Rick Garrick

Northern Nishnawbe Education Council (NNEC) was pleased to see its grade on the Year Four Report Card on the Implementation of Recommendations from the First Nations Youth Inquest in Thunder Bay remained at an A+. The First Nations Youth Inquest was held over nine months from October 2015 to June 2016 to look into the deaths of seven First Nations youth from NAN communities who died while pursuing their high school studies in Thunder Bay.

Matawa First Nations Management’s Four Rivers Environmental Services Group distributed a variety of Thanksgiving meal favourites, including carrots, potatoes, apples and pumpkins, on Oct. 7 to Matawa citizens from the Matawa Garden project.

Missanabie Cree First Nation recently concluded a negotiated settlement with the federal government over a Treaty Land Entitlement Claim for reserve land promised under Treaty No. 9 more than 110 years ago. The settlement includes about $150 million in financial compensation and the ability to add up to 3,200 acres to their reserve land base.

Northern Nishnawbe Education Council (NNEC) plans to operate the Dennis Franklin Cromarty and Pelican Falls high schools under a quadmester system this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It also plans to operate the Wahsa Distance Education Centre through its usual remote delivery system with learning centres in the communities according to the school calendar that was approved this past spring.

The Sioux Lookout Zone Children’s Environmental Health Study Team recently received an award for their study on Indoor Air Quality and the Effect on Children’s Respiratory Health in First Nation Reserves in the Sioux Lookout Zone. The study team, which evaluated the indoor air quality in the houses of 101 children in four Indigenous communities, was recognized with the 2020 Health Canada Assistant Deputy Minister Award for Excellence in Sciences.