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Jimmy Dick phones a sponsor to see if they will help fund another event at the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto.

This time he's telling them about the Toronto Festival of Storytelling, scheduled for March 26 to April 4.

He is also working on getting storytellers for the event, which is touted as one of North America's oldest and largest storytelling celebrations.

The smile on his face as he hangs up the phone tells the story of the conversation that just took place.

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Chris Armour spent 10 years praying for better days.

His prayers were answered when he met the Dean Severight, a homeless man living on the streets of Toronto.

Before the housed Armour met Severight, he often found himself walking out of places unwanted while seeking volunteer work or even friendship.

It was Severight who first brought him into the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto. He signed on as a volunteer and that's when a door and hearts finally opened up for him.

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Larry Loyie went back to school, learned grammar and taught himself how to type. Today, he is author of Ora Pro Nobis (Pray for Us), a two act play, and As Long as the Rivers Flow, a children's book that won the Norma Fleck Award for Canadian children's non-fiction.

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Nine first- and second-year students at the Centre for Indigenous Theatre (CIT) presented a clown showcase in the auditorium of the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto on Feb. 20. The showcase featured clown work from the European theatre tradition.

"This is not slapstick comedy," director Mark Christmann said. "There are no violent moves. It's not like circus clowns. These clowns are capable of more subtlety and nuance, because the audience can see the performers' faces.

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Those of you who are familiar with the National Hockey League and the Colorado Avalanche might recognize a new name this year-Cody McCormick.

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Last month the Metis National Council issued a statement that council president Clement Chartier "welcomes the prime minister's commitment to end 'jurisdictional wrangling and passing the buck' when it comes to the Metis."

The statement was issued following Prime Minister Paul Martin's response to the Speech from the Throne. Martin indicated there would be a change in federal policy concerning the Metis, whose concerns have not been dealt with by previous federal administrations.

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The chief of the Whitefish River First Nation predicts "dark days ahead" for his community as industrial development expands in the Manitoulin District.

Chief Franklin Paibomsai fears that First Nation eco-tourism initiatives will be jeopardized by a shipping company's increased presence on LaCloche Island. Alexander Centre Industries Ltd. (ACIL) of Sudbury has permission to build a 30-metre-high building at Fisher Harbour near Little Current.

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Tuscarora photographer Jolene Rickard paid a visit to Toronto this month to participate in a conference at the University of Toronto. The event, (Re)Visualizing National History: Museology and National Identities in Europe in the New Millennium, took place March 3 to 5 at the Munk Centre for International Studies.

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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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This summer the Ontario Provincial Police will offer its second OPPBound recruitment program in Orillia. The goal of the program is to raise awareness of employment opportunities for Aboriginal men and women within policing.

A week-long camp at the provincial police academy will be held in July to give qualified people the chance to see what a career with the OPP is all about.

Last year's camp focused on recruiting women; this year's camp is exclusively for Aboriginal men and women.