Pearl Lorentzen
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The High Prairie Aboriginal Interagency is open to helping services in High Prairie and Slave Lake.
Meeting locations
For the last few months, the group has alternated meetings between High Prairie and Slave Lake, with the option to attend virtually. This was up for review, and the group decided to continue alternating meetings.
Do we want to continue to meet in both communities? asked Wendy Goulet, with Children’s Services.
“It’s nice to have a few meetings in Slave Lake, if possible,” said Tim Horsman, with Alberta Health Services Public Health in Slave Lake.
Sam Laboucan with First Nation Health Consortium agreed.
“We should at least split them up 60 – 40,” said Naal Sharkawi, Children’s Resource Council (CRC) CAO. The CRC works throughout the region, including High Prairie, Slave Lake, Wabasca, and Smoky River.
Finances
The group organized the High Prairie Powwow and Hand Games Tournament in early May. This meant lots of sponsorship money in and quite a few expenses out. It left the group with a bank balance as of May 15 of $7,750.34. This was divided between the round dance and powwow funds, for start-up costs for the next ones.
Most of the expenses are around the events, said Goulet.
Sharkawi asked how this compared to the previous year.
“We’re lucky to have a starting balance,” said Goulet. Before the powwow, the group had to borrow money from the round dance fund to run the powwow, but donations came in to cover the costs, so the money could be put back.
The powwow cost $37,783.94. Recent donations for the powwow were from Cadotte Lake Métis, Big Lakes County, ATB, CNRL, High Prairie School Division, Weyerhaeuser, Lesser Slave Lake Indian Regional Council, and ATCO. A cheque from the Town of High Prairie was in the mail.
Fall dates
The High Prairie Round Dance is tentatively booked for November 15, and the group is looking for volunteers to organize it.
“You don’t have to know anything to be on the committee,” says Goulet. She learned about powwows and round dances by helping organize them. She described the experience as a form of land-based learning.
The round dance location is to be determined, but it usually alternates between the Catholic and public school divisions.
The High Prairie Powwow and Hand Games tournament is May 2, 2026 at the High Prairie Sports Palace.
Native Counselling
Connie Calliou works with BearPaw, a division of Native Counselling Services of Alberta. BearPaw has media and educational resources about the law made by and for Indigenous people in Alberta on various topics.
There are a lot of new resources, said Calliou. Native Counselling has support programs, including health supports for residential school survivors.
The resources mentioned above are online (www.ncsa.ca) or through the main office in Edmonton, but Slave Lake and High Prairie Native Counselling office have court workers. They help Indigenous people navigate the criminal and family court systems.
Service Canada
Victoria Dunbar, Citizen Service Specialist with Service Canada, mentioned several benefits which people can apply to through Service Canada. The Canada Dental Care Plan is now open to all Canadians. Applications for the Canada Disability Benefit are open. It is for people 18 to 64 years old. The first month for eligibility is June 2025, with the first payment expected in July.
For these and other services, people can go to the Slave Lake Service Canada office, High Prairie outreach (which is every two weeks), or call 1-877-631-2657 on Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
High Prairie Service Canada outreach’s next dates are June 25, July 9, and July 23 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the High Prairie Provincial Building.
Mental health workshops
Recovery Alberta North Zone has free online workshops for people to learn about mental health and addictions, said Trina Napier, with Recovery Alberta in Slave Lake. Understanding Addiction is Friday, July 11 from 10:30 a.m. to noon. In August, Relationship Series is on Wednesdays from August 6 to 27 from 10 to 11 a.m. and D-Stress is on Thursday, August 14 from 9 to 11 a.m. To attend, click on the link on together4health.albertahealthservices.ca/nz-amh.
Norquest College
Amanda Keay is the Treaty 8 coordinator for Norquest College. She will be the academic advisor for students who attend Norquest from Treaty 8, and mentioned that Norquest is working to recruit people from Treaty 8 into the early child care program.
Rupertsland Institute
Rupertsland supports Métis people in Alberta in many ways. Slave Lake and High Prairie have Rupertsland offices.
Jolene Mearon works at the High Prairie office. She mentioned that the High Prairie Golf Course and Slave Lake Rupertsland office had job openings for Métis students returning to school to work in the summer. There is only the one position in the Slave Lake office, for an administrative assistant. For information on these jobs, contact Mearon at 587-404-4248.
Rupertsland also has a tattoo training program for Métis adults who live in Treaty 8. Applicants will need to fill out an application and send in a drawing sample. It runs July 7 to December 19. The program was filling up, so people need to apply soon. For information on the tattoo training program, contact 1-888-48-Métis (1-888-486-3847).
Public Health
Public Health will soon be part of Primary Care Alberta.
Measles is still a concern, said Horsman. “It doesn’t look like it’s going away.”
Regional council
Lesser Slave Lake Indian Regional Council (LSLIRC) serves Sawridge First Nation, Sucker Creek First Nation, Driftpile Cree Nation, and Swan River First Nation.
LSLIRC has an employment centre in High Prairie, said Mena Calahasen, with LSLIRC. It has computers people can use, and the staff help with resumé writing, employment insurance applications, post-secondary education applications, and work with Alberta Supports to make sure people have access to services. The services area is McLennan to Slave Lake.
LSLIRC is holding an event at Driftpile beach for band members of Sawridge, Sucker Creek, Driftpile, and Swan River on June 26 to 28. This is for members who live on and off reserve.
Children’s Services
Children’s Services is looking for Indigenous elders and knowledge keepers to come along side Indigenous youth in care. All types of Indigenous people can help out. A person doesn’t need to have a lot of traditional knowledge, although those people are also needed.
“Sometimes the kids just need to be with someone who’s Indigenous,” said Goulet.
Indigenous people who live in Northern Alberta who are interested can contact Goulet at wendy.goulet@gov.ab.ca or 780-219-5789.