Volume 18, Issue 15

A golden opportunity

The future is looking as bright as gold for the Cree Nation of Wemindji. On February 21, Wemindji, along with the Grand Council of the Crees and the Cree Regional Authority, signed an agreement with Goldcorp to expand the Éléonore Gold Project. The expansion will result in the creation of ... read more ››

Congrats to everyone at the Nation

Once a year I get to sing praises on how well the Nation has done in the past year. It is the time when the Quebec Community Newspapers Association holds its Better Newspaper Competition. This is when the Nation competes against other Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal newspapers in Quebec. This year ... read more ››

Following the trail of my great-grandfather

I recently travelled to the United Kingdom on a pilgrimage to find my great-grandfather’s grave. The good news is that I found the white-stone marker bearing his name John Chookomolin although they had misspelled it Jakomolin. It was good to kneel at the place where he was buried and to ... read more ››

IFAW dog clinics

The International Fund for Animal Welfare will be hosting veterinary dog clinics in two Cree communities. Vets at the clinics perform surgeries to spay or neuter dogs as well as vaccinations and other routine procedures. IFAW is in Waskaganish June 1, 2 and 3 (contact Ernest Blueboy or Darlene Cheechoo) and ... read more ››

It’s all about the Plan

After years in the making, Quebec premier Jean Charest finally unveiled the Plan Nord for provincial development north of the 49th parallel on May 9 to many cheers as well as a few jeers from some of the First Nations that will be affected by the plan. Despite the concerns some ... read more ››

Ottawa’s going Native

Peter Penashue became the first Innu ever elected to Parliament. His history-making journey didn’t end there as Prime Minister Steven Harper added him to his cabinet. Penashue in one fell swoop became the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada. Membership in the Privy ... read more ››

Our message to the stars…

One of my favourite things to read are the silly old news stories you often find in grocery stores, declaring that Elvis Presley is still around. It’s hard not believe that Elvis may still be alive when you know that he still lives on in the digital or analog version ... read more ››

Outgoing Auditor General addresses Aboriginal poverty

With her last kick at the can as Auditor General, Sheila Fraser delivered her final recommendations to the federal government regarding Canada’s greatest needs for change. Among them were swift recommendations to address Aboriginal poverty. According to Fraser, despite how rich Canada is, the country’s First peoples are falling further and ... read more ››

Resisting a Resist-A-Ball?

In the last year, a revolutionary new fitness-and-wellness program has been the foundation for hundreds of Cree women to lose an exponential amount of weight throughout Eeyou Istchee. The question is however, why is Theresa Ducharme’s Lemon Cree fitness program facing any resistance it all? The Resist-A-Ball program started in the spring ... read more ››

Robbie Robertson awarded Order of Canada

After 50 years of rocking out and writing songs that shaped decades and generations, Six Nations of the Grand River rocker Robbie Robertson graced a stage he had never graced before when he received the Order of Canada at Rideau Hall May 27. Canada recognized the 67-year-old singer/songwriter for his contributions ... read more ››

Romeo Saganash named Natural Resources critic

As a nod to the growing influence of the Cree Nation, NDP leader Jack Layton appointed newly elected MP Romeo Saganash to the shadow cabinet as Natural Resources critic. Saganash will be carefully monitoring the work Conservative minister Joe Oliver does with the Natural Resources portfolio.  

Shining brighter over the water

On June 10, I had the pleasure of participating in the opening of the second of nine new justice facilities to be set up in Eeyou Istchee. ­­­­­This particular one was being opened for service in Waswanipi and coincided with the start of the Waswanipi Days celebrations. The festivities started ... read more ››

Walking for clean water

Documentary filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin once told me during an interview that access to clean water was a human right. That was the message that the Mother Earth Water Walk wants to draw awareness to – the continued polluting of our natural clean-water resources. Organizers of the walk ask, “What will you ... read more ››