Calgary News - Year in Review 2012

Calgary was recognized as the Cultural Capital of Canada in 2012, embracing its Aboriginal cultural along with the rest of its diversity. The Calgary Stampede which celebrated its centenary also embraced its First Nation involvement.

Homeless count up 12 per cent
“The rise in the number of youth and Aboriginal people who are homeless in Calgary is concerning,” said John Rook, president of the Calgary Homeless Foundation. The number of homeless Aboriginal people rose from 509 in January to 753 in  August. “We know homeless youth are more vulnerable to violence, abuse and addiction and Aboriginal people are overrepresented given they are only two per cent of the general population.” The Calgary Homeless Foundation’s August count of homeless people showed an increase of 12 per cent. From the 3,190 people that were counted in January, in August there were 3,576 people experiencing homelessness in Calgary. Rook attributes the growing number of homeless people to the increased number of workers migrating to Calgary for jobs due to the province’s strong economy. Seventeen per cent of those interviewed during the August count were newcomers, arriving within less than a one year span. While newcomers are finding work, they can’t find affordable housing. According to Rook, this year more than 30,000 newcomers have arrived in Alberta.

Law firm can no longer represent residential students
A ruling by the British Columbia Supreme Court disallowed Calgary law firm Blott & Company from representing Independent Assessment claimants filing under the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement. Ian Pitfield, a retired BC Supreme Court judge, was appointed by Justice Brenda Brown to oversee the “orderly transition of the IAP clients of the Blott firm.” Brown’s ruling followed a five-and-a-half day hearing in May in which court-appointed monitor Crawford-Class Action Services presented its finding and recommendations after conducting an audit of claims by IAP clients. Crawford’s investigation took four months and cost $3 million. Allegations against the Calgary law firm included that it was taking financial advantage of clients and providing poor representation. Crawford’s findings indicated that over one thousand applications for Blott’s clients had been completed but not submitted and that 77 of Blott claimants had received over 380 loans from various lenders and almost three-quarters of those loans from one lender exceeded the annual rate of 60 per cent, which is a prohibited rate under the Criminal Code. It was also determined that claimants had not received the full value of their loans.

Calgary Stampede celebrates 100 years history
Last year’s celebration of the Stampede’s Centenary was occasion for Elders from southern First Nations to reflect upon the changes that have transpired across the years. Kainai Elder Harold Healy, a former competitor in calf-roping and steer-riding said, “It’s not the same . . . no wild-cow milking, wild horse race, or buffalo riding.” Healy is concerned that the new site for the Indian Village may not draw as many visitors. Stampede spokesman Warren Connell said the new site will provide better services and amenities.

German professor lectured on his country’s “Indianthusiasm”
Professor Hartmut Lutz brought his knowledge and study of the German fascination with North American Aboriginal people to the University of Calgary. As a visiting Killam scholar in the department of Germanic, Slavic and East Asian Studies, Lutz lectured on the strange phenomenon of the German people’s fascination with Indian culture, for which he has coined the term, “Indianthusiasm.” In Germany the hobbyists dress as Indians, set up tipi camps, wear beaded costumes and learn pow wow dances. Students learned about the origin of this fascination through reading the travelogues of German author, Karl May’s portrayal of idealized, romanticized Aboriginal characters. The course included a lecture series that brought lecturers, writers and filmmakers to discuss the phenomenon and their often satirical response to it in their works. Ultimately, said Florentine Strzelczyk, head of the department, “It is about the power of art to create and rebut stereotypes.”

Martin calls for more government funding for Aboriginal education
Former Prime Minister Paul Martin, who has established the Martin Aboriginal Education Initiative, spoke to an audience of about 300 at the Hyatt Regency as part of GlobalFest in August. Martin called for additional government funding to combat Aboriginal high school dropout rates and to increase post-secondary attendance of Aboriginal students. “My view is governments have got to act on it. They have to properly fund it. Underfunding Aboriginal education is discrimination,” he said. In its fifth year, the annual human rights forum is part of GlobalFest, a multicultural celebration and international fireworks competition. Forum coordinator Lisa Fleming said, “Our idea is to truly educate people and share the information that they obtain from the daily forums. We try to bring up issues that are not common every day conversation.” GlobalFest promotes arts and culture to celebrate cultural diversity.

Iniskim Centre celebrates five years
The Iniskim Centre, which supports First Nations, Metis and Inuit students at Mount Royal University, celebrated five years. Iniskim, explained Leonard Weasel Traveller, a former Blackfoot Confederacy Chief who named the Centre on March 21, 2007, likens education to the ancestral buffalo hunt. “Iniskim is our relation to the buffalo, the source of food, shelter and clothing for our ancestors.” Iniskim provides resources, tutoring, Aboriginal housing, programming, counselors through the wellness centre, and other cultural programming.“We do everything we can to help (Aboriginal students) out,” said Marlene Poitras, acting director. “It’s a foreign world, so we make an environment for them to feel comfortable.” The centre hosts a highly successful Aboriginal Education Program that prepares students for university entrance. Out of 70 students enrolled in the program in the fall, only three dropped out, said Poitras. The Centre hosted special graduation ceremonies for First Nations, Metis and Inuit graduates  last June.