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New Elders’ program help bridge gap with younger generation

The staff and members of Edmonton’s Canadian Native Friendship Centre are celebrating the enhancement of the Elder’s programs.

“It will allow us to deliver more support services to Elders. We recently extended an open invitation to the Elders in urban Edmonton to a tea and bannock event so they could have a say in the programming and we had over 50 attend,” said Executive Director Adam North Peigan.

In the past, the centre had neither adequate human nor financial resources to carry out what CNFC felt were sufficient programs and services for their Elders.

Ecumenical events educate on residential school

Member churches are collaborating with KAIROS, a social justice ecumenical organization which includes representation from the churches that signed the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement, to prepare the public for five upcoming hearings in Alberta by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission over the next few months.

These hearings along with church and KAIROS-sponsored events are the lead up to the final national event to be hosted by the TRC in Edmonton at the end of March 2014.

ATHA finds new home for championships

The Alberta Treaty Hockey Championships just might have a new home.

The tournament was held in Calgary for its first 10 years. But the majority of the games at this year’s event, which concluded Mar. 31, were staged in Cochrane.

Alberta Treaty Hockey Association president Marty Wildman said
Some off-ice incidents 2012 off-ice incidents that did not involve tournament participants forced Calgary officials to question whether to continuing hosting the event in their city, said Alberta Treaty Hockey Association president Marty Wildman.

Students anxiously await start of new music program

Music has been proven to nurture the hearts and transform the lives of people but nowhere is this more obvious than when children learn to play a musical instrument.

Unfortunately, with today’s high cost of living, music lessons are only a remote dream for many youth who are living in a one-income household. Rent or mortgage payments, utilities, groceries and other basic necessities often consume all disposable financial resources.

Bill Swieringa has assembled a team of concerned community members that is trying to change that.

Edmonton News Briefs - June 2013

School district, city celebrate with powwow

The Edmonton Catholic School District and Aboriginal Learning Services along with the City of Edmonton presented the annual Ben Calf Robe Society powwow in mid-May. The event was hosted by Eugene Alexis with Blackstone as the host drum group. The traditional powwow followed a silent auction, which raised funds for the ECSD lunch programs, the Rites of Passage Culture Camp and the Dance Regalia program. The event took place at the Commonwealth Recreation Centre. (Photo: Paula Kirman)

Co-management agreement to bring economic benefits for Métis settlements

A new co-management agreement signed between the province and the Métis Settlement General Council will mean more economic opportunities for Métis settlements.

“The real big benefit of this agreement is that now, with industry coming on settlement land, there always has to be a benefit proposal package,” said Adam Kerr, policy analyst with MSGC.
That benefit package would include employment opportunities, training funds or consultation dollars.

“There’s always that benefit for the settlement to allow industry on to the land,” he said.