Welcome to AMMSA.COM, the news archive website for our family of Indigenous news publications.
Launched in 2002. A publication specifically designed to serve the Indigenous people of Ontario.
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Most artists live well below the poverty line. They create art in a market economy that does not compensate them fairly for the work they produce.
According to a Statistics Canada special report from the late 1990s (the last time the arts sector was surveyed), the median annual income for writers was $7,500, and for painters and sculptors just $4,000.
Despite the…
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Many Aboriginal organizations, including the Assembly of First Nations, are crying foul after former British Columbia Judge David Ramsay was sentenced to seven years in prison (a term they think is far too short) for what they say are race-based crimes.
Ramsay was convicted on one count of sexual assault causing bodily harm, one count of breach of trust and three counts of…
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A poll commissioned last summer by several federal government departments that asked grassroots on-reserve First Nation people what they thought about the First Nations governance act produced results that might surprise you.
The poll showed that more than half of the grassroots people wanted the legislation. Even more provocative, the poll showed that opposition to the…
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John Kim Bell, the founder of the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation, has taken yet another step away from the organization he has led for the past decade.
Former chairman of the board Bill Shead made the announcement in a letter to stakeholders on June 11. The letter states that effect May 31, Bell retired as president.
This announcement comes on the heels…
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The Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) came within days of disappearing from Canadian airwaves forever. A cash flow crunch put it dangerously in arrears with the company that transmits its signal.
"We were within 10 days of having the plug pulled. We would have been off air," said Jean LaRose, the network's chief executive officer (CEO), reached by phone while…
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Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is not a topic a lot of people want to talk about, SAID Mary MacCormick who heads up a unique public education program aimed at preventing the tragedy. She has just finished training 10 facilitators at the Niagara Regional Native Centre to help spread the word about preventing SIDS.
When a baby dies, sometimes parents blame themselves…
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North Shore Public School in Keene held its tenth annual year-end powwow on June 11 for students, parents and community members.
According to Ojibway language teacher Elizabeth Osawamick, the language program has been offered at North Shore for about 15 years, but previous instructors did not include cultural events.
When Osawamick began teaching 10 years ago, she…
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Visitors to Manitoulin Island this summer are promised the best meteor shower of 2004. Organizers of the 7th annual Great Manitou Star Party anticipate a dazzling spectacle of shooting stars over the North Channel the nights of Aug. 12 and 13.
Stargazers are invited to join in the "fun, friendship and fabulous observing" at Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nation, just 10 minutes…
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Neekawnisidok, an exhibition of fine arts, had its official opening on June 14 in the rotunda at Toronto City Hall. The opening kicked off a week of events marking the ninth anniversary of National Aboriginal Day.
Neekawnisidok, which means "all our relations" in Ojibway, featured work by 14 artists, including Michael Barber, Patrick Doherty, Lorraine Hughes, Gordon Miller…
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A long list of new (or newly revived) initiatives that the Assembly of First Nations hopes to undertake over the coming months will cost a fist-full of money, some say upwards of $20 million.
Inquiries have shown that budgets for few of the initiatives have been finalized, but there is talk that the money flowing through AFN will again swell to the amount not seen since…
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"When you give a little, you get something back." That's the guiding principle of Randy Trudeau's life.
The Wikwemikong artist believes that successful artists should give back to their community. With this in mind, Trudeau has donated one of his paintings to the newly renovated Wikwemikong public library. The oval-shaped painting is in the form of a shield depicting the…
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Delegates to the second annual Aboriginal Women in Business Conference showed they are as interested in community building as they are in building successful businesses.
"Have the zeal of a missionary," said speaker Vicki Antone, who talked about her community development experience. "It's love that keeps us going. I love my community and I love to help other people."…
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Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is not a topic a lot of people want to talk about, SAID Mary MacCormick who heads up a unique public education program aimed at preventing the tragedy. She has just finished training 10 facilitators at the Niagara Regional Native Centre to help spread the word about preventing SIDS.
When a baby dies, sometimes parents blame themselves…
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Laurentian University awarded an honourary Doctor of Letters degree to playwright Tomson Highway on June 4. Highway had already obtained bachelor degrees in music and English at the University of Western Ontario and formerly was employed in social work.
In recent years, Highway has attracted wide acclaim for his work in theatre and for his plays and books. He lives part of…
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Lisa Eagles says everyone is welcome at their traditional powwow and all nations gathering, celebrating its 10th annual run this summer, but a lot of people still don't know about it.
The powwow will be held Aug. 6 to 8 at Whitefish Lake, on Centennial Ridges Road near the east gate of Algonquin Park.
"We're about 2.8 kilometres in that road," said Eagles, "and…