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Established in 1983 to serve the needs of northern Alberta, Windspeaker became a national newspaper on its 10th anniversary in 1993.
Hoping to see substantial ground gained for Métis harvesting rights, the 50 or so Métis from across Alberta who crowded into Medicine Hat Provincial Court on Dec. 1 sat in stunned silence as Judge Ted Fisher read out his 11-point decision against the Métis argument.
In the end, defendant Garry Hirsekorn was found guilty of two counts under the Alberta Wild Life Act and fined $350 for…
First North West Coast female carver revived totem pole culture
In the 1950s, if your family had a West Coast totem pole souvenir, chances are it was made by Kakaso’las, Ellen May Neel.
The Kwakwaka’wakw (pronounced Kwok-wokie-wok) artist was born in a plank house in Alert Bay just off Vancouver Island’s inside passage. Her Kwakwask’wakw name, which she seldom…
In just two years, Amy Dopson developed a business aimed at supporting and enriching the student experience within the education system, and today she is British Columbia’s Young Female Entrepreneur of the Year.
The BC Aboriginal Business award was presented to Dopson on Dec. 1 in Vancouver by the BC Achievement Foundation and Premier Gordon Campbell.
PAC10 Tutoring services…
WAHNAPITAE FIRST NATION HAS
purchased Rocky’s Restaurant and Marina and took ownership on Dec. 6. Rocky’s is situated on the Wahnapitae First Nation land base on Lake Wahnapitae. It provides the perfect getaway destination for an evening or weekend, reads a press statement released by the band. “We are very excited about this new business venture and look forward to…
The dream to strengthen First Nations education within the Canadian federal system has a new name—Bill C-599.
On Nov. 17, the Bloc Quebecois introduced the legislation in the form of a private member’s bill. It is meant to encourage the Conservative government to lift the two per cent cap on yearly increases to funding going to First Nations.
The cap has been in place since 1996…
More funding announced
Even more Aboriginal groups in British Columbia can benefit from additional funding to the Local Sport Development Program (LSDP). The provincial government announced in early December that it was providing an additional $100,000 in funding to the program. Stephanie Cadieux, the minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development, made the…
Numerous Aboriginal players have honed their skills in the Western Hockey League (WHL) over the years.
Michael Ferland, Rene Hunter and Eric Roy are continuing that tradition this season.
All three Aboriginal players are members of the Manitoba-based Brandon Wheat Kings.
Ferland, an 18-year-old left winger, is in his second season with the Wheat Kings. He impressed enough…
Cindy Peltier had an idea. She is the FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder) coordinator at Ottawa’s Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health, and she organizes get-togethers for the families she works with.
But there are other families in Ottawa facing the same problems, so why not get together with them? So Cindy invited the FASD of Ottawa group over for an informal supper. That was on Oct…
After checking out their website about half way through listening to their debut CD, I was shocked to learn that the trio of young boys who make up The Breaking Wind are, well... really young. What was most surprising is the maturity presented in their music. The lead singer exudes a confidence that belies his age. The cover of Jimi Hendrix’s Red House is convincing. The track that stands…
Windspeaker: What one quality do you most value in a friend?
Shy-Anne Hovorka: Honesty. If you can’t be honest, how do I know the friendship or relationship is real?
W: What is it that really makes you mad?
S.H.: People who interrupt and don’t let you finish a sentence. Oh, and also being patted on the head. (I’m short, lol.)
W: When are you at your happiest?
…What is it with white people and book burning? I realize that’s quite an inflammatory (pun intended) statement, but it deserves some exploration regarding recent events down in Florida where it seems lighter fluid, fundamentalism, and sun tan lotion go hand in hand.
But here’s something to ponder in the backdraft of the Florida bonfire enthusiasts’ now-fizzled threats to torch copies of…
The Assembly of First Nations has thrown its weight and influence behind the 61 First Nations opposed to the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipelines Project. But some see a disconnect between what the AFN says and what it does.
Monies from Enbridge were accepted when a gala event associated with the AFN was hosted in Calgary in 2009.
An Enbridge Aboriginal relations newsletter…
Assembly of First Nations National Chief Shawn Atleo applauded the chiefs at the special assembly held in Gatineau for unanimously passing a resolution that pushes for accountability and calls for “itemizing and publicly disclosing salaries, honoraria and expenses associated with the operations of chief and council.”
The resolution, entitled “First Nation Governments Demonstrating…
A letter stating the commitment of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, his office and the top levels of the federal government to tackle issues facing First Nations “is significant,” said Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief Shawn Atleo.
The correspondence from Harper came on the last day of the AFN’s Special Chiefs Assembly held in Gatineau, Dec. 14 to 16. The theme of the…
The chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission warned that if day school scholars aren’t brought into the equation soon, the work accomplished by the TRC could be for naught.
“The issue of day scholar exclusion, and exclusion of certain schools from the settlement agreement or from the class action litigation, still remains to be discussed because I’m not sure it makes any sense…