Sweetgrass and CFWE news - March 21, 2016

Rail company says First Nations would have equity ownership in project

March 21, 2016. Rail company G Seven Generations Ltd. will launch a feasibility study this spring to examine sending oilsands bitumen from Fort McMurray to Alaska via rail. The oil will then move in an existing pipeline from Delta Junction, in the Alaska interior, to the port of Valdez, where it would be loaded onto tankers and shipped to Asia. The railway would run about 2,400 kilometres. Under G Seven Generations Ltd. proposal, First Nations would hold a 50 per cent equity ownership stake in the project. CEO Matt Vickers, who has northwestern B.C. First Nations roots, said early consultations with Indigenous peoples along the railway's proposed route is key to the process. A preliminary study undertaken by the Van Horne Institute last month found there's merit to the idea. The next step will involve doing a detailed feasibility study to narrow down the railway's precise route. The G Seven Generations proposal would need U.S. permission to cross the border.

Banff Centre Indigenous teacher runs for MNO leadership

March 21, 2016. Margaret Froh, who could make history if elected as new president of the Metis Nation of Ontario, has Alberta connections. Froh has taught on the subjects of Indigenous leadership and governance issues at the Banff Centre for almost a decade. On Monday, Froh launched her campaign in Ontario with support from retiring MNO president Gary Lipinski. Froh, who lives in the traditional territory of the Georgian Bay Métis community with her spouse, is a lawyer, educator and is currently the MNO's associate chief operating officer. She is the past president of the Indigenous Bar Association and has worked as in-house legal counsel for an Ontario First Nation. The MNO's province-wide elections will be held on May 2 with results released on May 12. If successful, Froh would be the first woman to lead MNO.

Paul Band Chief charged with assault

March 18, 2016. After a two-week long investigation, Stony Plain/ Spruce Grove/ Enoch RCMP have charged Paul First Nation Chief Casey Bird with assault. The charge stems from an incident in the morning of March 4 where RCMP responded to a complaint of an assault at the Paul Band administration office. The victim suffered minor injuries. Bird is scheduled to make his first appearance in Stony Plain Provincial Court on April 6.