Lenny Carpenter — Wawatay News

Playing hockey on an outdoor rink is often viewed as a nostalgic reminder of the sport’s past for many Canadians and the go-to location for a game of pickup.
But for the community of Fort Albany, playing hockey outside is the only option for its organized teams. The First Nation is the only James Bay community without its own arena and so its players must brave the cold James Bay wind just to practice for an upcoming tournament.

Sandy Lake students discovered the art of dance on Nov. 19-21 and now have the opportunity to bring it the main stage in Toronto next summer.
More than 40 students in Grades 7-10 took part in a three-day dance workshop led by Outside Looking In (OLI), a dance program that operates in First Nations communities across the country.
“Every community is different and the Sandy Lake kids just couldn’t wait and were craving more dance,” said Tracee Smith, founder and artistic director of OLI. “We probably would’ve danced for longer days on end.”

Justice Murray Sinclair, chair of the Truth & Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC), was in Thunder Bay Dec. 4-5 to take statements from those impacted by the Indian residential school system.
The two-day hearing was part of the TRC’s five-year mandate to acknowledge, document, support and facilitate sharing of the experiences of residential school survivors and their families.
“Thunder Bay is a core centre in northwestern Ontario and we will be there to hear stories of those affected by the Indian residential school system,” Sinclair said.

Frances Wesley was humbled to learn that she would be a recipient of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee medal on Nov. 29.
“I was pretty honoured to be recognized, to be in the ranks of the other people who received medals,” said the Constance Lake First Nation member who has always called Thunder Bay home.
Wesley was one of 30 people in northwestern Ontario to receive the medal at a special gala in Thunder Bay.

Chelsea Edwards recently received two youth awards for her fight for equitable funding for First Nations education.
The 17-year-old from Attawapiskat First Nation said she was surprised to hear she would be receiving the Dr. Graham Chance Award, which is given to a young person under the age of 30 who demonstrated outstanding leadership in promoting or protecting the health and well-being of children in Canada.
“I first found out when I was skating,” Edwards said. “I was hanging out, going through my Blackberry and checked my e-mail and I found out I won.”