Category: 2007-11-23

Federal fun and games

Just when you thought an election was around the corner, politics can show you that life isn’t as predictable as you might have hoped. I know if you were the Liberals a while ago you weren’t hoping for a trip to the polls as much as Stephen Harper, et al. With ... read more ››

Living green is profitable

Green is everywhere you go, on the back and front pages of magazines, science shows, sprouted by political wannabes on television, people talking about their carbon imprint. It’s all about the current state of the biological world, which is now determined to be dismal. Go green, stay green, and use ... read more ››

Shooting for the moon: Teenagers take aim at a better future at Aboriginal Youth Career Fair

Hundreds of high school students from across Canada arrived at Montreal’s Palais des Congres October 30 and hung out, text messaged and giggled their way to learning about potential careers at a rare job fair that was focused solely on the youth. The event also featured a lineup of Aboriginal role ... read more ››

A new ‘pipeline’ for Eeyou Istchee: Waswanipi Internet start-up looks to offer tech choices at competitive prices

The north is relatively uncharted territory when it comes to major technology choices, but Waswanipi’s Jonathan Saganash is looking to change that in the coming years by providing the Cree Nation with every aspect of new technology they could ever hope for. Saganash signed a deal in February with ISF, a ... read more ››

Chief Jimmy Mianscum – In Memorium

Former Chief of the “Doré Lake Crees,” Jimmy Mianscum died in Chibougamau November 5 after a lengthy illness. The Elder was the first, in the 1960s, to try to convince the Government of Canada of the Ouje-Bougoumou people’s right to a separate and permanent village. In an open letter to Ouje-Bougoumou ... read more ››

Two Mommys

Rezolution Pictures’ latest documentary, Mommy, Mommy, had its Montreal debut at the Image + Nation, Montreal International Queer Film Video Festival on November 18. The film follows the ups and downs of a lesbian couple as they struggle to adopt children in Quebec. The couple originally heard about the children ... read more ››

Urban recycling: We have a long way to go

With a provincial government mandate to divert 60 per cent of its waste from landfills, Greater Montreal is looking to adopt more intensive recycling programs. Other Canadian cities, such as Halifax and Toronto, already have such systems in place. Nova Scotia was the trailblazer in greener living programs, banning organic waste ... read more ››

Dave Peace: Living Off the Grid

While the idea of living off the grid full time might appeal to many, it’s still a very new concept and, in practice, not very widespread. But Dave Peace, a Norvik air bush plane pilot, had no choice. “Where I live is really the seaplane base. We operate an air service ... read more ››

Poisoned Beauty

Personal Care Products are Loaded with Dangerous Chemicals There are more than 5,000 ingredients allowed for use in personal care products. Many are identified as hazardous by government agencies, and many others haven’t even been tested for safety in human beings. As the skin is the biggest organ in the body, it ... read more ››

CNACA to show off Cree Arts and Crafts

Looking for a place to display your art? The Cree Native Arts and Crafts Association is currently collecting tamarack decoys, moose-hide products and spruce baskets for sale at the Salon des métiers d’art in Montreal, Dec. 6 to 17. With its first ever showing at the Salon, CNACA aims to increase ... read more ››

CIER greens communities: Matthew Coon Come helped found organization in 1994

The Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources helps Aboriginal communities in their uphill battle to become more environmentally responsible. Unfortunately, few Nation readers are familiar with their mission because the centre is located in Winnipeg. CIER does have Cree connections: former Cree Grand Chief Matthew Coon Come was a founding board member ... read more ››

The diabetes war: News from the frontlines

It’s been a whole year since the first Cree Regional Diabetes conference – held last November in Mistissini – and while much has changed since that time the diabetes epidemic has remained the same. In other words, it continues to grow. But there is some debate about the nature of that ... read more ››

It all smells fishy to me

Fish has always played a part in the traditional diet of my people on the James Bay coast. When times were tough and the hunting and trapping was not bringing in enough food for the family, fish provided a way to survive those lean periods. While I was growing up, having ... read more ››