Lenny Carpenter — Wawatay News

The Ontario government’s plans to sell off services of the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission (ONTC) could lead to higher costs for members of the James Bay communities, according to Mushkegowuk Deputy Grand Chief Leo Friday.
Last year, the province announced it would be divesting the government-owned transportation commission after citing stagnant ridership and increasing costs to its bus and train services that operate mostly in northeastern Ontario.

Mushkegowuk Council is hosting a conference aimed at discussing and educating its members and delegates on the signing of Treaty 9.
The conference is set to take place in Moose Factory from July 30 to Aug. 1.
Mushkegowuk Grand Chief Stan Louttit said the James Bay Treaty – Treaty No. 9 Conference will cover a variety of topics on the treaty which was first signed in 1905-06 followed by 1929-30 adhesions by a total of 38 communities in northern Ontario (and one in Quebec).

An online web portal aimed at helping First Nations youth explore the world of mining was launched on July 25.
Learning2mine.ca is an interactive web portal developed by Oshki-Pimache-O-Win Education & Training Institute that provides information on the mining industry and careers.
Rosie Mosquito, Oshki’s executive director, said the portal was developed with the upcoming mining opportunities within the Ring of Fire in mind as First Nations stand to benefit from such opportunities.

The body of a young Weenusk First Nation man was found in a lake located near Timmins in the early hours of July 20.
At about 5:45 a.m., Timmins Police responded to a report of a male body discovered in Porcupine Lake. Witnesses said the body could be seen in the water a few metres from the shoreline.
On July 22, police identified the deceased as 25-year-old Luke Gull of Weenusk First Nation, a community also known as Peawanuck. Gull was living in Timmins to pursue studies at Northern College.

Videos circulating through social media of Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officers arresting three First Nations residents in Moosonee are causing outrage.
The videos captured by local residents show an elderly woman getting kicked by an officer who was straddling a man on the ground.
The officers were responding to a call on July 24 of a fight that broke out between two men in the parking lot of a downtown business.