Amy Malbeuf, a Métis artist from Rich Lake, was one of 10 artists chosen from across the country to participate in a display of contemporary Aboriginal art at the Gladstone Gallery, in the Thunderbird Aboriginal Arts, Culture and Entrepreneur Centre, in Toronto. Curated by Vanessa Dion Fletcher, the exhibit, which ran in November, explored the values and lessons from traditional oral culture in a modern context, using the Anishnawbe story of the Seven Grandfather Teachings as its central theme.

Northern Lakes College has expanded its dual credit programming to high school students in two more school divisions. A partnership between High Prairie School Division and Living Waters Catholic Regional Division in Slave Lake has now been struck. As of this February, the college will offer a total of five programs as part of its dual credit program: Emergency Medical Responder, Forestry and Harvesting Technician, Health Care Aide, Power Engineering 4th Class and Welding. “We are hoping this program will improve the transition rate from high school to post-secondary.

Sundance Energy Corp. is progressing on schedule towards drilling the first test well on its Alexander First Nations permit. Sundance has completed the required survey, is presently conducting the required environmental assessment and is in the process of obtaining a surface lease and a drilling license for the test well. Drilling operations on the Sundance 16-11 well are scheduled to get underway no later than mid- December. In addition, an environmental assessment for a proposed 69 square kilometre 3D seismic program on the Alexander lands is currently underway.

Highway 58 Garden River access road in northern Alberta has been upgraded to meet provincial highway standards. Work was done on 57.8 km of existing summer/winter road to allow all-season access. New bridges and culverts were built, 7 km of road constructed, and almost 29 hectares of existing summer/winter road corridors reclaimed. The upgraded road will allow easy access to Garden River and Fox Lake as well as extend provincial highway access to Wood Buffalo National Park.

Education Minister Thomas Lukaszuk plans to meet with Aboriginal leaders, school trustees and community members in the Northland School Division prior to deciding which of the 48 recommendations made by a government-appointed team will be implemented. The recommendations were as a result of consultation that took place in the 23 communities that have schools operated by NSD. The team was appointed in January 2010 by former education minister David Hancock and led by former Peace River School Division superintendent Dave van Tamelen.

Crystal Lameman-Cardinal, 29, and Chance McPherson, 18, from the Beaver Lake Cree Nation, were recently in the United Kingdom as part of a larger solidarity exchange project between the Beaver Lake Cree Nation and UK NGOs, The Cooperative, UK Tar Sands Network and Greenpeace UK. They took part in a week-long speaking tour of England, stopping in London, Oxford and Birmingham. The trip was organized by People and Planet, a UK student network campaigning against the oilsands.

Photo Caption: Yvonne Jobin of Moonstone Creation Native Gallery and Gift Shop offers classes in traditional beading, ceremonial drumming and medicine wheel teachings.

Artist teaches traditional design, spiritualism

Photo caption: Jason Goodstriker, former chief of the Kainai First Nation, addressed a panel on citizenship issues, talking about the challenges communities faced to elect strong leaders and to maintain safety.

Photo: Shari Narine

National forum on citizenship addresses complex issue

November 14-18 was Anti-Bullying Week and local advocate Kelly Girling seized the opportunity to launch VOICE: a Facebook webpage designed to strike back at what has become all too commonplace.

“There are a lot of victims of bullying that really don’t feel like they have an opportunity or a chance to be heard,” said Girling.

A Calgary college in partnership with a First Nations organization has launched an Aboriginal-focused addictions certificate program, which promises to provide cutting edge education and training for addiction councillors.

Bow Valley College and the Sunrise Native Addictions Services Society introduced the innovative program Nov. 14.