The Connected North program officially launched in Saskatchewan on April 21, 2016 at Father Porte Memorial Dene School in Black Lake. Connected North is an immersive, digital education and mental health and wellness network that provides customized services and real time experiences to schools and students in remote Indigenous communities. Using Telepresence technology, Connected North leverages real-time, high definition two-way video to make powerful connections for students. As a result of the incredible success the program has demonstrated, a unit was installed in
Father Megret Elementary in Hatchet Lake in March of 2017. Seven sessions were delivered successfully to the school before the end of the school year, which included learning about Marine Mammals from the Alaska Sea Life Centre, a leadership tour of Toronto, a mentorship session with Parr, a role model from Cape Dorset (NU), and an art session with the Winnipeg Art Gallery.
“This program has been so incredibly beneficial to our students,” says Steven Thatcher, Principal at Father Porte Memorial Dene School. “It really allows our teachers to provide the students with experiences from other locations that we normally wouldn’t have access to. We honestly can’t imagine not having access to this program in the future, and we look forward to continuing to use it to enrich education for the students in our community.”
“We are pleased to be part of the Connected North Program,” says Lisom Tam-Eveleigh, Principal at Father Megret Elementary School at Wollaston Lake. “It gives me great pleasure to see the students enjoying their time on the Connected North program. The students ask for more sessions on the program. The teachers are excited to have this as part of an educational experience for the students. It has added an enrichment to our education that the students would never experience otherwise.”
In addition, Connected North has recently opened an office in Saskatoon and hired a Connected North Indigenous Education Coordinator, Dallas Pelly, a recent graduate of the ITEP program, to help lead programming for Saskatchewan schools. “Saskatchewan has been a wonderful province for Connected North,” says Willa Black, VP Corporate Affairs for Cisco and Connected North champion. “We are so pleased that the success of our pilot program in Black Lake has led to the expansion in other Saskatchewan schools, and we look forward to continue building on this exciting program that connects students in remote communities and provides a fresh approach to student engagement and other opportunities.”
Connected North originally began with one school Inqaluit in 2013 and has since grown to include 20 partner schools from Nunavut, Northwest Territories, Yukon, Ontario and Saskatchewan, with two of these schools in the Athabasca region.
“Athabasca Basin Development is a proud supporter of Connected North,” says Geoff Gay, CEO of Athabasca Basin Development. “This program is a perfect fit for us because it directly impacts students in our shareholder communities in a tremendously positive way. We would also like to thank the many partners that came together to make this happen for the Athabasca communities: Cisco Canada, TakingItGlobal, SaskTel, PAGC Grand Council, Black Lake Denesuline First Nation, Father Porte Memorial Dene School, Hatchet Lake Denesuline First Nation, Father Megret Elementary School, Cameco, AREVA Resources, West Wind Aviation, and Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada.”
For more information on Connected North, please visit www.connectednorth.org
The 2017 Driving Fore Prostate Golf Classic, put on by the St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation with Athabasca Basin Security as title sponsor, raised an impressive $108,367 this year for the Leslie and Irene Dube Urology Centre of Health at St. Paul’s Hospital.
As part of the Celebrity golf tournament, ABS also sponsors a Kids on Ice hockey camp. Reggie Leach, a retired professional ice hockey right winger who played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers and Detroit Red Wings was in Saskatoon on July 17 to spend some time with the kids for the camp. Children from Northern communities (six kids from the Athabasca communities), and Saskatoon spent a half-day at the skating and hockey skills camp. The day included a meet-and-greet with the stars, the skills camp and lunch. Reggie Leach gave a great speech to the kids and provided autographed copies of his book, the Riverton Rifle, to some of the kids who attended.
Ron Hyggen, CEO of Athabasca Basin Security, is the inspiration behind Kids on Ice. Athabasca Basin Development and West Wind Aviation also provided support for the event through donation of cash and flights for the Athabasca youth to participate.
In 2014, Ron Hyggen, CEO of Athabasca Basin Security, pledged his commitment to Mission Zero to improve the safety of ABS employees. At that time, Saskatchewan held claim to the second worst workplace time lost injury record in the country.
Launched in May 2008 as an initiative of WorkSafe Saskatchewan, in partnership between the Worker’s Compensation Board and the Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety, Mission Zero is a project targeted at working toward zero injuries, zero fatalities and zero suffering.
ABS made numerous changes to ensure employees were safe on the job, with safety jumping to the top of the list as the ABS management team developed a new strategic plan. “We invested by hiring a dedicated safety resource and developing a company-specific safety program rather than continuing the use of the construction-based safety program we had been using,” Hyggen said. “The new safety program has specific items that our team deemed vital to the success of the program.”
ABS developed a safety orientation program and video that clearly explained the importance of working safely, and implemented a management and supervisor training program to ensure a complete understanding of the ABS Safety Program. All staff must now pass a competency test upon completion of the safety program and complete mandatory review of safe work procedures at every weekly toolbox meeting.
As a result of efforts like these, in June 2017, ABS was nominated as one of three companies in the large company category to be recognized for their success in the Mission Zero Charter.
The Mission Zero awards recognize those companies that have shown true leadership and commitment as a Signatory of the Mission Zero Charter. The Mission Zero Charter now incorporates more than six hundred Saskatchewan business who, like ABS, are committed to making preventable injuries a part of their past.
ABS is planning to continue their commitment moving into the future. “We are thrilled to be recognized for our commitment to safety, but that’s not why we do it,” says Hyggen. “We have a moral obligation to return employees to their families in the same health that we received them and it is our responsibility as an employer to do our absolute best in providing a safe place to work.
The Ya’thi Néné Land and Resource Office held its 1st Annual Athabasca Science and Culture Camp from July 24 to 31. This is the first of what is planned to be an annual event. This year’s camp took place near the Athabasca Sand Dunes Wilderness Park, adjacent to Fond du Lac Reserve on the south side of Lake Athabasca, with camps in the future to be rotated amongst the three Athabasca First Nation communities. At the camp, youth were educated on their cultural and traditional ways by Elders, including how to hunt, how to butcher meat, prepare moose, make dry meat, how to prepare hide, the importance of the Dene Drum, hand games, and more. The primary goal of the event was to raise awareness of culture and get youth interested in science-based careers (an example would be an Environmental Monitor). A Plant Botanist was invited to educate the students about the different rare species of plants on the Athabasca Sand Dunes and the importance of those plant species. Students learned about the scientific formation of the Athabasca Sand Dunes and the traditional stories from Elders of the formation of the Sand Dunes. A Fish Biologist taught the students how to dissect a fish and learned about the different parts of a fish. A second but also very important goal was to provide workshops on suicide prevention, anti-bullying and leadership skills and increase awareness of the supports available to help youth facing difficulties. Thirty students participated in the camp, with eighteen students from Fond du Lac, and four students each from Black Lake, Hatchet Lake, and Stony Rapids. Athabasca Basin Development is proud to have sponsored this event for $25,000.
This May, KCDC once again hosted the Athabasca Fly-In Career Symposium, where students from high schools in Wollaston Lake, Black Lake, and Fond du Lac participated in the career fair and hands on activities. Points Athabasca, Athabasca Basin Security, and Athabasca Labour Services participated and presented at this year’s fair.
Athabasca Basin Security (ABS) and Alberta’s One Face Security signed a partnership agreement on August 1st to provide security services in southern Alberta. One Face Security, a company owned by a Tsuut’ina First Nations member, will continue to operate and grow in the local area under its current name, while ABS will provide management expertise and training to help grow the company.
One Face Security founder, Warren Crowchild, will remain with the company as General Manager of Operations. Crowchild approached Athabasca Basin Security with a proposal after researching the company. “ABS has an excellent track record in business servicing some of the country’s top companies,” says Crowchild. “What really made them stand out to me is that they are not just focused on the dollars, but they also have a strong commitment to First Nations communities. I am pleased to have the opportunity to work with another excellent Indigenous company to provide meaningful employment for First Nations people in my community and beyond.”
Xakiji (Chief) Lee Crowchild, Chief of Tsuut’ina First Nation, endorsed the partnership. “I feel this agreement is the right move for Warren and his company, because it will help One Face Security to grow,” said Chief Crowchild. “The partnership is a win for both sides and also for the people in our community through the meaningful employment opportunities that will be generated as a result of this partnership.”
Athabasca Basin Security has provided security services to industrial and mine site security since 2002. The company is 100% owned by Athabasca Basin Development, which is in turn owned by the seven communities in Northern Saskatchewan’s Athabasca Basin region.
“We take great pride in providing top-tier service to our clients, as well as providing economic benefits and meaningful career opportunities with transferrable skills for Indigenous people,” says Ron Hyggen, CEO of ABS. “One Face Security has similar values and goals as we do, so this partnership is a natural fit with us. I look forward to working with Warren and his team and growing this excellent security company.”
This joint venture represents the third expansion in the past year and is one of several successful partnerships ABS has with First Nations across the prairies. In 2015, ABS partnered with local First Nations through Kawacatoose Daystar Muskowekwan (KDM) Business Development Corporation, for the training and employment of band members to provide security services for BHP Billiton’s Jansen Potash project. ABS partnered with Pasqua First Nation in 2016 to service K + S Potash and other contracts in the local area. In January 2017, ABS acquired All Peace Security in Grande Prairie, AB, a security company that had successful long-standing partnerships with four local First Nations. ABS also recently partnered with Tk’emlups te Secwepemc (Kamploops Indian Band) to provide security and other services for the transmountain expansion project for Kinder Morgan.
“We seem to have found a model that works well for both us and our partners and clients,” says Hyggen, “So far, we have made a positive and meaningful impact with our partner communities, while providing a service that is second to none, and I’m very proud of this. We are hoping to continue working with other groups in the future and are open to considering partnerships in regions throughout the country.”