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Community focused with a grassroots appeal. Established in 1993 to serve the needs of the Indigenous people of Alberta.
The latest numbers indicate that more than 10,000 university and college students identify themselves as Aboriginal, a figure 70 per cent higher than it was 10 years ago. The number of Aboriginal students enrolled in Alberta’s publicly-funded post-secondary institutions has increased from 6,236 in 2005 to 10,610 in 2013, according to Alberta Innovation and Advanced Education. However, that…
A request in person by Child and Youth Advocate Del Graff in February that the government restore $275,000 to his office’s budget was turned down. The money was cut as part of efforts by the province to deal with the drop in oil prices that has left a shortfall of $7 billion in the Alberta budget. At the same meeting, the committee voted to return $546,000 to the Auditor General, who audits…
Royal Dutch Shell PLC has scrapped its plans for the Pierre River Mine project, proposed for within the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation’s protection zone north of the Firebag River. In a news release issued Feb.23, the ACFN says cancellation of the project is a “clear sign that oil sands development is no longer business as usual. Now more than ever we can see the serious economic,…
Little Buffalo school teacher Colin Mackay (left) and Kevin Lewis made sure everything was ready to go for dog sledding around Marten Lakes. High school students from Little Buffalo, Atikameg and Cadotte Lake schools stepped out of a classroom environment to experience land-based learning Feb. 17-20 at the Marten Lakes Wilderness Campus near Slave Lake. Nineteen students stayed in cabins to…
Billy Joe Laboucan, Chief of the Lubicon Lake Nation, says that even the smallest amount of revenue garnered from resources taken from his land would make a difference for his people.
“If we are able to just do two to four per cent, we would be able to pay for our own schools, pave our roads, have Elders’ facilities on our land within the communities,” said Laboucan. “We would be able…
Two of Alberta’s three opposition parties are looking for new leaders. The next leader of the decimated Wildrose will be selected by party members from across Alberta on June 6 in Calgary. “Our party is strong, united and ready to give Albertans a real, principled, grassroots and fiscally conservative option at the ballot box,” said Wildrose Party President Jeff Callaway. Wildrose leader…
A national conference to honour murdered and missing Indigenous women of Canada will take place May 25-27 at the Spirit of Our Sisters gathering to be held at the River Cree Resort and Casino on Enoch Cree Nation. “The vision behind this gathering is to bring families of victims, resource and service leaders, experts in various criminology and violence prevention fields, government departments…
Cold Lake area Chiefs and the First Nations exploration company Keyano Pimee Exploration Company Limited are in advanced negotiations with Indus Energy NL (formerly Quest Petroleum) to farm in to 82,290 acres of Cold Lake oil sands. Once the joint operations agreement is signed, Indus will begin Phase 1 of the work program which will consist of low cost re-entry of four historic wells in areas…
In an interview with Alberta Oil magazine in January, Premier Jim Prentice said one of the reasons he immediately visited the Lubicon First Nation after taking office is because “there’s much unfinished business there…. Most of the First Nations in northern Alberta secured treaty land entitlement settlements with the federal and provincial crowns through the 1980s and 1990s. The…
Outgoing Driftpile Chief Rose Laboucan was honoured in her home community in January at the second annual Coming Together round dance. A special message was read from Lesser Slave Lake MLA Pearl Calahasen, who was unable to attend the event. Calahasen thanked Laboucan for her “dedication to Aboriginal people” and held her up for her work in Aboriginal education. Laboucan was a fierce advocator…
Charges under the Tobacco Tax Act of storing tobacco products that were not marked for legal sale in Alberta and for possessing more than 1,000 cigarettes have been stayed against former Montana Cree First Nation Chief Carolyn Buffalo. The charges stem from an investigation into the seizure of 16 million contraband cigarettes in January 2011. Head of Rainbow Tobacco Robbie Dickson still faces…
Minister of Central Services and Minister Responsible for Saskatchewan Transportation Company Jennifer Campeau (Saskatoon Fairview MLA) recently returned to her alma mater. Campeau completed a bachelor’s degree in the First Nations governance program in the University of Lethbridge’s Faculty of Management. After graduating from U of L, she obtained a Masters of Business Administration degree…
Fort Edmonton Management Company has made a commitment to tell the story of Treaty 6 people accurately at Fort Edmonton Park.
“For too long the First Nations in the area had little inclusion in the park and its programs. With the Memorandum of Understanding we signed today, it is our belief that … an avenue for meaningful dialogue has been created,” said Bernice Martial, Grand Chief of…
Julia Soucie is hoping to take advantage of an Aboriginal component that will soon be added to the Alberta Recreation and Parks Association’s HIGH FIVE program.
ARPA has been running HIGH FIVE since 2007. The training program focuses on how coaches, leaders and instructors can enhance the quality of sport and recreation programs in their communities. But until now, very few of those…
Marie Smallface Marule, a prominent activist and educator, passed away on Dec. 31, 2014, at the age of 70. Born on the Blood Reserve, she lived a remarkable life, both professional and personal, and blazed a trail in the field of sovereign Indigenous education.
As a child, Marie was intelligent and gifted, and her mother had enrolled her in a Christian school in nearby Cardston, a move…