Rural Alberta Development Fund has awarded $900,000 to an agricultural education program aimed at providing students with entrepreneurial, leadership and business management skills. Led by the Fort Vermilion School Division, the Rocky Lane School Agricultural Program will offer off-campus learning opportunities through the operation of a farm/ranch as part of the provincial curriculum, while creating a collaborative framework between the school and neighbouring farming and First Nations communities.

The Métis Nation of Alberta and the University of Lethbridge have established a $1 million endowment fund for Métis students. The endowment was created by a donation of $500,000 from the MNA’s Métis Education Foundation and matching contributions from the U of L.

The Driftpile Cree Nation and PTI Group have signed an exclusive business relationship and strategic alliance agreement. PTI will work with Driftpile Cree Nation to provide workforce accommodations and catering services to companies operating in the Lesser Slave Lake Area. PTI and Driftpile will also collaborate on developing training and employment opportunities for those interested in a career in hospitality or food services and on ensuring that local businesses are informed of contractual opportunities.

The Elizabeth Métis Settlement and Habitat for Humanity Edmonton have signed a first-of-its-kind agreement to provide the Habitat program to MÈtis families on the settlement. Skyrider Developments will build three of the four duplexes and provide the duplexes at a greatly reduced rate to settlement members who will then donate the homes to HFHE. The fourth duplex will be built by HFHE who will oversee all the interest-free mortgage payments that all eight families will pay and will reinvest those mortgage payments into more Habitat homes for MÈtis families.

First Nations from Alberta and the Northwest Territories recently added their names and support to a formal declaration opposing the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline and supertankers project. The Save the Fraser Declaration, created by Yinka Dene Alliance, which is made up of six Nations in northern British Columbia, is a formal legal declaration that protects the critical salmon rivers and the Pacific North Coast from the threat of oil spills posed by the proposed Enbridge oil pipeline and supertankers.

The Métis Nation of Alberta has been granted leave to appeal in the Hirsekorn case. The decision was released Jan. 23 by Madame Justice Constance Hunt of the Alberta Court of Appeal in Calgary. The R. v. Hirsekorn case was initiated as a test case as part of the Métis Nation’s strategy to further Métis harvesting rights. “In her reasons for judgement, Justice Hunt clearly recognizes that this is a case about fulfilling the promise of section 35(1) of the Constitution Act, 1982 to Alberta Métis,” Audrey Poitras, president of the MNA, said in a news release.

The University of Alberta started a unique certificate program for Aboriginal sport and recreation this past fall.

“The program has already had students enrolling in the certificate program, which has provided excitement,” said Tara-Leigh McHugh, assistant frofessor for the faculty of Physical Education and Recreation.

The Aboriginal sports and recreation certificate program is a joint venture between the faculty of Native American Studies and the faculty of Physical Education and Recreation.

The medal count will in all likelihood be down.
And though it will not have as many participants as last time, Jerry George, the chef de mission for the Alberta North squad, believes his side is still capable of registering a second-place finish at this year’s Arctic Winter Games.

The games, which will be staged in Whitehorse, are scheduled for Mar. 4-10.

Alberta North will send a contingent of about 225 to Whitehorse.  About 190 of those will be athletes and the remainder coaches and support staff.

Rupertsland Institute has begun another free transition program in the hopes of getting more Métis students into the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology.

The Health Sciences Transition Program began in February and goes through until September. It is aimed at Métis ages 18-30, who are interested in a post-secondary health- related program at NAIT. Those that successfully complete the transition program can then be accepted into NAIT.