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As Kanata geared up for the tourist season last year, they suffered a crippling blow. Arsonists hit the 17th century tourist site on the evening of May 8 and set fire to the palisade surrounding the village. The main longhouse caught fire and was destroyed in a matter of minutes. Kanata suffered structural damage totalling $150,000 and loss of tourist revenue. The arsonist(s) have not yet been apprehended.

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An agreement has been reached between the two sides in a custom election dispute on Manitoulin Island.

In February, the M'Chigeeng First Nation and Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) worked out their differences paving the way for further self-government talks.

Chief Glen Hare said he was relieved that the process was finally over. Many community projects had been denied funding while the dispute dragged on. "Our approach now becomes to advance the community," he said. "Now the work begins to implement what we agreed upon."

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More than 200 people gathered in the foyer at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) on Feb. 6 for its 5th annual Aboriginal Cultural Day celebrations, which included presentation of the annual Thelma Chalifoux Award.

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Valentine's Day had come and gone, but romance was still in the air in Beaver Lake when they held their Sweetheart Jamboree on Feb. 21.

The event was a fundraiser for the Amisk Community School and it showcased local talent. Actor Dakota House of North of 60 fame and Cree entertainer Carl Quinn were also on hand.

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Since my last column in January, I have been up to Fort Chipewyan for a role model dinner, in Beaver Lake First Nation for a school fundraiser and in Fort McMurray for the closing ceremonies of the Arctic Winter Games.

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Team Gold Silver Bronze Sum

Alberta North 50 51 37 138

Alaska 47 44 45 136

Yukon 38 33 37 108

N.W.T. 29 35 43 107

Greenland 13 16 19 48

Nunavut 9 13 24 46

Magadan 10 11 10 31

Yamal 16 9 4 29

Sami 6 10 7 23

Nunavik, Que. 8 4 4 16

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The Arctic Winter Games 2004 are now but a memory, but what wonderful memories were made during competition held in the Wood Buffalo area of Northern Alberta from Feb. 28 to March 6.

Athletes from the circumpolar region came to this province to test their skills and endurance, make a few friends and trade a few pins. What participants got was much more than a week's worth of sporting competition, however. This vast northern neighborhood got a little bit closer, and a little bit more confident about its place in the world.

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It's not what you make but what you leave, the pool players say.

They mean you can't just focus on this shot; you must give some thought to getting yourself in good shape for the next one.

That's how Joe Big Plume lived his life-with or without a cue stick in his hands.

The legendary pool player from the Tsuu T'ina First Nation passed away on March 2 after suffering a heart attack. He was 76.

Tributes immediately began pouring in from his many admirers as news spread of his death.

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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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A conference called A Personal Fight, A Nation's Plight, hosted by the Metis Nation of Alberta's health committee will focus on issues surrounding diabetes in Metis communities.

Project manager Fran Hyndman said the theme of the three-day conference, which takes place in Edmonton from March 17 to 19, has particular meaning.