Rick Garrick

Deputy Grand Chief Walter Naveau stressed the importance of working with Wawatay Communications Society to get messages out about COVID-19 during his WRN (Wawatay Radio Network) update.

“That is why having Wawatay is important to air what’s going on pertaining to COVID-19 … because not all people have cellphones but they still talk amongst one another about the measures being taken,” Naveau says. “So that is why I find that Wawatay is very instrumental and very important in terms of getting the word out.”

Niisaachewan’s Tania Cameron is looking to bring a different perspective to the Senate of Canada after former senator Lynn Beyak retired.

“I am community minded and continually serve my region in any capacity that I am able to,” says Cameron, chief of staff for the Ontario Regional Chief. “Today, I am on my way into town in Kenora to take care of the sixth and final potato delivery into northwestern Ontario.”

Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler recently stressed the importance of an agreement between the provincial and federal governments to support air carriers serving remote First Nation communities.

Deputy Grand Chief Walter Naveau spoke about the plans to deliver Moderna COVID-19 vaccinations in Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) communities during his WRN (Wawatay Radio Network) update.

“Hopefully one day in the future we will be free to travel about and we can put this all behind us,” Naveau says. “The COVID-19 vaccine is starting to become available in the region and a lot of people are working very hard to get our (citizens) and communities ready.”

Pikangikum’s Cheryl Suggashie was recognized for her efforts to make masks and other items for the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Since the lockdown I had more time to sew so I made masks and I made scrubs for the hospital,” says Suggashie, public legal education and communications coordinator at Nishnawbe-Aski Legal Services Corporation. “They were low on supplies at that time in early COVID-19 so I donated a bunch to them and they sent me a thank you letter, which was pretty cool.”