Prophet River First Nation News - May 2023

Prophet River NEWS
May 2023 | ProphetRiverFirstNation.com
Treaty Days
Page 2
Meet Curtis
Page 3
May Community
Forum Prize Winners
Page 3
Fish Naming Contest
Page 4
Education Update
Page 4
Wildfire Evacuation
Information
Page 5
Finance Update
Page 5
From the CAO
Page 6
Health Dept. Update
Page 6
How To Reach Us
Page 7
Adult Extra-Curricular
Program
Page 8
April Bake Sale &
Clothing Swap Pics
Page 8
New Job Postings
Page 8
Upcoming Events
Page 9
Treaty 8 Meeting
Shared by Shona Nelson on LinkedIn
An excellent meeting of Treaty 8
leadership and representatives from
local government in Northeast BC to
communicate, share and
collaborate on common issues and
honouring the treaty.
Stay up-to-date on Wildfires
With the ongoing threats of wildfires near Prophet
River, we encourage all members to stay up-to-date
with our regular updates below and be sure to have an
Evacuation Plan in place.
A new page on the website, has been created for
information and up-to-date news. Please visit
prophetriverfirstnation.com/wildfires
Read more about wildfire evacuation protocols and
preparation on page 6.
Meet Curtis
Je aa haanach’e
Curtis Dickie laa Uuzhe
Fort Nelson dǫts’ęh asch’ę
I am excited to join the team at PRFN to enhance
cultural components of all Prophet River First Nation
programming as per the Community’s Vision in the
Comprehensive Community Plan.
Learn more about Curtis on page 3.
How are you?
My name is Curtis Dickie
I come from Fort Nelson
SCAN ME TO SIGN UP FOR
TEXT UPDATES
Prophet River First Nation
Dene Tsaa Tse K’Nai First Nation
P.O. Box 3250
Fort Nelson, BC V0C 1R0 ProphetRiverFirstNation.com 1.844.323.0324 (Toll Free)

Treaty Days
Mark your calendars! Treaty Days return to Prophet River June 24th – 25th, 2023! Join us for 2 days of
fun, food and festivities!
Planning is well underway for an amazing weekend. Check out what we've already got planned:
Prophet River's
got
Talent
`
Showcase your skills on stage in
a talent show!
Compete in the mixed hand
games tournament!
Listen to the country tunes of
Armond Duck Chief
Participate in nightly
drumdances
There's lots of excitement left to announce! Stay tuned for updates as they come at
prophetriverfirstnation.com/treaty-days
May 2023 | ProphetRiverFirstNation.com 2

Meet Curtis
A member of the Fort Nelson First Nation, I was born and raised in Fort
Nelson by my Father, the late Reynold Dickie and my mother Leslie (Hunt)
Dickie. Fort Nelson is still my home where I raise my beautiful family with
my Spouse Teleia and our 3 Children. Our family loves to camp, fish, hunt,
gather from the Land and pass all these teachings onto our children.
As a young child, I spent a lot of time with my Grandfather, Harry Dickie
and my Grandmother Adeline Dickie. I went everywhere they went on the
land, and on the river. This has given me a strong connection to the land
and animals and I have a deep respect for all indigenous teachings and
culture. Over the years I have been involved my Nation’s progress by
working as Housing Maintenance Coordinator(2016-2018) and then later
at Culture Coordinator(2019-2023), and I also served 3 terms on FNFN’s
Elected Council and 1 year as Chief Councillor. As a drum carrier in my
community I successfully lead the revival of Traditional Dene Hand
games by founding the Fort Nelson Hand games Society, and in 2018 &
2019 we held the largest Traditional Hand games tournament in BC history. I love working and studying
Language and I am eager to start learning the Beaver language and getting to know Elders and speakers
from Prophet River.
I am excited to join the team at PRFN to enhance cultural components of all Prophet River First Nation
programming as per the Community’s Vision in the Comprehensive Community Plan. As a Cultural Lead
in my community I have been instrumental in reviving Culture and Language in Fort Nelson, and I now
look to help my neighbors do the same.
May Winners
A big congratulations to our prize winners from the May Community Forum! Make sure to join us on
Monday, June 5th for our next meeting and more chances to win!
Megan - Purse/Wallet
Sheldon - Flashlight
Corey Tsakoza - Wall Decor
Cassie Chipesia - Racket Set
Troy Tsakoza - Salt & Pepper Shaker
May 2023 | ProphetRiverFirstNation.com 3

Fish Naming Contest
Show off your artistic skills and bring awareness to the importance of housing with
the new fin-tastic Fish Naming Contest from FNHPA! All ages may enter!
To enter:
1. Draw one of the new fish
2. Include something related to housing
3. Give the fish a name
Send your submission or a photo of your submission to kateri@fnhpa.ca! The winner
will get to choose the name of the fish they drew and receive a swag pack, gift card,
and an image of their fish with monthly updates.
Education Update
As always, it has been a very busy past couple of weeks in the Education Department!
We are very excited that we have found a Speech and Language Pathologist that is willing to provide
remote service to the community with the potential of in-community visits in the future. This is a
wonderful opportunity for any families that would like to have a Speech and Language assessment
completed for their child. It is often extremely difficult to get an SLP in the province, so we are hopeful
that families will take advantage of this opportunity.
Students at the school are continuing their culture sessions with Teleia Dettieh. The next culture project
is hide tanning. Teleia is also making plans to meet with Elder Mary to translate words into the Beaver
language. We are hopeful that we will have these words visible in the school soon.
Our Education Team participated in Dash Robot Training. We received 4 dash robots from Ulnooweg
Education Centre in Halifax at no cost. We reached out to their organization earlier this year and they
generously sent robots for the students to learn to drive and to code. We are confident that the students
are going to be better than any of the adults in no time.
Members of the Education Team attended the Authorized Representative meeting and FNSA Conference
in Vancouver. FNESC shared that Adult Education is going to be a priority over the next five years. There
is a new source of funding that will be available to support adult learning in communities. There is a
meeting being scheduled in June to learn of the particulars.
Our adult student is continuing to be doing very well in BC First Peoples 12. The Connected Classrooms
platform that he is using is proving to be a successful tool. Prophet has had this technology for several
years, but it hasn’t ever been used the right way. Our adult student is setting the bar for being able to
access it and use it efficiently. There will be another intake for Connected Classrooms at the end of the
summer. Please reach out if there are any courses that are of interest to you.
Chief Askoty, Diane & Leah attended the Indigenous Education Council meeting with FNFN and SD 81. It
is a meeting where we continue to push for change and the prioritizing of Indigenous Students in SD 81.
Our two older students attended the Youth Empowerment Gathering in Edmonton. This is a gathering for
Indigenous students from across Canada. Students learned about educational and career opportunities
and were inspired to finish high school, go on to post-secondary, and move into exciting careers.
May 2023 | ProphetRiverFirstNation.com 4

Wildfire Evacuation Information
With the ongoing threats of wildfires near Prophet River, we
encourage all members to stay up-to-date with our regular
updates below and be sure to have an Evacuation Plan in
place.
Prepare for an evacuation order
Prepare a Grab & Go kit and have it easily accessible. It
should include:
Essential items (medications, eyeglasses)
Key documents (see the list to the right)
Clothes for a few days, appropriate for conditions
Comfortable shoes, appropriate for conditions
Keepsakes (photographs, etc.)
In case of an evacuation order
1. If you have time, turn off all outside sprinklers so water is
conserved for firefighting efforts.
2. If you have time, leave a note telling others when you left
and where you've gone.
3. If you are instructed to do so, shut off water, gas and
electricity.
4. Take your Grab & Go kit - lock your home behind you.
5. Follow the routes specified by staff. Don't take shortcuts,
as it may be blocked or damaged.
In all cases, follow instructions from staff.
Stay informed and up to date
If any changes happen, we will inform you through our
website, social media, and by text. We will also have
volunteers going door to door.
Grab & Go Key Documents
If time safely permits, residents should
consider evacuating with the following
key documents on the following list:
Bank account numbers
Birth certificates
Credit card numbers
Doctor's contact info
Driver's license
Insurance policies & numbers
Insurance agent contact info
Medication list
(include the name, the dose, and how often)
Medical health info
Medical care card
Mortgage papers
Out of Area contact info
Passport
Photos or video of personal
property
Professional license & credentials
School contact info
Status card/identification
Vehicle title & registration
Will & testament
Please text your name to 1-888-710-2318 or visit to prophetriverfirstnation.com/wildfires for updates.
Finance Update
Chief & Council have passed the 2023/2024 Departmental Budgets at their last council meeting, and
KPMG, our Auditors, will be in-community the first week of July to complete the 2023 Audit.
The 2022 Gaming Revenue Sharing has been verified by our Auditors and has been forwarded to BC
Gaming. We will be receiving approximately $155,000 in additional funding in the near future.
Great News! Katina has been chosen by AFOA BC to participate in a newly formed Focus Group. This
focus group is an opportunity for members to provide insight and feedback on Indigenous Governance
and Capacity Programs. AFOA member knowledge and feedback gathered from these focus groups will
be forwarded to Indigenous Services Canada to help guide the development of new programs and
funding models to better meet the needs of Indigenous communities and governance. Congratulations
Katina!
May 2023 | ProphetRiverFirstNation.com 5

Update from the CAO
The last few weeks have been focused on the wildfires in the area.
Thankfully everyone was ok and it was wonderful to see the
community really pull together to support each other during this
difficult time. Thank you to all who worked to keep us safe and up
and running. It was a learning experience for all of us.
We were able to reactivate and update the Emergency Response
Plan, many of the key contacts were dated and no longer relevant.
We continue to work on this plan as a living document for any type of
Emergency in the future. We are also working on an EOC (Emergency
Operations Centre) as an area of communication to support incident
response activities and coordinate incident resources.
Devin Bellerose, CAO
Power in the community continues to be an issue. A forest fire in Rainbow Lake, Alberta cut the power
grid. B.C. Hydro has ordered replacement parts for the station’s air filtration system to prevent another
shutdown. B.C. Hydro says that it will take a few weeks to stabilize. In the meantime, we are looking at
more long-term options for our community in the event that this happens again.
Please continue to Firesmart your home, keep your gutters clear and remove all combustible material
(twigs, dry grass, logs and leaves) within 10 metres of any structure. We have posted some tips online
at.prophetriverfirstnation.com/wildfires. Also, keep your contact information up to date so that we can
keep you informed. Please text your name to 1-888-710-2318 to register for updates.
We would like to welcome our new staff member Curtis Dickie who will be a lead on Cultural initiatives.
We are excited to have him on our team and look forward to working with him.
Health Update
The Health Department has been very busy planning regular events that
promote the health & wellness of our members.
The team has been working on FNHA reporting, funding allocations,
Community Health Plan and Mobile Support Teams. We are continuing to
complete reporting requirements for FNHA Funding Arrangements. In
addition, we have completed two engagement sessions for the
Community Health Plan and have completed the 2024 budget.
The Health Department was very excited to receive $50,000 in funding for
Addiction Awareness and Harm Reduction and also a $8,000 wellness
grant for Mountain Medicine.
Our first PRFN AA Meeting was held last month and we are grateful that
we can continue to hold these meetings every Monday night.
We continue to plan new and exciting events, so make sure to keep up-todate
with us on social media and via text updates.
May 2023 | ProphetRiverFirstNation.com 6

How to Reach Us
We are always looking for ways to reach out to our members
and help you stay connected with our community. We have
started several initiatives that will help us stay connected.
Are you online?
Website: We have moved several functions online including
community notices, job postings, access to council minutes,
and community news. Be sure to go to
prophetriverfirstnation.com for regular updates and sign in to
the Members Only section to view communications that are
are private for our members only. This includes access to the AGM, Members Forum, Council Minutes,
Updates to the Trust, and more.
Newsletter: Don't forget to subscribe to updates so we can send you this newsletter by email as well as
other PRFN updates. If you want a printed copy, we are happy to mail one or drop it off for you.
Social Media: We are regularly posting to our Official PRFN Facebook page. Please follow our page
and share it with other members so we can all stay connected.
Member Forums: We’ve been hosting regular online member forums every month for members to
connect with each other and talk to the Chief and Council. These forums will be recorded so you can
view them online if you are unable to attend. If you have a question for the Chief and Council and it will
be answered in the monthly forum. Please send it to: communications@prophetriverfirstnation.com.
Email: Chief and Council, CAO, and all department managers review their emails regularly. Please see
the list of email addresses and extensions here.
Phone: We encourage you to call us any time at the tollfree
line and leave a message with the department manager
you wish to speak to. Your message will be automatically
sent as an email to the person you've called.
Text: We've upgraded our communications to include
texting. If you can receive text messages on your phone, we
encourage you to text us at 1.888.710.2318 and let us know
your name and phone number. We will keep you updated by
text message. We will also send out member surveys this
way to make it easier for you to participate.
Mail: Printed copies of newsletters and announcements
will be put in community members' mailboxes. If you are an
urban member and would like us to make you monthly
updates and newsletters, we are happy to.
1.844.323.0324 (Toll Free)
Chief Valerie Askoty
250.500.1285
valerie.askoty@prophetriverfn.ca
Councillor Beverly Stager
beverly.stager@prophetriverfn.ca
Councillor Deshanna Tsakoza
deshanna.tsakoza@prophetriverfn.ca
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Communications Department
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communications@prophetriverfirstnation.com
CAO Devin Bellerose
devin.bellerose@prophetriverfn.ca
Lands Department
Dene Tsaa School
Finance Department
Health Department
Housing Department
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May 2023 | ProphetRiverFirstNation.com 7

Adult Extra-Curricular Program
This program promotes a healthy lifestyle for PRFN members through the
provision of subsidy funding. Costs associated with extra-curricular
activities including sports, recreation, lessons, and cultural and healthy
living programs may be covered, with the aim of encouraging members to
participate in healthy activities. Activities coordinated by PRFN as a whole
are also included.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for this program a PRFN member must meet the following
program criteria, at present and on an ongoing basis:
1. Be a PRFN member as per the band list maintained by the government of Canada or PRFN as
applicable;
2. Be 18 years of age or older; and
3. Comply with all requirements of this policy.
Eligible & Ineligible Expenditures
Transportation to and from the activity (bus passes and/or fuel costs).
Expenditures related to promoting a healthy lifestyle or activity such as registration fees, gym
memberships, lessons for music, dance, cooking, traditional activities, art, hunting and trap line
activities, and sports activities.
Ineligible expenses include but are not limited to: clothing and equipment.
Learn more by visiting prophetriverfirstnation.com/programs/adult-extra-curricular-program!
April Bake Sale & Clothes Swap
New Job Postings
Liaison
Full-time, Permanent
The liaison act as a “bridge” between the NR
agencies and the PRFN, working to strengthen
communication between NR agencies and the
PRFN and participate in collaborative
environmental oversight.
Read more and apply at
https://prophetriverfirstnation.com/job/liaison/
Lands Technician
Full-time, Permanent
The lands technician will follow the lead of the
Senior Lands Technician in carrying out fieldwork
including site assessments and monitoring.
Read more and apply at:
prophetriverfirstnation.com/job/lands-technician
May 2023 | ProphetRiverFirstNation.com 8

Upcoming Meetings and Events
Gym Mornings
Every Monday and Friday
Transportation leaves community at 6:00 am. Members in the FN area
can meet the group at 7:00 am. Workout time is 1 hour
PRFN Presents AA Meetings
Every Monday at 5:30PM
Free and open to the public at the Elder's Lounge.
For more information, please contact Shanee Tsakoza: 250-500-2634
Carvinal Fun Fair
May 25th - 26th
Carnival fun in Fort St. John! Ages 3 - 18. 1 parent will be
accommodated.
Adult Swim
May 30th at 11:00AM
Swim at the Northern Rockies Regional Aquatic Centre. Late lunch at
Triple ‘G’ Campground.
For more information, please contact Darylyn: 250-775-0384
Mountain Medicine
June 4th - 10th
Mountain Medicine: Healing Our People event at the Sikanni River Ranch.
Community Forum
June 5th at 4:30PM
In the multiplex gym & online via zoom
Chief & Council Meeting
June 7th at 9:00AM
Executive Meeting
June 9th at 11:00AM
Treaty Days
June 24th - 25th
Doig River First nation Rodeo
July 28th - 30th
West Mo Days
July 28th - 30th
And more events to be announced!
Stay tuned to the calendar at prophetriverfirstnation.com/events for new
and up-to-date events!
May 2023 | ProphetRiverFirstNation.com 9