Category: 2007-07-06

The multiple ways to skin a cat (or a municipality)

I’ve always liked the old saying that there’s more than one way to skin a cat. Personally, I wouldn’t waste my time skinning a cat (the pelt isn’t worth much), but I do try to implement the lesson in looking for more than one solution to a particular problem. It was ... read more ››

Losing it big time

I once was walking (I’m lying, I was driving) by a road in Chisasibi and noticed that my cousin was walking at a quick pace. I asked him what he was up to and he replied that he was losing weight, about a pound or two. Another quick walker sashayed ... read more ››

Uranium mining coming to Eeyou Istchee?

Boucherville-based Strateco Resources Inc. has announced its intention to build Quebec’s first uranium mine in Eeyou Istchee’s Otish Mountains. It could be in operation as early as 2011. The mine has been in the exploration stages for a couple of years. Strateco is expected to spend $16 million on drilling and ... read more ››

Cree Karate kids kick it in Ottawa – Come home with gold medal, great experience

Karate has come a long way in the past two years in Eeyou Istchee, and judging by the success Cree Karatekas are having at competitions, the sport looks like it is here to stay. Thanks to the Simba Academy, which employs traditional Japanese knowledge in its approach to the martial art, ... read more ››

Cree students excel

Four Cree students at Quebec’s Stanstead College are taking home prizes from the school’s Baccalaureate and Prize Giving ceremony. Dawn Namagoose of Eastmain won the Junior School prize for most improved in French Second Language. Nemaska’s Shannon Wapachee won the Art Prize for Grade 7. The musical performance prize was ... read more ››

Fattening ’em up for next year!

Carl Bosum from O.J., currently attending Canadore College in North Bay, Ontario, was recently caught in the act feeding goslings near the pond at Canadore College. After being asked why he was feeding them rather than killing and plucking the geese, Carl replied, “Fattening up for next year!” So, to ... read more ››

Inuit Nobel nominee wins UN award

Sheila Watt-Cloutier of Kuujuaaq was awarded a lifetime achievement award by the United Nations for her work in bringing global awareness to the impact of climate change on arctic communities. Watt-Cloutier said her goal is to put a human face on the often technical issue of climate change. “There is no ... read more ››

The kids are not alright

A Quebec Human Rights Commission report says that more than half of Nunavik’s children live in homes that house an alcoholic or a drug addict. The study found that family dysfunction is widespread and is exacerbated by overcrowding, substance abuse and violence. Some children in the 139 cases examined have been ... read more ››

Nation picks up more honours

The Nation has continued its winning streak by picking up two more awards from the Native American Journalists Association June 9 in Denver, Colorado. Steve Bonspiel won first place in the Best Editorial category for “The Spirit of the Mohawks,” which looked at the Mohawk fight with both levels of government ... read more ››

Chisasibi-Whapmagoostui outing begins in tragedy

The community of Chisasibi is in mourning after a local man suffered a heart attack while kayaking. Edward Tapiatic, a former head of the CRA’s traditional pursuits agency was part of a four-man team heading to Whapmagoostui, 200 kilometres away. He died after paddling a distance of about five kilometres. The ... read more ››

Aboriginal Day

The annual National Aboriginal Day ceremony and passing of the torch between the Terres en Vues Festival organisers and the organisers of la Fête nationale du Québec went down without a hitch June 21 at the Kondiaronk Belevedere atop Mont Royal. Dignitaries from different levels of government, First Nations leaders, various ... read more ››

Festival highlights – Terres en Vue/Land In Sights

After 11 solid days of film, video, traditional cultural activities, art, songs and anything else that you can fit into a festival. Terres en Vue or Land In Sights finally wrapped up June 21. This year the festival featured various feature films, documentaries, videos and shorts in the film and video ... read more ››

Federal NDP Leader supports Aboriginal Day of Action

On the eve of National Aboriginal Day, NDP leader Jack Layton gave the aboriginal media the opportunity to chat with him informally on Wawatay Radio Timmins in a format that he described as a “virtual scrum.” Over the course of an hour, seven journalists had the opportunity to pick Layton’s brain ... read more ››

Special Tribute to Andrew Moar

The Nemaskau Eenouch and Eenou Nation has lost one of its most beloved and respected members in a sudden and tragic circumstance. Friend, councillor, mentor and Elder Andrew Moar died May 25, 2007. Many will each remember Andrew in their own unique and special way and how he touched our lives. ... read more ››

History & “Herstory”

History took place from June 20th through 22nd as the National Aboriginal Women’s Summit took place in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, bringing together a broad cross section of Aboriginal women including First Nation, Inuit and Métis with Premiers and governmental leaders from across Canada to develop an “Action Plan.” The conference, ... read more ››

Damned if you do and damned if you don’t

It is that time of year again when we all head out into the warm weather to soak up the sun and get some fresh air. It is also a fact that we have to put up with a multitude of biting insects. I am a bit of an expert ... read more ››