A meeting between the Aboriginal Affairs Coalition of Saskatchewan and the Saskatoon Police Service on June 16 was a success. “This gathering was very important for our evolving relationship and we are looking to the province to support us in continuing to advance this good work,” said Kim Beaudin, AACS president in a news release. The AACS will facilitate an ongoing dialogue with Saskatoon police and provide an organizational structure where appropriate and effective next steps can take place. The meeting with the Saskatoon Police Service was initiated by AACS.

Red Pheasant First Nation Chief Stewart Baptiste has been the object of protests both on the First Nation and in North Battleford. Baptiste is facing a number of criminal charges including breach of probation, criminal mischief for breaking a truck window, and drunk driving. While Baptiste and council met on June 20, a group of women set up a protest camp outside of the band office. The previous week picketers appeared outside the North Battleford court house where Baptiste pleaded guilty to breach of probation.

The $25,000 reward that was put in place four months after five-year-old Tamra Keepness went missing July 5, 2004, has been extended again through a unanimous vote of the Regina Board of Police Commissioners. And once more, the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations and the Saskatchewan First Nations’ Women’s Commission along with the Regina Police Service, the Regina Treaty/Status Indian Services and SaskEnergy, hosted a barbecue on the anniversary to remind the public of the missing child.

FSIN Vice Chief Bobby Cameron and RCMP Assistant Commissioner “F” Division Russ Mirasty sign a three-year Public Safety Cooperation Protocol agreement, establishing trust and reciprocal relationships between First Nation communities and the RCMP. The goal is to build safer communities for the residents and the RCMP members who work in those communities. “The federation, through its Special Investigations Unit, intends to resolve disputes at the First Nation community level when possible, and to prevent incidents that can potentially escalate into formal complaints.

“There is a story in every residential school survivor. There is a story in every residential school descendant. There is a story in every residential school brother and sister.  And those stories need to be heard.”
Chief Felix Thomas, Saskatoon Tribal Council

“The legacy we want to leave for our families is how we worked to understand the damage done to us. We are here to encourage other families to do the same.”
Aubrey Quewezance, Survivor

Power Engineering Magazine says a First Nations community on Vancouver Island has reliable power thanks to the connection of a new diesel/battery hybrid generating station and distribution system. The Uchucklesaht Tribe’s community of Elhlateese, accessible only by floatplane or an hour-long boat trip from Port Alberni along the Alberni Inlet, underwent upgrades as part of BC Hydro’s Remote Community Electrification Program. The community’s new electrical system went live on May 31.

Vice Chief Bobby Cameron, with the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations, and Louis Moubarak, president and chief executive officer for Canada World Youth, signed a memorandum of understanding July 11 that confirms their organizations’ commitment to get more First Nations youth involved in the CWY Program. “It’s about assessing the needs, understanding the needs and responding to the needs of Aboriginal youth so we can build good programming for Aboriginal youth in Saskatchewan and elsewhere in Canada,” said Moubarak.

Big Business says Aboriginal communities should be at the negotiating table and treated as equal partners when it comes to tapping the country’s natural-resource wealth, and business is hoping the federal and provincial governments can make that happen. A report from the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, release July 16 and prepared for provincial premiers, says governments should make Aboriginal communities full partners in developing energy and mining projects.

The Vernon Morning Star reports that the Vernon Farmers Market has teamed up with the First Nations Friendship Centre’s prenatal nutrition program to increase access to locally grown produce and food products. “We are proud to support the B.C. Association of Farmers’ Markets and the farmers’ market nutrition and coupon program, which is helping to improve the health of B.C. families by offering increased access to locally produced food for those in the most need,” said B.C.’s Health Minister Michael de Jong.

Wawatay News is reporting that oxycodone pills worth approximately $5,000 and bound for the Marten Falls First Nation were confiscated by Nishnawbe-Aski Police Services (NAPS) at Thunder Bay International Airport July 18. The NAPS Drug Unit was assisted by the NAPS Guns and Gangs Unit and the Ontario Provincial Police Drug Enforcement Section during the bust. Thirty-seven year-old Josie Baxter of Thunder Bay has been charged with Trafficking a Controlled Substance and Possession of a Controlled Substance for the Purpose of Trafficking.