Following last winter’s mass murder in a shooting spree in La Loche, Saskatchewan, and the continuing epidemic of suicide in Attawapiskat and other Indigenous communities, media commentators argued that isolation is to blame. The misery and despair, they said, were […]
Category: Archives
Montrealers organize to show solidarity with Standing Rock
Follow the money. That’s the message activists who oppose construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline through the Standing Rock Sioux reservation have for international sympathizers of the growing protest movement. In Canada, that means targeting the three large banks here […]
Making it right when things go wrong
We need more people like Chief Walter Naveau of Mattagami First Nation and Fire Chief Mike Benson of Gogama, Ontario. They have proven themselves as powerful advocates for local people and the environment. These two men, among many others, have […]
The Santa workout
Grasping the handle of the super-sized shopping cart, I join the long line of sweating, winter-coat-swaddled shoppers a hundred metres deep. We are all waiting our turn at the automated checkout machines. One of the machines has communication issues with […]
Justice is not colour blind
A number of developing stories this past month demonstrate quite clearly that there are two distinct standards of law in North America when it comes to First Nations people on this continent. Consider the case of Adam Capay. Capay is […]
imagineNATIVE film fest features themes of reconnection
Perhaps there is no better way to absorb a cultural tapestry than through a series of films on a dreary, rain-soaked weekend. Audiences who attended this year’s imagineNATIVE Film and Media Arts Festival were given five days (October 19-23) packed […]
Using virtual reality to strengthen Cree language
The Cree School Board (CSB) will be offering the most cutting-edge language-teaching technology in Quebec, if not the whole country, when three pilot projects begin in Chisasibi, Nemaska and Oujé-Bougoumou this month. The Cree Syllabics Virtual Reality (CSVR) project, called […]
Val-d’Or SQ officers sue Radio-Canada as abuse investigation drags on
One year after Radio Canada’s Enquête program brought to light startling allegations of sexual assault and abuse suffered by Native women at the hands of Sûreté du Québec (SQ) officers in Val-d’Or and the surrounding area, 41 police officers at […]
Checking in at Standing Rock + An interview with Comanche war chief descendant
The events at Standing Rock – from police tactics, to celebrity support, to direct actions – have escalated since two reporters from the Nation visited the protest camp last month. In an October 27 raid on the Oceti Sakowin camp, […]
Northern Developments: Renard diamond mine and Wabun agreement
Quebec’s first diamond mine in Eeyou Istchee will work closely with the Cree Nation by Peter Wheeland Last month’s opening of Quebec’s first diamond mine launched a new era of resource development in the north, providing economic stimulus and ecological […]










