This movement away from traditional territories has lead to a concentration of First Nations people living in urban and rural centers throughout the province of Manitoba, and specifically, in the city of Winnipeg. First Nation people from all parts of Manitoba are migrating to Winnipeg for various reasons, and thus, bring with them a diversity of cultural, linguistic and historical experiences and perspectives. Through this migration, First Nations have become more connected across cultural differences. However, this migration also perpetuates relocation issues that are viewed as negative factors in healthy independent living for First Nation people.

First Nations people who find steady employment and social acceptance in the city blend into the increasingly multicultural city scene, while those who encounter difficulties are highly visible and reinforce the negative stereotype of urban Aboriginal people as poor, marginal and problem-ridden. Some Aboriginal urban residents are transient, moving back and forth between the city and their home communities. Many others reside permanently in urban areas or are second-or third-generation urban dwellers. Whether they live in cities for a short time or plan to stay there permanently, First Nations people in urban centers face overwhelming problems that are rooted in cultural dislocation and powerlessness, discrimination and economic hardship.

Organizations on local, provincial and national levels have been established to address the specific service needs required by urban aboriginal peoples. Currently, in Winnipeg, there are many “Aboriginal” service delivery organizations providing service, yet there is still frustration about the lack of culturally appropriate services for First Nations people.

In order to address these concerns, the AMC Chiefs in Assembly passed a resolution in January 2004 that mandated AMC to seek funding for the establishment of a First Nation Urban Transition Centre. With the acquisition of funding through Winnipeg Partnership Committee (WPC) in 2005, development of the E.A.G.L.E Urban Transition Centre has been carried out since March 2005.

KEY ISSUES AND CHALLENGES

Mobility Patterns: A challenge for the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs is the ongoing current issues facing First Nation people living or relocating to the City of Winnipeg.

This includes the initial movement of First Nation people into the city from other locations and the subsequent internal pattern of mobility within the city. As identified in the Institute of Urban Studies First Nations/Métis/Inuit Mobility Study, University of Winnipeg, both have been found to be occurring with considerable frequency.

As a result, some of the critical findings within the Mobility Study has fueled the need to develop and deliver programs and services for urban First Nation people. There is a need for an improved information delivery mechanism in order to provide more supports for those in need. At the `point of departure and arrival into Winnipeg, a more coordinated effort is essential to ensure that those moving to the city have access to the services and supports needed.

Other Service Organizations: As there are a number of other service organizations institutes that can provide support services for urban citizens, aboriginal or non-aboriginal, there has been the question of duplication of programs and services. A key issue that points to the need of the Centre, and has been one of the motivating factors coming out of the various conferences or workshops, is the overwhelming responses and recommendations from First Nation support workers of the need of a service organization for First Nation members that are moving into the city of Winnipeg.

Financial: A major challenge to the development of the E.A.G.L.E Urban Transition Centre is attaining the necessary financial resources for on-going service delivery needs. Federal funding for urban based service delivery is done on a year to year basis and as such, it is very difficult for agencies/ programs to make long term plans for program delivery as much energy is spent developing and negotiating proposals. AMC will continue to work towards ensuring sustainable funding for this centre as it is a much needed service.

LINKAGES TO FIRST NATIONS COMMUNITIES

The complex nature of an Urban Community Development Strategy initiates the need to consult with stakeholders that have a vested interest in improving the livelihood of the urban First Nation citizens of Winnipeg. Therefore, it is imperative that communication and consultation with First Nation communities is essential in addressing the needs of their First Nation members living in the city of Winnipeg.

This will form the basis of the upcoming communication strategy that includes not only an urban forum, but also, a poster and brochure mail-out strategy. Furthermore, an E.A.G.L.E. Urban Transition Centre website is in development for those communities that have the capability of accessing the Internet.

Although linkages are not direct to First Nation in general, the partnerships gained across governmental and the private and not-for-profit entities at the local, regional and national levels are essential to responding to urban First Nation issues. As a result, these partnership arrangements assists the urban First Nation communities sustain their efforts in providing all sources of assistance for their citizens.

Partnerships across the various sectors will:

• increase community access to resources, programs and funding;
• diversify the resource base available to communities; and
• create stronger linkages among existing programs for more sustainable solutions.

PROJECT ACTIVITIES

1. Deliver transitional programs and services for a First Nations Urban Transition Centre that will assist in addressing urban mobility issues for First Nation people living in Winnipeg. Services in advocacy and counselling support will be provided in a wide range of programs areas such as housing, social, education, health, etc.

2. Profile and create accurate and up to date statistics on the numbers of First Nation living in Winnipeg.

3. Conduct community consultations with stakeholders and general First Nation people on an action plan in the development of the EUTC Services Strategy;

4. Assist in the development of priorities for Manitoba First Nations in order to help communities strengthen their capacity to address the needs of healthy and independent living;

5. Develop partnerships with local organizations, intergovernmental service agencies mandated to address urban services issues in Manitoba;

6. Develop and provide public awareness, and informational packages in education of the EUTC to Manitoba First Nations and it’s membership;

STATUS OF ACTIVITIES

With the acquisition of funding through Winnipeg Partnership Committee (WPC) in 2005, development of the E.A.G.L.E Urban Transition Centre has been carried out since March 2005, with the initial stages of service and program delivery in June 2005. This service delivery has been provided to urban community members by way of the current staff, consisting of the Program Coordinator and the newly hired Transition Counsellor.

Presently, the location is still in negotiation as the EUTC has agreed in principle to partner with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Winnipeg Police Service on a joint “resource” centre. The EUTC will serve as the primary service delivery agent with the “Joint Police Services” providing community service for justice and legal issues for aboriginal people living in the city of Winnipeg through the EUTC. As a result, with the addition of the JPS, additional office space is now needed to accommodate the existing and potential staffing needs.

First Nation people who move to urban environments encounter some of the same challenges of other migrants: challenges associated with integrating into urban economies, interacting with diverse people from many origins, and finding appropriate housing and education. But unlike other migrants, many First Nations people are traveling in their traditional territories and as such, many have expectations that their First Nation Treaty Rights will make a difference in the way they live and structure their lives in urban areas. New research and policy frameworks are needed in order to overcome the challenges the urban environment presents to some First Nation individuals.

Many First Nation people find the adjustment to urban living overwhelming. For some, this means leaving the city soon after they arrive. For others it means living on the margins of urban society, complete with disadvantages in education, employment, and income. Whether leaving the city or living on the margins, every First Nation person who is unsuccessful at making the transition to urban life represents a loss to western cities, which is the potential contribution to the economy and social fabric of urban areas.

For years, the federal government’s primary approach to easing urban transition challenges has been through the funding of Native Friendship Centres. Annually, the Government of Canada transfers $13.4 million to the National Association of Friendship Centres for distribution among 98 centres — of which one is located in Winnipeg — (approximately 36,000 First Nations currently live off-reserve, Indian and Northern Affairs, 2003). This amount is not solely for transition services; rather it is used by Friendship Centres to support all their programs. To place the federal spending in perspective,consider the federal government’s commitment to new immigrants. In the 2005 budget announcement the federal government will spend $400 million on immigrant settlement and integration while the government continues to transfer approximately $14 million to Native Friendship Centres. Perhaps this explains the difficulties many First Nations people are experiencing in adjusting to life in Western cities.

In January 2002, AMC developed a partnership with the University of Winnipeg’s Institute of Urban Studies to initiate a First Nations Mobility Study. The purpose of this research was to assist AMC in gaining a better appreciation of the circumstances, expectations and experiences of First Nations people who make the move to Winnipeg for numerous reasons. The information gained would also assist AMC in developing a better understanding of their service needs and theextent to which those needs are being met. In addition, this information would allow AMC to foster an improved working relationship between governments and the First Nations community in Winnipeg in assessing and responding to urban service delivery needs. The first interim report of this study clearly indicated that First Nations were looking for a “single window” from which to access information regarding housing, health, education, etc. In addition, it was noted that they wanted information to flow between communities and urban centres so that people were aware of services prior to moving from their First Nation community.

At the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs General Assembly held in Long Plain First Nation in January 2003, the Chiefs-In-Assembly passed a resolution (JAN-03.03) that mandated the AMC Secretariat to seek funding for the Urban First Nations Community Development Proposal and to establish a business plan for an Urban First Nation Service Centre.

In response to this resolution, AMC developed and submitted the First Nations Transition Centre Proposal to Western Economic Diversification in December 2003. AMC received funds to conduct a feasibility study to determine the need for instituting the development of a Transition Centre in the City of Winnipeg. As part of thisstudy, it was also the intent to examine how to best create, operate and expand a transition centre that takes into account the current landscape of “Aboriginal” service delivery in Winnipeg.

As part of this process, AMC hosted a consultation session on May 18, 2004 with urban First Nation members, as well as aboriginal members living in and outside the city of Winnipeg.

The main focus of the consultation was to provide an overview of the issues that First Nation people encounter when they move into Winnipeg, and as a result, seek solutions to address the issues they face. The intention of this consultation was to address the need for an urban transition centre for First Nation people and attendees at the consultation were very supportive of such a plan. A follow-up consultation session was held the next week on May 27. The purpose of this specific consultation session was to further discuss, review and report back to the community on their recommendations toward the development of the centre, and the feasibility study for the Transition Centre was completed in July 2004.

The feasibility study/proposal for the First Nations Transition Centre was then tabled with Western Economic Diversification under the Urban Aboriginal Strategy and the Winnipeg Partnership Agreement — the tripartite agreement between the City, Province and federal government in July 2004. This is a multi-year proposal and will have a staff complement of five, which includes three Counselors — Community/ Social Services, Family, and Education/ Employment.

This centre will act as a focal point for First Nations technical people to assist First Nation individuals and their families affected by migration and personal life difficulties by providing a comfortable and accessible First Nations environment with up-todate knowledge of the availability of services and programs in Winnipeg. By using up-to-date information, the Centre will provide direction and strategies that will assist First Nation families and individuals acquire the necessary supports for a high quality of life as a First Nations person in an urban environment.

All levels of government have expressed a keen interest in this initiative and as such, AMC was approved for start-up funding. This start-up funding has allowed AMC to undertake some of the developmental work of this project including identification of possible office space, recruitment of staff, development of an intake process, and development of an operational plan. AMC is looking forward to the opening of its new facility’s doors in the spring/summer of 2005.