A $2-million 56-space early learning centre will be attached to the Whitecap Elementary School. Whitecap Dakota First Nation is contributing $260,000, while the federal government will provide $1 million and the province will provide $500,000 to help fund the construction. BMO Financial Group is contributing $250,000. The province has also committed to annual operating funding for 45 of the 56 spaces when the centre opens.  The remaining 11 spaces will continue to be federally funded. The centre is expected to be ready by the start of the 2016 school year.

Vancouver Island University was honored in April for establishing the Youth in Care Tuition Waiver Program, the first of its kind in B.C. Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, BC’s Representative for Children and Youth, made a special presentation to Dr. Ralph Nilson, VIU president, during a two-day conference in Nanaimo.

“The reason we’re doing this recognition is because Dr. Nilson and Vancouver Island University were the first in B.C. to adopt and champion tuition waivers for kids in care,” said Turpel-Lafond, noting that VIU now has 41 students enrolled in the program.

The company that raises salmon on land celebrated its first year in business with the harvest of its 180,000th kilo of fish. A year ago KUTERRA, owned 100 per cent by the ‘Namgis First Nation and located in the Nimpkish Valley near Port McNeill, B.C., presented its first fish for sale to its exclusive western Canadian retailer, Safeway. Since that time, Safeway sales have expanded eastward to Manitoba, and the salmon is now in select stores and fine-dining restaurants across Canada and the U.S.

The Penticton Indian Band Development Corporation is the winner of the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business’Aboriginal Economic Development Corporation (AEDC) Award for 2015. The Penticton Indian Band Development Corporation is the principal economic development, marketing and promotional organization for the Penticton Indian Band. It pursues business joint ventures and investment opportunities on behalf of the Penticton Indian Band community and stakeholders. Penticton Indian Band Reserve is the largest reserve in B.C with 46,000 acres and a population of 1,034 members.

It was big talent for such a small stage in London when Buffy Sainte-Marie came to Aeolian Hall in early May. Originally from Piapot Cree First Nation in Qu’appelle Valley, Sask., the singer/songwriter now resides in Hawaii when she is not on the road travelling and performing.

With her band, Kibwe Thomas on keyboards, Anthony King on guitar, Michel Bruyere on drums and Mark Olexson on bass, Sainte-Marie did a medley of her most popular hit songs, as well as a couple of singles from her new CD, Power in the Blood.

Alberta’s Indigenous leaders are praising Rachel Notley and the New Democratic Party as they form the next provincial government.

On May 5, the NDP won a majority government in the province, and in doing so decimated the Progressive Conservatives, who had ruled Alberta for 44 years. The PCs dropped from 70 seats to 10 and Premier Jim Prentice resigned both as party leader and MLA for the Calgary seat he managed to maintain.

In a night of overwhelming triumph, Notley acknowledged Aboriginal people in her acceptance speech.

Idle No More movement, and the people who participated in it, to “bacteria.” APTN News had obtained an official report with the statement in it through Access to Information requests. “It is unfortunate that one of our employees has referred in an internal e-mail to the Idle No More movement in such a manner,” said Staff-Sgt. Julie Gagnon in a statement. She said the words were “not reflective of the views and opinion” of the RCMP. “The RCMP apologizes to anyone who may have been offended by this unfortunate choice of words to describe the Idle No More movement,” she said. On Dec.

in the Peace Valley has vowed to ensure work on Site C dam will not proceed. Chief Roland Willson said he’s prepared to file an injunction seeking a stop-work order until a court challenge on the controversial hydroelectric dam is heard. His comments were made during an anti Site C dam event held in Vancouver in May.

that has been criticized as being racist and offensive to First Nations people. City officials took complaints to the police that show images of mostly aboriginal people on the street and posted it to a page called “Thunder Bay Dirty.” Police are calling remarks on the page derogatory and extremely offensive. “As a community, we cannot tolerate the use of social media to express extreme racism.”

reserve on Vancouver Island has defrauded people of hundreds of dollars each. The man, posing as Tseshaht First Nation Chief Hugh Braker, said he was raising money for those suffering family tragedies. Robert Bennett Peters, 49, of no fixed address is facing two charges of fraud for his alleged role in soliciting funds over the phone using Braker’s name. This individual was preying upon kind-hearted and generous citizens who were willing to help their fellow man deal with tragedy, said a spokesman with the Port Alberni RCMP.