ARTICLES BY Amy German

Why diabetics may want to re-evaluate their insulin use

Insulin is one of the oldest treatments for diabetes, first hitting the market in the 1920s. It remains one of the most effective treatments for the disease, says Dr. David Dannenbaum of the Cree Board of Health and Social Services of James Bay. Despite its effectiveness, Dannenbaum said the medication strangely has ... read more ››

Green energy for Great Whale and Wemindji

Doing away with their old diesel power plant, the community of Whapmagoostui / Kuujjuarapik will become the first northern Native community with a renewable energy off-grid hybrid power plant. Fueled by wind and biomass with an integrated battery storage system, it will also eventually power a greenhouse to produce fresh ... read more ››

Cree doctor wins prestigious Dreamcatcher Foundation Award

Swapping her lab coat for a fancy gown, Eeyou Istchee’s first and only Cree medical doctor, Dr. Darlene Kitty, was honoured October 23 for her career in medicine by the Dreamcatcher Charitable Foundation, in Hamilton, Ontario. The foundation raises funds for various endeavours involving children. It also recognizes members of Canada’s ... read more ››

What the rehabilitation professions at Allied Health can do for you

A few months ago the Cree Board of Health of Social Services of James Bay’s Department of Allied Health decided that it was time to raise their profile within Eeyou Istchee. Not because there wasn’t enough demand for occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech and language pathologists and psycho-educators, but because these ... read more ››

Lemon Cree online brings the workout home and anywhere else

For those who fell in love with Lemon Cree’s brand of bounce fit and other exercise programs back when founder Theresa Ducharme toured the communities to train and engage Eeyouch in fitness in a fun and friendly atmosphere, the program is now available online. Realizing a long-sought dream, Ducharme and her ... read more ››

Quebec’s austerity cutbacks could set up an environmental disaster

Quebec has been hemorrhaging biologists, wildlife technicians, game wardens and now endangered species recovery teams, all in the name of austerity. But what kind of an impact will this have on a region that is looking to go full steam ahead with development like the Plan Nord, particularly on its ... read more ››

The Grand Chief discusses the Stand Against Uranium campaign

On October 7, the Grand Council of the Crees launched the web-based StandAgainstUranium.com campaign to inform people in Eeyou Istchee and the world about the Cree’s firm stance against uranium exploration on their traditional territory. The campaign addresses the risks associated with uranium mining and shares opinions, photos and videos to ... read more ››

Romeo Saganash petitions Harper government to abide by UN Declaration

It’s an effort to end systemic discrimination against Indigenous peoples in Canada. Romeo Saganash, NDP MP for Abitibi-Baie James-Nunavik-Eeyou, has launched a petition to force the Canadian government to implement and abide by the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). After introducing a private member’s bill, C-469, Saganash ... read more ››

Dialysis Unit Opens in Mistissini

Decades in the making, a new dialysis unit in Mistissini will finally allow the community’s diabetes patients to receive care at home. The clinic, which opened October 8, offers hemodialysis for patients who had previously been treated in Chibougamau or Montreal. Dialysis is a process to clean the blood for advanced diabetics ... read more ››

The Nation’s annual Fall/Winter tourism guide

As the first snow has already begun to fall and the winter clothes pulled out of storage, escaping what is bound to be a long and cold winter is already on the minds of many. Absconding to somewhere exotic and lovely is one of the best ways to beat the cold ... read more ››

Comiccon 2014 brings out the super, the scary and the sexy

It’s about the only place on earth where you can see hundreds of Batmans, Captain Americas, Starfleet Officers, Supermans, Princess Elsas, Princess Leias, Princess Zeldas, warriors from every genre of fiction and the Ghostbusters’ Ectomobile all in one room. For fans of comic books, science fiction and fantasy, cosplay (playing ... read more ››

Of skins and feathers and fur: 3 Native designers tell their stories

Whether their collections are being perfected for a fashion week runway show in New York City or being tailored to the needs of Cree women in James Bay, Canada’s Native design scene is more prolific than ever. While traditional garb like mukluks, moccasins and hide garments are staples, during the last ... read more ››

CSB Summer Literacy Camps grow in second year

The Cree School Board Summer Literacy Camp program really hit its stride this year with results topping last summer’s encouraging participation numbers. The camps, which were held in all nine communities, topped last year’s by bringing in a total of 464 campers, an increase of 50. Each child read an average ... read more ››

Best handling practices for traditional meat storage

As many families have already hit the bush for the fall hunt season to feed their families over the winter months, the Cree Board of Health and Social Services thought that it would be timely to get some safe meat handling tips out. According to Lilian Kandiliotis, a Regional Public Health Nutritionist/Dietician, there are a number ... read more ››

Inside the Grand Council's first nation-to-nation meeting with the new Quebec premier

When the provincial government switched from the Parti Québécois to the Quebec Liberal Party last April as Premier Philippe Couillard took over the helm, it gave the Cree the chance to put new issues on the table and form new partnerships. The Grand Chief greets Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard On September 3, ... read more ››

New community TV program profiles urban Aboriginals in Montreal

A new public access TV program will showcase Montreal Indigenous peoples and services offered to help them survive in the city. Beginning this September, Indigenous Power will be hosted by Nakuset, the Executive Director of the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal (NWSM). Part of a Bell initiative to create community television, ... read more ››

Roundtable focus shifts to planning the Cree future after enormous consultation ends

Nian Matoush with David Suzuki and Adult Education teachers. Now that the Roundtable on Capacity Building has finished touring nine Cree communities, involving wide swaths of Cree society and receiving thousands of comments and suggestions on how to make the Eeyou Istchee better for its people, the question is, what happens ... read more ››

Breaking the cycle of increasing STI rates

The Cree Health Board reports that the rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea among Cree youth aged 15-25 are seven and 11 times higher than that of the general population in the province According to Patrice Larivée, a Nurse Counselor on Sexual Health for the Cree Board of Health and Social Services ... read more ››

A preview of vocational courses to come from the CSB

Whether you are just finishing up high school and wondering what your next step should be, trying to plan out a lifelong career or trying to find a way to change career fields altogether, vocational courses can be the ticket to an entirely new life. Selected and refocused by the Cree ... read more ››

Desiree Petawabano discusses why she became a nurse

Having just graduated from Queen’s University with a degree in science and nursing this past spring at the age of 26, Mistissini’s Desiree Petawabano’s academic career is nowhere near over and she couldn’t be happier. Petawabano has already worked in the hospital in Chisasibi for two years. But she loves to ... read more ››

Photo exhibit of Native women portrays personal journeys to success

Tealey Normandin A new exhibit at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts will celebrate the incredible turnaround success stories of 12 Aboriginal women who sought help at Montreal’s Native Women’s Shelter and were able to turn their lives around. Open as of September 13, Inspirational Aboriginal Women features stunning portraits of Aboriginal women ... read more ››

Shaawinihan Outfitting caters to hunters who can’t wait for Goose Break

Running his business from rented farm fields just outside of Ottawa, John Cole said his new career began as a fluke one morning when he was headed out to get a cup of coffee. “I had popped into a restaurant for my morning coffee and there was a table of First ... read more ››

Cree companies increase presence in Quebec’s first diamond mine

As Quebec’s first diamond mine gears up for operation, two Mistissini Cree companies are preparing for the roles that they will play in its labour force thanks to the priority orders laid out in the 2012 Mecheshoo Agreement. The agreement signed between the Grand Council of the Crees, the Cree Nation ... read more ››

Sol Awashish is on a mission to promote Miyupimaatisiiun

Sol Awashish is keeping up a tradition of a walk to promote a health message at the Annual General Assembly of the Crees. This year, the program officer at the Cree Health Board will begin walking from Chapais to Waswanipi August 2 to deliver a message about Miyupimaatisiiun, a grassroots plan ... read more ››

Wemindji youth help build a school in Nicaragua

The Nicaragua Crew at the top of the Masaya Volcano in Managua, Nicaragua. Chelsea Moses Blackned, Brandi Taylor, Austin Georgekish, Shauna Simpson, Mike Mark, Neebin Atsynia, Jeremy Matches, Selena Blackned, Cheryl Danyluk, Cody Mark, Tristan Dearhouse, Alyssia Georgekish, Brittany Visitor, Carmen Plank With the simple goal of helping where they can ... read more ››

Highlights from the North American Indigenous Games

It’s been six long years since the flags for the North American Indigenous Games were flying in the wind. But when they were finally run up the flagpoles once again, Quebec’s Eastern Door and the North team rose to the occasion. First Nations youth from all over the province, including a ... read more ››