Saskatchewan Sage

Inez J. Cardinal, Q.C. has been appointed a judge of the Provincial Court in Melfort. Cardinal will work temporarily in Meadow Lake until November 2012 and will then be based permanently in Melfort.
She will replace Judge Lorna Dyck. Cardinal received her diploma in Renewable Resources Technology in 1981 from the Kelsey Institute of Applied Arts and Sciences and her Bachelor of Laws in…

Elder Betty McKenna, from the Anishnabae Nation, Shoal River Band, is the recipient of the 2012 Saskatchewan Health Excellence Award in the “Health of a Population” category. She was nominated by Indigenous Peoples’ Health Research Centre researchers Dr. Carrie Bourassa and Dr. Mary Hampton for her involvement in numerous health projects and her commitment to promoting health, wellness and…

Low membership numbers and no on-reserve businesses have made it possible for the Nekaneet First Nation to collect GST on business conducted on its land.

In the next month, chief and council will pass the necessary bylaw and by July or August, GST remitted to Ottawa will be back in the hands of the First Nation.
“It’s more income for the band … and it will allow us to reinvest in…

It all begins with “one good idea.”

CBC Saskatchewan producer Merelda Fiddler is referring to the Boom Box, but she could just as easily be talking about the three winning entries for CBC’s inaugural competition for Aboriginal entrepreneurs.

“Everything starts with one good idea and it’s what you do with that idea that affects change,” said Fiddler.
Fiddler had been working…

Two Saskatchewan high school students are feeling a little less pressure and a lot more excitement about starting university in the Fall, now that they won one of the most prestigious scholarships in Canada.
Tara Desroches, a 17-year-old Métis student from Saskatoon, is thrilled about not having to rely on a student loan after she found out she was a recipient of the Provincial Excellence…

The polished statues and updated resumes obviously mean a great deal to the recipients of Canada's National Aboriginal Achievement Awards.
But when an actor, hockey star, doctor or entrepreneur is acknowledged by the Aboriginal community, it's the young people witnessing the possibilities before them who remain the most important beneficiaries.
To some spectators, it might be just…

The grim reality is that some Regina neighbourhoods have more than one similarity to the gang-infested areas of Los Angeles. This is clear to organizers and participants in a new program geared towards helping young people overcome the challenges of living in Regina's inner-city.
The discovery that a teenager can reap unique personal rewards by purging their fears and explaining…

Kristie McNab-Machiskinic someday hopes to leave her home province so that she can further her athletic career after high school. The multi-talented athlete has her sights set on landing an athletic scholarship to play softball at an American university.
McNab-Machiskinic, who is Cree from Gordon's First Nation, has already made the choice to leave her home community to pursue athletics.…

Chief Rick Gamble of the Beardy's and Okemasis First Nation wants to make sure First Nations aren't left out of the picture if nuclear energy gets the green light in Saskatchewan.
"We want to take an informed approach," said Chief Gamble in an interview with Sage. "Basically, we want to make sure we know what it's all about."
Along with Chief Gamble, some council members met Bruce…

Jennifer Campeau has plenty on her plate as a single mother raising a teenage daughter while taking full-time studies in an intensive 12-month Master of Business Administration program at the University of Saskatchewan. Nowadays, she has added marathon running to her already substantial schedule.
"I'm raising money for diabetes and I'm going to be running in a marathon in Hawaii," said…

The Government of Saskatchewan says the Aboriginal Employment Partnership is not a "band-aid" approach to resolving the longstanding issue of a low Aboriginal presence in the province's workforce.
"It's a very strategic and focused approach to employment development over the long-term," said Victoria Gubbels, the Government of Saskatchewan's director of Aboriginal development branch. It's…

The Federal Government has approved an 18-month contract for all First Nations across Canada to have their water and wastewater tested. It is no secret that many First Nations have been surviving with water that is below standards for years. However, one leader of Saskatchewan First Nation is skeptical that improvements will be made.
Ochapowace First Nation band councilor Elvis Henry said…

What can Perry Bellegarde do as a national leader of Aboriginal people in Canada?
If elected as National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN), Bellegarde said he will focus on economic development, education, the environment, fiscal arrangements between the Federal Crown and First Nations, jurisdiction, and languages and culture.
But Bellegarde's biggest vision is perhaps to…

A lot has been happening at the First Nations University of Canada (FNUC) in the past few months: a $2.5 million freeze of government funding, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) agreement between the Saskatoon campus and Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST), and a controversial speech at a FNUC festival and open house in June.
The signing ceremony for a new…

The Little Pine First Nation has lost its band office and medical health centre to a fire that was set intentionally by a 15-year old youth.
On June 21, the Cut Knife RCMP responded to the fire at about 4a.m. They were unable to contain the flames. The Little Pine office building was a complete loss, along with the shed located beside the band office. Police believe the fire was started…