Shawn Bell - Wawatay News

Lac Seul may be a hockey hotbed, but it is not everyday that one of the community’s native sons makes it into a prestigious international hockey academy.
That is what Johnathan Carpenter has done. The 16-year-old who grew up in Lac Seul as an Eagles fan and later played minor hockey in Fort Frances’ double A system has nearly completed the inaugural year of the Canadian International Hockey Academy (CIHA).

In the aftermath of Ontario’s decision to buy out the mining claims of God’s Lake Resources for $3.5 million, NDP MPP Sarah Campbell came up with one of the occasion’s more memorable quotes.
“Ontario may be the only province in Canada where you can make a substantial profit in mining without having to break ground,” Campbell said.
Forget her obvious political bias, and the fact that Campbell was looking to score points off a political hot potato that the Liberals were forced to deal with.

Three Pikangikum youths have been arrested and charged with murder in relation to the death of 17-year-old Calvin Quill of Pikangikum First Nation.
A 17-year-old male was arrested and charged with murder on March 28. Two more male youths, one 16 year old and one 17 year old, were arrested and charged with murder on March 29.
Quill was reported missing to police on the afternoon of March 27. A search ensued, and police found his body behind a residence in Pikangikum just before midnight the same day.

One suspect has been arrested and charged as part of the ongoing investigation into the death of a Pikangikum man.
Police now say that Fitzgerald Owen, 32, of Pikangikum First Nation died as a result of foul play.
Morgan Turtle, 23, of Pikangikum was arrested and charged with Assault with Weapon on April 15. He appeared in Kenora court on April 20.
Owen was found in the late evening hours of April 14, 2012 on the side of a road. He was transported to the local nursing station and was subsequently pronounced deceased.

Remember back in January when all sides were talking about the new relationship between the federal government and First Nations?
Phrases like resetting the relationship, unlocking the potential and realizing the promise were being bandied about by everyone involved.
Those days seem like a long time ago.
Since then a number of major resource projects have taxed the federal government-First Nations relationship.