ARTICLES BY Paul M. Rickard

Diseased beaver sparks fear of epidemic

The Ontario Natural Resources Ministry is warning of a possible tularemia epidemic in beavers after the carcass of a beaver was found with tularemia in the Pickle Lake area. Tularemia is a plague-like disease which can be fatal to beaver, muskrat and rabbits. The disease is most often spread by water. Although ... read more ››

New Chief in Kashechewan

Oliver Wesley was elected as the new Chief of the Kashechewan First Nation in the community’s elections held on Jan. 9. Chief Wesley replaces the outgoing Andrew Reuben, who held the office for the past two years. Also elected was a Deputy Chief and 10 councillors, including Elder and youth representatives. Election ... read more ››

Moose Factory vets reject compensation offer

They fought under the Canadian flag in World War II and a group of war veterans in Moose Factory has fought the government for 50 years, only to be slighted once again. Under the Veterans Land Act, anyone who fought in World War II was entitled to three acres of land. ... read more ››

Reaching out across the bay

This issue marks the beginning of a new direction The Nation is taking in the future. First of all, the paper will be expanding its coverage area to include the Western James Bay communities within the Muskegowuk region, my home. In the past year, I have heard about the work that ... read more ››

Irwin tour disappoints west coast leaders

Indian Affairs Minister Ron Irwin’s recent “fact-finding” visit to Western James Bay left local leaders frustrated because they felt he failed to make any commitments to solve the problems they are facing. “Most of the people I talked to were a little frustrated at the outcome of the trip/’ said Rosanne ... read more ››

Nineteen Exposed to Radiation in Kashechewan: Nuclear agency admits it was negligent

Canada’s nuclear agency has admitted it erred in allowing radioactive lights to be installed in three west coast communities without any warnings to local officials. In one of the communities, Kashechewan, 16 children were exposed to almost an entire year’s maximum allowable dose of radiation after some of the lights were ... read more ››

Politicians told to stay out of business

Businesspeople of the Nishnawbe-Aski Nation are complaining that band politics is getting in the way of their affairs. The complaint came at a conference on economic issues in the Nishnawbe-Aski Nation. “This was one of the loudest messages heard at the conference,” said Brian Davey, NAN Deputy Grand Chief. “And they ... read more ››

Fort Albany gets Emergency Response Team

With the growing concern over the response time to emergency situations, the community of Fort Albany will be introducing an Emergency Response Team completely made up of volunteers from the community. “It would improve the response time of injured people and get the patient from the accident to the hospital faster,” ... read more ››