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Letter to the Editor:

Over the past two months, the Canadian Red Cross was asked to help the residents of Conklin, Fox Lake, Peerless Lake and Trout Lake, who were evacuated to Fort McMurray, High Level and Red Earth Creek, due to the extreme forest fire conditions in northern Alberta. Red Cross assisted more than 1,500 people: conducting registration of evacuees, maintaining the reception centres, and providing items such as blankets, Zeddy Bears and comfort kits to those in need.

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An open letter to Mr. Drew Hayden Taylor:

I very much enjoyed your parchment and grad cap column in the August 2002 Windspeaker.

Your point on not having formal education and how others treat you as somewhat less than a complete success appears in all societies. It is sad that your success is not recognized for what it is-years of working smart, hard and staying focused.

Perhaps the next time you meet someone who is overly pro-university you can remind them of this quote: "I have neither the luxury nor the encumbrance of higher education."

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Dear Editor:

As you are aware, the First Nations veterans of Canada received a letter of offer on June 21 from Rey D. Pagtakhan of Veterans Affairs Canada. The compensation package will pay up to $20,000 per veteran.

The reaction of the majority of First Nations veterans was that of disappointment and disbelief. After years of ongoing battles with the government to respond to the rights of First Nations veterans, the announcement was less than satisfactory.

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Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary defines Duress as forcible restraint or restriction, compulsion by threat; specifically: unlawful constraint or coercion.

I am a hereditary chief of the Mi'kmaq Grand Council. I am also a member of Esgenoopetitj community. Non-natives know us as Burnt Church First Nation. There was recently an agreement signed concerning lobster fishing, between the federal government of Canada and the Band Council appointed under the Indian Act to act as Indian Agents on our reserve.

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Alain Jolicoeur became the third deputy minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development in three years under Minister Robert Nault on Aug. 12. That's not the way it's supposed to be.

Deputy ministers tend to outlast ministers; the bureaucrats stay as politicians come and go.

Some Ottawa insiders say the rapid succession of chief bureaucrats within the department is a sign that something's not right.

Jolicoeur succeeded Marc Lafreniere who succeeded Shirley Serafini.

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Phil Monture was summoned to a hotel in the city of Brantford, Ont. in early July and told his services were no longer required after 27 years as the director of the Six Nations Land Claim Research office.

He was dismissed without cause on behalf of Chief Roberta Jamieson and her council by the band's director of operations, Dr. Paulette Trembley. Band lawyer Dan Shields was also present.

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The new president of the First Nations Chiefs of Police Association says the government of Canada has intentionally set up First Nation police services for failure.

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Is it "from us?" Is it part of the governance package or not? If so, why is the national chief supporting it?

Those are the key questions First Nations leaders and their political staff are grappling with now that the First Nations Fiscal and Statistical Infrastructure Management act has been made public. The questions, some sources say, could cause an enormous problem for the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) because they point to some impropriety in passing at least two resolutions at recent AFN meetings.

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About 150 people from Assiniboine nations in Canada and the United States gathered on Pheasant Rump Nakota First Nation July 16 to 18 to take part in the sixth annual Nakota Summit.

This year marked the first year Pheasant Rump has hosted the event. Past summits have been held in Saskatchewan at Carry the Kettle First Nation, and in Alberta by Alexis First Nation and the Wesley band.

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Wanuskewin Heritage Park celebrated its 10th anniversary on July 11 by opening its doors to all local supporters, and to an audience of millions on the other side of the world.

The festivities, which included craft and cooking demonstrations, music and dance performances, and tours of the picturesque lands that Wanuskewin occupies, were noteworthy not only as a commemoration of 10 years of successful operation, but also because a Japanese television crew was on hand broadcasting the event back live to their home country.