Primary School

This year we have 48 students attending the Ocean Man Primary School.

Training

Indian Affairs has a plan to eventually change the Welfare Administrator's job title to Employment Counselor. The mandate will be to train social assistance clients for lifetime/long term employment, thereby curbing the dependency on social assistance. This is why training has been offered to the community members.

Language

Nakota Series CD written by Leona Kroeskamp are available. 10 Book series with CD $40.00

Recreation

We have accomplished some feats with our youth. They attended the summer and winter games and brought a bronze and gold medal home. More funding can make more accomplishments for our youth.

Economic Development

Ocean Man Youth Entrepreneurs project, we sponsored a booth at the trade show at the FSIN Assembly on October 22, 2008 for a few of our youth, Chanel Parisier and Elias Shepherd. They had the opportunity to display and sell their arts
and crafts. FSIN 1st Vice Chief, Morley Watson who holds the Economic
Development portfolio was impressed with their display and business project.
This project is a step up for these young entrepreneurs and will open many
doors in the business world for them.

A Retail Training Program has been sponsored by the Yorkton
Tribal Council Labour Force Development. This six month program
started in September /08 and will end March/09. Two of our members have
been attending this program and will be qualified to manage a convenience/
gas store. Ever since the Band had a survey done last fall, the YTC-LFD have
been co-operative in tailoring programs to fit our needs. The band will be looking at setting up a convenience//gas store in the future.

Wind Power Project: Oceanman along with other bands have been
involved in the Wind Power Project. A memorandum of understanding has
been signed and the next step to have a Wind Power project underway.
Cowesses First Nation, Neekaneet First Nation and Gordon's First Nation
have set up their wind studies and are going into the second phase of their project

Post Secondary

There are 14 students attending Post Secondary this year. Their areas of study are: business management, economic development, arts, social work, and psychology.

Adult Basic Education 10 & 12

There are 13 students attending the Adult Basic Education Program. This program will continue until May 2009. In November, we have 2 more non-first nations students joining the program: a feat for Ocean Man because of our location. The Library/Learning Centre is being put to good use. We had the elders read stories and do crafts with the young children this fall.

There are other courses offered to the community and the ABE students such as carpentry, plumbing, electrical, furnace maintenance, bookkeeping and computers. All these courses are introductory and will be credited to their 10 & 12 classes.The South East Regional College has sponsored the ABE Program, the tuition and The Yorkton Tribal Council Labour Force Development sponsored the student programs have come to Ocean Man.

Application for Post Secondary

This is the process for applying for funding. Please send the following to:

Ocean Man Post Secondary Co-ordinator
Box 157
Stoughton, SK
SOG 4TO

Step 1:
1. Letter of Intent ( Career goals)
2. Letter of acceptance from an Accredited Institution

Step 2: If application is accepted, then the following is required
1. Registration
2. Time Table

Step 3: The following forms also need to be filled out. Once all the above criteria is met then I will mail out the following forms. Please mail or fax back as soon as possible to ensure tuition/living allowance payments.
1. Application for funding
2. Number of Dependents
3. Authorization to release information
4. Program Summary
5. Sponsorship Form

***Please note - Ocean Man doesn't sponsor Spring/Summer Semester, only if the student is on her/his last semester and the course is only offered at that time.

Proper Housing Procedure For Applying For a House

1. Letter addressed to Chief and Council/Housing : dated, stating how big your family is and name, address, number to be reached at.


2. Your name will be added to the housing list.


3. Housing Coordinator is in charge of updating the list from time to time. Will call people on the list to update the file.


4. The person picked (whoever was next on the list) will then fill out utilities request, when the request is approved the tenant will then fill out a lease. (pending approval with Saskpower/Saskenergy only).


5. There will be no house swapping and if your child turns 18 years old, you cannot leave the house to them unless they requested housing and they are next on the list. NO EXCEPTIONS.


6. Leases have to be signed and dated in order for the utilities to be hooked up.


7. If you have not stated to Chief and Council/Housing in writing your request for a house, you cannot move into a unit.

Ocean Man First Nation Housing Policies

1. Tenants to sign a lease agreement and renewed yearly.


2. Income verification to be done annually.


3. Yearly inspections of all houses by Housing Authority?s Tenant Councilor or anyone designated by Housing coordinator.


4. All rent collections to be made by the first of each month and arrears within 30 days.


5. All rent arrears will be deducted from the tenants? income if necessary.


6. Income may be garnished for outstanding rents for tenants who are employed in other areas of the band and off reserve.


7. The band will not be responsible for the maintenance or services on houses, unless the rent is paid.


8. There will be no maintenance work done on the houses for the first three years, except in emergency cases, at the discretion of the Housing Authority.


9. Any willful damage will be the responsibility of the tenant. If no repairs are done in such cases, the Housing Authority will repair but the cost will be collected from the income or a repayment plan will be set up.


10. The Housing Authority shall report any vandalism, willful damages or theft or theft of the appliances to the RCMP. It is recommended that anyone convicted of the above items will be responsible for costs, repairs, of replacement in lieu. See 4(e) obligations to the tenant. The appliances must be insured by both Housing Authority a/o Band and the tenant.


11. No vacancies. All tenants leaving their home for the period of one month shall notify the Housing Authority in writing indicating their intentions regarding the house. No verbal agreements will be acknowledged.


12. All house requests to be put on file for eventual allocation by the Housing Authority on a priority basis.


13. The Housing Authority must operate the CMHC program from Band Affairs with two separate bank accounts. House and tenant files must be in place, also maintenance records and proper accounting records.


14. Housing coordinator may refer back to the Band Constitution regarding additional housing policies.

Maternal Care
Home Care (Elders)
Community Care
Mental Health Therapist
Medical Transportation

Medical transportation benefits under the NIHB Program assist clients to access needed medical professionals, tests and other treatment and services when these are not available where the client lives. This can include arranging for transportation to be available for clients to travel, providing financial assistance to clients to transport themselves, or arranging for these medical services in the community. Transportation (i.e., by land, air or water) is to the nearest appropriate doctor, clinic, hospital or other health facility. This may include assistance with the cost of meals and accommodation when the client is required to be out of the community overnight or for an extended period of time.

Medical transportation benefits enable clients to access the following types of services:

* Provincial/territorial insured medical services (e.g., doctors' appointments, hospital care, diagnostic tests, health programs provided to all provincial residents)
* Alcohol, solvent, drug abuse and detox treatment
* Health benefits (dental, vision and crisis intervention mental health counselling) available under the NIHB Program.

The Program is available to eligible registered First Nation members living on-reserve

* Travel is to the nearest appropriate health facility;
* The most economical and efficient means of transportation is used, taking into consideration the urgency of the situation and the client's medical condition;
* Transportation to health services is coordinated to ensure maximum cost-effectiveness;
* First Nation Indian Health Benefit and Ocean Man First Nation has a comprehensive funding agreement, a set amount has been assigned for travel to the nearest appropriate medical facilities.

Comments from Tara Parisier (Medical Transportation Co-ordinator)

Medical Transportation reimbursements for travel are paid out after I receive the CMA, there is no pre-paid medical travel.

To receive a reimbursement for Medical Transportation, the First Nation member must submit a completed "Certification of Medical Attendance" form which includes:

* Name of Patient
* Name of Physician
* Must have the "Yes" box checked off indicating the patient has received medical care, the doctor or nurse fills this out.
* The form "must" be signed by the attending doctor or nurse.
* When submitting the CMA form to me please ensure you have written "Who" the medical driver is; to ensure the reimbursement is given to the appropriate person.
* For first nation members who are not from Ocean Man First Nation but live on Ocean Man please write on the back of the CMA, the patients date of birth and their status number.
* I send in the medical transportation report to FNIHB on a monthly basis to Fort Qu'Appelle which in turn they verify and submit the report for payment to the Regional Office in Regina. Ocean Man receives the reimbursement funds for that month from the Regional Office, this final step is when Ocean Man waits for reimbursement, at times we have waited several months. Once we receive the funding I immediately requisition the cheques and the payee is contacted to come and pick the cheque up from the health office.

Day Care

Currently 11 children at the daycare, ages infant to school age.
Hours: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm Monday - Friday

National Native Alcohol Drug Abuse Program

The National Native Alcohol and Drug Abuse Program (NNADAP) is an example of a Health Canada program now largely controlled by First Nations communities and organizations. Since its origins in the 1970s, the program's goal has been to help First Nations and Inuit communities set up and operate programs aimed at reducing high levels of alcohol, drug, and solvent abuse among on-reserve populations.

Prevention activities, aimed at preventing serious alcohol and other drug abuse problems, include:

* Public awareness campaigns
* Public meetings
* Public speaking
* Developing content for schools on alcohol and drug abuse
* School programs
* News media work and
* Cultural and spiritual events.

Intervention activities, aimed at dealing with existing abuse problems at the earliest possible stage, include:

* Recreation activities for youths
* Discussion groups and social programs and
* Native spiritual and cultural programs.

Aftercare activities, aimed at preventing alcohol and drug abuse problems from reoccurring, include:

* Counseling
* Sharing circles
* Support groups
* Crisis intervention
* Support visits
* Outreach visits
* Treatment referrals
* Detox referrals
* Social service referrals
* Medical referrals
* Band services referrals.

How to register your child as a Band member from Ocean Man First Nation:

1) Make sure the live birth certificate is signed by both parents at the hospital.
2) The hospital sends this certificate to vital statistics
3) Vital Statistics sends this to Indian and Northern Affairs.
4) Indian Affairs send this information to the Band. ( this where the paper work is held up)
5) The paper work is done by the Indian Registry clerk at the Band office
6) Parent consent form is signed at the Band office or mailed out to the parent(s).
7) Once these steps are taken, the registry clerk sends the completed application to INAC.
8) INAC then sends a letter to the parent or legal guardian or foster parent stating that the child is registered.

If you are out of the province or the child is born out of the province:

1) Live birth certificate
2) Birth certificate (picture size) - original- no photocopy
3) This is sent to the registry clerk at the Band office.
4) The forms are sent to Indian and Northern Affairs Canada.
5) Once these steps are taken, the registry clerk sends the completed application to INAC.
6) INAC then sends a letter to the parent or legal guardian or foster parent stating that the child is registered.

Please note:
The Indian Registry clerk is not responsible for any name changes.
The parents have to go to vital statistics, to apply and pay for this certificate.
If the child is in Indian Child and Family Services (ICFS) care, they can be contacted to get the live birth certificate. The Indian Registry clerk is not authorized to do this.
The registration process takes up to three to four months but has taken longer because INAC is backed up in their paper work.
There is an Indian Affairs office in every province. The number where you can phone is: 1-800-567-9604

To apply for a Status Card you have to have 2 pieces of identification: 1 Photo and 1 other (ei: Health Card, Birth Certificate, Baptism Certificate)