October 23, 2015.

First Nations leaders are wary of the announcement made this morning by Health Minister Sarah Hoffman of membership to the new Alberta Health Services board.

Treaty
6 Grand Chief Bernice Martial says she has had no discussions with the minister, while Treaty 8 Grand Chief Steve Courtoreille said he only spoke to Hoffman yesterday about the board.

October 22, 2015.

October 21, 2015. Cold Lake First Nation Chief Bernice Martial says her members turned out in record numbers to vote. A polling station was located on the Nation and 355 members cast their ballots on reserve while other members voted at other polling stations due to their designated election registration cards. "This was the best turn out historically, for first time voters and returning voters from our Nation,” said Martial in a statement. “We encouraged our Cold Lake First Nations members to vote, as our voice matters and we are dual citizens.

October 22, 2015

Alberta’s new ministry of economic development and trade will present a coordinated effort to diversify the province’s economy.

“A vibrantly diverse economy can provide rewarding jobs and the benefit of prosperity for all Albertans, women and men, Indigenous and new Canadians, and people with physical or other challenges,” said Deron Bilous, who was appointed by Premier Rachel Notley to the new position in a minor Cabinet shuffle this morning.

Expectations are high following the Liberals overwhelming federal election victory Oct. 19. Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde says Prime Minister-Elect Justin Trudeau needs to deliver if Canada is going to “win as a country.”

Ontario Minister of Aboriginal Affairs David Zimmer helped celebrate the installation of a traditional tipi at Seneca College’s Newnham Campus in Toronto on Oct. 15. The tipi was designated a sacred space where teachings will be provided and traditional ceremonies performed.

While thanking Seneca for its role as a leading Ontario college, Zimmer also acknowledged the campus as the ancestral territory of the Mississauga New Credit First Nation.

During the event, Seneca President David Agnew stressed the significance of Seneca’s connection to Canada’s First Nations people. 

Esquimalt First Nations Chief Andrew Thomas and his wife, Mary Anne, have been charged with animal cruelty. It is alleged by the BC SPCA that the couple failed to provide veterinary care for their dog Chewy, a Shih tzu, causing pain, suffering or injury to an animal and neglecting or failing to provide necessities. In July, the BC SPCA responded to a call about a dog tethered outside a home, though the organization was unable to contact the owners. The next day, someone took the dog to the vet, and while the injuries were treatable, the owners chose to have Chewy euthanized.

The  22-year-old male who died after he injured 11 people at the office of Bridge River Indian Band was overwhelmed by his life and lashed out, said Chief Susan James. She said band staff were working to find stable housing and a way to pay his rent. He walked into the band office and began attacking people with a weapon, and was subdued. Two victims were sent to hospital where they were in critical conditions, and two others with serious injuries.

British Columbia has responded to the failures of the Ministry of Children and Family Development as outlined in the report Paige’s Story from the Representative for Children and Youth. Paige was a 19-year-old Aboriginal girl living in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside when a drug overdose caused her death. “But it was actually years of abuse and neglect, persistent inaction from front-line professionals and an indifferent social care system that led to this young woman’s demise,” reads the preamble to the report.

A land transfer agreement through an incremental treaty with British Columbia supports cultural, social and economic opportunities for the Haisla Nation. Under the agreement, about 120 hectares of Crown land will be transferred to the Haisla. The land lies in the heart of Haisla territory between Kitamaat Village and Walth reserve on the Douglas Channel, and will connect the two reserves. The transfer will allow the expansion of housing, as well as commercial and public spaces. The Haisla agreement is the 18th incremental treaty agreement in B.C.