ARTICLES BY Amy German

Holiday Entertaining: Delightful dishes that will have your guests singing Hallelujah!

If you’re looking for an impressive Christmas spread or tasty snack ideas between meals, culinary stars Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Nigella Lawson both have new books that will help you put your best dishes forward during the holiday season. Lidia’s Mastering the Art of Italian Cuisine is a must-have for lovers ... read more ››

Chocolate cookies for Santa

For chocolate lovers the Christmas season is all about trying to see how many different ways you can make something from one of the world’s most celebrated foods. If you haven’t yet purchased something special for the chocolate lover on your list, the Guittard Chocolate Cookbook is 100% devoted to recipes ... read more ››

2015 Christmas Shopping Guide: A look at what's hot for the cold season

With the holiday season jingling bells and cash registers throughout Eeyou Istchee, many are scouring the Internet in search of the perfect gift or planning a trip south to fill up their Santa sacks. The challenge can be finding the time to get it all and getting it all right. This is ... read more ››

Regional diabetes conference gets at the root causes of a Cree epidemic

by Amy German – When the first Cree Regional Diabetes Conference was held in 2006, the plan was to make it an annual event, said organizer Janis Neeposh. Unfortunately it would take until 2015 and for the community of Oujé-Bougoumou to pick up the reins to make this happen, resulting in ... read more ››

Promoting non-violence one step at a time

Quickening the pace to a two-year-old movement to promote non-violence, George Diamond recently led another major walk to condemn violence in any form and raise awareness about the issue throughout Eeyou Istchee. From October 16-19, Diamond joined seven others on an 84-kilometre walk in the name of stopping violence. “The walk went ... read more ››

Cree kids participate in international walk to school initiative

Hand in hand with their parents and other community members, this October the children of Eeyou Istchee participated in activities celebrating “Walk to School Month,” an initiative held in over 40 countries worldwide to get children out and active. In Mistissini, Wally Rabbitskin, a Planning, Programming and Research Officer for Physical ... read more ››

A guide to some of Quebec’s finest fall and winter events

Montreal’s Botanical Gardens. Photo by Claude Lafond While summer seemed reluctant to leave during a beautiful month of September, colder weather is not far away so here is our annual tip sheet for fall and winter fun. There is little doubt that most Crees will say the best things about the return ... read more ››

Cree camps deliver literacy achievements

Back for a third year to prevent summer learning loss for the children of Eeyou Istchee, the Frontier College and Cree School Board Summer Literacy Camps have even stronger results to present after a summer of reading, writing and fun-based learning for kids in nine of the Cree communities. According to ... read more ››

Inuit designs gain ground in the global marketplace

Coveted in the north for their exquisite designs, Inuit-made sealskin goods and parkas have a deserved reputation for quality and warmth. Created by the Makavik Corporation with the help of Victoria Okpik from Quaqtaq, Nunavik Creations produces traditional Inuit-designed parkas, luxurious fur coats and sophisticated accessories for an international market. Makavik recruited ... read more ››

Where to take your first step into vocational programming this fall

Meeting needs for education and career training, the Cree School Board is always hard at work to provide the best programs available to as many communities as possible. If you want to train for a new career, brush up on your skill set or move up in the field you are ... read more ››

Romeo Saganash – New Democatic Party of Canada

Why are you the most qualified person to represent this region?  I think that my track record for the region speaks for itself. I have worked hard to support the local economy: the forestry and mining industries, the Nunavik Tourism Association, and the Cree outfitters in Eeyou Istchee. It is important ... read more ››

Patrick Benoît – The Green Party of Canada

Why are you the most qualified person to represent this region? Hailing from Val-d’Or, Patrick Benoît says that he has led a diverse life with a career history that covers health-care work as a paramedic to 10 years in the military dealing with everything from environmental disasters to combat zones. So ... read more ››

Waswanipi’s Vocational Training Centre celebrates 10 years of graduates

Responding to the needs of the rapidly developing employment market within Eeyou Istchee, it has been a full decade since the Cree School Board opened the Sabtuan Regional Vocational Training Centre in Waswanipi to give Crees the skills they needed to realize their dreams. “After many years of negotiations and representations ... read more ››

CREECO’s annual golf tournament raises funds for Willie’s Place

While periodic rain throughout the day may have made the greens a bit slower, CREECO’s annual golf classic bested its goal in a benefit for Willie’s Place, the day centre for the homeless in Val-d’Or. According to CREECO President Jack Blacksmith, Willie’s Place was a timely choice as this year’s beneficiary ... read more ››

New campaign launched to show support for Broadback conservation

While the Cree have been hard at work to see the Broadback River and the area surrounding it declared a protected area, a new campaign has been launched by the Quebec chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS). According to Pier-Olivier Boudreault, a biologist and project manager for conservation ... read more ››

Healthier Mother’s Day treats that don’t skimp on flavour

As baking is nothing more than delicious basic chemistry, naturally it would take a mathematician to perfect recipes that significantly cut back on refined sugar while maintaining the flavour and integrity of the recipe. However, Joanne Chang has written a marvellous new dessert cookbook that squares the baking circle of ... read more ››

Val-d’Or celebrates 15 years of cross-cultural solidarity at annual anti-racism event

Val-d’Or’s 15th anti-racism campaign focused on sensitizing professionals working in health and social services to the needs and cultures of the First Nations and Inuit living in the region. The two spokespersons for this year’s event were from the health and social services sectors: Dr. Stanley Vollant, an Innu surgeon who ... read more ››

Oujé’s Sam Bosum recognized for his success in the industry

Sam Bosum and Jim MacLeod In the late 1950s, a teenaged Sam Bosum began helping his father and brother in the bush as they and many other Crees from Oujé-Bougamau, Mistissini and Waswanipi began working in the mining industry. It was there that he first learned the tricks of the trade ... read more ››

The Nation's best finds at the 2015 hunting and fishing show

Will Nicholls at the 2015 show To help you trick out your outdoors experience, The Nation visited the Hunting, Fishing & Camping Show at Place Bonaventure February 19-22, where we checked out what’s new in gear, guns and gizmos. The event featured 250 exhibitors, sprawled out over 225,000 square feet of showroom, showcasing the ... read more ››

Programs and ideas for improving your health during the cold months

With the light and warmth of summer months away, the natural inclination is to bundle up in front of the TV as much as possible. However, this is the worst plan for your health as human beings need to be physically active. According to Dr. David Dannenbaum, of the Cree Board ... read more ››

The Grand Chief responds to Quebec Bar Association report on Northern justice

At the end of January, the Quebec Bar Association released a report that detailed how above the 49th parallel the justice system was “failing” in just about every way because of a serious lack of infrastructure and resources. The report – “La justice dans le nord” – compared justice administration above ... read more ››

Eeyou Istchee leaders share their highs, lows and hopes for the future

As families celebrate the end of another year and shed their burdens for the season, many of us find ourselves contemplating what was and what could be when the world picks up again in the New Year. Looking back on the events of the past year, the Nation once again approached ... read more ››

First Nations and Inuit suicide conference celebrates life and children

Attracting survivors, professionals and families from around the province, the 2014 First Nations and Inuit Suicide Prevention Association of Quebec and Labrador (FNISPAQL) conference was about honouring those who soldier on after loss and those who work with them. Bringing together frontline workers for the three-day pre-conference trainings followed by three ... read more ››

Maintaining your health on the road

With the deep freeze well underway, traveling abroad is a sure fire way to escape the hardships of winter, if only briefly. Your trip, however, is only going to be as good as you feel, so take some advice from a medical professional who knows how to make your travel experience ... read more ››

N’we Jinan music project paves the way for a new recording label

Montreal hip-hop artist David Hodges first thought the N’we Jinan project would be a tour of Cree communities to promote musical talent with the youth. But the project has now given birth to a successful hip-hop album, N’we Jinan, Eeyou Istchee Volume 1, that is climbing the hip-hop charts on ... read more ››

The Nation's Christmas shopping guide

If only grown-ups wrote letters to Santa that featured detailed lists of what they would like for Christmas, included where to get them, how much they would cost, how long they would take to ship and what they would like to go with it. While nearly every child can detail the ... read more ››