyone is looking forward to moving from 'talking' to 'doing,' as we begin the next stage in this exciting process: the community information sessions!

-Juli

Survey Results Posted

Hello Everyone,

We're pleased to unveil the results of the first survey, which is closing in a few hours. We reached our target of over 400 survey entries and we ended up having a wide range of St'át'imc members fill in the survey.

We've read all the questions and comments and will be using the information to improve our communication as we move forward. We'll be launching a new survey soon, as we'll continue to use the surveys as a way to measure how we're doing.

The results of the survey can be viewed here: https://coppermoon.wufoo.com/reports/snh-survey-report-1-public/

Please keep in mind that the agreement is still confidential until it is ratified, as is the contents of the survey report. The survey report is being made available for the benefit of St'át'imc members and in the interest of full transparency.

Thank you again for your time and effort, and keep an eye on the website/ facebook group/ blog for more updates!

Happy New Year!

Karen Edwards - iPad Winner

Karen Edwards is the winner of the first iPad draw!

Karen's lucky entry number was drawn on Christmas eve. She came by to pick up her prize today. St'át'imc Chiefs chair Mike Leech presented the iPad to Karen.

Karen is excited about using the iPad, and apparently will have quite the task "sharing" it with her kids!

A reminder that the first survey will be closing tomorrow, and we will be doing another draw for more prizes after it closes.

St'át'imc Hydro Agreement Prize Winners!

Hello Everyone,

I am pleased to announce the prize winners for the Christmas eve draw! Because of the huge numbers of entries, we added 2 more prizes for today's draw: we added a video ipod nano, a touchscreen ipod nano, and a gold ipod shuffle! A reminder we'll be doing another draw on the 5th of January for remaining prizes which will include a couple more iPods and some gift certificates.

The winners are:

Gold iPod Shuffle: Entry #189 Ernie Jim from Lil'wat
Touch Screen iPod Nano: Entry #223 Elaine Adolph from Xaxl'ip
Video iPod Nano: Entry #260 Natani Leech from Tit'q'et

The Grand Prize iPad winner is:

Entry #94 Karen Edwards from Sk'wel'wás

Congratulations to all the winners!!

If you are a winner, you will receive your prize by mail in the new year (mail does not run until after December 27th) or you can pick it up in person after January 3rd.

Numbers were drawn using http://www.random.org/, with entries from 1 to 388 (the number of entries at the time of the draw today).

Many thanks to everyone who has entered so far, and remember that more prizes will be drawn in the new year! Best of luck!

Warmly,

Jacob

Over 350 surveys and counting!!

December 23rd Update

Hello Everyone,

Wow, we have received an amazing response to the St'át'imc Hydro Agreement survey we launched recently. 

We launched this survey to find out more about what members know about the agreement so far, and how to better communicate as we move forward.

We've received over 350 surveys so far and we will be giving away a lot of prizes as our show of thanks. The survey will be open until January 5th, so if you know of any other St'át'imc members who haven't filled it in, please have them complete the survey online. Paper versions of the survey have also been sent out by fax and e-mail - if you would like a copy, let us know.

Here are some highlights from the results so far:
• 67% female (help us get more men to fill in the survey!)
• 60% on-reserve
• 48% not familiar with SNH
• 51% somewhat familiar with the agreement
• Over 50% selected internet and/or TV as a favourite free time activity
• 50% selected the magazine cover Spirit with the eagle on the front, the Photolife cover was a close second
• "Create happier, healthier future" is the #1 message, followed by "Help leave a legacy that will benefit for generations"
• Most people heard about the survey by word-of-mouth

We've received a lot of questions and comments, and will be using them to improve the website and create the best materials for the community meetings coming up.

We'll be doing a draw for the main prize on the 24th, and if we reach 400 surveys in by January 5th we'll add ANOTHER iPad as a prize! 

We launched a new website that we will be updating a lot over the next couple months: http://www.statimchydro.ca

Thanks again for your input, support, and help.

If you have any questions please e-mail us at St'át'imc Nation Hydro at info@statimchydro.ca, or call toll free: (877) 247-0473

Thank You!

-Jacob

Attached: Screenshot of survey results. Will post a link to a public report once the survey is complete.

Job Posting (Due December 31st)

Communications Officers

Description: CopperMoon Communications will be hiring at least two St’át’imc youth to work with our team on the Hydro Agreement from January until April 2011. The Communications Officers will be in charge of communicating with the 11 St’át’imc communities and will help make approximately 30 community meeting happen between January and March. Duties include making arrangements by email and phone, attending meetings, documenting meetings, updating the website and social media outlets, and e-mail updates. How much is paid depends on experience and ability. We pay fair wages based on industry standards.

What You Need for the Job

  • A great work ethic. Self-starter and independent ability.
  • A drivers license with your own vehicle is an asset, but isn’t required, please enquire.
  • Love working with Technology like websites, social media, video, and still cameras. Experience on a Mac is a bonus.
  • Excellent reading and writing skills.
  • You need to be between 18 and 30 years old, and need to be St’át’imc.

How To Apply
We strongly encourage all eligible and interested people to apply. You can apply using ANY of these three methods:

  • You can submit a resumé and cover letter with at least 2 references.
  • You can record a video of yourself explaining why this job is for you, and send us the Youtube link.
  • You can submit at least two letters of reference from other people explaining why you are the best candidate for the job.

Submit your application to:

snh@coppermoon.ca attn: Jacob Beaton, CopperMoon by December 31st.