Ginoogaming chief Celia Echum plans to continue pursuing her vision of a vibrant, self-reliant community after being re-elected in late August for a third two-year term.
“Our people are very capable of becoming managers, teachers, lawyers, doctors and our youth have special talents and aspire to be actors, singers, and professional athletes,” Echum said. “My role is to empower them, support their dreams and put those resources in place as they supported my dream to lead as chief.”
Echum wants to continue emphasizing the importance of increasing post-secondary education rates among community members.
“If you are going to have a prosperous community, you have to have an educated community,” Echum said.
Echum is also planning to reopen a wafer-board plant and part of a plywood plant in Longlac to create 330 jobs.
A band councillor from 2005-2007 and a band administrator for more than 25 years, Echum was elected with 68 per cent of the votes cast for chief of the Matawa First Nations community.
Sheri Susan Taylor, Jerry Echum, Maurice Waboose, Joanne Mendowegan, Blaine (Charlie) Martin and Gabriel Echum were elected as councillors.
When I was a boy growing up in my home community of Attawapiskat on the James Bay coast, I was deathly afraid of looking at the full moon.
When I was a boy growing up in my home community of Attawapiskat on the James Bay coast, I was deathly afraid of looking at the full moon.
I grew up...
I’m happy to see the ongoing support and assistance in our northern remote communities to help our people cope with so many lifelong and generational issues...