Stephanie Wesley - Wawatay News

On July 18, father of four Simon Slipperjack was at home after doing some shopping at a local Dollarama location in Thunder Bay when his common-law wife noticed something strange on the receipt.
Below the business name and address, in capital letters were the words “NATIVE SALE.”
“I looked at it, and said ‘holy smokes,” Slipperjack said. He is a member of Eabametoong First Nation and a resident of Thunder Bay.

Sudbury University professor Karyn Recollet is currently finishing up a book that looks at the connection between Aboriginal culture and hip-hop music.
In an interview with CBC Radio, Recollet explains that she first took notice of the connection after hearing an Aboriginal hip-hop group called Ceremony. A song by one member of the group in particular stood out to Recollet. Chris Sutherland, also known as Shibastik, had a song about his grandparents, which made Recollet think of her own grandfather.

In the month of October, United Nations Special Rapporteur James Anaya visited Canada to examine the rights of Indigenous people.
During his trip, he met with First Nations, Inuit and Métis leaders, organizations and other people in numerous parts of Canada. Thunder Bay-based Feathers of Hope (FOH) was one of the groups Anaya sat down with in Ottawa at the end of his weeklong visit to Canada.

The Ontario government announced it wishes create a development corporation with parties involved in the Ring of Fire.
Minister of Northern Development and Mines Michael Gravelle released a statement on Nov. 8, calling the Ring of Fire “a tremendous opportunity with incredible potential to unlock economic potential within the region.”
Gravelle said the creation of the development corporation will bring First Nations, mining companies, and provincial and federal partners together to settle divergent interests and get back to making this development happen.

More than 500 First Nations youth aged 18-35 from across the country attended the Assembly of First Nations’ (AFN) 4th youth summit from Nov.18-21 in Saskatoon to develop a five-year action plan for change and progress to address their priorities.
Among them were members of the Thunder Bay-based youth group Feathers of Hope (FOH), who were invited by AFN to attend this year’s summit.