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Namerind pioneers straw bale houses

Page 7

A straw bale house pilot project may help to solve the chronic shortage of quality housing for Aboriginal people in Regina.

The North American Indian Housing Corporation, called Namerind, is in the final stages of completing a straw bale house at 717-7th Avenue in Eastview. This is the first of five straw houses the non-profit corporation plans to build over the next five years as part of its efforts to increase its portfolio of 300 housing units. The pioneering project is the first of its kind in an urban centre in Western Canada.

Government rushing Indian Act changes

Page 7

Lawyers working for the Assembly of First Nations are in the process of analyzing proposed changes to the Indian Act. The changes received first reading in Parliament on Feb.11 and are now being fast-tracked through the legislative process.

AFN Grand Chief Phil Fontaine is concerned that the government of Canada appears to be pushing the changes through without any consultation with his organization, which is made up of all the First Nations chiefs in Canada.

Too many deaths, not enough answers

Page 5

Most people know that Aboriginal people are over-represented in the Canadian criminal justice system. The fact of the matter is that this is soft talk. The truth is that Aboriginal people are dying and the Canadian criminal justice system bears a special responsibility for these deaths, despite the fact that at the time of writing this column, the RCMP investigating recent deaths in Saskatoon of Aboriginal men have yet to lay any charges, I believe that the police had something to do with these deaths.

Too many deaths, not enough answers

Page 5

Most people know that Aboriginal people are over-represented in the Canadian criminal justice system. The fact of the matter is that this is soft talk. The truth is that Aboriginal people are dying and the Canadian criminal justice system bears a special responsibility for these deaths, despite the fact that at the time of writing this column, the RCMP investigating recent deaths in Saskatoon of Aboriginal men have yet to lay any charges, I believe that the police had something to do with these deaths.