Beatrice Love is still considered a relative newcomer to the music scene.

But the 25-year-old Cree singer, who is from the Sturgeon Lake First Nation, is starting to get some more attention.

A recent career boost was being nominated for this year’s Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards.

With an astonishing 15 per cent of Siksika residents suffering from diabetes, Melvin (Tyler) White, CEO for Siksika Health Services, knew something had to be done to prevent kidney disease or slow down its progression.

Now, eight years after Alberta Health Services brought its weekly renal outreach clinic to Siksika First Nation, over 100 people are being seen.

The significance Aboriginals can play when it comes to filling various apprenticeship positions prompted the Wood Buffalo Apprenticeship Forum to add a fifth sub-committee to the organization.

“First Nations have always been a significant and valuable part of this community,” said Glenn van’t Wout, dean of trades and heavy industrial division at Keyano College, located in Fort McMurray. “We’ve had a lot of really neat, success stories from here.”

An Aboriginal sub-committee was added this past winter to the forum, which was organized September 2011.

Art is an important reflection of Indigenous culture through the ages. It tells the stories of the Aboriginal people and their traditions in a manner that transcends the written word. In Alberta, that work is celebrated in annual travelling exhibitions.

“If I build it, will you come?” is the question Kimber Norbury-Sulin asked.

“Build” may be a strange word to use when Norbury-Sulin, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder education program coordinator at Lethbridge College, is talking about a virtual community of practice, but come they have and that includes those from isolated Aboriginal communities.

Shell Canada partnered with the national charitable organization Actua to host a science, technology, engineering and mathematics camp in Fort MacKay in August.

The science camp focused on the importance and recognition of science, engineering and technology among the youth population by engaging them in hands on experiences, both exciting and dynamic while, at the same time, teaching how these topics relate to the world around them, explains Actua CEO Jennifer Flanagan.

With 113 full members and 153 associate members, the North-eastern Alberta Aboriginal Business Association is having a mini-boom of its own within the geographical confines of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo.

“This past year we have really been picking up more memberships than usual,” said NAABA general manager Debbie Hahn from her office in Fort McMurray.

“We started 19 years ago thanks to the mind set of people like Dave Tuccaro,” said Hahn.

Kainai Elder Harold Healy, decked out in a new red Wrangler shirt with white stitching heralding the Stampede’s Centenary, has seen many changes for the Calgary Stampede.

Healy, 86, a former steer rider and calf roper, feels that some aspects of the rodeo should return. “It’s not the same . . . no wild cow milking, wild horse race or buffalo riding,” he complained.
He has also noticed changes in the Indian Village.

Indian Village thrives at Stampede
Tipi-raising racers pull canvas around poles as a demonstration at Indian Village at the Calgary Stampede. The Stampede celebrated 100 years this past July.

Guards charged with assault

Ashley Deschambault with 250 goodie-filled backpacks given away as welcome gifts to Aboriginal students at Tawow, hosted in the Education Building at the University of Alberta.

Aboriginal students introduced to university community