Rick Garrick

The Ontario Native Women’s Association (ONWA) celebrated its 50th Anniversary with the commemoration of three generations of Indigenous women in leadership at the 50th Annual General Assembly at the Best Western Nor'Wester Hotel and Convention Centre near Thunder Bay.

“We are here to celebrate 50 years of this association,” says Dawn Lavell-Harvard, outgoing president at ONWA. “And I realized just how important it is that we are gathered here today to celebrate, that we’re not just surviving any more, we’re thriving.”

Algonquin Avenue Public School in Thunder Bay plans to use its Staples for Education Supply Drive donation of about $4,615.91 to support culturally responsive and land-based initiatives. The Staples store in Thunder Bay collaborated with the Kiwanis Club of Thunder Bay to raise a total of $9231.83 for the local Staples for Education Supply Drive, which was presented to two schools from Lakehead Public Schools and the Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board, Algonquin Avenue Public School and Bishop Gallagher Senior Elementary School, on Oct.

Constance Lake musician Marcia Chum-Gibbons and spouse Chris Gibbons are planning to do a music tour next summer with the tiny home on wheels they are currently constructing in Ottawa. Known as the Gibbons Girl, the two musicians plan to use the tiny home as their primary home once they complete it this fall and to use the roof of the tiny home as their stage during the tour.

Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Derek Fox was elected with 30 votes by Chiefs and proxies on Aug. 11 at the virtual 39th Keewaywin Conference. Former Attawapiskat Chief Bruce Shisheesh also ran for Grand Chief during the election — he received 11 votes.

Deputy Grand Chiefs Anna Betty Achneepineskum and Bobby Narcisse were elected with Achneepineskum receiving 26 votes and Narcisse receiving 25 votes on the first round of voting.

National Chief RoseAnne Archibald was elected on July 8 as the first woman to hold the post after candidate Reginald Bellerose withdrew from the election after losing 32 votes on the fifth ballot. A sixth ballot had been announced before Bellerose withdrew because the winning candidate needed at least 60 per cent of votes to be declared as national chief. Archibald had 205 votes, which was 50.5 per cent of the 406 registered representatives for the national chief election, while Bellerose had 144 votes and 35.5 per cent.