Shawn Bell - Wawatay News

For Neskantaga First Nation Chief Peter Moonias, the massive Prospectors and Developers Association mining conference was more than just a chance to promote the agreement his First Nation signed with three of its neighbours on building a transportation network to the Ring of Fire.
It was also a chance to bring a First Nation message of treaty rights in regards to land to companies and governments alike.

Kingfisher Lake band councilor William Mekanak is on his way south, raising money for a prescription drug addiction treatment centre.
Mekanak, 37, and Kingfisher Lake youth Bryan Sainnaway, 16, began their 500 km trek from Kingfisher Lake to Sioux Lookout on March 14. The hike is an effort to raise money for a Suboxone Treatment Program to be operated by the community.

Police in Pikangikum are investigating the second suspicious death in the community in a matter of weeks.
Pikangikum Police Service along with members of the Ontario Provincial Police announced on April 15 that they are investigating a suspicious death.
The deceased is a 32 male from the community. Police say they were called to an altercation in the late evening hours on April 14. A short time later the male was found on the side of the road. He was unresponsive and transported to the community’s nursing station, where he was pronounced deceased.

Families along the James Bay Coast are working on saving energy and cutting electricity bills, and their children are leading the way.
The Five Nations Energy Inc (FNEI) held energy conservation fairs in Fort Albany, Kashechewan and Attawapiskat earlier this March, where students in each community taught their families what they have learned on energy conservation in school.
The fairs capped an eight-week school program, where over 400 students from Grades 5 – 10 participated in hands-on workshops on energy conservation.

While Conservatives called the federal budget “fair and reasonable” and the parliamentary secretary to the minister of Aboriginal Affairs expressed relief that his department was spared more drastic cuts, First Nations leaders in northern Ontario panned the budget for failing to address their needs.
The Conservative’s first majority budget came amid months of calls for increased funding of Aboriginal education and the need for clean drinking water on reserve.