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More than 300 people packed into Maria Munro Hall at Beaver Lake First Nation near Lac La Biche, Alta. on May 15 for an information meeting on the Peeyaysees Band land claim.

The meeting was the first step in a long process that could take five to seven years to resolve, lawyer Bruce Barry told the crowd. Barry said the land claim for a band that occupied the Lac La Biche area a hundred years ago was initiated at this time because of a statute of limitations.

"We had to file a statement of claim by March 1 and we've done that," he said.

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With the dirt just barely off of the proverbial ceremonial groundbreaking shovel in the construction of the Aboriginal Council of Winnipeg's multi-million dollar Neeginan Roundhouse Project, the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, the Manitoba Metis Federation and the Winnipeg Indian and Metis Friendship Centre stunned many observers by announcing their intention to build their own $6-million Aboriginal cultural centre and museum at the Winnipeg Forks site.

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The first phase of the Six Nations band council's demand for an accounting of lands and monies held in trust by the federal government concluded on May 21, and one very significant mistake was made by federal lawyers, says a senior council employee.

"There were more than 8,000 documents submitted to the court concerning our court case. This was number 4,610," said Six Nations Land Claim Research Director Phil Monture during an interview on May 27.

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A member of the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation claims he has resigned as an undercover police and government informant because the information he gathered and passed on was not used for the right purposes.

Jim Moses, 53, said he provided the Ontario Provincial Police with information, four months in advance, that members of the Kettle and Stoney Point community who were occupying Camp Ipperwash planned to expand their occupation to Ipperwash Provincial Park.

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Lawyers who worked on the Corbiere case concerning the voting rights of off-reserve members that was decided by the Supreme Court of Canada on May 20 say the media's misunderstanding of the decision may have triggered an incident at the Abegweit Reserve in Prince Edward Island. On May 25, three women who were off-reserve members tried to vote in a band election and wound up being charged with obstruction.

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The saying that there's strength in numbers has taken on new meaning in Manitoba with the launch of the First Nations Buying Group (FNBG).

For the province's 60-plus First Nations, hundreds of political, economic and cultural organizations, independent entrepreneurs, and the 100,000 Aboriginal residents in the province, it will mean big savings on everything from office supplies, long distance rates and computer equipment.

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In its second year of operation, the First Nations Bank is on its way to meeting the goal of becoming a national bank with the opening of a third branch in Walpole Island, Ont.

"There's great opportunity for a bank that is focused on the First Nation market. The bank is growing and expanding to be First Nations driven and owned," said David Ross, president of First Nations Bank of Canada.

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The week-long blockade of a forestry road by members the Aroland First Nation has forced the logging company, Buchanan Group, back to the negotiating table with community leaders.

Aroland First Nation members were joined by about 100 First Nations people from Marten Falls, Fort Hope and Constance Lake, to block two access roads that run through the Aroland community when Buchanan refused to sign a forestry agreement that was negotiated more than three years ago.

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The dream of a full-fledged First Nations Youth Council inched closer to reality last month as 300 First Nations youth gathered in the city to formally prepare for the establishment of their own political arm to represent them at the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs.

Youth representatives from the province's major urban centres and its 61 reserves went about the task of hammering out a vision for the new council, as well as developing an organizational plan.

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The Aboriginal Women's Action Network (AWAN) held a training workshop on participatory research at University of British Columbia's First Nations House of Learning recently. The gathering was the second phase in AWAN's research project investigating and analyzing the impact of Bill C-31 on the lives of Aboriginal women and their children.