Regional office now on reserve

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Alberta chiefs and Elders were joined by members of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) national executive on Feb. 9 to mark the grand opening of the new AFN Alberta regional office.

AFN Vice-chief Jason Goodstriker invited National Chief Phil Fontaine and his executive to hold their first meeting of the New Year at the Tsuu T'ina First Nation, located on the southwest edge of the City of Calgary.

The executive meeting took place on Feb. 8. The next day, many members of the executive, including Fontaine, took part in the four-hour long grand opening that included a traditional pipe ceremony.

The new AFN Alberta office is located in the Chief Joseph Big Plume Building, the Tsuu T'ina band office, an impressive building that is also home to Indian Oil and Gas Canada.

"We're honored to be out on Tsuu T'ina Nation lands and look forward to a long lasting relationship between the nation and the Assembly of First Nations. This pipe ceremony represents peace and goodwill towards one another," said Goodstriker.

About a dozen chiefs and Elders sat in a circle inside a full-sized tipi that was erected in the central foyer of the building. AFN Elders Billy Two Rivers and Elmer Courchene, along with Elders from the province of Alberta, joined the chiefs.

After the pipe ceremony, most participants spoke to the gathering, which included community members and Tsuu T'ina First Nation employees.

Having the AFN office located on reserve was seen as a good thing by Alexis First Nation Chief Rod Alexis.

"It connects the grassroots people, setting up the office here," he said.

Fontaine said the ceremony "topped off a very special two days for us."