May 12, 2011

Page 1

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Fleury headlines Walk for Life PAGES 18 and 19 Vol. 38 #10

Forum highlights housing problems PAGE 9

In-school program facing uncertainty PAGES 14 and 15 9,300 copies distributed $1.50

May 12, 2011 www.wawataynews.ca

Youth shape future

Northern Ontario’s First Nation Voice since 1974

Taking flight

James Thom Wawatay News

Each participant had life experience to share. Brent Achnepineskum spoke about how he works with youth and helps encourage a healthy lifestyle. “I show the youth how to construct and make a stand against drugs,” Achnepineskum said. “It is important to help the young people realize their strength.” Nicole McKay said she tries to remain active in the community and be aware of what the youth are doing. “I’m still learning what I can do as an adult,” McKay said. “But when there are youth activities happening, I try and volunteer, encouraging people to attend and provide or arrange rides for them.” Pytor Hodgson, of the Centre of Excellence on Youth Engagement, said each participant is an example of people working on youth engagement. Hodgson and Donna Anderson, of the Ontario First Nations Young Peoples’ Council, led a session on youth engagement and policy at the Indigenous Youth Engagement Policy Forum April 28-29 at Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School in Thunder Bay. Several dozen youth participated in the conference, which will help shape their future, according to organizers. “The youth voice matters,” Anderson said. “Once the youth know that, it will help them gain strength.” Bess Legarde, also an OFNYPC member, said young people feel more appreciated when they are engaged. “Being part of a team really helped me,” she said. “I grew up with my mom only. The team was there for me. I had something to do, something to live for. That experience gave me the confidence I needed to join the council and keep going.” Syndyn Baxter, an Eabametoong band member living in Thunder Bay, was empowered at the conference. “I came here on my own, not knowing anyone,” she said. “But it was comfortable enough to open up and voice my opinions. “By participating today, I have helped learn how to get more people involved. I know you have to listen to what the youth want.” During the session, the youth split into two groups and brainstormed how to engage more youth to get them more involved in shaping their own future and in a larger way, the First Nation future, Anderson said. See ENGAGEMENT page 2

James Thom/Wawatay News

This Wasaya Jet took flight during the 23rd All-Native Goodwill Hockey Tournament April 29-May 1 at Fort William First Nation Arena. The Jets fell to the Lac Seul Bruins 6-4 in the atom final of the tournament. For more photos, see page 28 and a photo gallery online at www.wawataynews.ca/node/21397

ᐅᐡᑲᑎᓴᐠ ᐅᑲᐅᓀᐣᑕᓇᐊᐧ ᐊᓂᐣ ᑫᐃᔑᓇᑲᐧᓂᐠ ᓂᑲᐣ ᑫᔭᓂᐱᒪᑎᓯᐊᐧᐨ ᒉᒥᐢ ᑕᐧᑦ ᐊᐧᐊᐧᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐃᐧᓇᐣ

ᑲᑭᓇ ᐃᒪ ᑲᑭᐃᐧᒋᑕᐧᐊᐧᐨ ᐅᑕᔭᓇᐊᐧ ᐅᑎᓯᓭᐃᐧᓂᐊᐧ ᐅᐱᒪᑎᓯᐃᐧᓂᐊᐧᐠ ᑫᑭᐃᐧᐣᑕᒪᑫᐊᐧᐸᐣ. ᑊᕑᐁᐣᐟ ᐊᒋᓂᐱᓀᐢᑲᑦ ᑭᐊᓂᒧᑕᑦ ᐊᓂᐣ ᐁᔑᐊᐧᐃᐧᒋᐦᐊᐨ ᐅᐡᑲᑎᓴᐣ ᒥᓇ ᐅᑐᒋ ᔕᔑᑭᐡᑲᐊᐧᐣ ᐊᓂᐣ ᑫᐃᔑ ᑲᐧᔭᑯᓭᐦᐃᑎᓱᐊᐧᐨ ᐅᐱᒪᑎᓯᐃᐧᓂᐊᐧᐠ. ᓂᐊᐧᐸᐣᑕᐦᐊᐠ ᐅᐡᑲᑎᓴᐠ ᑫᑐᑕᒧᐊᐧᐨ ᒥᓇ ᑫᒪᐡᑲᐃᐧᑲᐸᐃᐧᐦᐃᑎᓱᐊᐧᐨ ᐁᑲ ᑫᐃᔑ ᔕᑯᒋᐦᐃᑯᐊᐧᐨ ᑲᐊᐧᓂᔭᐸᒋᒋᑲᑌᐠ ᒪᐡᑭᑭᑫᐃᐧᐣ, ᐃᑭᑐ ᐊᒋᓂᐱᓀᐢᑲᑦ. ᑭᒋᓀᐣᑕᑲᐧᐣ ᒋᐃᐧᒋᐦᐃᐣᑕᐧ ᐅᐡᑲᑎᓴᐠ ᒋᓂᓯᑕᐁᐧᐣᑕᒧᓂᑕᐧ ᐁᑭᑭᐡᑲᑯᐊᐧᐨ ᒪᐡᑲᐃᐧᓯᐃᐧᐣ. ᓂᐦᑯᓫ ᒪᑫ ᐃᑭᑎ ᑫᐃᐧᐣ ᒪᐊᐧᐨ ᐃᑯ ᐁᑯᑲᐡᑭᑐᐨ ᐁᐊᐧᐃᐧᒋᑕᐧᐨ ᐃᒪ ᐅᑌᓇᐠ ᒥᓇ ᐁᐃᐧᑲᑭᑫᐣᑕᐠ ᐊᓂᐣ ᐅᐡᑲᑎᓴᐠ ᐁᑐᑕᒧᐊᐧᐨ. ᒣᑲᐧᐨ ᐃᑯ ᓂᓇᓇᑕᐃᐧᑭᑫᐣᑕᐣ ᐊᓂᐣ ᑫᑭᐃᔑᐊᐧᐃᐧᒋᑕᐧᔭᐸᐣ ᑲᑭᒋᐦᐊᐊᐧᑭᓱᔭᐣ, ᐃᑭᑐ ᒪᑫ. ᔕᑯᐨ ᐊᑯ ᐅᐡᑲᑎᓯᐃᐧ ᐃᔑᒋᑫᐃᐧᓇᐣ ᑲᑐᒋᑲᑌᑭᐣ, ᓂᑲᑫᐧ ᐊᐧᐃᐧᒋᐦᐃᐁᐧ, ᐁᔕᔑᑭᒪᑲᐧ ᐊᐃᐧᔭᐠ ᑫᐃᐧᓇᐊᐧ ᒋᐃᔕᐊᐧᐨ ᒥᓇ ᒋᐃᔑᑕᐱᑕᒪᑫᐊᐧᐨ ᓇᐣᑕ ᒋᐅᓇᑐᐊᐧᐨ ᒋᐊᐃᔑᑕᐸᓂᑕᐧ. ᐱᑐᕑ ᐦᐊᐨᓴᐣ, ᐃᔑᓂᑲᓱ ᑲᔭᓄᑭᐨ ᐅᐡᑲᑎᓯᐃᐧ ᐊᓄᑭᑕᒪᑫᐃᐧᓂᐠ, ᐃᑭᑐ ᐸᐯᔑᐠ ᐊᐃᐧᔭ ᐅᐣᒋ ᑭᑭᓇᐊᐧᐸᐣᑕᐦᐃᐁᐧ ᑲᐱᒥᔭᓄᑭᑕᒪᑫᐨ ᐅᒪ ᐅᐡᑲᑎᓯᐃᐧ ᐊᓄᑭᑕᒪᑫᐃᐧᓂᐠ. ᐦᐊᐨᓴᐣ ᐁᑲᐧ ᒥᓇ ᑕᐧᓇ ᐊᐣᑐᕑᓴᐣ,

ᑲᑕᑭᐧᐊᐧᐨ ᐅᐣᑌᕑᐃᔪ ᐊᐦᑭᐠ ᐊᓂᔑᓇᐯᐠ ᐅᐡᑲᑎᓯᐃᐧ ᐊᐱᑕᒪᑫᐃᐧᓂᐠ, ᐃᐧᓇᐊᐧ ᐅᑭ ᒪᒋᑐᓇᐊᐧ ᒪᐊᐧᒋᐦᐃᑐᐃᐧᓂ ᐁᑭᔭᓂᒧᒋᑲᑌᐠ ᐅᐡᑲᑎᓯᐃᐧ ᐅᑭᐧᓄᐃᐧᐣ ᒥᓇ ᑲᐃᓇᔓᐊᐧᑌᐠ ᐅᐡᑲᑎᓯᐃᐧ ᐊᐱᑕᒪᑫᐃᐧᐣ ᒣᑲᐧᐨ ᓂᑭᐱᓯᑦ 28-29 ᑲᐃᓇᑭᓱᐨ ᐁᐧᑎ ᑌᓇᐢ ᑲᕑᐊᒧᕑᑎ ᐦᐊᔾ ᐢᑯᓫ ᑕᐣᑐᕑ ᐯ. ᒥᔑᐣ ᐅᐡᑲᑎᓴᐠ ᑭᐱᔕᐊᐧᐠ ᑲᑭᒪᐊᐧᒋᐦᐃᑐᐊᐧᐨ, ᐊᓂᐡ ᒥᐦᐃᒪ ᑫᐅᒋ ᐃᐧᒋᐦᐃᑯᐊᐧᐨ ᒋᐅᓀᐣᑕᒧᐊᐧᐨ ᑫᐃᔑᓇᑯᑐᐊᐧᐨ ᐅᓂᑲᓂᒥᐊᐧ, ᑲᑭᐃᔑ ᐅᓇᒋᑫᑕᒪᑯᐊᐧᐨ ᐅᑐᓇᒋᑫᐠ. ᐅᐡᑲᑎᓴᐠ ᐅᓄᑕᑯᓯᐃᐧᓂᐊᐧ ᒪᐊᐧᐨ ᑭᒋᓀᐣᑕᑲᐧᓂ, ᐃᑭᑐ ᐊᐣᑐᕑᓴᐣ. ᐊᐱ ᐅᐡᑲᑎᓴᐠ ᑭᑫᐣᑕᒧᐊᐧᐨ ᐅᐁᐧᓂ, ᐅᑲᐃᐧᒋᐦᐃᑯᓇᐊᐧ ᒋᔭᓂᒪᐡᑲᐃᐧᓯᐊᐧᐨ. ᐯᐢ ᓫᐊᑲᕑᐟ, ᑫᐃᐧᐣ ᐃᒪ ᐃᔑᑕᑭᐧ, ᑭᐃᑭᑐ ᐅᐡᑲᑎᓴᐠ ᐅᑐᒋᒥᓀᐧᐣᑕᓇᐊᐧ ᑲᐊᔑᑎᓂᑕᐧ ᑫᑯᐣ ᑲᐃᔑᒋᑲᓄᐊᐧᓂᐠ. ᑫᓂᐣ ᐃᒪ ᑲᑭᑕᑭᐧᔭᐣ ᒥᐢᑕᐦᐃ ᐣᑭᐅᒋᐃᐧᒋᐦᐃᑯᐣ, ᐃᑭᑐ. ᓂᒪᒪ ᐁᑕ ᐣᑭᐯᔑᑯ ᐅᑦᐱᑭᐦᐃᐠ. ᐅᑯᐁᐧᓂᐊᐧᐠ ᑕᐡ ᑲᐅᑭᐧᓄᐊᐧᐨ ᐣᑭᐃᐧᒋᐦᐃᑯᐠ. ᐣᑭᐅᐣᑎᓇᐣ ᑫᑯᐣ ᑫᑐᑕᒪᐣ, ᑫᑯᐣ ᒥᓇ ᒋᐅᒋ ᑭᒋᓀᐣᑕᒪᐣ ᓂᐱᒪᑎᓯᐃᐧᓂᐠ. ᒥᐦᐅᒪ ᑲᔦ ᑲᑭᐅᐣᑎᓇᒪᐣ ᑌᐸᑫᓂᒧᐃᐧᐣ ᑲᑭᓇᑕᐁᐧᐣᑕᒪᐣ ᒋᐊᔭᔭᐣ ᒋᑕᑭᐧᔭᐣ ᐅᒪ ᐊᐱᑕᒪᑫᐃᐧᓂᐠ ᐁᑲᐧ ᐃᒪ ᒋᐅᒋ ᐱᒥᐃᐧᓂᑯᔭᐣ. ᓯᐣᑎᐣ ᐸᑭᐢᑐᕑ, ᐊᐸᒪᑐᐠ ᐁᐅᒋᐨ ᑕᐣᑐᕑ ᐯ ᐃᔑᑲᐯᔑ, ᑫᐃᐧᐣ ᐅᑭᐃᐧᒋᐦᐃᑯᐣ ᒋᐅᒋᒪᐡᑲᐃᐧᑲᐸᐃᐧᐨ ᒪᐊᐧᒋᐦᐃᑐᐃᐧᓂᐠ. ᓂᓂᑯ ᐣᑭᐱᒋᐃᐧᓂᑎᐢ ᐅᒪ, ᑲᐃᐧᐣ ᐊᐃᐧᔭ ᒋᐅᒋ ᑭᑫᓂᒪᐠ, ᐃᑭᑐ. ᔕᑯᐨ

ᑭᒥᓀᐧᐣᑕᑲᐧᐣ ᐁᑲ ᐁᑭᐅᒋ ᔕᑫᐧᓂᒧᔭᐣ ᒋᐊᔭᒥᔭᐣ ᒥᓇ ᒋᐃᐧᐣᑕᒪᐣ ᑲᐃᓀᐣᑕᒪᐣ. ᓄᑯᑦ ᑲᑭᔑᑲᐠ ᑲᑭᑕᑭᐧᔭᐣ, ᐣᑭᐃᐧᒋᑕᐧ ᐁᑭᐅᒋ ᐊᐧᐃᐧᐣᑕᒪᑫᔭᐣ ᐊᓂᐣ ᑫᑐᑕᒧᐊᐧᐨ ᐊᐃᐧᔭᐠ ᑫᐃᔑᐃᐧᒋᑕᐧᐊᐧᐨ. ᐣᑭᑫᐣᑕᐣ ᐅᐣᒋᑕ ᐱᑯ ᐁᓯᓭᐠ ᒋᓇᑐᑕᐃᐧᑕᐧ ᐅᐡᑲᑎᓴᐠ ᑲᐃᔑᓇᑕᐁᐧᑕᒧᐊᐧᐨ. ᐁᑲᐧ ᒣᑲᐧᐨ ᑲᒪᐊᐧᒋᐦᐃᑎᐊᐧᐨ, ᐅᐡᑲᑎᓴᐠ ᐃᒪ ᑲᑭᐱᔕᐊᐧᐨ ᑭᓀᓇᐃᐧᓇᐊᐧᐠ ᐁᑭᓂᔐᐧᐊᐧᓀᓯᐊᐧᐨ ᒥᓇ ᐅᑭ ᓇᓇᑕᐃᐧᑭᑫᐣᑕᓇᐊᐧ ᐊᓂᐣ ᐊᐊᐧᔑᒣ ᑭᔭᐱᐨ ᐅᐡᑲᑎᓴᐠ ᑫᑭᐅᒋ ᐃᐧᑯᐱᓂᑕᐧᐸᐣ ᒋᐅᒋ ᐅᓀᐣᑕᒧᐊᐧᐨ ᐅᓂᑲᓂᒥᐊᐧ ᐁᑲᐧ ᒥᓇ ᓇᐊᐧᐨ ᑲᐃᔑᒪᐣᑫᑕᑲᐧᐠ, ᐊᓂᔑᓂᓂ ᐅᓂᑲᓂᒥᐠ, ᐃᑭᑐ ᐊᐣᑐᕑᓴᐣ. ᑲᑭᐱᔕᐊᐧᐨ ᐅᑭᐃᐧᐣᑕᓇᐊᐧ ᑲᐃᓀᐣᑕᒧᐊᐧᐨ ᐊᑎᐟ ᐸᐸᑲᐣ ᑫᑯᓇᐣ ᐊᓂᐣ ᑫᑭᑐᒋᑲᑌᑭᐸᐣ ᑫᐃᔑᒥᓄᓭᐠ ᐅᐡᑲᑎᓯᐃᐧ ᐃᐧᑕᓄᑭᒥᑐᐃᐧᐣ. ᒥᑕᐡ ᐅᓄᐁᐧᓂᐊᐧᐣ ᑐᑲᐣ ᒪᒋᑕᐦᐃᑯᐃᐧᓇᐣ ᒪᒪᐃᐧᓄᐃᐧᓇᐣ, ᐅᑌᓇᐠ ᑲᐸᐸᒥᔭᓂᐊᐧᐠ ᐊᔭᑲᐧᒥᓯᐃᐧᐣ, ᐃᐧᒋᐅᐡᑲᑎᓯᐃᐧ ᐊᓱᐡᑯᑕᑐᐃᐧᐣ, ᑎᐯᐣᒋᑫᐃᐧ ᐊᓱᐡᑯᑕᑐᐃᐧᐣ, ᑕᔑᑫᐃᐧ ᐊᓱᐡᑯᑕᑐᐃᐧᐣ, ᑭᑫᐣᑕᒧᓂᐁᐧᐃᐧᐣ, ᑲᑫᐧᐸᑭᓇᑫᐃᐧᓇᐣ, ᐃᐡᑯᓄᐃᐧᐣ, ᒥᓇ ᐊᓂᔑᓂᓂᐃᐧ ᐃᔑᒋᑫᐃᐧᐣ ᐅᐣᑕᑲᓀᓯᐃᐧᐣ ᑲᑲᑫᐧ ᑭᐁᐧᑲᒋᑎᓂᑲᑌᐠ. ᐁᑲᐧ ᒥᓇ ᑯᑕᑭᔭᐠ ᐸᑲᐣ ᑲᑭᐅᑲᐧᐱᐊᐧᐨ ᐅᑭᐃᐧᐣᑕᓇᐊᐧ ᓇᐊᐧᐨ ᐸᔭᑌ ᑫᑯᓇᐣ. ᑐᑲᐣ ᑲᐃᐡᑯᓄᐦᐃᐁᐧᐊᐧᐨ ᒋᑭᐅᒋ ᑲᑫᐧᓂᓯᑕᐁᐧᓂᒪᐊᐧᐸᐣ ᑲᐃᐡᑯᓄᐃᐧᐦᐊᐊᐧᐨ ᐊᓂᐣ ᐁᔑᑲᐡᑭᐦᐅᓂᐨ, ᐅᐡᑲᑎᓴᐠ ᒋᐸᑲᑫᓂᒥᑎᐊᐧᐨ, ᒋᐅᐣᑎᓇᒪᐃᐧᑕᐧ ᑫᐃᔑᐸᔭᑕᑫᐣᑕᒧᐊᐧᐨ, ᑫᐃᔑᒥᓀᐧᐣᑕᒧᐊᐧᐨ ᒥᓇ ᒋᐱᒥᐃᐧᒋᐦᐃᑐᐊᐧᐨ.

7 th Annual Wasaya Airways Charity Golf Tournament Friday July 22, 2011 Red Lake Golf and Country Club REGISTER TODAY! ENTRY DEADLINE JULY 4TH

ᐊᑎᑲ ᐅᐁᐧ ᓄᑯᑦ ᑲᑭᔑᑲᐠ, ᒥᔑᐣ ᓂᑭᒥᑲᒥᐣ ᒥᓄᑫᑯᓇᐣ, ᐦᐊᐨᓴᐣ ᐃᑭᑐ. ᑌᓇᐢ ᑲᕑᐊᒧᕑᑎ ᐦᐊᔾ ᐢᑯᓫ ᐃᐡᑯᓄᑭᒪ ᒐᐧᓂᑕᐣ ᑲᑭᑲᒥᐠ ᑭᐃᑭᑐ ᒥᐦᐅᐁᐧ ᑐᑲᐣ ᒪᐊᐧᒋᐦᐃᑐᐃᐧᐣ ᑲᑭᓇᑕᐁᐧᐣᑕᑲᐧᐠ ᒋᑐᒋᑲᑌᐠ. ᐊᔕ ᐃᓯᓭᐸᐣ ᒋᑭᐊᔑᑎᓇᔭᑭᐸᐣ ᑭᑐᐡᑲᑎᓯᒥᓇᓂᐠ ᒋᔭᓂ ᓇᑯᓯᐊᐧᐨ ᐁᔭᓄᑲᑕᒧᐊᐧᐨ ᐅᓂᑲᓂᒥᐊᐧ, ᑲᑭᑲᒥᐠ ᐃᑭᑐ. ᐃᐧᒋᑕᐃᐧᐣ ᓇᑕᐁᐧᐣᑕᑲᐧᐣ ᒋᓇᑯᒋᑲᑌᐠ, ᑲᐃᐧᐣ ᐃᑯ ᐁᑕ ᒋᒧᒋ ᐃᑭᑐᑕᒪᑫᒪᑲᐠ ᐅᑭᐊᐧᐃᐧᐣᑕᐣ ᑲᔦ ᐊᓂᐣ ᐅᑎᐡᑯᓄᑲᒥᐠ ᑲᐃᔑᑲᑫᐧ ᐊᓄᑭᐦᐃᑕᐧ ᐅᐡᑲᑎᓴᐠ ᐃᒪ ᐃᐧᒋᑕᐧᐃᐧᓂᐠ. ᐊᑎᑲ ᐅᒪ ᐃᐡᑯᓄᑲᒥᑯᐠ, ᐃᒪ ᐅᐣᒋᒪᒋᓭ ᑲᑕᔑ ᐱᒥᐃᐡᑯᓄᐦᐃᐣᑕᐧ, ᐃᑭᑐ. ᐊᔭᐊᐧᐣ ᑕᓱᑭᔑᑲ ᑫᑯᓇᐣ: ᑲᓇᐊᐧᐸᒥᑯᓯᐃᐧᐣ, ᐁᑲ ᒋᐊᒋᓇᐦᐃᐣᑕᐧ, ᒪᔭᑦ ᒋᐃᔑᐸᑭᑎᓇᒧᐊᐧᐨ ᐅᒪᓯᓇᐦᐃᑲᓄᐊᐧ, ᒋᐅᓇᑐᐊᐧᐨ ᑲᐃᐧᔭᓂᑲᑫᐧ ᑌᐱᓇᒧᐊᐧᐨ ᒣᑲᐧᐨ ᐊᐱ ᑲᒥᓄᓭᐊᐧᐨ ᒥᓇ ᒣᑲᐧᐨ ᐊᐱ ᑲᔭᓂᒥᓭᐊᐧᐨ. ᑭᐡᐱᐣ ᑲᑭᓇ ᐅᑎᐡᑯᓂ ᑕᑭᐧᐸᐣ ᐃᐧᒋᑕᐧᐃᐧᓂᐠ ᒥᓇ ᐱᒥᓂᔕᐦᐊᐠ ᐅᒪ ᒥᑲᓇᐠ, ᒥᐦᐅᒪ ᑫᐅᒋ ᐃᐧᒋᐦᐃᑯᐊᐧᐨ ᐊᓂᔑᓂᓂᐊᐧᐠ ᒥᓯᐁᐧ ᐅᐱᒪᑎᓯᐃᐧᓂᐊᐧᐠ. ᑊᕑᐃᑕᓂ ᐊᐣᒋᑯᓀᑊ, ᓄᑯᒥᑫ ᐅᑭᑭᔑᑐᓇᐸᐣ ᐅᑎᐡᑯᓄᐃᐧᐣ ᐃᒪ ᐦᐊᔾ ᐢᑯᓫ, ᑫᐃᐧᐣ ᐃᒪ ᑭᑕᑭᐧ ᒪᐊᐧᒋᐦᐃᑐᐃᐧᓂᐠ. ᒥᐱᑯ ᐅᓴᑦ ᑲᑐᑕᒪᐣ ᑲᑭᓇᑐᑕᒪᐣ ᑲᑭᐊᐃᑭᑐᐊᐧᐨ ᐊᐃᐧᔭᐠ ᐊᓂᐡ ᒥᔑᓄᐊᐧᐠ ᐅᐡᑲᑎᓴᐠ ᑭᒋᑫᑯᐣ ᐁᐃᐧᐃᑭᑐᐊᐧᐨ, ᑭᐃᑭᑐ. ᐃᓇᐱᐣ ᐸᑭᑭᓂᑲᓂᐠ 19

All proceeds donated to the Red Lake Emergency Shelter

CONTACT Kevin Brewer at kbrewer@wasaya.com or (807) 474-2355

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Wawatay News

MAY 12, 2011

ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ

DNA links hat to Wabasse James Thom Wawatay News

James Thom/Wawatay News

Participants relieve tension and get to know each other during a session at the Indigenous Youth Engagement Policy Forum April 28. The forum was designed to get First Nation youth more involved in shaping their futures.

Engagement can’t be ‘lip-service’ from page 1 Participants identified several ideas to begin the process of engagement. These include programming in groups and clubs, street level motivation, peer support, family support, community support, awareness, contests, education, cultural participation and identity reclamation. A second group identified more specific ideas. These include having teachers find potential in all students, youth recognizing each other, provide safe, positive environments and being proactive. “Even just today, there have been positive outcomes,” Hodgson said. DFC principal Jonathon Kakegamic said the conference was something that needed to

happen. “We need to start engaging our youth to be active participants in our future,” Kakegamic said. “Engagement needs to be conscious, it can’t be lip-service.” He described ways the school is trying to engage youth. “At DFC, it starts in the classroom,” he said. “There are daily things: being accountable, being on time, getting assignments done, developing goals to sustain their targets in good times and times of discouragement. “If every student is engaged and follows this path, it will help (First Nations) in the big picture.” Brittany Angeconeb, a recent graduate of DFC, also participated in the conference. “I mostly listened to what

other people had to say … because a lot of young people have important things to say,” she said. “A lot of youth know what they want and they just need a voice to be able to say it.” Laura Calmwind, regional youth coordinator for Chiefs of Ontario, is hopeful the youth voice was strengthened during the conference. “We are here today to work in gaining the voice of the young people at the ground level,” she said. That could mean laying the groundwork for the creation of youth councils in the First Nation communities to help give youth a voice. That voice could be echoed more loudly at regional or provincial levels as interest grows, she said. But it started with the conference in Thunder Bay, she said.

“The most important question anyone will ask today is ‘How do you want your voice to be heard?’” Calmwind said. The same question will be asked repeatedly over the next year as four additional sessions are planned. A session will be held in Toronto and three will be held on First Nations. “I’m very proud of what the youth are doing here today,” Calmwind said. “All the information, the wisdom and direction they are giving us, will be developed into the youth policy.” It will be presented to the Ministry of Children and Youth Services and the Chiefs of Ontario in the summer of 2012. “We hope they will look at it and set it into motion,” Calmwind said.

DNA tests have linked missing teen Jordan Wabasse to a hat found offshore near the Kaministiqua River. Thunder Bay Police announced April 27 the DNA matched that of Wabasse, a Webequie teen missing in Thunder Bay since Feb. 7. In the time since the hat was found, a running shoe also believed to belong to Wabasse was found. Wabasse, 15, was last seen Feb. 7 and was reported missing by a guardian the next day. Volunteers have been doing a ground search of the Westfort area of Thunder Bay since Wabasse went missing. Thunder Bay Police did a ground search of the river bank May 4. RCMP officers joined the search with two boats looking for any signs of the missing teen. Thunder Bay Police spokesman Chris Adams said the search failed to locate the teen. Wabasse’s grandmother Beulah Wabasse was watching the police search the river. She couldn’t put into words what she felt, instead breaking into tears. “Imagine if it was your son or daughter that was missing,” said Pic River’s Martina Smith, who has been involved with the civilian search since the beginning. “We want to believe he

is alive and not in the spirit world,” Smith said, as she comforted the elderly woman. “With every high and low of the search, I feel the same emotions as the family does.” She said more is needed to protect youth from being in dangerous positions like the one Wabasse may have found himself in the night he went missing. Wasaya Group Aboriginal Relations manager Stanley Sainnawap agrees.

“We want to believe he is alive and not in the spirit world.” – Martina Smith

He appeared on Wawatay Radio Network April 28. He discussed the number of youth who leave their First Nations to attend school in Thunder Bay only to be returned home to be buried. “We’re trying to make a commitment to keep our youth safer,” Sainnawap said following his appearance on the air. “We don’t have a plan to announce right now. We’re trying to figure out where to start.” Wasaya is looking for input and advice from First Nation members about ways to keep the youth safe. “We’re losing our youth and we need to do more than talk,” Sainnawap said.

City of Thunder Bay Public Art Program CALL TO ARTISTS “Gathering Circle Panels” Local or regional Canadian Artists and Artist-led teams are invited to submit proposals to create imagery for a series of steel panels which will be installed along the base of the Gathering Circle. Artists are expected to have extensive experience and knowledge of Northwestern Ontario Aboriginal communities, culture and history. Project Budget: $25,000

Sandy feels herself fading from her husband’s life, being replaced by his alcohol, pills and drugs.

Panel locations extend along the entire face of the wall

Submission Deadline: Thursday, June 15, 2011 @ 4:00 p.m. local time Contact: Reana Mussato 625-2365 or rmussato@thunderbay.ca For more information: Download PDF online: www.thunderbay.ca/calltoartists Pick up hard copies: Materials Management front desk Victoriaville Civic Centre 111 Syndicate Avenue South Thunder Bay Call 625-2252 to have a copy mailed to your address For more information contact Chris Kornacki toll free at 1-888-575-2349 or visit www.wawataynews.com/health4everyone

Wawatay News MAY 12, 2011

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ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ

Day of action

submitted photo

More than 300 people attended the Shannen’s Dream Day of Action event in Ottawa April 27. The rally honoured the life and legacy of Shannen Koostachin, an inspirational youth leader from Attawapiskat First Nation who died tragically before realizing her dream of a new school in her community. More than 300 people took part in the rally including Shannen’s parents, her friend Chelsea Edwards, Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence and Nishnawbe Aski Nation leaders. NAN Grand Chief Stan Beardy, left, Spence middle, NAN Deputy Grand Chief Terry Waboose, right, participate in the rally at Parliament Hill.

Constance Lake in mining battle Termination ruled Rick Garrick Wawatay News

Constance Lake First Nation is claiming an initial victory in its legal battle to stop further mineral exploration drilling in its traditional territory. “In the interim, there is to be no drilling on sites other than the ones where Zenyatta (Ventures Ltd.) already has its drills set up,” said Oliver MacLaren, legal counsel for the community. “Constance Lake obtained exactly what it was seeking – it was seeking an injunction from having Zenyatta drill any further and that is exactly what was awarded. Zenyatta is not allowed to move its drill anywhere else.” The community had filed a court motion in Ontario Superior Court seeking to stop Zenyatta from further exploration drilling in the an area northwest of Hearst. Zenyatta announced the start of a 20,000 metre drill program in the Albany Project in a Feb. 28 press release.

The company is targeting nickel, copper and platinum group metals in its Albany Project claims, which cover 300,000 acres. The court motion was heard April 29 in Ontario Superior Court by Justice Sidney N. Lederman, who adjourned court to allow the Zenyatta, Constance Lake and Ontario to meet and attempt to resolve the issue. “I am glad to see the court taking these issues seriously,” said Constance Lake Chief Arthur Moore. “We take them very seriously. If exploration is going to occur, it needs to be done right – in a way that is respectful to the land, to our people, and to our rights.” MacLaren said if the parties can’t reach an interim agreement, then they must head back to court May 11. Nishnawbe Aski Nation Deputy Grand Chiefs Mike Metatawabin and Terry Waboose took part in Constance Lake’s May 2 peaceful demonstration about 80 kilometres from the

community on Hwy. 11 where the Pagwachuan River crosses the highway. “We are supporting Constance Lake First Nation,” Metatawabin said over satellite phone during the demonstration. “The community should be informed and notified that there is activity going on.” Metatawabin said about 20-30 community members took part in the demonstration, which was also attended by Hearst mayor Roger Sigouin. “Government and industry must engage in meaningful dialogue with those First Nations who are directly affected by any activity,” Metatawabin said. “When expectations from all parties are clear, there is less likelihood that conflict will take place.” Zenyatta stated in a May 2 press release that it has been in discussions and dialogue with Constance Lake for over a year regarding its planned exploration activities. Zenyatta delayed its winter drill program for numerous

weeks while those discussions continued, with the objective of reaching a memorandum of understanding with Constance Lake. The company said it remains committed to on-going good faith dialogue with the Crown and Constance Lake but will defend its rights and interests. A Ministry of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry spokeswoman said the ministry is actively monitoring the situation and continues to offer assistance to both Zenyatta and Constance Lake to help resolve the situation. “Until recently, the company and the community both reported a positive working relationship,” said Aly Vitunski, policy advisor for mining with MNDMF, in an e-mail reply. “Ministry staff are working hard with both Constance Lake First Nation and Zenyatta to restore that relationship and achieve a solution that all parties can support, while ensuring that any duty to consult arising from this project has been met.”

NAN continues to oppose Bill 151 Rick Garrick Wawatay News

Nishnawbe Aski Nation is calling for community-managed forests in response to Bill 151 being sent for third reading. “There must be a new forest tenure model whereby communities, and not industry or government, become the managers of the forest and have the final say,” said Grand Chief Stan Beardy. “First Nations must have an opportunity to be part of economic development, including benefits that may derive from forestry practices, in order to ensure long-term sustainability for generations to come.” Beardy said the Ontario government’s pressure to ramthrough Bill 151 – Ontario’s Forest Tenure Modernization Act – undermines First Nations in their right to be properly consulted and accommodated with their concerns, on any matter affecting the lands and

resources of their traditional territories. “We (First Nations) will not be subject to yet another piece of one-sided legislation that challenges our constitutionally protected Aboriginal and treaty rights to be properly and adequately consulted and accommodated on matters such as forestry,” Beardy said. “We will exercise our own jurisdiction in determining what is best for the resources in our traditional territory – not what the province thinks is best. Bill 151 must be scrapped and replaced with a bill that reflects the recommendations by First Nations.” Bill 151 was sent for third reading May 4 by the Standing Committee on General Government. The bill aims to change how Crown land is licensed for use by forestry mills. The cost of wood could rise or drop with supply and demand. The proposed legislation would keep the government’s authority to manage forests,

while allowing more companies to get involved in the forestry sector. Timmins-James Bay MPP Gilles Bisson moved for inclusion of a duty to consult subsection in the bill to recognize existing Aboriginal and treaty rights in section 35 of the Constitution. Algoma-Manitoulin MPP Michael Brown said the government would not support Bisson’s amendment. The bill is about the creation of local forest management companies, whose objective or purpose includes economic development opportunities for Aboriginal people. Five Liberal MPPs voted against Bisson’s amendment while Bisson and two Progressive Conservative MPPs voted for it. Northern Development, Mines and Forestry Minister Michael Gravelle previously said while Aboriginal and treaty rights are not specifically listed

in the legislation, he recognized the importance of Aboriginal and treaty rights and would honour them. Randy Hillier, Progressive Conservative critic for Northern Development, Mines, and Forestry, condemned the Liberals for voting against crucial amendments to Bill 151, noting the Standing Committee for General Government met for only 40 minutes to complete the clause-by-clause amendment process for 151. “The McGuinty Liberals have proved once again that this legislation is being pushed by Toronto elites rather than the voices of concerned families and foresters in northern Ontario,” Hillier said. “The committee members made it quite clear that the purpose of this bill has nothing to with promoting economic support for northern Ontario and the forest industry and all to do with appeasing downtown environmentalists.”

discriminatory Rick Garrick Wawatay News

Pic River’s Bonnie Couchie was awarded $20,000 for discrimination over her termination from an Aboriginal relations training contract for Ontario government staff. “As a First Nations person, every aspect of the discriminatory treatment shook me to my very core,” Couchie said. “The discriminatory termination also had the effect of thwarting improved relations with the Aboriginal peoples, the very thing they (the government) sought by organizing the training.” The Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario made the April 14 decision against the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing over the discriminatory treatment Couchie faced in 2008 when the ministry directed her contract employer to terminate her employment while her nonAboriginal co-worker was not terminated. “It affected my ability to use my voice fully as a First Nations person with my full range of lived experience,” Couchie said. “That was devastating to me since I had worked my whole life to have a voice as a Native person. It had the affect of silencing me or preventing me from using my voice fully as a First Nations person.” Couchie has a master’s degree in inter-disciplinary humanities from Laurentian University, an honours degree from Lakehead University and a Native Studies diploma from Trent University. She has also been a professor at Confederation College, Algoma University, Lake State University and Sault College, teaching subjects such as Aboriginal history and culture, contemporary Native issues and Aboriginal law and politics. Jennifer Scott, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario adjudicator, stated in her decision the ministry accepted the inadequate performance of Couchie’s non-Aboriginal coworker, but did not accept it from Couchie. It was prepared

to remediate the poor performance of the non-Aboriginal person, but was not prepared to remediate the performance of the Aboriginal person. “That won’t even begin to compensate me for everything that I lost,” Couchie said of the $20,000 award. “(I’ve) just been trying to scrape by, but very unsuccessfully. I’ve tried so hard to get a job and get contacts. It’s been difficult.” Couchie testified during the Human Rights Tribunal hearing that the termination affected her self-perception and resulted in a significant lack of confidence. She lost her ability to promote herself and her work and notwithstanding her extensive work as a consultant with the government, she has not received government contracts since the termination. “The Tribunal’s decision underlines the nature of systemic discrimination, where unconscious beliefs drive hiring and firing decisions,” said Amy Britton-Cox, Couchie’s lawyer from the Human Rights Legal Support Centre. A Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing spokesman said the ministry will comply with the Human Rights Tribunal order. “We have read the Tribunal’s ruling very carefully; we will take it into account in our future practices,” said Richard Stromberg, a communications branch manager with Municipal Affairs and Housing. “The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing has been actively training staff to foster a greater understanding of Ontario’s diverse cultures. The province recognizes the importance of both constructive and cooperative relationships with Aboriginal people based on mutual respect and dignity.” Stromberg said Couchie is welcome to bid on any future contracts with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. “We do and will continue to follow government procurement guidelines whenever engaging consultants,” Stromberg said.

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Wawatay News

MAY 12, 2011

ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ

Historical photo

16-5th Avenue North P.O. Box 1180 Sioux Lookout, ON P8T 1B7 Serving the First Nations in Northern Ontario since 1974. Wawatay News is a politically independent bi-weekly newspaper published by Wawatay Native Communications Society.

ᓂᐢᑕᑦ ᑲᑭᒪᑕᓄᑲᑌᐠ 1974 ᐁᐅᒋᐊᓄᑲᑌᑭᐣ ᑭᐧᐁᑎᓄᐠ ᐅᐣᑌᕑᐃᔪ ᑕᐃᑦᔑᑫᐧᐃᓇᐣ. ᑕᓱᓂᔓᐱᒥᑯᓇᑲ ᐅᔑᒋᑲᑌ ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᓂᔑᓂᓂᐧᐃ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ ᒥᓇ ᑲᐧᐃᐣ ᐅᓇᔓᐧᐁᐧᐃ ᑲᓇᐧᐊᐸᒋᑫᐧᐃᓂᐠ ᒋᐃᔑ ᐸᐸᒥᓯᒪᑲᐠ ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓂᑫᐧᐃᓇᐣ. NEWS DIRECTOR Brent Wesley EDITOR James Thom

Commentary

Learning from the past Richard Wagamese ONE NATIVE LIFE

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here’s poetry to life. When you’re graced with the opportunity to live beyond the mayhem of the city where the wind can get at you, you discover that for yourself. It’s lain within you like a latent gene for years but it takes the open land and the ability to dive right into the heart of perfect mornings like these mountain mornings to really let it breathe. Sometimes, it seems to me that such thinking reflects a certain maturity gleaned from thousands of mornings cast in varied light. At other times, I think I’m just getting old and soft, more romantic maybe, more melodramatic with the years. But I got married recently. I’m 53 and I tied the knot for the third time. My previous marriages were failed experiments in permanence. In the one I was far too young and immature to deal with the implications of love and loyalty. In the second I was in the depths of an alcoholic binge and sobered up to find myself trapped in a loveless, skewed relationship.

We are tied forever to the spirit of our love just as we are bound to the community of those who celebrate with us. This time it’s far different. Deb and I have been together going on seven years. In that time we’ve learned about each other, discovered each other by degree. We’ve been though trying times, hard circumstances, tough situations and emerged intact, bent and bowed some but never broken. We’ve been married, in the full context of that word, for sometime really, we just never did the official ceremony. Last weekend we did. (not sure of accuracy if this is an old column) Because we’re such homebodies and because we love the nature of our life in the mountains we held the wedding at our home. Friends came from near and far. We set up a pair of small party tents and a table festooned with flowers that served as the center piece for the marriage. The house was set

up for a feast and the pot-luck meal that came together was marvelous. Like all grooms, I suppose, I hold that day in my heart. I’ve never been much of an emotional historian but the day of my third and final marriage is bookmarked and highlighted by significant things I cherish. There’s the first sight of my new bride in her gown and veil. There’s the sight of a sea of smiling, emotional faces watching us; the drum song I sang that caught in my throat; the words of our friend Victoria, a marriage commissioner, who performed the service. There’s the sound of the vows, the full enriching sweep of promises made from the heart that made me want to cry and the feel of my woman’s arms wrapped around me as we stood in the company of our friends and family – joined. But what stays with me the most happened a day or so after. Deb’s children had camped out in tents and when everyone was gone I was home alone taking down the tents and neatening things again. There were only the sounds of the birds in the trees. I bent to the task of packing up the tents and the brunt of my chore hit me like a tidal wave. I felt crushingly lonesome. Oh, I’d been lonely many times in my travels but this was a hybrid creature I’d never encountered. It was an aching feeling right in the middle of my chest. I folded the tents slowly and the feeling refused to go away. When I finished I sat in a lawn chair and lived with it a while. I missed everyone. Suddenly and hard. I missed the feeling of being connected to all that joy. I missed the energy of other people, the light they cast, the bubble of their voices, the hard and indisputable push of emotion that bound us so closely together. I missed their eyes. It was sad and jubilant at the same time. When we wed, we marry the soul. That’s what I know now. We are tied forever to the spirit of our love just as we are bound to the community of those who celebrate with us. This is what I know. For an uprooted and transplanted kid who spent a lifetime lost and alone, it’s a transcendent thing to discover. Joy connects us. Ceremony unites us. Love defines us. I’m 53 and it took that long for the teaching to take root in me. In the ceremony of my marriage I discovered that the risk of loving completely offers a very human salvation. We are bound to each other. We are one. The poetry of it is compelling and we are never lonely.

Paul Wibemin/Wawatay News archives

Spring 1992 in Weagamow.

Put fish back on the table Xavier Kataquapit UNDER THE NORTHERN SKY

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have been eating a lot of fish lately. It is always good to eat the various types of fish the world’s oceans, rivers and lakes have to offer. However, over the years as I have travelled in the far east, Americas and Europe I realize how fortunate we are in northern Ontario. Our fish wins in my view. My people, the Muskegowuk Cree, have always been fish eaters. For thousands of years we have lived on the shore of James Bay near the vast stretch of salt water and along fresh water lakes and rivers. As nomadic people we counted on the land, the animals and fish for our survival. When all other food sources on the land disappeared in times of famine we could always turn to the sea, lakes and rivers for fish. Fish, in great times of famine, has saved my people. We

have always had access to fresh water fish like Lake Trout, Speckled Trout, Pickerel, Char and varieties of salt-water fish. In the old days most of the fishing was done by net in winter and summer. There was almost always an abundance of fish. In those days my ancestors smoked and barbecued their fish over a fire. This was the only means of cooking the fish. By smoking fish my people could preserve it for a long period of time. They could also store it or travel with it. Often the fish would be simply cooked over a fire on a spear of wood. Today the Cree of James Bay don’t eat that much fish as we now depend on food delivery from the south and we buy all kinds of products from local stores. Fishing is very secondary to hunting these days because it requires a lot more knowledge, time and work to fish. Some people still smoke fish and from time to time elders will cook fish over the fire on the land. Regretfully, people prefer the ease of shopping at the local stores although the diet is not as healthy as natural food

sources from the land. These days people fish more for recreation. A lot of Elders have sad memories of depending on fish to survive as these periods had to do with severe times of famine. I recall my grandmother Louise Paul Martin telling me about times of great famine when mothers became malnourished and could not provide breast milk anymore. The parents would turn to fish and prepare a broth to feed to their babies as a replacement for breast milk. Many a baby boy and girl owes their life to that fish broth which was full of nutrition. Huge fish pan fries were common at my home back in Attawapiskat when I was a child. My mom would ask a local fisherman, most of the time this was my uncle Leo, for a supply of fresh fish. She would take a day to de-scale, clean and cut up the fish. She would then batter the fish and fry it up for supper. This fresh fish was served with nothing else and that was just fine with us. We had as much as we could eat and went away

happy from the supper table. A lot of the time these fish feasts happened on Fridays for we are Catholics. In my travels across Canada, the U.S., Europe and Asia I realize just how rare fish are becoming. In Europe people fry up little sardines and get very excited about that. A good fish meal is very expensive. Most fish these days in the south and other parts of the world come from fish farms and often the quality is not great. We are so lucky in northern Canada that we can still find great quantities of first class quality fish. This is a luxury in most other parts of the world. Fish and seafood should be a part of any healthy diet. It is an excellent option for protein, an important source of essential fatty acids and contains a wide variety of vitamins and minerals. Fish is very low in calories which makes it a good choice for those concerned with preventing and fighting diabetes. Maybe it is time to put fish back on the table. In northern Ontario that is easy to do. underthenorthernsky.com

CONTACT US Sioux Lookout Office Hours: 8:30-4:30 CST Phone: ....................737-2951 Toll Free: .....1-800-243-9059 Fax: ...............(807) 737-3224 .............. (807) 737-2263

Thunder Bay Office Hours: 8:30-4:30 EST Phone: ...................344-3022 Toll Free: ..... 1-888-575-2349 Fax: ...............(807) 344-3182

NEWS DIRECTOR Brent Wesley brentw@wawatay.on.ca EDITOR James Thom jamest@wawatay.on.ca WRITER/PHOTOGRAPHER Rick Garrick rickg@wawatay.on.ca ART DIRECTOR Roxann Shapwaykeesic roxys@wawatay.on.ca GRAPHIC DESIGNER Matthew Bradley matthewb@wawatay.on.ca

ACTING BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Meghan Kendall meghank@wawatay.on.ca SALES REPRESENTATIVE James Brohm jamesb@wawatay.on.ca CIRCULATION Evange Kanakakeesic evangelinek@wawatay.on.ca TRANSLATORS Vicky Angees vickya@wawatay.on.ca Agnes Shakakeesic agness@wawatay.on.ca

CONTRIBUTORS Marianne Jones Xavier Kataquapit Anna McKay Jamie Monastyrski Greg Quachegan Richard Wagamese Guest editorials, columnists and letters to the editor do not necessarily reflect the views of Wawatay News.

Wawatay News MAY 12, 2011

Your views from wawataynews.ca Regional approaches to education needed Re: DNA links hat to Wabasse I think it is high time that all communities look at regional approaches to educating their child. As a former NNEC worker in the Thunder Bay site, we too faced the loss of students and it is devastating to the immediate family, community, students, boarding home parents and to the staff. I will never forget the advice I got from an Elder when I was trying to find solutions to the multitude of issues encountered with this site. The Elder told me “a child belongs with their parents!” That was that and I truly believe that to this day! Keep your kids close and keep showing them you love them everyday. As for the community leadership and the NNEC leadership: it is time to think outside the box! Lydia Big George

Sioux Lookout airport parking rate increases over the top, action needed accommodations at hotels, and much more in your community. Our leadership and community members travel frequently for business, medical, leisure. Most people fly up to Sioux Lookout and use their vehicle to go to Thunder Bay or Winnipeg to take advantage of the most economical means of travel. They park their vehicle at the airport parking lot. I have received concerns from the community members about the 175 per cent yearly rate increase for airport parking fees, so I am bringing this to your attention for your immediate action. The community members cannot afford to pay parking fees. The attached article explains that the increase is necessary to fund upgrades to the parking

To Sioux Lookout mayor and council: Re: Airport Parking Fees Shibogama First Nation Council works with five communities: Kasabonika Lake First Nation, Kingfisher Lake First Nation, Wapekeka First Nation, Wunnumin Lake First Nation and Wawakapewin. Most, if not all, the communities have championed entrepreneurship, business development and have established successful partnerships. Their businesses create employment and boost local economy. First Nations within the district generate millions of dollars locally by holding conferences, meetings, sports and purchasing groceries, restaurants, gas purchases,

lots. It is good to see the municipality is taking advantage of the market, but it should not be done at the detriment of others. On the other hand, perhaps this is also another business opportunity that First Nations can pursue. We all agree that infrastructure needs improvement, but it should not be done at an eyegouging rate where people cannot afford to park their vehicles at the airport. Our community members are already dealing with high coast of living in the communities daily. Not only that, the communities have limited travel budget and have to seek the most economical means of travel and the 175 per cent increase further impacts their ability to do that. The argument of compar-

ing smaller airports and Sioux Lookout having to deal with larger volumes of people does not provide justification for the increase. Dryden, Sioux Lookout and Red Lake have about the same size airports and the rates should be comparable. The size of the airport in Sioux Lookout has not changed or improved despite the volume of people and therefore does not justify the 175 per cent increase. Bigger airports provide for plugins, proper lighting, security cameras and pavement most of which Sioux Lookout does not provide. Also, there have been airport improvements and parking lot fees for the past 20 years that provide revenue stream to the municipality for the airport improvements. Where

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Officially inquiry should investigate deaths, disappearances Re: Police seek missing Aboriginal girl It’s already an epidemic, but the city doesn’t want to bring too much attention to this because of the bad publicity it will bring to Thunder Bay. They should actually be bringing in an official inquiry to see what is really happening to the First Nation people that are going missing and/ or turning up dead. Anonymous

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Show support for Constance Lake Re: Constance Lake looking to stop drilling Constance Lake is going in the right direction by asserting their rights and developing a position in both the political and business arenas. It’s also pretty prejudicial for the mainstream population to say that First Nations people are wrong in going through the legal system to assert their rights. Large corporations are cutthroat and use the same process with vengeance. They also use some tactics that are questionable as well, blood diamonds, for example. Constance Lake and others should be getting our support so that disasters like DeBeers never happen again and current beginning disasters like Ring of Fire are controlled. Anonymous More services means paying more money Re: Airport parking fees increased in Sioux Lookout If we expect better lighting, more security and plug-ins then we should expect to have to pay more for it. Anonymous

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OPINION

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ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ

5/5/11 5:22 PM

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Wawatay News

MAY 12, 2011

1JDL VQ

ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ

Parking rate increase causes concern Letter to Sioux Lookout Mayor Dennis Leney:

BU UIFTF MPDBUJPOT Aroland First Nation Band Office Atikokan Atikokan Native Friendship Centre Attawapiskat Northern Store Balmertown Diane’s Gas Bar 41 Dickenson Balmertown Keewaytinook Okimakanak 127 Mine Road Batchewana First Nation Band Office Bearskin Lake Co-op Store Bearskin Lake Northern Store Beaverhouse First Nation Band Office Big Grassy First Nation Band Office Big Island First Nation Band Office Big Trout Lake Education Authority Big Trout Lake Sam’s Store Big Trout Lake Tasona Store Brunswick House First Nation Band Office Calstock A & J General Store Calstock Band Office Cat Lake Band Office Cat Lake Northern Store Chapleau Cree First Nation Band Office Chapleau Value Mart Cochrane Ininew Friendship Centre Collins Namaygoosisagon Band office Collins Post Office Couchiching First Nation Band Office Couchiching First Nation Gas Bar Deer Lake Northern Store Dinorwic Naumans General Store Dryden A & W Dryden Beaver Lake Camp Dryden Greyhound Bus Depot Dryden McDonalds’ Restaurant Dryden Northwest Metis 34A King St. Dryden Robin’s Donuts Dryden Tim Hortons Ear Falls The Pit Stop Emo J & D Junction Flying Post First Nation Band Office Fort Albany Band Office Fort Albany Northern Store Fort Frances Gizhewaadiziwin Health Access Centre 1460 Idylwild Drive Fort Frances Sunset Country Metis Fort Frances United Native Friendship Centre Fort Hope Band Office Fort Hope Corny’s Variety Store Fort Hope John C. Yesno Education Centre Fort Severn Northern Store Geraldton Thunder Bird Friendship Centre Ginoogaming First Nation Band Office Grassy Narrows J.B. Store Gull Bay Band Office Hornepayne First Nation Band Office Hornepayne G & L Variety Store Hudson Grant’s Store Iskatewizaagegan 39 Independent First Nation Band Office Kapuskasing Indian Friendship Centre 41 Murdock St.

Kasabonika Chief Simeon McKay Education Centre Kasabonika First Nation Band Office Kashechewan Francine J. Wesley Secondary School Kashechewan First Nation Band Office Kashechewan Northern Store Keewaywin First Nation Band Office Keewaywin Northern Store Kenora Bimose Tribal Council 598 Lakeview Dr. Kenora Chefield Gourmet, Kenora Shoppers 534 Park St. - ON SALE Kenora Chiefs Advisory Kenora Migisi Treatment Centre Kenora Ne-Chee Friendship Centre Kenora Sunset Strip Husky - ON SALE Kingfisher Lake Omahamo Hotel Complex Kingfisher Lake Omahamo Store Kocheching First Nation Band Office Lac La Croix First Nation Band Office Lac Seul, Kejick Bay Lakeside Cash & Carry Lake Nipigon Ojibway First Nation Band Office Lansdowne House Co-op Store Lansdowne House Northern Store Long Lake #58 General Store Mattagammi Confectionary Michipicoten First Nation Band Office Migisi Sahgaigan First Nation Band Office Missanabie Cree First Nation Band Office Mobert Band Office Moose Factory Echo Lodge Restaurant Moose Factory GG’s Corner & Gift Store Moose Factory Northern Stores Moose Factory Weeneebayko General Hospital Moosonee Air Creebec Moosonee Airport Moosonee Native Friendship Centre Moosonee Northern Store Moosonee Ontario Northland Railway Moosonee Polar Bear Lodge Moosonee Tasha’s Variety Moosonee Tempo Variety Moosonee Two Bay Enterprises Muskrat Dam Lisa Beardy Muskrat Dam Muskrat Dam Community Store Musselwhite Mine Naicatchewenin First Nation Band Office Naotikamegwanning First Nation Band Office Nestor Falls C & C Motel Nestor Falls Onegaming Gas & Convenience Nicikousemenecaning First Nation Band Office North Spirit Lake Band Office North Spirit Lake Cameron Store Northwest Angle #33 Band Office Northwest Angle #37 Band Office Ochiichagwe’Babigo’ Ining First Nation Band Office Ogoki Trappers Store Ojibways of Pic River Nation Band Office Osnaburgh Band Office Osnaburgh Laureen’s Grocery & Gas

Pawitik Pawitik Store Pays Plat First Nation Band Office Peawanuck General Store Pickle Lake Frontier Foods Pickle Lake Winston Motor Hotel Pikangikum Band Office Band Office Pikangikum Education Authority Pikangikum Northern Store Poplar Hill Northern Store Poplar Hill Poplar Hill Band Office Rainy River First Nation Band Office Red Lake Couchenour Airport Red Lake Indian Friendship Centre Red Lake Regional Heritage Centre Red Lake Video Plus Red Rock First Nation Band Office Rocky Bay First Nation Lar’s Place Sachigo Lake Brian Barkman Sachigo Lake Sachigo Co-op Store Sandy Lake A-Dow-Gamick Sandy Lake David B. Fiddler, Band Office Sandy Lake Northern Store Sandy Lake Education Authority Sandy Lake Special Education Class Saugeen First Nation Sault Ste. Marie Indian Friendship Centre 122 East St. Savant Lake Ennis Grocery Store Seine River First Nation Band Office Shoal Lake #40 First Nation Band Office Sioux Narrows Anishinaabeg of Kabapikotawang Slate Falls Band Office Stanjikoming First Nation Band Office Stratton Kay-nah-chi-wah-nung Historica Summer Beaver Nibinamik Community Store Taykwa Tagamou Nation, New Post First Nation Band Office Timmins Air Creebec Timmins Timmins Indian Friendship Centre 316 Spruce St. S. Timmins Wawatay N.C.S 135 Pine St. S. Wabaskang First Nation Band Office Wabigoon First Nation Community Store Wabigoon Green Achers of Wabigoon 10695 Hwy 17 Wahgoshing First Nation Wapekeka Wapekeka Community Store Washaganish Band Office Wauzhusk Onigum First Nation Band Office Wawakapewin Band Office Weagamow Lake Northern Store Weagamow Lake Onatamakay Community Store Webequie Northern Store Whitedog Kent Store Whitesand First Nation Band Office Wunnimun Lake General Store Wunnimun Lake Ken-Na-Wach Radio Wunnimun Lake Northern Store

Wawatay News Sub Office 2nd floor Royal Bank Building, Suite 202 Victoriaville Centre, 620 Victoria Ave. East Wequedong Lodge Lodge 1. 228 S. Archibald St. Lodge 2. 189 N. Court St. Lodge 3. 750 MacDonnell St. Fort William First Nation: Bannon’s Gas Bar / R.R #4 City Rd. Fort William First Nation / Band Office K & A Variety THP Variety and Gas Bar/606 City Rd. Hulls Family Bookstore 127 Brodie Street South Quality Market 146 Cenntennial Square

Quality Market 1020 Dawson Rd. Mark Sault 409 George St. Metis Nation of Ontario 226 S. May St. John Howard Society Of Thunder Bay & District/132 N. Archibald St. The UPS Store/1020 Dawson Rd. Redwood Park /2609 Redwood Ave. Confederation College: 510 Victoria Ave. East 778 Grand Point Rd. 1500 S James St. 111 Frederica St.

Mascotto Marine Meno-ya-win Health Centre, Activity Centre Nishnawbe-Gamik Friendship Centre Northern Store Pelican Falls First Nation High School Rexall Drug Stores Queen Elizabeth D.H.S. Darren Lentz Queen Elizabeth D.H.S. Native Studies Robin’s Donuts Shibogama Tribal Council 81 King St. Sioux Lookout Meno-Ya-Win Health Centre, Nursing Flr. Sioux Lookout Public Library Sioux Lotto Sioux Pharmacy

Sioux Travel Slate Falls Airways Sunset Inn Sunset Suites Travel Information Centre Wasaya Airways Wellington Inn William A. Bill George Extended Care Unit 75 - 5th Ave N Wilson’s Business Solutions Windigo Tribal Council Sacred Heart School Sioux Mountain Public School

5IVOEFS #BZ 0VUMFUT An Eagles Cry Ministry 100 Simpson St. Central News 626 Waterloo St. - ON SALE Dennis F. Cromarty High School 315 N. Edward St. Ka-Na-Chi-Hih Treatment Centre 1700 Dease Street Lakehead University Aboriginal Awareness Centre / 955 Oliver Road, Room SC0019 Native People of Thunder Bay Development Corp. / 230 Van Norman St. Negahneewin College of Indigenous Studies C 106. 1450 Nakina Drive Thunder Bay Indian Friendship Centre 401 N. Cumberland St.

4JPVY -PPLPVU 0VUMFUT Sioux Lookout Airport Interpreter’s Desk Al’s Sports Excellence Best Western Chicken Chef D.J’s Gas Bar Drayton Cash & Carry Fifth Avenue Club First Step Women’s Shelter Forest Inn Fred & Dee’s IFNA 98 King St. Johnny’s Food Market L.A. Meats Linda DeRose Lamplighter Motel

If you run a business and would like to distribute Wawatay News, Please call 1-800-243-9059 and ask for Meghan.

RE: Increase in parking fees at the Sioux Lookout Airport The Independent First Nations Alliance (IFNA) represents the following First Nation communities: Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI and formerly Big Trout Lake), Muskrat Dam, Pikangikum, Whitesand and Lac Seul. The citizens and government officials of these First Nations are significant users of the Sioux Lookout Airport. IFNA has maintained a political office in Sioux Lookout for many years as have other First Nation organizations. The IFNA community governments and people are very concerned with the recent announcement of increases to the parking lot rates at the airport. The increases are particularly dramatic for long-term (monthly and annual) users of parking lot B, which is furthest from the main terminal. The monthly rate increase is 164 per cent ($55 to $150) and the annual rate increase is 175 per cent ($400 to $1100). The effect of the increases will be augmented by the application of HST. These increases are exponentially beyond the current rate of inflation in Canada, being approximately three per cent. IFNA believes that the rate increase will have a disproportionate and prejudicial effect on First Nation people, who use Sioux Lookout as a service centre and a transit point. Many private service providers (lawyers, engineers and doctors) and government service providers (the hospital) are based in Sioux Lookout in large part to service a large catchment area of First Nations, including the IFNA communities. The suitability of Sioux Lookout as a regional service centre for First Nations will be greatly diminished over time if it becomes too expensive to do business there. The increased airport parking lot fees may start a negative trend that will be difficult to

reverse. The history of Pickle Lake demonstrates that a once busy hub can fade over time. The winter road system, the hospital, the schools and many other factors mean that First Nation people use the Sioux Lookout Airport in a special and intense way. They use the airport frequently and they are often obligated to leave vehicles there for long period of time. At the same time, most First nation users of the airport have limited means. Generally speaking they are not business or federal/provincial travellers with generous expense accounts. The dramatic increase in parking fees may be prohibitive for many First Nation travellers. First Nations have options in terms of travel and service centres. This is so for current activity and projected activity, particularly in the surging mining sector. While there have been difficulties in the past in the relationship between Sioux Lookout and First Nations, there has been a buildup of some good will in recent years. However, this goodwill can be lost through ill-advised measures and short-term thinking. If First Nations are made to feel unwelcome they can go elsewhere. If that happens, any gains you may envision from the increase in airport parking fees will be more than cancelled out by a reduction in traffic at the airport and a reduction in general business in town. The increase in long-term parking fees definitely sends the message to First Nations that they are no as welcome as before. There does not appear to be any correlation between the fee increase and any measurable enhancement to service at the airport parking lot. Compared with other airports in northern Ontario, the parking lot is very much under-serviced. As a result, the increase appears to be a tax, pure and simple, unrelated to service provision, and a based on some internal calculation of what the market can bear. There has been no suggestion from the municipality that the funds expected from the increase will

be pooled and earmarked for servicing for the parking lot. The focus of the municipality on trying to squeeze new revenue from the parking lot is completely offside in terms of the priorities of First Nations. One of these priorities is airport security. The airport security system at Sioux Lookout Airport is questionable to say the least. An implication of this relative of lack of security is a steady stream of prescription and nonprescription drugs, which are causing havoc in the north. The control of drugs is one of the top priorities of First Nations. We should be talking about that not exorbitant parking lot fees. There is a direct and mutually beneficial relationship between the Sioux Lookout Airport and First Nations, including IFNA First Nations. It is this relationship that is being ignored and damaged by the sudden and dramatic fee increase. Perhaps it is time for First Nations to get together and manage the airport, instead of the municipality. The airport can then be managed with a sensitivity and openness to its important users. Steps in this direction will be considered. In summary, we believe that the fee increases should be immediately rolled back and limited in the future to the rate of inflation, unless tied to tangible service improvements. We should like to meet with you in the near future to discuss a rollback and the option of increased First Nation involvement in management of the airport. This is a priority for First Nation people. If suitable action does not take place, we will consider our options, including without limitation, a formal complaint to federal regulatory authorities. As noted, the ultimate sanction may be a gradual move away from Sioux Lookout as a service centre and transit hub favored by First Nations. We look forward to your response. Gerry McKay, CEO IFNA

Correction In the April 14 edition of Wawatay News, Glen Achneepineskum’s credentials were incorrectly identified. The Marten Falls band member has completed about 200 hours of training and flying time and about 80 hours of commercial ground school. He has a commercial pilot’s licence.

CARING

Take your attitude to the work world through the Native Child and Family Services program. As a graduate, you will take to your employment a respect for, connection with and understanding of traditions, values and beliefs of a community. You will be prepared to work in an intercultural, multilingual society where you can use your acquired knowledge, skills and experience to support families in the field of child welfare. Visit www.confederationc.on.ca/care for program information, or contact your local campus. www.facebook.com/confederation

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Wawatay News MAY 12, 2011

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Wawatay News

MAY 12, 2011

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First Nation diets to be studied The First Nations Food, Nutrition and Environment Study is coming to communities in Ontario. The Assembly of First Nations made the announcement May 6. The study will look into the nutritional benefits of First Nations diets, food and water as well as the impacts caused by exposures to environmental

contaminants. “This study will provide valuable baseline data that First Nations can use now and in the future,� said AFN Ontario Regional Chief Angus Toulouse. About 18 communities will be invited to participate in the survey over a two-year period starting this summer. The AFN has partnered with the University of Northern Brit-

ish Columbia and the UniversitĂŠ de MontrĂŠal to do the work. The study will include: household dietary interviews, tap water sampling for trace metals, surface water sampling for pharmaceuticals and their metabolites, hair sampling for mercury exposure and traditional food sampling for nutrient and contaminant content. -JC

NOTICE OF SUBMISSION OF TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR A CLASS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT A Class Environmental Assessment for Activities of the Ministry of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry under the Mining Act that are subject to the Environmental Assessment Act The Ministry of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry (MNDMF) has initiated a study under the Environmental Assessment Act to develop a class environmental assessment for its activities under the Mining Act. As part of the planning process, the ministry submitted a terms of reference to the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) for review — as required under the Environmental Assessment Act. If approved, the terms of reference will serve as a framework for the preparation and review of this class environmental assessment. Those ministry activities under the Mining Act that are subject to the Environmental Assessment Act will be grouped into classes. The proposed class environmental assessment will comprise two classes of activities — discretionary decisions related to surface rights, mining rights, and chattels and ministry-administered mine rehabilitation activities. You may view the proposed terms of reference at www.ontario.ca/MDLB or during normal business hours at the following locations: Ministry of the Environment Environmental Assessment and Approvals Branch 2 St. Clair Avenue West, Floor 12A Toronto, ON M4V 1L5 tel: 416-314-8001 toll free: 1-800-461-6290

Ministry of the Environment 2430 Don Reid Drive Ottawa, ON K1H 1K1 tel: 613-521-3450 toll free: 1-800-860-2195

Ministry of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry 933 Ramsey Lake Road, 6th Floor Sudbury, ON P3E 6B5 tel: 705-670-5755 toll free: 1-888-415-9845 ext. 5755

Ministry of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry 104-810 Robertson Street Kenora, ON P9N 4J2 tel: 807-468-2819

Ministry of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry 10 Government Road P.O. Box 100 Kirkland Lake, ON P2N 3M6 tel: 705-568-4517

Ministry of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry 203-447 McKeown Avenue North Bay, ON P3E 6B5 tel: 705-494-4045

Ministry of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry 6-875 Queen Street East Sault Ste. Marie, ON P6A 2B3 tel: 705-945-6931

Ministry of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry B0002-435 James Street South Thunder Bay, ON P7E 6S7 tel: 807-475-1311

Ministry of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry 1270 Highway 101 East South Porcupine, ON P0N 1H0 tel: 705-235-1625

Ministry of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry P.O. Bag Service 43 126 Old Troy Road Tweed, ON K0K 3J0 tel: 613-478-3161

Written comments about the Terms of Reference must be received by June 6, 2011. All comments should be submitted to: Andrea Berenkey, Project Officer Environmental Assessment and Approvals Branch Ministry of the Environment 2 St. Clair Avenue West, 14th Floor Toronto, ON M4V 1L5 tel: 416-314-1181 toll free: 1-800-461-6290 e-mail: Andrea.Berenkey@ontario.ca Comments will be forwarded to the applicant for consideration.

submitted photo

Karianne Goodman and Liam Goodman display their project at the Northwestern Ontario Regional Science Fair April 19 and 20 in Thunder Bay.

Sandy Lake student joins regional science fair To the Editor: Sandy Lake students made their fourth straight trip to the Northwestern Ontario Regional Science Fair April 19 and 20 in Thunder Bay. Nine students, with six projects, and three teachers attended the fair. During the science fair the teachers were informed of how the Sandy Lake student’s science fair projects have improved from their first trip in 2008 to the Northwestern Ontario Regional Science Fair. Their science fair projects were at par with the other science fair projects competing in the science fair, according to organizers. Again the students represented their school and community by being wellmannered and being polite towards the other science fair

contestants and the facilitators. The students were given a tour of the Lakehead University during a break in the judging and had a game of soccer during their lunch break which also gave them a chance to socialize with the other students that were present. There were several fun activities going on during the open house like a show put on by a couple of magicians and a chance to make a slime polymer. For Kenneth Kakegamic, it was his very first trip out of the community and he was just amazed at the sights he saw and experienced. One of the teachers, Kristi Benger, had to show him how to use a vending machine as we made our first stop at the Red Lake Airport. Our trip to Thunder Bay by highway was all a new

experience to him. As for Dana Crowe, she said: “I’ve been in Thunder Bay a lot of times before. But when I got to go with teachers and other students it made me feel like it was my first time going there.� She also came away from the experience looking at teachers in a different view. We have to thank the science fair committee of Alex Bissell, Kristi Benger, Carol Mamakeesic and Marcel Linklater who worked hard to put together another successful science fair at Thomas Fiddler Memorial High School and we would also like to thank the Sandy Lake Board of Education for their continued unwavering support for the trip to the Northwestern Ontario Regional Science Fair in Thunder Bay. Marcel Linklater Sandy Lake

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For further information on the proposed study, please contact: Jenn Lillie-Paetz, Environmental Assessment Coordinator Mineral Development and Lands Branch Ministry of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry 933 Ramsey Lake Road, 6th Floor Sudbury, ON P3E 6B5 tel: 705-670-5918 toll free: 1-888-415-9845 ext. 5918 fax: 705-670-5803 e-mail: Jennifer.Lillie-Paetz@ontario.ca Please note that personal information provided in a submission, such as name, address, telephone number, and your views and opinions, is being collected by the Ministry of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry under the authority of the Environmental Assessment Act, for the purpose of engaging in public consultation as required by sections 6 and 13.1 of that Act. The personal information may also be shared with the Environmental Assessment and Approvals Branch of the Ministry of the Environment under the authority of the sections 6 and 13.2 of the Environmental Assessment Act, as part of the approval process for the Terms of Reference. The collection, use, and disclosure of this information are governed by the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. Questions about this collection should be directed to Jenn Lillie-Paetz at the contact information listed above.

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Wawatay News MAY 12, 2011

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Building a foundation to better housing James Thom Wawatay News

Like many other First Nations people, Carla Duncan faced challenges when she began looking for housing in Thunder Bay. “My current housing situation in Thunder Bay is bad,” Duncan, a Muskrat Dam band member and Lakehead University student said. “I had very limited choices when I moved.” Duncan described her current residence as a two-floor home but she can only use the main floor. “There is no circulation in the bottom floor and it is mouldy,” she said. “When I do laundry, I can’t use the dryer because there is faulty wiring.” She is renting the unit in a private lease after being turned away from the subsidized housing program in Thunder Bay because her household income was too high to qualify. “I can’t just move anywhere,” she said. “I need a ramp for my mom. She is a diabetic and uses a wheelchair.” Duncan said her mom recently had part of her leg amputated. A second surgery on the other

leg is also scheduled. Finding an appropriate home has proven to be a challenge. “I can’t leave my mom to fend for herself,” she said. Her desire to improve her living condition led Duncan to attend the Aboriginal Housing Forum in Thunder Bay May 4 at the Prince Arthur Hotel. Thunder Bay Urban Aboriginal Strategy Housing Action Circle hosted the forum to discuss the current housing issues facing Aboriginal people in the city, and explore recommendations to move forward. Several reports were presented during the day-long forum. The Children’s Aid Society presented a report – based on a small study – which found there is limited suitable, affordable housing for young people. “Youth expressed feeling discriminated against by landlords and experience long waits on subsidized housing lists,” according to the report. Said an anonymous male study participant: “It’s hard to find someone who will accept you for housing. They judge everything – your age, what you look like, how you’re dressed.” The study also found many

James Thom/Wawatay News

Frances Wesley, left, Thunder Bay Urban Aboriginal Strategy planner, is interviewed during the Aboriginal Housing Forum in Thunder Bay May 4 at the Prince Arthur Hotel. Wesley said immediate action is need to improve housing for Aboriginal people in the city. youth don’t have the skills they need to maintain their housing. This includes budgeting skills, cleaning, setting up utilities and cooking. “If it is the first time a youth has lived alone, they need support to learn the skills of what to do – even the basics – like paying rent on time and

respecting neighbours,” according to a participant. In its report, the District of Thunder Bay Social Services Administration Board provided a list of recommendations to improve the affordable housing situation in Thunder Bay. These include balancing supply and demand for subsidized

housing, improving client services and access to social housing and ensuring all residents have access to housing and support services which meet their needs. Frances Wesley, Urban Aboriginal Strategy planner, said now that the issues have been raised, it is time for

improvements to be made. “I want to see action,” she said. “We need to address the discrimination happening against young Aboriginals who are seeking their own housing. We need to look at creating emergency shelters for youth and families who don’t have a roof over their heads.”

Students reach beyond hurt Anna McKay Special to Wawatay News

Pelican Falls First Nations High School had two days of peer facilitation training April 15-16 with the Beyond the Hurt program. The program is one of several Canadian Red Cross youth programs delivered under its RespectED: Violence and Abuse Prevention services. This program works with youth organizations, schools, sports and community groups to assist in building community capacity to respond to bullying and harassment through a comprehensive preventionplanning model. The aim is to break the cycle of abuse, neglect, harassment and interpersonal violence through prevention education. Seven Pelican Falls students learned practical skills in a collaborative and interactive environment that encourages proactive approaches. The training was delivered by a certified RespectEd staff member, Nestor Shartun. In one exercise, the group was asked to share their views of what an ideal man and woman looks like. First, Elijah Martin, a student participant,

on behalf of his group, had to draw their ideal version without the other group seeing it. Then he had to draw another version from the other group’s input. It was surprising to both groups how it was almost identical. This particular exercise was to show students that nobody is perfect and we all have different views and that we can still help each other. It was a hands-on experience and learning was done in group exercises. The students were engaged for the entire time; they did case studies and group discussions. They also learned how to deal with cyber bullying. They learned the importance of saving and documenting emails or posts, which will help if they are being bullied on-line. The newly certified facilitators in the end had to devise a four-month implementation plan for bullying by engaging both teachers and students, starting in September when they return to school, using the skills they learned. Glen Whiskeychan, Pelican Falls social counsellor, said the workshop was “well-presented” and “very informative” and that it will help the students to prevent bullying.

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DETOUR LAKE GOLD MINE PROJECT PUBLIC COMMENTS INVITED AND PUBLIC MEETINGS ANNOUNCED The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (the Agency) invites the public to comment on the predicted environmental effects of the proposed Detour Lake Gold Mine Project located in northern Ontario. The Agency is making available the Environmental Effects Summary that provides the details of the project, the components of the environment that may be affected by the project, the nature of that interaction and the proposed mitigation, the residual environmental effects after taking the mitigation into account, and the results of public consultation undertaken to date. The Environmental Effects Summary and more information on the project are available on the Agency’s Web site at www.ceaa-acee.gc.ca, in the Canadian Environmental Assessment Registry under reference number 10-03-52262. Alternatively, to obtain a copy of the documents, please communicate with the project manager listed in this notice. Interested persons or groups are invited to send their comments by May 30, 2011 in the official language of their choice to: Detour Lake Gold Mine Project Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency Steve Woolfenden, Project Manager 55 St. Clair Avenue East, Suite 907 Toronto ON M4T 1M2 Tel: 416-952-1576 Fax: 416-952-1573 DetourGold.EA@ceaa-acee.gc.ca All comments received will be considered public and will become part of the project file. This is the second of several public comment periods related to the environmental assessment of this project. A final public comment period on the Comprehensive Study Report will be announced at a later date. This report and public comments received will be taken into account by the Minister of the Environment before he makes his environmental assessment decision. Public Meetings The Agency also invites the public to attend two public meetings where they can hear about the

project and its potential impacts. Participants can also provide their views to the federal government at the meetings scheduled as follows: Wednesday May 11, 2011 at 7:00 pm Travelodge Timmins 1136 Riverside Drive Timmins, ON Presentation at 7:30 pm Thursday May 12, 2011 at 7:00 pm Tim Hortons Event Center 7 Tim Horton Dr Cochrane, ON Presentation at 7:30 pm For more information on these public meetings, please communicate with the project manager listed in this notice. The Project and Location Detour Gold Corporation proposes to develop an open-pit gold mine on a previously mined (brown field) site located approximately 185 kilometres northeast of the Town of Cochrane, Ontario. The proposal includes an open pit mine, ore processing plant, tailings and waste rock storage facilities, site access roads, airstrip, power transmission lines, explosives factory and magazines, water management facilities, buildings, ancillary mine infrastructure and associated activities.

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Wawatay News

MAY 12, 2011

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Conference attempts to decode the loss of language issue Jamie Monastyrski Special to Wawatay News

Aboriginal languages are being threatened with extinction. Parents, teachers, academics and Elders all recognize that language is culture and without one we lose the other. That is why it’s vital that retaining, relearning and introducing new methods of language retention and language instruction is necessary for the continuation of the Aboriginal culture. That was the message at the 3rd annual Our Language is Our Culture Conference April 27-29 in Fort Frances. More than 150 people took part in the conference that featured workshops, keynote addresses and special presentations. Hosted by the Seven Generations Education Institute and Rainy River District School Board, the coordinators expanded the conference this year to three days to include more variety. “This year we incorporated more Native studies workshops, presenters that aren’t just

focused on Native language and almost two-thirds of the conference consists of workshops and presentations,” said Brent Tookenay, conference coordinator. Workshops on utilizing new technology to kickstart a youth’s interest in learning language was presented by Farrell White who talked about using Nintendo hand-held videogame consoles to teach language in the classroom or at home. Couchiching First Nation historian Glenn Jourdain spoke about the legacy of the residential schools system and how it shaped the loss of language. Chad Solomon entertained participants with his puppets during his workshop on graphic novels as another tool teachers could use in the classroom that can keep students interested in learning. A workshop on assessing and evaluating Aboriginal curriculum in schools and using various teaching methods to deliver Aboriginal language as a second language was discussed with educators. Anton Truer, a professor of Ojibway from Bemidji University was a special presenter. He

COUNSELLING THE SEXUALLY ABUSED

Jamie Monastyrski/Special to Wawatay News

Chad Solomon, creator of the cartoon series Rabbit and Bear Paws, presented a workshop on graphic arts and how it can be used as a teaching tool. believes language is a “fundamental attribute to tribal sovereignty” and without it believes all “tribal peoples lose an essential cornerstone to their identities.” Ojibway is a second language for Treuer. His current work is dedicated to interviewing the

last remaining “first speakers” with individuals whose first language is Ojibway. He has written several books on the Ojibway language. “Our belief is that Ojibway is what our soul understands. It is embedded in our sense of identity,” he has written.

Over the last century, nearly 10 Aboriginal Canadian languages have become extinct and there are more than ten which threaten to become extinct in the near future according to Statistics Canada. But almost all are in decline. It reports there are about 51 Aboriginal languages in Canada, which are divided into 11 language groups. These language groups can further be divided into 65 dialects. Only three of these languages, Inuktitut, Cree and Ojibway, are thought to be spoken fluently by enough people for them to have a real chance of long-term survival. A Statistics Canada Aboriginal Languages Study reported that “second language learning is a positive development because it could prevent or slow the loss of Aboriginal languages across the country. Learning an Aboriginal language as a second language cannot be considered a substitute for learning it as a first language.” “Nevertheless, increasing the number of second language speakers is part of the process of language revitalization, and

may go some way towards preventing, or at least slowing, the rapid erosion and possible extinction of endangered languages,” it adds. The study says 24 per cent of the First Nations population could speak or understand an Aboriginal language in 2001, down from the 29 per cent reported in 1996. The drop in the transmission of Aboriginal languages is partly offset by the rise in of people learning it as a second language, a process the study reports is on the rise. “Ojibway language is the basis of the Ojibway culture and without language, you don’t have culture,” said Tookenay who agrees that language instruction in the schools is vital for survival. “As a school board, particularly with Aboriginal students we felt there was something missing within the school day. “The Seven Generations Education Institute and Rainy River District School Board really have put a lot of focus on Native language in our schools. We are a leader in Ontario in terms of having Native language courses in its schools.”

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NOTICE Aerial Herbicide Spraying Lac Seul Forest The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) in conjunction with McKenzie Forest Products is planning to conduct a prescribed burn in the Horse Lake storm damaged areas between August 20 – October 30, 2011. The primary purpose of this project is to investigate the effectiveness of the use of prescribed fire to achieve preferred conifer dominated forest habitat for woodland caribou. As part of the project design, some of the project area will also receive herbicide spray (see map) starting on or about: June 15, 2011. The herbicide VisionMax, registration no. 27736 P.C.P.A will be used. The project description and project plan for the aerial herbicide project is available for public inspection at the MNR District Office, 49 Prince Street, beginning May 15, 2011 until June 15, 2011. Interested and affected persons and organizations can arrange an appointment with MNR staff at the MNR District office to discuss the aerial herbicide project.

Approximate Location(s) of Treatment -

For more information or to arrange an appointment with MNR staff please contact: Amy Smart MNR District Office 49 Prince Street Sioux Lookout, ON. P8T 1A5 807.737.2261

Robert Auld McKenzie Forest Products 429 Airport Road Sioux Lookout, ON. P8T 1A5 807.737.2522 x 228

submitted photo

Wasaya Airways LP presented a travel certificate to Lott Thunder, second from left, April 27. With it, the evangelical minister from Sachigo Lake, is entitled to unlimited travel on Wasaya Airways LP upon a space available basis, with reservations made 10-days in advance. The certificate will help offset Thunder’s travel costs when he visits First Nations holding gospel jamborees and other gatherings. Presenting the certificate are Wasaya public relations and communications specialist Jennifer Mihalcin, left, executive assistant Colleen Slipperjack and charter and group sales representative Dianna Atkinson. This is the second travel certificate Wasaya has presented. The first went to Bishop Lydia Mamakwa.

Earn Your Degree in a Supportive Specialization & Access Programs Department of Indigenous Learning (IL) Environment Native Nurses Entry Program (NNEP) Native Access Program (NAP)

Lakehead University is committed to helping Aboriginal people further their aspirations. Aboriginal programs at Lakehead offer academic, research, and cultural support services tailored to Aboriginal needs. Office of Aboriginal Initiatives aboriginalinitiatives.lakeheadu.ca 807-766-7219 or toll free 1-888-558-3388

Aboriginal Education Honours Bachelor of Education (Aboriginal Education) (HBEd) Native Teacher Education Program (NTEP) Native Language Instructors’ Program (NLIP)

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Wawatay News MAY 12, 2011

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Youth award winners want to help their people Rick Garrick Wawatay News

Whitefish Bay’s Talon Fire Bird wants to make a difference in the world for Aboriginal youth. “Ever since my birth, my mom was a social worker, she always did a lot for kids, she always went that extra mile,” said the 13-year-old Bishop E.Q. Jennings student in Thunder Bay. “I always wanted to be like my mom. I wanted to make a difference in the world and also make a difference in my life.” Bird has volunteered with a number of organizations and events in Thunder Bay, including helping organize activities for children and youth at the Multicultural Youth Centre and the Regional Multicultural Youth Centre site at Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School, helping out at the 2011 Lakehead University Powwow and helping students from the northern communities feel comfortable in the city. Bird also meets with school boards to discuss issues in the schools, such as racism, bullying, discrimination, violence and creating safer inclusive schools. Bird was one of four youth recognized May 4 with Youth Achievement Awards for Community Leadership and Volunteerism during the 2011 Northwestern Ontario Aboriginal Youth Achievement and Recognition Awards in Thunder Bay. “It feels great that I have a lot of people supporting me in my decisions,” Bird said about the award. “My future goals are to carve a better future for young Aboriginal youth right now and to carve a better future for

myself.” Marten Falls’ Lindsey Achneepineskum, Samantha Hennessey and Sachigo Lake’s Riley Barkman were also recognized with Community Leadership and Volunteerism awards. Recognition Awards for Personal Achievement went to Pikangikum’s Shannon Mamakwa and Pic River’s Gerald C. Hynes Jr.; Community Involvement went to Naomi Abotossaway; Aboriginal Youth Mentorship went to Moose Cree’s Kristie Williams; Education went to Judith Mishibinijima; and Excellence in Diversity went to Wasaya Airways. The Employment in a Chosen Field award was given to Lindsay Churchley, a Northern Ontario School of Medicine graduate who has applied for her status in Lake Helen and is now beginning a five-year obstetrics/gynecology residency in Thunder Bay. “During my second year (of medical school), while working in a variety of small towns, I discovered the field of obstetrics and really enjoyed the happy part of medicine,” Churchley said. “It was while I was in Kenora and the outlying Aboriginal reserves that I started to think about doing women’s health in Aboriginal communities and locally.” Churchley saw a need for guidance and education while she was working with women on the reserves. “We really need to educate our young women about a variety of things, not just family planning but everything about women’s health,” Churchley said. “I don’t think we talk about that enough in

Rick Garrick/Wawatay News

Whitefish Bay’s Talon Fire Bird received one of the four Youth Achievement Awards for Community Leadership and Volunteerism handed out May 4 during the 2011 Northwestern Ontario Aboriginal Youth Achievement and Recognition Awards in Thunder Bay. our culture, so one of my goals is to work with women and also have a culturally sensitive practice regarding that issue.” Youth Achievement Awards for Peer Mentorship went to Kiashke Zaagin’s Shayleen Wilson-King and Couchiching’s Morgan Krueger while Youth Achievement Awards for Advocacy and Activism went to Lilianna McKay and Couchiching’s Larissa Desrosiers. Academic awards went to

Mia Beardy, Courtney McKenzie, Eric Ritch, Jordan Davidson, Joanna Elkin, Brooke Wakegijig and Kingfisher’s Evangeline King. Athletic Awards went to Jessica Meekis, Dakota Sagutch, Skyler Lentz, Moses Desmoulins and Couchiching’s Sydney Radigan. Artistic awards went to Nakita Guillet, Erin Collins, Couchiching’s Talon Jourdain, Gull Bay’s Charnel Anderson

and Northwest Angle #37’s Cynthia Edwards. Personal Achievement awards went to Will Reynolds, Dollard Brisard, Aaron Reynolds, Grassy Narrows’ Caradine Swain, Whitesand’s Leslie Katchen, Neskantaga’s Aaron Yellowhead and Sandy Lake’s Sarah Fiddler. The Sandra Kakeeway Cultural Awards went to Emmitt Mequanawap, Ginoogaming’s Allan Mendowegan and Anim-

biigoo Zaagi’gan Anishinaabek’s Kaine Kindla. The Group Achievement award went to the Search for Jordan Wabasse. The Where are they now award went to RJ Ogemah, a past winner of the 2009 Aboriginal Youth Achievement Artistic Award. Ogemah has been accepted into the Angel Academy of Art in Florence, Italy this September.

NOTICE OF FINAL PUBLIC MEETING

AVIS D’ASSEMBLÉE PUBLIQUE

To be held by Ontario Solar PV Fields 10 Limited Partnership regarding a Proposal to Engage in a Renewable Energy Project

Qui sera tenue par Ontario Solar PV Fields 10 Limited Partnership concernant une proposition pour participer à un projet d’énergie renouvelable

Project Name: Mattawishkwia Solar Park Project Location: 2 Girard Road, PO Box 2752, Hearst ON Dated at Durham Region this the 2nd of May 2011 Ontario Solar PV Fields 10 Limited Partnership is planning to engage in a renewable energy project in respect of which the issuance of a renewable energy approval is required. The proposal to engage in the project and the project itself is subject to the provisions of the Environmental Protection Act (Act) Part V.0.1 and Ontario Regulation 359/09 (Regulation). This notice must be distributed in accordance with section 15 of the Regulation prior to an application being submitted and assessed for completeness by the Ministry of the Environment. Meeting Location: DATE: July 14, 2011 TIME: 6:00 – 9:00 pm PLACE: Canadian Legion Hall, 113 Front Street, Hearst ON Project Description: Pursuant to the Act and Regulation, the facility, in respect of which this project is to be engaged in, is a Class 3 Solar Facility. If approved, this facility would have a total maximum name plate capacity of 10 MW. The project location is described in the map below. Documents for Public Inspection: The Draft Project Description Report titled “Mattawishkwia Solar Park - Draft Project Description Report” describes the project as photovoltaic solar farm which will collect energy from the sun using thin photovoltaic modules and convert it to electrical energy for distribution to the local electricity distribution system. A written copy of the Draft Project Description Report was made available for public inspection on August 17, 2010 www.ontariosolarpvfields.com Further, the applicant has obtained or prepared, as the case may be, the following supporting documents in order to comply with the requirements of the Act and Regulation. Construction Plan Report; Design and Operations Report; Decommissioning Plan Report; finalized Project Description Report and all attached appendices. Written copies of the draft supporting documents will be made available for public inspection on May 11, 2011 at: The Hearst Municipal Office located at 925 Alexandra Street Hearst Ontario P0L 1N0. Written copies of the supporting documents will also be available at the public open house Project Contacts and Information: To learn more about the project proposal, public meetings, or to communicate concerns please contact: Joanne Borris REFERGY Canada Inc. 5979 Baldwin Street S. PO Box 30030 Whitby ON L1M 0B5 Mattawishkwia Solar Park www.ontariosolarpvfields.com 2 Girard Road PO Box 2752 Hearst ON Telephone: (905) 425-0583

Nom du projet : Parc Solaire Mattawishkwia Emplacement du projet : 2 Girard Road PO Box 2752, Hearst ON Fait à Durham Region ce 2e jour d’mai, 2011 Ontario Solar PV Fields 10 Limited Partnership prévoit participer à un projet d’énergie renouvelable pour lequel il est nécessaire d’obtenir une autorisation. La proposition de participer au présent projet d’énergie renouvelable et le projet luimême sont assujettis aux dispositions de la partie V.0.1 de la Loi sur la protection de l’environnement (la Loi) et du Règlement de l’Ontario 359/09 (le Règlement). Cet avis doit être distribué conformément à l’article 15 du règlement avant qu’une demande ne soit présentée et que son exhaustivité ne soit évaluée par le ministère de l’Environnement. Lieu de l’assemblée : DATE : July 14th 2011 HEURE : 6:00 – 9 :00pm LIEU : Canadian Legion Hall, 113 Front Street, Hearst ON Description du projet : Conformément à la Loi et au Règlement, l’installation pour laquelle la participation au projet est prévue est une installation de ferme solaire, Classe 3. Si le projet est autorisé, cette installation aurait une puissance installée totale maximale de 10 MW. L’emplacement du projet est décrit dans la carte ci-dessous. Documents disponibles pour l’examen par le public : L’ébauche du rapport descriptif du projet intitulé Parc Solaire Mattawishkwia décrit le projet étant une ferme solaire qui permettra la conversion de l’énergie solaire en électricité utilisant des modules photovoltaïques minces, pour être re-dirigé au réseau de distribution d’électricité local. Un exemplaire écrit de l’ébauche du rapport descriptif du projet peut être examiné par le public depuis l’août 17, 2010 au www.ontariosolarpvfields.com. De plus, le demandeur a obtenu ou a préparé, selon le cas, les documents à l’appui suivants afin de se conformer aux exigences de la Loi et du règlement. Des exemplaires de l’ébauche des documents à Rapport du plan de construction; rapport de conception et d’exploitation ; Rapport de déclassement ; rapport de la description du projet finalisé avec appendices ci-joint. Les copies écrites des pièces justificatives du projet seront mises à la disposition du public pour consultation le 11 mai, 2011 àu: Hearst Municipal Office, 925 Alexandra Street, Hearst Ontario P0L 1N0. Coordonnées des personnesressources du projet : Pour de plus amples renseignements concernant la proposition de projet ou les assemblées publiques, ou pour faire état de vos préoccupations, veuillez communiquer avec: Joanne Borris REFERGY Canada Inc. 5979 Baldwin Street S. PO Box 30030 Whitby, ON L1M 0B5 www.ontariosolarpvfields.com Telephone: (905) 425-0583 Parc Solaire Mattawishkwia Parc Solaire Mattawishkwia 2 Girard Road PO Box 2752, Hearst ON 2 Girard Road PO Box 2752 Hearst ON

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Dennis Franklin Cromarty student awards

submitted photos

Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School vice-principal Sharon Angeconeb, above, presents Mayveline Quill with the female athlete of the year award during the school’s annual awards banquet April 27. Davery Bottle, right, displays the Student Services Program Participation Award. Bottle was a big winner at the ceremony, also winning the Executive Director’s Award, boy’s volleyball MVP, boy’s curling most improved and badminton most improved.

List of award winners DFC athletic award winners Football most improved Sydney Kenequanash Football most valuable Jonathan Crane Cross country runner of the year Michael Semple Wrestler of the year: Jonathan Crane Judo most improved Darren Gray Judo most valuable Dominic Meekis Judo coach’s award Kevin Rae Hockey most improved Shawn Anderson Hockey most valuable Sherman Mekanak Boy’s volleyball most improved Katota Sakchekapo Boy’s volleyball most valuable Davery Bottle Boy’s volleyball coach’s award Darrin Fiddler Girl’s volleyball most improved Claudia Linklater Girl’s volleyball most valuable Marella Meekis Girl’s volleyball coach’s award Mayveline Quill Curling most improved Davery Bottle Curling most valuable Kevin Anderson Curling coach’s award Tyler Wassaykeesic Badminton most improved Davery Bottle Badminton most valuable Marella Meekis

Badminton coach’s award Kevin Anderson Indoor soccer most improved Kevin Anderson Indoor soccer most valuable Messier Wassaykeesic Indoor soccer coach’s award Jonathan Crane Drama best actor St. John Kakekagumick Drama best actress Claudia Linklater Male athlete of the year Jonathan Crane Female athlete of the year Mayveline Quill DFC subject awards Art top student Brandon Meekis Art most improved Schyler Oombash Business top student Brandon Meekis Business most improved Darlene Barkman Computers top student Carlene Barkman Computers most improved Brent Cromarty English top student Schyler Oombash English most improved Storm Keewasin-Edwards Canadian and world studies top student Aaron McKay Canadian and world studies most improved Curtis Moose Guidance and career education most improved Darren Gray

AVIS DE PROPOSITION

Guidance and career education top student St. John Kakekagumick Math top student St. John Kakekagumick Math most improved Harley Anderson Science top student Duane Matthews Science most improved Schyler Oombash Native language top student Chantal Keeash Native language most improved Aaron McKay Social studies top student St. John Kakekagumick Social studies most improved Angela Rae Healthy active living top student Donny Nayotchkeesic Healthy active living most improved Harley Anderson Technology top student St. John Kakekagumick Technology most improved Rory Keesickquayash Executive awards Attendance Aaron McKay Leadership Darrin Fiddler Principal’s award Naomi Wesley Education director’s award St. John Kakekagumick Executive director’s award Davery Bottle

NOTICE OF A PROPOSAL

par Ontario Solar PV Fields 10 Limited Partnership afin de participer à un projet d’énergie renouvelable

by Ontario Solar PV Fields 10 Limited Partnership to Engage in a Renewable Energy Project

Nom du projet : Parc Solaire Mattawishkwia Emplacement du projet : 2 Girard Road PO Box 2752 Hearst ON Fait à Durham Region, ce 2e jour de mai, 2011 Ontario Solar PV Fields 10 Limited Partnership a l’intention de s’engager dans un projet d’énergie renouvelable pour lesquels une approbation d’énergie renouvelables est exigé. La distribution de cet avis de proposition à participer au présent projet d’énergie renouvelable et le projet lui-même sont assujettis aux dispositions de la partie V.0.1 de la Loi sur la protection de l’environnement et du Règlement de l’Ontario 359/09 (le Règlement). Cet avis doit être distribué conformément à l’article 15 du règlement avant qu’une demande ne soit présentée et que son exhaustivité ne soit évaluée par le ministère de l’Environnement. L’emplacement du projet a été adapté, et le nouvel emplacement est illustré dans la carte ci-dessous. Elle est aussi fournie de façon plus détaillée dans les documents du projet.

Project Name: Mattawishkwia Solar Park Project Location: 2 Girard Rd. PO Box 2752 Hearst ON Dated in Durham Region this the 2nd of May 2011 Ontario Solar PV Fields 10 Limited Partnership is planning to engage in a renewable energy project in respect of which the issuance of a renewable energy approval is required. The distribution of this notice of a proposal to engage in this renewable energy project and the project itself are subject to the provisions of the Environmental Protection Act (Act) Part V.0.1 and Ontario Regulation 359/09 (Regulation). This notice must be distributed in accordance with section 15 of the Regulation prior to an application being submitted and assessed for completeness by the Ministry of the Environment. The Project location has been adapted, and the new location outline is illustrated in the map below and as provided at the first public consultation, it is provided in greater detail in the Draft Documents Posting. Project Description: Pursuant to the Act and Regulation, the facility, in respect of which the project is to be engaged in, is considered to be a Class 3 Solar Facility. If approved, this facility would have a total maximum name plate capacity of 10 MW. The project location is described in the map below. This project is being proposed in accordance with the requirements of the Act and Regulation. Written copies of the Construction Plan Report; Design and Operations Report; Decommissioning Plan Report; finalized Project Description Report and all attached appendices will be made available for public inspection on May 11, 2011 at: www. ontariosolarpvfields.com, and at the Hearst Municipal Office, 925 Alexandra Street, Hearst Ontario, P0L 1N0. Project Contacts and Information: To learn more about the project proposal or to communicate concerns please contact: Joanne Borris REFERGY Canada Inc. 5979 Baldwin Street S. PO Box 30030 Whitby, ON L1M 0B5 Mattawishkwia Solar Park www.ontariosolarpvfields.com 2 Girard Road PO Box 2752 Hearst ON Telephone: (905) 425-0583

Description du projet : Conformément à la Loi et au Règlement, l’installation pour laquelle le projet est prévu est considérée comme une installation de parc solaire, Classe 3. Si le projet est autorisé, cette installation aurait une puissance installée totale maximale de 10 MW. L’emplacement du projet est décrit dans la carte ci-dessous. Ce projet est proposé conformément aux exigences de la Loi et du règlement. L’ébauche du rapport descriptif du projet intitulé Mattawishkwia Solar Park – Draft Project Description Report (raport de la description du projet relatif au Parc Solaire Mattawishkwia) décrit l’installation comme étant une ferme solaire qui permettra la conversion de l’énergie solaire en électricité utilisant des modules photovoltaïques minces, pour être re-dirigé au réseau de distribution d’électricité local. Un exemplaire écrit de l’ébauche du rapport descriptif du projet peut être examiné par le public à l’adresse suivante: www.ontariosolarpvfields.com est. De plus, le demandeur a obtenu ou a préparé, selon le cas, les documents à l’appui suivants afin de se conformer aux exigences de la Loi et du règlement. Des exemplaires de l’ébauche des documents à Rapport du plan de construction; rapport de conception et d’exploitation ; Rapport de déclassement ; rapport de la description du projet finalisé avec appendices ci-joint. Les copies écrites des pièces justificatives du projet seront mises à la disposition du public pour consultation le 11 mai, 2011 à: Hearst Municipal Office, 925 Alexandra Street, Hearst Ontario P0L 1N0. Coordonnées des personnesressources du projet : Pour de plus amples renseignements concernant la proposition de projet ou pour faire état de vos préoccupations, veuillez communiquer avec: Joanne Borris REFERGY Canada Inc. 5979 Baldwin Street S. PO Box 30030 Whitby ON L1M 0B5 www.ontariosolarpvfields.com Telephone: (905) 425-0583

Parc Solaire Mattawishkwia 2 Girard Road PO Box 2752 Hearst ON

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Wawatay News MAY 12, 2011

Ontario Energy Board

13

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Commission de l’energie de l’Ontario

NOTICE OF APPLICATION AND HEARING APPLICATION FOR LEAVE TO CONSTRUCT 115 kV TRANSMISSION FACILITIES IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF RED LAKE Goldcorp Canada Ltd. and Goldcorp Inc. acting jointly as Goldcorp (the “Applicant”) have filed an application with the Ontario Energy Board, (the “Board”) dated April 25, 2011 under section 92 of the Ontario Energy Board Act, 1998, S.O. 1998, c.15, Schedule B. Goldcorp is seeking an order of the Board granting leave to construct 10.7 km of 115 kV single circuit transmission line from Hydro One Networks Inc.’s (“HONI”) 115 kV E2R Transmission line at a point approximately 2 km south of Harry’s Corner to the to-be-constructed Balmer Complex Transformer Station, all in the Municipality of Red Lake. Goldcorp Canada Ltd. is a federal company headquartered in Toronto, and carries on the business of, among other things, operating gold mines in Ontario. The proposed transmission facilities include: A new switchyard connecting HONI’s Tap on its E2R 115 kV transmission line approximately 2 km southwest of Harry’s Corner with the proposed 115 kV transmission line; A new 10.7 km 115 kV single circuit transmission line running from the switchyard to the to-be-constructed Balmer Complex Transformer Station; A 115 kV/44 kV Transformer Station at Goldcorp’s Balmer Complex. The proposed transmission facilities will be owned and constructed by Goldcorp until the system is commissioned. Following which, the switchyard and 115 kV transmission line, but not the Balmer Complex Transformer Station, will be transferred to and operated by HONI. The planned in-service date for this project is December 2011. Goldcorp submits that the project is required to allow Goldcorp to realize its Mine Development Plan in the Municipality of Red Lake, remove the need for Goldcorp to utilize diesel generation thereby avoiding adverse environmental effects and to free-up capacity in the Red Lake Transformer Station allowing HONI to service new and emerging demand in the Ear Falls/Red Lake area. A map showing the location of the transmission facilities is included with this Notice. The Board has assigned File No. EB-2011-01 06 to this application. Board Jurisdiction For any leave to construct application under section 92 of the Act, section 96(2) of the Act provides that when determining if a proposed work is in the public interest, the Board’s jurisdiction is limited to consideration of: the interests of consumers with respect to prices and the reliability and quality of electricity service, and where applicable and in a manner consistent with the policies of the Government of Ontario, the promotion of the use of renewable energy sources. How to see Goldcorp’s pre-filed evidence Copies of the application and the pre-filed evidence in support of the application will be available for public inspection at: the Board’s offices; the Applicant’s offices and website (addresses provided below); Office of the Municipality of Red Lake, 2, Fifth Street, Balmertown; Ministry of Environment – Northern Region, 435 James Street, Thunder Bay; Red Lake Indian Friendship Centre, 1 Legion Road, Red Lake; and Red Lake Public Library, 117 Howey Street, Red Lake. Written Hearing The Board intends to proceed with this matter by way of a written hearing unless a party satisfies the Board that there is a good reason for holding an oral hearing. If you object to the Board holding a written hearing in this matter, you must provide written reasons why an oral hearing is necessary. Any submissions objecting to a written hearing must be received by the Board and copied to the applicant within 10 days of the publication or service date of this notice.

How to Participate You may participate in this proceeding in one of three ways:

EB-2011-0106

All letters requesting observer status will become part of the public record, which means that the letters will be available for viewing at the Board’s offices and will be placed on the Board’s website. Before placing the request for observer status on the public record, the Board will remove any personal (i.e., not business) contact information from the request (i.e., the address, fax number, phone number, and e-mail address of the individual). However, the name of the individual and the content of the request for observer status will become part of the public record. Observers may also request documents filed by the applicant and other parties to the proceeding but must request these documents directly from the relevant party. Observers may be required to pay for the costs of reproducing and delivering the material. Most documents filed in this application will also be available on the Board’s website. How to Contact Us In responding to this Notice, please reference Board file number EB-2011-0106 in the subject line of your e-mail or at the top of your letter. It is also important that you provide your name, postal address and telephone number and, if available, an e-mail address and fax number. All communications should be directed to the attention of the Board Secretary at the address below, and be received no later than 4:45 p.m. on the required date. Need More Information? Further information on how to participate may be obtained by visiting the Board’s www.ontarioenergyboard.ca/OEB/ Industry or by calling our Consumer Relations Centre at 1-877-632-2727. IMPORTANT IF YOU DO NOT FILE A WRITTEN SUBMISSION OBJECTING TO A WRITTEN HEARING OR DO NOT PARTICIPATE IN THE HEARING BY FILING WRITTEN SUBMISSIONS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THIS NOTICE, THE BOARD MAY PROCEED WITHOUT YOUR PARTICIPATION AND YOU WILL NOT BE ENTITLED TO FURTHER NOTICE IN THIS PROCEEDING. The Board: Ontario Energy Board P.O. Box 2319 27th Floor 2300 Yonge Street Toronto ON M4P 1 E4 Attention: Board Secretary Filings: https://www.errr.ontarioenergyboard.ca/

Counsel for Goldcorp: Ian A. Blue, Q.C. Gardiner Roberts LLP Suite 3010, 40 King Street West Toronto, Ontario, M5H 3Y2

Tel: 1-888-632-6273 (Toll free) Fax: 416-440-7656 E-mail: boardsec@ontarioenergyboard.ca/

Solicitors to Goldcorp: Brian Dominique Cassels, Brock & Blackwell LLP Suite 2100, 40 King Street West Toronto, Ontario, M5H 3Y2

The Applicant: Curtis Pedwell Maintenance Manager Goldcorp – Red Lake Mines 15 Mine Road, Bag 2000 Balmertown, Ontario POV 1CO

Tel: (416) 865-2962 Fax: (416) 865-6636 E-Mail: iblue@gardiner-roberts.com

Tel: (416) 865-2962 Fax: (416) 360-8877 E-Mail: bdominique@casselsbrock.com

Tel: (807) 735-2077 extn: 5118 E-mail: curtis.pedwell@goldcorp.com

DATED at Toronto, April 29, 2011 1. Become an Intervenor Intervenors participate actively in the proceeding (i.e., submit written questions, evidence, and arguments, and crossexamine witnesses at an oral hearing). A request for intervenor status must be made by letter of intervention and be received by the Board no later than 10 days from the publication or service date of this notice. A letter of intervention must include: (a) a description of how you are, or may be, affected by the outcome of this proceeding; (b) if you represent a group, a description of the group and its membership; and (c) whether you intend to seek an award of costs and the grounds for your cost award eligibility. You must provide a copy of your letter of intervention to the Applicant. Everything an intervenor files with the Board, including the intervenor’s name and contact information, will be placed on the public record, which means that all filings will be available for viewing at the Board’s offices and will be placed on the Board’s website. If you already have a user ID, please submit your intervention request through the Board’s web portal at www.errr. ontarioenergyboard.ca. Additionally, two paper copies must be submitted to the address set out below. If you do not have a user ID, visit the Board’s website under e-Filing Services and complete a user ID/password request form. For instructions on how to submit documents and naming conventions please refer to the RESS Document Guidelines found at www.ontarioenergyboard.ca/OEB/industry, e-Filing Services. The Board also accepts interventions by e-mail, at the address below, and again, two additional paper copies are required. Those who do not have internet access are required to submit their intervention request on a CD in PDF format, along with two paper copies. 2. Send a Letter with your Comments to the Board If you wish to comment on the proceeding without becoming an intervenor, you may submit a letter of comment to the Board Secretary. All letters of comment sent to the Board will be placed on the public record, which means that the letters will be available for viewing at the Board’s offices and will be placed on the Board’s website. Before placing the letter of comment on the public record, the Board will remove any personal (i.e., not business) contact information from the letter of comment (i.e., the address, fax number, phone number, and e-mail address of the individual). However, the name of the individual and the content of the letter of comment will become part of the public record. A complete copy of your letter of comment, including your name, contact information, and the content of the letter, will be provided to the applicant and the Hearing Panel. Your letter of comment must be received by the Board no later than 30 days from the publication or service date of this notice. The Board accepts letters of comment by either post or e-mail at the addresses below. 3. Become an Observer Observers do not participate actively in the proceeding but receive documents issued by the Board in the proceeding. There is no fee for observers to receive documents issued by the Board. A request for observer status must be made in writing and be received by the Board no later than 10 days from the publication or service date of this notice. The Board accepts observer request letters by either post or e-mail at the addresses below.

ONTARIO ENERGY BOARD

Original Signed By Kirsten Walli Board Secretary APPENDIX “A” TO NOTICE OF APPLICATION AND HEARING BOARD FILE NO.: EB-2011-0106 MAP OF ROUTE DATED: APRIL 29,2011

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Students jump during play time in the gymnasium at Ogden Public School in Thunder Bay.

“The have-nots often get pushed aside and don’t feel welcome. And this is a program that doesn’t care what you have. It’s about everybody being involved and it’s about everybody feeling comfortable.” –Robin Haliuk, Thunder Bay Urban Aboriginal Strategy

Aboriginal school programs could end next spring Story by Adrienne Fox Photography by Brent Wesley and Adrienne Fox

W

hat is poverty? There is no official definition. And the United Nations Economic and Social Council have criticized Canada for not developing a definable poverty line. So, many social advocacy groups use Low Income Cut Offs (LICO) to measure poverty. LICO’s basically means one is considered poor if the amount of money they make is small compared to the rest of the same population. According to a 2006 Poverty in Thunder Bay report the LICO for a single person is nearly $18,000. Anyone who makes less than that amount per year is considered poor. And if you’re a family of five making less than $37,000 per year than that family is considered poor as well. In 2000, nearly 17,000 of Thunder Bay’s total population were considered poor. That’s roughly 14 per cent of the city’s 122,000 people – a number that includes surrounding areas. By comparison 2,900 of the city’s Aboriginal population are considered poor. As of 2001 about 8,200 Aboriginal people live in Thunder Bay. That means about 35 per cent of the total Aboriginal population living in Thunder Bay is poor. It’s been called the heart of Canada. It’s nestled along the shores of Lake Superior and framed by some of the country’s most beautifully rugged terrain. Thunder Bay’s population has a median age of 39 and the average income is about $30,000. Its regional position has made it the medical, commercial and industrial centre of northwestern Ontario. And it’s that location that also makes it unique. It’s isolated in comparison to other large urban centres but close to numerous Aboriginal communities – making it an obvious destination for visits and relocation. Thunder Bay was an easy choice for the National Urban Aboriginal Strategy (UAS) to pick as a site for a pilot project given its high and growing concentration of Aboriginal people. The UAS was formed to meet the needs of Aboriginal people living in urban centres by improving delivery of existing policies, programs and services. And in 2004, the Thunder Bay UAS birthed the Neighbourhood Capacity Building Project (NCBP) to eradicate child poverty. It’s a tall order that the NCBP continues to focus on seven years later. The project’s heart lies in its after- and in-school programs, as well as its nutrition programs – all delivered by a team of culturally aware youth outreach workers. The project’s programs are carried out in schools that house generous Aboriginal student populations.

N

athaniel Moses begins his day at 9 a.m. at Our Lady of Charity – a Catholic school located in the city’s north end. First, he tutors students throughout the day then he turns his attention to the lunch program where he often ensures there are freshly made sandwiches, fruit and yogurt available to any student needing an energy boost. But the essence of what the NCBP represents can be found in the after-school programs. This is also where Moses is able to shine. He coordinated Ecole Gron Morgan’s annual Education and Leadership Powwow before taking his current role at Our Lady of Charity. The event consistently attracted media coverage and garnered praise from the school’s principal, Carolyn Carlson. She says being able to promote another culture within the school has resulted in a community-wide promotion that has brought greater understanding to the City of Thunder Bay about Aboriginal culture. Moses’ knowledge of Aboriginal culture is extensive. It’s an asset he’s proud to share not only with student participants but also with the school at large. “Our role is share positive-ness with the students that come to the school. I try to give them self-esteem when they’re feeling down. I want them to feel love and identity.” Rose Skead is a Grade 6 student at Our Lady of Charity. “I have a lot of my friends here,” she said of the program. “Everybody is so kind. And if I mess up on something, one of my friends will come and help me.” Moses says he uses the seven grandfather teachings to help guide students on how to treat others around them. “We teach by being good examples.” Robin Haliuk has a unique view of the project. She’s both mother to a daughter who actively participates in the project and a UAS employee. Haliuk, a Métis, says programs like the ones being run by NCBP teach an important lesson about inclusion. “The have-nots often get pushed aside and don’t feel welcome. And this is a program that doesn’t care what you have. It’s about everybody being involved and it’s about everybody feeling comfortable.” And she’s seeing the benefits in her daughter, Emma Haliuk, who began dancing at Ecole Gron’s annual powwow. She felt like a superstar Robin says, which has helped raise her self-esteem. Emma says she would most likely be at home bored if the program didn’t exist. It’s a common sentiment expressed by many of the students who attend the project’s after-school programs.

P

aul Francis is the business development officer for Shkoday Abinojiiwak Obimiwedoon (Thunder Bay Aboriginal Head Start). It’s a newly created role by the organization that oversees the administrative end of the project. He’s also the former NCBP coordinator, a position he stepped up from after spending two years at McKellar Park Public School as its youth outreach worker. He worries the project will fade into non-existence once the funding pool is gone next spring. So he’s on a mission to make sure that doesn’t happen. “Roughly, it costs about $100,000 per school for the programs to run full-time.” A large portion of that cost funds a full-time outreach worker and two casual staff. The money also pays for cultural and program supplies, structured activities like bowling, transportation, healthy food supplements and insurance. Francis says the cost of running the in-school programs will only increase with each passing year. By 2016-2017, it will cost more than $110,000 to run the school programs at each school. He says governments could help stem the project’s demise by recognizing its importance. Francis would like to see both the provincial and federal governments along with private sector investors combine resources to sustain the project long-term. Currently, the NCBP delivers programs in seven Thunder Bay elementary schools. Monday to Friday, students participate in activities that range from learning how to make hand drums to playing dodge ball in school gymnasiums. The variety of activities offered follows a simple premise: balance mind, body and spirit using the medicine wheel. It’s an approach that attracts parents like Joel Maki. He works in the information technology department at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre – the area’s largest hospital. His son Josh attends the after-school program at Westmount Public School located in the west end of the city. “The alternative would be for him to go home and then he’d be by himself for two hours.” An added benefit for parents like Maki is the time devoted to helping students complete their homework before going home. “It gives him more time to relax when he gets home because it’s hard to get him to do his work when he’s tired in the evening.” Maki says that’s translated into a better academic performance. The NCBP had been funded through the Office of the Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians since 2004.

Wawatay News MAY 12, 2011

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ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ

Students from Ogden Public School, Sherbrooke Public School and McKellar Park Public School take part in bowling during the Neighbourhood Capacity Building Project’s after-school program.

Ogden Public School student Daralynn Fox.

Ogden school students in the after-school program.

Ecole Gron Morgan student Emma Haliuk.

A McKellar Park student passes tobacco for use of a hand drum.

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Wawatay News

MAY 12, 2011

ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ

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Wawatay News MAY 12, 2011

17

ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ

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1-866-867-8293 Xavier Kataquapit/Special to Wawatay News

John Chookomolin’s final resting place is in St Jude’s Cemetery in Englefield Green, UK.

WWW.TALKCANADA1.COM

Kataquapit tracks down family member’s war history Xavier Kataquapit UNDER THE NORTHERN SKY

O

n a bright sunny morning recently, I found my long-lost great grandfather John Chookomolin’s grave, in an English cemetery just outside of the historic city of London. His white-stone commonwealth cemetery headstone glimmered under the strong spring sun on a lawn of welltended grass. I found him in an ancient part of the cemetery where the grave memorials were pitted and roughened with age and stone borders had moved, cracked and in parts disappeared. My feelings were mixed with excitement on one hand and sadness on another. It was good to finally lay my hand on the resting place of my great grandfather John Chookomolin, who had been put in the ground on this spot Sept. 20, 1917. When I knelt down to read the engraving on his stone it was spelled ‘J. Jakomolin’, a misprint in history that had added to many complications that kept his fate a mystery for some 80 years. In the bright light of the day in this quaint cemetery in Englefield Green, I felt a sense of happiness in finding his grave but I also found myself thinking about what the final months of my great grandfather’s life would have been like in a foreign country worlds away from his ancestral lands, family and friends. I feel it my duty to give him a voice after all these years. He had been part of a group of 24 young Cree men who left Attawapiskat on the James Bay coast in the summer of 1917 to take part in the First World War. A recruiter had appeared that spring to our remote community and had led these young men on a long difficult journey south through the northern wilderness by canoe and by foot to access the rail line near Nakina. According to their recruitment war records, these Cree boys were registered with the commonwealth military in June and July 1917 and in a matter of two months they were shipped off across the Atlantic in September to take part in the war effort in England. These young Cree men did not speak any European language and they did not fully understand the reasons why

they went off across the ocean and left their homes. Their reality had always been the nomadic life of the Muskegowuk Cree on their traditional lands near Attawapiskat on the shores of the great James Bay. They knew nothing of the world outside and yet they obliged some visiting military recruiter who asked for their help. My great grandfather John Chookomolin was one of the unfortunate ones who contracted an illness during the ship crossing. He landed safely in England but was subsequently transferred to military hospitals. His records detail his journey to the region of Surrey, east of the city of London where he was treated in a hospital in Englefield Green, a small town near the larger center of Egham. After nearly two weeks of treatment it is claimed he succumbed to pneumonia and was buried in the Catholic portion of the cemetery of St. Jude’s in Englefield Green. My great grandfather’s history was a complete mystery until the early 1990s when my cousin George Hookimaw took the initiaChookomolin tive to do some research to find out what had happened to John Chookomolin so many decades ago. Up to that point, my grandmother Louise Paulmartin, had never known what happened to her father and only understood that he had made the Atlantic crossing and just never came home. John Chookomolin’s mysterious disappearance had made life difficult for my grandmother who was only a few months old when he left. John’s wife Maggie died a few years after he left for the war, leaving my grandmother Louise an orphan during a time when life was a difficult struggle for survival in the northern wilderness. For more than 80 years no communication made it home regarding John and his orphaned daughter grew up without knowing what became of her father. Kookoom, the Cree word for grandmother, was happy to learn in the mid-1990s that one of her grandchildren found her father’s grave in England. My cousin, Kathy Koostachin, had made the journey in the 1990s and she took photos for the family so our grandmother received the news with a sense

of joy in discovering news about this life long mystery. It made her feel more at peace. As I stood in St. Jude’s cemetery looking down at the white grave stone it dawned on me how strange it was that my great grandfather had ended up in this foreign land so far from his family. He must have been so full of fear and felt so alone in his last days. At 22 years of age, he would have been fit, strong and ready for any challenge and adventure. I thought about how impressed and awe struck he must have been at seeing for the first time, trains, machinery, ships, the amount of industry, development and size of this powerful country across the ocean. He had been plucked from a time centuries removed from life in developed Canada and the UK in 1917. He spoke only the Cree language and all of his life experience revolved around living on the land. I compared his journey with mine. I had flown into the UK on an international flight that required a great degree of preparation, organization and time. After I landed, I rented a car and it was a challenge to relearn how to drive on the opposite side of the road while moving in traffic at highway speed. Even though I speak the same language, the customs, methods and ways of doing things and culture is very different from my Cree way of life. I felt myself confounded and challenged with the simplest tasks. London and the surrounding area is densely populated and places are connected through a complicated maze of train tracks, roads and highways. It occurred to me that the experience my great grandfather had in 1917 would have been much more intense and overwhelming than my current day reality. It would be similar to me being picked up by aliens and taken to another planet. Even worse it would end in death. My pilgrimage to John Chookomolin’s grave is an adventure that is providing me a glimpse of the final months of his life and the lives of those boys that left Attawapiskat on that summer day in 1917. I have been assisted by so many wonderful people here in England who have contributed to shining some light on my great grandfather’s last days in England. The story is unfolding in ways I would never have imagined and I am thrilled at being able to give him a voice. He has much more to say.

A career in PROTECTIVE SERVICES will provide you a rewarding career path in the administration of justice. Through the Protection, Security and Investigation program (PSI) you can enter the workplace in a variety of settings including Correctional Services Officer, By-Law Enforcement Officer, Canada Customs Officer, or Armoured Car Guard to name a few. Visit www.confederationc.on.ca/protect for program information, or contact your local campus. www.facebook.com/confederation

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Honour Your Grad with an Ad! B Submit your favourite grad’s photo and let them know how proud you are B Submit a class photo and congratulate all the grads B Wish your students a safe and happy summer B Thank your staff for their commitment to making a difference B Let their relatives know what is next in your grad’s life

Call or email James to ask about placing your ad as a classified or doing up something a little special. (807) 737-2951 or 1-800-243-9059 sales@wawatay.on.ca

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18

Wawatay News

Walk for Life 2011

The Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Walk for Life was held May 4 in Sioux Lookout to raise awareness about suicide prevention. Lac Seul’s Norma Kejick organizes the walk, the sixth year its been held. She started the walk after her nephew committed suicide. She wanted to find a way to cope with the loss and to let others know it’s OK to ask for help when considering suicide.

MAY 12, 2011

ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ

Photos by Brent Wesley and Justina Carpenter

LEFT: Former NHL star Theoren Fleury was a guest speaker at this year’s event. A victim of sexual abuse as a teenager, Fleury battled alcohol and drug addictions throughout his career until he was forced out in 2003. After almost committing suicide shortly after, Fleury has changed his life around and now lives drug and alcohol free. TOP RIGHT: The large group of walkers make their way down Front St. in Sioux Lookout during the Walk for Life. BOTTOM RIGHT: A young participant during the walk.

The New Hope Youth Centre of Thunder Bay would like to thank the following for their generous and on-going support; leading to great success, at the Second Annual Dinner Fundraiser on April 29, 2011. Real Canadian Superstore Quality Market Wasaya Holland Bakery Ka Na Chi Hih Treatment Centre Nishnawbe-Aski Development Fund Nishnawbe-Aski Nation The Flower Shed ABC Embroidery Mayor of the City of Thunder Bay - The Honourable Keith Hobbs Corrine Fox – NAN New Hope Fellowship Thunder Bay Christian Fellowship New Life Fellowship Curb Appeal Landscaping Breukelman’s Potato Farm Sysco Thunder Bay Dilico Youth Outreach Services Ken Funk

Goyce Kakegamic NAN Deputy Grand Chief Mike Metatawabin Robin Ranger Gordon Keesic Sharon Herman Jessica Soderberg Julian Walker Jake Weber – NHYC Director Keesic Little Anthony & Roberta Shapwaykeesic & family Garrett Nodin, Rebecca Baxter, Olivia Nodin Jay Simard Ashley Rae Karyn Meekis Ron Marano Christopher Bunn Dannis Wabasse-Sprenkle Julian Mamakeesic Elton Beardy

The New Hope Youth Centre Board of Directors – Karen Marano, Phil Weber, Clarence Meekis, Anthony Shapwaykeesic, Anne Rae, Barbara Kaye “Empowering Youth In Reaching Their Full Potential While Discovering Christ” 1-1014 East Victoria Avenue, Thunder Bay ON P7C 1B6 Ph: 623:HOPE Email: newhope.jake@gmail.com Web: www.newhopeyc.com

On Behalf of WGI, we are pleased to announce an appointment of Peter Barkman from Sachigo Lake First Nation to sit on the Jordan Wabasse Fundraising Advocacy Group as an Elder. Peter Barkman has been a very active elder in youth iniatives, fundraising and promoting awareness to First Nations with NAN territory. Please Join me in welcoming Elder Peter Barkman to the Jordan Wabasse Fundraising Advocacy Group. Thank you,

Tom Kam WGI President/CEO

Stanley Sainnawap, Peter Barkman, Tom Kam

Wawatay News MAY 12, 2011

19

ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ

ᑫᑯᐣ ᑲᐃᔑ ᐊᐧᐃᐧᒋᐦᐃᑎᓇᓄᐊᐧᐠ ᑲᐃᐧᐣ ᐁᑕ ᑕᑭᒧᒋ ᐃᑭᑐᑕᒪᑲᓄᐊᐧᐣ ᐃᒪ ᐅᒋ ᐸᑭᑭᓂᑲᓂᐠ 1

ᒥᔑᐣ ᑲᔦ ᐅᐡᑲᑎᓴᐠ ᐅᑭᑫᐣᑕᓇᐊᐧ ᑲᐃᔑᐊᑕᐁᐧᐣᑕᒧᐊᐧᐨ ᒥᓇ ᒥᐱᑯ ᐁᑕ ᐁᔑᓇᑕᐁᐧᐣᑕᒧᐊᐧᐨ ᒋᐸᑭᑎᓂᑕᐧ ᒋᓇᓄᑕᑯᓯᐊᐧᐨ ᒋᓄᐣᑕᐃᐧᑕᐧ ᑲᐃᐧᐃᑭᑐᐊᐧᐨ. ᓫᐊᕑᐊ ᑲᓫᑦᐃᐧᐣᐟ, ᑲᓂᑲᓂ ᑲᓇᐊᐸᐧᑕᐠ ᐅᐡᑲᑎᓯᐃᐧ ᐊᓄᑭᑕᒪᑫᐃᐧᐣ ᐃᒪ ᐅᐣᑌᕑᐃᔪ ᐅᑭᒪᑲᓇᐠ, ᐅᐸᑯᓭᐣᑕᐣ ᐅᐡᑲᑎᓴᐠ ᐅᓄᑕᑯᓯᐃᐧᓂᐊᐧ ᐁᑭᐅᒋ ᒪᐡᑲᐃᐧᓯᒪᑲᓂᐠ ᒣᑲᐧᐨ ᑲᑭᒪᐊᐧᒋᐦᐃᑕᐧ. ᑭᒪᒪᐃᐧᐡᑲᒥᐣ ᐅᒪ ᓄᑯᑦ ᑲᑭᔑᑲᐠ ᐁᐃᐧᑲᑫᐧ ᑲᒋᑎᓂᑫᑕᒪᐊᐧᑭᑕᐧ ᐅᐡᑲᑎᓴᐠ ᐅᓄᑕᑯᓯᐃᐧᓂᐊᐧ ᒣᑲᐧᐨ ᐃᒪ ᑲᐃᓇᑫᑲᐸᐃᐧᐊᐧᐨ, ᑭᐃᑭᑐ. ᑭᔭᑦ ᑕᐡ ᐃᒪ ᑕᑭᐅᒋ ᒪᑕᓄᑲᑕᒪᐊᐧᑲᓄᐸᓂᐠ ᒋᐅᓇᓯᐣᑕᐧ ᒋᐃᔑᓂᑲᓂᑕᐧ ᐅᐡᑲᑎᓯᐃᐧ ᐊᐱᑕᒪᑫᐠ ᐃᒪ ᐃᐡᑯᓂᑲᓇᐣ ᑲᐊᔭᑭᐣ ᒋᐅᒋ ᒪᐡᑲᐃᐧᑲᐸᐃᐧᐊᐧᐨ ᐅᐡᑲᑎᓴᐠ. ᒥᑕᐡ ᐊᐱᐣ ᐃᒪ ᑫᑭᐅᒋ ᐊᔭᓂᑯ ᓄᐣᑕᐃᐧᑕᐧᐸᐣ ᑲᐃᑭᑐᐊᐧᐨ ᐁᐧᑎ ᐊᑲᐧᒋᐠ ᐅᑕᔑᑫᐃᐧᓂᐊᐧᐠ ᐱᓂᐡ ᐊᓂᒥᔕᐠ ᐅᐁᐧ ᐃᔑᒋᑫᐃᐧᐣ, ᑭᐃᑭᑐ. ᔕᑯᐨ ᐃᒪ ᑭᐅᐣᒋ ᒪᒋᒋᑲᑌ ᑲᑭᒪᐊᐧᒋᐦᐃᑎᓇᓄᐊᐧᐠ ᑕᐣᑐᕑ ᐯ, ᑭᐃᑭᑐ.

ᐃᐁᐧ ᒪᐊᐧᐨ ᑲᑭᒋᓀᐣᑕᑲᐧᐠ ᑫᑯᐣ ᐊᐃᐧᔭ ᑫᑭᑲᑫᐧᑌᐧᐸᐣ ᓄᑯᑦ ᑲᑭᔑᑲᓂᐠ, ᐊᓂᐣ ᐁᔑᓇᑕᐁᐧᐣᑕᒪᐣ ᑭᓄᑕᑯᓯᐃᐧᐣ ᒋᐃᔑ ᓂᓯᑐᒋᑲᑌᐠ? ᑲᓫᑦᐃᐧᐣᐟ ᐃᑭᑐ. ᒥᑕᐡ ᐅᐁᐧ ᐯᔑᑲᐧᐣ ᑲᑫᐧᒋᒥᐁᐧᐃᐧᐣ ᑫᓇᓇᐱ ᑲᑫᐧᑌᐧᓇᓄᐊᐧᐠ ᒥᓇᐊᐧ ᐊᐦᑭᐊᐧᐠ ᐊᐱ ᓂᐊᐧ ᑭᔭᐱᐨ ᒪᐊᐧᒋᐦᐃᑎᓇᓄᐊᐧᐠ ᐊᔕ ᑲᑭᐅᓇᒋᑲᑌᑲᐧᐸᐣ. ᐯᔑᐠ ᐃᐁᐧ ᒪᐊᐧᒋᐦᐃᑐᐃᐧᐣ ᑕᐃᔑᒋᑲᓄᐊᐧᐣ ᐁᐧᑎ ᑐᕑᐊᐣᑐ ᑭᒋᐅᑌᓇᐠ ᐁᑲᐧ ᒥᓇ ᓂᐦᓯᐣ ᐃᒪ ᐃᐡᑯᓂᑲᓇᐣ. ᒪᐊᐧᐨ ᓂᑭᒋᓀᓂᒪᐠ ᐅᐡᑲᑎᓴᐠ ᐅᐁᐧᓂ ᑲᐃᔑᑲᐡᑭᑐᐊᐧᐨ ᓄᑯᑦ ᑲᑭᔑᑲᓂᐠ, ᑲᓫᑦᐃᐧᐣᐟ ᐃᑭᑐ. ᑲᑭᓇ ᐅᐃᐧᐣᑕᒪᑫᐃᐧᓂᐊᐧ, ᐅᑲᑭᑕᐁᐧᐣᑕᒧᐃᐧᓂᐊᐧ ᒥᓇ ᐅᑭᑭᓄᐡᑲᒪᑫᐃᐧᓂᐊᐧ ᑲᑭᒥᓂᑯᔭᑲᐧ, ᑕᐅᓇᒋᑲᑌᐊᐧᐣ ᐃᒪ ᐅᐡᑲᑎᓯᐃᐧ ᐅᓇᑯᓂᑫᐃᐧᓂᐠ. ᐁᑲᐧ ᐊᐱᐣ ᑕᐃᔑᐸᑭᑎᓂᑲᑌ ᐊᐊᐧᔑᔕᐠ ᒥᓇ ᐅᐡᑲᑎᓴᐠ ᐅᐃᐧᒋᐦᐃᑯᐃᓂᐊᐧ ᐅᑭᒪᐅᓂᐠ ᒥᓇ ᑲᐅᒋᐊᓄᑲᑌᐠ ᐁᑲᐧ ᐅᐣᑌᕑᐃᔪ ᐅᑭᒪᑲᓇᐠ ᐊᓂᓂᐱᐠ 2010 ᐊᐦᑭᐊᐧᐠ. ᓴᑫᐣ ᒪᐃᐧᐣ ᐅᑲ ᑲᓇᐊᐧᐸᐣᑕᓇᐊᐧ ᒥᓇ ᐅᑲᔕᐳᓇᓇᐊᐧ ᒋᐅᒋ ᐊᐧᑲᐃᐧᒪᑲᓂᐠ, ᑲᓫᑦᐃᐧᐣᐟ ᐃᑭᑐ.

Brent Wesley/Wawatay News

Lac Seul’s Norma Kejick hugs Theoren Fleury after a balloon launch during the Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Walk for Life May 4. Kejick organizes the walk every year to raise awareness about the need for suicide prevention. Fleury, a former NHL player, was a guest speaker.

Long path to overcoming grief Brent Wesley WAWATAY NEWS

H

ow does one cope with tragic loss? To wake up one morning and hear news that shatters the very fabric of one’s existence. And when you learn the cause of death is suicide, it does something to you. It alters something inside that’s indefinable. It’s been about 15 years since I woke one morning to be told my friend took his own life. That moment replays over and over in my head, because for the next few days after, I remember little else. But the memory of hearing that news is as clear today as it was then. Even as I slept, I heard my aunt’s footsteps as she approached my room. I heard the creak of the door as it opened – the sound awoke me. And I can still hear her words, telling me the news. My reality changed forever. I realized life is fragile. And that life could be taken away in an instant. After the news, I withdrew. Life became a blur. I didn’t know how to cope. I became numb. Other friends surrounded me, but we all seemed to be dealing with our own guilt in whatever role we thought we played in his death.

For myself, I was grappling with how my friend and I had drifted apart. We had seemed at odds with each other before he died. We hadn’t talked to each other in weeks. And in my anger and confusion, I failed to see the signs. I failed to see his pain. I failed to see that he wasn’t mad at me. He had been looking for a way out. I thought I failed to be a friend when he needed one the most. I’ve never talked about this experience. I never knew how. It’s been 15 years since that time and I still have difficulty doing so. For a year after my friend’s death, I wore nothing but black. I wasn’t even aware I was doing it, but I was mourning. And I didn’t know how to deal with it. Prior to his death I had been slowly sinking into my own depression, his death solidified my state of mind. But despite the pain, confusion and sorrow, I knew one thing: I could never harm myself. I could not cause that kind of pain to the ones I love. You see … there was a time when I wanted to take my own life, when thoughts of suicide were all I could think of. But a beautiful thing happened. A few short months after the death of my friend, my family was blessed with new life. My brother had his first baby boy. That child saved my life. And in time, I was able to find clarity in my life. I chose life. I began a healing

process that included finding my identity, my purpose. And I’ve succeeded. While prescription drug abuse problems in the region have dominated headlines as of late, suicide still lurks in the shadows. And every so often, suicide still rears its ugly head, altering the lives of those affected. It’s why every year in early May, Norma Kejick continues to organize events such as the Yellow Ribbon Walk for Life. The annual event is meant to tell people to ask for help when considering suicide. To let people know they are not alone. Norma is a principal at Wahsa Distance Education Centre in Sioux Lookout. She knows what it’s like to lose a loved one. Her nephew committed suicide seven years ago. But rather than dwell on the pain, she chose to confront the problem. For the last six years, she has organized the walk. And for the last six years, she and her family sought healing. “It’s been a long healing journey for all of us,” Norma told an assembled crowd after the walk. That journey is ongoing. It’s why Norma walks ever year – to take a stand against suicide. To find hope. Reta Beardy has also lost a loved one to suicide. Six years ago, she lost her daughter. She’s compared the experience to a bomb exploding in her house the day it happened.

Since then, Reta said life has been about picking up the pieces from the aftermath of that ‘explosion.’ She and her husband Morley have taken part in the Walk for Life every year. While the couple says life has been difficult to live without their daughter, they are honoured to take part in the walk, to break the silence and speak out, to tell others to find help when thinking of suicide. And to tell others to reach out and help those who are suffering. “We need to live,” Reta said. “One life lost to suicide is too many.” Speaking out. It was a common message and perhaps, as suicide seemingly tends to be forgotten as an issue, a message that needs to be heard. Fortunately, someone heard me as I sought help. I yearned to know more about my culture, to know what it meant to be Cree. I needed that foundation to build my life upon. And someone heard that message. I found healing in ceremony, but more importantly, I learned to be human again. To feel, to love life. I’ve never shared my experience. But listening to people like Norma, Reta and Morley, it’s important to talk. It’s important for our own healing. But, perhaps more importantly, it’s imperative that we break that silence in the hopes of saving at least one life. It’s OK to ask for help.

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On behalf of Sandy Lake Minor Hockey Program players, hockey parents/guardians/grandparents and volunteers, we want to say a big thank you to Dreamcatcher Fund, for funding our accommodation portion of our trip to Little Bands Native Youth Hockey Tournament 2011 held in Sioux Lookout during the week of February 14 to 20, 2011. With Dreamcatcher’s Ànancial contribution, it made our trip a reality and successful. Kitchi meegwetch!!! Sandy Lake Minor Hockey Program.

PO Box 659, Ohsweken, Ontario N0A 1M0

www.dcfund.ca

20

Wawatay News

MAY 12, 2011

ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ

Best laid plans James Thom/Wawatay News

Kevin Anderson won the business plan competition at Dennis Franklin Cromarty High High School May 4 in Thunder Bay. Anderson presented a business plan for a sporting goods store as part of the Paul Martin Business Class at the school.

37 months for HIV exposure

PARTICIPATE

Rick Garrick

Information Centre Review of Phase II Proposed Operations 2012–2017 2007–2017 Crossroute Forest Management Plan (FMP) The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), AbiBow Canada Inc. and the Local Citizens Committee (LCC) invite you to an information centre to help us develop the second five-year term (2012–2017) of the 2007–2017 Forest Management Plan (FMP) for the Crossroute Forest. You will have the opportunity to review, comment on and contribute to the background information to be used in planning for: t UIF QSPQPTFE BSFBT JEFOUJGJFE for harvest, renewal and tending operations t the proposed road locations and conditions for the second five-year term How to Get Involved To facilitate your review, an information centre will be held at the following locations: May 17, 2011 May 18, 2011 May 19, 2011

Atikokan Royal Canadian Legion Adventure Inn, Fort Frances Nestor Falls Community Center

2 p.m. to 8 p.m. 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.

A summary map showing proposed areas for harvest, renewal and tending operations as well as the proposed road corridors will be available at the information centre or upon request. The information and maps available at the information centre will also be available for review and comment at the AbiBow Canada Inc. office and at the Ministry of Natural Resources Fort Frances District office and Atikokan Area office, by appointment during normal office hours for a period of 30-days from May 17 to June 17, 2011. Comments must be received by Ralph Horn at the MNR Fort Frances office or Dave Legg at the AbiBow Canada Inc. office by June 17, 2011. Meetings with representatives of the planning team and the LCC can be requested at any time during the planning process. Reasonable opportunities to meet planning team members during non-business hours will be provided upon request. If you require more information or wish to discuss your interests and concerns with a planning team member, please contact one of the individuals listed below: Ralph Horn Ministry of Natural Resources 922 Scott Street Fort Frances, ON P9A 1J4 Tel: 807-274-8614 e-mail: ralph.horn@ontario.ca

Dave Legg AbiBow Canada Inc. 427 Mowat Avenue Fort Frances, ON P9A 1Y8 tel: 807-274-5311 ext. 1215 e-mail: dave.legg@abitibibowater.com

John LePine Natural Resources Advisory Committee 922 Scott Street Fort Frances, ON P9A 1J4 tel: 807-274-8614 (c/o of Ralph Horn)

During the planning process there is an opportunity to make a written request to seek resolution of issues with the plan author, the MNR District Manager or the Regional Director using a process described in the Forest Management Planning Manual (2009). The operations for the first five-year term (Phase I) of the 10-year FMP (2007–2012) are nearing completion and detailed planning for the second five-year term (Phase II) operations is commencing. This first (Stage 1) notice is to invite you to review and comment on proposed operations and to contribute to the background information to be used in planning. Stay Involved There will be two more formal opportunities for you to be involved. These stages are tentatively scheduled as follows: Stage 2 – Review of Draft Planned Operations Stage 3 – Inspection of MNR-Approved Planned Operations

August 24, 25, 26, 2011 November 23, 24, 25, 2011

The tentative scheduled date for submission of the draft-planned operations is July 27, 2011. If you would like to be added to a mailing list to be notified of public involvement opportunities, please contact Ralph Horn, MNR Fort Frances District Office at 807-274-8614. The Ministry of Natural Resources is collecting your personal information and comments under the authority of the Crown Forest Sustainability Act. Any personal information you provide (address, name, telephone, etc.) will be protected in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act; however, your comments will become part of the public consultation process and may be shared with the general public. Your personal information may be used by the Ministry of Natural Resources to send you further information related to this forest management planning exercise. If you have questions about use of your personal information, please contact Rachel Hill at 807-274-8605.

Wawatay News

An Attawapiskat band member has been sentenced to 37 months for aggravated assault for knowingly exposing her partner to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) over a lengthy period of time. June Amanda Tippeneskum, a 23-year-old Thunder Bay resident, plead guilty to aggravated assault against her partner Bruce Koostachin from June 1, 2009 to July 21, 2010 and was sentenced April 27 by Justice Dino DiGiuseppe in the Ontario Court of Justice in Thunder Bay. The sentencing report noted that Tippeneskum had been aware of her HIV positive condition but she did not disclose this to Koostachin. It was only after the relationship was over that Koostachin became aware of Tippeneskum’s medical condition. Koostachin has since been tested and confirmed as HIV positive. He was not infected prior to his relationship with Tippeneskum. Tippeneskum has been in continuous custody from Nov. 29 and her five months in presentence custody were considered in her sentencing, with the justice noting 42 months was a fit sentence for aggravated assault. DiGiuseppe noted in the sentencing report that Tippeneskum’s “relative youth and the systemic factors that may have contributed to her offending behaviour require that due consideration be given to the sen-

tencing objective of rehabilitation.” But DiGiuseppe also noted that “the aggravating factors I have identified cry out for a significant jail term. Koostachin’s life has been irrevocably altered. No sentence I impose will make him whole, or (change) the devastation visited upon him by Tippeneskum’s conduct.” DiGiuseppe said the sentence must send a clear message to Tippeneskum and others that this type of conduct will carry significant consequences. Koostachin’s victim impact statement expressed feelings of anger, sadness and fear as a result of Tippeneskum’s conduct. Koostachin said his medical condition has resulted in rejection by family and friends and he feels shame at having been diagnosed with HIV. He is concerned about the related stigma and anxious about the stereotypical labelling by others. Koostachin fears he will never be able to have a normal, intimate relationship with a woman and he is concerned he may not be able to father a child. Koostachin also expressed concern over the trust Tippeneskum breached in maintaining their relationship without advising him of her medical condition. The Crown had been seeking a five-to-seven year penitentiary sentence while the defence had been seeking a reformatory sentence and a probation term.

Wawatay News MAY 12, 2011

21

á?§á?Šá?§á?Šá‘Œ á?Šá’‹á’§á?§á?ƒá“‡á?Ł

Federal election results concern NAN Grand Chief James Thom Wawatay News

Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) Grand Chief Stan Beardy is concerned that a Conservative majority was formed during the May 2 federal election. “The next four years will be challenging for NAN, as the Conservative platform does not identify the majority of NAN First Nations priorities,� Beardy said in a statement released after the election. “We will be

working extra hard to ensure that concerns in our communities are heard, recognized and acted upon.� Priorities for NAN include equal education opportunities for youth, adequate health care services, clean drinking water and proper housing. “We expect our treaty and Aboriginal rights to be fully respected, and we encourage both the new majority government and the official opposition to work together with NAN First

Nations to bring change and opportunity in Ontario’s Far North,� Beardy said. Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief Shawn A-in-chut Atleo sees room for hope with the Conservative government. “First Nations will continue to advance our plans to transform the relationship between First Nations and all Canadians and to move away from the Indian Act, based on our rights, jurisdiction and trea-

ties, to educate our youth, build our economies, strengthen our governments and create safe and secure communities for our people to live and work,� Atleo said. “We are the youngest and fastest growing segment of the population and our people and our issues will shape the future of this country.� Atleo plans to contact Prime Minister Stephen Harper to discusse a forward-looking agenda for change and progress. Atleo identified several pri-

orities including affirming relationships, education, driving partnership and the economy, and community health and safety. While the Conservatives claimed the majority, the New Democrat Party had its best showing ever, sending 102 representatives to Parliament to form the official opposition. The Liberals and Bloc Quebecois will both send a record low 34 and four representatives respectively.

REVIEW Information Centre: Review of Proposed Operations Whitefeather Forest 2012–2022 Forest Management Plan

Northern Ontario contributed to the ‘Orange Crush’ wave of NDP support across Canada as four of five ridings in the region elected NDP representatives. Re-elected were Charlie Angus, Timmins-James Bay, Carol Hughes, Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing, Bruce Hyer, Thunder Bay-Superior North, and John Rafferty, Thunder Bay-Rainy River. Conservative Greg Rickford, Kenora, was also re-elected.

In Memorium Loved and Remembered

The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), Whitefeather Forest Management Corporation and the Red Lake District Resource Management Advisory Committee (Local Citizens Committee (LCC)) invite you to an information centre. This information centre is being held as part of the detailed planning of operations for the first five-year term of the 2012-2022 Forest Management Plan (FMP) for the Whitefeather Forest, which is being developed following the approach set out in the ‘Keeping the Land’ land-use strategy for the Whitefeather Forest. The Elders of Pikangikum First Nation are guiding the implementation of the ‘Keeping the Land’ customary stewardship approach for the Whitefeather Forest, which includes working together with other First Nations. Whitefeather Forest Management Corporation and the MNR will continue to engage in dialogue with neighbouring First Nations to ensure that this objective is implemented, including the development of primary road corridors that contribute to neighbouring First Nations’ goals for improved road access while sustaining the Whitefeather Forest. The Planning Process The FMP takes approximately two years to complete. During this time, five formal opportunities for public and Aboriginal involvement are provided. The second opportunity (Stage 2) of this FMP occurred November 15, 2010 to December 14, 2010 when the public was invited to review and comment on the long-term management direction. This ‘Stage 3’ notice is: t UP JOWJUF ZPV UP SFWJFX BOE DPNNFOU PO - the details of access, harvest, renewal, and tending operations for the first five-year term - the proposed primary (including roads and crossings being considered that may traverse a Dedicated Protected Area) and branch road corridors and the proposed harvest areas for the second five-year term of the plan t UP SFRVFTU DPOUSJCVUJPOT UP UIF CBDLHSPVOE JOGPSNBUJPO UP CF VTFE JO QMBOOJOH How to Get Involved To facilitate your review, an information centre will be held at the following location on the following day: June 1, 2011 Royal Canadian Legion Hall 31 Highway 105 Red Lake, ON 2 – 7:30 p.m. The following information may be obtained at the information centre:

Our Daughter, Sister, Auntie and Friend Ruth Anne Arlene Beardy (July 23, 1981 - May 7, 2005) Deep are the memories. Precious they stay, No passing of time Can take them away -Mom & Dad -Sister, Brother in-law -Nephew & Niece

Services Professional Quality Printing of Business Cards, Brochures, Posters, Banners, Signs and much more. Contact Roxann for more details or to recieve a custom quote. Call 1-888-575-2349.

t summary of the MNR Regional Director endorsed long-term management direction t TVNNBSZ NBQ T PG - the planned areas for harvest, renewal, and tending operations for the first five-year term of the plan - the proposed harvest areas for the second five-year term of the plan - the proposed corridors for new primary and branch roads for the 10-year period of the plan In addition to the most current versions of the information and maps that were available at Stages 1 and 2 of the public consultation process, the following information will be available at the information centre: t TVNNBSZ PG QVCMJD BOE "CPSJHJOBM DPOTVMUBUJPO UP EBUF JODMVEJOH SFTQPOTFT t UIF MJTU PG SFRVJSFE NPEJGJDBUJPOT SFTVMUJOH GSPN UIF QVCMJD SFWJFX PG UIF MPOH UFSN NBOBHFNFOU EJSFDUJPO The detailed proposed operations will be available for review and comment at the Whitefeather Forest Management Corporation office and the MNR Red Lake District Office at the locations shown below, during normal office hours for a period of 60 days from June 1, 2011 to July 30, 2011. Comments on the proposed operations for the Whitefeather Forest must be received by Robert Partridge of the planning team at the MNR Red Lake District Office by July 30, 2011. .FFUJOHT XJUI SFQSFTFOUBUJWFT PG UIF QMBOOJOH UFBN BOE UIF -$$ DBO CF SFRVFTUFE BU BOZ UJNF EVSJOH UIF QMBOOJOH QSPDFTT 3FBTPOBCMF PQQPSUVOJUJFT UP NFFU QMBOOJOH UFBN NFNCFST EVSJOH OPO CVTJOFTT IPVST XJMM CF QSPWJEFE VQPO SFRVFTU *G ZPV SFRVJSF NPSF JOGPSNBUJPO PS XJTI UP EJTDVTT ZPVS JOUFSFTUT BOE concerns with a planning team member, please contact one of the individuals listed below: Robert Partridge, Forester Ministry of Natural Resources 227 Howey Street P.O. Box 5003 Red Lake, ON P0V 2M0 tel: 807-727-1397

Aaron Palmer, Forester Whitefeather Forest Management Corporation 138 Howey Street P.O. Box 422 Red Lake, ON P0V 2M0 tel: 807-727-3320

Paul Parsons Local Citizens Committee P.O. Box 1493 Red Lake, ON P0V 2M0

Paddy Peters, Planning Coordinator Whitefeather Forest Management Corporation General Delivery Pikangikum, ON P0V 2L0 tel: 807-773-5578

%VSJOH UIF QMBOOJOH QSPDFTT UIFSF JT BO PQQPSUVOJUZ UP NBLF B XSJUUFO SFRVFTU UP TFFL SFTPMVUJPO PG JTTVFT XJUI UIF QMBO BVUIPS UIF ./3 %JTUSJDU .BOBHFS PS the Regional Director using a process described in the Forest Management Planning Manual (2009). Stay Involved The tentative scheduled date for submission of the draft FMP is October 2011. There will be two more formal opportunities for you to be involved. These stages are listed and tentatively scheduled as follows: Stage 4 – Information Centre: Review of Draft Forest Management Plan Stage 5 – Inspection of MNR-Approved Forest Management Plan

December 2011 April 2012

If you would like to be added to a mailing list to be notified of public involvement opportunities, please contact Christine Apostolov at 807-727-1335. The MNR is collecting your personal information and comments under the authority of the Crown Forest Sustainability Act and Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act. Any personal information you provide (address, name, telephone, etc.) will be protected in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act; however, your comments will become part of the public consultation process and may be shared with the general public. Your personal information may be used by the MNR to send you further information related to this forest management planning exercise. If you have RVFTUJPOT BCPVU UIF VTF PG ZPVS QFSTPOBM JOGPSNBUJPO QMFBTF DPOUBDU 5SFWPS 1BSL BU

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On WRN 89.9 or Bell TV Channel 962

22

Wawatay News

MAY 12, 2011

ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ

Keeping a legacy alive, gallery honours Roy Thomas Marianne Jones Special to Wawatay News

For Louise Thomas, founder and owner of the Ahnisnabae Art Gallery in Thunder Bay, running the gallery is more than a business. It is a labour of love. When her husband, worldrenowned Ojibway artist Roy Thomas died of cancer in 2004, she wanted to honour his legacy. And she wanted to do it right where he had worked, in his studio at Mount McKay Place. “When I spent the winter here after Roy died, documenting works and taking pictures, I thought, I need to do something, but I still would like to stay involved with art,” she says. “So I looked around the space and I thought, ‘Why not open the space into a little gallery in honour of Roy?’ And I had a few artists in mind, so I invited them to be involved. I’ve never looked back. They just keep coming; all kinds of artists.” The “all kinds of artists” has included over 230 in the past six years. In addition to paintings by a wide variety of First Nations artists, the gallery features children’s books, crafts, jewelry, beading, cards, and music by Shy-Anne Hovorka. Opening an art gallery was a bold move for a woman who had no formal business experience or training, but both her passion for art and financial need gave her the incentive she needed. “Roy and I had been encouraged by quite a few people to open a gallery, but Roy just wanted to paint. That was his passion, to paint. I just kept it

in the back of my mind. When you’re forced to do something, and I certainly was, I had two young boys and I had to keep a roof over our head and put food on the table, so I thought, I have got do something. “It’s just a lot of faith and confidence and determination that keeps me going. I didn’t look at anything as hard. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but everything basically just fell into place. I didn’t have time to focus on anything negative. I just had to do what I had to do. His legacy is something that I take seriously. People need to see his work. The legacy is too big to keep to myself.” Roy’s legacy is appreciated in countries as far away as Germany and Japan. His journey as an artist began as a young child in Caramat north of Longlac, when he would illustrate the stories his grandmother told him by drawing on her back with his finger, or with a stick in the sand or snow. When he complained to his grandmother that his pictures were disappearing, she encouraged him by saying, “Don’t worry. They will come back to you.” Her words proved prophetic. Beginning to paint seriously as a teenager, Roy held his first exhibition at age 17. Since that time, his work has been shown at the Royal Ontario Museum, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the National Gallery of Canada, the Canadian Museum of Civilization and other prominent galleries across Canada, the United States, Europe and Japan. Louise and Roy met in Edmonton. Louise, a Cree from Sucker Lake, had been separated for a year from an abusive marriage. One evening, Louise

Marianne Jones/Special to Wawatay News

Louise Thomas, left, wife of late artist Roy Thomas, and her son Randy, right. Thomas operates Ahnisnabae Art Gallery in Thunder Bay. recalls praying for a good husband. “I got down on my hands and knees and I prayed for a nice man to come into my life that was just going to love me for me and accept me for who I was. I wanted a man from far away. I was living in Alberta and Roy was from Ontario. I came from a relationship that was mentally abusive. I just wanted somebody in my life that was going to treat me nicely for a change. “A few months later I met Roy at a dance. One of the things that impressed me about Roy was that he walked with confidence and he wasn’t shy. He invited me to another dance and I said no. I just wasn’t interested. “The following Monday who comes walking into the office

but Roy. He had this leather coat on and nice slacks and shiny shoes. The thought came into my mind that this is the guy I’m going to marry. “I tell people, ‘Be careful what you pray for.’ I got everything I asked for in that prayer. Roy and I were from two different worlds. Roy came from a loving family. I came from an abusive family – the physical, mental and sexual abuse. But you get to a point in your life when you know what you want, and I knew that I wanted something different for myself. The best place in the world for me is right here in Thunder Bay.” Roy and Louise had twin boys, Randy and Roy. When the twins were eight months old, Roy wanted to move to Thunder Bay.

“Roy wanted to set the boys’ roots in Thunder Bay. I would have gone anywhere with Roy. The best place in the world for me is right here in Thunder Bay. “We were together about 18 years – too short. He gave to me more in my life than anybody. “I think that what I do here is payback. I promised that I’d look after his legacy the best that I could. I like to do a good job to honour Roy.” She seems to be accomplishing that goal. The Ahnisnabaee Art Gallery’s website, which Thomas manages herself, has more than five million hits, from people worldwide. Since the gallery opened, Thomas has received numerous awards, including the Cultural Business of Thunder Bay Award, Thunder Bay Arts and Heritage

Award, First Nations Business Award of Excellence, Northwestern Ontario Aboriginal Youth Achievement Recognition Award and the Nee Chee Achievement Award. She is especially proud of the fact that she has done it all without government or other assistance. “My gallery is strictly run by me, strictly on my own, not run by any kind of funding. I think that makes a big difference when you don’t have to answer to anyone. I’ve done it all on my own without any help. I don’t have a degree in anything. I just have that sense to do what I think is right. I think it’s important to be honest with the artists and make sure that they get paid.”

National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation

Achieve Believe

Bursary and Scholarship application deadlines:

MAY 1: • Fine Arts • Ontario Federation of Indian Friendship Centres (OFIFC)

JUNE 1: • Post Secondary Education • Aboriginal Health Careers For more info: 1-800-329-9780 x 020 NAAF.CA

Awards to be presented at the XXX Keewaywin Conference in Nibinamik First Nation August 16, 17, & 18, 2011 Nomination forms available online at:

www.nan.on.ca

see next page

Wawatay News MAY 12, 2011

23

á?§á?Šá?§á?Šá‘Œ á?Šá’‹á’§á?§á?ƒá“‡á?Ł

from previous page Thomas hopes that her example will encourage others to follow. “Eventually I’d love to mentor other native women. But you have to dig deep, to find out what you want, what your purpose is. I hope I can inspire other First Nations women to go into business and to take that leap. Have faith and have confidence in what you want to do. I love to encourage other women to be self-sufficient. If I can do it, anyone can do it.� Thomas didn’t always have that confidence. She says, “Roy was a very public person, not shy. I was just the opposite.� But circumstances forced her out of her comfort zone. “One time, when Roy was getting toward the end of his life he was invited to give a talk at the University of Minnesota to the art students there, and he said to me, ‘You’re going to have to go do the talk.’ I said, ‘I could never do the talk. You’re good at that.’ “He looked at me and said, ‘I’ve taught you enough through the years. You know what to talk about.’ He had more confidence in me than I had in myself. And I thought, ‘Wow, he has taught me a lot.’ And that’s why with this last series he did, I give talks on it and explain to people what he painted and why he painted it. “This gallery has helped me with confidence. When I first opened my doors, I thought, ‘I’m going to have to open my mouth and talk to people.’ It forced me to do a lot of things that I was really comfortable with. I think I’ve come a long way and I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished.� Thomas considers her gallery “just a beginning.� She hopes to see Roy’s vision of a turtle gallery happen in her lifetime. “I hope one day his dream will come alive and we’ll see a gallery for all our people. When I think of all the artists we represent – our people deserve something like that. I always think there is a special place in Thunder Bay for our gallery.� She has kept the drawings that Roy made of his turtle gallery for the day they become a reality. “It’s going to take lots of money. But, you know, I’m not going anywhere. My son is going to the University of British Columbia to become an architect. I’m hoping that someday he’ll build the gallery that his dad designed. This region is just overwhelming with art. I think it’s important to mentor our young people with art.� One of those young artists is Ronald Josh Ogemah, 20, who was accepted into art school in Venice. “We’re trying to raise the funds for him to go. He’s very shy, but we just need more exposure for him.� Both of Thomas’ sons help with the gallery and Randy has recently taken up the paintbrush himself. “It was always in him to create. It just took a little time for it to come out. I told him, ‘You have the genes. The spirit of your Dad is in you.’� Although she and her sons still miss Roy, Thomas loves “just getting up every morning and having a wonderful purpose. I can’t wait to get here. I love being here, and I love learning something new every day. I love meeting artists. I enjoy meeting people and talking to people. It’s not all about money. My number one purpose is to honour a man who gave so much to my life.� She encourages First Nations women to “hang on to whatever you want to do. Let nothing hold you back, no matter how difficult and hard it is. Prayers are answered, but it depends on what you ask for. If it’s to benefit other people, it will happen.�

REVIEW PMTZ ZVHT MHTI\NJ H\KST; NIPLUNJ. NS HQ_N.: PMTZ ZVHT MHTI\NJHTU [ NPM JP; V\RSTV; NSTS \R. HT^ZNT; [^_NZ. 2012–2022 [^_NZP ^ZST\RST; V\RST; " UVIU/ IKV! TUR STUQ`/ OU IU_[OU< \_`O[/ _[TU]STU< OU O3 [;" OTOV/ OI_NLIU= ][TU]STU< QNZ["IU/ ` OT IR`O/ I]LTU< TUQSN`< S"W< OT ]SWVIU/ [ U OJQMVOK/ I]LTU< O`[ZP]OK/ ] U TUS ]WOU/ ]TUK/ W]STU< U OTUZ]OK/ [V/ VO< IU W\R/ ORQIU/ 2012-2022 \_`O[/ _[TU]STU< W]STU< ] U IU_[OU< \_`O[/ _O]O@ OQNM IU= WOV;OWIU U W]STU< ]`W]]OK/ TQ YTU OQT _[TU]OK/ TQ [ IU SN]OK/ U IU_[OU< \_`O[/ [W O3 ]TUNWQ`QNU JO< OIRIU= T;"VOV/ IU_[OU< \_[O[/ _[TU]STU< OU TUR STUQ`/ [TUVT U S N QOK/ OOSU[\TU]IUQNU ;O@ OTUN_`QNU QNV WHWV/ IUORT IV WH/ ]VOU/ U OOSUT ]SR/ [W O3 OTU ZR/ [OWIU< STWLQ< UM OT IRIU= JO< IV WH/ ] ][\ / OQWS"< _[TU]STUV/ `WS [OWO/ O_[IRWVIU/ [WQ3 ] ][\ / U IU_[OU< \_`O[/ _[TU]STU< V\RST; NS ^Z:N_N. U \_`O[/ _[TU]STU< W]STU< [V/ `R V RQ T ]Q WK/ U I_ OT / MJTO< WW< NJQMVOKIU< T ]STUW< ]TU]NUIU= _"ITUR IV WH STU< N[W ]ZN S"< ` T ]STUV/ U T ]STUV< V < N"QTU<Z U U \_`O[/ _[TU]STU< W]STU< QT J< I_ OAOMVQ 15, 2010 _V; `O Q OVQ 14, 2010 I_ OQW H`M = OQIZ[NU [WIU QNU@ ]IUJ]OK/ W]STU< [W N3 ]JQMW/ ITUR MPNLTU< ] U IU VOWRT _[TU]STU< T TU]STU< [ U V < N"QTU< OIUJNT" / T t QNZ["[ ]IUJN`V [W ]RZRV QMQZTUV ` t V OTUTUKQ< IM OTU ]O;Q WVIU/ OTUQ;OIUVIU/ ;Q`]]STUW< [W ST OWIUJ]OKQ< \ I\QTUW< OTUZ]OKQ< [V/ W\RQ S_[ / OU O3 t V \ O3 [OWIU< O WKQ< OTU ]OKQ< OTUIJNQ< ` T _[IRIU< OT `W]]OKQ< IQ< \ O3 [OW U < OTUTWL]OKQ< OT WJ]OK/ OTUN Q;OISUWVIU/ [V/ "N/ [WIU T U W\RQ W]STU< [WIU t [W ]OSUKUWVIU/ TU]T"TU< ]JQMVOK/ ` UM NW/ OQ`[ZV]OK/ MJ]LTU< ]IJN/ ` W]STUV/ HU; RP; RS ST\MTQI; IV< IIU Y ST I\ON`< U QMW_TU< NJQMVOK I]LTU< ]TUN`"3/ IIU Y S"< TUQSNY/ NJQVOK UM IVIUJ/ PINSTP 1, 2011 Royal Canadian Legion Hall 31 Hwy 105 2:00 p.m.– 7:30 p.m. [IU< \ O3 MJ]LTUW< NIR`O\< ST [QOKQ< UM OTUT JQMVOK/ MJ]LTU<! t M J]LTU< OT TUK/ IUI TUR STUQ` ONW_= IRTUV/ STU< OT TUKV/ TU]NUTU< ` IU VOVRT _[TU]STU< TU]T"TUV/ OU O3 t [W O3 I]LTU< OTUK/ IQ` WTOV/ `! t OQT W]OK/ IM OTUN Q;OISUWVIU/ [WIU OQTU W]OK/ [W OTUT WO]]OK/ OTUIJNQ< I\QTUW< ` [V/ VO< W\RQ OTUIQIU/ OQT W]OK/ t U OQTUK/ I_ OTUN Q;OISUWVIU/ [W "N/ T U [WIU W\RQ OTUIQIU/ W]STU< [WIU t \ O3 OQTUKQ< [W OQ W]OKQ< OTUIRQ< [OWIU< WWZ/ OTUT JJSLQ< OQT; W]OK/ [V/ [N RQ S_[ / IQ T W]STU< [WIU "N/ IIU Y `IU= W`R OQ _TOK/ I]LTU< OU IQ` WTO< OU OQIR`OQ< ` OQZ]OK/ H / N"QTU< [WO3 ` V < N"QTU< ` OQZ]OK/ O_[ `O/ OQIUJNTNU [W OQTUN`TUNU H`M IU= [ U MJ]LTU< NIR`O< UM OTUN W"]OK/ U T ]STU< OTUTUN`"3/ t t

NIR`O< MJ]LTU< ]TUN`TUNU WWZ/ H`M IU= OIRIU= [W O3 IV WH/ \"@ OT TUK/ [W O3 WSU]STUW< \ OV_K_TOKQ< OIN UNOUQ< ;Q W]STUW< OQ ]Q< Q ]TUKQ< ` OQOSU][NU H`M IU= ] UV IU VOWRT _[TU]STU< W]STU<

\ TUS OTUKQ< _TOV/ ]T / S]W= T ]STU< NIRIU< [WIU QNU@ ]IUJ]OKQ< [W Q3 ]JQMW/ _"ITUR MQZTU< ` IU_[OU< \_`O[/ _[TU]STU< ONW_WVIU/ ` VHTUO["/ OU O3 ` TUR STUQ` ONW_IU= ` IUW` OV/ [W OT TUK/ IM SNWO[O/ _TOK W RT/ I_ ONTU / MJTO< [V"/ T"N [NW N "< QJOTUQ Q JOTUQ 30, 2011. O _TOKQ< QMPN`TUVIU< OJQMWY/ ` OTUT ]SWVIU/ W]STU< ` IU_[OU< \_`O[/ [IUI S N_W/ QMQZTUVIU< Robert Partridge ` OTU]NU= W]STUV/ TUR STUQ`W/ IUV`V TOV/ ONW_WVIU/ I_ Q JOTUQ 30, 2011 _"I_ N`[Z_WVIUV ]IRIU] " O W]SIU] [W H`M IU] OI_]STUV YOU W]SWVIUQ T Q ]YOU;OIUNU OTU]NUIU] " OTWQ IU] ZW]SQ YOU I\QWVIU \Q N W]OK I_ SIUJ`NU " O W]SIU] OTWQ IU] [IUQ " SO\WNU O _ NU Robert Partridge, Forester Ministry of Natural Resources 227 Howey Street P.O. Box 5003 Red Lake, ON P0V 2M0 tel: 807-727-1397

Aaron Palmer, Forester Whitefeather Forest Management Corporation 138 Howey Street P.O. Box 422 Red Lake, ON P0V 2M0 tel: 807-727-3320

Paul Parsons Local Citizens Committee P.O. Box 1493 Red Lake, ON P0V 2M0

Paddy Peters, Planning Coordinator Whitefeather Forest Management Corporation General Delivery Pikangikum, ON P0V 2L0 tel: 807-773-5578

_"I_ _TSV ] U W]STUV [W IQTUQ` O _I`IUV ON KQ ` 2009 \_`O[Q OW U]STUV W]STUV ` WTOV (2009) ZNTS S ST\MT; U OJQMVOK/ I_ S"]]OK/ _` Q = _[ / MJTO< SJQMVOK/ VQV T _TO< OVOVJQMVOK/ TUZ]OK/ IU_[OU< \_`O[/ W]STU< I_ NT _WSUTUQ 2011. OU NT O3 I_ Q;_< TUTU]NUR< \ N"QTUW< V_K_TOKIU< [W I_ S"]]OKQ< I_ SZ]OQ< [IU< \ Stage 4 – I]LTUV O IR`OQ! QNU[ NIUJ]OK ` WTOV IU_[OUV \_`O[Q ` WTOV `" Q OVQ 2011 Stage 5 – TUR STUQ` OIUJNV \_`Q[Q W]STUV VQQ 2012 QA_V TUNOUQ["RV ` OT ]SWVIUQ _IV QTU TUV O\ IUI Christine Apostolov at 807-727-1335 TUR STUQ` `[ZW< IV< QSN" R< [W O3 OT JQMVSR< WS]SR< ] TW"VSTUV/ WSW/ \_`Q[O/ ]STUV/ `W O3 T ]STUV/ OOW U]OKQ< IQ< [W O3 OJMW`< S"< OMHN`< QJJ[ TUW< NR< Q T TU< QQQZTU< "N/ NOW U]OKIU< OU O3 NWO]]OKIU< O ]IUJ]OKQ< OU TU< OTQZR< S"< OJQMW`< NIJN< H`M IU= ]TU]TNU [W ] ]O\VNU OU O3 OJQMW`< QJJ[ TU< OWJ= NRJN< ` TUR STUQ`W/ [W O3 TUT V I`< S"< S ]TU]N`O/ ` \_`O[/ _[TU]STUV/ W]STUV/ OU TU< S"< IIU Y TUQSN`< ] QJJ[ TUW< [IUI SO\W= Trevor Park at 807-727-1344

James Brohm

WAWATAY NATIVE COMMUNICATIONS SOCIETY WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME OUR NEW SIOUX LOOKOUT SALES REPRESENTATIVE JAMES BROHM TO THE TEAM!

jamesb@wawatay.on.ca Sioux Lookout Bureau P.O. Box 1180 Sioux Lookout ON P8T 1B7 Ph: 807-737-2951 Fx: 807-737-2263 Toll Free: 1-800-243-9059

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Wawatay News

MAY 12, 2011

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Raising collective consciousness about water Rick Garrick Wawatay News

Josephine Mandamin kicked off the third leg of Water Walk 2011 May 7 on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. “We really need to create collective consciousness all over the world about the water,” Mandamin said. “We really need to take care of it and be conscious about how we are wasting it or how are we taking care of it every minute of the day when you touch water or when you use water.” The eastern leg of Water

Walk 2011 began in Machias, Maine and is expected to go through Montreal May 16, Ottawa May 19-20, Sault Ste. Marie May 31-June 1 and end June 10 at Bad River, Wisc., where Mandamin originally started off her first water walk around Lake Superior in 2003. “We’re raising consciousness about the importance of taking care of water and for people to understand all over the world, not only on our Turtle Island, that water has to be respected and taken care of, not to be sold off so people can get rich on it,” Mandamin said. “It was in the year 2000 that the prophecy

stated if we continue with our negligence, an ounce of water is going to cost as much as an ounce of gold.”

“If we continue with our negligence an ounce of water is going to cost as much as an ounce of gold.” – 2000 Prophecy

The Wikwemikong Elder who lives in Thunder Bay has since completed walks with a

pail of water around all five Great Lakes as well as along the St. Lawrence River to the Gulf of St. Lawrence on the east coast. Mandamin said her message has been going out around the world. “Media is very important,” Mandamin said. “We need to use media to our advantage and tell the world that we are here to help protect our natural resources.” Mandamin started the western leg of Water Walk 2011 April 10 in Aberdeen, Wash. and the southern leg April 20 in Gulfport, Miss.

“Some of the people who have not heard about the walk have come out in droves,” Mandamin said. “Especially in Washington and Montana, there has been a lot of support there. It’s like an ebb and flow: sometimes you have lots and sometimes you won’t have any at all. That’s the way it has been with us since 2004-2005.” Mandamin said the hot and humid conditions she experienced on the Gulf of Mexico were a “big difference” from walking though snowfall in the mountains on the west coast. “It was so hot you could feel the water crawling in your

hair,” Mandamin said. Fortunately, the southern leg walkers had the use of a recreational vehicle to camp in along the route. Mandamin is scheduled to leave the eastern leg May 15 to pick up a vehicle in Sault Ste. Marie and drive to Winnipeg to catch the train to Churchill, Man., where she begins the northern leg May 21. Although many bodies of water have been polluted, Mandamin said there are areas where the water is still good. “My belief is the waters are going to purify themselves eventually.”

Celebrating diversity

NORTHERN ONTARIO SCHOOL OF MEDICINE (“NOSM”) The Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) is a pioneer in Distributed Community Engaged Learning (the first Canadian Medical School in the 21st century). With the first graduating class in 2009 and full accreditation, NOSM serves as the Faculty of Medicine for Lakehead University in Thunder Bay and Laurentian University in Sudbury. We are seeking an academic leader to join the Senior Leadership Group for the school.

Director, Aboriginal Affairs Reporting to the Associate Dean, Community Engagement, the Director of Aboriginal Affairs is a member of the Senior Leadership Group. The role of the Aboriginal Affairs Director is to act as primary liaison between NOSM, Aboriginal groups, communities and stakeholders and provide leadership in Aboriginal issues. Senior management experience, preferably in health or education, will be of great benefit as you manage and maintain day to day activities and events as well as provide longer term direction for the Aboriginal Affairs Unit. You will champion the Aboriginal component of the School’s recruitment strategy and interprofessional education strategy ensuring they are well developed and effectively implemented. An ambassador for program support and development, you will seek program funding through the preparation and submission of operating grant applications and proposals to government agencies and other external funding agencies. Your extensive knowledge of Aboriginal culture, opportunities and challenges, coupled with your strong consultative and collaborative approach will enable you to liaise for the Medical School with northern aboriginal communities and health professional groups across Northern Ontario. Strong project management skills are required as you contribute to, and monitor academic and administrative developments of NOSM, ensuring that NOSM programs and activities are sensitive and responsive to the needs of Aboriginal communities, students and prospective students. Overseeing the efforts to recruit Aboriginal students into medicine, you will develop programs to increase the Aboriginal applicant pool in collaboration with the Office of Admissions and Learner Recruitment.

Rick Garrick/Wawatay News

Another exciting opportunity involves working with the Associate Dean Research to develop Research projects related to Aboriginal community and health issues, potentially leading to the development of a Research Institute.

Fancy shawl dancing was among the different styles of traditional dancing on display at Thunder Bay’s Folklore Festival, held April 30-May 1 at Fort William Gardens. About 11,000 people were in attendance from Thunder Bay, northwestern Ontario, the northern United States and as far away as the Netherlands.

Successful candidates will be an expert in Aboriginal and current mainstream education and health issues; Aboriginal culture(s); current and emerging issues related to Aboriginal affairs and in leveraging existing and new relationships with various stakeholders (e.g., Aboriginal communities, groups, other universities, medical schools, relevant governmental levels and services). A Master’s degree (health, education) from a recognized university with Canadian accreditation or its equivalent in knowledge and experience is required.

After-school program for girls

NOSM is the Medical School for Northern Ontario, therefore a passion for living and traveling through Northern Ontario and working with rural communities is essential. The ability to communicate in French and Ojibway or Cree will be considered an asset.

Rick Garrick

Additional information regarding the Northern Ontario School of Medicine is available at www.nosm.ca

The United Native Friendship Centre is introducing an afterschool program for Aboriginal girls this September. “The first session we have with the girls will be a brainstorming session,” said Aimee Beazley, urban Aboriginal healthy living program worker with the United Native Friendship Centre in Fort Frances. “It will be led by the youth and they will come up with a whole list of physical activities they would like to try. For example it could be rock climbing, it could be kayaking, it could be Zumba dance, it could be anything.” Based on the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity’s On the Move initia-

SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION IN CONFIDENCE TO: Phelps Talent and Executive Search 401 Bay St., Suite 1400, Toronto, ON M5H 2Y4 Fax: 416-364-5643 138 May St. South, Suite 5, Thunder Bay, ON P7E 1B3 Fax: 807-345-3339 nosm@phelpsgroup.ca Application Deadline: Monday May 30, 2011 NOSM is committed to equity in employment and encourage applications from all qualified applicants, including women, aboriginal peoples, members of visible minorities and persons with disabilities. While all responses will be appreciated and handled in strictest confidence, only those being considered for interviews will be acknowledged.

Wawatay News

tive, the after-school program will be delivered to girls nine to 12 years old for eight weeks beginning in late September/ early October and older girls 13 to 15 years old for eight weeks beginning in January. There is no cost to join the program. “Each time they meet there will be a physical activity component as well as a nutrition and educational component,” Beazley said. “The whole idea of the program is for the girls to take the lead on the project, so they are the ones who will be picking and planning the activities.” The girls will be running the program themselves with Beazley’s support and will decide how many times they meet each week. “We want to meet at least eight times throughout the

(eight week) session,” Beazley said. The program is open to girls who are active in other programs as well as those who are not as active. “Hopefully, we will get some who are not quite as active but interested in trying something,” Beazley said. “Maybe out of the different activities they try, they will find something they really like and stick with that activity.” The On the Move initiative is designed to increase opportunities for inactive girls and young women, ages nine to 18, to participate and lead in sport and physical activity. It also includes a national network of professionals involved in female-only programming, and individuals and organizations concerned with the health and wellbeing of girls and young women.

Wawatay News MAY 12, 2011

SPORTS

CONSTANCE LAKE FIRST NATION EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

Eligibility Review Officer/Family Support Worker (ERO/FSW) Within the Ontario Works Office Position Summary: as ongoing commitment to provide an effective Ontario Works program, we are seeking the ideal candidate to fulfill the position of the Eligibility Review Officer/ Family Support Worker (ERO/FSW). This individual will work under the direct supervision of the Ontario Works Administrator to enhance our client and family support services. This is a full time permanent position. PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: Grade 12 diploma or equivalent or working towards obtaining diploma Excellent communication and interpersonal skills; Excellent organizational skills; Must be willing to travel and work various hours; Strong interview/assessment skills; Ability to work under pressure Excellent computer skills Valid Driver’s License would be an asset; Preference of Native Ancestry would be an asset; Ability to speak and understand Ojibway, Cree and/or OjiCree would be an asset DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: 1. Eligibility Review Officer – The main function is to investigate allegations of abuse of social assistance programs by past and present applicants and recipients. 2. Family Support Worker – The main function is to ensure that family maintenance/support ordered by the courts are made on regular basis and to conduct investigations into cases in which an obligation to support may exist and/or the payor is in default. OTHER GENERAL DUTIES: Must be familiar with and adhere to Ontario Works Policies and Directives Must ensure that confidentiality of client and agency is maintained Verify information on applications Determine eligibility as per Ontario Works Directives Assist clients on how to pursue support Attend meetings and training as may be required Perform other duties as required DEADLINE: Friday, May 20, 2011 @ 4:00 p.m. All applicants must include a cover letter, resume with three (3) references (two employment and one character) in a sealed envelope addressed to: Monica John-George, Executive Assistant Constance Lake First Nation Box 4000, Constance Lake, Ontario, P0L 1B0 Email: monica.john-george@clfn.on.ca Fax: (705) 463-2222 However, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. A Criminal Reference Check will be required.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY REGISTERED NURSE - Community Health Nurse - Slate Falls First Nation 2 FULL-TIME VACANCIES AVAILABLE. POSITION SUMMARY: Under the direction of the Chief and Council of Slate Falls Nation and in collaboration with the First Nation & Inuit Health Branch Zone Nursing Office the Community health Nurse will provide nursing services to patients within Slate Falls Nation and will ensure they follow the Compendium of Standards of Practice for Nurses in Ontario and the FNIHB Nursing Policy and Procedures Manual. Position Location: Slate Falls Nation, Slate Falls, Ontario Slate Falls Nation: Slate Falls Nation is one of six new First Nations established under the Six Nishnawbe-Aski Aski Bands Agreement between the Government of Canada, Ontario and six northwestern Ontario Bands. Slate Falls Band was recognized on April 15 th , 1985 as Slate Falls Band #259 under the Indian Act (revised 1985). People have been living in the area of Slate Falls for at least two centuries. Members of the Osnaburgh House Indian Band established main camps in the area for managing surrounding trap lines and hunting grounds in the 1700’s. Eventually, a community developed. Slate Falls Nation is located approximately 130 kilometers north of Sioux Lookout and 100 kilometers west of Pickle Lake in Northwestern Ontario . The existing community is on the south shore of North Bamaji Lake near Slate Falls . It is accessible year round by charter either on floats or via the Slate Falls Airport which opened in 1996. Since 2005, the community of Slate Falls now has access to an all weather road. POPULATION: The community of Slate Falls Nation has a population of approximately 259 QUALIFICATIONS: A Registered Nurse with a current Ontario College of Nurses Certificate of Competence. 5 years experience in Community Health Nursing in a First Nation community would be an asset. Computer experience is preferred. CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

FIRST NATION POLICE CONSTABLE

ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS: • Currently active as a sworn police officer / Also accepting new recruit applicants • Grade 12 with Ontario Secondary School Graduation Diploma • Valid Ontario Drivers License in good standing • 19 years of age or older • No criminal record for which a pardon has not been granted • Be of good moral character and habits • Must submit a current medical certificate and be in good health, mentally and physically suitable for active full time duty • Excellent communication skills, both oral and written DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS: • Diploma graduate of an Ontario credited Law and Security Program • Other post secondary studies in law and justice or native studies • Preference will be given to a sworn police officer. • Further information can be obtained by contacting Sgt. Marty Singleton (Aboriginal Police Bureau) at (807) 938-8425

Submit applications to: Ontario Provincial Police, Attn: Sgt. Marty Singleton 389 Govt. Rd Dryden, Ontario P8N 2P4 By email to: marty.singleton@ontario.ca By fax to: (807) 223-4002

Wawatay Native Communications Society Job Description SALES ADMINISTRATOR SUMMARY Wawatay Native Communications Society serves the communications needs of the people and communities in Northern Ontario. The Society does this through the provision of a variety of multimedia services, including but not limited to: a biweekly newspaper, daily native language radio programs, weekly television programming, audio streaming and regularly updated website. These services help to preserve and enhance the languages and culture of the Aboriginal people in Northern Ontario. ACCOUNTABILITY: The Sales Administrator is accountable to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). RESPONSIBILITIES: • Sell advertising for Wawatay Media Services and special projects. • Assist with the planning of annual sales and marketing strategies for Wawatay media services (print, radio, online, TV). • Assist with the development and implementation of sales strategies that contribute to the profit and viability of Wawatay media services. • Prepare ad proofs and insertion agreements. • Meet sales revenue and expense targets. • Assist with the development of new initiatives – such as special Wawatay News sections, radio and online specials, and other special projects – to help achieve budget targets. • Write related funding and training proposals. • Handle incoming sales calls. • Make regular sales calls to existing clients and actively search out new business by telephone and in person. • Solicit and book ad agency sales. • Produce run sheets and follow through production with assistance of Sales Reps. for newspaper, Sagatay & Seven. • Work with the Graphic Designer to draft ad layouts for presentation to clients. • Perform sales administration duties: maintain client files and provide complete sales billing information from Sales Representatives. • Provide job price quotes for Wawatay media services. • Other related duties as required.

Please forward your cover letter and resume to:

4) Advanced ACLS or willing to obtain;

Please send your resume, covering letter and three work related references to: Chief Lorraine Crane, 48 Lakeview Drive, Slate Falls Nation, Slate Falls, Ontario. - P0V-3C0 CLOSING DATE: May 20, 2011 NOTE: Applications received for this position will not be acknowledged by mail or phone, unless you are being notified of an interview.

It is a Major step forward for Josh Moore. Moore, a 16-year-old Moose Cree band member was selected in the 15th round of the Ontario Hockey League draft May 7 by the St. Michael’s Majors. He was the 288th overall pick. Pride is high about the youth. “I have seen him play since his days in Moose Factory which were about six years ago. He is now beginning to become a role model for the younger kids and he is also a very humble young man who was raised well,” said James Perry, a friend of Moore’s family. Moore played for the Sudbury Minor Midget Wolves, part of the Nickel District Minor Hockey League, which plays in several tournaments around the province. The team had a 46-11-8 record this season

including a 26-1-1 record in league play. He is listed as six feet, one inch tall and 170 pounds. Overall, 302 players were chosen in an online draft. “I would like to extend congratulations to all 302 young men that were drafted in the 2011 OHL Priority Selection,” said Rob Kitamura, OHL director of central scouting and player development. “Each of these players has the potential to move on to the next level and should be very proud of their minor hockey careers, however being selected today is just the first step as all players need to continue their hard work and dedication to improve, and most importantly continue enjoying the game of hockey. I would also like to wish the best of luck to all players not selected today, and hope for them to continue working hard towards their hockey and academic goals.”

Late applications will not be accepted. Only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

6) Criminal Reference Check

3) A member of RNAO with LAP;

Wawatay News

DEADLINE: Friday, May 27th, 2011 at 4:00pm.

5) Pre-employment Medical;

2) Verification of current membership with the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario;

Moose Cree’s Josh Moore chosen in OHL draft James Thom

The community Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninnuwug First Nation is currently accepting applications from mature, motivated, community-oriented people to fill an opening with the Big Trout Lake Police Service. This permanent position works for Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninnuwug First Nation and is administered by the Ontario Provincial Police. The community is about 580 km (360 mi) north of Thunder Bay.

QUALIFICATIONS: • Education in business, administration or related fields and/or previous experience in sales considered an asset. • Must have excellent verbal and written communications skills. • The ability to communicate in Ojibway, Oji-Cree or Cree considered an asset. • A high degree of initiative, motivation and the ability to observe strict confidentiality is essential. • Excellent time management skills, including multi-tasking. • The candidate must be willing to work overtime and travel as required. • A valid Ontario driver’s license and access to a vehicle is required.

1) Verification of current registration with the College of Nurses of Ontario;

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ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ

Barney Turtle, Finance Manager Wawatay Native Communications Society 16-5th Avenue, Sioux Lookout, ON P8T 1B7 Phone: 1-800-243-9059 or (807) 737-2951 Fax: (807)737-2263 Email: barneyt@wawatay.on.ca Closing date: May 27th, 2011 – 4:00 PM CST

SIOUX LOOKOUT FIRST NATIONS HEALTH AUTHORITY Nodin Child and Family Intervention Services (NCFI) Clinical Supervisor Internal/External Posting Permanent Full Time A dynamic individual is being sought to provide supervision to mental health counsellors and provide clinical support to the overall mental health service/program. This service/program consists of outpatients, components in the hospital based and community based areas. This full time position will establish working linkages and service protocols with communities and organizations that provide health/social services programs. He/She will provide a key role in this by participating in the planning and implementation of these services. The Clinical Supervisor will be based out of the Sioux Lookout office area and providing central supervision for Big Trout, Muskrat Dam, Pikangikum, Bearskin Lake, Cat Lake, Weagamow, Sachigo Lake, Slate Falls and Lac Seul. The key roles for this person will be: • Establishing community trust and developing supportive relationships with community leaders and members; • Providing clinical direction of mental health services in a culturally appropriate context; • Providing clinical supervision and leadership to staff; • Developing ongoing training and development opportunities for the staff; • Managing a community development model of services that focus on Prevention and Community Mental Health; • Participate in the ongoing structuring of mental health services. Qualifications • Diploma or degree in a recognized mental health, health care or social services profession is preferred; • Direct working experience in the mental health system; • Proven record of progressive experience in a supervisory and/ or management position; • Flexibility with a demonstrated capacity to work cross culturally and independently in a diverse team will find this an attractive challenge; • Knowledge of the culture of the Anishinawbe people; • Ability to speak and understand one of the dialects within the Sioux Lookout Zone an asset. Please send cover letter, resume, three most recent employment references and an up-to-date Criminal Reference Check with a Search of the Pardoned Sexual Offender Registry to: Charlene Samuel, Human Resource Manager Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority P.0. Box 1300, 61 Queen Street Sioux Lookout, ON P8T 1B8 Phone: (807) 737-1802 Fax: (807) 737-1076 Email: Human.Resources@slfnha.com Closing Date: May 26, 2011 The Health Authority would like to thank all applicants in advance. However, only those granted an interview will be contacted. For additional information on the Health Authority, please visit our Web-site at www.slfnha.com

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Wawatay News

MAY 12, 2011

ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ

Teeing off to combat prescription drug abuse James Thom Wawatay News

Travis Boissoneau and Michael McKay are preparing to tee off against prescription drug addiction. “We think more can be done to help people battle their addictions,” Boissoneau said. To help that cause, Boissoneau and McKay have organized the inaugural Raising Awareness Together Golf Tournament for June 24 at the Fort William Country Club in Thunder Bay. “This is an event we would like to see continue long into the future,” McKay, a Bearskin Lake band member, said. He said if the tournament was held every year, funds would be donated to treatment centres in the region. This year, the funds raised from the tournament will be donated to the in-house drug treatment program at Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School.

The program helps students wean off oxycodone, an opioid found in the precription pain killer OxyContin. The 14-day program, funded by both the provincial and federal governments, is housed at an off-site physician’s office and is overseen by a pair of volunteer doctors and four nurse practitioners. The tournament will be played in the best-ball format with four-player teams. The entry fee is $500 per team or $125 per person. That covers the cost of golf, a cart and dinner. But teams are encouraged to make a larger donation to the tournament for the treatment centre, Boissoneau said. Sixteen teams have already been confirmed. The duo have capped registration at 25 teams. Deadline for registration is June 10. “So far, the response has been overwhelming,” McKay said. “People have been offering

assistance and volunteering to help out.” Boissoneau is hoping that translates into a sizable donation for the treatment program. “We’re challenging the corporate world to get involved,” he said. “This is an important issue to support. It affects everyone.” For more information about the tournament, contact Boissoneau at 807-625-4938.

Brent Wesley/Wawatay News

Michael McKay, pictured, and Travis Boissoneau are planning a golf tournament June 24 to raise funds to support treatment centre programs specific to prescription drug abuse.

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Wawatay News MAY 12, 2011

Rise ball pitcher inducted into softball hall of fame

submitted photo

Wabigoon Lake’s Donna Chief was inducted into the Manitoba Softball Hall of Fame May 7 for her individual contributions to the sport.

Rick Garrick Wawatay News

Wabigoon Lake’s Donna Chief has gained another level of recognition for her excellence as a softball pitcher. “To be recognized for your individual contributions is quite an honour,” Chief said. “I had a nice rise ball – it got me four years of university too.” The rise-ball pitcher was inducted into the Manitoba Softball Hall of Fame May 7 for her individual contributions to the sport. She had previously been inducted into the Manitoba Softball Hall of Fame in 2007 as part of the Manitobabased Smitty’s Senior Women’s Fast Pitch team that won seven provincial championships, a

bronze medal at the 1991 Canadian Championships and a bronze and gold at the Western Canadian Championships. She played with Smitty’s during the 1980s and 1990s. “Smitty’s took me all across Canada,” Chief said. “I played in every single province except for Quebec.” Chief won the Olive Little Award for the top female player in 1989 and the outstanding pitcher award in 1986. “One of the highlights of my career was when I got to throw in that NAIG (North American Indigenous Games) game in 2002,” Chief said. “I pitched a no-hitter against Iowa.” Chief learned her rise ball from another Wabigoon Lake pitcher who taught her how to

27

ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ

Bronze showing

throw it one summer. “He was a really good pitcher,” Chief said. “He said ‘I think you can throw my rise ball.’ He showed me the pitch and I threw it a few times and he said ‘yes, you should be OK.’” Chief joined the Smitty’s team in 1985 after they saw her pitch during a tournament in Kenora. “I asked them if they had room for another pitcher and they thought that was a pretty good idea,” Chief said. Chief began playing softball when she was about 12 or 13 years old, often joining the adults when they didn’t have enough players for a game. “I had such a love for it and I had a pretty good glove even as a little girl,” Chief said. “I used to play third base to start off before I started pitching.” Chief remembers practicing her pitches on her own and with the assistance of her father and an uncle. “I spent a lot of time there in Dinorwic (near Wabigoon Lake First Nation) throwing balls against the fence,” Chief said. “I tried to pitch about 100 pitches a day with no catcher, unless my dad would do it for me.” Chief no longer plays softball due to knee problems from arthritis. She had a full knee replacement two years ago. “My initial injury was from volleyball, just being active,” Chief said. “It just sort of went from there.” She hopes to coach in the future to give back to her sport. “I’ve done some coaching and I think I’m ready to go back and give a hand to the youth.”

Greg Quachegan/Special to Wawatay News

Valee Quachegan, a Moose Cree band member living in Thunder Bay, displays the bronze medal he earned while playing with Team Ontario at the National Aboriginal Hockey Championship in Saskatoon, Sask. Quachegan helped backstop Team Ontario to within one win of the championship with stellar play between the pipes. The tournament was held April 26-May 1.

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28

Wawatay News

MAY 12, 2011

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Tournament of Goodwill

Lac Seul Bruins sniper Darien Anderson is stopped by Wasaya Jets netminder Johnny Jewitt in the atom final.

James Thom/Wawatay News

The 23rd All-Native Goodwill Hockey Tournament was held April 29-May 1 at Fort William First Nation. In atom action, the Lac Seul Bruins defeated the Wasaya Jets 6-4. On the peewee side, the Fort William North Stars needed a shoot-out to get past the Long Lake 58 Hitmen. In the bantam final, Lac Seul beat Fort William First Nation. In the Men’s final, the Heron Bay Sharks defeated the NC Warriors 3-1. TOP RIGHT: Blade Collins (44) makes a move for the puck in the peewee final. BOTTOM RIGHT: Matt Collins prepared to clear the puck while killing a penalty in the peewee final.

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