Alberta News Briefs [August]

Unique partnership offer enhanced learning

(From left) Dr. Trent Keough, president of Portage College, Paul Ponich, board chair of Aspen View School Division, and Dermod Madden, superintendent Aspen View Schools sign the memorandum of understanding that offers apprenticeship carpentry and welding to Aspen View students.  Through this partnership, high school students at the Boyle and Edwin Par schools will receive apprenticeship welding and students at H.A. Kostash School in Smoky Lake, and Thorhild Central School will receive apprenticeship carpentry. The enhanced learning opportunities will be taught by qualified journeyman through Portage College. At the end of the training period students will be eligible to write their first year apprenticeship exam.

New minister for INAC

Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s latest cabinet shuffle sees a new minister for Indian and Northern Affairs. Chuck Strahl has been replaced by parliamentary secretary to the ministry and British Columbia MP John Duncan. Strahl moves into Transportation, replacing Chuck Baird as minister. Baird is now house leader. Clement Chartier, president of the Métis National Council, speaking at an Métis assembly in Wabasca, expressed his disappointment with the change, saying he hoped building a relationship with Duncan wouldn’t have to start from the beginning. “Hopefully we can continue where we left off with (Minister) Strahl,” said Chartier.

NSD gets new superintendent

Dr. Donna Barrett will become the new superintendent for Northland School Division on Sept. 1. Barrett has served the past nine years as assistant superintendent with Edmonton Public Schools. In a news release issued by NSD, Colin Kelly, official trustee for Northland, said, “Donna was selected from a group of several outstanding candidates. Her strong interpersonal skills, her focus on students and continuous improvement, her strong work ethic and her care and sensitivity to cultural and other differences will move Northland School Division forward.”
Kelly said he was confident Barrett could take the necessary steps to implement changes recommended by a special committee, also appointed by the provincial government. Education Minister David Hancock disbanded Northland corporate school board in mid-January and appointed Kelly.

Disaster recovery funding to help with flooding

Two new provincial disaster recovery programs totaling $203.5-million were recently announced to help with flooding and severe weather in southern Alberta. Blood Tribe and Piikani First Nations will be among those to receive part of the $200-million 2010 Southern Alberta Disaster Recovery Program, which will provide assistance for severe overland flooding that followed a series of intense rainstorms from June 15-21. The Blood Tribe will also receive part of the $3.5-million 2010 Spring South Eastern Alberta Disaster Recovery Program, which will provide assistance for overland flooding caused by extreme amounts of snow and rain from April 13-May 31.

Exhibits at Whyte Museum in Banff

Two exhibits with First Nations appeal will run through until early October at the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies in Banff. The exhibits are entitled Grizzly! and Spirit of the Land and People. Grizzly! features images and stories from the Whyte Museum’s collection of art, artifacts, and archival material related to grizzly bears. Following the tracks of grizzly bears through their part of the Whyte Museum’s collection illuminates a diverse range of relationships throughout time. Spirit of the Land and People was developed in consultation with First Nations Elders. This exhibition honours Peter and Catharine Whyte’s relationship with First Nations people throughout their lives in the Canadian Rockies. The exhibition highlights the life of their close friend Chief Walking Buffalo, who through his work as a peace activist, created important bridges between cultures.

Provincial funding to address safety issues in Fort McMurray area

Two Fort McMurray projects recently received funding through Alberta’s Safe Communities Innovation Fund and are aimed at improving the safety and security of Fort McMurray communities and provide opportunities for Aboriginal youth. The Royal Conservatory, in partnership with Suncor Energy Foundation, received $1.3 million for Learning though the Arts, which will address the involvement of Aboriginal youth living in the Fort McMurray region in criminal activity, especially gang-related activity. This pilot project will deliver culturally appropriate arts-based, in-school and after-school programming for Aboriginal youth attending high school or preparing for high school in Fort McMurray and nearby communities. The goal is to increase attendance and boost academic performance and participation in after-school programming. The second project is Wood Buffalo Crime Prevention and Reduction Plan, which saw $75,000 presented to the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo to work with local partners including RCMP and Safe Communities Wood Buffalo. This project offers a comprehensive tool kit for improving the overall safety and security of the community. The plan offers strategies and policies to aid municipal staff in the development of safer public spaces.

Housing funding for First Nations

The Alexis Nakota Sioux and Paul First Nations have received federal government funding through Canada’s Economic Action Plan with $50 million in federal investments made available to First Nations in Alberta to address immediate housing needs. The Alexis band received $124,864 to retrofit five housing units on reserve, while the Paul band is in receipt of $1.6 million, with $182,470 to retrofit 10 existing units and $1,440,000 to construct five new units on reserve.

ACE applies for Pepsi funding
Voters have until Aug. 31to support a proposal put forward by ACE to garner funding through the Pepsi Refresh Project. ACE has applied for $100,000 to sponsor a music and dance tour in Aboriginal communities. Funding will be determined by public votes. If the project wins, seven Aboriginal communities will have a chance for free four days of music and dance workshops with professional artists. ACE (Active, Creative and Engaged) Communities is a community development initiative of the Alberta Recreation and Parks Association. ACE works to enhance the quality of life in rural Alberta by strengthening community leadership and collaboration through recreation, parks, arts, culture and heritage. Voting can take place every day by connecting to www.refresheverything.ca/albertanaboriginalartstour.

Residential schools form part of NSI online shorts

A short film about the residential school system by a Calgary filmmaker is among 24 new short films from Canadian directors that have been selected for the NSI Online Short Film Festival hosted by the National Screen Institute – Canada covering such topics as zombies, tsetse flies and horse-rescue. Against the Grain: The Legacy of the Indian Residential School System is directed by Calgary filmmaker Curtis Mandeville. The legacy of the Indian Residential School system is explored, looking at its past history, present conditions and hopes for the future. The film is scheduled to air the week of August 30. The NSI is a national training school widely known for its prestigious training programs for Canadian writers, directors and producers working in film and television.
    
Cree prayer book translated, published

A prayer book written in Cree by Oblate Father Emile Grouard, who came to the Canadian Northwest in the mid-19th century, has been republished in English translation accompanied by the original Cree. Under the direction of Linda Cameron, the University of Alberta Press unveiled The Beginning of Print Culture in Athabasca Country in June. The prayer book in Cree was published in the 1880s and was the first book ever published in Alberta. Grouard spent a decade at Fort Chipewyan before returning to the Canadian West, bringing with him a small hand printing press. He served as bishop for northern Alberta and much of the Northwest Territories from 1890 until his death in 1929. Grouard, who wrote the book using Cree syllabics, had an aptitude for languages. He learned to speak several First Nations languages fluently. The translation of the text from Cree to English was a collaborative effort, involving Patricia Demers, an English professor at the University of Alberta; Naomi McIlwraith, a poet who writes in both Cree and English, and is an advisor to Aboriginal studies at Grant MacEwan University; and Dorothy Thunder, a Cree-language specialist from the faculty of native studies at the U of A.

Compiled by Shari Narine