Martin Heavy Head, a student at the University of Lethbridge and from the Blood Reserve, was not successful in his run for Lethbridge city council in the Oct. 21 municipal elections. Heavy Head garnered 4,232 votes or 3.4 per cent. The closest successful councillor received 5,942 or 4.8 per cent of the vote. Twenty-nine people vied for eight council seats. Lethbridge’s new mayor is Chris Spearman with 46.1 per cent of the popular vote. Spearman replaces retired mayor Rajko Dodic.

High Prairie was the site of the only workshop to be held in Alberta as a partnership between the National Association of Friendship Centres and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights to create “spirit panels.” The work of Aboriginal youth from every province and territory will be displayed in a unique circular theatre inside the museum, which opens in Winnipeg in 2014 as Canada’s newest national museum. Workshops were led by Elders, who discussed human rights and responsibilities, while Aboriginal artists guided the work.

Healing Histories: Stories from Canada’s Indian Hospitals

Laurie Meijer Drees

University of Alberta Press, 2013

Edmonton, Alberta

ISBN 978-0-88864-650-7

244 pages

Reviewed by Heather Andrews Miller

OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Networks is hoping that a recent partnership with the Canadian Blood Services in Edmonton, Vancouver, and Thunder Bay has raised awareness that there is a desperate need for Aboriginal stem cell donors.  

“Matching donors to patients happens on a genetic level with stem cells, so the likelihood of someone finding a match depends on the type of heritage that they have,” said Olga Pazukha, communications specialist for the OneMatch Network. “If anyone ever needs a donor, that donor is going to be of Aboriginal descent.”

Two University of Lethbridge students are looking to capture the stories behind the portraits and drawings by artist Nicholas de Grandmaison.

Maria Livingston and Karissa Patton are reaching out to families and individuals across the province, people who knew the famous portraitist or whose family members were subjects of his work.
The memories and stories will add to the depth of meaning in the university’s considerable collection of de Grandmaison’s work.
Even the smallest stories will help, says Livingston, who is Cree, a hoop dancer and an artist.

When Marvin Belcourt lay for hours, injured and in pain, waiting for medical help, he had no vision of what the future held for him. As an independent trucker for many years, he had supported his family and enjoyed a good lifestyle. When he left his home in Grimshaw that morning in 2009, it was just another work day. But his career was about to end in an industrial accident in Fort Wrigley.

Some more screen time might end up being the secret to getting Aboriginal youth across the country more physically active.

At least that’s the goal of Don Patterson and Janice Ryan, who helped design the Spirit Runner app.

The free iTunes app runs on the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Some of the features of the app include an activity log, schedule maker, motivational quotes, GPS tracker, step counter and reward system.

Forty years ago, caring individuals from the Treaty Six First Nations and adjacent Métis settlements formed a society in northeastern Alberta which would eventually become the Bonnyville Indian-Métis Rehabilitation Centre.

 “It took about three years to accomplish all the organizational details and get the doors open, but it became a reality,” said Leah Ferris, the current executive director. “We recently recognized the determination of the original volunteers who made it happen in a celebration at the centre.”

The high rate of suicide in Aboriginal communities has prompted Alberta Health Services to take proactive measures.

“Even though suicide is an issue for all communities, the rate for suicide in Aboriginal communities is three times higher in Alberta,” said Kendra Bishop, Aboriginal program coordinator for AHS. “It is important to offer culturally relevant training that offers supports for both urban and rural Aboriginal communities.”
AHS has teamed up with the Aboriginal Council of Lethbridge to deliver Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training in the southern city.