Volume 6, Issue 18

By the time you read this…

By the time you read this, community delegates will be nervously writing their speeches for the 25th Annual General Assembly in Whapmagoostui. The UFO capital of Eeyou Astchee, according to our readers’ poll, by the way. This year’s theme is… drum roll… Cree Government. Or lack of, to be more ... read more ››

Elections on Aug. 31

Nominations for Grand Chief and Deputy Grand Chief are now open. The election will be held on Aug. 31 with polling stations open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. in all nine Cree communities. You may also vote in the Ottawa and Montreal Grand Council offices, friendship centres in Val d’Or ... read more ››

First results in

Well, with the Grand Council/Cree Regional Authority Annual General Assembly coming up I feel I should give some preliminary results of the survey I have been running even though the deadline is July 31. Please keep them coming and don’t be afraid to add comments if you want. (The numbers ... read more ››

GRAND to be revived?

The GRAND Canal project is resurfacing. The $100-billion scheme, first proposed in the 1930s, is being studied by the International Joint Commission under a mandate from the Canadian and U.S. governments. The commission was created to review impacts of river diversions and water exports that would affect both countries. The GRAND Canal ... read more ››

H-Q GOING AHEAD WITH STUDIES ON PROJECT

Hydro-Quebec has announced it wants to start preliminary studies on its proposed Rupert River diversion scheme and refurbish an old exploration camp near Nemaska to house its workers. The utility wants to hire about 15 Crees to help with the studies, which were scheduled to start by mid-July. Hydro also offered ... read more ››

Ice storm at centre of U.S. legal action

Hydro-Quebec may have waltzed through last year’s ice storm with high public-approval ratings, but a dozen American utilities have set out to prove once and for all that the $3-billion disaster was Hydro’s fault, not merely an act of God. In a highly sensitive case quietly filed south of the border, ... read more ››

Invasion plan shocks Mohawks

At least 5,500 heavily armed police officers and soldiers were put on alert to invade the Mohawk communities of Kahnawake, Akwesasne and Kanehsatake in Feb. 1994, according to a report in Le Journal de Montréal July 12. Over 1,500 Canadian soldiers underwent extensive training to take part in the invasion on ... read more ››

More black-outs this winter?

Quebecers may be facing more blackouts this winter because Hydro-Quebec hasn’t ensured adequate maintenance during the ongoing strike of 14,000 Hydro employees, according to Hydro’s unions. Inspections and maintenance are not being done because they want to keep the same level of exports,” said union spokesman Charles Paradis. Paradis said Hydro-Quebec normally ... read more ››

Spirit of Community

It was something I looked forward to all week, the Mistissini traditional gathering. Somehow I had never made it to a traditional gathering back home. But I remember the Nipmuc tribal gathering in Massachusetts back in 1991 during the summer solcitice. It was an interesting time since I had never been ... read more ››

What I’ve Learned

So you’ve gone and graduated have you? Lucky, lucky you. Do you know how many your age have never graduated? Don’t worry, neither do we. But somebody out there does. Just because you’ve graduated doesn’t mean you know everything, okay. And we’re sure a small percentage of you cheated on your ... read more ››