From the National Post

One-third of pupils at T.O. native school suspended - All Grade 3s failed literacy test

Chris Wattie And Katie Rook, January 12, 2008

TORONTO - Overlooked amid the coverage this week of a report on violence in Toronto's schools was the story of one of the city's most unfortunate, underperforming schools.

You are cordially invited to the

Ontario First Nations
Young Peoples Council

5th Annual Youth Symposium
On
Environment

At Northern College, Timmins, Ontario

on

February 28 – March 2, 2008

Hosted by

The Mushkegowuk Youth Council

For further information, please contact:
Laura Calmwind, Youth Coordinator

With the recent purchase of KMTS by Bell Aliant, the different telephone providers across the region are now seeing unexpected competition for customers. The choices for service providers is still limited but as more businesses are able to deliver services, the choices and prices for customers become more competitive across the region. The following three stories about the industry highlight some of these changes.

From Thunder Bay Chronicle Journal

NAN press release ... 

Aboriginal Leaders to McGuinty: Don't create another Ipperwash Incident – Respect the Moratoriums, Stop the Drilling!

Media Advisory:   

Press conference 10 a.m. Friday, January 11, 2008.
Queen's Park media studio.

Speakers include:

From Toronto Star

HIV a stigma in aboriginal communities - Rates of HIV infection among Canada's native people grossly disproportionate to their total numbers

Emily Mathieu, Staff Reporter, Jan 10, 2008

HIV rates among Canada's aboriginal community continue to rise at alarming rates – and women face the highest risk.

That's where Catherine Beaver comes in.

To see some pictures of the children of Marten Falls during a recent visit of INAC officials to their community, click here.

From the Thunder Bay Chronicle Journal

Feds fund fix for school

By CARL CLUTCHEY - January 16, 2008
 
The federal government is giving Marten Falls First Nation $780,000 so it can fix its elementary school and reopen the doors to students.

From the Anglican Journal

Churches urged to ‘be on the record’ about their role in residential schools

Marites N. Sison, staff writer, Jan 10, 2008

Health Canada press release ... 

Government of Canada Funds Groundbreaking First Nations Public Health Initiative

KENORA, ONTARIO--(Jan. 10, 2008) - The Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Health and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario, today announced that the Government of Canada is investing $3.7 million to ensure that public health services can be more efficient and effectively delivered in First Nations communities across Ontario.

Representatives from Kativik Regional Government (KRG - Jean-Francois Dumoulin), K-Net (Penny Carpenter, Brian Beaton, Jeannie Carpenter, Adi Linden) and Keewatin Tribal Council (KTC - Theodore Baschak, Dan Pellerin) are meeting at the Keewaytinook Okimakanak IT Technology Centre in Sioux Lookout to finalize the Joint Venture Agreement and discuss other matters concerning the National Indigenous Community Satellite Network (NICSN - http://smart.knet.ca/satellite). Ashmede Asgarali, the lead from KTC was unable to make the trip.

The story below and the report from Statistics Canada clearly demonstrates the results of under funding for First Nations education and community support systems. Dealing with the results of this lack of funding for First Nations and their schools by putting more money into adult literacy is required but by avoiding the real challenge of adequately funding First Nation education, this literacy issue will just continue to grow in the future ...