April 2010

Chuck Strahl, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians, today announced the Government of Canada will provide $3 million to the University of Regina for expenses related to programming for students attending the First Nations University of Canada.
This funding is conditional upon provincial funding as outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding of March 23, 2010 between the First Nations University of Canada, the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations, the University of Regina, and the Province of Saskatchewan.

Posted at 02:21 PM | Permalink

A Charlottetown-based group, Aboriginal Survivors for Healing is able to resume its work this week one month after it was forced to suspend its operations due to a government funding cut. The program has now secured new funding through Health Canada. The group holds programs such as talking circles as well as individual counselling to assist people impacted by decades of residential schooling.

Posted at 07:15 AM | Permalink

Canada's largest Aboriginal HR and employment event is taking place from April 27-29 at the Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto, Ontario. Keynote speakers include, The Right Honourable Paul Martin, National Chielf Shawn Atleo, Sir Ken Robinson, Lisa Meeches and many other national Canadian thought leaders.

Posted at 10:09 AM | Permalink

In a petition being circulated in the Mohawk community on Montreal's South Shore, the Mohawk women are demanding that the local band council "refrain from any further action" regarding the controversial evictions.The women are a collection of strong-willed community members, including elders, who have stood up for equality issues in the past.

Some of the women are among those who in the 1980s were the first to fight against the Indian Act for stripping Aboriginal women - but not Aboriginal men - of their Aboriginal status when they married a non-Aboriginal.

Posted at 06:44 AM | Permalink

The defunct Aboriginal Graduates Students' Association is being reconstructed as the Indigenous Graduate Students' Council (IGSC) thanks to the hard work of Omeasoo Butt, a graduate student at the University of Saskatchewan. The name has been changed from Aboriginal to Indigenous to be more inclusive. Butt hopes the council will be a lobbying voice, represent the Indigenous voice on campus and offer peer support to Indigenous graduate students.

Posted at 03:35 PM | Permalink

The Sisters in Spirit initiative helps investigate the relatively high number of missing Aboriginal women in Canada. The project was started in 2005 with $5 million in funding from the government agency, Status of Women Canada. Another $10 million was promised towards the project in last year's federal budget, but the money has yet to be allocated.

Posted at 07:24 AM | Permalink

Legislation was introduced last week in the Manitoba Legislature by the Minister of Aboriginal and Northern Affairs that will recognize Cree, Dakota, Inuktitut, Michif Ojibway and Oji-Cree as the aboriginal languages of Manitoba.

Posted at 02:14 PM | Permalink

The Awâsis 2010 Aboriginal Education Conference will be held on April 28, 29 & 30 at the Saskatoon Inn, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Don Burnstick and Dr. Rita Bouvier will be the presenters. The aim of the conference is to improve Aboriginal knowledge and spirituality for all people.

Posted at 07:52 AM | Permalink

The Saskatchewan Aboriginal Literacy Network Inc. presents, "Saskatchewan Aboriginal Literacy Gathering Literacy: An Aboriginal Cultural Tradition" on May 25-27 at the Manitou Beach Resort & Mineral Spa, located near Watrous, Saskatchewan.

Posted at 11:24 AM | Permalink

The 7th Annual Aboriginal Gathering on Diabetes will take place on Thursday May 6, 2010 at Prince Albert, SK. Guest Speaker will be Senator Lillian Dyck, who will speak on health issues that affect the Aboriginal people of Saskatchewan.

Posted at 11:18 AM | Permalink

The Honourable Chuck Strahl, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians, announced support on Wednesday April 21 for a new program aimed at increasing the participation of Saskatchewan Métis businesses in the resource and energy sectors.
The government's contribution of $5 million to the Clarence Campeau Development Fund (CCDF), who in turn added $1 million from their own capital to establish the new Métis Energy and Resource Program.

Posted at 02:17 PM | Permalink

Due to loss of federal government annual funding the First Nations University of Canada may be forced to close at the end of the school year in August 2010. Over 2,000 concerned people have signed an open letter to Prime Minister Harper requesting full funding be reinstated. Opposition leaders and their parties also support the restoration of federal funding.

Posted at 12:49 PM | Permalink

Digging Roots, a Barrie, Ontario based band, comprised of Raven Kanatakta and his wife, ShoShona Kish, won Best Aboriginal Album for "We Are". The band was up against Digawolf, Inez, Lucie Idlout and Wayne Lavallee. The Digging Roots band played at the Vancouver Winter Olympics and is now preparing to go on tour in support of the album, including stops in the United States, Mexico, Australia and Canada.

Posted at 06:57 AM | Permalink

Adrian Stimson debuted his first solo exhibition, Beyond Redemption, at the Mendel Art Gallery in Saskatoon on the weekend of April 16th, 2010. The mixed media exhibition showcases a large stuffed bison surrounded by 10 buffalo-robed forms as well as paintings and a video mounted on the gallery's walls. Stimson notes that the bison provided his ancestors with food, clothing and other necessities and now is providing him with the same, although in a different way.

Posted at 02:00 PM | Permalink

An economic impact study released yesterday states that First Nations in Ontario will be, "significantly and negatively impacted by the implementation of the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) on July 1, 2010." Angus Toulouse, an Ontario Regional Chief, says the governments of Canada and Ontario both failed to consult Ontario First Nations prior to the decision to implement the harmonized tax. The report was commissioned by the Chiefs of Ontario and prepared by Dr. Fred Lazar of the Schulich School of Business at York University.

Posted at 08:45 AM | Permalink

First Alliance Construction Solutions plans to train and employ hundreds of aboriginal youth from around Saskatchewan once it is able to secure a contract for a potash mine expansion project. A potash contract is desirable because of the number of high-budget expansions which are taking place in the province. Pat McEvoy, First Alliance's general manager, is anxious to begin the training process and to arm more First Nations young people with skilled trades, that will provide employment for them now and in the future.

Posted at 06:27 PM | Permalink

Murray Westerlund returned to his old post as chief financial officer at First Nations University of Canada after being fired in December 2009 for questioning operations of the institution. Westerlund, along with his co-workers, is committed to getting the university growing and to stabilize federal funding for the university, even with the uncertain future surrounding it.

Posted at 06:21 PM | Permalink

Westcap Mgt. Ltd. has received $3.7 million in funding from the federal government to enhance First Nation and Métis business opportunities in Saskatchewan. The initiative will allow eight more First Nation and Métis communities to participate in Westcap's Business Ready Investment Development Gateway (BRIDG) initiative, a three-year program designed to help aboriginal communities in Saskatchewan become "business-ready."

Posted at 12:16 PM | Permalink

On April 8 Kerri Canepotatoe walked 60 kilometres through Northern Saskatchewan bush in an effort to get assistance for their stuck vehicle before collapsing and perishing. Three calls placed to a 911 operator led one of the occupants of the vehicle, Melissa Rabbitskin to believe a tow-truck was on its way. A government-appointed investigator will be attempting to determine how a single botched 911 call led to a woman's death.

Posted at 07:45 AM | Permalink

The newly renovated main building at Wanuskewin Heritage Park, near Saskatoon, was metres away from being consumed by flames Monday, April 19th, 2010. Rural crews helped City of Saskatoon firefighters fight the four-kilometre-long wildfire. A number of teepee structures were consumed in the fire, land was damaged but the main building was kept safe. Police diverted traffic from Wanuskewin Road and RCMP closed Highway 11 northbound for nearly an hour when flames reached the road.

Posted at 10:27 AM | Permalink

The Canada Council for the Arts has announced two newly revitalized residencies for emerging Aboriginal writers. The two-week long residency programs are led by established Aboriginal writers and are designed to refresh and refine the writing skills of the successful applicants. Applications are now being accepted for the residencies, which will take place from September 13-25, 2010 in Banff and October 11-23, 2010 in Quebec City, until May 1, 2010.
For further information about this program and to receive an application form, contact Paul Seesequasis at the Canada Council at 1-800-263-5588, ext. 5266 or by email.

Posted at 10:18 AM | Permalink

The most recent newsletter from the B.C. Treaty Commission titled Update, was released March 2010. The newsletter attempts to be the independent voice of treaty making in British Columbia.

Posted at 08:25 AM | Permalink

About a dozen members of the Ahousaht First Nation have been told to leave the community after deciding not to seek help for their addictions. Located 45 minutes by boat from Tofino, B.C. the First Nation has about 800 members living on the reserve. The 12 were among 30 people told by the hereditary chiefs in late March that if they did not get help they would be forced to leave.

Posted at 08:07 AM | Permalink

Writing-On-Stone Provincial Park, southeast of Lethbridge, Alberta is being nominated to become Canada's next UNESCO World Heritage Site. Canada is currently home to 15 UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) sites.

Posted at 08:10 AM | Permalink

The 40th Parliament, 3rd Session Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development is now available on the Parliament of Canada website. The meeting was held Tuesday, March 23, 2010, and discusses federal funding for the First Nations University of Canada.

Posted at 01:51 PM | Permalink

Labrador's Métis Nation has changed its name to Nunatukavut to reflect its members Inuit heritage, the group's head says. The name Nunatukavut means "our ancient land." The name northern Labrador's Inuit group adopted for the territory it controls is Nunatsiavut, which means 'our beautiful land.'

Posted at 09:57 AM | Permalink

The locally-produced movie, Run, opened April 14th, 2010 at the Roxy Theatre in Saskatoon and runs until Saturday April 17th. Run premiered at the Aboriginal Film Festival in Winnipeg and won a best new talent award for actor Joseph Naytowhow. The principal actors, Ariel Yurach and Joseph Naytowhow, will be at each screening and will be available for a question and answer period. Andrea Menard will be a special guest at the viewing Friday night.

Posted at 10:13 AM | Permalink

Band members from the Wahpeton Dakota Nation helped Chief Leo J. Omani open his PhD defence by beginning with a prayer and an honour song performed by drummers. The chief successfully defended his thesis, Perspectives of Saskatchewan Dakota/Lakota Elders on the Treaty Process within Canada, and the afternoon was closed also with an honour song and prayer as per Dakota tradition.

Posted at 10:00 AM | Permalink

British Columbia's first aboriginal lieutenant governor, Steven Point, recently launched a canoe from the very spot from which he had found the log, which was used to carve the canoe, about a year earlier. With the help of First Nations master carver Chief Tony Hunt, he carved the canoe from the log, doing so in an old garage behind Government House in Victoria.

Posted at 07:53 AM | Permalink

Treena Swantson, a PhD student in archaeology at the University of Saskatchewan, has been granted permission by the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations to study the DNA of human remains found in a British Columbia glacier. Swantson is combining both her microbiological and archaeological knowledge to study how ancient microbial DNA can be applied to modern health research.

Posted at 02:32 AM | Permalink

The First Nations University of Canada celebrated with its annual pow-wow at Regina's Brandt Centre during the last weekend of March 2010 despite the precarious future facing the university. A member of the FNUC's student council, Steven Swan, manned an information booth at the celebration, enjoying a respite from the pressure of worrying about the future of his education.

Posted at 12:20 PM | Permalink

British Columbia First Nations leaders have intervened and given a beached grey whale a traditional aboriginal funeral last Saturday on Vancouver Island. After a meeting with officials from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, the whale was towed four kilometres to the Beecher Bay First Nation and given a traditional burial.

Posted at 07:38 AM | Permalink

If I Can Read, I Can Do Anything, a U.S. National reading club for Native American children and young adults, introduces Operation Teen Book Drop 2010. Thousands of new books will be delivered to teens on reservation schools on April 15, 2010. The goals of this program include encouraging youth to read for pleasure, to promote library use and to help improve library collections.

Posted at 11:36 AM | Permalink

The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) is fighting for reinstatement of funds for the Aboriginal Healing Foundation, an organization that provides counselling and other services to survivors of residential schools and their families. Funding for the foundation ran out as of March 31st of this year. The AHF was established in 1998 with a $350- million grant that provides money to over 130 groups and initiatives across the country. It is now asking the federal government for $125 million over the next three years to keep the foundation alive.

For more information about funding for the AFN click here.

Posted at 09:47 AM | Permalink

Doug Cuthand, of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, discusses the economic and cultural benefits derived by the host, which this year was Saskatoon, welcoming 3,500 registered participants. He also mentions some of the notable alumni of the Saskatchewan First Nations Games who have gone on to greater success in athletics and politics.

Posted at 07:26 AM | Permalink

The Saskatchewan Ministry of Health and the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan are developing this program with the assistance of $300,000 in funding from Health Canada's Aboriginal Health Transition Fund (AHTF). The project will locate three health promotion co-ordinators in Cumberland House, Ile-a-la-Crosse and Buffalo Narrows to adapt provincial health youth suicide prevention services.

Posted at 08:22 AM | Permalink

The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives has just released a ground-breaking report titled "The Income Gap Between Aboriginal Peoples and the Rest of Canada". The report was authored by Daniel Wilson and David Macdonald, who used Statistics Canada data to form the basis of the report. The income gap was measured by examining data from Canada census records for 1996, 2001 and 2006. The study reveals that income inequality exists no matter where Aboriginal peoples live in Canada . Data also reveals that Aboriginal women are finishing secondary school and obtaining University degrees at a higher rate than Aboriginal men, with Aboriginal women who earn at least a Bachelor's degree being the only segment to exceed the median incomes of their non-Aboriginal counterparts.

Posted at 10:58 AM | Permalink

Dr. Mark Totten, a sociologist and an expert on Canadian street gangs, says that longer jail sentences will not curb gangs, which he feels are a result of "intense poverty in some First Nations communities". "We just can't imprison our way out of this. The answer is not building more jail cells."

Posted at 08:25 AM | Permalink

The Métis Cultural Development Fund (MCDF) Program seeks to fund activities that preserve, strengthen and transmit Métis culture and traditions in Saskatchewan. The activities should encourage gathering, sharing, learning, celebrating and developing Métis culture in Métis communities.

If you have any questions regarding the Métis Cultural Development Fund, call Damon Badger-Heit at (306)780-9251 or SaskCulture's toll free at 1-866-476-6830.

Due to May 15, 2010 being a Saturday, the deadline has been moved to May 17, 2010

Posted at 08:46 AM | Permalink

The Urban Aboriginal Peoples Study found that urban Aboriginals are striving to make a significant difference in their communities, but many First Nations people feel that negative preconceptions persist around the issues of addiction and poverty. The study was put out by the Environics Institute, which is dedicated to the study and execution of opinion research on issues of public importance. The goal of the Environics Institute is to inform and stimulate thoughtful dialogue among Canadians, and the Urban Aboriginal Peoples Study report does just that.

Posted at 12:16 PM | Permalink

The Urban Aboriginal Peoples Survey reports that most Aboriginal people are proud of their heritage, consider the city they live in to be their home and are not worried about losing their cultural identity. The survey also reported Aboriginal people as having similar aspirations to all other Canadians, including a good life, getting an education, landing a good job, buying a home and raising happy, healthy kids.

Posted at 11:30 AM | Permalink

On Monday March 29, 2010 Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz presented the rare, six month old white calf and her brown brother to the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation west of Winnipeg. Free-ranging bison herds were long ago wiped out when First Nations people were colonized and lost their lands and traditional way of life. The symbolism of the return of the white bison moved many people in the crowd.

Posted at 07:09 AM | Permalink

Drew Hayden Taylor will be at Prairie Ink Restaurant at McNally Robinson in Saskatoon on Wednesday April 7th, 2010 at 7:30pm. The author will be giving a reading and signing of his novel, Motorcycles & Sweetgrass.

Posted at 11:16 AM | Permalink

The University of Regina is hosting, "National Aboriginal Leadership Seminar: Leading Change" on April 27, 2010 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm at the University Theatre in the Dr. William Riddell Centre. The keynote presenter will be Ovide Mercredi, a former Grand Chief of the Assembly of First Nations.

Posted at 09:01 AM | Permalink

On Tuesday, Saskatchewan NDP MLA, Warren McCall, criticized the governing Saskatchewan Party's decision to eliminate the Aboriginal Employment Development Program. McCall said that since 1995 it had seen nearly 5,000 First Nations and Métis people hired directly and another 2,000 receiving work-based training.
Responding for the Government, First Nations and Métis Relations Minister, Bill Hutchinson said the program was, "old and tired." He also said First Nations leaders told him the program was out of date but he did not identify who the leaders were.

Posted at 10:27 AM | Permalink

An open letter to Stephen Harper regarding funding for Canada's only First Nations University is currently circulating. If you wish to sign the letter, please click here.

Posted at 09:39 AM | Permalink

The Conservatives introduced Bill C-3 on March 11 to apparently "fix" the sex discrimination in the status registration provisions of the Indian Act. The bill was introduced in response to a B.C. Court of Appeal decision, in November 2009, which held that the status provisions of the Indian Act violate the eqality guarantees of the Charter. The authors, one who is Chair of the Human Rights Committee, Canadian Feminist Alliance for International Action and the other, a polictical science professor at the University of Regina, state that, if Bill C-3 is passed Canada will still continue to discriminate against aboriginal women in the legislation.

Posted at 09:21 AM | Permalink

The Government of Saskatchewan has established an independent panel to review Saskatchewan's child welfare system. From April 1 to June 30, 2010, First Nations and Métis organizations, and other child welfare stakeholders from across Saskatchewan, will engage with the review panel in one of three ways: consultation meetings, written submissions, or on-line consultation. The independent panel was appointed on January 26, 2010, and consists of Chair Bob Pringle of Saskatoon, Howard Cameron of the Beardy's and Okemasis First Nation, April Durocher of Saskatoon (originally from Île-à-la-Crosse) and Carol Skelton of Harris.

Posted at 11:17 AM | Permalink

Chief Clarence Stone, of the Mosquito First Nation, has been charged with theft over $5,000 and fraud over $5,000 in relation to Treaty Land Entitlement (TLE) trust funds. Four other elected officials have been charged as well. The Mosquito First Nation was required to purchase at least 20,096 acres to add to its reserve but the Government of Saskatchewan web page shows it has not met that requirement.

Posted at 10:54 AM | Permalink

A presentation on Ostensible Benefits, Aboriginal People and Olympic Games: A Problematic Pairing for 2010 and Beyond will be held on Tuesday, April 6, 2010, 10:30-12:00 at both the University of Saskatchewan and University of Regina campuses. Janice Forsyth, Assistant Professor and Director of the International Centre for Olympic Studies at the University of Western Ontario, will be the presenter. The presentation will include discussion on Agenda 21, Sport for Sustainable Development, with the Vancouver 2010 Olympics serving as the primary example.

Saskatoon Video-Conference Location: Theatre (101 Diefenbaker Place), Diefenbaker Building, University of Saskatchewan Campus

Regina Location: JS Window Room, 2nd Floor, Gallery Building, University of Regina, College Ave.

Free admission with pre-registration is encouraged.

Posted at 01:56 AM | Permalink