New research by Jack Hicks, a social research consultant living in Iqaluit, Nunavut, tracks how suicide trends in the Arctic correlate with increased colonialism and modernization in the Arctic. Historically, suicide in the Arctic was uncommon, but the suicide rate dramatically increased when national governments forced Inuit people in Alaska, Nunavut, and Greenland off the land and into larger communities. Read more in a CBC article, "Research tracks Inuit modernization with suicide, offers hope for improvement" or you can listen to a interview with Jack Hicks on the CBC show, As it Happens. You can also download a copy of the journal, Indigenous Affairs (in PDF) with Jack Hicks' paper, "The Social Determinants of Elevated Rates of Suicide Among Inuit Youth," or you can download a copy of his slide presentation (in PDF).

As of September 1st, the Government of the Northwest Territories structural and philosophical changes to their income assistance program, including changing their philosophy from one of "last resort" to "providing adequate financial assistance in combination with supports and services to help people achieve self-reliance." Substantive changes include:

• A food rate based on Canada's Nutritious Food Basket to meet Canada's guidelines for healthy eating;
• A clothing rate adjusted for cost of living by community;
• New benefits for seniors and persons with disabilities;
• A $150 increase in the single shelter rate;
• A new unearned exemption of $1,200 a year;
• An increase in the earnings exemption.

Canadian Social Research Links a number of related publications from the NWT: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/ntbkmrk.htm. See the Northwest Territories Income Security site and more on how to apply for welfare in the Northwest Territories.

Last week, at the National Aboriginal Women's Summit, the Minister for Heritage and the Status of Women announced five years of funding to build and support women's shelters on reserves. According to the Indian and Northern Affairs Canada news release, $56 million dollars will support 35 existing women's shelters and build up to five new shelters on reserves. Aboriginal women who live in the northern communities and off reserve are concerned because the funding does not include all aboriginal women. Read more in the CBC article, "Northern women 'excluded' from federal shelter announcement."