ARTICLES BY Alex Roslin

Historic judgement backs Cree rights Canada and Quebec violated Constitution: judge

A Quebec Superior Court judge has made a landmark decision that affirms the right of Crees and other First Nations to protect their culture, language and education. justice Jean-Jacques Croteau said Canada and Quebec have violated this right, which is protected by the Constitution. Croteau ruled on a number of issues in ... read more ››

Walk-out ends over stinky building Building smells like diesel, workers “always sick”

Employees in Chisasibi’s Administrative Centre are breathing easier after renovations were promised on the poorly ventilated building that smells like gasoline. After four years of complaints, 40 Cree School Board employees walked off their jobs on Jan. 16 to protest the bad air quality. The walk-out lasted two weeks. “We said we ... read more ››

Great Whale: To be or not to be?

Are Crees discussing new hydro projects with Hydro-Quebec or not? That is the question. In our last issue, we reported that Crees and HQ have held two meetings at which they discussed”conditions under which development could occur.” The information came from Ghislain Ouellet,a top Hydro executive. After The Nation came out, Grand Chief ... read more ››

Crees talk conditions for Great Whale Matthew Mukash vows: “We’re not going to bodge”

Is the dreaded Great Whale project slowly and quietly moving ahead despite the opposition of the Cree people? Ghislain Ouellet, executive vice-president of Hydro-Quebec, told The Nation the utility has already met Cree representatives twice to discuss new hydro projects and other issues. Also discussed: “the conditions under which development could ... read more ››

First strike in Chisasiri

Some of Canada’s most famous Kung Fu masters will be converging on Chisa-sibi in May for an exhibition that is sure to knock your snowshoes off. Plans are also under way for them to give a seminar to those interested in a hands-on lesson in the ancient Chinese fighting style of ... read more ››

Ex-Bishop Horden student seeks $3 min

Billy Ottereyes, a former chief of Waswanipi, is demanding compensation from the federal government for abuse he and other Crees say they faced as students at the Bishop Horden Residential School. He is seeking $3 million. “I’m not the only one who has a problem with this,” he said in a phone ... read more ››

Was aging HQ network the weak link?

Hydro-Quebec and Premier Lucien Bouchard are under the gun for the handling (or mishandling) of the Storm of the Century. The Nation has obtained information that suggests Hydro-Quebec’s power system may have disintegrated so quickly because it was propped up by aging, outdated towers, some so old they should have been ... read more ››

Hydro ignored lessons of the past

Premier Bouchard and Hydro-Quebec say the Ice Storm Disaster was impossible to foresee and prepare for. But we did get a warning. A wild storm lashed into the Lanaudiere region east of Montreal at the same time last year, the beginning of January. The 1997 storm dropped 50 mm of frozen ... read more ››

What colour is your snowmobile?

A strange letter arrived at Polaris Canada headquarters in Winnipeg. An anonymous Chibougamau resident was writing to complain of “a problem” atthe local Polaris franchise, which was taken over by the Ouje-Bougoumou First Nation. The resident described him/herself as a “fans” of Polaris for “a good dozen years until the Indians ... read more ››

Chill, bloods and ofays

A truly wild pair of books came our way not too long ago, the Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang. In total, it’s 1,700 pages of all the English slang ever used in America spanning the last 300 years, divided into three backbreaking volumes. The last volume covers words beginning P ... read more ››

Sparks fly at Indian Affairs ceremony Phil Fontaine accused of “jumping in bed” with Feds

The guests expected a solemn and dignified ceremony to mark the beginning of “reconciliation.”Instead, they got World War Three, as one surprised guest put it. The event in question was Canada’s official burying of the hatchet with Native people. After a year ofwaiting, the government finally responded to the many recommendations ... read more ››

supreme court shocker

The highest couvt of the land fuis made an important and surprising decisionthat will affect all First Nations in some way or other. In a decisionthat shocked many, the Supreme Court of Canada has recognized that Native oral law is just asvalid as any written law enacted by a government. This ... read more ››

Northern Battles Local Store Into Ground

Kevin Hatt spends his days twiddling his thumbs in Sandy’s Corner Store wondering where all the customers went. Everything was going great just two years ago for the little Cree-owned convenience store that sits right on the shore of the mighty Great Whale River in Whapmagoostui. Sandy’s had 22 employees, almost all ... read more ››

Quebec wants proof of Cree names

French names are here to stay for the islands in the Caniapiscau Reservoir, at least for now. The Quebec government is in no hurry to correct the official map after mistakenly giving new names to the 101 islands. Not realizing the islands already have Cree names, the government gave them new ... read more ››

Cree names should be respected: Quebec authors

Quebec authors say the original Cree names should be respected for the 101 islands in the Caniapiscau Reservoir. “It’s respect. I’m in agreement with giving back the name that was there before, just like in Abitibi I would not want someone to rename the places as if they had just been ... read more ››

Feds, Quebec leave CTA out in cold

Three months with no pay for the executive of the Cree Trappers’ Association and there is no end in sight for the CTA’s budget problems. “For now, we’ve exhausted everything. We don’t have many options left now,” says Edward Gilpin, CTA president. “We’re surviving. But it affects the employees. They’re not sure ... read more ››

CNIT says: The Puck Stops Here

Rouyn-Noranda is getting a whopper of a Christmas present courtesy of the Cree Nation Invitational Tournament. Sixteen years of tradition will come to an end this year as the annual Cree hockey and broomball tournament moves to Rouyn from Val d’Or. Officially, the reason was a lack of hotel rooms in Val ... read more ››

Mayor, Merchants Stunned By Move

The mayor of Val d’Or and merchants in the city are upset and angry about the decision to move the Cree Nation hockey and broomball tournament to Rouyn-Noranda. “It is a big loss,” said Mayor Ronald Tetreault, who added that he was “shocked” on hearing the news. “I thought all the problems ... read more ››

Quebec Plays Hardball With Natives

As discussions get under way with Quebec over hydro projects and Cree rights, some readers may be wondering about where Quebec is coming from. What does the government want? In public, Premier Bouchard and Hydro-Quebec promise a new era of openness toward Crees. But what are their true plans? Talks have been ... read more ››

Another Logging Truck Bites the Dust

Another quiet night at Windy Lake. Somewhere out there, a logging truck was making its way along the road. Suddenly, a distant boom was heard in the Cree camp southeast of Waswanipi. Curious camp dwellers ventured down the road in their longjohns to see what had happened. About 200 metres down ... read more ››

Bars Accused of Discrimination

One day during the recent baseball tournament in Val d’Or, Bertie Wapachee wanted a night out with his wife. The first stop was Bar Vegas. As they tried to enter, they were asked for a membership card. Cost of the membership card: $20. Bertie, who is the Cree Youth Grand Chief, was ... read more ››

Quebec Retreats on Renaming 101 Islands

The Quebec government admits it made a mistake and is retreating from its plan to give new names to 101 islands in the Caniapiscau reservoir. Quebec’s Toponymy Commission, which cooked up the idea, says it will reexamine the plan after learning that the former mountains already have Cree names. “We were convinced ... read more ››

HQ To Cut Safety Inspections: Union

Hydro-Quebec is planning to make major cuts to the number of inspectors making sure the dams in the North are safe, says one of the utility’s largest unions. “The less it’s inspected, the less it’s secure. That’s the opinion of everyone who works there,” said Jacques Rodier, vice-president of the 6,000-member ... read more ››

Cree Connection in Davis Inlet Scandal

When allegations of bribes forced Katie Rich to resign as chief of Davis Inlet, most Innu knew there was a Cree connection. But few people in the Cree world know what happened. How did a Cree company find itself in the middle of a scandal that has divided Davis Inlet for ... read more ››

Chisasibi Has 2h14 if LG-2 Bursts

For the first time since the dams were built, Hydro-Quebec has released information about what would happen if LG-2 burst open and the water spilled out. Also for the first time, HQ has released a report on safety and security problems in the La Grande hydro network. Six of the 20 ... read more ››

Air Creebec Woos Chisasibi-Mtl Market – But Health Board Luke-Warm About New Schedule

Buy Cree. It’s a message most people agree with, but do they always put their money where their mouth is? Air Creebec is about to test people’s commitment to “buying Cree” by introducing a direct flight from Montreal to Chisasibi in September. The flight will be faster and cheaper than the ... read more ››