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TERRACE-Northern residents are now able to examine health information about local restaurants, water systems, and public swimming pools online.

The information is being posted there by the Northern Health Authority's environmental health inspectors.

Visitors to their Web site will find public health notices and land-use notices, sampling results, and hazard ratings for food, drinking water and recreational water operations. The site contains information about food premises' food safety programs and about smoke-free environments.

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WINFIELD-Okanagan Indian Band members and Elders held a ceremony to repatriate the bones of one of the Nation's ancestors in late October.

The remains were uncovered near Winfield during work on Highway 97 and were reburied near the south end of Wood Lake.

"The fact that one of our ancestor's remains were disturbed and that the part of these remains, along with that of other of our ancestors, may still lie under the highway is something that is extremely upsetting to us," said the band's chief, Dan Wilson.

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VANCOUVER - Aboriginal infant mortality is dropping and life expectancy is increasing, according to the 2001 provincial health report released by provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall on Oct. 28.

"I am pleased to report that we are seeing measured improvement in the health and well-being of the Aboriginal community, including infant mortality and life expectancy," Kendall said.

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The Huu-ay-aht First Nation have just premiered a new film celebrating efforts to restore a major salmon river.

More than 350 people jammed into the Discovery Theatre at the Plaza of Nations the evening of Nov. 29, for a film showcasing the benefits that can come from First Nations, governments and industries such as Weyerhaeuser and MacMillan Bloedel working together.

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Maria Campbell met an eager audience in Toronto, the evening of Nov. 18. Campbell is an associate professor at the University of Saskatchewan, department of English. Best known for her autobiography Halfbreed, which she wrote in 1973, she is a respected Metis author. Campbell was guest speaker at the University of Toronto's Distinguished Speaker Series, hosted by the Aboriginal Studies Department.

She read stories from her book, Stories of the Road Allowance People, answered questions from the audience, and later signed copies of her books.

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The spoken word can often fade away, but the written word may endure forever. That's the philosophy of Wikwemikong poet, Melissa L. Manitowabi. The young mother and entrepreneur has recently embarked on a publishing venture designed to promote family unity and individual healing.

Although Manitowabi has been writing poetry seriously for three years, her business named Meli's Poetry was officially launched Nov. 1. The home-based business produces plaques, book markers, scrolls and calendars for gift giving and commemorating special occasions.

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When two highly successful events merge, the result is sure to be phenomenal. The events that came together in Thunder Bay, Oct. 30 to Nov. 1, were the Niigaantige Aboriginal Youth Achievement Awards and the Niigaantige Looking to the Future Career Fair. Susan Aglukark, Ted Nolan, and Buffy Ste. Marie were in attendance as role models and to encourage the young participants on to bright futures.

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The federal government's drug policy drew heated criticism from delegates at the Canadian Harm Reduction Conference held in Toronto in late November to discuss treatment for drug users.

"Could we design a worst system if we tried?" asked Dr. Diane Riley of the International Harm Reduction Association, at the closing plenary on Nov. 24.

Riley believes that Canada currently relies on an overworked criminal system to deal with drug users, and lacks a comprehensive drug strategy that incorporates harm reduction methods.

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A new art exhibit called Memory Keepers with a photographic suite by Mohawk artist Shelley Niro opened Nov. 7 at the University of Western Ontario's McIntosh Gallery.

Niro and London artist Bernice Vincent were present in the crowd of 150 for the opening of the two women's show.

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Sixteen authors from New Zealand, Australia and Canada participated in Honouring Words: an International Indigenous Authors Celebration tour that started Oct. 19 in Vancouver and ended on Oct. 30 in Cape Croker. The tour was in Winnipeg from Oct. 24 to 26.

Honouring Words began as a dream of writer, publisher and spoken word artist, Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm more than 10 years ago. While visiting New Zealand, she met Indigenous authors and began to dream of authors from different hemispheres coming together to celebrate their similarities through the written word.