Xavier Kataquapit

I woke to some sad news Monday morning. Instead of an alarm clock I woke to the friendly voices at CBC Sudbury. However, this morning they had bad news for all of us here in the north and in particular Aboriginal people. They were talking about the passing of Jack Layton.

I sat down at the cottage recently and looked outside a picture window facing the lake. It was a cool afternoon and I watched the light fade under layers of dreary clouds that hung lazily overhead.
I sat comfortable in my warm chair as I sipped on a cup of hot tea while being warmed by the crackling fire in the huge old stove. There’s nothing like that feeling of coziness that you get when inside a comfy warm place with cold, wet weather situated on the other side of the window.  

Diabetes awareness was the focus of inspirational and motivational speakers at the Timmins Diabetes Expo Sept. 17.
This year’s event featured guest speakers Mairlyn Smith, a professional home economist and author who is also an alumnus of the Second City Comedy Troupe, and Ginger Kanzer-Lewis, a past president of the American Association of Diabetes Educators and an international speaker on diabetes health issues.  

I was always curious about the heavens when I was a kid growing up in Attawapiskat. My brother Joe often joined me to stare up at the night sky.
Joe and I learned from an early age what many of the constellations were, where they sat in the sky and the movement of the planets. As a matter of fact, his interest was so great that he named his first son after the constellation Orion.
Orion refers to a hunter in Greek mythology.

More than 250 school children discovered the benefits of self-confidence through a diabetes prevention intiative in Timmins, Ont., Nov. 4.  
They made this discovery through workshops provided by Turtle Concepts and produced by Timmins Diabetes Expo. The one-day event was led by Turtle Concepts owner Dave Jones and held at the McIntyre Area.  
Turtle Concepts is a First Nation business that provides empowerment workshops for youth. Its founder and lead organizer is a member of Garden River First Nation – a community located just east of Sault Ste. Marie.