Two years after Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued his apology for the government’s role in residential schools, close to 4,000 people, mostly Aboriginal, gathered in Ottawa to participate in the National Forgiven Summit.

THE CALGARY HERALD IS REPORTING THAT
Dr. Melvyn Lavallee is suing the Siksika Nation Tribal Administration, its health services and a senior manager of Siksika Health Services for damages for wrongful breach of contract and defamation. The paper reports the doctor’s trouble stems from Siksika’s response to an interview he did with Windspeaker in 2004.

After one month of settling into his new position as Chair of the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce, Richard Ahenakew knows exactly what he hopes to accomplish.

The Prince Albert businessman and member of Ahtahkakoop First Nation is determined to provide Aboriginal business owners with a platform to help advance Saskatchewan’s Aboriginal population.

“As a First Nations person, I definitely want to do my best to help our Chiefs with bringing First Nations people forward in Saskatchewan,” said Ahenakew, who was elected into his role May 6.

Officials behind an ambitious plan by a Canadian mining company have reached out to Aboriginal people as it gets closer to opening Saskatchewan’s first diamond mine.
Sturgeon Lake First Nation and Red Earth Cree Nation both signed deals with Shore Gold Inc. at a May 12 signing ceremony in Nipawin.

Signatories hope the agreement will prevent conflict as the Shore Gold forges ahead with plans to open a mine in the Fort à la Corne region in central Saskatchewan, approximately 60 kilometres east of Prince Albert.

At a press event on May 11 for Wapos Bay, producers Anand Ramayya and Dennis Jackson publicly announced that the award winning animation series is coming to an end after its fifth and final season this year.

“It’s been a long journey for us,” said Ramayya of their start in 2003 with a pilot episode and the eventual development to a series that began airing in 2005.

“In the last five years we’ve done over $11 million dollars of production in Saskatoon. And we’ve employed over 50 people every single year. We’re really proud and happy for what we’re doing,” he added.

For the third straight year an Aboriginal boys’ hockey team from Saskatchewan won a national title.
The Saskatchewan team captured its latest crown on May 8 with a convincing 8-1 win over Manitoba in the gold-medal contest at the National Aboriginal Hockey Championship (NAHC), which was held in Ottawa.

As for the Saskatchewan girls’ team, it just missed out on capturing some hardware. The team was downed 8-3 by Ontario South in its bronze-medal game. Manitoba won the girls’ title, edging Ontario North 2-1 in the championship final.

It was an award-winning year for Tom Gardipy Jr. in 2009. And early indications are 2010 might be even better for the 50-year-old horse trainer from the Beardy’s First Nation in Saskatchewan.

Gardipy Jr., who is Cree, ended up in a tie for first place as being the trainer with the most wins during the 2009 season at Winnipeg’s Assiniboia Downs.

The 2009 Saskatchewan Book Award winners shared their works at a full house during a May 12 lunch hour reading at the Legislative Library in Regina. Aboriginal authors at the event were Métis writers Jo-Ann Episkenew and Wilfred Burton.

James Smith Cree Nation, Chakastaypasin Band of the Cree, and Peter Chapman First Nations have signed an agreement with SaskPower towards a potential $12 million hydro dam located downstream from the forks of the North and South Saskatchewan Rivers.

The Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN) is trying to convince the government of Saskatchewan to stop issuing permits on traditional land, but the message is falling on deaf ears.

FSIN organized a rally in front of the Saskatchewan legislative building in Regina on May 18. They demanded that the provincial government revoke the 30 permits issued to companies on land around George Gordon First Nation (GGFN).