Sweetgrass and CFWE news - April 7, 2016

Bones found in Innisfail area

April 7, 2016. The Calgary Medical Examiner’s Office in consultation with the forensic pathologist will examine bones discovered in a wooded area near Innisfail. Innisfail RCMP were contacted Tuesday evening after the bones were located near the QEII. The RCMP, with the assistance of the forensic identification section and a ground search team, spent most of Wednesday searching the area to ensure all the bones had been recovered. The RCMP cannot confirmed the nature of the found bones. The medical examination will take place Thursday.

Notley to deliver televised message

April 7, 2016. In an address Thursday, Premier Rachel Notley will outline the government’s plan to create jobs and help families through the economic difficulties created by falling oil prices. The 15-minute televised message will be broadcast during primetime news on both Global and CTV at 6:45 p.m. It is estimated it will reach more than 300,000 Albertans. The total cost for production and air time is $90,000. The provincial budget will be delivered on April 14 by Finance Minister Joe Ceci.

Governance structure of MNA under review

April 7, 2016. The Metis Nation of Alberta has announced that it is currently reviewing its governance structure. Shalene Jobin and Kirsten Lindquist from the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta will look at how the MNA makes decisions and how the organization negotiates with its partners in advocating for Métis rights. As part of this governance review, community focus group consultations will be held in April in each of the six regions: Peace River, Lac La Biche, Slave Lake, Bonnyville, Edmonton, and Calgary. Meetings have been scheduled for April 13 in Calgary and April 20 in Slave Lake. Other dates are still being finalized.

Alberta Street News could fold

April 6, 2016. Alberta Street News has lost its prime source of funding. Martyshuk Housing, which had a 10-month stint beginning in 2014 as publisher of the paper, had committed to a full page advertisement at the back of the publication that covered printing costs. Now, unless Alberta Street News can find $500 to $700 to cover printing, it will stop publishing, said founder, publisher and managing editor Linda Dumont, who resumed her duties last year. The paper is sold on the streets by the homeless, hard-to-employ, the unemployed, or those living on fixed incomes in Edmonton and Calgary. However, the money collected from vendors, who purchase the papers, barely pays for other expenses, said Dumont. The publication has been operating since 2003 in various forms and under various names.