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Windspeaker Ontario

Prime Minister Jean Chretien named Rama First Nations own James Bartleman as Ontario's twenty-seventh Lieutenant Governor on Jan. 10.

In his new capacity as the Queen's representative in Ontario, Bartleman replaces Hilary Weston, who was appointed to the post five years ago and whose term has expired.

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Applications are now being accepted for a new $5,000 grant being awarded to help fund cultural projects created by First Nations youth in Montreal.

The grant is a joint initiative by Land InSights-organizers of Montreal's annual First Peoples' Festival-and the Mayor's Foundation for Youth.

Land InSights was founded in 1990, and works to promote Aboriginal culture and increase understanding between First Nations and other cultures.

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Lynda Cockerill, a family court worker with Native Counselling Services of Alberta, is one of 10 domestic violence workers recently chosen to be a recipient of one the first Jerry P. Selinger awards.

The awards, named for Calgary's former chief crown prosecutor who passed away in May 2000, are administered by Homefront, a Calgary agency working to prevent domestic violence. The ceremony was held Nov. 7.

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If you're an Aboriginal women considering a career in the trades, the Secwepemc Cultural Education Society has a program designed for you.

The Aboriginal Women in the Trades (AWIT) course is offered as part of the society's Aboriginal Apprenticeship and Industry Training programming, (AAIT), aimed at increasing the number of Aboriginal people in the trades and technology workforce.

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Funding from a utility corporation is helping the Peigan Nation tackle the problem of illiteracy both in the school and in the community.

Last November, the Peigan School Committee received $15,000 from UtiliCorp to purchase the literacy program that their Napi Playground Elementary School had been borrowing for five years, and to hire a co-ordinator.

Being able to purchase the Partnership Approach to Learning program has allowed new co-ordinator Henrietta Yellow Horn to adapt it to meet the needs of her learners.

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Promoting and supporting Aboriginal partnerships with non-Aboriginal firms is just one of the goals of Aboriginal Business Development Online, the Ontario government's Web site dedicated to helping to strengthen Aboriginal economies across the province.

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Since its first foray into the world of business more than a decade ago, partnerships have played a major role in Meadow Lake Tribal Council's economic development initiatives.

Its first major business venture was the purchase of a 40 per cent interest in NorSask Forest Products, a stud mill located near Meadow Lake.

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Growth, innovation and prosperity are goals shared by virtually all Canadian companies, and provincial governments across the country are increasingly recognizing the importance of Aboriginal businesses and putting forth programs to foster their success is these areas.

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A number of treatment programs have found a new home in the Somba Kei Healing Lodge. The Grollier Hall Residential School Treatment Program is just one. It provides a safe environment for people who are addressing issues that stem from residential schools.

"Eight beds are set aside for both men or women who are interested in taking the 40-day Residential School

Trauma Treatment Program. The other 20 beds are set aside for Corrections Services Clients," said Norman Yakalaya, executive director, Grollier Hall Healing Circle.

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A father and son team of traditional healers appeared in the Superior Court of Justice in Gore Bay, Ont., Jan. 24 to request permission to go home. Juan and Edgar Uyunkar have been detained on Manitoulin Island since their arrest on Nov. 24. The two practitioners of Indigenous medicine have been charged, along with their interpreter, with a series of offences that could lead to lengthy terms in Canadian jail if convicted.