November 22, 2016.

About 50 people gathered outside the Alberta Legislature late Monday afternoon carrying placards and candles protesting the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion to British Columbia. The federal government is to make a decision by Dec. 19 on the project.

Several thousand people marched in Vancouver in opposition to Kinder Morgan on Saturday, Nov. 19, as many prepare to face arrest if the pipeline project is approved.

The unprecedentedly huge rally drew Indigenous people from diverse nations across Western Canada who spoke, sang and drummed alongside politicians on all levels who oppose the pipeline.

The display of opposition came just weeks before the federal government’s deadline of Dec. 19 to make a final decision on Kinder Morgan’s proposed Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.

The commissioners of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls have committed to examining police behavior.

In a statement issued Nov. 18, the commission said, “The situation in Val-d'Or is exactly the type of situation that the national inquiry will look at. Policing is a crucial government service that certainly falls under the inquiry's mandate.”

When the terms of reference were released in August, they did not specifically include police interaction with Indigenous women and their families.

Editor’s note: We have been asked by Chevi Rabbit to use gender neutral pronouns for this story, and, to be respectful, we have done that.

Chevi Rabbit moved from hate to hope four years ago, after being attacked on the streets of Edmonton. The crime was a crime of hate. Rabbit was targeted for being gay. But instead of becoming embittered by the violence, Rabbit started an annual event, called Hate to Hope, which is now just one of many projects Rabbit is involved in, to rally support for the LGBTQ community.

November 21, 2016.

As on-site archeological work in southern Alberta comes to an end, there is anticipation about possible work in another disaster area in the province.

Archeologist Dr. Dan Meyers, with the consulting company Lifeways of Canada, is excited about the possibility of seeing what the wild fires that scorched close to 600,000 hectares this past spring in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo may have revealed about Indigenous life.

November 8, 2016.

Indigenous Relations Minister Richard Feehan had high praise for the province’s Indigenous people as he spoke Monday night at the opening ceremony of the second annual Indigenous Innovation Summit.

Feehan said in the nine months he has served in his position, he has visited 26 First Nations and Metis settlements.

“Every single place I go, innovation is a keystone to what’s happening there,” he said.

November 7, 2016.

An investigative review released last week by the Office of the Child and Youth Advocate into the death of a young boy resulted in no recommendations.

But that isn’t an indication of improved circumstances for Indigenous children in care, says Child and Youth Advocate Del Graff.

“I would suggest that is not what it means,” he said. “What it means is that the systemic issues that were arising in this circumstance, that we thought were present and that was the basis for us to do a review, were not confirmed.”

November 3, 2016.

Hearts will soon be adorning the trees and shrubs in Edmonton’s river valley along the multi-use path between Groat Road and the High Level Bridge.

The pathway is Edmonton’s interpretation and contribution to a national network of healing forests that was conceived by the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. 

November 17, 2016.

It’s heartbreaking work, but families need to know where their children, who died attending Indian residential schools, are buried.

“It’s about bringing closure for families,” said Charles Wood, chair of the Remembering the Children Society. “Who knows what the numbers are from the residential schools across the nation, how many children never made it home.”

Bert Crowfoot, the publisher of Windspeaker and CEO of the Aboriginal Multi-Media Society of Alberta (AMMSA), has headed off to Ottawa to address the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage.

On Nov. 17 he’ll be speaking to the committee about the importance of Indigenous media in Canada and how media concentration impacts our publications and operations.