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Windspeaker Publication

Windspeaker Publication

Established in 1983 to serve the needs of northern Alberta, Windspeaker became a national newspaper on its 10th anniversary in 1993.

  • March 18, 2014
  • Windspeaker Staff

Release: via CNW

Leanne Simpson, a writer, scholar, storyteller and activist for Indigenous Peoples has been named the recipient of the inaugural RBC Taylor Emerging Writer Award.  Ms. Simpson was nominated for the Award by Thomas King whose book, The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America won the 2014 RBC Taylor Prize. Established jointly by RBC and…

  • February 27, 2014
  • Compiled by Shari Narine

Rebecca Belmore's work is firmly rooted in the current political and social realities of Aboriginal communities in Canada, but its power and poetry resonate worldwide. (Photo: supplied)

 

Public to help create Indigenous work of art

Rebecca Belmore, one of Canada's most celebrated contemporary artists, will create a large and prominent work of original art…

  • February 27, 2014
  • Compiled by Debora Steel

Indigenous luminaries will gather in Winnipeg from across the country for the 21st Annual Indspire Awards. The gala will be held March 21 at Winnipeg’s Centennial Concert Hall. Organizers are expecting 2,000 guests. The show will be broadcast nationally by media partners Global Television and the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network at a later date. “Each year, we bring together prominent and…

  • February 27, 2014
  • Compiled by Debora Steel

The National Association of Friendship Centres launched a new web-based resource that assists Aboriginal people relocating to urban centres. NewJourneys.ca was two years in the making and targets both Aboriginal individuals and service providers. It includes practical tips and information on issues such as safety planning, registering children for school, and finding employment, housing and…

  • February 27, 2014
  • Compiled by Debora Steel

Manitoba Attorney General Andrew Swan criticized Ottawa for cutting front-line policing on the province’s reserves, saying it was part of a federal “line of attack” on First Nation communities. A CTV report state the 45-year-old program on First Nations policing that works in partnership with the RCMP will end in just over a year. “This is a continuing line of attacks on Aboriginal people by…

  • February 27, 2014
  • Compiled by Debora Steel

On Feb. 8, the Kwakiutl Commemorated the 163rd anniversary of its 1851 Douglas Treaty as the First Nation entered into its 12th day of protest against the province of British Columbia, Canada and forest companies over the clear-cutting of cedar trees on lands with exclusive Kwakiutl Aboriginal title, rights and interests, and treaty rights, a press statement reads. “The people of Kwakiutl have…

  • February 27, 2014
  • Compiled by Debora Steel

Manto Sipi Cree Nation and Mathia Colomb Cree Nation in northern Manitoba have stated their opposition to mineral exploration in their traditional territories. In a press release Feb. 18 Manto Sipi said it would block mineral exploration and work permits and will not consult with the provincial government until land disputes are addressed. “I have been given a strong mandate to initiate legal…

  • February 27, 2014
  • Compiled by Debora Steel

The president of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs is no stranger to making news on the political stage, but a frightening incident during his travels in mid-February saw him making news of a different kind. Grand Chief Stewart Phillip was travelling alone outside of Hope, B.C. when his vehicle slid on black ice and snow, left the highway and crashed into the rock face. The Chevrolet Tahoe was…

  • February 27, 2014
  • Compiled by Debora Steel

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip is warning Ottawa that funding cuts to Aboriginal Affairs’ specific claims research may create a similar environment to the one that sparked the Oka crisis. The cuts come as the federal government works to “identify efficiencies and streamline departmental operations” and has resulted in some First Nations claims research organizations seeing upwards of 60 per cent…

  • February 27, 2014
  • Compiled by Debora Steel

If you've been seeing photos show up on social media sites with a blue dot on them, you are being invited to join the Blue Dot Movement. The blue dot is a symbol of protest against exclusion, and was inspired by a “historic” event held at Kainai in southern Alberta, where Prime Minister Stephen Harper and National Chief Shawn Atleo jointly announced a new agreement on education. At the event,…

  • February 27, 2014
  • Compiled by Debora Steel

The Catholic Bishops of Alberta and the Northwest Territories have apologized to First Nations people who attended residential schools. “We also express our apology and regret for Catholic participation in government policies that resulted in children being separated from their families, and often suppressed Aboriginal culture and language at the residential schools,” reads the letter. The…

  • February 27, 2014
  • Compiled by Debora Steel

With 1,700 km and 49 days behind them, the Omushkegowuk walkers arrived at Parliament Hill Feb. 24 with a message for government: Take action on treaties. Danny Metatawabin led the group. He stood with Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence last year as she went on a hunger strike to bring attention to the concerns of First Nations peoples. “The time to reconcile Aboriginal issues is now,”…

  • February 27, 2014
  • Barb Nahwegahbow Windspeaker Contributor TORONTO

The primary focus of University of Toronto’s newly-opened Office of Indigenous Medical Education (OIME) is “to provide a welcoming home for Indigenous medical students,” according to Mark Hanson, associate dean of Undergraduate Admissions and Finances.

At the opening on Feb. 3, Hanson admitted “our numbers are small right now.” When pressed for numbers, he said they have just more than…

  • February 27, 2014
  • David P. Ball Windspeaker Contributor VANCOUVER

Two Indigenous filmmakers feature prominently in this month’s Vancouver International Women in Film Festival.

But despite their documentaries’ strikingly different topics – one a profile of Gemini-winning actor Michelle Thrush, the other about the history of a B.C. First Nation – both spoke to Windspeaker about the importance of honouring their subjects’ stories.

The festival’s…

  • February 27, 2014
  • Compiled by Shari Narine

Sinclair’s family pulls out of inquest
Brian Sinclair’s family and Aboriginal groups have pulled out of the second phase of Judge Tim Preston’s inquest, which has narrowed its scope to look at wait times in emergency rooms and not the treatment of Aboriginal patients. The inquest is the result of the death of Brian Sinclair, The man was left unattended in the Health…