Dancers of all ages and dressed in bright regalia helped make the celebration at Bar U Ranch a success.

Photo: Parks Canada, Bar U Ranch National Historic Site

Bar U Ranch salutes First Nations

“My grandmother always wanted one of her granddaughters to try out to be a princess,” Eva Meguinis said. “I also always wanted to be a princess. Being royalty is celebrated at community (level) as well, and not just at the Stampede.”

On Sept, 18, Meguinis’ term as the Calgary Stampede Indian Princess for 2011 officially ends. Meguinis will keep her crown and only pass on her title.

“I dedicated my whole life for the whole year. It changed my life immensely. The crown always (came) first,” Meguinis said.

Dr. Brian Wong worked hard on Aug. 20 providing free dental services. There was already a line-up at his office on Whyte Avenue when he arrived in the morning.

Second annual free dental services provided

A chance conversation on an airplane trip has resulted in a win-win venture for the Métis Capital Housing Corp. and the Holmes Group.

Hope that a federal judge’s decision would force help for woodland caribou in northeastern Alberta was dashed late August when Environment Canada released its draft Caribou Recovery Strategy.

“It doesn’t put anything in place. Basically it just caters to industry and goes to show the federal government and the provincial government both walk hand-in-hand with industry when it comes to development in those areas,” said Chief Allan Adam of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation.

Woodland Cree Chief William Whitehead is contemplating court action if Plains Midstream Canada starts operating Rainbow pipeline now that the company has received the go-ahead from the Energy Resources Conservation Board.

“We’ve talked to our lawyers already. Our lawyers are going to send (Plains) a letter saying, No, you can’t do that. You can’t turn on the line before the clean up is done,” said Whitehead. “If they don’t cooperate with us, if they try to do things on their own, they might have to end up in court.”

Input from First Nations in two drafts of the Lower Athabasca Regional Plan has seen little movement in the document that will go before Cabinet.

“Now it’s time for us to start putting legal action in place. We’re going forward with a case. We’re not holding back,” said Chief Allan Adam of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation.

Dean Lindsay may have been shut out from the nomination process but he hasn’t been shut down by the Métis Nation of Alberta.

“The more I do, it seems the bigger the wall is,” said Lindsay, who claimed the nomination process was unfairly skewed so his name would not appear on the ballot. “They think I’m done, they’re wrong.”

Lindsay intended to challenge Bev New as president of Region 5 (Slave Lake area). Instead, voters only had two choices and they returned New as president by a vote of 104 to 92 over Kim Courtoreille on Sept. 6, election night.

Upon accepting his certificate of completion from the Grande Prairie Regional College’s Aboriginal Student Job Shadow Program, graduate Shawn Randle shook hands with Joan Goldhawk of Alberta Employment and Immigration and Lorna Thiessen, education director with Western Cree Tribal Council.

GPRC shadow program gives much needed experience

Celebrations bring with it good food

Nora Yellowknee prepares food at the traditional camp fires as August Yellowknee and family look on and visit. It was all part of Bigstone Cree Day celebrations in July in Wabasca.

Photo: Denis Carnochan