Volume 19, Issue 16

2012 Golf Tourney Season

  The list of summer golf tournaments continues to grow. The following list of Cree-related golf tournaments, taking place across Quebec in the coming weeks and months, builds on the information already published. Of particular note is the addition of several key tourneys to the schedule, including the Cree Nation Achievement Awards Foundation ... read more ››

A burning issue

  On May 20, the Waswanipi Fire Department was alerted to a fire started by local youths that left around 10 hectares of destruction before water bombers were able to put the blaze out. When emergency services arrived at the fire, the intense winds fanned the flames to heights of around 20 ... read more ››

Beacon of light and culture

  A majestic sun rises over the Rupert estuary and illuminates the long point stretching out of Waskaganish unto the vast James Bay horizon. Amidst the wide landscape, a tiny woman stands by her tent, along the riverbank, and reads the Bible – as she does every morning – before starting ... read more ››

Controlled workout?

  At the end of February the sports and recreation department in Chisasibi were victorious in getting a resolution passed that would “give priority” to the department when it came to offering services to the community over groups from outside the community. The Band Council of Chisasibi tabled this resolution after a ... read more ››

Forest fires have something to do with global warming

The past few weeks have been very anxious for so many people in northern Ontario who have had to deal with huge forest fires. These fires are no surprise to Native Elders. Many Elders I speak to have been warning of the climate changing for a few years now. They ... read more ››

Gala Mëmëgwashi honours students

  The 10th anniversary is always something to celebrate but Gala Memegwashi’s exceeded all expectations. This year saw a record number of 263 Aboriginal students honoured, from elementary school to university, along with high school, college, adult education and skills development. There was a large turnout with a crowd of more than ... read more ››

Golden team

  The First Nations hockey season came to a conclusion on the ice in Saskatoon as the 2012 National Aboriginal Hockey Championship (NAHC) winners were crowned. And this year, it was the Eastern Door & North (ED&N) women’s squad that brought home the hardware, as the girls rebounded from a rough ... read more ››

Leading the youth

  The youth have spoken and Joshua Iserhoff is their man! The former Youth Ambassador to the Cree Nation came out victorious from his first foray into political office and his cup runneth over with joy in his new position as Youth Grand Chief. Just days after winning the election the Nation ... read more ››

New blood

  Pam Palmater, a Mi’kmaq from the Eel River Barr First Nation in northern New Brunswick, has thrown her hat into the ring to take on Shawn A-in-chut Atleo, the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN), who will face the first challenge to his leadership on July 18. Palmater, ... read more ››

No glow!

  You could hear a pin drop when Mistissini Chief Richard Shecapio took the podium on June 5. He was there to tell the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission what the Mistissini Band Council, the Cree Nation of Mistissini and the Cree people of Mistissini decided, not only for Strateco’s exploration plans, ... read more ››

Out of touch

  The union representing Cree School Board teachers has called into question the board’s five-year plan, stating they were not properly consulted in the drafting of the plan. “The teachers are the main people in charge of the success of the kids,” said Patrick D’Astous, president of the Association of Employees of ... read more ››

Playing it cool

  With 35 years of business experience and a lengthy list of successes under their belt that no other First Nations company in Quebec can rival, for the Cree Construction and Development Company (CCDC), declaring a deficit for this past fiscal year may be a serious matter but is no reason ... read more ››

Pow Wow

  It’s time once again to get in your rez car and head down the Pow Wow highway. Strangely enough there are no Eeyou Istchee Pow Wows listed this year so you’ll have to travel far. Not all people, Native or otherwise, are Pow Wow people so a quick lesson in etiquette ... read more ››

Quebec Native Women suffers funding cut

  The Conservative government announced on May 8 that they will be cutting funding for First Nations’ health programs. The Quebec Native Women Inc (QNW) received a letter that funding will be cut altogether for their health programs because of a reorientation of federal policy under the 2012 Economic Action Plan. This ... read more ››

Sold out

  One way to determine the success of an event is whether or not it sells out every available hotel in the surrounding area. Much to the great pleasure of Chantal Hamelin, Liason Officier with the Secretariat to the Cree Nation – Abitibi-Témiscamingue Economic Alliance, the “Building the North” mining conference, ... read more ››

Stornoway moves to Montreal

  “It’s a big deal when a company moves its head office,” said Matt Manson, President and CEO of Stornoway Diamonds. “It’s a statement that we’re making.” Manson, along with Vice-President Patrick Godin, announced June 1 that Stornoway would be moving its head office from northern B.C. to the Montreal area. Manson ... read more ››

Supercharged blues

  “Getting more horsepower out of the blues genre” is how Mohawk singer-guitarist Derek Miller described his fourth and newest album, “Derek Miller with Double Trouble”, before his recent Montreal show at Pub de la Place on June 3. Miller was in town to headline a concert showcasing the depth of Aboriginal ... read more ››

UNICEF chastises Canada over child pover

  This past May UNICEF once again published its annual report card comparing child poverty in 35 industrialized countries only to reveal that Canada could be doing so much more to protect its children. “The face of poverty in Canada is a child’s face,” says UNICEF Canada’s Executive Director David Morley and ... read more ››

Uranium or bust

  After listening to the talk shows and long discussions on the issue of uranium mining in Eeyou Istchee, I wondered if anyone really did any background check on the uses of uranium. What I discovered is rather interesting. Named after the planet Uranus, which was discovered barely eight years earlier ... read more ››

Wind claims the life of Eastmain man

Youdon Polson, a man in his 20s, was found dead on May 29 on the shores of the Eastmain River. Polson and two friends – Bruce Gilpin and Jerry Williams – went out hunting around 5:00 am. They ran into trouble as they were paddling their canoe. The winds were so ... read more ››