Saskatchewan Sage

Members of the Cote First Nation are eligible to receive $20,000 each as part of a comprehensive land claim settlement valued at $130 million. The settlement was reached between the First Nation and the federal government last fall and has been ratified by band members. The deal also includes provisions for the band to purchase 15-thousand acres of land to add to the reserve. A portion of the…

Jay Lyndon Thomas, 18, of Pelican Lake First Nation, has been charged with second degree murder in the death of Robi Davis Thomas, 23. The death was the result of an altercation on Pelican Lake First Nation at a graduation celebration. Spiritwood RCMP were called to an open field where the altercation took place. Assisting with the examination of the crime scene were members of the RCMP…

A tipi brought in from the Fort Qu’Appelle campus by a group of Adult Basic Education students was raised at the Yorkton campus recently to celebrate the diversity of the region and showcase the skills students have acquired in their time at Parkland College. The tipi was first prepared and raised by a student-led committee in Fort Qu’Appelle in September 2011. It provides a year-round sacred…

Country music legend Charlie Pride was made an honorary member of the Lac La Ronge First Nation following his concert on the First Nation at the end of May. Chief Tammy Cook-Searson said she and the band councillors were so impressed by the singer, they decided to bestow membership on him. Pride was also given a Cree name that means Big Eagle because he arrived by air. 

Saskatoon Tribal Chief Felix Thomas is the new chair of the board of directors for the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority. The appointment was effective June 6. Thomas joined the SIGA board of directors in 2008. Thomas replaces Acting Chair Chief Edward Henderson of the Montreal Lake Cree Nation who joined the board in December 2005. SIG casinos saw a 27 per cent increase in net earnings in…

Darren Okemaysim is working on setting up the Peyasiw Foundation, which will be a cancer support network that he would like to have linked to the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency. Okemaysim is in the process of drafting the objectives and the possible deliverable outcomes. He was diagnosed with cancer nine months ago and the experience pushed him to learn more about the disease. It also pushed him…

Blaine Favel was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws from the College of Education at the University of Saskatchewan at the Spring Convocation Ceremony. “We are proud of our former leader who continues to work for the betterment of First Nations people,” said interim Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations Chief Vice Chief Morley Watson in a news release. “Anytime one of our First Nation…

The graduation ceremony for 32 new graduates of the RCMP’s 2012 Aboriginal Pre-Cadet Training Program took place on June 1 at RCMP Academy (Depot) Regina. The APTP offers Canadian Aboriginals aged 19 – 29 the opportunity to experience daily police work with the RCMP. Training includes collaborative problem-solving skills, law enforcement techniques, public speaking and cultural diversity.…

A group of members of the Poundmaker Cree First Nation are considering their next steps in having their chief removed and the latest election declared invalid.

In the May 18 election, two of the three men who pleaded guilty to charges of fraud were re-elected to their current positions. Chief Duane Antoine defeated three other candidates, his closest opponent by 74 votes, while Colin…

The Beardy’s and Okemasis First Nation and the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations have filed a statement of claim accusing the provincial and federal governments of not honouring a policing agreement.
“This is an action of breach of contract,” said FSIN Vice Chief Bobby Cameron, in charge of the justice portfolio for FSIN. Cameron said all the numbered treaties in Saskatchewan…

By Dec. 1, Lac La Ronge’s Indian Child and Family Services will be assuming responsibility for welfare services for First Nation families living off-reserve in the surrounding area.

“This is probably one of the most historically significant developments in child welfare in Saskatchewan,” said Dexter Kinequon, executive director with ICFS.

Under a new agreement being negotiated,…

Chief Wallace Fox of Onion Lake Cree Nation (right) with the United Nation’s Dr. Noureddine Amir, vice chair of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, at the Treaty No. 6 Summit. Over 500 people were in attendance to take part in the historic Treaty No.6 embassy sod turning at Onion Lake.

Leslie-Ann Smith of Battleford was one of three nurses recognized with the 2012 First Nations and Inuit Health Branch National Award of Excellence in Nursing. Smith is currently employed by Health Canada’s First Nations and Inuit Health Branch as Nurse in Charge at the Spiritwood Health Centre. She has worked with First Nations communities for the majority of her nursing career since…

On May 7, Chief Wallace Fox was acclaimed chief of Onion Lake First Nation after nomination day passed and he was the only candidate for the position. “First of all, I want to thank our membership for having given me the opportunity to represent them as Chief all these years. I’m so humbled and very honoured to continue to represent Onion Lake Cree Nation. I want to work harder for them,…

Louise Halfe is among eight distinguished recipients to be awarded honorary degrees at the Wilfrid Laurier University June 20 convocation ceremonies. Halfe, also known as Sky Dancer, is an award-winning writer and poet. Raised on the Saddle Lake reserve, she earned a BA in social work from the University of Regina and a certificate in drugs and alcohol counselling from the Nechi Training,…