Volume 18, Issue 24

Cree women summit

Celebrating their own leadership, determination and courage, the Cree Women of Eeyou Istchee Association (CWEIA) congregated for the fourth consecutive year for their Annual General Assembly in Val-d’Or on September 17 and 18. According to Regional Coordinator Holly Danyluk, a good time was had by all, though, by holding elections for ... read more ››

Drop the sugar

Diabetes awareness was the focus of inspirational and motivational speakers at the third annual Timmins Diabetes Expo September 17 at the Timmins Inns and Suites. This year’s event featured well-known guest speakers Mairlyn Smith, a professional home economist and author who is also an alumnus of the Second City Comedy ... read more ››

Giving the voiceless a voice

The actions of a sick and demented person can shatter our view of others. The actions of BC pig farmer Robert Pickton, whose killing spree lasted from the late 1980s until his capture in 2002, is one example of this sort of madness. There were two things that set Pickton apart ... read more ››

Illustrated stories

In the past Comic-Cons, or comic-book conventions, have been synonymous with nerdy and marginal types obsessed with comics and movie characters to the point of extremes. But that ain’t exactly the case anymore. The love for all things superhero has without a doubt gone mainstream. Montreal’s Comic-Con 2011 (September 17-18) brought ... read more ››

Investing in the future

On September 29, the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB) and Sodexo Canada presented former Prime Minister Paul Martin the first-ever Award for Excellence in Aboriginal Relations at its ninth annual Vancouver gala dinner. He received the award for his involvement with the development of the Aboriginal communities through the ... read more ››

Jobs or the environment

In what is sure to be a contentious issue for months to come, opponents of the Keystone Pipeline project are gearing up for a fight. From the protests on Parliament Hill on September 26 to the ones in front of the White House where several prominent actors, chiefs and environmentalists ... read more ››

K.I.S.S

One of my main beefs about certain things in life is related to how complicated things can get and how simple it could be to resolve – if it were up to me. As in a life-or-death situation when you need to take some medication, does the latest TV commercial ... read more ››

Lemon Cree offers group fitness instructor certification

For those looking to become certified group fitness instructors through Theresa Ducharme’s innovative Lemon Cree fitness and wellness program, the time to sign up is fast approaching. Ducharme was happy to announce that from November 18-20, Lemon Cree will be holding a three-day training course in Montreal for trainers. The course ... read more ››

Paint what you know

Every summer the Yukon government hosts a three-day leadership training camp designed to bring together youth leaders from the area and teach them valuable leadership skills that they can translate back into their respective communities. This year’s camp, hosted by the Youth Directorate, facilitated by Stephen Leafloor (a.k.a. Buddha) and ... read more ››

Reaching for the top

Since outgoing Cree School Board Chairman Gordon Blackned resigned from his position after being elected Chief of Waskaganish this past summer, the question being asked throughout the communities has been: who will serve out the remaining year of his term? This is why Crees will be heading back to the polls ... read more ››

Saganash for PM?

Having already blazed the trail to become the first-ever James Bay Cree to hold a seat in Parliament, Abitibi–Baie-James–Nunavik–Eeyou New Democratic Party MP Romeo Saganash has decided to take his political career even further by announcing his candidacy to become NDP party leader. If he wins, Saganash will become the first-ever ... read more ››

Walking for justice

On September 19, I had the honour, along with Theresa Ducharme, to emcee the Walk4Justice rally on Parliament Hill. Walk4Justice participants arrived in Ottawa after walking nearly 5000 miles from Vancouver. They started their journey in June, traveling through different communities and meeting with supporters who added their stories to ... read more ››

Waskaganish gets new telecom tower

Construction is underway to create a new regional 300-foot telecom facility in Waskaganish that will allow radio station CJRH 92.5 FM to expand its reach an estimated 110 km beyond the community. It is also expected that once the tower is operational, radio service will be available to about an ... read more ››

We have the tools to fight diabetes

I just went through something that really opened my eyes. Like most people I read stories now and then about how serious the situation is for Canadians and in particular Native people when it comes to diabetes. However, after attending the Timmins Diabetes Expo recently I came away shocked at ... read more ››

What’s with the walk?

Quebec has yet again shown they have traditions they are unwilling to give up. After releasing the long-awaited Golder Report they withdrew their representative on the steering committee that is supposed to deal with the mining toxins affecting the area surrounding Chibougamau and Oujé-Bougoumou. We have seen unwillingness year after ... read more ››