Category: 2008-10-24

Have you seen my sister?

When I was growing up I thought it was hard being someone of mixed heritage, I thought no one understands how hard it is to grow up off rez. For years I thought like that, the us-versus-them mentality, never realizing that folks had it much harder. Being a young man ... read more ››

An autumn gift

I spent some time at the cottage this past week to enjoy the outdoors, the changing landscape of fall colours, cooler temperatures and the absence of biting insects. The autumn is a great time to be outside in the fresh sweet air. This was my time for sitting by a ... read more ››

Asking for government respect: Riot police used brute force to dismantle an Algonquin roadblock at Barriere Lake despite the presence of children and Elders

Feeling as though they had no other recourse, at around 6am on October 6, community members from the Barriere Lake reserve blockaded Highway 117 in a last-ditch effort to get their message heard to implement an already-signed trilateral agreement. The agreement, a 1991 deal between the federal and provincial governments and ... read more ››

By The Rapids Cartoon

APTN is proud to announce that starting November 13 at 8pm, the network will start airing By The Rapids, a new Mohawk cartoon series geared at depicting the lighter side of life on a reserve. The Mohawk-language show was developed by Kahnawake resident Joseph Lazare about his hometown whose name loosely ... read more ››

New Chairman for the Cree Health Board

On October 14, it was announced that James Bobbish was the new chairman for the Cree Health Board. Bobbish squeaked by his opponent John Matoush in a hotly contested runoff election. Bobbish garnered 50.5% of the vote while Matoush picked up 49.5%. “It was a very close vote,” said Bobbish, “which means ... read more ››

National Parole Board

On September 5, Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day announced two part-time and three full-time appointments to the National Parole Board, including one who previously worked as regional coordinator of the Cree Police. Jacques Letendre of Waltham, Quebec was appointed a part-time member to the NPB and comes to it with ... read more ››

Lighting the way for those not here: While the number of missing and murdered Aboriginal women in Canada rises, 40 communities across the country remember their spirits

Though the main event occurred earlier during the day in Ottawa, as night fell on October 4, thousands of candles were lit across the country at various Sisters in Spirit vigils to remember the lost souls of Canada’s missing and/or murdered women. Sisters in Spirit, a division of the Native ... read more ››

The George River is saved: Quebec turns another 1.07 per cent of its land into an environmentally protected area bringing the provincial total to 7.07 per cent

Forestry, mining and hydroelectric developments will be now prohibited in a new 9,200-km2 protected zone between the George River Valley and the Monts Pyramides mountains. Monts Pyramides itself will become a park. The announcement was made by Quebec Premier Jean Charest and Environment Minister Line Beauchamp in a press conference on ... read more ››

Foster Home Sought: Nine-year-old Sarah and seven-year-old Sophie

Nine-year-old Sarah and seven-year-old Sophie are Cree siblings who are in need of a respite foster home, one weekend a month, i.e. from Friday evening to Sunday evening. The siblings are very close, and play well together. Sarah is affectionate and shows it. Sarah is very protective of Sophie who is ... read more ››

Developing economic development: Furthering the advancement of Aboriginal peoples in Canada, the Council for the Advancement of Native Development Officers converged on Montreal for its annual conference

Since 1990, Canada’s Aboriginal economic developers have been meeting almost annually to swap strategies on how best to develop economic growth in their communities, support and advise their communities and organizations. Eighteen years later, Quebec had the opportunity once again to play host province for the 15th annual conference and related ... read more ››

Green is not always green

Consumers are being “greenwashed” or misled by companies that sell themselves and their products as environmentally friendly. A few months ago, I saw a commercial that made me really angry. The S.C. Johnson company says that they are making more environmentally friendly products. They have created a program that enables the ... read more ››

Haunted Hallowe’en Happiness: What to be, what to dress your kids up as, what to trick out your home with and how to generally have a good time with Halloween (if you can’t figure it out for yourself)

While there are some folks out there who just live for Halloween and all its shrieking bells and twisted whistles, not everyone is Jack the Pumpkin King or Michael Myers at heart… thank god! (Imagine what that would look like?) If you haven’t managed to plan your Halloween fun yet, then ... read more ››

Succeeding in a tough world…

I recently attended a conference centering on excellence in economics; learning from, teaching to and awarding smart people; winning big one small step at a time, that sort of stuff. All that, condensed into four short days – albeit they sure felt like four long, long days. What surfaced is ... read more ››

Foster Home Sought

Nine-year-old Sarah and seven-year-old Sophie are Cree siblings who are in need of a respite foster home, one weekend a month, i.e. from Friday evening to Sunday evening. The siblings are very close, and play well together. Sarah is affectionate and shows it. Sarah is very protective of Sophie who is ... read more ››

Will on the Grill

It’s been a long time since I’ve done a Will on the Grill but when I heard about the Brome Lac Duck Festival I knew it was time. After all the best duck is the one you get yourself. But a close second would have to be the Brome Lac ... read more ››