Manitoba Pipestone - Aboriginal News Briefs - August 2013

Elder, healer, medicine teacher awarded honorary diploma

Stella Blackbird, an Elder and Red Eagle Woman from the Turtle Clan, is the recipient of this year’s Red River College Honorary Diploma. Blackbird has served as an Elder, traditional healer, medicine teacher and facilitator for healing programs and teachings across Canada and the U.S. Since 1995, she has served as Elder for Urban Circle Training Centre in Winnipeg’s North End, one of the most successful Aboriginal training centres in Canada. The Red River College honorary diploma is awarded to an individual who demonstrates high standards of excellence in their personal and professional achievements, and whose involvement in the community is widely recognized.

Native fire fighters included in lawsuit filed

Nine residents from the First Nation communities of Pinaymootang (Fairford), Little Saskatchewan, Lake St. Martin, and Dauphin River, have initiated a $550-million class-action lawsuit against the federal government and Manitoba Association of Native Fire Fighters Inc. (MANFF) on behalf of all residents whose homes were flooded, who were forced to evacuate their homes and who were unable to work because of the spring 2011 flood. In documents filed at Queen’s Bench, the residents allege that Ottawa failed to provide adequate accommodations, medical care, schooling, recreational facilities, clothing allowance and transportation, failed to properly supervise MANFF, and failed to act on complaints about MANFF. The allegations against MANFF include failure to provide adequate housing, failure to safeguard and protect the homes and personal property on the reserve, and failure to properly spend the money provided by Ottawa to look after the needs of the evacuated residents. MANFF is the non-profit agency that was designated by Ottawa to register and relocate the First Nation residents affected by the flooding.

Energy conversion to save money, create jobs

The First Nations of Peguis and Fisher River will be converting 100 homes in their communities from electric heat to geothermal heating and cooling this summer. The project is led by Aki Energy Inc., a social enterprise created by the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, BUILD Inc., Green Communities Canada and the Manitoba Geothermal Energy Alliance. Thirty members of the two communities have been trained to do the conversions, creating both jobs and new business opportunities for band-owned construction companies. Aki Energy spearheaded the project at Fisher River and Peguis First Nations. With the success of this project, Aki Energy plans to expand this program province-wide and will partner with four more Manitoba First Nations next year. Manitoba Hydro will finance the upfront capital costs through the Pay-as-You-Save program and the First Nations will repay those costs using the monthly utility bill savings. Savings are expected to exceed $90 a month per home from day one.

NHS shows gap in post-secondary education

The latest release of the 2011 National Household Survey found nearly half of Aboriginal Canadians between 25 and 64 have some post-secondary education, but that compares to two-thirds of non-Aboriginal Canadians. In Manitoba, slightly more than one-third of Aboriginals 25 to 64 have some post-secondary education, while nearly two thirds of non-Aboriginals do. Among First Nations people in Manitoba, those with a post-secondary education are fewer than one in four. “The gap is not surprising,” said James Wilson, Manitoba Treaty Commissioner and an expert in Aboriginal education, as quoted in the Winnipeg Free Press. “It’s a reminder we’ve got a long way to go and we better get started because it’s not going to change itself.” Wilson is among those advocating for major strengthening to Aboriginal education, particularly on reserve, with more funding per student, First Nations school boards that can provide curriculum sharing, set standards for teacher qualifications and a minimum number of teaching days. The 2011 National Household Survey shows 57.4 per cent of First Nations people in Manitoba between 20 and 24 have not finished high school, compared to just 10.2 per cent of non-Aboriginal Manitobans in that age group.

Frontier College receives funding for summer literacy camps

TD Bank Group, a long-time proponent of children’s literacy programs across Canada, recently announced a $100,000 donation in support of Frontier College’s Aboriginal Summer Literacy Camps. The national camps, which provide fun and interactive literacy programming for youth, aim to minimize summer reading loss, allowing children to continue building their reading and writing skills during the summer break from school. Established in 2005, the camps have grown from five to more than 80 camps operating in Manitoba, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick. “A recent report by TD Economics in support of National Aboriginal Day, revealed that there are many barriers to Aboriginal peoples improving their literacy, including geographic location,” said Clint Davis, Vice President, Aboriginal Banking, TD Bank Group. “With many from the community living in rural and remote locations, formal training and higher education is almost non-existent.”

Compiled by Shari Narine