Hundreds of housing units likely for Nunavik

A whack of new social housing units likely lie in store for Nunavik. A meeting of Nunavik's regional organizations on Feb. 27 in Kuujjuaq is expected to pave the way for the announcement of a multi-million-dollar package of deals at a news conference March 6 in Montreal, according to information from the Kativik Regional Government in Kuujjuaq.
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Cancer downstream from oilsands merits further study: Alta.

The Alberta government says it will respond to a health study released earlier this month that found elevated cancer cases in a remote aboriginal community downstream from the Alberta oilsands.
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First Nations lead initiative to improve organ and tissue donation rates in Ontario

In partnership with Trillium Gift of Life Network, the Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) is asking all First Nations people to register their consent to donate their organs and tissues and is encouraging all communities in Ontario to follow NAN's lead in supporting organ and tissue donation.
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Upper Fraser Valley - The Drug Action Task Force’s Commitment To The Health And Safety Of First Nations Communities

UPPER FRASER VALLEY, B.C.- The RCMP continues it’s long and productive history of service to First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities, with their involvement on the Drug Action Task Force. For the past five years the RCMP’s Upper Fraser Valley First Nation Policing Unit has been working collaboratively with Sto:lo Tribal Council, Sto:lo Nation Community Development, School District representatives, and the Sto:lo Youth Committee coordinator on this initiative addressing the drug issues within First Nations communities.
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Private medical clinic to be named for man who died in Winnipeg hospital

Plans are in the works to open a new walk-in medical clinic named after Brian Sinclair, the man who died while waiting for care in the emergency room of the Health Sciences Centre last fall.
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All-Party Committee Examining Mental Health and Addiction Services

TORONTO - An all-party committee has been formed by the Ontario legislature to help develop ways to improve access to mental health and addiction services in the province.
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NWT's new top doctor

INUVIK - As a child living in Inuvik, Dr. Cindy Orlaw still vividly remembers the rush she experienced attending drum dances with her mom at Ingamo Hall.
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Tuberculosis eyed on First Nation residents being monitored for signs of infection

BRANDON - Several residents of Rolling River First Nation are being watched for signs of a possible tuberculosis infection, band Chief Wilfred McKay told the Brandon Sun on Friday.
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Child abuse damages genes, affects stress coping: study

Montreal researchers have tracked down the biological history or markings of childhood trauma in the brains of Quebec suicide victims.

Published yesterday in the journal Nature Neuroscience, the McGill University and Douglas Institute study is the first of its kind in unravelling the epigenetics of suicide.
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Growing Arctic sea ice likely to melt, says scientist

A University of Manitoba climate researcher says the growth of Arctic sea ice in 2008 is not cause for optimism.
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Empowerment is the path to better health care

Community-controlled initiatives vital for B.C.'s first nations people to thrive.
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Historic health transfer at Chehalis

The Chehalis Band celebrated a community milestone Monday afternoon with the signing of a long-term agreement with Health Canada.
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Government of Canada works with Nunavut to help curb smoking among Aboriginal youth

The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, today announced support for two separate tobacco-related projects designed to help prevent Aboriginal youth from smoking.
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Statistics Canada releases an article on the health and well-being of Métis adults

The article contains information on self-rated health, physical activity level, and opinions on how Métis can improve their health.
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More than 50 % of Métis adults diagnosed with chronic health conditions

The most commonly reported chronic health conditions among Métis adults were arthritis or rheumatism, high blood pressure and asthma. In all three cases, rates among Métis were higher than they were in the general population, after standardizing for age.
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Federal government announces $50 million for housing on B.C. reserves

Just one month after five people died in a house fire on a Vancouver Island First Nations reserve, the federal government has committed $50 million for housing on B.C. reserves.
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Aboriginal women honoured for community dedication

It was an evening to celebrate achievements of aboriginal women in the province. The Newfoundland Aboriginal Women's Network hosted a banquet on Feb. 6 for participants of Kiskat-Pukuwit: Aboriginal Women on the Verge of Rising project.
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Low-cost homes could help First Nations

It looks tiny, but the low-cost, energy-efficient house can snugly fit a family of four, and a B.C. company hopes it's a partial answer to the housing crisis on First Nations reserves in Canada.
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First Nation homes plagued by mould UBC study links problem to asthma, other conditions

A team of researchers at the University of B.C. is preparing to publish a study showing a direct link between mould-infested homes in one First Nation community and an increased incidence of asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory ailments.
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First Nations complete healing strategy in wake of tragedy

The Yellow Quill First Nation and two neighbouring First Nations have completed a healing strategy proposal to be submitted to a provincial-federal government committee as part of an ongoing effort to prevent further tragedies such as the freezing deaths of two young girls one year ago.
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More than 200 peanut-related products now on Canada's recall list

The number of snack foods being recalled in Canada because of the deadly salmonella outbreak from tainted peanut products in the U.S. now tops 200.
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Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) change DNA in Greenlandic Inuit -- perhaps for generations.

This is the first study to look at the association between persistent industrial chemicals and modified DNA function in a human population.
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FASD fundraiser a huge success

The Lakeland Centre for FASD is one of the few places in Canada where both children and adults can receive a diagnosis. It also offers a mobile unit to provide services throughout the region. The centre was recently recognized as a “best practice” model by Health Canada, and was named an Alberta network for FASD.
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N.S. band hopeful Ottawa will come up with funding for youth shelter

An official with a Nova Scotia native reserve beset by a rash of suicides is hoping a meeting today with federal officials will result in funding for the troubled community.
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7 months on, boil-water advisory continues in Sachs Harbour

Residents in the remote Arctic community of Sachs Harbour, N.W.T., are still having to boil their water seven months after chlorination pumps failed at the local water treatment plant, which continues to be plagued by problems.
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Geography professor partners with local Aboriginal Health Access Centre

In the late '80s the Ojibways of Pic River First Nation couldn't drink the water that surrounded their community after chemicals from a mine in the Hemlo Gold Camp contaminated their drinking water supply.
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Video network to enhance health care on remote reserves

A new video conferencing technology in the works for Alberta's native communities is poised to give even the remotest reserves improved access to health-care services.
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First Nations housing fails

First Nations leaders say the core of the problem is the reserve system that uprooted thousands of people and put them into a type of housing that had little to do with their history. Traditionally, B.C. native bands did not live in one place with one family to a house.
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Aboriginals more likely to light up: Study

Aboriginal people are more likely to smoke - not because of their cultural background, but because they earn less than non-aboriginals, according to research conducted in Saskatoon.
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New Heart and Stroke Foundation report reveals big inconsistencies in price and accessibility of healthy food

The Heart and Stroke Foundation's Annual Report on Canadians' Health reveals startling discrepancies between the cost and accessibility of basic healthy food within provinces and across the country. Depending on where you live, some Canadians are often paying more than double to almost six times the price for the same basic healthy food.
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A marriage of medicine: Traditional ways must still have a place

Nearly 400 years ago, the Haudenosaunee people of what is now Six Nations reached an agreement known as the Two Row Wampum Treaty with Dutch settlers in upstate New York.
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Aboriginal leaders frustrated after report finds cancer rates higher than expected

Researchers who examined cancer rates in a small aboriginal community near the oilsands in northern Alberta have found more cases than expected.
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Safe to eat meat of tranquillized polar bears after 45 days: Health Canada

Health Canada has significantly reduced the number of days northerners should wait before eating the meat of polar bears that were recently tranquillized by researchers.
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N.S. premier says his gov't will help address suicide problem at Eskasoni

Nova Scotia Premier Rodney MacDonald says his government will extend whatever help it can to address the suicide problem on the province's largest native reserve at Eskasoni.
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Report questions decline of caribou herds in the North

A new report has criticized the science behind statements that northern caribou herds are in steep decline, but government wildlife managers say Aboriginal concerns are preventing them from gathering the data needed for conclusive evidence.
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New rules may strip rural, remote areas of their physicians, colleges warn

Canada's political leaders say an agreement that will allow workers with occupational certification in one province to transfer it to all others will be a boon for the country, but there is growing concern about the agreement's impact on medicine.
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Indigenous teen resilience to be studied by circumpolar researchers

The University of Alaska Fairbanks, along with five other universities, will examine success stories from Alakanuk and other circumpolar communities using a $1.094 million International Polar Year grant from the National Science Foundation.

The plan is to collect life histories of youths in the four circumpolar communities that are home to Alaska Inupiat and Yupik, Canadian Inuit and Siberian Eveny peoples.
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Salmon farming spawns Aboriginal lawsuit against B.C. government

A Northern Vancouver Island First Nation is preparing a class-action lawsuit against the B.C. government, alleging nearby salmon farms are harming wild salmon stocks.
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Youth suicide rate concerns Native leaders

Disproportionately high suicide rates among Aboriginal youth continue to plague Saskatchewan communities and the problem may even be on the rise, say representatives from the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN).
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N.W.T. health minister delays changes to extended benefits

The Northwest Territories government is delaying its plan to cut back on its extended health benefits, due to a public outcry from seniors and other residents who say they would be hurt by the changes.
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High Arctic research station still in early stages: Strahl

It may be a while before Canada's world-class High Arctic scientific research station is built, as no decisions have been made as to what the station will look like — or exactly where it will be based.
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'Clean slate' for truth panel

Survivors of the Indian residential school system in Canada are closer to a long-awaited opportunity to publicly tell their stories, after a breakthrough yesterday in talks to rescue a special commission for that purpose.
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