Page 5

Wanuskewin Heritage Park, located just north of Saskatoon on a picturesque piece of land bordering the South Saskatchewan River, has already accomplished much in its 10 years of existence. In this span, the park has grown from an ambitious but unproven dream to a world class cultural and tourism facility that now attracts thousands of visitors per month. On March 6, the government of Canada recognized Wanuskewin for its successes and made a strong commitment to its future by announcing $500,000 in new funding through Western Economic Diversification (WD).

Page 4

People around the world working to preserve and promote Indigenous languages now have a new tool at their disposal, thanks to the launch of the First Voices Aboriginal Languages Resource.

First Voices is a project of the First Peoples' Heritage, Language & Culture Council (FPHLCC) a B.C. based Aboriginal organization that has been working to support Aboriginal language training and preservation programs for over a decade.

Page 3

A long list of recommendations on how best to increase public library use by Aboriginal people across the province has been put together by the Minister's Advisory Committee on Library Services for Aboriginal People.

A report containing 46 recommendations was released by the committee in mid-February, following a series of public consultations held over the summer to gather input from First Nations and Metis people, the library community, and other members of the public.

Page 3

The Battlefords Tribal Council (BTC) is taking another step toward achieving economic self-sufficiency, thanks to its plans to buy a trenching company.

The BTC, which represents seven First Nations communities in central Saskatchewan, plans to purchase Dwight's Trenching Ltd., a company that has been operating for over 20 years, providing trenching, hydrovac and directional boring services to clients in the energy and communication sectors in both Saskatchewan and Alberta.

Page 2

This was a special year for the annual Voices of the North (VOTN) Aboriginal music showcase, which marked 10 years of celebrating and promoting Aboriginal music talent in Saskatchewan.

Page 15

People around the world working to preserve and promote Indigenous languages now have a new tool at their disposal, thanks to the launch of the First Voices Aboriginal Languages Resource.

First Voices is a project of the First Peoples' Heritage, Language & Culture Council, a B.C.-based organization that has been working to support Aboriginal language training and preservation programs for more than a decade.

Page 14

On Feb. 14 and 15, 100 community members from the five Aboriginal bands in the Fort McMurray region gathered at the Sawridge Hotel with one thing in mind: education. The five participants at the conference were the Athabasca Chipewyan, Fort McKay, Fort McMurray, Chipewyan Prairie and the Mikisew Cree bands. This is their third education conference in six years.

"What we as a committee are trying to do is make the people in the communities aware about First Nation education," said Roy Vermillion, Athabasca Tribal Council's education director.

Page 12

Sharing stories, the words of Fox Morin and Ken Ward, are perhaps the most effective way to let First Nations people know that it can happen to them.

"This is my life. Do you want it to be yours? Sometimes you just need to go with your own stories," said Denise Lambert, program designer with the Kimamow Atoskanow Foundation, out of Sandy Beach, in northern Alberta. Lambert was one of nearly 300 who took part in southern Alberta's first Aboriginal Conference on HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C and Harm Reduction, in Lethbridge Feb. 27 and 28.

Page 11

Angie Kezar knew at age 36 that she didn't want to work in the hospitality industry the rest of her life, and she knew she had the capability to do more.

She had worked as a waitress for 15 years, followed by a stint in management. It was a tough haul, with long hours and "no rewards."

Kezar added, "If I had a dollar for every jerk I had to serve, I'd be a millionaire. But it wasn't going to happen waitressing."

She wanted to get away from working with people and do something where "I could just focus on my work."

Page 10

Gordon Russell, founder and mainstay of the Crystal Kids drop-in centre for youth, is inviting all the people he coached in years past to join with him in celebrating his recent appointment to the Order of Canada.

An evening with friends is planned for April 20 at Crystal Kids at 87th St. and 118 Ave. in Edmonton. Guests should plan to arrive at 5 p.m.; supper will be at 6 p.m.