Category: News

The divide between two solitudes

Environmental protection, sacred land, fears of water contamination and feeling the ends justifying the means were some of the reasons Crees gave for why they didn’t want to see the development of an exploration ramp. However, the folks over at Strateco, who are adamant to get the project off the ground, ... read more ››

Inspiration at the AGA

As Crees from all over Eeyou Istchee congregated in Eastmain for the Annual General Assembly, one local man went about meeting as many delegates as he could simply to raise money for Parkinson’s disease. But, why Preston Gilpin does this is a whole different story. Gilpin doesn’t have Parkinson’s and, for ... read more ››

NWAC talks back

Just when it thought it was going to be able to make some headway, the Native Women’s Association of Canada has found itself without the means to participate in the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry in British Columbia – and they are not alone. According to Executive Director Claudette Dumont-Smith, NWAC ... read more ››

Assessing the year

It began August 8 and ended five days later on August 12. Past Annual General Assemblies may have only run three days but the new weeklong format was more relaxing for those who attended this year’s Grand Council of the Crees/ Cree Regional Authority assembly in Eastmain. That community may ... read more ››

Redemption and rediscovery at Heavy MTL

Excuse the phrasing, but it is a punk’s game to try to sharply limit music genres these days, especially the many offshoots and sub-categories that shelter under the “heavy metal” umbrella. And that may be the main great thing, among many great things, about the Heavy MTL festival that bludgeoned ... read more ››

Algonquin Elder Commanda passes away

First Nations peoples across the country are mourning the passing on August 3 of famed leader, teacher and activist, “Grandfather” William Commanda. He was 97. Born in 1913, Commanda led an inspirational life that touched many, having travelled round the globe to deliver his message of peace and respect for Mother ... read more ››

Goldcorp dubs mineshaft after explorer

Goldcorp will be name a mineshaft at its Éléonore project near Wemindji after the acclaimed exploration geologist and mining industry icon responsible for the Éléonore discovery, André Gaumond. “We are naming this Andre Gaumond because Andre had been instrumental in the discovery of the Éléonore project. We see this as the ... read more ››

Wabun Youth Gathering’s traditional teachings

The fifth annual Wabun Youth Gathering at the Eco Centre Lodge in Elk Lake, Ontario, featured presentations by Nishnawbe-Aski Nation (NAN) Grand Chief Stan Beardy and Deputy Grand Chief Terry Waboose. Eighty-five Wabun youth attended the event, which ran from July 18 to 29 and was sponsored by Wabun Tribal ... read more ››

Travel Guides at the Canadian Guild of Crafts

The 21st First Peoples Festival officially began August 2 in Montreal, but the festivities got underway a bit early this year with a vernissage at the Canadian Guild of Crafts on July 21. The Guild, founded in 1906, is known for its efforts to conserve and promote Inuit and First Nations ... read more ››

Bruins get the deal done in the Skag

The business of the NHL never stops, even in Waskaganish. While in town as a guest instructor for the True North Wellness Hockey Camp, Boston Bruins prospect Ryan Spooner signed his first professional contract with the NHL’s Stanley Cup champions. Drafted in the 2nd round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft ... read more ››

Better living through hockey

It may have been mid-July, but more than 120 young hockey players who gathered in Waskaganish for the fifth annual True North Wellness Hockey Camp only wanted to get on the ice. Jointly sponsored by Ottawa-based TMSI Sports Management and Ollson Sports Group, the True North Wellness Hockey Camp provides ... read more ››

Youth cinema fades to black

Despite an eight-year production record that has yielded more than 450 completed film projects, the federal government has pulled the lifeline from Wapikoni Mobile, Quebec’s successful and celebrated First Nations youth cinema program. Just as Wapikoni Mobile’s three trailer units were set to hit the road in mid-July, Human Resources and ... read more ››

Road warriors

Some folks never give up. People like Gladys Radek and Bernie Williams, who are both missing female family members that the rest of society appears to have forgotten. That’s why, since 2008, Radek and Williams have organized annual provincial or national walks to raise awareness for Canada’s murdered or missing women. Reached ... read more ››

The road to economic development

The momentum for Quebec Premier Jean Charest’s cherished Plan Nord received a big boost Aug. 1 with the announcement that Stornoway Diamonds will contribute $44 million to help extend Route 167, which will eventually lead to the company’s planned diamond mine in the Otish Mountains. Stornoway President and CEO Matt Manson ... read more ››

Barriere Lake project on ice

After all the struggles, disappointments and broken agreements, Barriere Lake can finally celebrate a victory. The Algonquin community, with the help of Mining Watch Canada, has managed to get a copper mining exploration project put on hold for at least two years. The Rivière Doré copper mining project that Cartier Resources ... read more ››

Cree actor Gordon TooToosis dead at 69

Canadian Stony Cree actor Gordon Tootoosis has passed away at the age of 69. The television and film star of projects like Legends of the Fall, North of 60, Wapos Bay and most recently, Blackstone, passed away in a Saskatoon hospital after suffering a bout of pneumonia. Tootoosis’ career in the ... read more ››

Government refuses to set up task force on Aboriginal women

Despite the fact that there are over 582 missing/murdered Aboriginal women in Canada, Status of Women Minister Rona Ambrose said that the federal government will not be setting up a specific task force to deal with the issue of missing and murdered Aboriginal women. After a two-day meeting held in Gatineau, ... read more ››

Police seeking suspect in Kuujjuarapik child sexual assault case

Yann Thiboudeau, a spokesperson for the Sûreté du Québec, confirmed that an investigation was underway in relation to a sexual assault committed on an eight-year-old child on June 16 in Kuujuarapik. This is a joint investigation being conducted by the Nunavik branch of the SQ and the Kativik Regional Police Services. ... read more ››

Man stabbed and medivaced out of Whapmagoostui

Constable Johnny Kawapit of the Eeyou Eenou Police Force in Whapmagoostui confirmed that on June 26, police received a call from the local nurse to look into an apparent stabbing. The call came in at around 3:58 pm – about 14 hours after first responders went to the home of Brian ... read more ››

Far from home

Continuing with his passion for making films that expose and remove prejudices, Quebec filmmaker Guy Simoneau has created Qallunaaliaqpallianiq – Heading South, a compelling new documentary that focuses on Inuit living in southern cities of Canada. The five people who this film follows are a varied group with little in ... read more ››

Creative gem

Tim Whiskeychan is a productive and prolific artist and generalist of sorts when it comes to the visual arts – he’s a painter, illustrator, sculptor and craftsman. Many samples of his work are displayed in his hometown of Waskaganish and throughout the greater James Bay community. Fluent in three languages, Whiskeychan ... read more ››

Driving for funds

It was a beautiful start to the summer season as Quebec Native Women Inc. (QNW) hosted the organization’s 5th Annual Golf Tournament. Once again held at the Caughnawaga Golf Club in Kahnawake, this year’s tournament attracted more than 100 golfers and raised over $15,000, which QNW (www.faq-qnw.org) will use to ... read more ››

A big “No” to niobium mining

As more voices join the movement to stop a niobium mining project on Kanehsatake territory, the pressure to put an end to the project is mounting amidst a great deal of suspicion and confusion. On June 30 about 40 protestors congregated in front of the Best Western Ville-Marie Hotel as Niocan ... read more ››

“Proud to Serve”

According to Grand Chief Matthew Coon Come, June 28 will go down in the history books of the Cree nation as a day of pride and celebration as yet another dream, once conceived of by Cree Elders some 40 years ago, has finally been realized. The rainy June morning marked not ... read more ››

Battling the Eskan warriors

While Eska water products may line the shelves of stores throughout the province of Quebec, the Eaux Vives Water Company’s latest ad campaign has been leaving a bitter taste in the mouths of those at the Val-d’Or Native Friendship Centre (NFC) over allegations of racism in both the French and ... read more ››

A woman on the go

In 2010, the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal (NWSM) was hit with a devastating blow – a $35,000 cut to its annual funding when the federal government terminated the Aboriginal Healing Foundation’s funding. Those precious dollars, about one third of the NWSM funding, went to pay for a wide variety of ... read more ››