Piikani Nation Community Technology Profile - First Nations (Alberta ...

Community Information Technology Services
For Piikani First Nation

The Mii Kyaa Pii Centre is a part of Peigan Board
of Education and works in cooperation with local,
provincial, and federal departments to offer Piikani
First Nation with solid and innovative Information
Technology services.
Our first focus is on providing and maintaining the
Information Technology Department for Peigan
Board of Education. Peigan Board of Education
Maintenance Department is an integral part of this
focus, organizing most of the large physical
installations and maintenance of IT equipment.

Programs at Mii Kyaa Pii
Community Access Program
Alberta Computers for Schools
Media
Wireless Initiative
Information Technology Training

People at Mii Kyaa Pii
Ula Shirt, IT & Communication, P.B.O.E.
Jock Bad Eagle, Technician, P.B.O.E.
Melissa Smith, Technical Work Experience
Person, ACFS
Rodney Small Legs J.R., ICT Intern,
T.S.A.G.
Kerry Wolf Tail, ICT Intern, T.S.A.G.

Community Access Program
� “Peigan Nation CAP Centre”
� Receives funding from Industry Canada
� Free Internet Access for community
members
� Other services – printing, copying, basic
instruction, etc.
� http://cap.ic.gc.ca/pub/index.html

CAP Continued…
� Industry Canada’s Community Access
Program provides funding for one Intern
from time to time (3 so far)
� Offer supervision and basic instruction in
computer operations and Internet skills
(email, research, safety, etc.)
� Receive only partial funding – about
$3500 per fiscal year

Alberta Computers for Schools
� Employs one youth: Melissa Smith
� Industry Canada program
� Receives computers from national
headquarters and donations
� Refurbishes computers for distribution to
educational and non-profit institutions
� http://www.cfsalberta.ca/

ACFS Continued…
� To date, the Brocket Computers for Schools shop
has refurbished and distributed close to 700
computers to schools and organization in and
around Piikani.
� Participation in the Alberta Computers for School
program has opened the Mii Kyaa Pii Centre and
therefore Piikani to new and exciting opportunities
– one example of which is the Wireless Initiative
which would not have started so soon without
contacts made via the Computers for Schools
program.

Media
� Piikani Post
� Piikani Nation Community Radio
� Printing
� Audio and visual media conversion

Piikani Post
� The Mii Kyaa Pii Centre prints and distributes
the Piikani Post – articles on events and news
from Peigan Board of Education departments,
community event listings and announcements.
Eight (8) pages.
� Distributed via unaddresses admail (Canada
Post) and by delivery to departments.
� Ula Shirt – Editor

Radio Station
� Mii Kyaa Pii Centre has broadcast equipment and
used to run a community based radio station that
reached all of Brocket townsite and had a
maximum reach of about 10 km.
� Due to lack of funding and personnel, the radio
station program has been put on hold temporarily.
� We are currently re-starting Piikani Community
Radio (89.9FM) and will start broadcasting again
mid-November 2010.

Printing
� Mii Kyaa Pii Centre has a excellent
quality color photocopier that enables us
to fulfill printing requests from
community organizations and members.
� Designed and printed packages for
conferences – most notably Treaty 7
Education Conference 2009, Annual
Parent Conference.

Wireless Initiative
� Provides high-speed wireless Internet
access to community members
� Range of wireless currently covers Brocket
townsite.
� Working to expand coverage for the entire
reserve.
� Uses existing feed from Alberta First
Nations Schoolnet
� http://www.tsag.net

First Nations Schoolnet
� Originally an Industry Canada initiative
� INAC program administered by our
Regional Management Organization,
Technical Services Advisory Group.
� Provides Internet connection to First
Nations schools across Alberta.

Events of Interest
� Due to our integration of programs at Mii
Kyaa Pii, Ula Shirt has been included in
some interesting events.
�4 th Annual National Connecting Aboriginal
Peoples in Canada Forum – March 2005,
Ottawa ON
�World Summit on the Information Society –
November 2005, Tunis Tunisia
�Internet Governance Forum 2007 –
November 2007, Rio de Janeiro Brazil

Challenges
� Lack of stable funding
This is the largest and most concerning of the
challenges facing our program. There is no
funding allocated by INAC for Information
Technology support. It is not enough to
provide funding for infrastructure, funding
must be provided for administration and
support for communities to make the most
of Information Technology programs.

Information Technology is no
longer a luxury, but a basic need
for all Communities.
By working cooperatively to
provide this service to our
members, we improve our
Communities and contribute to
our People’s success.