Members of the Stoney Nakoda  have been given lifetime access to Banff National Park. A ceremony was held at Banff Indian Grounds on Sept. 10 to launch an entry pass program. The program comes as a result of a partnership between the First Nation community and Parks Canada.

Hampton Affiliates and B.C.  Jobs Minister Pat Bell say the Babine Forest Products mill in Burns Lake, B.C., will be rebuilt, if certain conditions are met. A fire destroyed the sawmill in January, and the lives of two employees were lost. Workers injured numbered 19 and 250 people were put out of work. The final decision on the rebuild will be made by year’s end. Conditions to be met include ensuring an adequate timber supply, and agreements with the community of Burns Lake and First Nations.

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Federal Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Minister John Duncan makes no apologies for blindsiding Aboriginal leaders with funding cuts to Aboriginal representative organizations.

“We did not [let them know ahead of time].  That was not a requirement for us to make a major budgetary decision. We are the senior level of government. We have budgetary commitments that we have to make,” said Duncan.

A pair of former Canadian university football players have launched a venture to give Aboriginal youth a glimpse of what football—and life—are all about.

Leroy Fontaine and Dathan Thomas are the co-founders of Tribal Dreams, which provides football camps for Aboriginal young people ranging in age from five to 18.

Besides teaching the youngsters about some football basics, there are also numerous breaks during the on-field sessions to discuss things such as teamwork, dedication and perseverance, skills not only useful in football but everyday situations.

There is a new Aboriginal school for kindergarten to Grade 3 in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, and while people are calling it a mini-school it is a giant step to nurture Aboriginal youth by immersion in the teachings of a once-thriving culture on the West Coast.

Thirteen students enrolled at Macdonald Elementary School on East Hastings St. in September, and the new principal is ready to roll up the sleeves for the task-at-hand.

Additional funding from the federal government will allow the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters to continue to help First Nations children who have witnessed violence.

Walking the Path, a program initiative of the ACWS, began as a pilot project in 2009. The program has been extended for an additional 21 months with the new funding.

Living with violence in the home can have a huge impact on children, affecting their whole future, says program manager Dorothy Sam.

The sweatlodge is a refuge where the concerns of this world fall away and connection to the spirit world opens.

It was in this prayerful atmosphere that James Cecil Desjarlais, 67, of Manitoba’s Sandy Bay First Nation took a short walk into his next life this past spring.

“He couldn’t have gone in a better way,” said Anne Desjarlais, his wife of 37 years. “He went so peacefully, in prayer, surrounded by love. I was spared from seeing him have to suffer a long time like so many sick people do before they die.”

Rabbit in Norway
Wacey Rabbit once again finds himself playing professional hockey in Europe. Rabbit, a 25-year-old forward, is a member of the Lorenskog Ishockeyklubb, a squad that competes in Norway’s pro league.

Rabbit, a member of the Blackfoot Nation from the Blood reserve, had also played overseas during the 2010-11 season. He spent that year with a Croation-based franchise, Zagreb Medvescak, which participates in Austria’s pro circuit.

First Nations, led by Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN), have filed a complaint with the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal against the Thunder Bay Police Service.

If treaty annuities—the yearly payout to status Indians under some of Canada’s historic agreements— were stock market investments, their rate-of-return might leave stock traders scratching their heads.

The 1850 Robinson Huron Treaty signed with the Anishinabek is one such example of Canada neither respecting the spirit nor letter of the agreements.