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HSAA announces $5,000 donation to construct hockey rink for Lubicon Band children in honour of 2010 National Aboriginal Day
EDMONTON – First Nations peoples continue to make significant contributions to Alberta society, including our public health-care system, said the president of the Health Sciences Association of Alberta, in recognition of 2010 National Aboriginal Day, today, June 21.
“Our union – the province for that matter – is a much richer place to live, thanks to the important contributions of our First Nations brother and sisters,” said HSAA President Elisabeth Ballermann.
“Their contributions to our health-care system are especially important to ensure culturally appropriate approaches are integrated into care.”
In honour of its First Nations’ members, HSAA committed $5,000 to help in the construction of an outdoor hockey rink at Little Buffalo in northern Alberta, which will be used by members of the Lubicon Lake Cree Band.
“Members of HSAA’s Human Rights and Equality Committee, as well as other unions, recently travelled to Little Buffalo, located east of Peace River, to meet with Lubicon Band members, where the need for the outdoor recreational complex was identified.
“These First Nations peoples are facing an onslaught of serious human rights issues, including the lack of clean water for their families,” said Ballermann adding, “The federal government continues to pander to oil and gas companies in the region, yet clean water in a developed region of the world like Canada continues to be a problem. It’s shameful really.
“This hockey rink won’t resolve those critical issues, but at least it will allow children to be children, while their elders and organizations like Amnesty International attempt to make the federal government more accountable to its people.”
For more information contact:
Elisabeth Ballermann, President, HSAA - Cell: (780) 991-1274
Scott Pattison, Communications Officer, HSAA - Cell: (780) 405-4684
HSAA is a union that represents close to 20,000 professional,
technical, support and EMS workers in Alberta’s health-care system.
