Conference focuses on urban settings

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The second annual Aboriginal Governance In Urban Settings conference will be held March 7 to 9 in Vancouver.

As many as 350 people are expected to attend the three-day conference that will spotlight the success of Aboriginal organizations and groups in regards to Aboriginal governance in urban settings.

Over the first two days of workshops and meetings, participants will discuss issues pertinent to Aboriginal urban governance, including urban reserves and business development, housing, family and children, health, justice, employment and training and education. In addition, the three days will each have a certain issue for discussion.

On the first day visioning will be discussed, on the second day current issues dealing directly with Aboriginal governance in urban settings will be debated and on the third day future and action planning will be looked at. Keynote speaker for the conference will be Phil Fontaine, the former national chief of the Assembly of First Nations.

The conference is co-sponsored by the United Native Nations Society, a provincial non-profit organization incorporated in 1969 in the province to ensure just resolutions of land claims and Aboriginal rights and to act as a lobbying force for Aboriginal peoples with all levels of government, the Institute On Governance (IOG), a non-profit organization with charitable status founded in 1990 to promote effective governance, and the Aboriginal Council of Winnipeg, established in 1990 to represent the interests of the urban community.

During the workshops, guest speakers will be on hand to give advice and offer up discussion with those in attendance. Included among the guest speakers will be Ovide Mercredi, author and former national chief of the Assembly of First Nations; Eric Robinson, minister of Aboriginal and Northern Affairs in Manitoba; Wayne Helgason, president of the National Association of Friendship Centres; Lucie McClung, commissioner of the Correctional Service of Canada; Mary Richard, president of the Aboriginal Council of Winnipeg, and Stephen Owen, Secretary of State for Indian Affairs, whose recent comments regarding Aboriginal youth in Canada made headlines.

The first Aboriginal Governance In Urban Settings conference occurred in 1998 in Winnipeg.