Volume 10, Issue 23

Aboriginal Logging Rights Upheld

In a landmark logging decision, the New Brunswick Court of Appeal has ruled in favor of a Mi’kmaq man, Joshua Bernard. The court ruled that Bernard, from Eel Ground Reserve near Miramichi, N.B., has a treaty right to harvest and sell trees growing on Crown lands that were historically occupied by ... read more ››

Airplane Crash Claims 8, Including Deputy Chief

A Native community in Northern Ontario lost its deputy chief and three other officials after a tragic plane crash Sept 11. Seven people from Summer Beaver and the pilot were killed when an 11-seat Cessna Grand Caravan owned by Wasaya Airways crashed near the community. Robert Sirianni, captain of CFB Trenton’s ... read more ››

All Smiles in the ‘Skag

What a difference a decade can bring. That’s how long it’s been since the Grand Council/CRA Annual General Assembly was last held in Waskaganish. That was also the year The Nation first covered the event for its inaugural issue. According to the story that appeared in the magazine, Grand Chief Matthew ... read more ››

Church Sex Abuse: Two Solitudes

It might not be polite to notice, but it’s hard to ignore. The Ontario Superior Court award of $1.5 million to a non-native man from Sault Ste-Marie on Sept. 16 is no doubt justified when one reads of the horrific sexual abuse he endured as a boy. The unnamed victim was terrorized ... read more ››

Honduras: The Undiscovered Country – Part 2 of 2

This is a continuation from last week of our CIDA-funded focus on Indigenous eco tourism in Honduras. The Lodge at Pico Bonito The Lodge at Pico Bonito has only been in operation a short time, but is already listed as one of the “small luxury hotels of the world.” Their butterfly farm, Honduras’ ... read more ››

Natives Take Forestry Demands International

Indigenous peoples from around the world are demanding that governments and industry stop the exploitation of forests without their consent. In a recommendation tabled last week before the 4,000 delegates from 140 countries attending the United-Nations-sponsored World Forestry Congress in Quebec City, indigenous groups called for native participation in defining forest ... read more ››

New Opportunities Provided For Natives In Prison

The Government of Canada and the Waseskun Healing Centre have reinforced their joint commitment to building safe communities by signing the Corrections and Conditional Release Act Section 81 Agreement. The agreement states that there will be more of a possibility for inmates in minimum security to serve out their sentence at ... read more ››

Nibinamik First Nation Suffers Devastating Loss

I was saddened recently when I heard the news of a passenger plane crash near the community of Nibinamik First Nation in northwestern Ontario. I am familiar with this community and I know that the local leadership works hard to build a good place for their people to live in. ... read more ››

Safety Tips Series – Part 2 of 3

To prevent poisoning: Poisoning can be caused by more than just bleach or Lysol. Vitamins, cough and cold medicines, some types of plants, make-up, paint, alcohol and cigarettes are just a few things of many that can be toxic to your children. Just a few iron pills are enough to ... read more ››

Survey Says: Natives in Poor Health

It won’t come as a surprise, but the just-released Aboriginal Peoples Survey confirms it: the health of Natives in Canada is poor. Stricken with arthritis and diabetes at rates double the national average, aboriginal adults in Canada were twice as likely as those in the rest of the country to ... read more ››

Wapachee Wins Seat at CRA

Bertie Wapachee, the former chairman of the Cree Health Board (CHB), has been elected to the Grand Council of the Crees/ Cree Regional Authority (CRA) for a two-year term as the representative for Nemaska. Wapachee goes from being the head of the CHB and making all the important health decisions, to ... read more ››

Weather Or Not

We, as Canadians (iens), view bad weather with the usual yawns of disappointment when near white-out conditions prevail only for a day or two. The average temperature hovers usually around zero on a brisk October morning and creeps up to about five degrees or so by noon hour. I am ... read more ››

When The Rain Comes

Rainy days always seem to bring about a down or depressed mood. In a small remote community in the north this kind of weather can have a less-than-desirable impact. The gray, sunless weather depresses many in the community and also creates a muddy, wet mess for the entire town. Most ... read more ››

Wildlife Officers Graduate

The first group of Wildlife Conservation Officers for the Cree nation have successfully completed their one-year program and are looking forward to being stationed in all nine Cree communities. Of the 10 students who graduated last week, eight are of Cree ancestry, one is Naskapi and one is non-native. The funding ... read more ››