Rick Garrick — Wawatay News

The haircutting incident at a Thunder Bay school that prevented a First Nation boy from following his traditional dancing practices is going before the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario.
“It was traumatic for him, it was traumatic for the family,” said Julian Falconer, explaining the seven-year-old boy did not participate in traditional dancing for “some time” after his hair was cut by a teacher’s assistant at McKellar Park School in April 2009.
The family asked for accountability and were demeaned for doing it, that somehow they were in it for the money, Falconer said.

A Mishkeegogamang elected official is questioning the Ontario Provincial Police policy against providing blankets in the Pickle Lake OPP jail cells.
“If you ask (jailed community members) if they received blankets when they asked for it, the answer is overwhelmingly no,” said Mishkeegogamang Coun. Tom Wassaykeesic. “The OPP is trying to say it is on a case-by-case basis, that is not true at all.”

Three young Aboriginal writers from northwestern Ontario are being celebrated for their creative writing abilities.
Bearskin Lake’s Vanessa Trimble, 11, Sandy Lake’s Erik Fiddler, 18, and Thunder Bay’s Nakita Guillet, 14, are among six youth from across Ontario who have been selected to receive James Bartleman Aboriginal Youth Creative Writing Awards, which include a certificate and a cash award of $2,500 for each person. The other recipients are Damian Giovanni Inglese, 13, from Toronto, Forest Rain Maracle, 13, from Deseronto and Mshquazeed Jewell, 14, from Oneida.

Ontario has announced $4.5 million in funding for this year’s winter roads.
“For communities in the far north of Ontario that are accessible only by air, winter roads are essential for lowering the costs of building material and heavy equipment so residents can renew infrastructure and develop community projects,” said Northern Development, Mines and Forestry Minister Michael Gravelle.