Affectionately known as, ‘TOY,’ Nellie McAuley is the daughter of Nellie Pirie and John Horace (Jack) Green. 

Born at home on May 23, 1922, she was brought into this world by midwife, "Granny McWatch". 

Nellie, (or Toy) has three sons, Kenny, Bobby and David, seven grandchildren and one great grandchild.

Her father Jack, born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, joined the Canadian Army at Montreal and became a Canadian citizen during the war. She has two brothers, Archie Green of Thorold, Ontario and the late Kenneth Robert, killed in Italy during the second world war.

Toy has lived most of her life in the Chapleau area, working as a cook in the lumber and mining camps at Nemegos for eleven years.

She met her husband, George McAuley when she was twenty years old. She was trapping with Jim McAuley and Evelyn (Cachagee) Corston and they didn’t have any meat to eat since Jim was a terrible shot. George was in the next township, and he would bring them meat. It wasn’t too long before she started trapping with George.

At twenty-nine years old, Toy bought fur for Valenski in Chapleau for three years and then started buying fur on her own for another two years to sell at the fur harvesters.

She went into partnership with Ron Barty and owned and operated, Len’s Taxi in Chapleau for three years.

She has cooked all over Ontario, in Linden, Parry Sound and has worked as the Head Cook at the Chapleau’s Moose Lodge for ten years.

She moved out to Fox Lake when it was first built and operates a minnow business. She still gets her own minnows and she still enjoys trapping. Her life is full of caring for her four dogs and a cat and all the other dogs on the rez are usually found visiting and eating at Toy’s.

She reminded me to include the facts that she has been in the minnow business and the after-hours spirits retail outlet for the past thirty-five years!

To all of us at Fox Lake, she is a legend.

REG FLETCHER

"An Elder who speaks from the heart, with a capacity for love only overshadowed by his generosity" - that’s how people refer to Reg. 

Born September 25, 1936, at Missanabie, the 3^rd child of Mabel and Charles Brodrick Fletcher, Reg is always willing to share the legacy of memories he has of his childhood and early years.

Growing up in the Missanabie, Lochalsh, Webbwood, and Chapleau areas, he hunted and fished with his father and grandfather, setting nets in Mulligan’s Bay, and lived in one of the only two homes on the old Chapleau Cree reserve along the Chapleau river. In the spring, Reg remembers fathers and grandfathers making bows and arrows, slings and slingshots for the children

It was common to plant potatoes in the spring, and harvest them in the fall. Other activities included netting whitefish in 

School was also a major part of his young life as his mother was a teacher in most of the locations where they lived. Later, Reg attended the Shingwuk Residential School, at Sault Ste Marie during the Great Depression.

At 20, Reg married Jeannette Bouchard on November 27, 1956. The couple was blessed with 4 children.

His long and varied career, began at the age of thirteen as tourist camp choreboy, eventually working his way up to guiding. 

A stint at Forestry Research saw him putting up lamprey barriers from Nipigon to Marathon. Other jobs include positions at Algoma Steel and the Ministry of Transportation and as well, Owner-Operator of a cutter/skidder business and a welding /general repair service. Reg supervised and cut the new Fox Lake road into reserve, a job done in 3 weeks and $7000.00 under budget

He served eleven years on the Chapleau Volunteer Fire Department, seven years with Chapleau Search and Rescue, two terms as a Chapleau Cree Band Councilor, and volunteer Fire Chief on the reserve Fire Department

Retired, Reg remains active as a volunteer board member for Kunuwinimano Child and Family Services, a member of Chapleau Cree’s Senior/Elder’s Committee and the MNR Communication Protocol Committee. 

He continues to serve on the reserve’s Emergency Measures Committee, and remains an available advisor for the on-reserve Fire Department and for heavy equipment service and operation.

A hard working person with valuable experience, Reg Fletcher has never lost his ability to lend a helping hand to those who need it. 

His prayers at gatherings remind us we are of one people; his admonishments, that we still have a lot to learn.

I wish you the very best in 2002. Our band has a bright future ahead and we have many people that are ready to help make our journey a progressive one. A healthy community requires the participation of its members. Life is too short to dwell on the past; we must move forward in unity and make future generations proud of who we were. We are their roots.
Enjoy "The CCFN 21^st Migration" We intend it to continue for years to come. This publication is meant to keep everyone informed of band business, upcoming events, issues, unfortunate passings, births and other news about our First Nation’s people. It also includes spirits, culture and viewpoints all areas in which you can take part.

We continue to have open Chief and Council meetings every third Tuesday of each month. When you’re in the Chapleau area, you might want to catch a meeting to learn of our progress to date.

Spring is just around the corner and I hope to see you at some of the events. We will be having more community events, Cree Kitchens, youth and senior interaction in our community and we hope you can join us.

Until then, I wish you all a healthy new year.

Meegwetch,

Wade R. Cachagee,
Chief

I only knew her ancient hands
taught them to form letters
till she printed 
her own name, Louisa,
at 73.

Always I searched her eyes for tribal mystery,
some hint of flint or arrow,
rummaged her closet for birch bark memory
or a string of beads.
 

I would listen, crouched
in the narrow, warped hallway
while she knelt within the stifling perfume 
of her old woman's room
reciting The Lord's Prayer
once in English, once in Cree. 

I wanted to hear the worship
of different deities,
turtle shell rattles and dancing moccasins, 
sweet smoke and strong medicine
invoking spirits from the green shadows
of some irrevocable tract of forest.

She spoke only of her trips to Toronto
opening a withered palm
to show me a subway token
while I studied her hand for the grain of a paddle. 

I watched the funeral guests
hoping for an elder-warrior
with shoulder-length grey hair
and an eagle feather to lay on her dead breast

Conflict of Interest Policy:The Council has adopted a Conflict of Interest Policy to govern its work. The policy is in draft form, and available at the Administration offices and on the Internet for your review and comments. This policy, with possible revisions, will be proposed in a motion for adoption into CCFN policy at the 2002 Autumn General Meeting. This is part of our policy to involve all members in the decision making process. In the meantime, the Council continues to use the draft to guide their decision making as though it was policy.

Creating Cultural Value:This magazine is a first step in a long process to reclaim our culture and heritage. We welcome suggestions and articles for it pages. We have some exciting things we will address at our Vision Quest 2002 sessions. Look for more in our next issue.

Current Operations and Services:The July CCFN operational review becomes a basis for evaluation of our operations and services. Several of our current programs (health, education, healing, etc.) are valuable and worthwhile and administered well. These are government-funded programs, and simply require administration. We will ensure that these continue as is. Change is considered only where it can be shown that improvements are necessary or benefits gained.

The CCFN Budget Process:Council has adopted the CCFN Budget Manual developed in 1998. The Finance committee and the band Auditors, KPMG, prepared the Manual. All programs and services now begin to operate within the CCFN budget process. Program leaders, as they become familiar with the process, will provide you program summaries as part of our efforts to keep all members informed.

Manage RAMA contributions:As part of the budget process, RAMA funds will fall under a special category. We have asked our Auditor to recommend how these funds should be managed. We expect we will resolve this issue by the time the Spring Edition of ‘Migration’ arrives at your home.

July 2001 Operational Review:This comprehensive review delivered many recommendations to improve the administration of CCFN. You will receive a copy of the review in the next few weeks as part of our promise to keep members informed. We will adopt the recommendations as quickly and as orderly as possible throughout the next term.

Treaty Land Entitlement (TLE): Shortly after the election we gave Ron Maurice (a lawyer for   our Treaty Land Entitlement) the go-ahead to file a statement of claim. We are meeting him along with Missanaibie Cree mid-January to discuss our TLE.  A special feature will be published in the next ‘Migration’ as part of the membership information program we promised to deliver. 

CCFN Communications Plan: The requirements for a communications plan project to meet membership needs is being put together. One of our goals is to improve communications at and between all members of our Nation. This ‘Migrations’ publication, and the items reported in this ‘Current Issues’ section are parts of that developing communications plan. Our Council, administration, programs, projects and committees will report issues, developments and progress according to this evolving plan. Look for further updates here.

The CCFN Management Plan: Beyond the items listed in this overview, we are working to create a Band Management Plan that outlines and details the programs and projects needed for CCFN to prosper. Part of this complements the Budget Process, which determines how and what projects are selected for development. The July 2001 Operational Review will assist us in this effort as we review current operations and services. As part of this plan, we are beginning ‘roles and responsibilities’ and ‘policy and procedures’ exercises that will both focus and improve our efforts at Fox Lake. We have a meeting planned by February with INAC and will meet with our Funding Services Officer, and our Mgr. Fin. Arrangements & Quality Assurance to discuss our recovery plan and a possible multi-year contribution agreement to increase our funding by 5%. Look for an update in the next issue.

Running a first nation is not unlike running a business venture. In fact, a first nation is in the ‘business’ of care and development of its members and their community. 

Community services, in the form of programs and projects, are administered within the first nation, and depend on money allocated toward these programs, or upon money generated by activities within the community. The management of this money is the responsibility of the members of the first nation, who elect or appoint representatives to act on their behalf. 

The elected positions of Chief and Councilor and the positions of first nation administrative and project personnel have associated responsibilities, usually outlined in role and job descriptions. 

The people holding these positions are accountable to ensure the effective management of funds designated for community benefit. One of their most important responsibilities is the development and implementation of a sound and healthy budget. 

The annual budget is one of the most useful tools serving the first nation members. Budgets are nothing more than good plans. Unfortunately in developing a budget there are so many parts of it that must be estimated that often budgets get "blown!" 

Activities and projects managed and reviewed according to an approved budget are less likely to drift, and enter financial difficulties because the budget process allows for identifying spending problems early rather than later. Other administrative controls help to ensure wise and effective administration of first nation funds and other resources. 

The development of the first nation annual budget, and the steps to arrive at an effective means to assess and maintain the financial health of the first nation are simple, but do require discipline, work, and regular monitoring to bring the budget into being. The steps ‘begin at the beginning,’ however, at any point in the financial year the first nation may find it necessary to re-assess its financial status. It can do this monthly, using a Year-To-Date Budget Review and Revision process, using reports generated from our accounting system. 

An effective budget development process involves five main steps, some of which are usually repeated, as the budget becomes refined. 

1. establishing a budget activity calendar
2. identifying the budget development team
3. gathering and preparing the required information
4. preparing the draft budget and

adopting a final budget