“When I attended my first UNN Provincial Board Meeting in 1990, I was the Altrernate for Local 112 Prince George, I met this very strong, dedicated and no nonsense woman, Caroline Wesley.

It is with great sadness that I inform the members of United Native Nations of the passing of Caroline, January 15, 2008.

Caroline was very dedicated to the issues facing the off reserve Aboriginal people and from what I know of her, she was also one of the first Directors for the BC Homemakers Society before becoming a Director to the UNN.

In the eighteen years that I was fortunate to know this wonderful individual, someone that I looked up to like a second mother, always giving praiuse when needed but also able to reprimand you when she thought you deserved it.

I will be attending the services for Caroline on behalf of the Board of Directors, Executive, Staff and members of the United Native Nations.

We will all miss you Caroline but I know that you will finally be reunited with Charlie once again.”

Our sympathy and in loving memory to the Wesley Family.

Lillian George
President
United Native Nations

Monday December 3^rd 2007

Today Bernie Williams the United Native Nations Zone Seven Board Director speaks up about the injustices that Downtown Eastside women encounter in the “survival sex trade”.  Williams is a long time activist who is well-known for positive action in the Downtown Eastside Aboriginal community.     

 - Bernie Williams, (from a quote in The Province newspaper; Monday, December 3, 2007)“We still see the same people who hung around with Willie Pickton, drinking in the bars down here and picking up our women. The police wouldn’t listen and they’re still not listing to us.”

FRIDAY, NOON, CANADA PLACE

If you live in town, please come down to CANADA PLACE at noon. Bring your beautiful selves.. it’s a peaceful gathering, bring sun block…! our wonderful friend Noel Abraham is bringing his beautiful voice down to sing for us. 

We want society to know that we as the indigenous people of this land, understand our human rights and WE WILLl take a stand, as is also our right when there is an injustice against one of our own.

Listen to the CBC’s Radio’s Early Edition.

Your sister,

Kat

News Release
For Immediate Release
June 14, 2007

GITXSAN TERRITORY – Young Derek Rodgers will not only represent Canada, he will also represent his First Nation’s heritage, as he joins Team Canada in August 2007 at the Pan-Am Games for the Deaf, in Venezuela.

A week before ‘Father’s Day, Derek received the news and made the phone call to his dad, Dan, and said, “Dad, I made the team!” what a great father’s day gift! Getting selected to a National Team is every young athlete’s dream – and one that has come true for Derek Rodgers, 19 years old who now joins the Men’s National Soccer Team for the games. Derek, currently attending school in Burnaby, is Lax Gibbuu (wolf clan), Wilp Haisimsque (house of Chief Haisimsque) and grew up in Gitsegukla, near Hazelton, BC.

For Derek, with the official letter in hand, the reality is now setting in “I’m so excited to play and wear the Team Canada jersey!” says Derek.  “It’s all very surreal” says Dan, proud father who traveled with Derek to Toronto in May to try-out for the National soccer team.  Dan also commented on how impressed he was with the coach who worked well with the players to bring their skills together as a team. 

 “Derek is a very determined individual” said Lori, Derek’s sister, “we are really happy for him and very proud!”.  Derek is not one to let his hearing impairment limit his life goals. As a great example, he is graduating with his dogwood diploma in June 2007, in Burnaby, BC. His desire to play competitively extends beyond soccer, Derek also enjoys hockey, and snowboarding – he enjoys being fit, active and being involved in the community.

 “All the efforts have paid off” said Derek’s mom, Geri, who shared how Dan and Derek dedicated their time to prepare for the try-outs and how the aunties, uncles and family members rallied their support for Derek to help fundraise for his trip to Toronto in May.

The 4th Pan Am Deaf Games will be held in Valencia on August 11- 18, 2007, where Team Canada will compete against teams from 15 Countries including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, and USA to name a few. The team’s goal is to also participate in the 21st Deaflympics in Taipei, 2009.
 
 “Derek will travel to Toronto, for team practices” says Dan. With only 8 weeks before his travel, Derek may find it challenging to focus on exams and graduation – Congratulations Derek!

-30-

Media Contact  Dan Rodgers
   250.849.5527

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,

            My name is Gladys Radek. I am a Human Rights activist and speak out for those who can not do so. I have been acting on behalf of the First Nations people here in Canada for many years. In 2000, I launched a Human Rights case and proved, for the first time ever in Canada, “Systemic Racism”. On July 13, 2005 I won a historical challenge to address “systemic racism” which is very prevalent in Canada. This experience, to me, was just a tip of the iceberg.

            About two months after winning my case, another issue was brought to my attention from my family in Northern BC. My niece, Tamara Chipman, went missing and seems to just disappear off the face of this earth. Tamara was 22 when she went missing; she is my brother’s only daughter and she also left behind a two and a half year old boy. I was raised in northern BC and knew about the many other First Nations women who have disappeared and been found murdered over the last, at least, four decades. Some were related to me.

            Until 2002, highway 16 was never noticed. It was when Nicole Hoar, a white tree planter, went missing out of Prince George that the media started to pay attention, thus, dubbing it the Highway of Tears. Since then, the media claimed that there were no more disappearances for a two year period. After researching I have found that there were at least another 15 First Nations women who have disappeared in this area, 5 were within the same year that Nicole Hoar disappeared. (Bare in mind, Nicole could have easily been mistaken for a First Nations person. She was a tree planter and had been working for a couple of months in the sun which would provide a weathered tan, thus making her appear as a First Nations or Métis woman.) The media portrayed it that the disappearances of our young women had stopped after Nicole’s disappearance. This is proven through the internet links of the Missing and Murdered women not to be true. There is evidence, police reports and many horrific stories told about the injustice each family has endured through at least four decades of our missing women. There are numerous cases where the bodies have been found raped, beaten, dismembered and murdered and the police are doing nothing to justify their demise. There are numerous cases where the women have simply disappeared and nobody has had any closure on their whereabouts of their loved ones. So far in my research I have found over one hundred women from British Columbia, alone, who have disappeared. In those cases very few were solved. Actually about 95% are still unsolved and over half of the victims were found murdered. It is very obvious, to me, that there is overwhelming and significant proof of “systemic racism” through all levels of government, law enforcements, (city police and RCMP) and the provincial and federal justice system in dealing with this genocide of our First Nation women.

I am writing this letter to ask a few simple questions? Would it be possible for our leaders to ask for a public inquiry and a coroner’s inquest into the deaths of these women who have been found over the past four decades? Also, who is accountable for not investigating these cases?

            It is public knowledge that the police and RCMP have not investigated these matters in the proper manner. There are public articles from documentary filmmakers, Sharmeen Chinoy O”baid in the film the “Highway of Tears”, Christine Welsh in the film “Finding Dawn”, private investigator Ray Michalko in several news articles and many private citizens of every nationality who agree that the police are the ones who are not standing accountable for these First Nations women’s disappearances. It is also common knowledge that the law enforcements all across this country are proving to discredit their positions by taking the law into their own hands and continue to investigate their own when it comes to deaths in custody. They have been implicated in the Robert Pickton trial for not investigating the disappearances of the women in the Downtown Eastside.  I see no difference in this case than those of the missing and murdered women all across this country. They are all handled in the same manner.

            I attended the symposium held in Prince George, BC, for the victim family members in March 2006. Since then I have addressed these very same issues up to the top levels of government, provincial, federal, United Native Nations Society, Assembly of First Nations, Union of BC Indian Chief’s, United Nations, Native Women’s Association of Canada, World Peace Forum, and colleges and universities. I can assure you that after speaking out about this for the past two years, there has been absolutely nothing done about it. The RCMP is still not doing their jobs, which is widely publicized. There are absolutely no inquests being held for these women, simply because they are First Nations. Due to lack of trust in the law enforcements and all levels of government and the fact that our people are treated as disposable, there is not much hope in stopping this continuous circle of genocide. Our women are disappearing all over this country of Canada and yet we see no justice or closure.

            If a white woman or any other immigrated woman disappears the police and the media work together to find out what happened. I read the paper daily and find that when anything happens to a First Nations person, it is not made public. When our women go missing they simply make a file for missing person’s and leave it at that.

            The Robert Pickton trial has sensationalized him as a serial killer and the women, who were of First Nations decent, are represented as prostitutes and drug addicts. This leads the public to believe that all First Nations people are prostitutes and drug addicts. This theory makes me sick when I think of the beautiful young girls who disappeared off Highway 16 in northern BC. The majority of these girls were between the ages of 14-22. Many were attending school and all had loving families who watched out for them. I find it very hard to believe that these children were all involved with drugs and/or alcohol when they disappeared. Their lives were taken through violence and social acceptance with no options of recourse. I find it very disgusting that, in this day and age, the First Nations people are still suffering from the ongoing genocide by murder with the Canadian citizens, leaders and judicial system doing nothing to stop it.

            After giving it much thought, I wanted to write this letter on behalf of my First Nations people and myself to ask for a public inquiry into the unsolved murders of the First Nations communities across Canada.  I am working with the many family members at this time and a very long list of victims will be presented in the near future. We will seek the justice we deserve and hopefully get the answers we need to address these extremely tragic circumstances. We want to seek justice and closure for the beautiful women of our communities. What is happening here in Canada against our First Nations people is a crime against humanity and we want this on going genocide to stop!   

            Also attached is a petition of parties who agree with this request.

            I thank you, in advance for your invaluable time. I sincerely hope that you will help us find the closure that is so much needed for our future generations.

All my Relations,

Gladys Radek,

Wet su wit’en Nation