Volume 19, Issue 8

“For you….”

  My grandmother shared a story with her family. My mother knows it and so do all her children. I would like to share it with you and I can only hope I do it justice. When Gookum was a young girl it was the hard times. Non-Native trappers came in and ... read more ››

“Unfair dismissal”

Waswanipi truck-driver Gary Cooper felt there was something wrong with his dismissal from the Cree Construction and Development Company (CCDC) in April 2009, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. He says he was told he was being laid off due to a lack of work, but other workers ... read more ››

A gathering of nations

The Ottawa Convention Centre is always abuzz with activity. So close to the centres of power, you never know what sort of opportunities are there to be made. The 2012 edition of the Northern Lights Business and Cultural Showcase gave those opportunities a Native spin. Between February 1 and 4, hundreds ... read more ››

Aboriginal hockey

Think for a moment about December, when Quebec’s Cree gather in Val d’Or for a hockey tournament that represents the Cree Nation’s largest gathering of the year. Now imagine a hockey tournament that not only brings together Quebec’s Cree, but thousands of members of First Nations from across Canada. Now imagine hockey ... read more ››

Aboriginal women breaking the trail

First Nation women I have met over the years in general have always impressed me. My earliest recollections of Native women are positive. My mom and my two sisters always seemed to be strong people who could pitch in and help when they were needed. In my professional life as a ... read more ››

Amundsen icebreaker out of commission for the year

Icebreaker and research ship the Amundsen has been dry-docked for the rest of 2012 until crucial repairs are completed putting some experiments on hold. The decision to dry-dock the 33-year-old vessel was taken after a Transport Canada inspection found cracks on four of the six engines. The Coast Guard does not ... read more ››

Car heaven

Once again the Montreal International Auto Show brought excitement with the latest and greatest in technology and innovation for this year. The 2012 edition saw integrated electronics and computer-controlled systems in almost all models. Blue-tooth systems for hands-free calls were also a common feature in all categories. As in previous years ... read more ››

Cree Hockey News & Notes

James Bay Beavers The James Bay Beavers Pee-Wee CC participated in two tournaments in Quebec City during the month of February. At the 53rd Edition of the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament, the Beavers struggled in early round games, as they were defeated 3-1 by the Montmorency Armada in their first ... read more ››

Crees celebrate Paix des Braves anniversary

In a lavish gala held at the ballroom of the Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City, past and present members of the Grand Council celebrated, alongside many Quebec political figures, the 10th anniversary of the signing of the Paix des Braves agreement. On February 8, the Crees played host to more than ... read more ››

Democracy denied

Inside Ottawa’s Old City Hall, Prime Minister Stephen Harper holds court. Nearly 300 chiefs attend but they’re skeptical about the timing. For decades, they’ve complained that federal policies are making “Attawapiskat” inevitable by excluding First Nations from the benefits of resource development from their own lands, isolating them behind walls ... read more ››

Hockey hero

As the NHL season enters the homestretch, the Nashville Predators hold a familiar place in the Western Conference standings, destined to again make the NHL playoffs and take a run at the club’s first Stanley Cup Championship. A major contributor to the Predators’ success this season is Jordin Tootoo. The 29-year-old ... read more ››

James Bay Eagles honour their best from 2011

The James Bay Eagles 6-A-Side football club recently held their off-season banquet dinner in Chisasibi. In addition to team players and coaches, representatives of Football Quebec were on hand for the special evening, which included the presentation of awards to Eagle players that demonstrated marked improvement, dedication and overall excellence ... read more ››

Political rumble

Taking their dust-ups from the political arena to the boxing ring, Liberal MP Justin Trudeau and Conservative Senator Patrick Brazeau are set to duke it out for charity in March. While they first sparred over Twitter over a number of Aboriginal issues, such as Canada’s scandalous number of murdered and missing ... read more ››

Romeo Saganash pulls out of NDP leadership race

Citing a lack of financial support and competing demands on his time, Romeo Saganash, the first Indigenous person to ever run for a party leadership position, pulled his candidacy from the NDP leadership race to replace deceased leader Jack Layton. The Abitibi-Baie-James-Nunavik-Eeyou MP surprised the country by throwing his name into ... read more ››

Strength in cooperation

Allan Vicaire sat at the McCord Museum last month, watching a story unfold that he thought he knew, and learning how much of his own history he still has the opportunity to discover. The project coordinator of the McGill Aboriginal Sustainability Project (ASP), Vicaire is leading an initiative at McGill ... read more ››

The state of our health

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” That old saying best sums up the work done by the Cree Health Board (CHB). The 2010-2011 year was a busy one with the CHB’s progress and challenges laid out in their annual report. In the report’s introduction, Chairman James Bobbish ... read more ››

Top cop

Less than a year after being named the first-ever Chief of the Eeyou Eenou Police Force, Reggie Bobbish was given another honour for his work: Police Officer of the Year. Bobbish received the award in December 2011 at the Dialogue for Life Conference, where he was one of a handful of ... read more ››