Marcel Balfour won't forget March 17, 2006 in a hurry. That was the day his election as chief of the Norway House Cree Nation became official. He defeated acting-chief Fred Muskego by 40 votes, 943 to 903.

This was not just any band election. Balfour was a duly elected band councillor who was stripped of his salary and responsibilities and kept out of the decision-making process by former chief Ron Evans and his supporters on council.

A lawyer by training, Balfour was successful in Federal Court in four different applications for a judicial review of those decisions.

As Tyee Ha'wilth (chief) Mike Maquinna threw a cedar bough into Muchalhat Inlet, he remembered the impact Tsu'xiit the killer whale had on his community and the world.

"Everyone learned a lot about killer whales and their habitat, and also learned who we are as Mowachaht/Muchalaht people," said Maquinna. "He was a part of our community, and we hold him in very high regard. In our culture, the killer whale is very significant, and everyone is saddened by the news a kakawin (killer whale) has died in our territory," he said.

Indian and Northern Affairs Canada says it's getting serious about the quality of drinking water in First Nation communities. The move comes early in the life of the new Conservative Party of Canada government.

Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice and Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief Phil Fontaine appeared together at a press conference on March 21 to announce the new national water quality standards.

First Nation officials have been told to prepare for a busy season once newly elected Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his Conservative Party of Canada government begin their legislative session after the April 3 throne speech.

Several technicians we contacted this month have been told to take time off and use up any backlogged overtime before Parliament resumes.

Dear Editor:
I have listened with dismay as Aboriginal prisoners described how, due to strict non-smoking policies, they are no longer permitted to smudge and pray in their cells. I am writing now to register my displeasure with such cultural insensitivity and the violation of religious freedom. As I see it, the justice policies are being used to strip away rights and freedoms of the most vulnerable, which include Aboriginal prisoners, who face the prospect of losing a basic right of Canadian citizenship (voting) as well.

Dear Editor:
In honor of the United Nations' International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC) has launched a new initiative, Stop Internet Hate, to fight hate on the Web.

The CJC Web site now carries a link for anyone wishing to report what they believe may be an Internet site with hateful content. This new initiative is an attempt to both educate and empower everyone who uses the Internet to recognize and report potential Web sites that may be promoting hatred.

Dear Editor:

Dear Editor:

Dear Editor:
I am writing from Montieth Correctional Facility regarding the article titled "Take Pride In Your Successes." I haven't been the type to be able to communicate socially. I always got lost in my thoughts. Then I would feel sweaty and out of place. Your article helped me see that I have been something I'm not. Just always trying to fit in socially with a horrible crowd. I feel people don't look at these problems and realize that it's happening in their environment.

Thank you for the realization.

Dear Editor: