After a whirlwind tour of the Canada’s deep south, I noticed something that defied all odds. At every stop on the route we took, including shopping areas, we bumped into someone we knew. Like, what the heck? Is everyone travelling at the same time?
I never quite realized how hard life was when I was growing up in Attawapiskat in the 1980s, even though our Elders were seeing the community start to modernize and become more comfortable than the life they had known.
The mysterious universe has cloaked us with deep memories and calls out to those who wish to hear what they want to hear. Yes, the inner voice which doesn’t seem to belong to anyone except yourself, urging you to do idiotic things that no one in their right mind would ever think of doing. Except for you in your deep thought, plotting things based on the inner dark thoughts.
According to the famous quote from philosopher George Santayana, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” It appears that Quebec Premier François Legault is not familiar with it.
Well, it isn’t Christmas or in any way nice. It’s wildfire season and it’s scary. As a former firefighter and as the son of one, I know just how bad it can get. In Moosonee, my father fought a huge fire that almost took out the town, let alone the men and women trying to stop it.
I will be celebrating my sixth year of sobriety at the end of July. I had my last beer on some random afternoon of what feels like two lifetimes ago without a clear plan of how I would implement these changes in my life – or if it would last at all. But here I am.
As summer officially starts warming up the northern hemisphere and school ends, the days become a little lazier. The need to wake up early dissipates slowly in the minds of many a student and the long daylight hours take its toll on those who still have to work for a living. Sometimes, it’s a bit too much looking out the window at four in the afternoon and seeing everyone going about their summer pleasures.
There has been some good news lately in honouring agreements and righting wrongs when it comes to Indigenous peoples on the James Bay coast. The big news was the announcement by Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu of $1.2 billion for the Weeneebayko Area Health Authority (WAHA) for their Hospital Redevelopment Project.
Splat! Another large moth collides with my windshield as I cruise down the Billy Diamond Highway. I activate my windshield wipers and they distribute the dead insect around, adding another layer of slime to the already well-smeared glass.
A blog written back in 2015 lists eight key issues for Indigenous Peoples in Canada. I would argue that there are many more. To begin: Indigenous children and youth have higher death rates, live in inadequate housing, have higher rates of suicide, poorer health, lower levels of education, higher rates of incarceration, higher rates of unemployment and lower income levels.
