The summer of 2017 may seem far away, but not for officials from the Aboriginal Sport and Wellness Council of Ontario (ASWCO) who needs to prepare numerous details in order to host the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) that year.

This past June, the NAIG Board of Directors awarded the 2017 Games to Toronto, in a bid that was led by ASWCO and the Mississaugas of New Credit First Nation.

ASWCO president Marc Laliberte said there is still plenty of work to do, even now, to prepare for the Games.

New textbook gives Indigenous perspectives on health

Editor wrote ‘Indians are passé’ on author’s manuscript

In an era when few Aboriginal books were written by First Nations, Métis or Inuit authors, publishers almost rejected Basil Johnston’s first manuscripts.

Former television reporter Sheila North Wilson is the new grand chief for Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak. North Wilson, of Bunibonibee Cree Nation, beat William Elvis Thomas of Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation, in a second ballot after Tyler Duncan of Norway House Cree Nation withdrew. The vote was held Sept. 2 in Nelson House. Incumbent David Harper, who was seeking his third term, finished last after a first ballot of voting. The 30 sovereign MKO First Nations are signatory to Treaties 4, 5, 6 and 10.

Justice Murray Sinclair is the recipient of the†University of Winnipeg’s 2015 Duff Roblin Award. Sinclair was awarded an honourary Doctor of Laws from UWinnipeg in 2011 recognizing his distinguished career and life devoted to public service. Sinclair was appointed chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2009, and in this ground-breaking role, created the first comprehensive report on the Indian residential school system in Canada.

The Manto Sipi Cree Nation filed a statement of claim Sept. 9 in the Manitoba Court of Queen’s Bench against the province of Manitoba. The claim centres on the failure of the province to resolve outstanding mining claims that encumber ancestral lands selected by the First Nation and that should be acquired and converted to reserve land. Manto Sipi Cree Nation alleges that Manitoba failed to uphold the honour of the Crown and to properly implement the First Nation’s outstanding treaty land entitlement under Treaty No. 5.

The Indigenous Council on Policing and Crime Prevention, which was established by resolution last December by the Winnipeg Police Board, has finally had members appointed. The council’s mandate is to provide information, knowledge and advice to the board related to Indigenous people’s safety concerns and the priorities, objectives and policies the board sets for the Winnipeg Police Service. Consultation with the Indigenous community and nominations led to the appointment of 15 members and two alternates.

For the fall 2015 semester, the proportion of self-identifying Indigenous students enrolled at the University of Winnipeg rose to 12 per cent, up from 10 per cent the previous year. The total number of students enrolled at the university stands at 9,487 and the UWinnipeg is claiming one of the highest proportions of First Nations, Metis and Inuit students in Canada.