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Dr. Ron Martin likes being his own boss. In fact, that was one of reasons why he chose a career in dentistry.

"When you're your own boss, you can set your own hours. You can work when you want to, hire who you want to. There's a lot of flexibility. If there are certain events or things happening, you can schedule around it," said Martin.

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People from across the province involved in educating First Nations and Metis children will get a chance to share their experiences during this year's Awasis conference, being held at the Saskatoon Inn from April 28 to 30.

The conference is organized each year by Awasis, a special subject council of the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation that works to improve the education offered to First Nations and Metis people.

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When the Sakewew high school childcare centre opened its doors last September, its goal was to encourage young parents to stay in school by providing them with accessible and affordable childcare. Funded by both the federal and provincial government, the facility was created in response to the needs identified by students.

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Remember that March 1 deadline for signing a government consent form or doing without non-insured health care? Forget about it. The deadline is history. The government has changed its mind.

The government has scrapped the universal, national consent form after facing an aggressive lobby against it by First Nations and Inuit leaders and much suspicion from people that the data collected with the form would be used to undermine health care entitlements.

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In an effort to raise awareness within the Aboriginal community about violence perpetrated against women and girls, the Saskatchewan Native Theatre Company (SNTC) produced three performances of The Vagina Monologues in Saskatoon, Prince Albert and Regina on February 14, 17 and 20 respectively.

Written by Eve Ensler, The Vagina Monologues is an award-winning play about female sexuality. The Saskatchewan Native Theatre Company launched the production to coincide with V-Day Saskatchewan 2004.

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How far does a writer go for a good story? In the case of Floyd Favel, the journey took him half way around the world.

Favel's newest play, The Sleeping Land, premiered Feb. 17 at Regina's Globe Theatre.

In addition to being the author, Favel, who is originally from Poundmaker First Nation, is the director and one of three actors in the play. He stars with Tracey McCorrister, a First Nations actress from Winnipeg, and Sergy Ostrenko, a Latvian actor.

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The community of Prince Albert lost one of its leading citizens with the passing of Bernice Sayese. Sayese was diagnosed with cancer in January 2003 and lost her battle with the disease on March 4. Sayese, who in 2002 became the first Aboriginal woman to be named Prince Albert's Citizen of the Year, was probably best known for her work with the long running Voices of the North performances held each year as part of the Prince Albert Winter Festival. But the annual showcase of Aboriginal performers was far from being the only project to which Sayese dedicated her time.

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This year's production of Voices of the North took place in Prince Albert Feb. 12 to 14, drawing about 2,000 music fans to the annual showcase of Aboriginal talent.

Among the performers who took to the stage for this year's showcase were Curtis Ledoux, Tammy Cashene, Donna Bill, Terri-Anne Strongarm, Teagan Littlechief and Sandy Bird. Mo Tourand, Darren Gardiner, Donnie Desjarlais, Duncan Gardiner, Chris Villebrun-Tootoosis and the band No Kurfew also performed.

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Organizations in South America working to achieve equal rights for Indigenous people are getting some help from the First Nations University of Canada.

The university has entered into a three-year partnership that will see it provide assistance to Indigenous organizations in Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador.

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The date and location for the First Nations University of Canada's annual powwow were changed last year to coincide with National Aboriginal Day and the official opening of the university's new Regina campus, but this year the event, which has become the largest powwow in Western Canada, will once again be held in April at the Agridome in Regina's Exhibition Park.

This year's powwow, the 26th annual offering of the event, will take place April 3 and 4.