Category: 2015 10 02

A guide to some of Quebec’s finest fall and winter events

Montreal’s Botanical Gardens. Photo by Claude Lafond While summer seemed reluctant to leave during a beautiful month of September, colder weather is not far away so here is our annual tip sheet for fall and winter fun. There is little doubt that most Crees will say the best things about the return ... read more ››

McGill University’s annual powwow shares traditions

Photo by Al Harrington The 14th annual McGill Powwow took place on the university’s lower field September 18 with a full day of traditional dancing and drumming. The event has always been a great way for McGill students to browse artisan vendors, learn about student groups, and connect with Indigenous organizations. ... read more ››

The Roundhouse Café is a warm place for Indigenous homeless in Montreal

Montreal’s Cabot Square stands at the corner of St. Catherine and Atwater streets, a gateway between the noise and chaos of the grimy downtown to the east, and the wealthy tree-lined streets of Westmount in the west. For decades, the park has been full of homeless people, many of them ... read more ››

Darlene Cheechoo named Waskaganish Chief in a landslide victory

Darlene Cheechoo is the first woman to be named Chief of Waskaganish. Darlene Cheechoo, elected Chief of Waskaganish August 26 with close to 80% of the vote, is the first woman to lead her community. But she’s no stranger to leadership: she was a commissioner to the Cree School Board and ... read more ››

Nemaska Lithium Inc. receives federal and provincial approval for Whabouchi mining project

(Left to Right) Luc Blanchette Mining Minister, Guy Bourassa, President and General Director of Nemaska Lithium, Pierre Arcand, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources and le Plan Nord, Grand Chief Matthew Coon-Come, Greg Jolly, Deputy Chief of the Nemeska Cree Nation, Steve Gamache, Mayor of Chapais After permit applications, relationship building, ... read more ››

Wemindji unites against suicide

“A lot of youth are dealing with drugs and alcohol,” says Wemindji Community Health Worker Colleen Atsynia. “Most of the cases I get are related to drugs and alcohol, with attempting suicide.” That alone is enough of an explanation for why Atsynia and her colleague Norma Jean Saganash helped organize events ... read more ››

Five jobs for the next government

Too much of the time, election-minded editorials denounce what we see as failings in our political leaders. Only rarely do we editorialists express what we’d like to see our leaders striving for. This is one attempt to right the balance. Job #1 – Imagine a federal government that actually treats Canadians ... read more ››

Mysterious mushrooms

A mysterious message arrived via Facebook the other day. It stated that I was to receive a package on the plane later that day. I was about to leave on a hunting trip and had just put a caribou neck in the oven for a 10-hour stint. Oh well, wait ... read more ››

The Cree connection on Mars

You might have seen news pieces recently about a small bit of land on Mars that has been named for Winnipeg. NASA is currently exploring Mars with the Curiosity rover and for some reason the officials in control of this project decided that the small piece of land that is ... read more ››

Body of First Nations woman found near Amos

Police are investigating the death of a 20-year-old Cree woman near Amos, but the nature of the incident remains unclear. The body of Cindy Trapper Hamel-Robert was discovered at kilometre 82 of Route 109 near Saint-Dominique-du-Rosaire, in the early morning hours of September 5. Hamel-Robert had been a passenger travelling in ... read more ››

Bill 99 Sets Stage for Quebec to Use Force?

The Quebec government’s Bill 99 sets the stage for the use of force against the Crees and other First Nations following a vote for sovereignty, Grand Chief Ted Moses told a National Assembly committee last month. Quebec also has no business including First Nations in Bill 99’s “fictitious Quebec people. “Bill 99 ... read more ››

I was one of the billion or so people who were watching the Academy Awards several nights ago.

I was one of the billion or so people who were watching the Academy Awards several nights ago. I don’t really care which film or actor wins an Oscar. But I do have my favorites and I try to see as many of the nominated films as I can. This ... read more ››

Chisasibi Skating Club Shines (Again!)

On Jan. 22 and 23, 2000, the Rencontre Patinage Plus figure skating competition was held in Ville Marie Quebec for over 280 skaters from all over the Abitibi region. Thirty one skaters from the Chisasibi Skating Club participated in this competition and returned with forty nine medals. The five youngest skaters ... read more ››

A River Runs Through It

When the weatherman calls for rain in Tsawataineuk, you don’t just reach for your umbrella. The 150 people of this small British Columbia First Nation get in their homes, and they don’t waste any time along the way. Once or twice a year, after a good rain, the entire village is ... read more ››

Kung Fu Tourney

The Chisasibi Kung Fu School went to Quebec City by road for the 20th Annual Quebec Yoseikan Karate Championships, held March 11. They used the Cree Nation bus and were supported by some visitors and parents to cheer for them. About 30 people from Chisasibi went to the tournament. The winners were: White ... read more ››

“A Very Low Blow”

Environmentalists, forestry experts and Crees are reacting with disbelief and concern to the decision to replace Justice Jean-Jacques Croteau as the judge presiding over the Cree forestry lawsuit. “It’s a very low blow to use tactics like that because you’re not happy with a decision,” said Henri Jacob, president of the ... read more ››

Mistissini Elder Goes Missing

Over 100 volunteers from Mistissini and nearby communities spent all last week searching for Elder Francois Mianscum, who has gone missing in the bush. Mianscum, 68, left his camp at Perch River on his Tundra II on Saturday, Feb. 26, in the early afternoon. Fie was last seen at 1:30 p.m. ... read more ››

Life at Moose Fort Residential School 1958-1960

The school, formerly known as Horden Hall was located at Moose Factory, Ontario, about 200 miles south of Fort George Island. The village of Moosonee is situated only a few miles from Moose Factory, Cree of Ontario occupies both villages as we know. Privileges at the school were very few and ... read more ››

Saskatchewan Natives Demand Public Inquiry

Vigils are being held across Saskatchewan to call for a public inquiry into how the justice system treats Native people. The outcry is over two freezing deaths of Native men left out in the bitter cold by police officers. Stories of police brutality in Saskatchewan are also emerging. About 400 people attended ... read more ››

Heart Disease Takes Toll on Native Women

Native women in South Dakota have a higher death rate from heart disease than the statewide and national averages, reports the Rapid City Journal. The reasons: lack of proper medical care, higher diabetes rates, limited access to proper nutrition and smoking. From 1991 to 1995, Native women in South Dakota died from ... read more ››