KORI

By Brian Walmark

(2005 0110) Eabametoong (Fort Hope First Nation) was one of the first Matawa Tribal Council to venture into the digital world through an early CANCOM connection. Many members of the community have embraced the ‘Net as a tool both for work and recreation. That is one of the problems. "We have three videoconferencing units, one in the band office, one in the nursing station and another in the school," said Andy Yesno, the Capital Planning Manager, "unfortunately, if we want to use any one of them, we have to virtually shut down Internet access to the entire community." He echos the comments of many of the remote and isolated First Nations who hunger for more bandwidth.

"Fort Hope has had to struggle and sacrifice to create and maintain a strong community network," according to Paul Capon, a political advisor with the Matawa Tribal Council which Eabametoong is a member. He believes much of the First Nation's success with ICTs is due to the fact that the community has owned and operated its own community cable TV station for many years prior to the migration of the ‘Net and a strong entrepreneurial spirit. "Their experience with cable TV put them ahead of many other communities in terms of accessing the ‘Net effectively," he said. "Community members were also prepared to pay reasonable user fees to access the ‘Net because they had already been paying for cable TV for years," he added. Strong community support made it possible for Eabametoong to seek bank financing to expand its Internet network with capital and operations infusions, however the need for more bandwidth prevents the First Nation from fully utilizing all of the applications otherwise available there.

The first point of presence for the community was through the school through CANCOM, however, the community wanted better access. In response, it established Fort Hope Cable TV Incorporated in 2002 as a community-owned and operated business initiative. It soon was responsible for operating the Internet network. It was a vast improvement in service over dial-up according to Noreen Missewace, the manager of the local cable TV station.

"Bandwidth is a major factor that holds us back," Yesno said. "We have plenty of hardware and know-how in Eabametoong but forget about getting on the ‘Net after the school is over and the offices close for the day," he said. The community has explored ways to purchase more bandwidth but the costs are prohibitive. "People are willing to pay user fees but there is an upper limit about what they can afford. Right now, they are paying for an Internet connection and cable TV. Some people are paying $60 per month," said Yesno.

One project in particular demonstrated how ICTs could benefit the entire community. Shortly after Eabametoong was connected, the school started a community-based GPS map making project that documented the traditional lands of the First Nation. It was a project that generated much excitement introducing many community members including Elders, women and youth to the digital map making. "After years of hiring various outsiders to undertake this kind of work, the community discovered that they could do much of it themselves if they had the right training and support," said Mattawa's Capon.

One of the most popular ICT applications used by Eabametoong members, according to Capon is personal web sites. "People love their personal web sites. Some are quite sophisticated," he said. "Those who really know what they're doing are willing to share their knowledge with other community members," he said.

Sharon Allen, Eabametoong Education Director, says access to the ‘Net has changed the way education is conducted in the community. "The Internet is a useful tool in creating awareness for our community and we have created a website for that purpose http://eabametoong.firstnation.ca/

It is also useful for teacher recruiting," she said. Unfortunately without additional bandwidth, Eabametoong may have to close its KiHS classroom forcing many students to go south to either Thunder Bay or Sioux Lookout if they want to continue their secondary school education.

Eabametoong will soon be connected to KO Telehealth. "Currently our nursing station is equipped to provide telehealth but our nurses use the telephone for consultations," said Yesno. There are concerns that telehealth will put greater demands on bandwidth that will limit access for the rest of the community.

In spite of the demands for more bandwidth, Eabametoong is turning its attention to economic development opportunities on the ‘Net. Youth are lobbying the leadership to establish a Cyber Café in the community. The local hotel is already connected with broadband and it is proving popular with visitors.