Edmonton News Briefs -August, 2015

MNA, Fort Edmonton Park sign agreement

Métis Nation of Alberta president Audrey Poitras and Fort Edmonton Management Company board chair Doug Goss signed a memorandum of understanding and cooperation on Aug. 7 that represents a significant step forward between the MNA and the park. The MOU commits the two organizations to working together in the spirit of reconciliation by creating and delivering authentic, historically accurate and engaging programming about the Métis at Fort Edmonton Park. In January, the park entered into a similar memorandum of understanding with the Confederacy of Treaty 6 Nations, committing to the accurate telling of the First Nations story. In a survey commissioned by Alberta Venture earlier this year to identify organizations in Alberta that have earned the respect of both the business community and consumers, Fort Edmonton Park ranked first among Edmonton attractions and is part of the top 25 most reputable businesses overall. The survey included 1,500 consumers and business people. 

Contest-created art pieces to be exchanged on Treaty Six Recognition Day

Two art pieces created by residents of Alberta’s Treaty Six territory will be exchanged as gifts between the Grand Chief and the Edmonton mayor as a symbol of their shared commitment to nation-to-nation collaboration, goodwill and respect. The exchange will take place as part of the 2015 Treaty Six Recognition Day on Aug. 21. The art pieces, entered as part of an art contest, reflect the theme, “Reconciliation: We are all Treaty 6 People.” The contest encouraged residents of all skills and abilities to express their ideas on what reconciliation means to them. In addition, the chosen artists receive $500 each. The artworks will be displayed at the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations office and at City Hall. Treaty Six Recognition Day, created in 2013, acknowledges Edmonton’s connection with the First Peoples of the land.

U of A to use artwork for curriculum study

The faculty of Native studies at the University of Alberta is looking for an Indigenous artist or group of Indigenous artists to create four to six original works to be purchased for use as backgrounds and associated merchandise for the massive online open course that is being developed. Artists have until Sept. 15 to submit their work. The curriculum and stories to be included in the art work have been provided. Each illustration will incorporate a scene that depicts several important ideas/facts/events all at once. These highly detailed illustrations (which could be in the form of paintings, drawings, digital, or multimedia) will be used as overall backgrounds for ‘green-screened’ video lecture presenters, as well as the smaller detailed scenes of historical periods pulled out to teach the course, Indigenous Canada, which is set to launch in September 2016.

HER Pregnancy success results in additional funding

Healthy, Empowered and Resilient hor HER Pregnancy will be receiving $200,000 from the NDP government on top of the $1.4 million over three years committed by the PC’s in 2014.  HER, an aggressive outreach program for pregnant women living on the streets is based out of Boyle Street Community Services’ Streetworks program downtown. Ninety per cent of HER clients are Aboriginal while 50 per cent of Streetworks’ staff is Aboriginal. Part of the program’s success is the shared Indigenous experience. In an independent review of the agency, Children’s Services predicted that 95 to 100 per cent of HER’s clients would have lost their children to apprehension. Instead, 52 per cent of those women are successfully parenting. HER employs three pregnancy support workers, two registered nurses, and a social worker. Clients are helped to make key decisions early in the pregnancy and supported in those decisions. The program approaches prenatal care from a harm-reduction standpoint instead of abstinence-based. The program is housed in a small two-room facility, one room for pregnancy and the other for nursing.

Edmonton Folk Fest takes pre-emptive move and bans headdresses

The Edmonton Folk Music Festival took a pro-active stand banning headdresses on site. While no one has ever worn a headdress at the event, festival producer Terry Wickham said he wanted to make sure people knew it was inappropriate. “It’s an obvious case of common sense and respect. Even on a practical level, headdresses aren’t good at a festival because you can’t see over them. But that’s not why we’re doing this. These are something Indigenous people wore as an honour, as something sacred. They’re not something you just wear for fun,” Wickham told the Edmonton Journal. He also said he plans to work harder to incorporate local Indigenous culture and music into the festival. Edmonton’s ban follows an outcry when a non-Aboriginal woman wore a headdress with face paint at the Winnipeg Folk Festival. The first ban of headdresses occurred two years ago at the Tall Tree festival in Vancouver.

Federal funding to help youth transition into work force

The federal government’s Youth Employment Strategy will provide Edmonton City Centre Church Corporation with $150,000 to deliver a project

for 125 youth. This project will help young people successfully transition to the job market or return to school. Project participants will improve skills in areas such as career planning and customer relations. Participants will also gain work experience with local employers in the food and service or hospitality industries.

Photo Caption: Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson (right) watches on as Doug Goss and Audrey Poitras sign an agreement which commits Fort Edmonton Park to providing an accurate account of the Métis story.