Media.Knet.Ca

from http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/city/story.html?id=b7145514-4aed-4f45-9f81-f85bed65ed60

Aboriginal school boards touted - Minister holds early talks with Alberta chiefs
              
Sarah McGinnis - Calgary Herald        

Sunday, March 26, 2006

Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice wants to create aboriginal school boards in Alberta to improve the First Nations education system.

Consultation with aboriginal educators, adequate funding levels and respect for programs that are working would be needed to make any school authority a success, warns Siksika Nation chief Strater Crowfoot.

"We're talking in the province of Alberta about (creating) an education authority for Treaty 8, one for Treaty 7 and one for Treaty 6," Prentice said in an interview with the Herald on Saturday.

Education authorities, divided geographically throughout the province and identified by the different treaty numbers, could be similar to the school boards that govern the public school system, Prentice explained.

They could include elected representatives who are made accountable for their decisions, he added.

School authorities are needed because First Nations students don't have the same legislative protection other students do, Prentice said.

"First Nations kids live in this legislative vacuum where there's no legislation that prescribes curriculum and class sizes, children's rights or the rights of children with disabilities," he said.

"These are all things you find in and around the Alberta school legislation. Aboriginal kids don't have that."

While there have been preliminary talks with Alberta chiefs about school authorities, the concept is far from being a workable policy yet, Prentice said.

And Crowfoot agrees there's still a lot of work to be done.

"I think Jim is taking the right step by looking at what can be done to make the system better," said Crowfoot.

"Perhaps having a pan-Alberta approach with . . . better co-ordination with the province may be a good step."

But there has to be much more discussion with affected groups before school authorities can be created, said Crowfoot.

And education discussions shouldn't be limited to chief and councils, he said.

"You have to get the politics out of education. Let the educators decide better how to run the systems," he said.

Adequate funding levels and support systems are also needed to ensure First Nations kids get the best schooling possible, said Crowfoot.

"Just because you put a school board in doesn't mean you're going to get anywhere," said Fraser Institute spokesman Peter Cowley, who added there are already two aboriginal school boards in Quebec.

Cowley organizes an annual report card on education, ranking schools across Canada.

Instead of expanding the educational bureaucracy, the government should release standardized test results so the public can see how serious the problems are in First Nations schools, he said.

By analysing test results, administrators can look for best practices at other aboriginal schools which can be applied to them, he said.

smcginnis@theherald.canwest.com

from http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/March2006/24/c5838.html

Platinex Encouraged by Government Action on Big Trout Lake Exploration Delay

TORONTO, March 24 /CNW/ - Platinex Inc. (TSX-V: PTX) reports on recent progress relating to its delayed exploration program at the Big Trout Lake property in Northern Ontario.

On Monday March 6th, Rick Bartolucci, Minister of Northern Development and Mines, announced "Ontario's Mineral Development Strategy", which includes the Government's commitment to "...ensuring that mineral sector activities occur in a manner consistent with Ontario's consultation obligations related to Aboriginal and Treaty rights."

Platinex President James Trusler is encouraged that the Ontario Government is taking its consultation duties seriously, but notes that "Platinex has made clear to the Minister and senior MNDM officials that the absence of government consultation with the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug community (KI) over many years has frustrated the Company's extensive consultation efforts and ability to explore on its claims at Big Trout Lake. This is a situation that requires urgent action on the part of Government at the most senior levels to resolve KI's concerns." Minister Bartolucci has indicated that he is treating this matter as a priority.

In conjunction with its on-going communications with the Ontario Government, Platinex continues to seek a response from KI regarding its offer to set up a meeting to discuss exploration related matters. Platinex remains committed to playing its part in the consultation process. During the recent Prospectors and Developers Association annual Convention in Toronto, Platinex representatives made a presentation to the PDA directors regarding the obligation to consult with First Nations people through the exploration process. Part of the program featured the involvement of First Nations people from various parts of Canada who are involved in exploration and/or mining and bringing substantial benefit to their individual communities.

In addition to seeking a timely resolution to enable Platinex's safe access to its Big Trout Lake property, the Company is continuing to evaluate data obtained with the acquisition of the adjacent property to define the extent of the existing chromite deposits and to estimate the potential of the platinum group element mineralization. A release of this data is expected shortly.

"It has always been the intention of Platinex management to acquire additional PGE properties with exceptional potential to improve the Company's chances of discovering a very large PGE deposit. In addition management wishes to provide more stability to the Company by opportunistic acquisition of more advanced mineral properties," Trusler stated. Such events are expected shortly and will be announced on conclusion of staking or negotiations.

About Platinex Inc.

Platinex is a Canadian exploration company based near Toronto. Platinex focuses on carefully selected Platinum Group Element targets in settings with potential for the discovery of multi-million-ounce deposits, analogous to the JM reef (Stillwater Complex, Montana) and the Merensky and UG2 reefs (Bushveld Complex, RSA), each of which contain resources of PGEs in the tens or hundreds of millions of ounces. The Company is currently exploring on its Big Trout Lake Property in Northern Ontario, approximately 580 km (350 miles) north of Thunder Bay. Shares of Platinex became listed for trading on the TSX Venture Exchange on November 4, 2005, under the symbol PTX. Platinex has 14,271,173 common shares issued and outstanding.