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Janice Kennedy hopes that the opening of a new hemodialysis unit in the Battlefords Union Hospital will mean less travelling for local Aboriginal people who have to undergo the treatment.

Kennedy is executive director for the Battlefords Tribal Council Indian Health Centre. She explained that hemodialysis is used to clean impurities out of a patient's blood.

"Your whole blood goes through the machine. It filters out all the bad stuff, then it puts the good stuff back in your body. It is like an artificial kidney machine."

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Saskatchewan-based storytellering and performing duo Cheryl L'Hirondelle and Joseph Naytowhow, also known as Nikamok, will be among the presenters taking part during the Storytellers of Canada 12 annual national conference and gathering, to be held in Regina June 3 to 6.

Living Sky Stories ... from Prairie to Pine is the theme of this year's conference, which will provide participants with an opportunity to get to know each other and share their stories.

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It wasn't exactly a typical time in Regina's cultural life.

One night, a Northern Ontario rock band shared the stage with a Saskatchewan folk singer and throat singers from Pangnirtung, Nunavut. The next night, it was an event of modern dance. And the night after the audience watched traditional musicians from Siberia take the stage.

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Progress is being made in efforts to improve the quality of drinking water in First Nation communities across the province, but those efforts need to be more than a one-shot deal, said Bill Marion. Marion is manager of public works on James Smith Cree Nation and has been working to help First Nations improve the way they manage their water and wastewater for more than a decade.

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For the first time in more than eight years, people living on Yellow Quill First Nation will be able to get safe drinking water simply by turning on their taps.

Water quality on the First Nation was so bad that the community had been under a boil water advisory since 1995. The advisory was finally lifted in early March, when a new $6.5 million water treatment system began operating, piping safe water to all the homes in the community.

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A common thread ran through the messages of all nine speakers at Montreal Lake Cree Nation's Role Model Conference and Career Fair held on April 22. At half hour intervals throughout the day, students in grades 7 to 12 from Timber Bay, Montreal Lake and Weyakwin heard about how hard work and sacrifice are the keys to achieving goals and overcoming obstacles.

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The provincial legislature observed a moment of silence on April 28 to honour the 28 men and women who died in work-related accidents over the past 12 months.

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Just in time for North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week, taking place this year May 2 to 8, the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) has released a new pocket-sized guide to help workplaces better prepare for emergency situations.

The Emergency Response Planning Guide is a 150-page, pocket-sized handbook that will be of benefit to anyone wanting to put an emergency preparedness plan into place within their workplace.

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Maintaining the delicate balance between conserving the environment and conducting business is something that the Meadow Lake Tribal Council (MLTC) takes very seriously. That is why the tribal council has developed an approach to forest management that incorporates the wisdom of Elders and input from the members of the nine communities the tribal council represents.

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Saskatchewan's entries in this year's National Aboriginal Hockey Championship did not enjoy as much success as they have in previous years.

The 2004 tournament was held in April 18 to 24 in Prince George, B.C. This marked the third year the national tournament has been held, and the first year it has been held away from Akwesasne, Ont. This year's national tournament featured eight boys' and seven girls' teams.

Saskatchewan was represented by both boys' and girls' teams at the tournament, but neither side managed to capture a medal.