Alberta Sweetgrass

Athabasca Chipewyan Chief Allan Adam is confident Treaty 8 members will stand behind any legal action launched by a First Nations member and is just as confident that legal action will be required in order for the Alberta government to take recommendations by the First Nations seriously when it comes to drafting the Lower Athabasca Regional Plan.

“If it continues to go this direction,…

Cut Rock Walk raises funds for, awareness of cancer

The third annual Cut Rock Walk to raise money for the Alberta Cancer Foundation and to raise the awareness of the prevalence of the disease in Fort Chipewyan took place July 7-8. The walk, organized by Darlene Cardinal, had close to 200 signed up just prior to the event. In the previous two years, walkers have raised $…

Homeless Connect provides much needed services

Homeless Connect Edmonton held its sixth event in mid-May at the Shaw Conference Centre downtown. Upward of 400 volunteers provided more than 50 services to more than 1,400 people. Services ranged from career counseling to haircuts to foot care. A hot meal was also served. Homeless Connect provided clothing items such as…

2011 Aboriginal Graduation Banquet & Powwow

The University of Calgary’s 20th annual Aboriginal Graduation Banquet and Powwow, “Circle of Inspiration and Achievement,” was held on June 11 at the Red and White Club.  Eight hundred people gathered to celebrate the graduation of 77 Aboriginal students. The graduation ceremony also included a PhD in Education, Morris…

A University of Calgary researcher is drawing connections between the Little Red River Cree Nation and the Achuar people of Ecuador.

David Lertzman is an assistant professor in environmental management and sustainable development at the Haskayne School of Business.

After a trip to Ecuador, Lertzman started seeing parallels between northern and southern Indigenous communities.…

Clients of Calgary’s Mustard Seed social agency have benefitted from a program that sees University of Alberta’s occupational therapy students prepare them for independent and responsible living.

Two students worked with clients for six weeks, assessing them while they were doing everyday duties, such as preparing lunch, handling their finances, or shopping for groceries, and then…

Corey Wells has reason to be surprised by her recent win at the 16 annual Esquao awards: the awards were created by the Institute of the Advancement of Aboriginal Women and she works for IAAW.

“It is very overwhelming, humbling, that other people think highly of you and the things you have done,” said Wells, who was among 20 Aboriginal women honoured for achievements in their…

Edmonton’s Chamber of Commerce is trying to address a labour shortage by creating a more diverse workforce.
“Diversity on the worksite lends itself to increased productivity. That has been demonstrated to be a fact,” said Dennis Gane, manager of business development with the chamber.  “A diverse workforce brings new ideas and understanding.”

The plan stems from the chamber’s top…

Accolades keep pouring in for Jeff Shattler.

Yet the 26-year-old Ojibwe, who stars in the National Lacrosse League with the Calgary Roughnecks, is not entirely satisfied with his latest feat.

Shattler was a member of the Iroquois Nationals squad that won the silver medal at the world indoor (box) lacrosse tournament, which concluded on May 28 in Prague, the capital of the Czech…

From ancient teachings to contemporary modes, story in a variety of artistic expressions was the theme of the second annual New Sun Gathering on May 26, at Blue Quills First Nations College.

“Story is dance, image, word, voice,” said Sherri Chisan, coordinator of the Indigenous Artists Program. Ancient stories inscribed on the landscape, fables told in the oral tradition, story…

Thousands of people will gather on the shores of Lac Ste. Anne this July, continuing a tradition that dates back over 120 years. The annual Lac Ste. Anne Pilgrimage is the largest of its kind in Western Canada.

Father Jacques Johnson has been involved with the pilgrimage to Lac Ste. Anne for over 20 years. Many who visit the lake experience miracles and leave behind baggage that slow…

Of the roughly 9,000 children in foster care in Alberta, 70 per cent are Aboriginal. As a former foster child, Bernadette Iahtail knows firsthand about the negative impacts that can result when Aboriginal children are placed in foster care. Now as the co-founder and executive director of the Creating Hope Society, she is focused on finding solutions.

Formed in 2005, the Creating Hope…

Organizers are hoping to attract as many as 2,000 athletes for the inaugural Alberta Indigenous Games this summer.

But unless registrations come flooding in soon, the games, scheduled for July 17-22 at three locations in the province, could be considerably smaller.

These games were created primarily to fill a void for those Alberta athletes who would have been eligible to compete…

Knowing that others see your commitment and are aware of your achievements is a heady feeling. And a recognition that Curtis Therrien wasn’t expecting to get.
“I was thrilled with the award. It was nice to be nominated, but I didn’t expect to win one of the larger awards,” said Therrien.

Therrien was the recipient of the Entrepreneurial Leadership Award handed out by the Métis…

Entrepreneurs within the Siksika First Nation are taking giant ‘business’ steps to reach high hopes and big dreams.

The southern community is experiencing an increasing rate of small business owners who wish to manage their own businesses that will guarantee a steady income for the future.

Ariel Waterchief is one of the 10 students who graduated in April from an intense two-month…