KORI

By Rick Garrick

The potential for unique innovations derived from community-based research came up during a Northern Indigenous Community Satellite Network (NISCN) workshop on developing a Research Consortium on the impacts of ICT's in small remote satellite-served communities.

"What we have not even looked at is the potential for innovations," says Brian Beaton, K-Net Services coordinator. "The needs and priorities in the city are completely different from those in the communities we serve."

"It is important to conduct research in the communities," says Brian Walmark, research director at the Keewaytinook Okimakanak Research Institute (KORI). "If we are going to continue looking at the impacts of information communication technologies (ICT's) in these remote communities, we will need partners to move this initiative forward."

By Rick Garrick

A senior official with the Canadian Community Economic Development Network (CCEDNet) participated in a video conference with some of Keewaytinook Okimakanak's (KO) economic development officers while he was on a major tour of northwestern Ontario. Abraham Tounkara, CCEDNet's Ontario coordinator, was impressed with the technological capacity of First Nations in the north and with K-Net in particular. "We are trying to be more present in the north," Tounkara says, "to see how we can work together by sharing information and experiences."

R. Tongia and E. J. Wilson, "Turning Metcalfe on his Head: The Multiple Costs of Network Exclusion

Abstract

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.