ARTICLES BY Will Nicholls

Justice officially ready for business

It was a cold day but that didn’t stop people for showing up for the official opening of the Mistissini Justice Building on January 31. A proud Justice Director Donald Nicholls led people on a tour. Though the facility has the usual trappings of a courthouse complete with holding cells and ... read more ››

Food for thought

On Monday, January 31, I attended the official opening of the Justice Building in Mistissini. It was impressive. The whole gang can be proud of this accomplishment. It’s another nail in the coffin of dependency. Self-governance is closer than ever and this is something that is recognized by all. But ... read more ››

500 Issues of the Nation500 Issues of the Nation

How did we ever get here? According to traditional business models, we did everything wrong. Our first issues were sent to the communities we wanted to serve with a few prayers and a lot of hope that they would actually arrive. One community member questioned whether we would be able ... read more ››

2010 RIP, Long Live 2011

Another year has bitten the dust. Though I will miss certain moments of 2010, I’m just glad to still be here for the start of 2011. I say that because I haven’t kept 99.9 per cent of last year’s health-minded resolutions. Yes, I did join a gym. To be honest, I wanted ... read more ››

A man of the people

Smally Petawabano was a man who will always be a part of the people who knew him. His way of being was the Cree way of life. He lived a good life and his loss will be felt. Smally passed away on December 3 and his absence will be felt. ... read more ››

Peace and goodwill this season

Christmas is a time when our communities are at their busiest with people out and about celebrating. The holidays are a high-risk time for many things. There are always a few who drink too much and are more susceptible to becoming either victims or perpetrators of alcohol-fuelled violence. There are more fires, ... read more ››

No Glo For Strateco?

After assuring the Nation and others that Mistissini was on board for Strateco Resources’ uranium exploration project in the Otish Mountains, Strateco was told the community didn’t want the project in a hearing in Mistissini held on November 23. The main reason that Mistissini residents rejected the project was that it ... read more ››

Finding the right path

They say persecution is the systematic mistreatment of one group by another and one of the most commons forms is religious persecution. As a matter of fact, in the 2000 years of the Christian faith, about 70 million believers have been killed for their faith. In fact, historically, what is considered ... read more ››

35 years of grumbling

It has been 35 years since the Crees signed the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement. Why it only seems like yesterday to many. This Agreement was hailed as the first modern treaty. Indeed it is the model many Aboriginal groups around the world use as a base for their ... read more ››

The Facebook Standoff

I thought I had heard, read or seen almost everything until I heard about the Facebook standoff. This incident involved Willie Blacksmith of Mistissini, two guns, alcohol and whole lot of foolishness. I don’t even need to talk to the police on those points because Blacksmith himself was on Facebook the ... read more ››

Join the missing women’s movement

You can see the movement happening all over Canada. In the Yukon, the Minister responsible for the Women’s Directorate Marian C. Horne said, “Reducing the incidence of violence against Aboriginal women continues to be a priority for the Yukon government.” Horne backed that up with $190,000 from The Prevention of Violence Against ... read more ››

Being prepared

It’s back-to-school time and parents are frantically outfitting their kids with school supplies galore. You’re talking everything from pens, paper and binders to calculators and laptops. Then there are the must-have clothes to make just the right impression. But there is a price to pay for the silence descending upon ... read more ››

The era of the electronic leash

Once again I might date myself in an editorial. That doesn’t mean this rant is any less pertinent to our lives, however. That’s because, my dear technologically enslaved readers, we need to travel further back in time, back to the beginning, to understand what a dinosaur I am, and how ... read more ››

AGA 2010: The Cree Way

This year’s Annual General Assembly of the Grand Council of the Crees (the 35th edition) and the Cree Regional Authority (32nd), held August 11-13, was unusual in a number of respects. For starters, it was perhaps the first time in the history of the AGA that it actually finished on ... read more ››

Where have all the votes gone?

You may be aware that there was a recent election in Mistissini for chief, deputy chief and band council. Like many other would-be Mistissini electors, however, I unfortunately had no chance of voting in the all-important run-off election held July 27. I missed that opportunity to participate – as did ... read more ››

The not-so-sexy Bill C-3

To say that more than a few people were pissed at the attempts of Conservative MPs and senators to address sex discrimination in determining Indian Status through Bill C-3 would be minimizing the problem. Many are saying C-3 doesn’t fix the problem at all but legalizes it much in the same ... read more ››

National Aboriginal Day in Val-d’Or

While National Aboriginal Day may not have made the news beyond funding cuts in big cities around Canada, in Quebec, Val d’Or’s festivities drew a crowd of 700 people. Perhaps it was the fact they were also celebrating the local Friendship Centre’s 35th anniversary or Val-d’Or’s 75th anniversary that so many ... read more ››

Barriere Lake Algonquins to be assimilated?

Once again the Barriere Lake community members are up in arms. They say Minister of Indian Affairs Chuck Strahl is trying to abolish Barriere Lake’s customary governance system. They say Strahl and Indian Affairs are once again trying to do this unilaterally without consulting the band members. Barriere Lake is one ... read more ››

Clean water is in the Act

The Safe Drinking Water for First Nations Act was introduced in Parliament on May 26. While undoubtedly good news for many, we must always remember the Feds giveth and the Feds taketh away. Along with the Act is a two-year extension of the First Nations Water and Wastewater Action Plan. “First ... read more ››

Traditional Knowledge

I was up at 4 in the morning ready for the geese. Like many hunters I looked at the water hole opening up early. It was warmer than usual for this time of year and the ice was melting. The snow had pretty much disappeared causing Luke MacLeod to mention ... read more ››

The Spring Goose Hunt

It has been a few years since I last went goose hunting. Whenever I go I always think back to other hunts like many Crees. All the memories are good and many mean a lot to me in many ways. Once when I was the tender and somewhat trusting young age ... read more ››

A New Approach To Traditional Lands

With the recent referendum on the offshore islands, the Grand Council took measures to involve the youth. Many societies, not only Cree, have had a problem getting the youth to vote on important issues involving the Cree Nation. While using traditional media tools, such as print and radio, the Grand Council ... read more ››

Celebrating the Life of Chief Robert James Weistche

I know most of our readers were disappointed with the obituary on Robert Weistche. I don’t blame you. I was disappointed myself. It came in at the last minute just before we had to go to press. What I received was not what I expected but there was no time ... read more ››

The Right to Vote

It’s truly amazing the amount of mainstream news coverage Aboriginals saw concerning the emergency debate in Parliament on funding for the Aboriginal Healing Foundation, on March 30. The response the next day from Indian Affairs was to congratulate First Nations on getting the vote 50 years ago. While most First ... read more ››

Book Review: Dancing Away from Dependency

Dances with Dependency Out of Poverty Through Self-Reliance By Calvin Helin You really have to admire Calvin Helin. I’m not talking about his writing but rather his perseverance. He was turned down 32 times by publishers before going on to publish his book himself in 2006. That is the sign of a man ... read more ››

Outdoor fun

Each year visiting the Hunting, Fishing and Camping show at Place Bonaventure is always fun. It’s not only the chance to see what’s new but to get great in-show bargains. This year I brought a fishing bag from Pronature for only $9.95, along with fishing sunglasses for another $7. I’m ready ... read more ››