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Two separate RCMP investigations into possible corruption at an on-reserve health centre have resulted in arrests in early July.

Paul Cochrane, 56, a former assistant deputy minister with Health Canada's Medical Services Branch (MSB) who lives in the Ottawa suburb of Kanata, was charged with one count of breach of trust and seven counts of fraud against the government on July 3.

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The federal government is not being honest about its plan to offer alternative dispute resolution to residential school survivors who want to settle out of court.

That's what two lawyers playing high profile roles in pushing for compensation for residential school survivors told Windspeaker this month.

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Phil Fontaine is once again the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations.

His July 16 victory over Six Nations of the Grand River Chief Roberta Jamieson was secured when about half of those who had voted for former National Chief Matthew Coon Come on the first ballot chose not to follow his wish that they switch their allegiance to Jamieson.

It was the second major defeat of the day for the incumbent.

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Gang wars, prostitution, slums, the drug trade, rogue cops, cover-ups and racism-the urban jungle where life is cheap and the rules don't apply. We're talking about the toughest, hardest, most dangerous ghettos that haunt the major cities in the United States, right?

No. Would you believe Saskatoon?

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Dear Editor:

Most teenagers in our community don't know or understand the Cree language. Our Cree language is a big part of our identity and should be used with respect. Many teens in the community want to know and understand their Cree language. I know they do because I'm sure they want to communicate with their grandparents and parents.

Page 5

Dear Editor:

I read the article about too many sheep and not enough shepherds. Dan, say BAAA. You can count yourself as one of the sheep. As a group and as individuals, all First Nations know what it is to be discriminated against and we need to be careful about how we use this powerful word.

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Dear Editor:

In his recent column, Dan David wrote that "Under David Ahenakew, AFN's first years were rife with cronyism, nepotism and rumors of shady finances. Eventually, the RCMP investigated. The next national chief, Georges Erasmus, promised to clean house, which he did. However, this was also the time when the AFN lost its moral credibility."

I am writing to respond to this statement about cronyism, nepotism and rumors of shady finances.

Page 5

So the Coon Come era of Assembly of First Nations politics has come to an end.

Though he tried hard to take his abrupt electoral dismissal with good grace, we could tell it was not easy. Going right from the stage where he'd made his farewell speech directly to the Shaw Conference Centre's Room 13 to face the press was a tough task. He fielded just two questions before something snapped. Everyone in the room could see it.

Suddenly, the press conference was over and he was out of there. Emotion clouded his face as he hastily made his exit.

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The Cariboo Tribal Council (CTC) and Cariboo Chilcotin Aboriginal Training Centre in Williams Lake are sponsoring the first CTC Tourism Training course this spring. Project Management Trainer Cheryl Chapman, a member of the Xats'ull (Soda Creek) Indian Band who has been actively involved in the tourism industry for almost 10 years, is co-ordinating the six-week program.

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An amazing collaboration of blues musicians rocked the Yale Blues Club in Vancouver on June 15, the weekend before National Aboriginal Day (NAD). In a phenomenal fund-raising effort, several artists came together to support the three-day NAD Art & Culture Celebration, held outdoors the weekend of June 20 at the Vancouver Art Gallery.