Celebrating Canada 150 and before: Krystle Retieffe’s Dreamworks

 Ottawa, July 3, 2017 – Alpha Art Gallery and Ottawa Life Magazine are proud to welcome Krystle Retieffe, the powerful Mi'kmaq female artist born on Nova Scotia's South Shore, who will be presenting her celebrated works at the 25 Murray Street gallery from July 6 to 23, 2017. Vernissage: July

JUNO Spotlight: A Tribe Called Red

 Nominated For: Video of the Year (R.E.D.) Jack Richardson Producer of the Year (Sila, R.E.D.) Electronic Album of the Year (We Are the Halluci Nation) When art meets activism something amazing is bound to happen. When that includes an exultant dance party set to pulse pounding dubstep, house, and hip

“Canada’s Guantanamo”

 CALLS FOR THE ARREST OF ONTARIO CORRECTIONS MINISTER DAVID ORAZIETTI AND SUPERINTENDENTS OF THUNDER BAY CORRECTIONS FACILITY DEBORAH MACKAY AND KAREN MACHADO FOR THE TORTURE OF ABORIGINAL INMATE ADAM CAPAY Disgust is probably the least offensive word we can think of when it comes to describing what has happened to

Tara Shannon Wants to Break the Barrier Between Listening and Experiencing

 Images used courtesy of Tara Shannon. Recording session images by Ali Matthews. Have you ever experienced Inuit throat singing? I don’t mean that you have heard it somewhere or saw it performed on the stage or in film, but that you have actually experienced it? My first experience took place

Cue the Cure!

 This time two years ago, Jennifer Mielke and Jennifer Mulligan probably felt like cancer was coming at them from every angle. In August 2013 Mielke found out that a lump in her breast was “indicative of cancer.” A month before that, Mulligan lost her mother to pancreatic cancer. Vixens' executive

Universities Play Key Role in Reconciliation

 The success is staggering. The number of Aboriginal people and communities using education as a means to a greater future is rising. It’s a cause for celebration. Just 50 years ago, there were roughly 200 Status Indians taking courses at Canadian universities and colleges. In 2011, the number of self-identified

Daniels versus Canada

 The Métis Nation has long argued that the federal government has primary responsibility to deal with Métis as a distinct Aboriginal people, but successive governments in Ottawa steadfastly adhered to the line that Métis were a provincial responsibility. The provinces for the most part claimed that Ottawa had constitutional responsibility

Native History with Pulse: Inspiring Journey of Thousand Years

 Global Savages represent the members of the Anishnaabeg family: Debajehmud, Chibiabos, mother Sky Woman and Mudjeekwis (left to right). Photo courtesy of Ron Berti. Have you heard the rowing of canoes? Public participates in the smudging ceremony Because Global Savages were here to tell their 18,000 year-old story as a

Celebrating the Cultural Fusion of the Métis

 Featured Image: Internationally-acclaimed troupe, the Asham Stompers promote the richness of Métis culture through dance. Métis arts, language and symbols are expressions of a unique cultural fusion. The people of the Métis Nation are distinct from other Aboriginal peoples. Their culture and traditions come from the combination of Aboriginal peoples and Europeans

Lingering legal wars of the officially recognized Métis Nation

 While Canada has made headway in addressing injustices of First Nation groups, it has largely overlooked the rights of Métis - another significantly large Aboriginal population. The Métis have been tossed back and forth between federal and provincial governments, each disputing its jurisdictional responsibility to deal with them as a

Three Things We Can Do to End Poverty in Canada

 Poverty degrades our economy, changes the nature of our cities and the cohesion of our society “Time to end poverty in Canada” has been the message from the Salvation Army coming across our TV screens this holiday season. A great idea from an organization that fights poverty every day in

Who are the Métis?

 For generations, the Métis Nation has struggled for recognition and justice in the Canadian federation. In 1982, the existing Aboriginal and Treaty rights of the Aboriginal peoples in Canada were recognized and affirmed in s. 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982. This was a watershed for the Métis Nation, with

Nipissing University Provides Quality Education to First Nations Communities

 It is frequently forgotten access to learning and high-quality teaching is not available for everyone in Canada. The education provided for Aboriginal children is just one example of a group with limited access. Their level of education is well below that of other Canadian children. The high school graduation rate

Youth on the Streets: Anything but Hopeless

 Kevin Belisle begs for money and attention. He sits on Bank Street, holding a carton that reads, “Extremely hungry. Please help.” In his backpack: high school equivalency, a criminal record and a dirty jacket. Homeless Kevin Belisle, 23, asks the government for a job, so he doesn’t have to beg

The Art of Russell Noganosh

 “Finding himself through art and using it to heal” Russell Noganosh set off for Plains Indian Cultural Survival School in his early twenties—but the skills he learned didn’t come from his studies. Noganosh’s life lessons came from friendship and art. Noganosh enrolled in school after fleeing from a foster home

Why the Mental Health of Girls Needs National Attention

 Canadian girls internalize emotional stress and report high rates of depression, psychological distress, anxiety disorders and eating disorders. The recent Maclean’s cover story, entitled Revenge of the Teenage Girl, was too tempting not to read. No doubt they were publishing this in honour of the third International Day of the

Aboriginal Initiatives at Nipissing University

 The Aboriginal Initiatives Program at Nipissing University offers students a unique opportunity to remain connected with their heritage while receiving their education. Throughout the school year, as well as in the summer, the Aboriginal Initiatives Office is busy helping students engage in their studies and in their community in order

Five Things Most People Get Wrong About Canada’s Health-Care System

 By Kathleen O’Grady and Noralou Roos A recent court challenge before the British Columbia Supreme Court threatened to change the rules of the game for the Canadian health-care system—should the challenge have made its way to the Supreme Court of Canada and found success there. Dr. Brian Day of the

Education as Transformation — Answering the call of Chief Dan George

 “I’m going back to school." What a sense of opportunity that simple phrase evokes. Stories of personal growth often begin with those few words. In a society focused on the power of the individual to change their life and begin anew, the pursuit of knowledge is a critical first step.

Aboriginal Initiatives Program at Nipissing University

 Nipissing University in North Bay, Ontario offers a unique program for Aboriginal students looking for an opportunity to be involved in their community. Aboriginal Initiatives provides multiple resources that help students successfully earn a degree. The school also organizes both social and educational events that encourage students to reach out

We Need Action On Land Claims And We Need It Now

 Canada's mining industry offers major opportunities for First Nations peoples. We are the larg-est industrial employer of Aboriginal peoples. We double the national aver-age, while some mines have Aboriginal workforces that are 30-40 percent Ab-original or even higher. And these are good paying jobs. The average income of Aboriginal people

No First Ladies in retirement, please

 Teresa Heinz Kerry and Laura Bush may differ in public personalities and the way in which they campaign for their husbands; however, there is no comparison to the obvious lack of action from our Canadian "First Ladies." These ladies lack the zest, courage and obvious public profile that helped their