Jason Unrau
Northern News Services
Friday, June 22, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - The Native Press, which folded in 1993, may be brought back to life.

A motion passed at a recent Dene leadership meeting directed the Dene Nation and Native Communications Society to prepare a strategic plan to re-launch the paper.

"I think it's a great idea," said Ted Blondin, the paper's former editor.

Founded in 1969, the newspaper cut its teeth on the federal White Paper that proposed elimination of Indian status and the inquiry by Justice Thomas Berger into a natural gas pipeline down the Mackenzie Valley.

"Those were all very important issues in the territories and people had to get the news," said Blondin.

First published as the Indian Brotherhood Report, the paper was renamed the Native Press and continued publication until funding cuts forced it to suspend operation. However, the paper spawned the Native Communications Society and independent radio station CKNM, which is now CKLB.

Blondin, who jumped into the role as editor "fresh out of Grade 12," said a revived Native Press could keep people informed on land claims, self-government agreements and native business developments in the NWT.

"The original paper was instrumental in getting people informed and I think the Native Press could play a crucial role now," he said.

Bill Erasmus, Assembly of First Nations regional chief, and a Native Press alumnus, shared Blondin's enthusiasm for getting the paper going.

"Before the radio station, the paper was the original vehicle to get information out there," he said.

The motion calls for a feasibility study. Erasmus hopes to have a "rough business plan" together to present to the Dene National Assembly in Behchoko this July.

Dane Gibson, excutive director of the Native Communications Society, told Yellowknifer he's "encouraged" with the motion and that two spots have been made for NCS members to sit at an upcoming strategic planning session.

"Obviously some big questions need to be addressed, who's going to pay for it? How's it going to get done?" said Gibson adding the paper is "loved and still talked about today."

"We're interested in participating in the planning but the bottom line is we are a completely separate entity from the Dene nation, we don't take direction from them," Gibson went on. "Ultimately, our board of directors will decide if NCS will be involved after that."