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It took being locked up in prison for Ben McIvor to learn some of his Aboriginal culture.

"This is where I learned everything," said McIvor, who is currently serving nine years for manslaughter at the medium-security Saskatchewan Penitentiary, about one kilometer west of Prince Albert.

The inmate, who has four years left on his sentence, has been participating in the programs run through the federal prison's Aboriginal cultural centre, where he has discovered his First Nations identity that was lost as a child.

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Academics from the University of Saskatchewan are helping to lay the groundwork for a hemispheric conference on Indigenous issues, an event that would raise the profile of First Nations affairs and shed an international light on the unique challenges facing Aboriginal people from Saskatchewan and Western Canada.

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The Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA) is hoping to expand its profitable gaming operations with the creation of a new 50,000 square foot casino in Saskatoon.

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If the provincial government changes its policy and forces status Indians to pay provincial sales tax on all off-reserve purchases, the Standing Buffalo band may build its own shopping mall on the reserve, said Chief Mel Isnana.

"It's something we've considered," said the chief. "If the province wants our people to pay those taxes when we purchase goods off the reserve, we can turn around and put retail businesses on the reserve where the PST wouldn't apply."

If approved, construction on the proposed shopping mall could begin this spring, he said.

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The Lac La Ronge Indian band has won a landmark court decision that could result in more than 750,000 acres of Crown-owned land being turned over to band members.

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As Harvey Ironeagle tried to break through the large crowd in the courtroom, a friend shook his hand.

"Congratulations, so far," said the man.

Ironeagle, 63, and his 55-year-old friend, Henry Cyr, walked from the Provincial Court as free men, but, they and their lawyer say, the issues surrounding their charges of illegally selling fish haven't been resolved.

"You have won the battle, gentlemen, but not the war," Judge Ross Moxley said in passing judgment to their case.

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The Standing Buffalo First Nation is in the process of becoming the next band to sign the terms of Treaty 4.

The adhesion - an agreement to adhere to the terms of the 1874 treaty - will mean a new relationship between the 1,000-member Dakota band and the federal government, said Standing Buffalo Chief Mel Isnana.

"Our objective is, by September 2000, to be a part of the ceremonies of Treaty 4 - getting the annuities and having a full-fledged seat for round-table discussions about Treaty 4 issues," said Chief Isnana.

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Suzanne Shukin, a Metis woman from northern Saskatchewan, is one of three scholarship recipients announced by Canadian National Railways in early November.

Shukin is completing a criminal justice diploma at Lethbridge Community College in Lethbridge, Alta., and plans to enroll in the University of Lethbridge where she will pursue a pre-law degree in political science. He ultimate goal is to practice criminal law.

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In a landmark decision that could have far-reaching implications for First Nations across Canada, a Federal Court judge has determined that a Saskatchewan Indian band broke the law by denying one of its members the right to cast a ballot in band elections.

Judge Andrew MacKay ruled that the Sakimay First Nation near Grenfell, violated the Indian Act as well as the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms by refusing to extend voting privileges to Sakimay band member Mary Vicky Scrimbitt.

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People living in rural and remote areas of Saskatchewan could soon be paying more for basic telephone services, said Jack Hillson, the province's newly appointed minister for intergovernmental affairs.

Hillson, the Liberal MLA from North Battleford, said rural and remote residents could be saddled with higher telephone rates in light of a recent decision by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).