Category: 2009 11 09

Palermo on the St. Lawrence?

s a city, Montreal has had better months. Revelation after scandal after embarrassment has rocked this old town, especially during the closing weeks of one of its most closely fought municipal elections in recent memory (which concluded, mercifully, after press time last Sunday). One is left scratching one’s head wondering, ... read more ››

Why do the good people have to go so soon

Every time we, the Cree Nation, lose a youth or any Cree individual who has contributed so much to the Cree Nation there is always one question that lingers in my mind: “Why did he or she have to go so soon, so early?” With the passing of the late Mr. ... read more ››

Agreement between Canada & Greenland to be signed for Polar Bear Conservation

Federal Environment Minister Jim Prentice will be traveling to Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, on October 30 to sign a much-awaited agreement between the Canadian and Greenland governments as well as the Nunavut territorial government. The three parties have been at work for many months on the conservation agreement that covers hunting areas shared ... read more ››

Branches of Government Come Together to Improve the Lives of Aboriginals but No Decision Made Yet

The federal, provincial and territorial governments met with the Assembly of First Nations, the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the Native Women’s Association and the Métis National Council on October 29 to discuss how to improve quality of life for Canada’s First Nations. This was the first time ... read more ››

Unions Come Together to Demand More than Just an Apology for Residential School Survivors

Four of Canada’s major unions are coming together to get more than just an “I’m sorry” out of the Conservative government for the horrific abuse that Canada’s Aboriginals endured while in the residential-school system. The “Sorry is Not Enough” campaign has brought together the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), the ... read more ››

It's All Cree To Me

I often meet people who ask me about my Cree language. Friends of mine here in northern Ontario have also asked me to translate syllabics they have come across and sometimes they question me on Native words they have heard. When it comes to reading the language I am capable ... read more ››

Two Diabetic Solitudes

The diabetes epidemic in Canada has had a throttling grip on Indigenous populations nationwide but where you live might really impact the severity of the situation. According to the Cree Health Board, there is a 19% diabetes rate among Quebec Crees 20 years older compared to a rate of 4.9% to ... read more ››

Christmas lights

It gets dark out there in the bush. Every Cree knows this simple fact, but dealing with it can still be a struggle in a place where you can’t just run over to the dépanneur for extra batteries. Especially after Christmas, when daylight is at its most meagre, lighting one’s ... read more ››

“I would like to thank the Academy…

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always dreamed of saying, “I would like to thank the Academy…” On Monday, October 19, I finally got my chance and it was such a wonderful feeling to fulfill one of my childhood fantasies. The weeks leading up to the 24th Annual Gemini Awards, which ... read more ››

Stop the glow

When Voyageur Memorial School teacher Élaine Hébert first saw postings of uranium mining projects near Mistissini in 2008, she, like many locals, did not know the full impact of what the project could mean to the community. The Matoush project has been talked about throughout Eeyou Istchee ever since the prospect ... read more ››

Possible end looms for important project

Five years after the project to find out whatever happened to the 520 missing and/or murdered Aboriginal women in this country started, the women who got the ball rolling may lose their funding. The Sisters In Spirit (SIS) initiative at the Native Women’s Association of Canada is currently waiting on a ... read more ››

Traditional Rights at Risk

While many Quebec regions are anxiously awaiting the newfound powers that Bill 57, the province’s new Forestry Occupation act, will give them, the bill also seeks to remove rights from Aboriginal groups. The new bill that Quebec is currently working on passing, will seek to take control out of the hands ... read more ››

Doing double time

Ever get that feeling that you just don’t have enough time to get things done? Whatever happened to Indian time when you had all of the sunlit day to do your work? Today, it’s 9-to-5, Monday to Friday where a whole week has to be compressed into 35 hours. Now ... read more ››