On March 7 Alberta Native News is going live!

Mark your calendars for March 7, 2014. It’s the special date that Alberta Native News is going live with a revamped website. Alberta Native News is celebrating 2014 which marks our 30th year of providing in-depth news and feature articles to the First Nations and Métis communities across the western provinces and throughout the North.

To commemorate this special anniversary of publishing, Alberta Native News is excited to announce the launch of its new website, which goes live next month and can be visited at the same address: albertanativenews.com. Our new facebook page (facebook.com/albertanativenews) is already active and we will be posting progress reports and spoiler alerts to keep our readers informed about the new site. Visit us today and visit us often!

The site’s homepage welcomes readers with a fresh new look and user-friendly navigation, bold colors, a clean uncluttered design, with featured content focusing on all of the important issues that our readers enjoy and appreciate in our print edition. And so much more…

“Don’t worry,” said Deborah Shatz, Alberta Native News editor. “Our website will not be replacing our renowned tabloid newspaper which has been reaching out to Aboriginal individuals and communities for 30 years. It will supplement it and enhance it. The site will allow us to traverse borders and reach a wider audience and provide more content without the restrictions and confines of the tabloid page, the monthly deadlines and the rising costs of the newspaper industry: printing, paper and postage.”

“The new website is just the beginning of Alberta Native News’ concerted effort to improve user experience, streamline and broaden access to information, while giving us a vehicle for better communication and interactions with First Nation, Métis and Inuit individuals and communities,” added Shatz.  “We will also feature a job board and an events calendar to help our readers stay current and a photo and art gallery that will continue to showcase the talent of emerging and accomplished Aboriginal artists. And we are issuing a call-out to communities for freelance contributors to help us promote more regional events. ”

Advantages of the new website include an attractive page layout, easy navigation and an interactive experience for readers. All the news will be right at their fingertips and it will be fully functional on their mobile devices. This year is dedicated to working together to bridge the gap in health, education, living conditions and employment opportunities. Alberta Native News will continue to provide interesting and informative articles on Aboriginal business, land claims, role models, resource development, politics, art, culture, music and literature.

“Our newspaper has prided itself on being an independent press that has never received any government grants or subsidies,” explained Shatz. “We believe that a newspaper is a business that shouldn’t be tied to any government or community agenda. And we also believe that government funds should be earmarked for things like improving housing, health, job training, education and other community building ventures. We have built an exceptional tabloid newspaper with a great reputation for quality articles, beautiful original artwork and a wide distribution across western Canada and especially Alberta that is unrivalled.”

“We have a top-notch team of accounts representatives Ben Samuels and Christine Sauvé, writers John Copley, Terry Lusty and Brandi Morin,” continued Shatz. “And our primary artist contributors Timothy Mohan, Christopher Chambaud and Bill Roy, our graphic designer Laurel Schubert and our web editor Josh Moser who are working hard to provide an informative and entertaining news source for our readers across Canada.”

She concluded, “Our newspaper is received and enjoyed in every Aboriginal community and urban centre across the west, the prairies and the north and our website will allow us to spread our reach  across the country. We are very excited to bring Alberta Native News on-line in a meaningful way.”