Category: 2009 04 10

The Afghanistan dilemma

Now that Canada is starting to focus on the end game in Afghanistan – i.e., how we get out in 2011 with our military and our dignity more or less intact – it’s useful to remember exactly how our soldiers were thrown into the hottest corner of the hottest civil ... read more ››

To: The Editorial Board of the Nation

Regarding the article in the brief section of the Nation (Vol. 16, No. 10 March 27, 2009). Why does this magazine keep dragging the former Grand Chief Ted Moses through the mud. Is it because it’s election year for the Grand Council. Personally, this person is my best friend, was my Chief ... read more ››

Volunteers Needed in the Search for Maisy Odjick and Shannon Alexander

The families of Maisy Odjick, 16, and Shannon Alexander, 17, have joined forces with the team from Search and Global One in an ongoing effort to recover clues to the teens’ whereabouts. The girls, who are both from the Algonquin Kitigan Zibi reserve near Maniwaki, Quebec, disappeared last September 5. At ... read more ››

More Dead Ducks than Previously Estimated in Alberta’s Oil Sands

Syncrude Canada president Tom Katinas has announced that 1,606 ducks died in one of the company’s tailings ponds last spring and not the original 500 that was suspected. The ducks drowned in the tailings pond last spring and the original estimates were a joint effort between Syncrude and Alberta Fish and ... read more ››

The Journey Ends and a New Chapter Begins

The second leg of the Journey through Eeyou Istchee, “Journey of Hope, Embracing Life”, finished in celebration on March 28 in Waskaganish. The first leg of the journey began through the inland Cree communities during the winter of 2008, while the second leg started in late February 2009. A feast was ... read more ››

New Study Suggests Native Children Have 4X Higher Death Rate

A groundbreaking new study released by Health Canada suggests that Indigenous children in Canada and several other developed countries have an infant mortality rate four times higher than the non-Indigenous populations of those countries. The 18-month-long study, Indigenous Children’s Health Report, names poverty as the common factor behind the death rates ... read more ››

Sunglasses Are A Sure Sign Of Spring

My parents were visiting recently this spring. My dad Marius wanted to buy sunglasses in the worst way. He was considering some fashion glasses that were expensive and I convinced him to head to a dollar store. He took advantage of the good deal and bought many sunglasses. You might ... read more ››

Following the Dream

Vern Cooper, who plays for the Michigan-based Plymouth Whalers, is a member of the Waswanipi Cree First Nation. Like a lot of youth, Cooper started skating at the age of four and was playing hockey by the age of five. Inspired by his brothers and by his community, the 19-year-old uses ... read more ››

Playing the Blame Game

Driving from Waswanipi recently, Brian Craik, the Cree Regional Authority’s Director of Federal Relations, noticed a few frontend loaders digging up a settling pond near Slam Creek. Last June, the road Craik was driving on had been washed out after a tailings pond at the defunct Opimiska copper mine burst under ... read more ››

Learning about the Environment

For as much as the land and environment within Eeyou Istchee has always been ultimately precious to the Crees, many of them have never considered the possibility of developing a career that is all about preserving this precious resource. This is why three years ago the Niskamoon Corporation created an internship ... read more ››

Standing Up Against Racism

Marking the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, First Nations came together with non-Natives in Chibougamau and in Val-d’Or to celebrate in solidarity. The city of Val-d’Or’s celebrations were triumphant this year according to the Friendship Centre’s Executive Director Édith Cloutier. In Val-d’Or the festivities began at the Friendship Centre ... read more ››

Poor planning by INAC affects children

Both the high school and elementary school in Attawapiskat are closed, the people are in a panic and Indian and Northern Affairs is not giving any answers. During the Ontario spring break, INAC decided that it was time to tear down the former J. R. Nakogee elementary school that had been ... read more ››

Slow Progress in Barriere Lake

The troubled community of Barriere Lake has headed back to federal court in another attempt to remove the third-party management system that Indian and Northern Affairs imposed on them back in 2006. The small Algonquin community of 450 is divided over this issue as one side with their leader, Casey Ratt, ... read more ››

It’s tourney time again

The crowd roared as the intrepid goalie made another spectacular save. The blaring music filled the arena as people settled back down into their seats. The score was 8-0 for the home team and every shot made on their favourite goalie sent screams resonating throughout the cold, steel structure of ... read more ››

Nine years too long

Unfortunately the presses wait for no one. But the buzz of what happened in Oujé-Bougoumou March 31 will no doubt be making the rounds in the Cree communities. On that Tuesday, community members gathered to hear about the report, “Screening Level Environmental Risk Assessment: Traditional Territory of the Oujé-Bougoumou Cree ... read more ››