Edmonton News Briefs - November 2013

Rally to protest Edmonton Public School cuts

Cuts by Edmonton Public Schools of three Aboriginal liaison positions were among the reasons protestors took to the streets at a recent Idle No More rally. “The Aboriginal liaisons play a key role in every school, and even so much so that a lot of kids won’t even want to go to school if there is no Aboriginal liaison there,” said rally organizer Alana Boysis. Parents say the absence of the three positions will have an impact on Aboriginal students.

Friedland wins SSHRC award

Legal scholar Hadley Friedland of the University of Alberta was one of five scholars from Canadian universities to have received prestigious Impact Awards from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council for their achievements in research, research training, knowledge mobilization and outreach activities. Friedland received $50,000 through the Talent Award. Her goal was that one day Aboriginal laws would be given the same respect and authority as Canada’s Common Law or Quebec’s civil code. To that end, she developed a method for investigating Indigenous legal principles with the same rigour that is required for engaging with federal and provincial laws. Her master’s thesis is now required course reading at the University of Victoria, York University’s Osgoode Hall Law School, the University of Minnesota, and the University of Alberta. Winners were selected by a jury from among a highly competitive list of candidates submitted by Canadian postsecondary institutions.

Forum to exchange ideas on how to end homelessness

Researchers, service providers, and policy makers from across northern Alberta will be gathering at the Edmonton Clinic Health Academy at the University of Alberta on Nov. 12 to continue work on how to end homelessness. Among the goals established for the one-day Knowledge Exchange forum are how to mobilize community and academic knowledge to drive policy and practice; how to strengthen connections between researchers, evaluators, and the frontline; and how to create regional and provincial networks to foster collaboration on research and evaluation. Alberta is presently in its fourth year of a 10-year plan to end homelessness.

Inuit work showcased

Enterprise Square Galleries is home to an Inuit art exhibit until Dec. 21. Sanaunguabik, the Inuktitut word for “a place where small things are made,” explores the history of the studio movement in the Canadian Arctic. This exhibition traces the development of Inuit art over 65 years and features nearly 100 works in print, sculpture, textile, and video, primarily drawn from the University of Alberta’s Art Collection, accentuated by loans from public and private collections across Canada.

Trade Winds wins Senator Chalifoux award

The Edmonton office of Trade Winds to Success has been awarded the 2013 Senator Thelma Chalifoux Award for its commitment to Aboriginal student success. Trade Winds to Success is a 14-16 week Aboriginal pre-apprentice training program that works with unemployed, under-employed and employment-threatened people. Through the program, students receive their safety tickets to become employment ready. Trade Winds to Success also offers participants academic upgrading to prepare them for post-secondary technical training if required. Students are encouraged to think about their long-term career goals in the trades. Over the past seven years, nearly 600 students in Edmonton and Calgary have completed Trade Winds to Success training. Of these, 560 have already successfully gained employment. The Senator Thelma Chalifoux Award, introduced in 2000, honours Chalifoux’s ongoing support of Aboriginal technical education. The award is presented annually by NAIT.

Compiled by Shari Narine