Category: News

He got game

In this day and age, growing up in the world can get a bit dizzying with the speed things are moving and how connected everything is becoming. It is even more so, when growing up and balancing the responsibilities of Native tradition and culture with the hectic life of modern ... read more ››

Shooting for the top

  Silas Neeposh has had a busy year. In addition to attending school, the 18-year-old from Mistissini has also been very busy pursuing his hockey dream. Currently, he is patrolling the blue line for the Kahnawake Condors of the Quebec Junior AAA Hockey League. The Condors jersey is not the only one ... read more ››

AFN withdraws from missing women inquiry

The Assembly of First Nations is the latest group to withdraw from the British Columbia Missing Women’s Commission of Inquiry in Vancouver for the victims of serial killer Robert Pickton. According to National Grand Chief Shawn A-in-chut Atleo, the AFN feels that it can no longer participate because of the limitations ... read more ››

Poachers convicted for hunting on Category II lands

According to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Wildlife, on August 31, two men from Val David were convicted on charges of poaching and sentenced to fines totaling $8400. The charges stem from when the two, Pascal Rondeau and Jean-Guy St-Denis, were caught hunting last February on Category II lands near ... read more ››

Ouje elects a new Chief and council

On September 29, the community of Oujé-Bougoumou went to the polls to elect a new Chief and Council resulting in a win for Reggie Neeposh, who is the community’s new Chief, and Randy Bosum, the Deputy Chief. Neeposh came out on top with 183 votes, beating out Anthony Hughboy who had ... read more ››

Planning ahead for the needy

On October 5, Projets Autochtones du Québec (PAQ) held its annual general assembly at the Native Friendship Centre of Montreal. The PAQ is a not-for-profit organization that focuses on combating the issue of homelessness amongst its First Nations, Métis and Inuit members in Montreal. In the upcoming year PAQ will face ... read more ››

Six years on and still burning at both ends

October 4 is no longer just a day when Canada’s Aboriginal peoples bow their heads to mourn the loss of over 582 documented missing/murdered Native women as larger portions of the nation are mourning with them. Despite this, the number of victims is increasing and we may never see an actual ... read more ››

Hellbent on Halloween

Whether you’ve already ordered Halloween costumes online for the whole family or are still planning out the ultimate in costume craziness to outdo your neighbours, that spooky season is once again right around the corner and it’s time to get cracking. What is Halloween about if not the costumes and setting ... read more ››

Rookie of the year

After only eight months of operation, Val-d’Or’s Quality Inn & Suites, a joint venture between CREECO and Trahan Holdings, has already been awarded for outstanding performance and quality of service, beating out other hotels in the Choice Hotels Canada chains. According to the hotel’s general manager, Michael Prince, every year ... read more ››

Waskaganish gets new telecom tower

Construction is underway to create a new regional 300-foot telecom facility in Waskaganish that will allow radio station CJRH 92.5 FM to expand its reach an estimated 110 km beyond the community. It is also expected that once the tower is operational, radio service will be available to about an ... read more ››

Lemon Cree offers group fitness instructor certification

For those looking to become certified group fitness instructors through Theresa Ducharme’s innovative Lemon Cree fitness and wellness program, the time to sign up is fast approaching. Ducharme was happy to announce that from November 18-20, Lemon Cree will be holding a three-day training course in Montreal for trainers. The course ... read more ››

We have the tools to fight diabetes

I just went through something that really opened my eyes. Like most people I read stories now and then about how serious the situation is for Canadians and in particular Native people when it comes to diabetes. However, after attending the Timmins Diabetes Expo recently I came away shocked at ... read more ››

Drop the sugar

Diabetes awareness was the focus of inspirational and motivational speakers at the third annual Timmins Diabetes Expo September 17 at the Timmins Inns and Suites. This year’s event featured well-known guest speakers Mairlyn Smith, a professional home economist and author who is also an alumnus of the Second City Comedy ... read more ››

Paint what you know

Every summer the Yukon government hosts a three-day leadership training camp designed to bring together youth leaders from the area and teach them valuable leadership skills that they can translate back into their respective communities. This year’s camp, hosted by the Youth Directorate, facilitated by Stephen Leafloor (a.k.a. Buddha) and ... read more ››

Jobs or the environment

In what is sure to be a contentious issue for months to come, opponents of the Keystone Pipeline project are gearing up for a fight. From the protests on Parliament Hill on September 26 to the ones in front of the White House where several prominent actors, chiefs and environmentalists ... read more ››

Walking for justice

On September 19, I had the honour, along with Theresa Ducharme, to emcee the Walk4Justice rally on Parliament Hill. Walk4Justice participants arrived in Ottawa after walking nearly 5000 miles from Vancouver. They started their journey in June, traveling through different communities and meeting with supporters who added their stories to ... read more ››

Cree women summit

Celebrating their own leadership, determination and courage, the Cree Women of Eeyou Istchee Association (CWEIA) congregated for the fourth consecutive year for their Annual General Assembly in Val-d’Or on September 17 and 18. According to Regional Coordinator Holly Danyluk, a good time was had by all, though, by holding elections for ... read more ››

Illustrated stories

In the past Comic-Cons, or comic-book conventions, have been synonymous with nerdy and marginal types obsessed with comics and movie characters to the point of extremes. But that ain’t exactly the case anymore. The love for all things superhero has without a doubt gone mainstream. Montreal’s Comic-Con 2011 (September 17-18) brought ... read more ››

Reaching for the top

Since outgoing Cree School Board Chairman Gordon Blackned resigned from his position after being elected Chief of Waskaganish this past summer, the question being asked throughout the communities has been: who will serve out the remaining year of his term? This is why Crees will be heading back to the polls ... read more ››

Saganash for PM?

Having already blazed the trail to become the first-ever James Bay Cree to hold a seat in Parliament, Abitibi–Baie-James–Nunavik–Eeyou New Democratic Party MP Romeo Saganash has decided to take his political career even further by announcing his candidacy to become NDP party leader. If he wins, Saganash will become the first-ever ... read more ››

Giving the voiceless a voice

The actions of a sick and demented person can shatter our view of others. The actions of BC pig farmer Robert Pickton, whose killing spree lasted from the late 1980s until his capture in 2002, is one example of this sort of madness. There were two things that set Pickton apart ... read more ››

Investing in the future

On September 29, the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB) and Sodexo Canada presented former Prime Minister Paul Martin the first-ever Award for Excellence in Aboriginal Relations at its ninth annual Vancouver gala dinner. He received the award for his involvement with the development of the Aboriginal communities through the ... read more ››

Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation Tribal Council pays tribute to Lucien Wabanonik

After the announcement of his retirement from Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation Tribal Council (AANTC), the council paid tribute to the outgoing Grand Chief during its assembly on August 30-31. According to the AANTC, Lucien Wabanonik devoted a great deal of energy and effort to the causes and the interests of the Algonquin ... read more ››

Greenpeace up in arms about Plan Nord conservation areas

Greenpeace blogger Nicholas Mainville called out Quebec Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks Pierre Arcand recently over a promise to protect 600,000 km² of land in the north through the Plan Nord project. While the province’s Plan Nord project for natural resource development in the north has previously outlined that ... read more ››

Cree Nation Youth Council Business Symposium on the horizon

The Cree Youth Business Symposium is going to be held October 25-27 at the Hotel Forestel in Val-d’Or for the first time. According to Jeremy Diamond, the Communications Officer for the Cree Nation Youth Council (CNYC), the idea behind it is to build up the business leaders of today and the ... read more ››

Beyond infinity

Soaring through the sky, the morning mist below me blankets the earth. The cold breeze lashes my face as a stream of warm air pours down on me from above. My heart pounds with a rush of joy and adrenaline. These are the feelings and sights you get when you ... read more ››