Rick Garrick — Wawatay News

Wasaya Airways is OK: CEO Tom Morris

Create: 12/01/2015 - 19:22

Wasaya Airways CEO Tom Morris says the 25-year-old First Nations airline is not in financial straights as indicated in a December 2013 letter to the ownership chiefs.
“We are 100 per cent safe and we’ll be here for a long time,” Morris said. “There’s been a lot of speculation in the media as well as the social media. We just wanted to tell our side of the story and tell the truth, the true picture of where we are.”

Regional chief questions federal budget’s lack of infrastructure funding

Create: 12/01/2015 - 19:22

Regional Chief Stan Beardy is questioning the lack of First Nations capital infrastructure funding in the recent federal budget.
“For most of the Ontario First Nations, especially the remotes, I had hoped that the budget would identify some of the capital expenditures required for our infrastructure,” Beardy said. “I know in a lot of First Nation communities in Ontario, their capital infrastructure is crumbling. You need new houses, you need new water plants, you need roads, you need schools.”

NAN Legal looking to provide Gladue workers in communities

Create: 12/01/2015 - 19:21

Nishnawbe-Aski Legal Services is looking to provide Gladue workers in Nishnawbe Aski Nation communities through recently announced Legal Aid Ontario funding.
“There’s a fund of about $3 million and we’re trying to get money for our Gladue workers,” said Celina Reitberger, executive director of NAN Legal. “We’re going to hire three workers — one for the central (area), one for the east and one for the west.”
Reitberger said NAN Legal’s community legal workers, who already have a reputation in the community, will provide information to the Gladue workers.

Solar power system installed at Deer Lake Elementary School

Create: 12/01/2015 - 19:21

Deer Lake recently completed the largest solar project undertaken in the Sioux Lookout zone by installing a solar power system in the community’s elementary school.
“We are always looking for alternative energy,” said Deer Lake Chief Royle Meekis. “We did some research in the community and we decided we should try some solar panels to see if we can alleviate some of the load from hydro.”
Deer Lake’s 1,100 on-reserve citizens currently use power from a 149-kilowatt run-of-river hydro project, built in 1998 on the Severn River, and a diesel power plant.

Expanded polystyrene foundations to be introduced to north

Create: 12/01/2015 - 19:21

Moose Cree’s William Small is planning to introduce a new polystyrene foundation system to First Nation communities through his company — Eco Fab Structures Inc.
“We’re going to be the first distributors of this system for Ontario,” Small said during the 12th Annual First Nations Northern Housing Conference. “We’re quite excited about this new product. I think it answers a lot of the problems we have in First Nations housing, in general the mould issue that comes along with some of the techniques that are currently being used today.”

Long Lake #58 signs onto land management agreement

Create: 12/01/2015 - 19:21

Long Lake #58 is looking to get more businesses off the ground by signing on with the federal government’s Framework Agreement on First Nation Land Management.
Long Lake #58 was one of 19 First Nations that signed the Framework Agreement on March 3, which allows them to begin the process of opting out of 34 land-related sections of the Indian Act and assume greater control over their reserve land and resources.

Rae calls for improved physical and social infrastructure

Create: 12/01/2015 - 19:21

Former Ontario premier Bob Rae called for respectful partnership in resource development during the Grow Greenstone Expo, held March 17-18 in Thunder Bay.
“It used to be that a company would do what they thought was their homework and they would then get a coterie, an army of consultants and lawyers and environmental folks, to write reports for them and they would put all these reports in a box,” said the Matawa First Nations lead negotiator and former Liberal MP.

Oshki-Pimache-O-Win students celebrate spring with feast

Create: 12/01/2015 - 19:21

Grassy Narrows’ Jackie Swain and Roxanne Loon are enjoying their Oshki-Pimache-O-Win Education and Training Institute Native Early Childhood Education placements in Thunder Bay.
“It’s different from our own community — it’s something new and challenging,” said Loon, who is doing her placement along with Swain, her mother, at the Algoma Child Care Centre. “I’m learning new methods how to teach.”
Swain said the placement provides her with “more experience” for her teaching position with toddlers at the Migizi Wazason Child Care Centre in Grassy Narrows.

Grade 8 students create faces for Faceless Dolls Project

Create: 12/01/2015 - 19:21

The issue of missing and murdered Aboriginal women was recently shared with students in Thunder Bay through Lakehead University’s local faceless dolls project.
“I think it’s sad, mainly, that no one is paying attention to these people who have gone missing,” said Rachel Corston, a Grade 8 Algonquin Avenue Public School student. “It’s nice that they’re recognizing them now and that we’re doing all these dolls.”
Corston and her fellow students created unique faceless dolls during a March 26 faceless dolls project session at her school.

First Nations interested in mutual gain: Ovide Mercredi

Create: 12/01/2015 - 19:21

Former national chief Ovide Mercredi called for mutual advantages from resource development during the Grow Greenstone Expo, held March 17-18 in Thunder Bay.
“It’s time for us to remind ourselves, as the Supreme Court of Canada said, we are all here to stay — and we better learn to get along,” said the Misipawistik Cree Nation councillor.

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