Category: News

Resolutions for the new year

As the world revels in the season’s celebrations, much of the Cree Nation’s leadership is already thinking about 2013. To get a glimpse of what is to come in the New Year, the Nation spoke to the powers that be to see what was on their minds and what their areas ... read more ››

Political reflections and projections

There is no doubt that 2012 will go down as a major year for the Cree Nation of Eeyou Istchee with Grand Chief Matthew Coon Come at the helm. From the signing of the Cree Governance Agreement with the Quebec government to coming together as a unified front against the development ... read more ››

Northern shipping routes

History was made December 6 when a Russian tanker loaded with liquified natural gas crossed the Northern Sea Route, signaling the beginning of a new shipping lane through the North. The new route offers plenty of advantages to large energy exporters as it saves time on transit as well as fuel ... read more ››

Changing habitat

Arctic communities in Northern Canada are now facing a new problem due to the warming weather. Grizzly bears are finding their way into the communities where they historically have not been seen, causing alarm among communities and conservationists alike. The grizzlies have been recently encountered in the communities of Arviat, Baker ... read more ››

Red red wine

An old saying that rings true durig the holiday season is a loaf of bread, a jug of wine and thou. It is sharing of food, drink and the company of a loved one or ones. It can include family and friends around you. In any case, it’s about social ... read more ››

We are the world

It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon when 90 Cree students – 10 from each of the nine communities of Eeyou Istchee – arrived at Olympic Stadium in Montreal to enjoy the CFL Eastern final game between the Montreal Alouettes and the Toronto Argonauts. The kids came to Montreal November 18 and ... read more ››

Summit on addictions

From November 19-21, Crees from various entities gathered in Val-d’Or to brainstorm ways to address one of the biggest issues in Eeyou Istchee today: addiction. According to Sol Awashish, one of the main organizers of this year’s Addictions Summit, the event was about finding new solutions. “The idea was to come up ... read more ››

Suicide is never painless

Hundreds of First Nations and Inuit individuals from all over Quebec descended on the Sheraton Hotel November 24-29 to talk about the loved and lost and how to keep from losing more loved ones. Since 2001, the First Nations and Inuit Suicide Prevention Association of Quebec has held an annual event ... read more ››

Holiday flavours to savour

The Nation’s annual guide to tasty holiday entertaining By Amy German As Eeyou Istchee is blanketed by the first snowfalls of the season, so too comes the time of year to bask in the lovely glow of the Christmas tree with loved ones – old and young – while enjoying some delectable seasonal ... read more ››

Running dry

Written by Jesse Staniforth  Research by Eleanor Cowan The last of six COMEX Review Committee meetings to discuss the impact of the Eastmain-1A Powerhouse and Rupert Diversion Project touched down in Waskaganish November 22, after previously visiting the five other communities most affected by those developments. COMEX is a process for consulting ... read more ››

AFN chiefs march on Parliament

With the federal government’s controversial budget-implementation Bill C-45 set to pass through the House of Commons, hundreds of First Nations chiefs marched on Parliament December 4 to protest the lack of consultation on an array of legislation that will affect their members. The chiefs were meeting at an annual Assembly of ... read more ››

From me, to we, to Cree

The week of We Day, Montreal, brought a whirlwind tour for a delegation of students from communities across the Eeyou Istchee. On Sunday, November 18, the group of 90 students arrived for a busy 48 hours in the big city, kicking their stay off with the CFL Eastern final game between ... read more ››

West coast déjà-vu

Last December, Canadian news watchers were appalled by the crisis at Attawapiskat, a Cree community on the west coast of James Bay. Living in squalid conditions and lacking appropriate housing, running water, and electricity, the community and its concerns seemed to be dismissed by Aboriginal Affairs Minister John Duncan – ... read more ››

Soundtrack of my life

My son, Raymond Maybee Jr., like his father before him, started up his own band called The Remedies. It’s true that music always played a healing role in my family. I’d also say that fiddle music is what links the Quebec Cree to every other Canadian province in the happiest ... read more ››

Cree Hockey News & Notes

Senior Hockey & Broomball The 32nd Annual Cree Senior Hockey & Broomball Tournament kicks off on Thursday, December 6, at the Air Creebec Centre in Val-d’Or. One of the premier events on the Cree calendar, this year’s tourney will feature action in seven categories, including Men’s Class A Open Hockey, Class ... read more ››

From foreclosure to sustainability

You’re not making your payments, so we’re going to have to take your truck – your business – from you. Kevin Blacksmith of Waswanipi heard this bouncing around in his head as he worked his snowplowing job on Route 113, and wondered if the work would pick up like the ... read more ››

Making a list and checking it twice…

As the snows of Eeyou Istchee settle in for the season, children far and wide begin to dream of that incredible big morning after Santa visits… and we adults have to start planning out just what and where we will get all of that bounty that goes under our trees. Yes, ... read more ››

Native sights and sounds

Enjoying the fruits of one’s labour is the most satisfying part of working on a project. After spending six weeks in Montreal aiding youth in the art of filmmaking and production, Wapikoni Mobile showcased the work produced by young urban Aboriginals. On November 13, Wapikoni Mobile screened nine short films and ... read more ››

Destroyed by flames

It was a Remembrance Day to remember this year in Whapmagoostui when the Youth Centre went up in flames. The centre served the community for 10 years. It was where holidays, church services, gatherings, weddings, concerts and other events took place. “I know for a fact that this building will never ... read more ››

Cracking down

The Eeyou Eenou Police Force (EEPF) has upped the ante in its crackdown on drugs and alcohol in Eeyou Istchee. In the past few months, the number of busts of suppliers in the region has dramatically increased. Police Director Reggie Bobbish reported on November 6 the successful execution of a series ... read more ››

Aboriginal organizations lead fight against diabetes

The fourth annual Timmins Diabetes Expo October 18 and 19 has helped strengthen the fight against diabetes in northern Ontario. Aboriginal organizations and area health-care agencies have been working together for four years in prevention, awareness, education and support concerning diabetes through events targeted to professionals, the public at large ... read more ››

Hi ho silver screen

Standing on 80 acres of land owned by his friend in Manitoba last April, Cree actor and director Erland Campbell had an idea – let’s film a western. Equipped with nothing more than a digital camera and a .16 gauge shotgun, Campbell and his friend filmed Revenge On the High Plains, ... read more ››

A five-step program

Kelly Lendsay won’t let up. He’s a relentless advocate for a five-step plan for development in Aboriginal communities. He designed the agenda at the Aboriginal Entrepreneurs Conference and Trade Show (AECTS) around these five steps. Here’s why: “There’s a big focus on resource development,” Lendsay explains, “because what’s under development, particularly ... read more ››

Great expectations

About 40 years ago, a provincial premier said he’d bulldoze Indian rights, land claims or any Indian community that got in the way of his mega-project. Big business and governments didn’t bother with Indigenous rights back then. Things have changed. Today, powerful law firms churn out legal opinions advising governments and international corporations ... read more ››

Diabetic patient talk

  What used to be a death sentence in the time before insulin, diabetes has become a much more manageable disease, provided the patient is willing to put in the effort and live a healthier life. For the newly diagnosed, however, testing positive for high blood sugar can be a terrifying event, ... read more ››

Grand weight loss

  Having been in the public eye of the Cree world since the mid-1990s, Deputy Grand Chief Ashley Iserhoff looks almost like a shadow of his former self. The political figure has lost over 60 pounds of excess body fat and revamped his entire lifestyle in the process. Now a lean, mean, ... read more ››