Renowned Canadian Architect Douglas Cardinal Awards Collection to Carleton University

(Ottawa) –

Douglas Cardinal, an internationally-renowned architect, has bestowed his entire collection from 1984 onwards of drawings, plans, files, 3D models and other information to Carleton University.

“I chose Carleton because of its outstanding school of architecture, its commitment to the arts and humanities and particularly the exemplary professional and dedicated staff serving the Archives Department, especially Patti Harper and Lloyd Keane,” says Cardinal. “I am assured the collection will be properly preserved and my body of work will be able to be utilized by future generations of architects.”

Cardinal, who is an officer of the Order of Canada, is famous for his commitment to excellence and unique creative vision. He is renowned for developing a classic, organic approach to architecture and was designated a world master of contemporary architecture by the International Academy of Architecture.

“This collection will not only be valuable to the Azrieli School of Architecture and Urbanism but also Aboriginal studies, commerce, public history, political science and heritage conservation at Carleton,” says Patti Harper, a department head of the archives and research collections at MacOdrum Library, where the collection is now housed. “When Douglas Cardinal’s office called to ask us if we were interested in his collection, we didn’t hesitate. Coming on the heels of the Jacob Siskind collection, we are absolutely delighted that he also chose to give this fabulous gift to Carleton.”

Says Stephen Fai, a professor of architecture: “His undulating forms and voluptuous spaces are immediately recognizable. Equally important to the history of architecture is the role he played in the development and application of digital technologies for the practice of architecture. With Carleton’s new PhD that focuses on the culture of practice in architecture, beginning in the fall of 2011, the acquisition of this collection couldn’t be more timely.”

Cardinal is also known for imbuing humanity into his work. “I have found that by placing the needs of the human being before the systems that modern man has created, we can ensure that the man is indeed served by these systems rather than becoming a slave to them. Through several projects undertaken by my firm and myself, I have demonstrated my dedication for working with people and improving the human condition.”

“This acquisition is a watershed for Carleton and for the history and theory of architecture in particular,” notes Peter Coffman, assistant professor, School for Studies in Art and Culture. “Douglas Cardinal’s work is not only beautiful – it is also connected to some of the most compelling social and political themes of our day. This is a hugely exciting field for research, and this collection will put us at the centre of that research for generations to come.”

The collection includes valuable assets such as plans for the Canadian Museum of Civilization, the Museum of the American Indian (Washington, D. C.), the First Nation University (Saskatchewan) and Oneida Casino Children’s and Elders Center (Verona, New York).

Other projects that Cardinal has worked on in his career include the Edmonton Space Science Centre which has since been renovated and rebranded as the Telus World of Science, the Leighton Artist Colony at the Banff Centre, the Provincial Building in Ponoka, Alberta, the Grande Prairie Regional College, St. Mary’s Church in Red Deer, Alberta, and Oujé-Bougoumou village, Oujé-Bougomou, Quebec, which won the UN award as UNESCO’s Best Sustainable Community in 1998 and was featured as the “Village of the Future” in Expo 2000 in Hanover, Germany.

In1999, Cardinal was awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, the highest architectural honour presented to an individual in Canada, In 2009, he received a Gold Medal of the Union of Architects of Russia, in celebration of the 20^th anniversary of the design and building of the Canadian Museum of Civilization.

The Cardinal collection pre-1984 is housed at the University of Calgary. Once the Carleton collection has been arranged and described it is hoped that the two collections can be linked virtually.

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

Canadian Museum of Civilization

Aboriginal Training Program in Museum Practices

DEADLINE MARCH 15, 2009

Gatineau, Quebec, February 15, 2011 — The Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation is now accepting applications for its Aboriginal Training Program in Museum Practices. This eight-month program offers professional and technical training in museum practices to First Nations, Métis and Inuit people from across Canada. The deadline for applications is March 15, 2011.

All training is under the supervision of the Museum’s professional staff in a variety of fields, including research, collections, exhibitions, public programs, public affairs and publishing, development and museum services. The objective of this internship is to offer practical experience for Aboriginal people who would like to broaden their skills in various aspects of museum work. Training is available in both official languages.

This is the eighteenth consecutive year for the Aboriginal Training Program in Museum Practices. It was established by the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation in September 1993 in response to recommendations in the 1992 Task Force Report on Museums and First Peoples. Since its inception, some 80 Aboriginal trainees have completed the program successfully.

To learn more about the program, please contact Jameson C. Brant at 819 776-8270; by e-mail jameson.brant@civilization.ca; or consult the website at www.civilization.ca/aboriginaltraining.

Note: Algonquin Firekeeper Daniel Bernard has been invited by NDP leader Andrea Horwath to speak in the Ontario legislature today (February 24th).

Algonquin Union hand-delivers urgent letter of appeal

to stop clear-cutting of South March Highlands in Ottawa

(Toronto) Despite several respectful but failed attempts to schedule a meeting with Ontario’s Minister of Tourism and Culture Michael Chan, representatives of the Algonquin Union are hand-delivering a letter today to his office. The letter, to be delivered by Algonquin Firekeeper Daniel Bernard (Amikwabe), contains new archeological information that provides Minister Chan grounds to stop the clear-cutting of South March Highlands in the Ottawa suburb of Kanata.

Tree cutting and heavy construction equipment continue to devastate this urban forest, which has been repeatedly identified as a site of significant archeological heritage, in addition to being of major environmental and ceremonial importance. The entire area has the potential to be recognized as Provincially Significant Cultural Heritage in accordance with Ontario Regulation 10/06.

“It is very disturbing that during the United Nations’ Year of the Forest the city of Ottawa is permitting one of the most amazing old growth forests located in an urban setting anywhere in the world to be destroyed,” Bernard says.

Algonquin people from across the Ottawa River Watershed in both Ontario and Quebec have called for an immediate halt to the KNL housing project at the site, while an independent archeological review is carried out to determine the cultural significance of the land. KNL’s own archeological study was accepted by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture in 2004, despite being described as ‘fatally flawed’ by Dr. Robert McGhee, past president of the Canadian Archeological Association. Many other reviews and studies have concluded that the site is of high importance from a cultural standpoint.

South March Highlands is an old growth forest and one of the most bio-diverse areas remaining in urban Canada. It offers critical habitat to more than 675 species of life, including 240 species of wildlife, more than 135 nesting birds and 20 species at risk.

Link: Letter to Ontario Culture Minister Chan

Contact:

• Daniel Bernard, on behalf of the Algonquin Union: Cell: 416-876-3051 Email: dan_bernard@rogers.com

• Paul Renaud Cell: 613-277-5898 Email: paul@renaud.ca

• Algonquin Union: www.union-algonquin-union.com

UNIVERSITÉ D’OTTAWA / UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA

Le département de sociologie et d’anthropologie, le programme d’études autochtones et la Chaire de recherche du Canada sur la diversité juridique et les peuples autochtones

The Department of Sociology and Anthropology, the Aboriginal Studies Program, and the Canada Research Chair on Native Peoples and Legal Diversity

présentent / present

« Les Algonquins du Lac Barrière : Des siècles de lutte pour le respect et la coexistence ».

"The Algonquins of Barriere Lake – Hundreds of Years of Struggle for Respect and Co-Existence"

(presentation in French with whisper translation)

Michel Thusky

Ancien directeur général des Algonquins du Lac Barrière

Ex-Band Manager, Algonquins of Barriere Lake

Jeudi 3 mars 2011, 11 h 30

Thursday, March 3 2011, 11:30 a.m. Pavillon Vanier Hall, salle/room 2095

Depuis plus de deux décennies, les Algonquins du Lac Barrière démontrent un leadership environnemental au Canada, faisant campagne pour arrêter les coupes à blancs destructives et pour implémenter un plan de développement durable dans leur terre native du nord-ouest du Québec.

Cependant, des compagnies de foresteries multinationales et des bureaucrates gouvernementaux refusent d’honorer les accords qui ont été signé avec le Lac Barrière. Ils tentent de saper les efforts de cette petite communauté, une des plus pauvres dans le pays, et de prévenir qu’elle réalise sa vision pour la protection et la bonne intendance des forêts.

Cette histoire de David contre Goliath vient de se tordre encore plus : le gouvernement conservateur et les bureaucrates des Affaires Indiennes et du Nord Canada sont en train d’intervenir dans les affaires internes du Lac Barrière, utilisant la section 74 de la Loi sur les Indiens pour forcément assimiler et détruire le gouvernement traditionnel de la communauté – un gouvernement traditionnel qui existe depuis d’incalculables générations et qui maintient leur mode de vie de chasseurs et de respect pour l’environnement.

Venez entendre Michel Thusky nous expliquer ce qui se passe dans la communauté des Algonquins du Lac Barrière au nord d’Ottawa.

Biographie

Michel Thusky est un membre des Mitcikinabikok Inik qui parle la langue algonquienne, l’anglais et le français. Il est un survivant du pensionnat indien à Amos, où, comme la majorité des survivants, il a subi l’abus psychologique réservé aux enfants autochtones.

Malgré l’abus, il a pu maintenir sa langue maternelle et son identité comme membre des Algonquins du Lac Barrière en poursuivant des activités culturelles et traditionnelles et en entretenant des relations avec la terre. Il a 3 filles et 3 garçons et plusieurs petits-enfants qui suivent ses pas.

Il a été le directeur général des Algonquins du Lac Barrière pour plusieurs années. Il a également été membre du comité de négociation de l'accord trilatéral de 1991 avec les gouvernements du Québec et du Canada. Il est maintenant dédié à rendre service à sa communauté en tant que bénévole. Il s’engage principalement comme porte-parole de celle-ci.

**

For more than two decades, the Algonquins of Barriere Lake have been demonstrating environmental leadership to the rest of Canada, campaigning to stop destructive clear-cut logging and to implement a sustainable development plan in their homeland in north-western Quebec.

But multi-national forestry corporations and government bureaucrats have refused to honour any of the agreements signed with Barriere Lake. They have tried at every turn to undermine the small community, one of the poorest in the country, and to prevent them from realizing their vision for the protection and stewardship of the forests.

The David-vs-Goliath story now has a dark new twist: the Conservative government and bureaucrats in Indian and Northern Affairs Canada are interfering in Barriere Lake’s internal affairs, using section 74 of the Indian Act to forcibly assimilate and destroy the community's traditional government — a traditional government the community has used for countless generations and one that maintains their hunting way of life and respect for the environment.

Come hear Michel Thusky explain what’s going on in the community of Barriere Lake, just north of Ottawa.

Biographical notes:

Michel Thusky is a member of the Mitcikinabikok Inik who speaks fluently in Algonquin, English and French. He is also a residential school survivor, where he attended school in Amos. Like most of the survivors, Michel had to endure psychological abuse as a child and as a member of the First Nations.

Despite the abuse, he managed to maintain his language and keep his identity as an Algonquin of Barriere Lake through cultural and traditional pursuits and by maintaining a connection to the land. He has a family of 3 daughters and 3 sons, and many grandchildren who follow in his footsteps.

He was the community’s band manager for many years, when he had to teach himself about the programs and services available to the community. He was also a member of the negotiating team that led to the development of the 1991 Trilateral Agreement signed with Canada and Quebec. He is now dedicated to helping his people on a voluntary basis, including as a spokesperson for the community.

CIDA: International Aboriginal Youth Internships (IAYI) Initiative

Ottawa, Ontario - Feb. 9, 2011 - Today, as part of CIDA's International Development Week, the Honourable Beverley J. Oda, Minister of International Cooperation, introduced a new opportunity for Aboriginal youth from across Canada to participate in international development through the new International Aboriginal Youth Internships (IAYI) initiative.

"The new International Aboriginal Youth Internships initiative is an exciting, new initiative that will bring a new experience to Canada's Aboriginal youth," said Minister Oda. "Their unique perspective and heritage will enhance our work in developing countries and enrich their opportunities to contribute to Canada's efforts to bring a better life to those living in poverty around the world. I firmly believe that our government's outreach to the Aboriginal youth in Canada in this way will open new doors in their futures."

Through the IAYI initiative, each year 140 Canadian Aboriginal youth will have the opportunity to work in developing countries on Canadian-supported development projects with recognized organizations. This initiative will be supported with $10.5 million over five years.

In developing the initiative, CIDA consulted with national aboriginal organizations, including the Assembly of First Nations, the Native Women's Association of Canada, and the Métis National Council, as well as with Indian and Northern Affairs Canada and Canadian Heritage.

The internships will be implemented by qualified Canadian organizations selected under CIDA's new Global Citizens Program. Canadian organizations are invited to apply by submitting a proposal before April 7, 2011.

BACKGROUNDER

On July 22, 2010, Minister Oda announced the modernization of CIDA's partnership programming, including the Global Citizens Program (GCP). The GCP will create meaningful opportunities for Canadians to increase their knowledge of, and participation in, international development initiatives supported by Canada. The new program will invest in three major areas: public awareness, education and knowledge, and youth participation. It will build on a solid foundation and expand the engagement of Canadians within accountable initiatives that contribute to Canada's efforts abroad.

Over many years, through CIDA's internship and volunteer programs, many young Canadians have had the opportunity to work in developing countries with recognized organizations. These experiences have led them to pursue careers in international development, increase their awareness of the global society, and enrich their future pursuits. Engaging Aboriginal youth in international development through internships was identified as a component that might be enhanced under CIDA's youth participation efforts.

The International Aboriginal Youth Internships (IAYI) initiative announced today will support up to 140 interns annually. It will provide the candidates with an opportunity to work with a qualified Canadian organization in a developing country. The internships will focus on increasing the awareness, engagement, and participation of Aboriginal youth in international development, while providing them with opportunities to expand their skills base. In developing the IAYI initiative, CIDA consulted with national Aboriginal organizations, including the Assembly of First Nations, the Native Women's Association of Canada, and the Métis National Council, as well as with Indian and Northern Affairs Canada and Canadian Heritage.

CIDA is providing $10.5 million over a period of five years for the IAYI initiative. A call for proposals will be issued annually. For the first call for proposals, CIDA is inviting qualified Canadian organizations interested in applying to submit a project proposal before April 7, 2011.

Once organizations will have been selected, Aboriginal youth internship opportunities will be advertised by the organizations and across Canada through a variety of media, including CIDA's website. Individual Aboriginal youth will then be encouraged to apply through the organization of their choice.


For more information, please contact

Office of the Minister of International Cooperation
Justin Broekema
Press Secretary
819-953-6238
or

Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
Media Relations Office
819-953-6534
media@acdi-cida.gc.ca.

Le Forum d’études et de recherches autochtones (FERA) et le Laboratoire d’études et de recherches sur le fédéralisme et les institutions (LERFI) présentent

A joint FASR / FEDLAB event

CONFÉRENCE-MIDI | PUBLIC LECTURE

Federalism, Diffused Sovereignty and Indigenous Self-Determination in Canada and the United States

Le fédéralisme, la souveraineté diffuse et l’autodétermination des peuples autochtones au Canada et aux États-Unis

Martin Papillon, École d’études politiques

Mercredi 9 février 2011, 11h30 DMS 3102

Évènement en anglais et en français | Event in English and French

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This public lecture is free and open to the public | Conférence gratuite ouverte au public

Pour plus d’informations / for more information: fera@uottawa.ca

Beaver Pond Forest Update

Tuesday

Mass RALLY at City Hall at Noon: STOP cutting at Beaver Pond Forest NOW

Trees are coming down NOW at the Beaver Pond Forest. We must stand up and demand our leaders stop the clear cutting.


WHAT: Mass Rally

WHY: We demand immediate halt to cutting and an Emergency Open Council Meeting including ALL Stakeholders by noon Wednesday Feb 2nd

TIME: 12-1pm, Tues Feb 1st (please start arriving at 11:30am)

WHERE: City Hall, Human Rights Monument (corner of Elgin & Lisgar)

More info:
Mayor Jim Watson can call and emergency meeting. It is up to us citizens to convince him to do so. Please come and raise your voice to save this Land for us now and for future generations. All levels of government have failed us so far, we must demand they work together to save this land.
PLEASE JOIN US