ARTICLES BY Will Nicholls

Judge strikes down mandatory workfare

An Ontario judge has struck down a welfare program that would have forced Native people to work to get full social assistance. First Nations were upset when the Ontario government tried to put welfare recipients in Aboriginal communities into the mandatory work-for-welfare program. Murray Klippenstein, lawyer for the First Nations that sued ... read more ››

More pressure for inquiry

The cry for an inquiry into the death of Dudley George has been growing steady and strong. The Opposition Liberals are putting forth a private member’s bill in Ontario’s legislature seeking an inquiry, echoing the calls of George’s family and supporters. The United Nations has issued a strongly worded message to Canada ... read more ››

Crees air mining concerns at conference

Mining companies, government officials and Crees gathered in Mistissinl to talk about the mining industry last month. Chief Kenny Loon, in his welcoming speech, said mining activities and their effects on Cree lifestyles and the land had been a topic of concern for Crees for some time. He was later echoed by ... read more ››

My concession

I must admit this was one of the most interesting elections I’ve have seen in a long time. It was a little bit of a revolution of sorts with so much active campaigning. I know it was the first time any Cree politicians took out political advertisements promoting their platforms. ... read more ››

Gull takes Waswanipi

Waswanipi held elections on August 30th and Paul Gull became the new chief. A win that Gull attributes to his political platform. He told the people “Ntshtayhden oo abitsyoon guaysque ngweedoodeen.” (He respects the position and will try to do the job right.) Gull is heading into new territory as he ... read more ››

World Water Crisis

Water is seen as the most readily available resource on this Earth of ours but a new report on water says this is not true. Fresh water is only one half of one per cent of all water on Earth. Global consumption of water is doubling every twenty years. An ... read more ››

Jim Thorpe – “Athlete of the century”

I hear there’s a search for Aboriginal role models out there. People should look at Jim Thorpe. Thorpe was born on May 22, 1887 to an impoverished family on Sac-and-Fox Indian land. His beginning were harsh but he went on to become a leading figure in sports. In Stockholm, Sweden ... read more ››

Robert Nault: Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs

The latest Minister of Indian Affairs Robert Nault is the 71st top dog in charge of First Nations Peoples. While some First Nations may not know the new Minister he has the experience to handle the job and seems to be eager to start. Nault began his federal political career in ... read more ››

The other side of the table

I was nominated for the position of Deputy Grand Chief in Mistissini for this term’s election. I decided to accept and run for this position seriously. I have done so because I care about what has happened to the Cree people. I have spoken out on many issues, as I feel ... read more ››

First results in

Well, with the Grand Council/Cree Regional Authority Annual General Assembly coming up I feel I should give some preliminary results of the survey I have been running even though the deadline is July 31. Please keep them coming and don’t be afraid to add comments if you want. (The numbers ... read more ››

H-Q GOING AHEAD WITH STUDIES ON PROJECT

Hydro-Quebec has announced it wants to start preliminary studies on its proposed Rupert River diversion scheme and refurbish an old exploration camp near Nemaska to house its workers. The utility wants to hire about 15 Crees to help with the studies, which were scheduled to start by mid-July. Hydro also offered ... read more ››

St. Anne’s Anna Wesley found guilty

Moose Factory resident and Catholic nun Anna Wesley, 72, pled not guilty to charges of administering a noxious substance and assault, but was convicted on May 10. A Sudbury judge decided the Cree nun who forced children at Fort Albany’s St. Anne’s residential school to eat their own vomit will face ... read more ››

Mr. Green-Thumb

“Always remember the beauty of the garden, for there is peace.” – Author Unknown One of the problems frequently seen in Cree communities is the lack of proper landscaping or lawn management. Not surprising considering Crees were hunter-gathers rather than farmers. A shortage of housing also meant that resources went to putting ... read more ››

Looking for the other side

I was reading a book recently and a passage caught my eye. The story was about two countries that were going to go to war over a piece of land. One of the councillors asks the head honcho why people were going to this area. He said it was “because they ... read more ››

Indian wars heat up

The Indian Wars are not over, according to the American Indian Movement. The latest casualties are two Native men found murdered and mutilated, with their bodies dumped on the Pine Ridge Reserve in South Dakota. The murders have provoked an outcry over police brutality toward Native people in the area. Rumours ... read more ››

The Twisted Saga of Dudley George’s Death

Ever since Dudley George, an unarmed Native protester, was killed on Sept. 6, 1995, by an Ontario Provincial Police officer, things have gotten really confusing. The original protest was over the desecration of ancestral burial grounds at Ipperwash Provincial Park by 24 unarmed First Nations people, including men, women and children. The ... read more ››

What does everybody want?

The backrooms are filled to capacity and the deal-makers, shakers and would-be kingmakers have sat down to feast on the remains of the Cree land and culture whilst battling among themselves for the choicest pieces. It’s the Valhalla of politicians and bureaucrats on Mother Earth. They don’t even have to die ... read more ››

Chiefs seek to shut out Grand Chief

Five Cree chiefs have sent a letter to Grand Chief Matthew Coon Come saying they – and not the Grand Council of the Crees – are the ones who will negotiate with Hydro-Quebec on the proposed Rupert River Hydro Project. The May 5 letter – signed by chiefs Kenneth Gillpin, Kenny ... read more ››

Free Leonard Peltier fight heats up

The campaign to free Leonard Peltier is heating up, but he needs support from the public. Amnesty International calls Peltier a political prisoner. He has spent 23 years in prison for the murders of two FBI agents killed on the Pine Ridge Reservation in 1975. Human-rights groups say the FBI knowingly ... read more ››

Month of the long knives

The cries of Cree unity had barely died away before four of the nine Cree chiefs met with Minister Guy Chevrette to talk about the suspension of MOU funding (News, page 5). Chevrette was the Quebec politician who suspended essential-services funding to the Crees under the guise of “we can’t ... read more ››

Coastal chiefs break ranks on forestry

Chiefs from four coastal Cree communities have apparently complained to Guy Chevrette, Quebec’s native-affairs minister, of being penalized because of the Cree forestry lawsuit. Chief Kenny Loon of Mistissini said the complaints were apparently made at a meeting with the minister that took place during goose break. Chevrette suspended talks on funding ... read more ››

Cry of the old wild goose

Tonight I heard the wild goose cry Hangin’ north in the lonely sky Tried to sleep, it warn’t no use ‘cause I am a brother to the old wild goose (Cry Of the Wild Goose by Frankie Laine. Song was #1 for two weeks in 1950.) Yep, that’s me the first night I’m back in ... read more ››

Happy Mother’s Day

Mothers, we often take them for granted even though they are the ones who went through pain to bear us. Not only during birth but also during the time they carried a loved one. It makes a link that was never truly severed with the umbilical cord. Some always remember ... read more ››

H-Q MUM ON DETAILS OF CREE HYDRO DEAL

Even though Hydro-Quebec is looking at a partnership with the Crees, they’re mum about any deals. Hydro spokeswoman Claudine Aucuit said the utility felt it was too early to go into any details. “In any case that’s privileged information between the partners,” said Aucuit. She said a deal would have to be ... read more ››

Time for a true change

This editorial is going to be short. As short as the way Minister Guy Chevrette has treated the Crees. I hear that, after demanding a meeting with the chiefs to clear up forestry and axing the Cree/Quebec Memorandum of Understanding negotiations and funding, Chevrette canceled a scheduled meeting until after ... read more ››

Dec. 31 set as deadline for Hydro deal

Hydro-Quebec met with Cree leaders in Montreal over two days to propose a hydroelectric project involving a partial diversion of the Rupert River into the Eastmain basin. Hydro spokeswoman Claudine Aucuit called the sessions exploratory meetings in which the provincial utility presented a commercial opportunity to the Crees. If Crees are interested ... read more ››