Volume 14, Issue 23

Deal Sealed – Eenouch vote 90% for new agreement with Canada

The referendum results are in for the new $1.4 billion agreement with the federal government and a whopping 90.2 per cent of those who voted said yes to accepting the cash and working towards Cree self-government. The agreement obligates Canada to deliver $1.4 billion over 20 years as compensation for failing ... read more ››

Economic Development Conference: Part Two – ‘Crees are not that kind of girl!’

All 93 delegates agreed that 10 years was too long a time to have another Cree Economic Conference. The last one was in 1997 and had only 36 delegates in attendance. Times have changed, however. Communities realize they need to be proactive in economic development. And it’s more complicated than simply ... read more ››

Healthy Halloween Fun – More or less!

The world is about to get much scarier, spookier, sillier and sweeter as Halloween is creeping up on us. If you are gearing up for festivities of your own, helping out with a school Halloween party or are planning a community celebration, the Nation has come up with some top-notch ... read more ››

Hundreds of caribou drown in Caniapiscau River

More than 300 caribou have drowned while attempting to cross the Caniapiscau River near Limestone Falls. Barriers, erected on the east side of the river after 10,000 caribou drowned at the same site in 1984, failed to keep the animals from herding into the water on the west side October ... read more ››

It’s been a long time coming

There is a lot of activity happening in Canada’s northern regions. We always knew that resource development would happen some day near our remote First Nation communities. After all, we are surrounded by millions of acres of untouched forests. Very few people know what lies under the rock and the ... read more ››

Ouje-Bougoumou elects female chief – Louise Wapachee gets job back after six years

Ouje-Bougoumou has bucked political convention by electing a female chief and the voters who supported Louise Wapachee October 9 are hoping to avoid a repeat of what happened six years ago. In 2001 Wapachee was also elected, but only lasted a month in the chief’s chair after an opposition group lobbied ... read more ››

Political games may yet undo our deal

Money in the bank? Not yet. Even though we voted by the tune of 90 per cent to accept a new relationship agreement with the federal government, one that will see $ I.4 billion in compensation paid out over 20 years, events in the Canadian capital could still derail the deal. That’s ... read more ››

Teachers’ union demands reforms – Cree School Board pleads poverty

A meeting recently in early October between the Northern Quebec Teacher’s Association and the NQTA’s Native Committee helped to formulate seven recommendations that, if implemented, could change the educational reality of the way Aboriginal children are taught in the north -and produce better test results and more highly qualified graduates. The ... read more ››

UN studies Canada’s housing issues

Miloon Kothari, the United Nation’s Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing, is in Canada on an 11-day factfinding mission to assess how well Canada is faring when it comes to housing those who need it most. The UN Rapporteur has set four themes for his special mission: Women and ... read more ››

Vigil for Missing Native Women

The Native Women’s Association of Canada’s “Sisters in Spirit” staged Montreal’s first-ever candlelight vigil for murdered and missing aboriginal women in the city’s downtown October 4. CKUT Radio Native Solidarity News producer Irkar Beljaars, who helped organize the event, described the gathering as intimate, drawing 35 to 40 people. Ellen Gabriel of ... read more ››

Waskaganish elections for Chief, again

The Waskaganish Band Council has called a special election for Chief to take place on November 7. Nominations will be accepted at a meeting on October 22, and the advance polls will be held November 1. Chief Gordon Blueboy resigned abruptly last month citing “resistance” to his leadership, after only one ... read more ››

Where’s our Trump?

One thing I’ve noticed about our culture is that we don’t have any Donald Trumps out there. Where’s the rich tycoon with the ability to make a few million overnight? Where’s the guy who can make a deal with the devil and walk away intact and with even more money ... read more ››