Volume 3, Issue 5b

A NEW SOLUTION TO AN OLD PROBLEM!

You can tell the new year is here and the end of the fiscal year is coming. I hear news of money shortages and indeed a few reserves have had severe shortages all year round. Well have no fear, I’ve got a few ideas on generating cash and getting the ... read more ››

Check in with a cheque in hand

Downtown Chibougamau’s only hotel has a new policy that has Cree patrons complaining of discrimination. Many Crees staying at the Hotel Chibougamau, also known as the Chibougamau Inn, report being asked for a $250 insurance deposit per room or a credit card number in case of damages. Willie Mitchell of Mistissini said ... read more ››

CREE JUSTICE ON THE WAY

Consultations will be taking place in the Cree communities in the next few months concerning the justice system and how it is applied in the communities. This was the result of a project that was started in 1990 because of concerns raised with the present justice system. The project looked ... read more ››

Cree to play for Montreal Canadiens

Thirteen-year-old Cree hockey star Charly Washipabano will play as a member of the Montreal Canadiens in a tournament game against the New York City Rangers in Quebec City this coming Febrauary 8th. Okay. It’s not the Montreal Canadiens, but a new team called the Little Montreal Canadiens. And it’s not an ... read more ››

Foster Home Appeal

Homes for Children, based in Montreal, is looking for loving foster homes for these First Nations children: Jerry is a two-and-a-half-year-old Inuit baby. At birth, there were medical and developmental concerns since he had been exposed to drugs and alcohol during his mother’s pregnancy. A regime of therapeutic exercises had been ... read more ››

Funds to be axed for drugs, tobacco?

Substance-abuse programs in hundreds of First Nations communities are in jeopardy amid reports that Ottawa is planning to eliminate funding for the Canada Drug Strategy and Tobacco Demand Reduction Strategy. On the chopping block are the internationally recognized Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse and National Addiction Awareness Week. The Canada Drug ... read more ››

GOOSE HUNT UNDER THE GUN

The feds are cranking up the pressure on Crees to cut back on the goose hunt. The Canada Wildlife Service went on a tour of the Cree communities in January to meet with hunters to discuss an apparent decline in goose numbers. Wildlife authorities have already imposed a ban on all recreational ... read more ››

Kitchen Happy if Trappers Happy

Waswanipi Chief John Kitchen and trapper Harry Blacksmith signed an agreement with Domtar Inc. on Dec. 12 for compensation for forestry operations in Cree traplines. Affected trappers will get $ 15,000 the first year their trapline is cut and $ 10,000 each year after. The Waswanipi First Nation will receive ... read more ››

Lighting up legally

Mohawk company Alfred and Stacey, owned by Barry Alfred and Joe Stacey, is the first Native legal cigarette wholesaler in Quebec. This young Mohawk-owned company is young, full of pride and, according to the Quebec government, selling legal cheap smokes in Kahnawake. Long portrayed as the hotbed of alleged contrabrand ... read more ››

No MORE CBC IN BUSH

CBC North will go off the air in bush camps in Northern Quebec on March 31. Radio Canada International, which carries the CBC North shortwave signal, is being closed due to budget cutbacks at the CBC. That means CBC North will no longer reach Crees who are in the bush. “We will ... read more ››

Poll: Crees can stay in Canada

Most Quebecers believe Crees have the right to stay in Canada if Quebec separates, according to a new survey sponsored by the Grand Council. Ninety per cent of Quebec anglophones said Natives have a right to stay in Canada, and 57 per cent of francophones agreed. The poll also found that if ... read more ››

Rez Notes is a failure.

Rez Notes is a failure. No fault, mind you, of the people who have taken the time to volunteer information good or bad, large or small and those who accepted those inopportune phone calls. We have not received many unsolicited pieces for this page and we are getting a tad ... read more ››

The Ultimate Northern Conquest: Raid des Braves (or, You don’t have to be crazy but it helps)

On February 10 in Radisson, time trials will be held to determine the starting positions of the sixth edition of the Raid des Braves. The opening ceremonies and official start of the seven day race will also be in Radisson. With a length of 2,500 km, it is billed as ... read more ››