Wawatay News

As First Nations leaders, Elders, women and youth from across Canada gathered in Regina, SK today for the opening of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) Annual General Assembly, AFN National Chief Perry Bellegarde and federal Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs, the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, announced that First Nations will have more control of financial resources from one year to the next.

Thunder Bay Mayor Keith Hobbs, his wife and one other person, have been charged with extortion.

Keith and Marisa Hobbs have each been charged with extortion and obstructing justice, an OPP release said. Mary Voss has also been charged with extortion.

The OPP statement said the charges relate to "an investigation of allegations of criminal wrongdoing that include a municipal official and a local resident."

Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler, on behalf of the Executive Council, expressed heartfelt condolences following the recovering of a body of 14-year-old Josiah Begg in Thunder Bay:

Thomas Doherty, a teacher with the Keewaytinook Okimakanak Board of Education has been recognized by the Prime Minister’s Awards (PMA) for Teaching Excellence. Mr. Doherty is one of eleven national-level recipients who received the 2016/2017 PMA for Teaching Excellence Certificate of Excellence from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at an awards ceremony held in Ottawa May 03, 2017 to celebrate Canada’s top teachers and early childhood educators. This is the national level award and is considered the highest honour for teachers and early childhood educators in Canada.

Wawatay Communications Society is profoundly saddened by the passing of acclaimed Ojiway author and journalist, Richard Wagamese. Wagamese was a long-time contributor to Wawatay News. He was 61.

Wagamese, from the Wabaseemoong First Nation in northwestern Ontario, has been a professional writer since 1979. Many of his writings were inspired by the legacy the residential school system has had on First Nation communities and its citizens. His writings also drew heavily on his own childhood experiences.