Lenny Carpenter — Wawatay News

Nishnawbe-Aski Nation (NAN) Deputy Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler said the organization was compelled to the address safety issues of Thunder Bay after a First Nations woman was abducted, assaulted and left for dead on Dec. 27.
“It was mainly in response to the many calls from our leadership, our communities and parents during the holiday season and what they were hearing about here in Thunder Bay and the concern they had for their students coming back here for the second semester,” Fiddler said of NAN’s involvement.

Youth held in custody at a Thunder Bay youth detention centre had the opportunity to learn hockey and life skills from a former First Nations NHL player from Feb. 4-6.
John Chabot, who played in the NHL for nine years in the 1980s, instructed about a dozen First Nations youth at the Justice Ronald Lester Youth Centre.
The hockey camp was part of the Hockey for Development program, which was created out of a partnership between Right to Play and the Ministry of Children and Youth Services (MCYS).

There is no doubt the Idle No More movement has magnified the racist undertones within this country.
Just scroll down on any online news story related to the movement to read the comments that are bred from ignorance.
And then there’s the First Nations woman who was abducted in Thunder Bay. The perpetrators told her that Idle No More would fail and that “you deserve to lose your treaty rights.”
That statement – that we “deserve” any mistreatment we get – is perhaps the core thought behind all the racism First Nations people encounter.

As Stan Louttit undergoes his third round of chemotherapy in Kingston on Feb. 15, the Mushkegowuk grand chief is ‘hopeful’ about his battle with cancer.
“I’m very optimistic and strong that things will be improving and good in the coming weeks,” Louttit said while in the Kingston General Hospital.
Last October, Louttit underwent surgery to remove tumours from his colon and liver but surgeons discovered the cancer had spread to his stomach lining. Days following the surgery, doctors recommended he undergo chemotherapy.

A program aimed at developing leadership skills within Aboriginal youth has officially launched in Thunder Bay.
Thunder Bay Urban Aboriginal Strategy (TBUAS) and Leadership Thunder Bay announced they have received $43,000 from the Ontario Trillium Foundation to fund a leadership program for Aboriginal youth living within the city.
During the Feb. 23-24 weekend, Matthew Thompson of Pic River First Nation joined 14 other youth in a retreat in the outskirts of Thunder Bay as part of the program.