Sagkeeng First Nation
Encyclopedia
The Sagkeeng First Nation is an Anishinaabe
First Nation which holds territory east of Lake Winnipeg
in Manitoba
, Canada
. Sagkeeng, which was once called Fort Alexander
, has an on-reserve population of approximately 3,000 people. Ojibwe is the name of the tribe that lives in Sagkeeng.
There is a long history of the aboriginal people and white explorers/traders in the area. The La Vérendrye's
built two forts named Fort Maurepas. The first was north of Selkirk, Manitoba
and the second, and more permanent one, on the north side of the Winnipeg River near Lake Winnipeg. Later, on the southside, there was a North West Company
fort sometimes called Fort Bas de la Rivière. In 1807 the North West Company built a new fort which became known as Fort Alexander
.
on behalf of the Sagkeeng people in 1871. Although Sagkeeng is a Treaty 1 nation, it is a member of the Grand Council of Treaty 3
.
organization reported that the Director of the Foundation, Perry Fontaine and 74 other persons attended a cruise to the Caribbean
that was termed a "Staff Retreat". The cost of this trip was reported later to be over 135,000 dollars. Health Canada
eventually investigated the financial books of the Center and found massive fraud
and kickback
schemes.
Sagkeeng First Nation now hosts a family treatment centre, the Sagkeeng Mino Pimatiziwin Family Treatment Centre. The program has been successfully running for a few years.
Anishinaabe
Anishinaabe or Anishinabe—or more properly Anishinaabeg or Anishinabek, which is the plural form of the word—is the autonym often used by the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Algonquin peoples. They all speak closely related Anishinaabemowin/Anishinaabe languages, of the Algonquian language family.The meaning...
First Nation which holds territory east of Lake Winnipeg
Lake Winnipeg
Lake Winnipeg is a large, lake in central North America, in the province of Manitoba, Canada, with its southern tip about north of the city of Winnipeg...
in Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Sagkeeng, which was once called Fort Alexander
Fort Alexander, Manitoba
Fort Alexander is a community in Manitoba, Canada, located on the Sagkeeng First Nation, on the south bank of the Winnipeg River. The Sagkeeng area, or the mouth of the Winnipeg River, was originally settled with native camps used for fishing, hunting, and trade...
, has an on-reserve population of approximately 3,000 people. Ojibwe is the name of the tribe that lives in Sagkeeng.
There is a long history of the aboriginal people and white explorers/traders in the area. The La Vérendrye's
Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, sieur de La Vérendrye
Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, sieur de La Vérendrye was a French Canadian military officer, fur trader and explorer. In the 1730s he and his four sons opened up the area west of Lake Superior and thus began the process that added Western Canada to the original New France in the Saint Lawrence basin...
built two forts named Fort Maurepas. The first was north of Selkirk, Manitoba
Selkirk, Manitoba
Selkirk is a city in the western Canadian province of Manitoba, located about 22 km northeast of the provincial capital Winnipeg on the Red River, near . As of the 2006 census, Selkirk had a population of 9,515....
and the second, and more permanent one, on the north side of the Winnipeg River near Lake Winnipeg. Later, on the southside, there was a North West Company
North West Company
The North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in what was to become Western Canada...
fort sometimes called Fort Bas de la Rivière. In 1807 the North West Company built a new fort which became known as Fort Alexander
Fort Alexander, Manitoba
Fort Alexander is a community in Manitoba, Canada, located on the Sagkeeng First Nation, on the south bank of the Winnipeg River. The Sagkeeng area, or the mouth of the Winnipeg River, was originally settled with native camps used for fishing, hunting, and trade...
.
Chiefs
- Phil FontainePhil FontaineLarry Phillip Fontaine, OM is an Aboriginal Canadian leader. He completed his third and final term as National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations in 2009....
(1973–1977) - Theodore Fontaine 1979-1981
- Ken CourcheneKen CourcheneKen Courchene is a former Chief of the Fort Alexander Indian Band in the Canadian province of Manitoba. He has been sued by the federal government for his alleged role in the Virginia Fontaine Memorial Treatment Centre controversy.-Political career:...
- Jerry FontaineJerry FontaineJerry Fontaine is an Anishinaabe politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was chief of the Sagkeeng First Nation from 1989 to 1998, led the First Peoples Party in the 1995 provincial election, and was an unsuccessful candidate to lead the Manitoba Liberal Party in 1998...
(1989–1998) - Ron Fontaine (1998–2001)
- Ron Fontaine became acting chief following Jerry Fontaine's resignation in September 1998, and was subsequently elected to the position. He was in office during the Virginia Fontaine Addictions Foundation Scandal (see below), and blamed the resulting controversy on a "white media agenda" designed to undermine aboriginal self-government. He was defeated in 2001.
- Garry Swampy (2001–2004)
- Joe Daniels (interim) (2004–2005)
- Joan Linda Twoheart (2005–2007)
- Donavon Fontaine (2007 - )
Treaty
Kakakepenaise (William Mann I) signed Treaty 1Treaty 1
Treaty 1 is a controversial agreement established August 3, 1871 between Queen Victoria and various First Nations in South Eastern Manitoba including the Chippewa and Swampy Cree tribes.-History:...
on behalf of the Sagkeeng people in 1871. Although Sagkeeng is a Treaty 1 nation, it is a member of the Grand Council of Treaty 3
Grand Council of Treaty 3
Grand Council of Treaty 3 is a political organization representing 24 First Nation communities across Treaty 3 areas of northern Ontario and southeastern Manitoba, Canada, and additional 4 First Nations in specific regards to their Treaty rights....
.
Virginia Fontaine Addictions Foundation Scandal
On October 18, 2000, Canadian PressCanadian Press
Canadian Press Enterprises Inc. is the entity which "will take over the operations of the Canadian Press" according to a November 26, 2010 article in the Toronto Star...
organization reported that the Director of the Foundation, Perry Fontaine and 74 other persons attended a cruise to the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
that was termed a "Staff Retreat". The cost of this trip was reported later to be over 135,000 dollars. Health Canada
Health Canada
Health Canada is the department of the government of Canada with responsibility for national public health.The current Minister of Health is Leona Aglukkaq, a Conservative Member of Parliament appointed to the position by Prime Minister Stephen Harper.-Branches, regions and agencies:Health Canada...
eventually investigated the financial books of the Center and found massive fraud
Fraud
In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation...
and kickback
Bribery
Bribery, a form of corruption, is an act implying money or gift giving that alters the behavior of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or...
schemes.
Sagkeeng First Nation now hosts a family treatment centre, the Sagkeeng Mino Pimatiziwin Family Treatment Centre. The program has been successfully running for a few years.
External links
- Sagkeeng First Nation
- http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/performance/audit-verif/2003-list/vfaf_e.html