Welcome to AMMSA.COM, the news archive website for our family of Indigenous news publications.
Launched in 1997. A news publication specifically designed for the Indigenous people of British Columbia and Yukon.
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On Oct. 4, Robert Nault, minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, and Geoff Plant, attorney general and minister responsible for treaty negotiations of British Columbia, announced joint funding of more than $1 million for the Ktunaxa Kinbasket Tribal Council's (KKTC) forestry and coal bed methane economic development projects. The announcement was made at the Delta St…
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The Lillooet River's waters have receded, but Mount Currie Indian Band located north of Pemberton has been left struggling to cope after a week-long flood destroyed land, livestock and many homes on the reserve.
Now, more than 300 evacuated residents of the First Nation urgently need repairs to their homes before winter sets in.
In addition, band members lost the…
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At the Prince George Civic Centre on Oct. 7 and 8, more than 200 health professionals and volunteers from northern British Columbia gathered to learn about palliative care. The conference sponsored by Northern Health touched on such topics as Building Teams to Support Palliative Caregivers; How to best Deal With Death and Dying in Hospitals; and Better Communication Among Teams…
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Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is a liver disease affecting eight times as many First Nations People in British Columbia as non-First Nations people.
PBC is a rare autoimmune disease that is believed to be caused by both genetic and environmental factors. Ninety per cent of diagnosed cases are middle-aged women, although it can also affect men. In British Columbia,…
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Dear Editor:
As a Two-Spirited Catholic I feel extreme embarrassment and disappointment over the recent decision by the Vancouver archdiocese to ban VanCity from its schools because of their open support of the queer community. Obviously Archbishop Exner is quick to point out the "intrinsic evil" of the homosexual act while omitting the greatest Christian teaching, love…
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Duane Ghastant' Aucoin says he is changing the way society regards two-spirited people, one person at a time.
But if his multimedia film debut, Kichx Anagaat Yatx'i: Children of the Rainbow, is any indication, things are going much better than he thinks.
Children of the Rainbow received four standing ovations and the much-coveted Audience Favourite Award when it…
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On Oct. 27 and 28, a training seminar called the First Nations Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) for First Nations and Aboriginal Communities will be held at the Hampton Inn in Vancouver. The two-day course will cover First Nations Emergency Services, Defining Stress Terms, Psychological Response to Stress and Group Debriefing/Diffusing.
The program is open to…
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Two young Aboriginal women entered a provincial jail some years ago. Both were to serve sentences of less than two years. But as with many young Native women, they carried a great deal of anger with them and were far from being model prisoners. The punishment for their anger was additional years added to their sentences in maximum security.
When they formed a close…
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The Federation of Aboriginal Foster Parents (FAFP) celebrated its seventh annual general meeting in new offices on Sept. 20. Business of the day was signing deals to work with other organizations, electing a new board of directors and honouring foster parents.
The backdrop to the meeting was a provincial government social service system in the midst of a massive three-year…
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On Sept. 21, the 18th annual Vancouver AIDS Walk celebrated another record-breaking year. Following the Stanley Park walk, throngs of participants relaxed in the September sunshine enjoying a free concert by local legend, Nearly Neil. The awareness table belonging to Healing Our Spirit, the B.C. Aboriginal AIDS/HIV Society, nestled close to the stage, giving Society workers a…
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Building environmentally sensitive, affordable housing was emphasized at a housing symposium and trade show held at Harrison Hot Springs Resort and Spa at Harrison Hot Springs from Sept. 15 to 18.
The theme of the symposium was "Housing Ourselves," and it encompassed designing, building, renovating and managing housing.
Delegates got the chance to tour the Seabird…
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A ceremony at Bella Bella Sept. 28 marked a major co-management agreement between the Heiltsuk First Nation and the government of British Columbia.
The agreement, covering the 122,998 hectare Hakai Luxvbalis Conservancy Area, is the first of its kind on the Central Coast.
The Heiltsuk people were represented by Chief Ross Wilson and Hereditary Chief Harvey Humchitt…
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Aboriginal people with disabilities now have a single source for referrals to health services, medical equipment, employment and other information relating to disabilities and health.
The B.C. Aboriginal Network on Disability Society (BCANDS) recently received a contract to institute a pilot project that sets up a 1-800 telephone line for advocacy and referral purposes.…
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VANCOUVER-The University of British Columbia's department of continuing studies has teamed up with the Institute for Aboriginal Health to offer a 10-month program to train Aboriginal health care administrators.
The program is the only one in British Columbia targeted specifically to Aboriginal people. It is designed to meet a demand for trained administrators that results…
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VANCOUVER-Two organizations representing 23 First Nations of the north and central coast and Haida Gwaii issued a statement Sept. 25 in which they claim they have been unilaterally shut out of participating in the federal review of a moratorium on offshore oil and gas development.
Signatories to the statement were the Coastal First Nations of the Turning Point Initiative…