Kanesatake app on the way 

Looking to burnish communications to the community, the Mohawk Council of Kanesatake (MCK) is planning to move ahead with the creation of a dedicated smartphone app.

“I think it’s a step in the right direction because now instead of relying on mailouts, we’re using the technology that’s already in our members’ hands and communicating with them that way,” said MCK chief Amy Beauvais.

The app will be used by all MCK departments to deliver updates, job opportunities, and other information pertinent to band members, but it will not replace existing forms of communication, Beauvais said.

“A large majority of our members have smartphones, but that isn’t to say we’re going to obliterate the other forms of communication,” she said.

“We’re not trying to get rid of anything. We’re just trying to add and improve.”

Beauvais presented the option to other Council chiefs after she was approached with the concept by technology company Communikit, which specializes in creating app solutions for First Nations.

“I would say I was ecstatic when I found out,” said Beauvais, who has been looking for ways to boost Council's outreach following her experience at the Indigenous-led First Nations Executive Education (FNEE) program at HEC Montreal.

At the school, she worked on a project that envisioned a communications department at the MCK. It’s something she’s now working to put into action, she said, alongside the MCK’s new administrative consultant.

Improving communications is a priority, she said, because community members have often complained they don’t know what Council is doing.

Communikit’s technology is already being used by other First Nations, including Six Nations of the Grand River, which issues announcements and other information on the app. The suite of features even allows for forms to be filled out, although Six Nations doesn’t currently have any available.

“I think to have a one-stop shop is great,” said Six Nations of the Grand River public relations coordinator Darryl Smart.

“There are so many different platforms out there and so many ways to get the message out. If you can spread that message to as many people as possible, I think that’s the big one.”

He said in his community, too, paper is not going anywhere. He remembers the department pounding the pavement this summer to deliver parking information ahead of homegrown Kanien’kehá:ka National Hockey League star Brandon Montour coming to town with the Stanley Cup.

“Physical information will never go away because if you’re in communications, you also have to realize it’s nice to have the tools, but you also have to realize not everyone has these tools,” Smart said.

Even social media cannot reach everyone, he noted, especially with the fragmentation of platforms.

The communications app is not the only new technology coming soon to Kanesatake, with MCK chief Brant Etienne revealing to The Pines Reporter earlier this year that Council has contracted the services of OneFeather to provide an online voting option in the next MCK election. 

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