Latest news with #EnochCreeNation
CBC
29-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
First Nations warn Alberta's data centre approach won't attract big tech companies
The chiefs of four First Nations in Alberta say they're eager to take part in the province's nascent data centre industry, but argue the province is taking the wrong approach to attract large-scale tech players. The chiefs of the Alexander First Nation, Paul First Nation, Enoch Cree Nation and Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation outlined their concerns this week in an open letter to Premier Danielle Smith and members of her government. "There are shovel-ready proposals backed by major industry players aligned with government objectives that will be left stranded without a change in proposed policy," the chiefs wrote. "Alberta should be a premier destination for hyperscale data centre investment. But strengths only matter if we act on them. Right now, Alberta's ability to execute and deliver on its promise is in question." Data centres are huge facilities housing the computing firepower needed for artificial intelligence and other applications. It can take an enormous amount of power to run and cool them. The chiefs say the amount of power the Alberta Electric System Operator has allotted to new projects falls short. The Alberta Electric System Operator said earlier this month that it has received requests from 29 proposed data centre projects representing more than 16,000 megawatts — more than 11 times the City of Edmonton's load. It said it will allow the connection of up to 1,200 megawatts of large load projects between now and 2028. "Alberta has never seen this level and volume of load connection requests," said AESO CEO Aaron Engen. "As the system operator, we are responsible for ensuring that new project connections do not compromise grid reliability. Because connecting all large loads seeking access would impair grid reliability, we established a limit that preserves system integrity while enabling timely data centre development in Alberta." The Alberta government has set a goal of attracting $100 billion in data centre investment over five years. Accommodating for hyperscalers But the chiefs wrote that the limit sends the wrong signal to tech powerhouses like Meta and Amazon. "The hyperscalers 'don't build small.' They think in gigawatts, because their global operations require that scale," they wrote. "Under the current proposal, not even one such flagship project may be fully realized here without years of delay, since 1,200 megawatts total divided among many projects signals that Alberta isn't prepared to accommodate a true hyperscaler's needs. "This sends an unintended but clear message to investors that Alberta's actions do not match its ambitions." The Alberta government supports the "balanced approach" the AESO is taking, said the press secretary for Affordability and Utilities Minister Nathan Neudorf. "Alberta aims to be the destination of choice for AI data centres in North America," Ashli Barrett said in a written statement. "At the same time, our government will always put the well-being of Albertans first and ensure data centre projects will not compromise the affordability or reliability of the electricity that millions of Albertans, First Nations, and our local industries depend on." Barrett added the 1,200-megawatt limit is short-term and should not be thought of as a cap. "It will enable data centre projects in advanced stages of planning and development to get started, while government works to develop a long-term framework for data centres, which will provide additional pathways for data centres projects to meet their power needs, including encouraging them to bring their own power." Chief Tony Alexis of the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation northwest of Edmonton said his community is looking at taking an equity stake in a project, and discussions are in the early stages. He said First Nations want more than to be consulted — they are ready to invest. "Our nations have been growing. We've got young populations and this industry can bring some real training, some jobs, some long-term prosperity for our community," Alexis said in an interview.
Toronto Star
27-06-2025
- Business
- Toronto Star
First Nations say Alberta data centre approach won't attract big tech players
CALGARY - The chiefs of four First Nations in Alberta say they're eager to take part in the province's nascent data centre industry, but the province is taking the wrong approach to attract large-scale tech players. The chiefs of the Alexander First Nation, Paul First Nation, Enoch Cree Nation and Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation outlined their concerns in an open letter to Premier Danielle Smith and members of her government.
Winnipeg Free Press
27-06-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
First Nations say Alberta data centre approach won't attract big tech players
CALGARY – The chiefs of four First Nations in Alberta say they're eager to take part in the province's nascent data centre industry, but the province is taking the wrong approach to attract large-scale tech players. The chiefs of the Alexander First Nation, Paul First Nation, Enoch Cree Nation and Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation outlined their concerns in an open letter to Premier Danielle Smith and members of her government. Data centres are huge facilities housing the computing firepower needed for artificial intelligence and other applications. They take an enormous amount of power to run and cool them. The Alberta Electric System Operator said earlier this month that it has received requests from 29 proposed data centre projects representing more than 16,000 megawatts — more than 11 times the City of Edmonton's load. It said it will allow the connection of up to 1,200 megawatts of large load projects between now and 2028 to ensure the reliability of Alberta's grid. Wednesdays Columnist Jen Zoratti looks at what's next in arts, life and pop culture. The chiefs wrote that companies like Meta or Amazon don't build small, and the limit sends a signal that Alberta is not ready to meet those companies' needs or see a flagship project come to fruition. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 27, 2025.
Hamilton Spectator
11-06-2025
- General
- Hamilton Spectator
Northern Lights College honours Indigenous students with graduation ceremony
FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — For one convocation ceremony in Fort St. John, colonialism was replaced with pan-Indigenous culture. Caps and gowns were replaced with Métis sashes and commemorative feather carvings, as Northern Lights College (NLC) honoured its First Nations and Métis students with a graduation celebration and dinner at the Fort St. John Curling Club. It was a special moment for graduate Destiny Laprete. Laprete completed the Adult Dogwood, the B.C. certification for high school equivalency. A member of Enoch Cree Nation, Laprete was the valedictorian of her class at NLC's Dawson Creek campus. 'I got to participate in a lot of Indigenous cultural events throughout the year. I think [it] really made me get back in touch with myself and my family,' Laprete said. 'It was the first time that I've ever been in school and actually been honoured and given the chance to embrace who I am.' Honourees from as many as 13 First Nations were among the graduates, including some from Doig River First Nation (DRFN), the Métis Nation, the Enoch Cree Nation and the Tahltan First Nation. Michael Calvert, the director of Indigenous education at NLC, conceived the event and felt the celebration was a great success. 'When we talk about graduation, we always think about convocation,' said Calvert. 'It's very colonized, very formal. 'It's important for Indigenous people to be able to celebrate in a way that is about their culture, their identity and their lived experiences, and this is the opportunity for them to do that.' Calvert said a big part of the success in the event came from Karen Tom. Tom is the Indigenous project facilitator for NLC. Tom said watching the event unfold as it did 'brings pride back' to First Nations culture, adding it makes Indigenous students 'stand a little taller.' 'It's a great honour that we could come together and do this,' said Tom. 'You feel the strength of each other and just honour our ancestors by doing this.' An opening prayer from Doig River First Nation Elder Gerry Attachie and a performance from DRFN drummers began the evening. After dinner, additional performances included powwow dancing from School District 60 Indigenous education students, along with drummers from Kehewin Cree Nation and dancers from Driftpile Cree Nation of Northern Alberta. The night was topped off by a performance from Penny Goulet, a fiddler who played several numbers. Several graduates were also awarded scholarships through Peace Country Petroleum, a two-year commitment from the company for $25,000 towards Indigenous students. The NLC Indigenous graduation ceremony took place on Thursday, June 5th. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
CBC
22-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
My family's survival of residential school inspired me to identify people buried in unmarked graves
This First Person column is written by Shannon Cornelsen, who lives in Edmonton. For more information about First Person stories, see the FAQ. WARNING: This story contains details of experiences at residential schools. In a field, between a suburban parcel of housing and Anthony Henday Drive in Edmonton, there is a graveyard. But there are no names on this site, and nothing to tell you who specifically is buried there. One plaque, installed in 2000, explains that this is a burial site for the Enoch Cree Nation and that people "as far away as the Northwest Territories" were buried here, but it does not explain why. When I come here, I pray for them and bring them a tobacco offering to let them know they are not forgotten. It doesn't matter where they are from because they are part of my family, too. I'm from the Saddle Creek Nation and come from a family of survivors. W âhkôhtowin is a Cree word that means we are all related. It's why I have dedicated my work to finding out the identities of the people buried here and reconnecting them with their relatives. I hope that by giving light to their stories, we can start the healing process for them and all of our relatives, past, present and future. The reason there are Indigenous people here from faraway communities is that this became a graveyard for the Charles Camsell Hospital in Edmonton. The Camsell operated from 1944 to 1996 and was a segregated health facility known as an Indian hospital. There were approximately 33 of these segregated Indigenous hospitals across Canada, and the Canadian government is offering to settle lawsuits over the reported abuses against Indigenous patients there. WATCH | An in-depth look into Indian hospital abuse allegations: Lawsuit: Canadian government was negligent in 'Indian hospitals' 7 years ago Duration 2:16 A class-action lawsuit launched for survivors of at least 29 'Indian hospitals' across Canada wants the government to recognize it was negligent in the operation of the segregated hospitals. Run by the federal government, the so-called 'Indian hospitals' only treated Indigenous patients from 1945 until the early 1980s. Researchers estimate thousands of patients were admitted — patients say the facilities were understaffed and overcrowded and they were subject to physical and sexual abuse. The plaintiffs are also seeking both financial compensation of $1 billion, punitive and exemplary damages of $100 million After many patients died during a tuberculosis outbreak in 1947, federal officials decided they wouldn't repatriate people's bodies anymore. Instead, some patients were buried at the nearest reserve rather than sent home. That's how some Indigenous people from the North ended up buried here in Enoch, while others may have been buried on the hospital land. Many of those families were never told what happened to their relatives who were sent away to a hospital and never came back. I understand how terrible it must have been to see your children being dragged off and to never see them come home because it's a part of my family legacy. My great-grandmother was a survivor of the Duck Lake Resistance in 1885 in Saskatchewan. She was orphaned at a young age and sent to live with relatives in Saddle Lake, Alta, just outside Edmonton. My mother spent approximately 10 years in the Blue Quills residential school near St. Paul, Alta. She is a survivor of residential schools, like her parents and siblings. The children would sleep in dorms in large shared areas, and she could hear when a child would cry and cry, night after night. If it went on for days, one night, it would suddenly stop. The next morning, she said the child would be gone. When the children asked what happened, the staff would tell them the child had gone home. Those children were never seen from or heard from again, and they just became part of the stories of the children who went to residential school and never came back. Those intergenerational traumas have followed our family for generations. I often reflect on what the terms "intergenerational" and "trauma" are doing in the same sentence. I want to lean on previous generations to create healing. That's why I have started using the journals of my paternal grandfather, who recorded the deaths of Indigenous patients at the hospital between 1954 and 1963 as the Indian agent assigned to the area, and learning the oral histories from my mother, who had been both a licensed nurse for many years and later a patient at the Camsell. It's also why I am researching who those patients buried in Enoch are and where they are from, so their families can finally have the closure of knowing where their loved ones are buried. Understanding how systemic racism in our health-care system has denied Indigenous communities the human dignity that Canadians take for granted is part of my reason for this research. I learned Cree in university, a language my mother was afraid to teach because she was physically beaten in residential school for speaking it. But she has given me other gifts passed down from generations. Like her, and our woman ancestors before her, I am stubborn — and I am determined to continue my work, though it has taken me years to get here and it is difficult. The responsibility I feel to reunite families and acknowledge their ancestors weighs on me, but the search for Indigenous people who have been disappeared by these institutions may never be complete. It's a daunting task. Some months ago, I finally learned the name of a baby buried in the cemetery in Enoch, who was previously listed as unknown. It made me laugh — because my hard work had paid off to have finally found their identity — but I also wept because this should have never happened to our community in the first place. The same pattern happened so many times that my children would ask me: "Did you find another one, Mom?" Doing this research brings up a lot of mixed emotions. But I know I am strong enough to do this. I'm determined to move forward because it's about human dignity and finding closure. We're just starting to scratch the surface of understanding residential schools and the children who were missing and disappeared through that system. The Indian hospitals are also part of that larger colonial system. There's a lot of shame that many Canadians still would rather forget that these things happened. Education and healing will need to be practised together for any meaningful reconciliation. I will continue to educate myself and make good choices so that I can honour the prayers of my grandmothers.
