Latest news with #WhitecapDakotaNation
CTV News
24-07-2025
- Health
- CTV News
U of S receives grant to develop Indigenous education program in VR
The University of Saskatchewan's School of Rehabilitation Science will be developing a virtual reality health education program targeted towards Indigenous youth. 'In speaking with communities that I work with directly and in my virtual health hub work, it became apparent that health promotion information in a way that would be useful for students would be of big interest to communities,' Lovo, who also serves as the director of Virtual Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation at the Virtual Health Hub said. Dr. Soo Kim and Dr. Stacey Lovo have been working with virtual reality and laying the groundwork for the past six years. Now, thanks to a $250,000 grant from the New Frontiers Research Fund, they will spend the next two years developing a program to help engage Indigenous youth in health sciences. 'We have a responsibility to be able to use our expertise and come together as a community to come together as a team, to help them to explore different ways to learn about mental health and wellness in ways that are culturally appropriate,' Kim said. While the program is still in the early stages of development, Kim and Lovo have many ideas, thanks to the collaboration of Whitecap Dakota Nation. 'Consulting with their elders, the educators and the youth themselves to sort of bring their opinions in to build something that's really meaningful for them,' Kim said. The virtual reality program is intended to both educate youth in health sciences, and focus on Indigenous teachings which have existed for many years. Dray Bear is the former community development & special projects coordinator for Whitecap, and helped connect the U of S with the community for the project. 'Revitalization is a really strong word for it. Also, brining community together and helping others learn. Because I mean at the end of the day, this is a huge initiative that could turn into something bigger especially in terms of helping people learn and bringing the community together,' Bear said. While health science classes are offered in the Saskatchewan education curriculum, Lovo shared that there are gaps in the system when it comes to incorporating Indigenous knowledge. 'At the moment in Saskatchewan, there are not opportunities for indigenous students to take those classes from the lens of their own cultural worldview or their own language, that limits the responsiveness or applicability of that content to them.' Lovo said. This program is intended to both educate youth, and preserve the knowledge of those who existed on this land long before colonization. 'This will hopefully encourage students and youth to learn about anatomy of the brain and other parts of the body and perhaps lead them more toward health science programing if it's of interest and applicable, and can embrace the incredible knowledges that have been in their own communities for hundreds of years,' Lovo said.
Hamilton Spectator
03-06-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Corman Park signs MOU agreeing to co-operation on Tamke Road upgrade
After providing a letter demonstrating the municipality's support for building up Tamke Road to a primary weight highway standard between Highways 11 and 219, the RM of Corman Park has now signed a of understanding (MOU) setting out a framework for co-operation with the RM of Dundurn, the City of Saskatoon and the Whitecap Dakota Nation. RM of Corman Park councillors passed a motion at their May 27 meeting to sign an amended MOU that includes a new section outlining the need for sufficient public consultation on the project. Reeve Joe Hargrave was also appointed as the RM's representative in future joint meeting and planning sessions around the project, with Division 3 councillor Lyndon Haduik serving as a back-up. As outlined in the document, the MOU establishes that the municipal and First Nation partners agree to share relevant data, reports, and technical information; collaborate on future grant proposals or correspondence with federal and provincial authorities; and respect timelines and decision-making processes necessary to advance the project. It does not impose any legal obligation on the RM to provide any funding for the upgrade of Tamke Road. Back in 1953, the Department of National Defence (DND) and the RM of Dundurn reached an agreement to close roads within the Dundurn Military Reserve, with the condition that the DND provide continued pubic access across the base. In 2014, the DND unilaterally closed Strathcona Road, effectively removing the only east-west access across the RM. In 2018, Dundurn launched a $100 million lawsuit against the Canadian government over the closure of the access, which disrupted patterns of commerce; for instance, the public could no longer get to the Dakota Dunes Casino and golf course through the military base like they used to be able to. (The Whitecap Dakota Nation, incidentally, was a class member in this lawsuit.) The MOU states that upgrading Tamke Road between Highways 11 and 219 would be a 'potential resolution' to this lawsuit. While discussions around this project been taking place for some time, the RM of Corman Park was only recently made aware of the upgrade despite being the actual owner of Tamke Road. As mentioned earlier, RM councillors resolved at their April 29 meeting to send a letter of support showing its support for the project without budgeting any money for costs associated with its construction. Since then, Chief Darcy Bear of the Whitecap Dakota Nation had engaged in discussions with Dundurn reeve Travis Libke and Saskatoon mayor Cynthia Block, which led to the MOU coming to the May 27 meeting. At the same meeting, councillors indicated they had received a number of calls from residents with concerns about the project. For instance, Division 8 councillor Wendy Trask said she had received a call from an education program about how that road passes through a site where they conduct their classes. While he supported signing the MOU, Hargrave supported amending the document to ensure sufficient public consultation was carried out. 'I think that we have to make sure that we're there and we're speaking for our constituents and their concerns,' said Hargrave. 'There's a still a long process to go, but we do need to have that seat at the table to be able to have that discussion with the other partners.' 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 .
