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Kainai Marketplace to be officially opened
December 1, 2016. Fourteen months after ground was broken for the Kainai Marketplace, the official opening will be held. On Friday afternoon, Indigenous Relations Minister Richard Feehan will join Blood Tribe Chief Roy Fox at a special celebration of the grand opening. A partnership was established between the Blood Tribe, Alberta Indigenous Relations and Vision Quest BC to set up the business. The store is supplied by The Grocery People, who also supply the local Co-Op grocery chains. The Kainai Marketplace is a 12,000-square foot, $6-million state of the art building that employs over 20 Blood Tribe members.
Notley won’t ask for OSAG member’s resignation
December 1, 2016. Premier Rachel Notley says she will not ask Tzeporah Berman to step down from the government's Oil Sands Advisory Group despite Berman stating her opposition to the the newly approved pipeline projects. Berman wrote on Facebook, "Justifying Kinder Morgan and Line 3 because of Alberta Emissions Cap ignores First Nations treaty rights and their serious environmental impacts." In a news conference from Ottawa on Wednesday, Notley said diverse voices were needed and that Berman’s mandate did not include approval of pipelines. Wildrose Opposition Leader Brian Jean has called for Notley to publicly reprimand dissension from OSAG members. OSAG is advising the province on how to implement a new 100 megatonne annual cap on carbon from the oilsands. Melody Lepine, director, government and industry relations for the Mikisew Cree First Nation also serves on OSAG.
Blood Tribe police respond to 25 drug-activity calls in November
December 1, 2016. The Blood Tribe Police Service has released figures indicating that in November, BTPS responded to 25 calls for service-related drug activity, which included seven Fentanyl overdoses. On Nov. 28, there were four opioid overdoses reported. In all cases, medical intervention resulted in no lives being lost. The police are actively investigating a number of these complaints and several people are currently facing charges pursuant to the Controlled Drugs and Substance Act.
Kinder Morgan calling for “lawful and respectful” action following pipeline approval
December 1, 2016. Ian Anderson, president of Kinder Morgan Canada, is asking opponents of its Trans Mountain pipeline expansion to be “lawful and respectful.” Anderson says he is confident the $6.8-billion development will begin construction next September despite promises of protests, court challenges and civil disobedience in British Columbia from environmentalists, Indigenous groups and community leaders. But he also says the company will be prepared for opposition that could mirror protests at Burnaby Mountain last year that held up test drilling and resulted in more than 100 arrests. Along with the National Energy Board’s 157 conditions that Kinder Morgan must meet, the BC government has set out five conditions for provincial approval, including advanced oil spill response systems, First Nations consultations and financial benefits for the province. The expansion would triple capacity to about 890,000 barrels per day of oil on the 1,150-kilometre pipeline route between the Edmonton area of Alberta and Kinder Morgan’s marine terminal in Burnaby.
Indigenous education and reconciliation to be celebrated through the arts
December 1, 2016. On Dec. 3, the University of Calgary’s Werklund School of Education, along with the Education Students' Association, will present a public celebration bringing together diverse communities to learn, share and experience Indigenous culture and teaching. Eyes Open, Eyes High will feature speakers and discussion, a digital showcase of pre-service teacher learning, and a special performance of "New Blood," an arts production by Strathmore High School students. Central to the reconciliation process between the Indigenous community and others, the Saturday afternoon gathering will provide opportunities for learning, reflection and conversation and is in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action. The event will take place at the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning.