Volume 8, Issue 17

2nd Annual OAPRA

Nominations from the public for the second annual Ontario Aboriginal Partnerships Recognition Award (OAPRA) are now open. The award was established by the Ontario Native Affairs Secretariat with the assistance of the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation. “The award recognizes the Aboriginal and corporate leaders who are building partnerships that remove barriers, ... read more ››

A Parent’s Pride

The evening of June 8, 2001, will always be remembered by me and my family. This was the evening that our oldest son, Christopher Junior, graduated from grade 12 at Ecole Theriault, in Timmins Ontario. As a parent, the moment when your oldest graduates is indeed a proud one. It is ... read more ››

Billions For High-Speed Net Access:

A recent report by the government-appointed Broadband Task Force suggests that the ambitious proposal of linking all Canadians to high-speed Internet services by the year 2004 could run as high as $4.57 billion. The panel, comprised of 34 members, sees the government as the key player in this project, as ... read more ››

Crees Refuse HQ Partnership Deal

The sight of paddles held high in defiance by Crees was not a response that Thierry Vandal, Hydro-Quebec’s Executive Vice President-Generation, was likely hoping for. The assembled crowd of Crees in the Waskaganish Gathering Place stood and applauded loudly as thirty of the community’s members paraded through the facility’s gymnasium. ... read more ››

Don’t Try This At Home

Redefining the world of competitive eating, 23 year-old Takeru Kobayashi of Japan stunned spectators and competitors alike when he managed to wolf down an incredible 50 hot dogs in only 12 minutes at the 86th annual Nathan’s Fourth of July hot dog eating contest at Coney Island, N.Y. Tipping the ... read more ››

Ex-Mohawk Cop Guilty of Fraud

Barry Commando, former chief of the aboriginal police force in Kanesatake, has been found guilty on two charges of fraud and theft. Commando, who was chief of the first all-aboriginal police force in Kanesatake from it’s inception in 1997 until his firing in January 1999, had been charged with multiple ... read more ››

It’s been some time since I started going to school…

It’s been some time since I started going to school, at the tender age of six, at Horden Hall in Moose Factory in the early ‘sixties. I was a model student and getting into trouble only a few times a year, like setting off the fire extinguisher in grade four ... read more ››

Negotiator Appointed For Residential School Lawsuits

The Canadian government has appointed a senior public servant to negotiate costsharing arising from lawsuits filed against Ottawa and four Christian churches by former residential school students. Jack Stagg was named negotiator by the Prime Minister’s Office and is accountable directly to the offices of Prime Minister Jean Chretien and Deputy ... read more ››

R.I.P. Mordecai

Montreal author, columnist, wit, man about town, and scourge of Quebec separatists, Mordecai Richler is dead. Richler passed away the day after Canada Day, July 2nd. He was best known for his novel “The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz.” He also wrote the screenplay of the same name and earned an Academy ... read more ››

The Puck Stops Here

Jordin Tootoo: Nashville-bound It’s a long way from Nunavut to Tennessee. I don’t anticipate too many folks from Nashville making the journey north, but there is at least one resident of Rankin Inlet who will be making the trip south to the land of the Grand Ole Opry. The Nashville Predators ... read more ››

We Need More Federal Paternalism…Everywhere

Yes, that’s right I think we need more of that old time Federal paternalism and I think the role of the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs should be expanded. Poor old Nault is increasingly coming under fire for his role in putting the Aboriginal community of Pikangikum under third party ... read more ››