Alberta Sweetgrass

As Calgary’s 10-year plan to end homelessness marks its third anniversary, officials are looking at how to specifically address the needs of Aboriginal people who are homeless.

Tim Richter, president of the Calgary Homeless Foundation, said the Aboriginal community needs special attention as approximately a quarter of Calgary’s homeless people are Aboriginal.

“Aboriginal people…

Edmonton’s Downtown Business Association knows moving panhandlers along may free up the business zone but it doesn’t get street people the help they need.

“If you react by getting physical or calling the police, you’re only solving part of the problem in moving that person away,” said Jim Taylor, who is with the association. “You can turn it around and solve both problems by having…

SkyBlue Morin is grateful that a number of her clients had the opportunity recently to tell their stories to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s statement gathering team.

The team was in Calgary for Homeless Connect in mid-February. The day after the event, which allows homeless people to access services free of charge, residential school survivors, who call the streets or…

For “action beyond and above the call of duty” in April 2010, Cst. Pernell Cardinal was awarded the Bronze Medal from the Royal Canadian Humane Association. He and Cst. David Lee, from the Maskwacis RCMP Detachment responded to a house fire at the Samson town site, where they entered a house and rescued an unconscious man. Both RCMP officers were taken to hospital where they were treated for…

The majority of First Nations people surveyed on 15 of Alberta’s 46 First Nations are not confident their band council is doing enough to include input from women when making decisions and forming policies.

“That (belief) doesn’t surprise me,” said Rose Laboucan, one of four women chiefs in Alberta. “Knowing what I’ve gone through as a chief, building that reputation, being responsible…

Audrey Poitras and Dean Lindsay agree on one thing: a national accreditation system for Métis citizenship could serve a purpose. But what that purpose is differs.
However, an advance contract awarded by the federal government to the Canadian Standards Association to develop a verification strategy for Métis identification systems was pulled off the MERX system in February only days after…

The city of Lethbridge has adopted an action plan to battle racism and discrimination.

In a vote of 5-2, and one abstention, on Jan. 24, Lethbridge City Council gave the nod to a plan put together by the Coalition of Municipalities Against Racism and Discrimination.

CMARD is a UNESCO-driven initiative. Cities, such as Lethbridge, recognize racism and discrimination exist in their…

Three wells to be drilled

Since last May when Chief Gerry Ermineskin (right) and Blaine Favel, CEO and president of One Earth Gas and Oil Inc. signed a 50/50 joint venture partnership agreement, One Earth Oil and Gas has finalized locations with the Ermineskin First Nation and submitted an application for drilling three wells through Indian Oil and Gas Canada, which…

Between January of 2010 and January of 2011 more Aboriginal people found jobs, particularly in the mining, oil, gas, forestry and fishing sectors.

 “It shows unemployment for off-reserve is keeping pace, actually exceeding growth compared to the rest of the province,” said Terry Jordan, with communications for Alberta Employment and Immigration.

According to statistics…

Stars of the groundbreaking television series Blackstone pose at the launch held in Edmonton on Feb.1 (from left) Gordon Tootoosis who plays Cecil Delaronde, Ashley Callingbull (Sheila Delaronde), Roseanne Supernault (Natalie Stoney), and Carmen Moore (Leona Stoney). The series, created by Ron E. Scott, is about power and politics on fictional Blackstone First Nation. Blackstone is now shown…

Lillian Jones was sure that she had dodged a bullet when her second child Samantha was born at a healthy 7 lbs, 6 oz. and continued to eat and grow well. But at six months old Samantha caught a cold. She didn’t have just the usual symptoms of a stuffy, runny nose, crankiness and loss of appetite. Samantha also developed tremors.
Jones, concerned that something was seriously wrong, took…

Solar-powered housing in First Nations communities will be given serious consideration in an international competition to take place this fall in the United States.

A group of University of Calgary students, with the input of a Treaty 7 Aboriginal Advisory Council, has developed TRTL (pronounced “turtle”), which relies heavily on the influence of the Treaty 7 First Nations culture while…

Myron Lameman fuses activism, filmmaking, comedy, and drama to raise awareness about the circumstances faced by his community.

“What I really hope to do is make Indigenous issues accessible,” he said. “There are themes that affect everyone.”

Lameman, who splits his time between Portland, Oregon, and his home community of Beaver Lake Cree Nation, has been making films for the last…

Sunchild E-Learning Community is thrilled to be one of three nominations for the Eagle Feather Business Award in this year’s Alberta Business Awards of Distinction.
“We were very excited, especially after we saw the quality of the corporations that we were nominated with. They are all very distinguished companies. So we are very honoured,” said Dr. Martin Sulcher, CEO of the Sunchild E-…

What is important to today’s youth? What issues are they discussing? What makes them stand up and take notice?
The 12th annual Spirit Seekers Youth Conference will answer some of those questions.

“Acceptance of life” is the theme chosen by the youth advisory committee of 10-12 youth, who planned the conference, which is hosted by the Grande Prairie Friendship Centre in partnership…