Category: 2015 09 04

Heavy Mania 2: The secret to the science of wrestling

Last year Heavy Mania, Heavy Montreal’s wrestling show, put on a spectacular event that rivaled some of the bands for people’s attention. The latest over-the-top edition topped last year’s serving of wrestling mayhem. By “over the top” I mean out of the ring and into the crowd. It had people ... read more ››

Of blueberries and bears

Everyone thought that the blueberry season was going to be terrible in northern Ontario and northern Quebec this past summer. A frost and cold weather in June seemed to have stifled the blueberry crop. In July, it was evident to everyone that it was not going to be a great ... read more ››

Election 2015: Meet the candidates

With a federal election just around the corner, The Nation reached out the five major party candidates running in the Abitibi–Baie-James–Nunavik–Eeyou riding. The riding covers most of Northern Quebec and all nine communities in Eeyou Istchee. Click on the names below to find out what each candidate has planned for the North ... read more ››

The sizzle of my poor man

The sizzle of my poor man’s steak – the pork chop – produced a satisfying smoke that tasted real BBQ and felt comfortingly sooty. The main course – strips of sirloin pork doused in a generic sauce and hot buttered corn on the cob gently wrapped in foil – looked ... read more ››

Cree sniper overcomes life obstacles on way to QMJHL

Another athlete from Eeyou Istchee is making waves in the competitive hockey world. This time it’s 16-year-old Adam Cheezo, who was born in Mistissini and grew up in Eastmain. Cheezo was drafted by the Val-d’Or Foreurs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League June 6 and recently cracked the team’s ... read more ››

Where to take your first step into vocational programming this fall

Meeting needs for education and career training, the Cree School Board is always hard at work to provide the best programs available to as many communities as possible. If you want to train for a new career, brush up on your skill set or move up in the field you are ... read more ››

Charlie Angus chronicles Treaty 9 and the stolen wealth of northern Ontario in a new book

New Democrat MP Charlie Angus’ new book Children of the Broken Treaty is a history of Treaty 9, from its signing through the nightmare years of St. Anne’s Residential School in Fort Albany, past the ’60s Scoop, the crises in Attawapiskat and Kaschechewan, and the story of Attawapiskat student activist ... read more ››

Romeo Saganash – New Democatic Party of Canada

Why are you the most qualified person to represent this region?  I think that my track record for the region speaks for itself. I have worked hard to support the local economy: the forestry and mining industries, the Nunavik Tourism Association, and the Cree outfitters in Eeyou Istchee. It is important ... read more ››

Patrick Benoît – The Green Party of Canada

Why are you the most qualified person to represent this region? Hailing from Val-d’Or, Patrick Benoît says that he has led a diverse life with a career history that covers health-care work as a paramedic to 10 years in the military dealing with everything from environmental disasters to combat zones. So ... read more ››

Pierre Dufour – Liberal Party of Canada

Why you are the most qualified person to represent this region? Pierre Dufour first became involved in community development as Director General of Val-d’Or’s mining tourism attraction, the Cité de l’Or. After opening it under Dufour’s guidance in 1995, the attraction went on to win Quebec’s Innovation in Tourism prize ... read more ››

Steven Hébert – Conservative Party of Canada

Why you are the most qualified person to represent this region? Born in Val-d’Or, 28-year-old Steven Hébert is the youngest candidate running in the Abitibi–Baie-James–Nunavik–Eeyou riding. A graduate of the University of Ottawa, he spent the last four years working in the Prime Minister’s Office as a communications advisor. Prior ... read more ››

Luc Ferland – Bloc Québécois

Why you are the most qualified person to represent this region? Luc Ferland, who represented the Parti Québécois in Quebec’s National Assembly from 2007-2014, is a well-known figure throughout the region. After losing his provincial seat last year, Ferland is looking to represent the region once again, this time on ... 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 ››

Looking at That Deal…

The Agreement-in-Principle isn’t a large document. It certainly isn’t as many pages as the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement. It will, nevertheless, have as great an impact on Cree lifestyle, culture and way of life as the JBNQA. The purpose of the Agreement seems clear enough. In layman’s terms it ... read more ››

Push For Full and Complete Participation

The Agreement-in-principle was one of the most closely guarded secrets in Quebec. At this point it’s difficult to discern everything it could mean for the Cree. Upon reading it, I will say I have reservations about the deal, especially because of the Rupert River diversion, among other issues. But the crux ... 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 ››

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 ››

Quebec Court of Appeal Upholds Cree Rights

In a majority decision the Quebec Court of Appeal said that Canada and Quebec violated Cree rights concerning language, education and culture. It stemmed from a Cree arguement that had to be involved in any decision relating to Cree education and funding. The Court noted the importance of the rights, benefits ... read more ››

An Innocence Lost

These past few weeks literally made us stop and reflect; about our families, about our friends, about our enemies, about the children of the world. I don’t know about you but all I could hear when that tragic event took place was the distant sound of a child crying. The ... read more ››

The Secret Sex Lives of Moose

A recent Reuters news story out of Whitehorse tells of a hunter who found himself on the horns of a dilemma. The horns actually belonged to a moose shot by the hunter in the Yukon Territory and this is where the tale gets interesting. One would normally expect such a ... read more ››

Algonquins Occupy Island

About 50 or so of the Algonquins of Barriere Lake have occupied Victoria Island, near Canada’s Parliament buildings. A village has been erected and can easily be seen, a fact that the Algonquins are hoping will embarrass Ottawa into meeting with them to discuss their concerns. The Algonquins, from Northern ... read more ››

The art of gift giving is not something that’s learned.

The art of gift giving is not something that’s learned. It is a gift. We like gifting, regifting, degifting. We were given the gift of gift giving. As t’is the season, our gift to you: gift suggestions to make the season easier and merrier. Native wannabe: An Indian name and perform ... read more ››