A giant wall mural painted by nine young artists from Saskatoon Community Youth Arts Programming (SCYAP) Inc. was unveiled on the north inside wall of the Saskatoon Food Bank on April 30.

The mural, 22 feet high x 39 feet wide, features a scene of an urban wall and windows dissolving into a beautiful outdoor scene.  Conceived in partnership with the Food Bank, the artwork is a community gift from the SCYAP Urban Canvas IX Project team.

More funds for resource and energy program

First Nations and Métis communities in the province can expect to be more ‘business ready’ in the next three years as the Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) is expanding resource and energy program with a $3.7 million boost in funds.

Minister of INAC, Chuck Strahl, stated in an April press release that the contribution to Westcap Mgt Ltd brings help to eight additional First Nation and Métis communities to take part in the company’s Business Ready Investment Development Gateway (BRIDG) initiative.

Thompson Rivers University’s Open Learning division has recognized the achievements of a national leader in Aboriginal education with an honorary doctorate in letters bestowed in Burnaby on June 15.
Nathan Matthew is a member of the Simpcw Nation. He attended the University of British Columbia, where he graduated with a bachelor of recreation education degree in 1972. He then went on to earn another bachelor’s degree, education professional, in 1978.

The basic problem of the Native people of Canada is colonialism. This is the underlying problem of Native grievances. This is the government of Canada’s Indian problem. Jean Chretien, the prime minister during the years 1993 to 2003 realized this way back in 1969 when he was minister of Indian Affairs, when he presented the Indian policy statement in parliament, although he never mentioned colonialism.

Dear Tuma:
Can an office staff person contact maintenance enforcement without an employee’s written consent and inform enforcement that the employee has started working full time? What about when the employee is in arrears? What about the staff from the welfare office? Can they request information about the new employee’s income without the employee’s consent? Does the staff have to confirm that there is written consent before giving out information?
Between A Rock and a Hard Place

I remember seeing the New Zealand film Once Were Warriors, and noticing it had an odd, uncomfortable resonance in my First Nations soul, even though it was a Maori story. Same with Rabbit Proof Fence, a movie about Australian Aboriginal children. All were films about different cultures that impacted me on a surprisingly Ojibway level. Little did I realize I was doing much the same thing with my own writing.

After more than a decade of international intrigue, the United Nations draft declaration on Indigenous rights will finally go before the UN general assembly for ratification later this year, despite the efforts of Canadian government representatives.
The June 29 vote of the new 47-member United Nations Human Rights Council, which replaces the much criticized UN Human Rights Commission, was 30 in favor and two against, with 12 abstentions and three countries absent.

A fledging organization that promises to combine the best programming of western Canada’s Aboriginal broadcast stations has an exciting vision. Barry Walls, general manager for station CFNR in British Columbia, which plays classic rock to 30,000 people in Terrace, Kitimat and Prince Rupert areas, said that the four western provinces have a wealth of Aboriginal programming.

A fledging organization that promises to combine the best programming of western Canada’s Aboriginal broadcast stations has an exciting vision. Barry Walls, general manager for station CFNR in British Columbia, which plays classic rock to 30,000 people in Terrace, Kitimat and Prince Rupert areas, said that the four western provinces have a wealth of Aboriginal programming.

Of course the teams participating in the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) wanted to win as many medals as they could for their regions, but athletes, coaches and supporters say there is much more to the games than the hardware.