ARTICLES BY Brian Zelnicker

Playoff Fever: A View From The Stands Hockey Night In Toronto?

Question: What’s plaid, striped and polka-dotted on the outside and blue on the inside? Answer: Don Cherry. I thought Hockey Night In Canada was a thinly veiled Hockey Night In Toronto, but thanks to Don Cherry the veil is officially off. The King of Coach’s Comer should stop blowing his dough on ... read more ››

Eeyou Istchee Consortium

There is a new player in the expanding world of Cree organizations. The Eeyou Istchee Consortium has been formed in the wake of the new agreement between the Cree and the government of Quebec. The Consortium is designed to orchestrate Cree resources to help meet the expected growing demand for ... read more ››

AIP Ministers Step Down

The two PQ cabinet ministers whose signatures accompanied Premier Bernard Landry’s on the Agreement-in-principle have resigned. Jacques Brassard and Guy Chevrette stepped down the day before Premier Landry’s cabinet shuffle Jan. 30. David Cliche, MNA for Vimont and minister for research, science and technology also resigned a day before the ... read more ››

Happy Birthday Ouje-Bougoumou

Ouje-Bougoumou has just celebrated its tenth anniversary. The model community on the shores of Lac Opemisca marked the occasion with a week-long series of events and festivities that ran from Jan. 20-27. Though not even a teenager yet, Ouje-Bougoumou has already established an impressive list of achievements during its brief lifetime. ... read more ››

New Chief in Chisasibi

The community of Chisasibi has elected a new leader. Abraham Rupert was voted in as Chief in an election held December 3. Rupert won the election with 384 of the 885 total votes that were cast. Former Chief Violet Pachanos came in second with 276 votes, followed by Samson Sandy ... read more ››

Contamination in Ouje-Bougoumou: The Human Dimension

Anxious residents are still waiting to find out what course of action will be taken in the wake of the Covel report on contamination in the Ouje-Bougoumou region. The report, dated October 8,2001, gave evidence of heavy metal contamination in sediment, water and fish samples collected from the Nemenjiche River, ... read more ››

Miyupimaatisiitaau 2002

A Traditional Winter Wellness Journey will be wending its way through the communities of Eeyou Istchee this winter. The Cree Diabetes Network (CDN) and the Public Health Department of the Cree Board of Health and Social Services of James Bay (CBHSSJB) have announced MIYUPIMAATISIITAAU 2002, a journey on snowshoes that ... read more ››

Toxic crisis in Ouje-Bougoumou

It is by sheer chance that an American researcher became involved in the contamination crisis currently affecting the community of Ouje-Bougoumou. Chris Coveil was a graduate student in environmental sciences when he headed across the border and north to Ouje-Bougoumou for an eco-tour experience in March, 2000. Chris was a ... read more ››

How to decide the future of the AIP and the Cree

With the consultation process on the Agreement-in-principle in full swing, questions persist. Reaction has been swift, but it has been difficult to gauge just how the deal has been received in the communities. The Nation has begun canvassing Cree leaders on the progress of the Agreement-in-principle consultations. What will determine ... read more ››

Whapmagoostui Cree Named to RCMP Committee

The Mounties have appointed the first Aboriginal from Quebec as a member of the RCMP Commissioner’s National Aboriginal Advisory Committee. Losty Mamianskum, from Whapmagoostui, was officially named to the committee on Oct. 15, but only found out about it a couple of weeks ago due to being out of town. The ... read more ››

Consultation Meeting in Nemaska

The first day of November hung heavy and grey as the car skidded along the icy Route du Nord. We arrived in Nemaska in time for the feedback session of the Grand Council’s Agreement-in-Principle consultation. Nemaska, the most centrally located Cree community was the middle stop of a tour that ... read more ››

What’s In It for the PQ?

Who has figured out all the ins and outs of the Agreement in Principle signed between the Cree and the Quebec government last week? If you haven’t worked out all the angles yet don’t be ashamed, you’re not alone. There are people out there who will tell you that this ... read more ››

Something Fishy in Ouje-Bougoumou

Residents of Ouje-Bougoumou have just learned that they’ve been consuming poisoned fish for at least two years. The community received a warning from the Quebec government that children under six and women who are pregnant or trying to get pregnant should stop eating the fish from two local lakes due ... read more ››

The Agreement in Principle

In what is being described as a “new relationship” between the James Bay Cree and Quebec, the two signed a monumental Agreement In Principle in Quebec City Oct. 23 that redefines the rights and responsibilities of each partner. The agreement spans 50 years and promises eventual payments of at least ... read more ››

Shooting Incident Shocks Eastmain

Residents of Eastmain are still reeling from the aftershock of a shooting incident involving two local youths. The boys, aged 10 and 11, who can’t be named under the Youth Protection Act, went on a shooting spree, fled in stolen canoes, and were only apprehended with the assistance of a ... read more ››

Fallout From The Attack On America

I was booked on a flight from Montreal to Edmonton on the Friday following the terrorist attacks. Having followed the troubling events on television for three days straight, I was less than eager to head to an airport, much less get on a plane. Dorval airport was like a ghost ... read more ››

Shots Fired at Burnt Church

Earlier fears of the threat of violence over the lobster fishing dispute in Burnt church have become a reality. The situation has escalated in dramatic fashion as shots were fired during a night raid by non-Native fishermen. The raid, which was staged on Sunday, September 16th, involved some 55 non-Native ... read more ››

The Day the World Changed

Tuesday, September 11, 2001, started the same as any other day, actually nicer than many. It was a beautifully clear and sunny morning as I sat at my desk with a fresh cup of coffee. I was on-line checking my email, unaware of events transpiring in New York and Washington ... read more ››

Ipperwash Revisited

Six years after the fatal shooting of Native protester Dudley George, Ontario chief coroner James Young is investigating the shooting that took place at Ipperwash Provincial Park to determine whether he should order an inquest. In a letter sent to Dr. Young, Pierre George, one of the victim’s brothers, called for ... read more ››

Fear and Loathing in Burnt Church

Tension continues to mount in New Brunswick over fears of violence relating to the lobster stand-off in Burnt Church. The federal government has criticised the Native community for refusing to negotiate and has announced it’s intention to place heavy limitations on the band’s lobster fishery. New government restrictions will prohibit the ... read more ››

The Arrow Flies

Kwanah Sioui Moar, a Huron-Cree from Wendake, Quebec, has been taking the world of downhill mountain biking by storm. Nicknamed “The Arrow,” for the speed and accuracy with which he attacks the demanding race courses, the 17 year-old phenom has been turning heads with his uncanny and seemingly natural ability ... read more ››

World Racism Conference

South Africa will be hosting the World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance at the end of this month. The theme of the conference, scheduled to run from August 31 to September 7 in the city of Durban, is “United to Combat Racism: Equality, Dignity, Justice.” The nation ... read more ››

Fleury on the Mend

Theo Fleury has issued his first public comments since taking a sudden leave from the New York Rangers last February to check himself into a rehab program. The 5-foot-6-inch all-star winger, who is known for playing like he’s 6-foot-5, is now on the road to recovery after months of treatment ... read more ››

Telebec Proposes Rate Hikes

A recent public document obtained by the Nation contains proposed rate increases for basic phone service in the James Bay region. The document, dated July 6, 2001, was submitted to the CRTC by Telebec. The phone company has proposed rate increases to take place over the next two years for ... read more ››

30 Days to Chill Out

The Assembly of First Nations and the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development have agreed to 30-day “cooling-off” period during which the government will suspend consultations on changes to the Indian Act. The month-long time-out comes in the wake of last month’s Halifax assembly, where roadblocks were threatened should the ... read more ››

A Letter From Nault

On the eve of the Assembly of First Nations meetings in Halifax, Robert Nault, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, issued a letter addressed to all First Nation members. The letter, dated July 16, concerned the status of the First Nations Governance initiative. Minister Nault expressed that he is ... read more ››