Aboriginal youth in Ontario are gaining new skills and great work experience as they participate in a summer employment program offered by the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR).
The Aboriginal Youth Work Exchange Program began in 2006 as a pilot program and is now in its fourth year, said Karen Boultbee, communications officer for the MNR's youth programs. The program began with 20 positions and "It was such a success that it was expanded to 60 positions," said Boultbee.

Aboriginal people in B.C. need access to information about HIV and AIDS, and they need the basics of food, water and shelter in order to reduce the rate that they are contracting the fatal disease.
Dr. Perry Kendall, the B.C provincial health officer, released a report in June, entitled Pathways to Health and Healing: 2nd Report of Health and Well-being of Aboriginal People in British Columbia. It revealed an increase in the number of Aboriginal people afflicted with HIV and AIDS, up from the previous 2001 numbers.

A year ago it seemed nothing was going right for Vince Perkins. But this season, the 27-year-old Victoria native has his baseball career back on track. And if he keeps performing like he has of late, it might not be long before Perkins, who has Ojibway ancestry from his mother's side, is toiling in the major leagues.
Perkins is currently starring at the Triple A level with the Iowa Cubs. The Iowa squad is the top affiliate for the Chicago Cubs.

An agreement was reached July 13 between British Columbia and the Che:k'tles7et'h' Nation to rename Brooks Peninsula Provincial Park, providing it with a dual name that celebrates the historic ownership of the land by the Che:k'tles7et'h' people.

THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
received a $1 million donation from TD Bank Financial Group July 4 to create an endowment that will provide a lasting legacy in business education for Aboriginal students. The gift will improve access and support for Aboriginal students pursuing a business education. The donation is the largest gift received in support of Aboriginal education at UBC.

A hotel shaped like an Iroquois longhouse with four star amenities isn't your standard country hotel. But just 15 minutes from downtown Quebec City, the Hôtel-Musée Premières Nations, the latest success story of the Huron-Wendat Nation, has recently opened.
"We started with plans for a museum to record our culture," explained 77-year-old Chief Max Gros Louis. "Then the idea grew to combine a hotel-museum for tourists, but being so close to Quebec City it had to be higher end to attract visitors."

The polished statues and national recognition must mean a lot to the recipients of the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards, but when an Aboriginal actor, hockey star, doctor or entrepreneur is acknowledged by the Aboriginal community with this award, it's the young people who remain the most important beneficiaries.

The Alberta Court of Appeal has struck two sections from the Métis Settlements Act (MSA) effectively allowing Métis who are registered under the Indian Act to maintain their membership in their settlement. But the decision could have farther reaching consequences.

Artist-Jodie Leslie
Album-Resonant Frequency
Song- Dys'fun'ction
Written by- Jodie Leslie, Wes Caswell,
Andrew Gingrich
Label- JoBug Records

Windspeaker: What one quality do you most value in a friend?
Nathaniel Bosum: One quality that I really admire is the fact that my friend can sense when I am not feeling normal and when there is a problem I'm experiencing.
W: What is it that really makes you mad?
N.B.: One thing that makes me really mad is when I know I did not try my best and when I could have done more.
W: When are you at your happiest?
N.B.: I'm the happiest when I am with my family and we're in the bush.
W: What one word best describes you when you are at your worst?
N.B.: Anger