Royal Dutch Shell PLC has scrapped its plans for the Pierre River Mine project, proposed for within the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation’s protection zone north of the Firebag River. In a news release issued Feb.23, the ACFN says cancellation of the project is a “clear sign that oil sands development is no longer business as usual.

Little Buffalo school teacher Colin Mackay (left) and Kevin Lewis made sure everything was ready to go for dog sledding around Marten Lakes. High school students from Little Buffalo, Atikameg and Cadotte Lake schools stepped out of a classroom environment to experience land-based learning Feb. 17-20 at the Marten Lakes Wilderness Campus near Slave Lake. Nineteen students stayed in cabins to gather knowledge, develop relationships and build self-confidence. The winter camp was organized through the Kee Tas Kee Now Tribal Council and Northland School Division partnership agreement. 

Billy Joe Laboucan, Chief of the Lubicon Lake Nation, says that even the smallest amount of revenue garnered from resources taken from his land would make a difference for his people.

“If we are able to just do two to four per cent, we would be able to pay for our own schools, pave our roads, have Elders’ facilities on our land within the communities,” said Laboucan. “We would be able to have a good education system which is the basis of all prosperity.”

The Native Canadian Centre
of Toronto, on behalf of the Aboriginal Leadership Partners, will receive
$500,000 from the federal government’s Community Celebrations Fund to showcase
the Indigenous cultures of the Americas at the Toronto 2015 Pan American and
Parapan American Games.

The celebrations fund is a
two-year initiative that will support cultural activities throughout Canada in
connection with the Toronto 2015 Games.

Rachel Garrick, from Hudson, and Nadine Arpin, from Sioux Lookout, are among the three pairs chosen for the third year of the NSI Aboriginal Documentary, a training course for producer/director teams looking to produce a short documentary.

Training bootcamp is two weeks in Winnipeg during which time students will attend sessions with more than 20 different industry professionals, including Alanis Obomsawin. Students
will work on their projects for 10 months following the intensive bootcamp and will deliver a finished 10-minute documentary in about a year’s time. 

Lorna Burke was recently
presented with the Louis Riel Certificate, which indicates that the Metis
Nation of Ontario Veterans’ Council has confirmed she is a Métis veteran. She
was also honoured with the Louis Riel Medal, which is given to Métis veterans
for their dedicated service to their peers, community and the Métis Nation.
Burke also received the Batoche Medal.

Joe Moses, the first ever
Aboriginal chair of the Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce, is spearheading a
combined Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal business communities event with the
Nishnawbe Aski Development Fund.

APEX—the Aboriginal
Business Exchange will take place in June. The goal of APEX is to inform
businesses and community partners about opportunities to grow the economy
through partnerships with Aboriginal communities.

Ontario has approved the
South Georgian Bay Lake Simcoe Source Protection Plan to strengthen local
source-to-tap drinking water protection. The plan was developed by local municipal
and community partners, including the Chippewas of Rama First Nation, on the
South Georgian Bay Lake Simcoe source protection committee.

The plan will take effect
July 1. This is the first approved plan to include a First Nation’s drinking
water system.

Dolores Wawia, long-time
professor at Lakehead University, was recently appointed to the Order of
Ontario. Cited as “a leader, pioneer in Native education and storyteller who
has expanded educational opportunities for Aboriginal people,” Wawia spent 15
year at Lakehead.