The Aboriginal Newspaper of Saskatchewan
My column: A new book for Joe Canadian by Kenneth Williams
Saskatchewan boxers on "Warpath" in Alberta by Rob McKinley
Harassment complaint settled by Kenneth Williams
News In Brief
Thunder plunder
Aboriginal baby boom
Here is a full list of additional stories featured in the September, 1997 issue of Saskatchewan Sage. If you are not receiving your own copy of Saskatchewan Sage, then you have missed all this information.
Click here for Saskatchewan Sage subscription information.
Univeristy hate letter a hoax
Museum breaks down barriers: Denis Okanee Angus column
New prison heals inmates spirits
New King Trapper at Prince Albert festival
Mother and daughter maintain regalia traditions
First Nations forestry co-op launched
Northern health boards involve First Nations
Minister claims mining improves Aboriginal livelihoods
Social Services Minister Lorne Calvert today presented a cheque to the First Nations Child Development Centre in Saskatoon to assist with the cost of renovating the day care facility at 211 - 5th Avenue North.
The $25,353 capital grant will be used to expand existing space on the main and second floors to eliminate the need to use the basement, install sufficient windows to meet the natural lighting requirements for a day care, and enlarge and fence the outdoor play space.
"It is extremely important that young children play and learn in a safe environment which supports their healthy physical and emotional growth," Calvert said. "As a result of our partnership with the First Nations Child Development Centre, children attending the centre will soon enjoy a larger, brighter and safer facility."
Funding for this expansion is part of the $1 million in Child Care Capital Grants announced in the 1997/98 budget.
The Grants are a one-time initiative introduced through Saskatchewan's Action Plan for Children, and are available to child care centres to undertake renovations or upgrade equipment.
The 1997/98 budget targeted an additional $13.3 million to services for children and youth, bringing government funding for programs and services under the Action Plan to $24.7 million.
"I want to commend the First Nations Child Development Centre for its commitment to providing a safe and healthy environment for the children in their care," Calvert said. "Our children are out future. By providing quality child care to children today, we are making a positive investment in that future."
The Ochap Thunder claimed the A championship at this year's Canadian Native Men's Fastball Tournament that was held in Saskatoon, Aug. 29-31. They defeated the Gordon's Golden Hawks in the final.
The Standing Buffalo Dakota's men's team won the B championship by defeating the Canoe Lake Commodores.
Jack Hillson, MLA for North Battleford, wants to have the mass grave site of the eight men hanged after the 1885 Northwest Rebellion to be incorporated into Fort Battleford National Historic Site.
The graves had no markers until 1967 and lie just beyond the gates of Fort Battleford and are not federally recognized.
The Department of Canadian Heritage is considering Hillson's proposal and plan a review of the historic site. So far, the town of Battleford, which owns the land where the grave site rests, is willing to turn it over to the federal government.
A report just recently released predicts that Saskatchewan's Aboriginal population will make up 32 per cent of the province's population by the year 2054.
Commissioned by Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations chief Blaine Favel, the report, titled Saskatchewan and Aboriginal People in the 21st Century, claims that demographic changes in the next 50 years will have a dramatic impact on Aboriginal business and the economy.
The report was put together by David Smith, who's with the political studies department of the University of Saskatchewan, along with data from experts in the College of Commerce.
Favel commissioned the report so that the federation would have a resource to look at potential opportunities and problems.
One of the potential problems facing the province could be skyrocketing Aboriginal poverty. If the report is accurate, it predicts a population increase of 135,000 to over 400,000 Aboriginal people in Saskatchewan. If current employment trends continue, that would mean over 300,000 of them would be unemployed, and would be a disaster waiting to happen.
By Rob McKinley
Sage Writer
HIGH PRAIRIE, Alta.
There was no ear-biting, or $30-million purses for the losing boxer at the Boxing Alberta and Budweiser sponsored Warpath boxing night in High Prairie's Sports Palace on Thursday, Aug. 28.
Twenty six boxers from Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan gave their heart and soul to produce four hours of entertainment for the 700-plus in attendance at the northern Alberta venue. Winners walked away with commemorative belts and the losers came away with some extra experience to put under their belts.
In the first main event bout, Donovan Lee Horse from Edmonton took on the "Iraqi Assassin," Hydar Al Ghalebi, also from Edmonton.
Horse beat Ghalebi into submission after only three rounds of the scheduled six round affair. After complaining he was elbowed in the back of the head, Ghalebi took several more punches before asking the referee to call off the fight. None of the ring-side judges said they saw the alleged elbow infraction. The victory raised Horse's professional record to three wins, and two losses.
Before the second professional match, the crowd was brought to their feet as Regina's Don Laliberte entered the ring wearing a full Indian headdress. Laliberte, the Canadian heavyweight champ, looked strong as he faced Edmonton's Ritchie "K.O" Jero. Jero's "K.O." nickname is well earned as he has won all of his three professional bouts by knockout.
With the two "big boys" roped into the 45 sq.-m ring, the action was fast and hard. Laliberte landed several good shots onto Jero in the opening rounds, but the Edmonton boxer fought back hard, and knocked Laliberte to the floor with a blow to the jaw in the fourth round, that resulted in a standing eight count.
The scare seemed to do Laliberte good as he came back with a vengeance, dropping the Edmonton boxer to the canvas late in the fifth round with an uppercut that seemed to come out of nowhere. The punch, however, was knock down strength, but not knockout. It also resulted in a standing eight count to Jero.
The see-saw battle ended in favor of Laliberte. The win boosted his record to six wins four losses and one tie. The loss for Jero was the first scar on his previously perfect three wins and no losses record.
In the under-card bouts, Native boxers continued to dominate the ring, winning all but two of the 11 contests.
Slave Lake Boxing Club's Kevin Beaver opened up the fight night with his featherweight win over Edmonton Cougar Boxing Club's Jon "The Ghost" Moore. "Cree Boy" Bobby Roy from Edmonton Hortie Gym, didn't even break a sweat in his win against "White Boy" Chris Durette. Roy won by default when Durette failed to show for the bout. Lac La Biche's Rocky Whitford lost his strawweight match with Omar Moreno from the Cougar Club, but Saskatchewan boxer Jessie Laframbois made up for it by beating the Omar's older brother, Ernesto "El Magnifico" Moreno, in the bantamweight match-up. Following in his brother's winning footsteps, Dana Laframbois won the decision over the Cougar's Christopher Andrews in the lightweight battle
In the light middleweight bout, Junior "The Warrior" Cardinal from the Hortie Gym lost to the local favorite Justin Berger from the Slave Lake club. Other winners were Slave Lake's Dale Tallman, Dawson Creek, B.C., boxer "Big Bad Tad" Simpson, and Cougar middleweight sensation "Whispering" Michael Sound.
In a crowd favorite, two welterweight women boxers squared off and went
toe-to-toe for three rounds. In the end, it was Crystal "Brave Heart"
Arcand from Hortie Gym who scored more points than opponent Lisa "The
Shark" Sharkey, also from Hortie's club. Both boxers landed solid blows,
but Arcand managed to score extra points in the final round.
By Kenneth Williams
Sage Editor
I was on a radio show last month commenting on the mainstream's media lack of understanding when it came to Aboriginal issues. There were three of us, myself plus two other guests, trying to get our comments across in fifteen minutes.
I was initially very nervous and incoherent. I only managed to relax just as the allotted time ended.
What the panel wanted to learn is why the mainstream media is unable to comprehend Aboriginal issues and what it can do about it.
I had all these clever phrases worked out.
"The main problem is just general ignorance," I wanted to say. "People in Canada don't receive much education about Aboriginal people at the primary or secondary levels. Plus, most of what Canadian people know about Aboriginal people comes from the mainstream media, so it's the ignorant teaching the ignorant."
I think that's pretty accurate and concise. In other words, a perfect radio sound bite.
What did I actually say?
I shudder to think. I know I changed subjects in the middle of sentences as my befuddled brain refused to find a single train of thought and stay on it. The question, however, is a valid one and worth examining. I think I've found the solution: Aboriginal Issues in Canada for Dummies. If you go to any major book store, you're bound to see these Dummies books lining the shelves. Initially published for people who were inept at computers, there's hardly a subject that isn't written about in such a simple and easy manner that any "dummy" can understand it.
The first chapter would be dedicated to defining Aboriginal. Surprisingly, a lot of people don't know what that means. Simply put, it refers to the people who inhabited the land first.
The second chapter will make it clear why Aboriginal rights are so important to Aboriginal people. Let's say Joe Canadian is bleating about how Aboriginal rights are special rights, in other words, undeserved rights. Joe Canadian needs an object lesson so just cut in front of him at the grocery store line up and ignore his whining about being there first. If he persists in whining, tell him to "stop being a victim."
Of course, if he wants the experience of being an Aboriginal person in Canada, take Joe's groceries, make him pay for the groceries, then steal his car, kidnap his children, force his children to learn another language, physically and emotionally abuse the children if they refuse to learn the new language, move into Joe's house, renovate his house, make him pay for the renovations, confine him to the basement (to save space, confine several families in one basement), prevent him from earning a living, give him welfare, refuse him welfare, and tell him to "just get over it" (really rub this in by citing examples of other ethnic people who've done well in Canada without the government's help).
Chapter three will be titled, The carrot and the stick: Modern treaty negotiations in Canada. Let's say you promise to give some of Joe's furniture back, which he says was given to him by the Creator. After laughing in Joe's face about his Pagan-Creator nonsense, tell him he can have some of his furniture back if he promises not to bother you about the other furniture. If Joe becomes unreasonable and starts babbling about how all the furniture is his, threaten him that he'll get none of it back if he doesn't do a deal. Use the stick to emphasize this point.
I haven't figured out what the rest of the book will entail but each
chapter will have an object lesson to make clear to the average Joe Canadian
just what the heck is going whenever the "Natives get restless."
By Kenneth Williams
Sage Writer
REGINA
Donna Scott, Chief Commissioner-Director of the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission, announced on Aug. 25 the settlement of a human rights complaint that paid $1,200 to an Aboriginal man who had complained about racial harassment in the workplace.
In Sept. 1993, Sterling Brass told the commission that numerous comments of a racial nature were made by his co-workers at General Recorders Ltd. in Regina. Brass said the comments, which perpetuated negative stereotypes about Indian people, poisoned the workplace for him. He worked with the company as a supply representative for a year, starting in Feb. 1992.
"The actual complaint was filed in '93, and that was a period of time when we had a significant backlog. When it was clear that it was going to be investigated then it [went] into backlog until it was assigned to an investigator," said Beera-Marie Wolfe, a spokesperson for the commission explaining why there was a four-year span from complaint to resolution.
"There was an attempt at early resolution," she added. But by "the time it was assigned to an investigator was May of '94. and [the investigation] was completed in [March] of '96."
After the investigation was completed, the settlement process started and that finally ended this August.
Wolfe pointed out that despite the earlier backlog, the commission is now more efficient at handling complaints. She said that the backlog from complaint to investigation is at the most four months, but is most often less.
But investigations don't automatically start after the complaint as the commission first tries to resolve the issue without an investigation. There is a procedure that ensures that the person who's filed the complaint (the complainant) and the person or group accused of harassment (the respondent) are treated fairly and quickly.
Once the complaint has been formalized, which means a complaint form has been drafted and signed by the complainant, then the commission approaches both parties to see if they'll consider early resolution, said Wolfe. Only when that fails does the commission then launch an investigation. In the Brass case, early resolution failed and an investigation was launched.
"The average time to take for an investigation to be completed is one year," continued Wolfe. "If there's not enough evidence to support the allegation then the complaint is dismissed."
If the investigation, however, proves there is evidence of harassment, then the commission tries to get the parties involved find some sort of settlement. Only if it can't be settled, then the commissioners ask the minister of justice to direct of a board of inquiry.
The board of inquiry is "kind of like a trial [but] not as formal, [and] not in a courthouse," said Wolfe. "Evidence is presented for both sides."
The Brass case didn't have to go this far as he and his former employers were able to agree on monetary compensation during the settlement phase.
"Usually there's a monetary award, as well as the other kinds of things that might happen, [like] the employers might have to post policies about sexual harassment or whatever," said Wolfe. "It's usually determined by the parties themselves what the settlement will be.
"There's quite a range in the awards for settlements, that are partially based on past settlements," she continued. "The parties are aware of awards that have been awarded in certain situations [but] it depends on the facts of the case."
In addition to the payment of compensation, General Recorders Ltd. agreed to have employees attend a workshop on workplace harassment, with a focus on harassment directed at Aboriginal people.
During the settlement phase, neither parties have to meet face-to-face. The commission will act as an intermediary between the parties.
"Generally, we don't do face-to-face mediation," said Wolfe. "We call it 'shuttle mediation' and do it over the phone."
"Employers should be aware that it could be racial harassment when Aboriginal employees hear other staff make negative comments about Aboriginal people as a race," Scott said, from a prepared statement. "If the workplace has been poisoned because of it, we would consider that a violation of human rights law."
In the last fiscal year for which figures are available, 1995-96, people who complained about discrimination on the basis of race constituted 19 per cent of complaints brought to the commission.
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