Saskatchewan Sage

The provincial government’s decision to scrap the Aboriginal Employment Development Program is coming under criticism by one of Canada’s largest unions.

Tom Graham, president of Saskatchewan CUPE, said the program, which was established more than 10 years ago, created jobs and provided training for Aboriginal people.
In that time, Graham said Aboriginal employment increased by five…

For Chelsa Reil, violence against women is more than a statistic. She has been involved in violent relationships in her past.

“Women are a part of this world too. They should be protected, not violated, not exploited,” said Reil, a young Aboriginal woman from the Nekaneet First Nation.
For the past three years, Reil has organized The Vagina Monologues, hiring all the cast and crew…

Lawrence Joseph firmly believes that for changes to come about, Aboriginal people need to get directly involved in conventional politics at all levels. The federal riding of Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River  was a prime example of just that happening.

“The quality of candidates was extremely high,” said Joseph, who carried the banner for the New Democratic Party. ”I was very pleased…

New leaders created in program that focuses on young people

Training of new leaders was the focus of the Next-Up program. This is the first time the program has run in Saskatchewan. It attracted 13 young people, who met on a weekly basis for seven months exploring a range of topics including Aboriginal-settler relations, anti-oppression training, food sovereignty,…

Money paid into a trust by the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation to help the Saskatchewan Co-operative Fisheries Ltd. gain independence will be held at least a year longer than anticipated.

SCFL, which was originally slated to pull out of the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation this spring, has given the move another year until April 2012
In the meantime, SCFL has $550,000 from the…

Singer and actress Andrea Menard was among those at the Wapos Bay studio in Saskatoon on April 15 along with other voice actors, producers, writers, and animators to say goodbye to the animation series after a ten-year run on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN).

“I’ve been there from the beginning,” Menard told Sage, adding that she played the roles of Sarah and Kohkom.…

Saskatoon will now host a pair of national Aboriginal sporting championships this year.

For starters it was announced in January that officials with the Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC) had stepped forward at the last moment to save this year’s National Aboriginal Hockey Championships (NAHC).

It appeared the tournament would be cancelled this year as no group was willing to stage…

Members of Saskatchewan’s Ochapowace First Nation are reeling following the loss of their arena and community centre.

The Fred Bear Communiplex was completely destroyed following a fire on Mar. 31.

The fire reportedly started that morning after an employee hit a gas line with a backhoe. Though firefighters from neighbouring communities joined in and helped to battle the blaze,…

The Red Pheasant Rebels got off to a rather slow start at this year’s provincial championships.

But the Rebels rebounded from their tournament opening loss and racked up six consecutive wins to capture the senior men’s contact division at the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN) hockey championships.

The tournament, which ran Apr. 8-10 in Saskatoon, attracted about 80…

Several entertainers took the stage on April 20 at the Broadway Theatre in Saskatoon to help raise funds for a group of Oskayak students who will travel to New Zealand in July. Performers for the night included Mykal Gamble, Eekwol, and the comedic trio, the Bionic Bannock Boys.

The Aboriginal gala was only a part of a bigger project that has the 19 grade 12 students fundraising and…

Every First Nations government has a host of community concerns waiting to be addressed. They range from immediate, day-to-day issues to long-term development.
In my own community, Flying Dust First Nation, concerns are met by chief and council and by collective efforts of programs to address the peoples’ needs.  But I think to expect the chief and council to solve each and every problem…

The facts around a current case of kidnapping and torture against three youth on the Pelican Lake First Nation have shocked the community.

Francis Hernandez 47 and accomplice Larry Lee Thomas 27 are facing charges for sexual assault with a weapon, unlawful confinement and exposing obscene matter.
Other charges include: uttering threats, overcoming resistance to the commission of…

Core Neighbourhood Youth Coop (CNYC) on 20th Street was pleased to recognize one of their corporate sponsors, Affinity Credit Union, in a special way for their generosity and support.

Affinity Board Members Linda Moulin and Cathy Cislecki presented a cheque to CNYC youth representative, Christian Bear, who accepted on behalf of the organization.

“Affinity has been a partner for…

Saskatchewan is known for hosting world class sporting events and for all its sports enthusiasts. (Go Rider’s!)
And of course, Saskatchewan’s community is famous for their volunteer spirit—the people who make such events possible.

That’s why the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN), in partnership with the City of Regina, is bidding to host the 2014 North American…

Families sue for handling of 9-1-1 call

The families of Kerry Canepotatoe and Melissa Rabbitskin are filing a lawsuit against the RCMP and the provincial government after the women found themselves stranded on a back road in April 2010.

The two cousins were traveling to Island Lake First Nation along with Rabbitskin’s two children when the car swerved off the…