Category: 2010 03 26

The not-so-good ole hockey game

Two or three times a week, I tie up the skates and velcro on the pads to play recreational hockey in Montreal. Our garage league features more than 90 teams and about a dozen divisions. So there are all kinds of players of almost every calibre, from washed-up-NHL-hopeful to still-can’t-quite-master-turning-in-each-direction. ... read more ››

Farewell my son

I joined the Cree Youth Heritage Journey in August 2009 from Mistissini to Waskaganish. I was the assistant guide in Group 1 and Lawrence Neeposh was our head guide. I had a hard time, about whether I should go on this canoe trip as that trip was the last route my ... read more ››

Greyhound apologizes to First Nation Passengers

The Greyhound bus company has issued a formal apology to the Cross Lake First Nation after 16 passengers were left stranded in the freezing cold on the side of the highway about 45 kilometers away from the Manitoba reserve, their final destination. According to Greyhound spokesperson Maureen Richmond, the driver violated ... read more ››

TB rates are staggering for First Nations

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, the rate of tuberculosis among Status Indians is 31 times higher than Canadian-born non-Natives and for the Inuit the rate is a walloping 186 times higher. Issues such as inadequate housing, as a result of overcrowded and poorly constructed homes unsuitable for the ... read more ››

High Speed Comes To The James Bay Coast

Attawapiskat is on its way to having better access to the information highway.  A recent announcement by the Western James Bay Telecom Network, a community based entity that was established to bring broadband service to the James Bay coast, has stated that a new fibre optic cable has been launched ... read more ››

Prestige at the Helm

Though he might not be a household name in Eeyou Istchee yet, the Aanischaaukamikw Cree Cultural Institute was proud to announce appointment of Stephen Inglis as its new executive director. The board of directors of the future museum and cultural centre is feeling confident with the selection of Inglis because of ... read more ››

Digging for gold

Northgate Minerals Corporation announced the start of construction of its Young-Davidson mine at a flag-raising ceremony near the Town of Matachewan on March 4. The event was attended by David Ramsay, Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Timiskaming-Cochrane, local municipal representatives, government officials and First Nation leaders. The new development ... read more ››

Talking to a Real Injun

It was the film that needed to be made said Cree film director and the Nation’s own Neil Diamond in reference to his latest film, Reel Injun. Produced by Rezolution Pictures, Reel Injun is a feature-length documentary that chronicles Natives in cinema from the birth of film to present day. The ... 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 ››

Dancing Away from Dependency

While James Bay Cree Day at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics was a day of celebration and cultural sharing, it was not without its serious moments. While the performances rang out from the stage of the Aboriginal Pavilion, in its adjacent reception hall the Crees held a private lunch after taking in ... read more ››

Working in an Olympic Wonderland

While their day-to-day tasks might not be so glamorous, a handful of Crees have had the opportunity of a lifetime working in food-and-beverage services or housekeeping for the athletes in the Olympic Village at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics and Paralympics. “The mountains are so beautiful – I wish I could bring ... 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 ››

Analyzing the Throne

The 2010 throne speech highlighted a myriad of Aboriginal issues from Canada’s alarmingly high rate of missing/ murdered Aboriginal women to the Sisters in Spirit initiative to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. But what does it all mean? This is what Ellen Gabriel, president of Quebec Native ... read more ››

An End to Aboriginal Healing

On discovering that their funding from the Aboriginal Healing Foundation, which runs out on March 31, will not be renewed, the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal (NWSM) found their organization in a desperate situation. Reaching out for support, they called on Michael Ignatieff, leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, ... read more ››

Spring break to the nth degree

I checked out the shells for my shotgun – all sorted by speed – and loaded my trusty all-steel Browning, the fastest last and slowest first. In another shotgun, an over-and-under Magnum, long-range loads are readily available, just in case. The gun dog, a nice hunting canine that knows all the ... read more ››

Harper: No knight in shining armour

Without warning the Harper government cut funding to Native Women’s shelters in spite of evidence they are desperately needed. The Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal (NWSM) may have to close its doors even as you read this editorial. A study of Aboriginal women, conducted by the Ontario Native Women’s Association in ... read more ››