Manitoba Pipestone - Aboriginal News Briefs - September 2014

Monument commemorates murdered, missing Aboriginal women

Less than a week after the unveiling of a monument at The Forks, the historic junction of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, to recognize the 1,200 missing and murdered Aboriginal women, the body of 15-year-old Tina Fontaine was found wrapped in a bag in the Red River. Fontaine had been in the care of Child and Family Services and was reported missing Aug. 9. The monument, hourglass-shaped and human-sized, is meant to represent a woman. There is an opening near the top that allows sunlight through. “The light and the darkness pass through without judgment in an endless cycle. There is neither a beginning nor an end,” said Nahanni Fontaine, a special adviser for the government on Aboriginal women’s issues. The two-metre-high granite statue was a project led by the Manitoba government. Aboriginal and Northern Affairs Minister Eric Robinson has renewed his call for a national inquiry into missing and murdered Aboriginal women. The federal government has rejected the idea.

An independent team from Alberta will be investigating the circumstances surrounding the RCMP shooting of Evan Cromarty, 20. Cromarty was at a baseball tournament at Norway House when he was shot on July 20. He had allegedly been fleeing police when he ran onto the field. He was air-lifted to a Winnipeg hospital with undetermined non-life threatening injuries. Cromarty faces a number of charges including aggravated assault, one charge of breaking and entering, four charges of uttering threats and weapons charges stemming from an incident at Norway House. CBC News reports that Norway House Chief Ron Evans said the shooting has escalated tensions between RCMP and First Nations people in the community. Premier Greg Selinger spoke with Evans on Sunday night about ordering the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team to look into the matter.

The provincial government is creating an assistance program for fishermen affected by flooding on Lake Manitoba. The program will specifically target those living in First Nations communities, which Infrastructure Minister Steve Ashton acknowledged are often the hardest hit by flooding. Ashton and Northern Affairs Minister Eric Robinson announced the program in late July following a tour of flood-affected areas in southern Manitoba. The government is also in talks with Ottawa about providing First Nations in the Interlake area with a “rapid flood-fighting arsenal.” The fishermen’s assistance program will apply to the Dauphin River and Lake St. Martin fisheries that have been affected by the operation of the Lake St. Martin emergency channel. The program will provide compensation for lost fishing opportunities while also reimbursing the cost of damaged nets and docks. An estimated $3.5 million will be paid out by the government through the program.

Singer-songwriter, educator, artist and social activist Buffy Sainte-Marie and Ottawa-based Juno-Award-winning and Polaris-nominated electronic artists A Tribe Called Red will be part of the opening ceremonies and outdoor concert for the Canadian Museum for Human Rights on Sept. 19 and Sept. 20 in Winnipeg. The opening ceremonies and Canadian Concert for Human Rights will highlight Canada’s rich cultural diversity and celebrate Canadians’ contributions to the cause of human rights. The two-day free festival—called RightsFest—will be broadcast live on Rogers’ City and OMNI Television networks, and on Canada’s Aboriginal Peoples Television Network. The Canadian Museum for Human Rights is the first museum in the world solely dedicated to the evolution, celebration and future of human rights.

Kevin Settee, 23, is the 2014 Lehotsky Scholarship recipient for his contribution to Winnipeg’s West End community. “Kevin Settee grew up in the West End, and has been working to improve his community by being a role model for youth, volunteering, and being a community organizer, all while battling health issues and working towards his degree at the University of Winnipeg,” said Mayor Sam Katz in a news release. Settee has planned and participated in a variety of different awareness walks, including the All Nations Medicine Walk for sexually-exploited women and girls. He coaches lacrosse and volunteers at inner city schools conducting sweat lodges and pipe ceremonies, and is a role model for the Aboriginal Men’s Anti-Violence Campaign against domestic violence. Students are nominated by community members, and the award is granted by a committee that includes a member of City Council and representatives from New Life Ministries.

Three York boats were launched at Lower Fort Garry National Historic Site in July as part of the federal government’s investment to help Métis communities preserve their history and culture and present their heritage to all Canadians. Parks Canada is developing public programming around the York boats at Lower Fort Garry National Historic Site, which will be implemented in 2015. At approximately 14 metres in length, York boats usually had a crew of six to eight men (including a steersman), many of whom were Red River Métis, and could be rowed or operated under sail. York boats could carry up to six tonnes of cargo. “York boats were crucial to the fur trade, and these modern examples represent our government’s investment in Métis culture and history in Manitoba,” said Selkirk-Interlake MP James Bezan in a news release.

Compiled by Shari Narine