Rick Garrick — Wawatay News

McDowell Lake’s Verlin James feels his upbringing on the land was an advantage during his term of service with the U.S. Marine Corps.
“Other Marines regarded me as being better than them in skills and ability,” said the former Marine Corps rifleman and Pelican Falls graduate in an e-mail interview. “This obviously stemmed from my upbringing in the north, hunting and trapping with my father as a child. I remember once snowshoeing for many miles in the darkness after my dad’s snowmobile broke down. I must have been but seven or eight.”

The late Jordan Wabasse’s grandmother believes the new youth centre at Victoriaville Centre in Thunder Bay will help students from Nishnawbe Aski Nation communities.
“It’s very hard coming out on your own,” said Beulah Wabasse, during the Nov. 1 opening ceremony for the new youth centre. “There are lots of challenges and obstacles to face, good and bad. With this new youth centre, we all have to put our minds together and help our future youth. There’s lots of them, even here in the City of Thunder Bay.”

National Chief Shawn A-in-chut Atleo stressed the need for community-based prescription drug abuse recovery programs during Matawa’s Back to Our Roots Gathering III.

First Nations water is proving to be among the best tasting waters in northwestern Ontario.
Wabigoon Lake won the 18th Annual Water Taste Challenge on Oct. 26 at the 58th Annual Northwestern Ontario Water and Wastewater Conference and Dalles (Ochiichagwe’babigo’ining Ojibway Nation) won last year.
“I was actually kind of shocked — it took me about two or three seconds — did they just say Wabigoon Lake,” said Marcel Shabaquay, Wabigoon Lake’s water plant operator. “It’s definitely nice to know that our water is up there with all these municipalities.”

Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service Sgt. Jackie George has embraced her work in the communities by helping to alleviate NAPS’ ongoing shortage of regular police officers.
“It’s very nice to get back out to the front line,” said George, who normally deals with recruitment and media relations with NAPS. “I’m not only helping the community, I’m also helping out our frontline officers by being an extra person.”
George recently filled in for three days in Eabametoong and four days this past summer in Keewaywin.