MNO Telephone Town Hall and PCMNO Meeting Recap

Press Release

March 11, 2021

The Provisional Council of the Métis Nation of Ontario (PCMNO) recognizes the importance of keeping MNO leadership, communities and Citizens updated and informed on the work taking place at the national, provincial, and local levels. Following a recent meeting of the PCMNO on February 26, 2021, a MNO Telephone Town Hall with Leadership was held on March 4, 2021.

President’s Update

MNO President Margaret Froh began her update by acknowledging the incredible work being done by leadership across the province to advance self-government and support our communities. The President also extended her condolences to former MNO President Tony Belcourt on the loss of his wife, Danielle.

Since the January PCMNO meeting, several meetings and workshops have taken place:

- - MNO Economic and Development Working Group
  - MNO Negotiations Committee
  - Several specific sessions were held with PCMNO to review and discuss the draft Interim Fiscal Financing Agreement

The President’s update also reflected on the MNO’s journey to self-government, the achievements and strategic decisions made by communities and citizens working together to advance Métis rights and protect the interests of future generations. President Froh spoke about matters that continue to plague the work at the National level and the fact that one Governing Member is effectively make decisions and directing the work of the Métis National Council (MNC).

National Matters Update

- - As a further update, information was shared about Principles Agreement document, co-developed and signed by senior staff within MNO and counterparts at Métis Nation of Alberta (MNA), Métis Nation Saskatchewan (MN-S) and Métis Nation British Columbia (MNBC), which invited MMF and MNC officials to review and sign and outlined an agreement on how the Permanent Bilateral Mechanism (PBM) work should advance in order to be respectful and informed by the interests and priorities of all Governing Members, which is in fact the mandate of MNC.
  - The MNO has continued its work under the Canada-Métis Nation Accord, signed with Canada in April 2018, and has worked with other Métis Governments to get back to the work of Permanent Bilateral Mechanism (PBM) with Canada.
  - MNO, MNA, MNS and now MNBC have expressed concerns over the lack of accountability, transparency of the MNC and denial of duly called meetings/assemblies of the Métis National Council (MNC) and the board of governors

Review of PCMNO Minutes and Business Arising

- - PCMNO moved to approve agenda and adopt the minutes from the meeting held January 30-31, 2021.
  - Reviewed MNO Executive Committee minutes; January 19, 2021 and January 29, 2021

Covid-19 and Vaccination Rollout Update

The PCMNO reviewed the various MNO Covid-19 supports and programs; and enhancements (internal) to improve services and delivery of supports to Citizens. The MNO is currently:

- - - Mobilizing new staff for a timely response
    - Developing long-term strategy to add navigator positions to assist Citizens with application process for all MNO programs and services.
      - Navigators will possess in-depth knowledge of all programs and services
    - Continually increasing client services

Mental Health & Addictions (MHA) Update

- - - Funding increased from $1.6M (prior to Covid) to $3.3M as a result of additional Covid-19 funding.
      - This funding serves as a reflection of governance recognition
      - 85% of funds is being directed to the provision of MHA services to the community; 10% has been applied to MHA Case Managers to support clients
    - MNO will work with Canada and Ontario to identify new opportunities for additional funds to continue supporting Métis communities post Covid-19
    - MNO sharing these supports with Métis Nation – Saskatchewan; as part of collaborative relationship building through a fee for service approach

Vaccine Rollout

Presentation outlined the evolving work taking place on Federal and Provincial levels on vaccination plans, including involvement with the Urban Indigenous Vaccination Table and Sub-table. MNO is in talks with Indigenous Affairs Ontario, Ministry of Health, and leadership from Ontario Public Health Units to discuss rollout.

- - MNO Citizens are included in phase one
    - Recommended that MNO Citizens bring their Citizenship card or letter from Registry
    - Potential for non-Métis family members to be vaccinated, but must provide ID confirming shared address with MNO Citizen
  - Vaccination rollout will take place through public health units (PHU) and is available for Citizens 65+ and those considered high risk and/or immunocompromised for advance registration
    - Each PHU develops their own plan for vaccination based on Ontario’s phased priorities and the number of vaccines they receive
    - Available vaccination sites are constantly being updated and can be found on the MNO website or https://www.metisnation.org/news/covid-vaccine-clinics-across-ontario/

Current Status

- - On February 26, AstraZeneca was approved by Health Canada, with 20 million doses coming from Europe
  - Ministry of Health has notified PHU to contact MNO concerning vaccination rollout to Métis Citizens
  - MNO has contacted PHU to obtain vaccination information (date, place, how to register); and has provided information to PHU on number of Citizens (by region and community councils) with “age bands.”
    - Currently collecting details on clinics, to be shared on the website and social media;
    - Robocalls to be made to Citizens once a clinic in their area has been confirmed

Citizens are reminded to review the Covid-19 FAQ on the website for answers to commonly asked questions

Vaccine clinic information will be regularly updated at https://www.metisnation.org/news/covid-vaccine-clinics-across-ontario/

MNO Telephone Town Hall with Seniors

A special Telephone Town Hall for MNO Citizens 65+ was held on March 3, 2021 to update and inform seniors about Covid-19 and vaccination rollout plans. MNO epidemiologist Sarah Edwards also attended the call to answer questions during a Q&A that followed the President’s Covid-19 update. More than 600 Seniors attended this Town Hall. Discussions included

- - An overview of Covid-19 and the three approved vaccines: Pfizer-BioNTech; Moderna; and AstraZeneca
  - A list of active clinics and public health units, including clinics that are allowing registration/pre-registration for Métis Citizens –visit the MNO webpage for more info
  - What to expect when receiving the vaccine and documentation required for appointments
  - Specific supports available to MNO seniors, including assistance to/from a vaccination site

An overview of the Town Hall with Seniors, including the Q&A portion, is now available online

MNO Community Council Elections and AGMs

With several upcoming elections and Annual General Meetings, the PCMNO discussed Governing Documents for MNO Community Councils which set out the process for Elections. All Community Council Elections are subject to the provisions within Electoral Code Part B.

- - It was recommended that the Community Relations Team work with Regional Councillors to schedule meetings with the newly elected Community Council immediately following each election to provide support through the orientation process
  - PCMNO reviewed a Community Council Transition Document for Community Council election processes; including next steps, orientation/onboarding process, turnover of Council assets, etc.
  - The PCMNO reviewed and approved the document as per the direction below.
  - PCMNO also reviewed proposed Community Council elections and AGM schedule
  - It was noted that the Expressions of Interest has been circulated for the position of Chief Electoral Officer to support Community Council elections
  - Briefing Note is to be developed to address use of Council social media, including during election process, and develop options that include potential revisions to update MNO Electoral Codes and an MNO policy on social media.

To ensure an effective and timely transition for Councils, it was moved that the PCMNO approve the “Transitional Process for MNO Community Council Elections” and attached “Community Council Possession Checklist” A copy will be made available to Councils in the near future.

Métis Voyageur Development Fund (MVDF)

CEO Steven Morse and Chair of the MVDF Board Paul DeVillers joined the PCMNO to discuss the next steps on the MVDF. The current agreement with Ontario that funds MVDF is set to expire March 31, 2021.

- - Briefing documents were provided in the PCMNO package about the evaluation and review of MVDF which was conducted by Ontario and was extremely positive
    - MVDF represents one of the most successful Métis Capital Corporations and is one of the largest Indigenous financial institutions in Canada
    - Over ten-years the MVDF has administered ~$40M in support of Métis businesses

- - While PCMNO expressed a great deal of support for MVDF work to date and renewal – there was also discussion about how Resource Revenue Sharing factored into the initial development of MVDF.
    - Briefing notes referenced the background and past AGA resolutions which directed MNO to work with Ontario to establish MVDF,
    - Also emphasized that the subject of Resource Revenue Sharing with Ontario needed to revisited, including the need for focused discussions led by the rights bearing communities directly impacted
    - Special session with PCMNO will be held about the background of Resource Revenue Sharing in order to prepare for further direction on meetings with Ontario

The PCMNO passed a resolution to proceed with implementing an extension to the MVDF Contribution Agreement with Ontario.

However, given the importance of the matter and concerns raised by regions, the PCMNO committed to have legal counsel review and revise the resolution to consider regional concerns and best protect interests of rights bearing communities. A Request for Action was made that staff prepare an outline of a process and plan to engage regional rights-bearing communities on resource revenue sharing with the Province of Ontario.

MNO Self-Government/MGRSA Update

The Métis Government Recognition and Self-Government Agreement (MGRSA) immediately recognizes the s. 35 self-government rights of the Métis Communities represented by the MNO and sets out a mutually agreeable process for how the Métis Government’s and its law-making powers in core areas will be recognized in federal law. The MNO’s Director of Self-Government Strategy has been working closely with regions and more recently with the MNO-Negotiations Committee to dig into the MGRSA and MNO-Canada-Ontario Framework Agreement to assist in advancing next steps.

MNO has also been working to negotiate funding supports from Canada to advance building self-government and implementing the MGRSA. These initial funding supports would be intended for activities like consulting on the Métis Government Constitution development, engagement with Citizens about the MGRSA, and building core self-government supports in the interim while the MNO works to implement the MGRSA.

These supports are not expected to be able to cover off all that the MNO may want to do, and there is no guarantee of any further funding if MNO is unable to advance all the work as outlined above. However, the MNO has demonstrated many times before the ability to be focused and driven to get the work done. The PCMNO provided approval for the draft MNO-ized interim template with the expectation that a comprehensive plan must still be prepared and approved.

Communications Update

Registry Report

An update on the final Registry Report was provided and the report is expected to be released in the near future. At this time, related resources are being prepared and a special PCMNO meeting and related town hall is being planned to provide information to Citizens.

Communications Supports

The PCMNO also discussed additional communications supports to offer Community Councils and Advisory Councils; including providing MNO emails and computers that would provide access to online governance documents and programs like BoardEffect for meeting minutes.

MNO Covid-19 Supports and Social Media

An update was provided about recently enhanced social media messaging on Covid-19 supports and new MNO programs and services. This includes communications tools such as webinars, town halls, radio spots and local print ads in order to continue the work to expand the reach to Citizens.

Other Business, PCMNO Senator Vacancies

The PCMNO was also updated that on February 16^th, 2021 Executive Senator Ray Bergie had submitted his resignation from the PCMNO and that his resignation was accepted.

The Chair and Vice-Chair were requested to schedule a meeting with the PCMNO Senators to identify the process for Senator Elections in order to fill the vacancies of PCMNO Senator and PCMNO Executive Senator. An initial meeting has taken place, with a meeting of all MNO Senators scheduled for March 15^th.

Upcoming Events and Programs

MNO Virtual Mobile Registry | March 22-26, 2021

Métis Micro-Business Fund | Now Open

Métis K-12 Education Fund | Extended to end of March

MNO Speakers Series “Online Gaming: What Parents Need to Know” | March 11, 2021

REMINDER:

The MNO would like to remind all Citizens and leadership who may be struggling with the Covid-19 pandemic that supports are available. The MNO Mental Health & Addictions Program provides Citizens access to a wide range of free mental health and addictions services and supports for Métis youth and adults.

For confidential Mental Health and Addictions, financial and/or legal inquiries:

Children / Youth (0-17yrs): 613-217-3143

Adults (18 yrs and up): 705-929-4753 or MHA@metisnation.org

A 24hr Mental Health & Addictions Crisis Line:
1-877-767-7572

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