MNA, Fort Edmonton Park sign agreement

Two young Lethbridge women are helping strengthen the Aboriginal voice through voting.

Mairin Gettman and Kristin Krein—both students at the University of Lethbridge—have been coordinating special events to share knowledge about politics in Canada with Indigenous people who might otherwise be lacking in it.

“We’re not doing it so people vote, I really don’t care if you vote. But we’re doing it to empower people’s voices… To ensure that we have a platform for people if they want to learn,” said Krein.

The Mikisew Cree First Nation is asking the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to classify Wood Buffalo National Park as a World Heritage Site “in danger.”

“We felt we’d exhausted all the ways to voice our concerns (provincially and federally) and then we found out about the UNESCO process and felt it was an important enough issue to pursue,” said Melody Lepine, director of industry and government relations and the face of the Mikisew delegation to UNESCO this summer in Bonn, Germany.

Buffy Sainte-Marie was named an honourary witness by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which wrapped up in early June in Ottawa. However, speaking truths about social issues that are ignored or covered up is nothing new to the legendary singer/songwriter.

In a move that has been applauded by First Nations leaders, NDP Premier Rachel Notley has directed her Cabinet ministers to “conduct a review …of your ministry’s policies, programs and legislation that may require changes based on the principles of the (United Nations) Declaration (on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.”

“It’s good that they’re doing that,” said Craig Mackinaw, new Alberta Chief for the Assembly of First Nations. “We’ve been talking about it for years now. I’m glad that finally somebody is following up on it.”

The Fort McMurray First Nation is requesting the raw data collected from one of Alberta’s largest oil spills in its traditional territory.

“There’s concern about the environmental impact. (Nexen Energy) has given us access to the site, we’ve been looking at it, but lately, we’ve requested the raw testing data so we can look over it ourselves,” said Councillor Byron Bates. That data has not been forthcoming.  “We’re considering sending our own team of testers in to do the testing.”

The University of Saskatchewan’s Colleges of Education and Nursing have signed a memorandum of understanding with Onion Lake Cree Nation to create additional opportunities for potential post-secondary students to learn where they live. The agreement gives Onion Lake students the option of entering into either education or nursing, or completing prerequisites for other health sciences in Onion Lake through the support of the already established Indian Education Teaching Program, run by the College of Education.

Following the auditor general’s report, Health Minister Sarah Hoffman has appointed MLAs David Swann and Danielle Larivee to undertake a full-scale review of Alberta’s addiction and mental health system. Auditor General Merwan Saher said that the department had failed to properly execute its 2011 addiction and mental health strategy. He said the strategy did not have to be redesigned, but instead carried out. For the most part, the report said, the delivery of frontline addiction and mental health services remained unintegrated and allowed ongoing gaps in service continuity.

A partnership between Siksika First Nation, the province, and the Indian Business Corporation, will see the distribution of $2.7 million in loans to create and develop business opportunities for members on and off the reserve. The First Nation will contribute $2 million and the province $700,000 while IBC will oversee the distribution of the funds. “We have the willingness, the capacity and means to move forward in helping them develop their own economic entrepreneurship,” said Siksika Chief Vincent Yellow Old Woman at a news conference announcing the deal.

Northland School Division is reporting results three years into its division-wide literacy initiative. Gail Sajo, literacy supervisor, told the board at the end of June that both long-term and short-term student growth has occurred. Since October 2013, the number of students reading at grade level in Grades 1-8 has increased by 19 per cent.