February 29, 2016. The state funeral for former Premier Don Getty will be held this Saturday at the All Saints Cathedral in downtown Edmonton. Getty passed away on Feb. 26 at the age of 82. The former Edmonton Eskimos quarterback and leader of the Progressive Conservatives served as premier from 1985 to 1992. Praise for Getty came from leaders of all political stripes. Premier Rachel Notley called Getty “a dedicated Albertan.

“If Canada can’t bring First World Canada to all the communities within its borders, does it deserve those borders?” This statement by APTN host Michael Hutchinson, as part of the Feb. 23rd segment of The Laughing Drum, provides some interesting grist for the proverbial mill.

Inquest shows poor training, poor jail conditions

An inquest report into the death of Brian McPherson, 44, who died in the early morning hours of Aug. 27, 2011, while in custody at the Garden Hill band constable holding cells, says the holding cell was in poor condition, far too small and overcrowded.

Activist had huge FBI file

Lakota activist and poet John Trudell said that when he buried his wife and three children, he became the earth that received them.

His family, along with his mother-in-law, died in a house fire he maintained to his death was set by the FBI in 1979 to silence him and AIM, the American Indian Movement.

PhD candidate Kyle Bobiwash is one of 25 Aboriginal students who received the 2015 Irving K. Barber Aboriginal Student Graduate Award. With the $5,000 renewable award Bobiwash, 31, is free to undertake his doctoral research in pollination at Simon Fraser University without having to worry about working on the side.

“It’s a full-time job,” says Bobiwash, “I’m working at it from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. – they’re full days. It would be difficult to manage my workload and have to work as well.”

Despite a considerably increased workload, Caitlyn Lahonen has certainly been shining in her fifth and final season of eligibility in the university women’s hockey ranks.

Lahonen, who is Metis, is a goaltender with the Queen’s University Gaels women’s squad. She entered the 2015-16 campaign as one of three netminders on the roster of the club, based in Kingston, Ont.

Haitian Native banned from tournament

A 20-year-old who was raised by a family in British Columbia’s Heiltsuk First Nation is disappointed he was banned from participating in a recent All Native Basketball Tournament.

Organizers of the event, which concluded on Feb. 13 in Prince Rupert, B.C., would not allow Josiah Wilson to compete.

That’s because Wilson, who wanted to play for the Heiltsuk Wolf Pack, was born in Haiti. He was adopted in his homeland when he was five months old by a Heiltsuk doctor.

Inuit healing centre slated to close

 Lack of funding will force the closure in March of Mamisarvik Healing Centre, one of only two Inuit-specific treatment centres in the country. The centre, located in Ottawa’s east end, has treated 723 people since opening in 2003 and is said to have been instrumental in preventing dozens of suicides.

Six Nations Polytechnic will be the first Aboriginal institute in the province to offer a standalone degree program. As of January 2016, students at Six Nations Polytechnic Aboriginal Institute in Ohsweken can obtain a Bachelor of arts degree in Ogwehoweh (Cayuga and Mohawk) languages. This degree will help promote and protect Ogwehoweh languages and make it possible for students to complete their degree at one institution and closer to home.