National Aboriginal Day: Friend or foe?

Today, June 21, is Canada’s National Aboriginal Day. This morning, like most other days, I woke up, made my coffee, and sat down to read the news. The consensus seems to be that today is a day to celebrate Aboriginal cultures and to remember our vibrant history within Canada. In the newspapers, stories of celebration […]

Retired captain: How Northern Gateway may ‘consult’ and ‘accommodate’ Aboriginal interests

An interesting theory has been floated in the Vancouver Sun by “an 87-year-old retired West Coast sea captain” about the Northern Gateway pipelines. In his editorial “Harper gov’t playing ‘shell game’ on pipeline,” Capt. Edward Wray alleges that “the [federal government’s] and Enbridge’s so-called plan” for the ultimate route relies on a diversionary strategy: get people […]

Who are ‘The Enbridge 18?’ A call to crowdsource Northern Gateway’s Aboriginal partners

This week, the Canadian oil and gas company Enbridge — operator of “the world’s longest, most sophisticated crude oil and liquids transportation system” — released a statement claiming that, with regard to Aboriginal support of the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline project, it has confirmed that Almost 60 percent of eligible Aboriginal communities along the [desired route], […]

IndigenEtsy: A curated list of handmade native goodness

It calls itself “the world’s handmade marketplace.” And if you’re the crafty, self-starting entrepreneur type, you likely already know its name — Etsy. Started up seven years ago as a site for “very-very small businesses,” Etsy has become massive in its own right: 15+ million members, 875,000+ active shops, and 13+ million listed items. So […]