The year of 1886 was an extraordinary one in the history of Vancouver. The city was incorporated in April and was almost destroyed two months later on June 13 by the Great Vancouver Fire. This year will mark the 120th anniversary of the fire, and the Squamish Nation will commemorate the milestone with a special event.

Nadine Gagne of Vancouver British Columbia was named a National Aboriginal Role Model on March 20 at a gala in Ottawa. The National Aboriginal Health Organization's Lead Your Way! program celebrates the accomplishments of First Nations, Inuit and Metis youth aged 13 to 30. Gagne works as an infant development consultant and early childhood educator for Kla-How-Eya Aboriginal Centre in Surrey.

Throughout the year, the role models will visit Aboriginal communities to share stories with other youth. Lead Your Way! inspires Aboriginal youth to strive to reach their goals.

The government of British Columbia has committed $1 million to preserve First Nations languages. About 60 per cent of all Indigenous languages in Canada are found in British Columbia. It's estimated there are 53 Indigenous languages found in the country, of which 32 are found in the province. Only a handful are likely to survive, said Premier Gordon Campbell.

The all-white Spirit Bear (Kermode) has been adopted by British Columbia as its official mammal.

It is estimated there are about 400 Kermode bears in the province. They are part of the black bear family and inhabit the central coast and the northern parts of the province, areas the government acted to protect this year.

When women seek help from physicians for feelings of anxiety, depression or insomnia connected to their life experiences, the result is often a prescription for benzodiazepines, a central nervous system depressant shown to have significant side effects, including memory and learning impairment, depression, emotional blunting and paradoxical aggression. Benzodiazepines are also highly addictive.

As Christ Church Cathedral in Vancouver began to fill on Good Friday, April 14, parish staff offered parishioners copies of a letter written by Andrew Hutchison, archbishop and primate of Canada's Anglican Church urging Prime Minister Stephen Harper to finally settle the compensation issue surrounding Indian residential schools. He asked Harper to honor the promise of advanced payments to the elderly and sick, once students who attended the schools, and to move forward on other payments without delay.

With each new case of Avian Influenza reported in the media, the idea that the virus responsible, H5N1, could be the cause of the next global pandemic seems more grounded in reality.

Coastal First Nations that own commercial halibut licenses were shocked to learn their Pacific Halibut Management Association (PHMA) recently agreed to give hundreds of thousands of dollars to the BC Fisheries Survival Coalition, a non-registered group whose main interest seems to be opposing Aboriginal Fishing rights and title.

If Aboriginal people are going to reverse negative trends-and the stereotypes that often come with them-they will need to be led by their youth, who make up more than half of their population.
That was the message heard in Kamloops last month where more than 800 Aboriginal youth attended Gathering Our Voices 2006, the annual provincial Aboriginal youth conference.

Non-Native consultants, advisors, and lawyers be warned; you will be replaced by First Nations professionals.

The Government of British Columbia has tabled legislation to enact the $100-million New Relationship Trust that will help fund long-term capacity building for First Nations. Tom Christensen, minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation announced the legislation on March 21.