The Supreme Court of Canada will not be hearing an appeal on Métis harvesting rights in Alberta. The decision came down in January with no explanation offered.

In a memo to Métis Nation of Alberta members, President Audrey Poitras called the decision “extremely disappointing” but said the MNA “remain committed to our ‘hunt for justice’ in this province.”

The MNA has reached out to the Alberta government to resume talks that were put on hold as the Métis organization pursued the Hirsekorn test case.

A woman whose roots are in Saddle Lake and who now operates a store in Vancouver is the inaugural winner of the National Youth Aboriginal Entrepreneur Award.

 “I was really excited when I learned I’d won the award,” said Savannah Olsen. “Not just as an Aboriginal person but also as a woman. We are not represented enough in business and in the media and I hope that some people will be inspired. Don’t ever give up on your dreams.”

A successful operation and strong social programming combined to make the River Cree Casino and Resort a sound business venture for Canadian and American investors, said Chief Ron Morin.

The issuance of cross-border bonds to both public and private institutional investors allowed Enoch Cree Nation and River Cree Enterprises LP to buy out Paragon Gaming’s minority shares. The casino and resort is now solely owned by the First Nation with an operating contract held by Sonco Gaming Co., a Canadian casino operator, with the management of the hotel still undertaken by Marriott.

Some of the $630,000 - and still climbing – raised through the recent Neil Young Honour the Treaties cross-country tour and associated on-line campaign will be put to use immediately by the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation.

On Jan. 3, the ACFN filed an application with the federal court to review the recent decision to approve Shell’s Jackpine mine expansion.

When Bernadette Iahtail did not receive an invitation to the government’s recent child intervention roundtable, she didn’t fret about it. Instead she continued to plan Creating Hope Society’s March forum on addiction, family violence and child welfare, and took comfort in knowing that “Aboriginal allies” had been invited to the roundtable.

Alberta Chiefs are not sold on the federal government’s new education plan which was laid out Feb. 7 by Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Standoff.

HOOP DANCER WINS UNPRECEDENTED 7TH WORLD ADULT TITLE AT HOOP DANCE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS AT HEARD MUSEUM

More than 3,500 watch outdoor

A hoop dancer from Old Oraibi on Arizona’s Hopi reservation won an unprecedented seventh adult world champion title Sunday at the 24th annual Heard Museum World Championship Hoop Dance Contest.

Universities welcome plan to transform K-12 First Nations education
 
Release - February 10, 2014

On Thursday, January 16, Sodexo celebrated its first anniversary on campus at Bow Valley College. Sodexo marked the occasion with a generous donation of $50,000 to create the "Sodexo Aboriginal Emergency Funding Support Fund." Awarded once a year over the next 10 years, the funds will support Aboriginal learners who face financial barriers.   

Sixty survivors of St. Anne’s Residential School took the federal government to court to gain access to documents to support their claims for compensation under the residential schools settlement agreement. On Jan. 14, the survivors won their battle.

An Ontario Superior Court ordered Canada to release documents from a five-year-long Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) investigation into the physical and sexual abuse of children at St. Anne’s.