Alberta Grand Chiefs met Aug. 16 to discuss the province’s Policy on Consultation with First Nations on Land and Natural Resource Management. It is the latest proposal in the ongoing commitment of First Nations, industry, municipal and other stakeholders to engage with Alberta in the multi-year review process, reads a press statement. The chiefs are conducting an analysis of the document, including a legal review “to ensure case law is respected and advanced. We’ve had serious concerns about the process that Alberta is using to develop this consultation policy.

Toronto home was the site of a colorful and lively protest Aug. 25 by demonstrators who wanted to draw attention to mercury levels in waters around Grassy Narrows First Nation. The protesters were playing musical instruments, but Wynne missed the show. She was out of town for the weekend. Grassy Narrows has been contaminated with mercury since 1962.

American researcher Christine Stark says Native women from communities in Canada, including Thunder Bay, are being trafficked on ships in Duluth harbour.

Eric Robinson, Deputy Premier of Manitoba, who is also the province’s Aboriginal Affairs minister, is facing a human rights complaint for an email remark made last November about “do-good white people.” The complaint comes from a Winnipeg women’s shelter, which was planning a burlesque show at a store called The Foxy Shoppe to raise money for Osborne House. Manitoba’s special adviser on Aboriginal women’s issues, Nahanni Fontaine, had emailed Robinson to say the fundraising was in poor taste, as the clientele of Osborne House are women who have been exploited and victimized.

Wolf Songs and Fire Chats

I became a grandfather last November. I’d been one for a lot longer. I just hadn’t known about it. See, when I was in my early twenties I’d fathered a son. The girl and I could not be together. I was wild, reckless, already a roaring and unpredictable drunk. She was a family person, anchored, calm and contained. When she was asked to choose her family over me she made the right choice. I eventually left town and never saw her or my son again.

Folk singer, filmmaker inspired a nation

Early black and white CBC television footage depicts a young, strikingly handsome Willie Dunn singing in a strong, clear voice as he expertly picks his guitar in accompaniment.

A railroad tune penned by his Scottish father, and a haunting ballad of love lost are well-performed, but carry none of the gravity his future compositions would hold.

The participating clubs have changed over the years, yet the goals of the 6 Nations Challenge have remained the same, to develop the skills of youth football players and increase the participation of Aboriginal players in the sport.

This year the fourth annual 6 Nations Challenge was held in Brandon, Man. The week-long event, which concluded on Aug. 17, attracted six-a-side tackle football squads from Quebec, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

Book seeking submissions

The Aboriginal Physical Activity and Cultural Circle (APACC) is seeking submissions for an e-book about running that it plans to publish. Aboriginal runners from across the country, regardless of their skill level, are encouraged to submit a story about their running.

The APACC is a national non-profit network for Aboriginals involved in sports, recreation, fitness and traditional activities. The organization believes runners are viewed as role models since they can inspire others to take up an active and healthy lifestyle.

Dene Nation offer first Aboriginal endorsement of health document

Blockaders in Tahltan Nation issued an eviction notice to Fortune Minerals on Aug. 14 over the firm’s proposed $10-billion open-pit coal mine in what they say could destroy three northern B.C. rivers vital to their culture and lands.

For years Fortune’s 4,000-hectare Arctos Anthracite Project has generated opposition and controversy amongst the Tahltan. Environmentalists have dubbed the region, more than 300 km northeast of Prince Rupert, the “Sacred Headwaters.”