Rick Garrick — Wawatay News

A wreath honouring Aboriginal servicewomen from World War II was laid by Mishkeegogamang’s Isabelle Mercier during the Remembrance Day ceremonies at Waverly Park in Thunder Bay.
“We had the honour to have the Aboriginal servicewoman from World War II here in Thunder Bay,” Mercier said after the Nov. 11 ceremony. “Thirty-five per cent of our people signed up voluntarily in World War I, thirty-three per cent of our people signed up in World War II. Their service is to be honoured as all service when a country is in need.”

Eabametoong Chief Elizabeth Atlookan called for communities to empower themselves over justice issues during the Nov. 19-21 NAN-Wide Justice Summit.
“We need to understand that we cannot wait,” Atlookan said. “You heard Frank Iacobucci yesterday and he said in his (First Nations Representation on Ontario Juries) report that the justice system was in a crisis. So how long are we going to wait to do something, to own it, to empower our communities.”

Slate Falls’ Chancillor Crane used his birch root carvings to overcome a tragedy in his community this past summer.
“We lost five people and this helped me deal with a lot of stuff,” Crane said. “In a way, it’s my therapy.”
Crane first began carving his birch root carvings after discovering a uniquely-shaped root while clearing his yard.
“One day I was cleaning my yard in the fall time and a frozen stump came out and I just started carving it,” Crane said. “I saw a cane at first and then I saw an eagle head. It just grew from there.”

The Ontario Native Women’s Association (ONWA) is calling for all Canadians to help end violence against Aboriginal women.
The National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women in Canada was commemorated on Dec. 6.

The Auditor General has raised flags about the way emergencies are handled in First Nation communities in his 2013 Fall Report, released on Nov. 26.
Auditor General Michael Ferguson examined a number of issues in his report that the federal government had been struggling to address, including online government services, food recalls, illegal entry into Canada, emergency management on First Nations reserves, oversight of rail safety, disaster relief for agricultural producers, and internal controls over financial reporting.