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Georgina Beyer, Labour MP from Wairarapa, New Zealand, received a standing ovation at her first speaking engagement in Canada.

Beyer, who spoke at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre in Toronto on Oct. 20, has won recognition internationally as a leader in the Aboriginal and the transgender communities.

She is the first Maori to be elected to Carterton District Council in her home country, and the first transgendered person in the world to be elected as a mayor and to a national parliament.

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Now that the federal court as ruled that off-reserve Aboriginal people have been discriminated against when it comes to skills and training funding, what has the federal government done to remedy that discrimination?

Pit on-reserve people against off-reserve people in a scrap over money, say two women associated with a Toronto Aboriginal employment and training agency.

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Positive mental health needs to be nurtured from the moment of birth, according to a great-grandmother from Rainy River First Nation. Elder Ann Wilson shared her experiences in an Oct. 28 workshop entitled Traditional Approaches to Mental Health during a Native mental health conference.

A member of the Bullhead Clan, Wilson, whose Native name is Bebaamijiwebiik, is immersed in the language, traditions and culture of her extended family.

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The negative fallout from a massive revamping of mental health services in 1998 is being felt throughout Northern Ontario. The reorganization ordered by the Mike Harris Conservative government virtually eliminated local control of services in favour of regional decision-making.

Native community mental health workers who gathered for professional development workshops in Sudbury recently could not ignore the controversy in their midst.

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Nishnawbe Aski Nation Deputy Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler, 38, returned Oct. 26 from running in the Dublin Marathon in Dublin, Ireland.

The 26-mile run was Fiddler's first marathon, but not his first effort on behalf of the Canadian Diabetes Association, for which he has personally raised about $6,000 in the past.

This latest effort, as part of Team Diabetes Canada, brought in nearly half a million dollars to support diabetes research, a cause that is close to Fiddler's heart.

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Public hearings on Bill 97, the First Nations Revenue Sharing Act, 2004 concluded this fall, but the bill was still being discussed at the Nishnawbe Aski Nation's Special Chiefs' Assembly in early November.

If Bill 97 is passed into law, it will establish a procedure "by which resource companies that intend to extract natural resources from First Nations traditional lands in Northern Ontario, negotiate a comprehensive revenue-sharing agreement with the First Nations and the government of Ontario."

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THUNDER BAY-Nishnawbe-Aski Nation announced the launch of two new Web sites during its annual chiefs' assembly in Thunder Bay on Nov. 3.

They are www.nan.on.ca and www.mynan.ca.

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TORONTO-Roberta Jamieson has been appointed as chief executive officer to the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation (NAAF).

The announcement was made Nov. 4.

"I was impressed by the high level of candidates we interviewed," said NAAF board chairman Len Flett.

"Our final choice focused on a person who, in addition to having all the managerial qualities required of the positon, was compelling, visionary and charismatic."

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TYENDINAGA-Two journalism diploma program students at First Nations Technical Institute (FNTI) have been awarded more than $6,000 between them in scholarships.

Third-year student Jeremy Brascoupe gets $2,500 U.S. this year from the Native American Journalists Association (NAJA). Last year the association gave him $1,500.

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HEARST-Constance Lake has identified a problem with prescription drug abuse on its reserve. They are seeking the assistance of other communities and organizations that are dealing with the same situation.

Band authorities say as many as 900 tablets of prescription drugs such as Oxycodone, Oxycontin and Percocet are coming into the community at one time and being sold for $9 a tablet. Chief Arthur Moore said "The major challenges of this drug problem are accessibility and tolerance."