Rick Garrick — Wawatay News

Aboriginal student voice forums and other Aboriginal focused initiatives are paying off for students in the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board.
Clinton Bruetsch, principal of Beaver Brae Secondary School in Fort Frances, said the school’s focus on alternative education programs that provide flexibility for students is resulting in higher attendance rates, decreased suspension rates and higher numbers of graduates.

First Nation leaders are calling for concrete reconciliation efforts after the Feb. 24 release of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s interim report.

Constance Lake’s Larry Gillis and grandson Jeff Gillis recently caught a wolverine on their trapline near the old Pagwa community site.
“We put a lynx trap there because something was breaking our boxes, wrecking our traps,” Larry Gillis said. “We figured it was a lynx so we put up some lynx sets and that is where we caught it.”
Gillis said the wolverine was dead when they arrived back at the trapline.

Kingfisher Lake’s William Mekanak is planning a 600-kilometre walk on the winter road to raise funds for a Suboxone treatment centre.
“As a leader, it’s time to help these clients that are doing the Suboxone program,” said the Kingfisher Lake band councillor. “In the community, they don’t have a place or a facility. They say it’s pretty tough when you don’t have anything to do or any place to hang out with the other ones.”

Project Beyshick was a big success for Eabametoong’s Craig Waboose.
“It actually helped a lot of First Nation community members dip their toes into a field they are really interested in,” Waboose said. “One of the other delegates said he got a job offer with Wasaya. Congrats on him.”
Waboose also received an offer to do another placement with Nishnawbe-Aski Legal Services Corporation, where he did his Project Beyshick placement from Feb. 25 to March 2, once he completes his Working Words program at Matawa Learning Centre in Thunder Bay.