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).

According to a press release put out by the Yukon Health and Social Services ("Proposed Social Assistance Reforms Announced,") the ministry has reviewed social assistance rates and programs and has proposed some changes including:

• Eliminate the three-month waiting period for the earned income exemption;
• Allow those working recipients to keep $2 out of every $4 earned for three years;
• Increases in rate categories to reflect current costs;
• Increases to the food allowance to reflect the "market basket" calculation;
• Enhanced services with improved access for persons with severe disabilities.

Read more on the Canadian Social Research site under "Yukon: Proposed Social Assistance Reforms Announced."

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."