The Native Women’s Association of Canada honoured women and girls on Dec. 6, the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.
“The nation was profoundly affected by the senseless violence against these 14 women and we are proud to honour them this Monday,” said Jeannette Corbiere Lavell, NWAC’s president.
Ontario Regional Chief Angus Toulouse is calling for a concrete plan to improve on-reserve education, not just recommendations.
“We must replace an antiquated system of isolated and under-resourced schools with a systematic approach that links support, ensures capacity including the ability to plan and effectively manage this essential service – this basic right of our children to a good education,” Toulouse said Dec. 14 during a presentation on First Nations education challenges and opportunities to the Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples.
Kwayaciiwin Education Resource Centre’s curriculum reflects the way people live in the Sioux Lookout district’s 24 First Nation communities.
“It is culturally appropriate,” said Kwayaciiwin director Roy Morris, explaining Kwayaciiwin’s curriculum is different from the provincial curriculum. “What we did with our curriculum planning is that we have expectations that are ... more applicable to our northern communities.”
Morris said the curriculum focuses on the communities’ way of life, whether it is the mainstream way of living or the cultural way of living.
Ninety-two percent of Keewaytinook Internet High School students successfully passed their courses in the 2009-2010 school year.
While the KiHS is proud of its students’ successes to date, vice-principal Freda Kenny is aiming for higher success rates.
“We measure success by the number of students who would complete a full high school program (of) eight courses, so 52 per cent of our students right now are successful in obtaining those courses,” Kenny said Dec. 2 during the First Nation Student Success Program Conference.
Wawatay Native Communications Society’s new CEO is looking to implement a quality management system at the long-running communications organization.
“When I was working at the Royal Bank of Canada, their emphasis was on quality of service, so that is what I want to implement at Wawatay,” said David Neegan, who took over as chief executive officer Nov. 29. “We would put emphasis on servicing the communities.”
Oil drums dating back to the 1970s remain on the land near Eabametoong.
Bill Shawinimash, a band member of the community, raised his concerns about the issue during the Oct. 27 Matawa Environmental Conference for Northern Ontario
“At that small lake east of Fort Hope, there were five 45-gallon drums full of fuel oil left by some exploration company that was exploring for minerals in that area,” Shawinimash said.
“To date, nothing has been done about that. They’re still out there as far as I know.”
Constance Lake community members are blaming trucked-in water for rashes and nail fungal infections.
“My community has been without clean water for months,” said Constance Lake Chief Arthur Moore.
“We need a long-term solution to resolve this crisis. People don’t have enough water for drinking and the water provided for bathing could possibly be causing infection.”
In the past couple weeks, Constance Lake has experienced an increase in the number of patients going to the health clinic showing similar symptoms: rashes and nail fungal infections.
Mishkeegogamang’s Gary Wassaykeesic has been making some progress in his search into the 1976 death of his mother Sophie Wassaykeesic.
“Right now it’s kind of important to either add some publicity to it or add pressure to this investigation,” said the construction worker who has lived in Toronto for about 17 years.
In an effort to gain more publicity about the issue, Wassaykeesic has shared his mother’s story with other media in the Toronto-area.
Shannen Koostachin’s campaign for a new school in Attawapiskat, her accidental death in May and the Shannen’s Dream Campaign is among Wawatay’s youth stories of the year.
“Shannen was tireless in her fight for equitable school rights for First Nation children,” said Timmins-James Bay MP Charlie Angus during the Nov. 17 launch of the Shannen’s Dream campaign. “She became the face of a generation of forgotten First Nation school children. We are carrying on the work she started so that other children will not be left behind.”
When I was a boy growing up in my home community of Attawapiskat on the James Bay coast, I was deathly afraid of looking at the full moon.
I grew up...
I’m happy to see the ongoing support and assistance in our northern remote communities to help our people cope with so many lifelong and generational issues...