Volume 7, Issue 18

52 Airlifted Off Ice Floe

A helicopter airlift carried hunters off a giant ice floe that went adrift near the Nunavut community of Arctic Bay, stranding 52 people. “They were on the ice and a big pod of it broke away,” a government official told a reporter. The people were involved in the spring hunt for narwhal ... read more ››

Article Sparks Strong Reactions

The reactions ranged from sadness, to anger, to confusion. Some were left scratching their heads. Many tried to figure out what was going through Billy Diamond’s mind as he trashed the Cree leadership in L’Actualité. “Hogwash, man,” is how one Cree responded. “What a guy! I think he’s jealous of Matthew.” (The ... read more ››

Best Kept Secrets

Another one of my life dreams has come true. I have just crossed the country from Ontario to British Columbia by motorcycle. I am happy to say I completed the first half of this trip on my Yamaha 650 Maxim accompanied by my friend Mike on his old Honda Goldwing. Tonight, ... read more ››

Billy Diamond Declares “War” on Cree Leaders, Backtracks on Hydro-Quebec

The article dropped like a bomb in the Cree world. After a long silence, former Cree Grand Chief Billy Diamond made a stunning return to the public eye with a cover story in the August issue of the Quebec magazine L’Actualité. In the nine-page article. Diamond made many surprising revelations and ... read more ››

Bread & Circuses

I’ve never been to an election for National Chief before and didn’t know quite what to expect. On the outside it looked like any other conference I had ever been to; people going in and out, smokers hanging around the entrance puffing away, groups of people talking in hushed tones ... read more ››

Cree Lays Claim to England

A 19-year-old Cree man plans to claim England later this month in the name of Canada’s First Nations. “Since it’s the first time I’ll be there, I’m going to say I discovered it,” said John McDonald, who will be studying at Cambridge University during July as part of an exchange program. McDonald ... read more ››

Hotels, Motels and Executive Directors

It’s been a busy time for me. First of all I went to the annual general meeting of the National Association of Friendship Centers in Vancouver. A great place, nice to visit and recommended for all. The meeting was great and at the same time the Aboriginal Youth Councils were ... read more ››

Ottawa, the city that fun forgot

Ottawa, the city that fun forgot. We drive in, call Kenny Blacksmith and ask for directions on how to get to the Assembly of First Nation annual general assembly. We learn it’s being held at Lansdowne Park, home of the Roughriders and the 67s. We stride into the conference center and campaign ... read more ››

The People Have Spoken

It was an exciting time to see the election of a new National Chief. Matthew Coon Come was back after a year off from politics. A Grand Council official said he hadn’t seen Coon Come so charged up since the Cree fight against Hydro-Quebec’s Great Whale project. It was this ... read more ››