Volume 10, Issue 18

13th Annual Echoes of a Proud Nation Pow Wow

The Kahnawake Pow Wow is only in its 13th season and it just keeps getting bigger. Even though there was rain and the chance of rain on both days the crowd was huge. It’s always fun at a pow wow to hear your name being called and see a friend ... read more ››

Canada Drops to 8th on UN List

Canada has fallen from third to eighth place on a United Nations list of the most desirable countries in which to live, a further drop from the No. 1 ranking frequently touted by Prime Minister Jean Chretien as proof of the benefits of his government’s policies. Canada was No. 1 in ... read more ››

Coon Come Loses Re-Election Bid

After the ballots yesterday at the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, were cast, we welcomed a new National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, or should we say former National Chief Phil Fontaine has returned. Fontaine took it on the second ballot, getting 60.9 per cent of the ... read more ››

CSB Run-off Election

The election for chairperson of the Cree School Board, held July 10, settled very little. There were six eligible candidates running for the post, with no one receiving more than 29 per cent of the vote. As a result, a run-off election is scheduled to take place July 31. Advance polls will ... read more ››

Feds to Create Northern Business Centre

The Federal Government is partnering with the Nishnawbe Aski Development Fund to create a Northern Business Access Centre. The Centre for Aboriginal people in businesses is the second of its kind in Ontario. Indian Affairs Minister Robert Nault was in Thunder Bay to make the announcement last week. Nault says the ... read more ››

First Time Out Alone

As children my younger brothers and I were taken on many boat trips over the years. Our education on the water started very early and we all learned how to operate a boat on the Attawapiskat River and out on the great James Bay. We understood that this kind of ... read more ››

Giving Back To The River

Watchiya! As you may know, the Rupert’s River is still at risk of losing its life. A group though is still out there who are working from the heart to try and save her (the river) from being extinguished. Last summer a group made up of Cree and nonnatives paddled ... read more ››

Hydro Quebec Encounters Problems in Chisasibi

There are a large number of people in Chisasibi who are refusing to pay their electricity bills, according to Michel Lemay, spokesperson for Hydro Quebec. Although details are being worked out with the band council right now and couldn’t be elaborated on, the actual money owed is well into the millions. Some ... read more ››

Injun Self-Government

The Canadian Aboriginal world has a new National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations. I wish that it could really mean something to me. It used to mean something to me. I’m not talking about the fact that incumbent Matthew Coon Come lost or that Roberta Jaminson didn’t become ... read more ››

Lost Cree Brother, Found

In life, we encounter many inspirational people and their amazing stories. As native people, we tend to deal with a fair amount of difficulty in our everyday life, but that is part of what makes our feelings of joy that much stronger. We are very familiar with hardship, and unfortunately ... read more ››

Northern Ontario Celebrates Artists

Music and Film in Motion (MFM) is still accepting nomination submissions for the inaugural edition of the Northern Ontario Music and Film Awards Program. This year, eligible music and film artists have the opportunity to participate in the foundation of an annual event that it is hoped will be a ... read more ››

O.J. Toxic Study Drags on Until September

Results of a year-long health study into toxic contamination of Ouje-Bougoumou residents will be released at a public meeting Sept. 3. The study was lead by Dr. Evert Nieboer, a toxicology professor at McMaster University. Nieboer says the data from the testing – which began almost a year ago – is ... read more ››

The Jeckles and Hydes of Election Time

Here I go again, writing about elections that seem to happen every other month or so. This time around it’s a local election, regional election and national election. Just my luck! Lately I’ve been ducking in and out of voting booths and choosing the unfortunate; I haven’t chosen a winner ... read more ››