Rick Garrick — Wawatay News

Three First Nations youth from Thunder Bay have a message: Get inspired!
The trio are reaching out to other youth across northwestern Ontario about bullying, substance abuse, family relationships and how to deal with anger.
“I’ve met so many kids and we’ve had talent shows with a lot of talented people,” said Sara Kanutski, a 12-year-old singer who has been presenting youth role model workshops with singer Natasha Fisher and deejay Classic Roots since this past March. “They’re just great to be around.”

The $5 billion that’s been paid out to former residential school students will never compensate for the pain and suffering they experienced.
Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) Grand Chief Stan Beardy said Canadians must understand the impacts the schools have had on Aboriginal people.
“We’re talking about institutionalization of over 100 years of our people – I don’t think any amount of money will begin to compensate the losses.”
Beardy said survivors lost their cultural identity because they were completely removed from their natural environment.

Four Treaty #3 communities recently met to discuss common concerns about the Highway 17 twinning project from Kenora to the Manitoba border.
“The four First Nations agree that the engagement process carried out by the Ministry of Transportation Ontario to date has been deeply flawed and is inconsistent with the fundamental principles of meaningful consultation,” said Chief Lorraine Cobiness of Ochiichagwe’babigo’ining Ojibway Nation in a Dec. 20 press release.

Former national chief Phil Fontaine took the opportunity to raise issues facing First Nations people during his Dec. 1 acceptance of a honourary doctorate of laws at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay.
“We must understand that healing from the harm of the residential school legislation will take a long, long time, perhaps decades into the future,” Fontaine said.

Prescription drug abuse made the headlines many times over the past year, making it Wawatay’s health story of the year.
Nishnawbe Aski Nation leaders discussed how prescription drug abuse has affected themselves or their families, Suboxone treatment successes were highlighted and a three-part feature on beating prescription drug addictions was printed and posted online with videos.