Letter To The Editor: A Response From The Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse

 The following letter from Rita Notarandrea, CEO of the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, is a response to our August 27th article Canada Slow to Respond to Prescription Opioid Crisis by Dr. David Juurlink. I agree with Dr. Juurlink’s assertion (in his August 27 article, Canada Slow to Respond to

Aboriginal Initiatives at Nipissing University

 Courtney Binda, from Wawa, Ontario is interested in pursuing a career in education. She has just completed her final year in the Bachelor of Physical and Health Education and in the fall will be continuing with a consecutive Bachelor of Education degree at Nipissing’s Schulich School of Education. With the

huff at the NAC: It will blow you away

 Photo Credit -  Cliff Cardinal It is poignant, powerful, funny, touching and deeply disturbing.  huff, currently at the NAC , written by and starring Cliff Cardinal, movingly tells the heartbreaking story of Wind and his brothers , (Huff who is younger and Charles is their older brother who is a

Multiple Peoples, Multiple Problems, Multiple Solutions

 Most Canadians are in favour of good quality education for Canadian children. Good education contributes to good jobs, good income, good health and good lifestyles, all of which are positive forces in society. But for mystifying reasons kids who grow up on First Nations reserves are given far fewer chances

Canada Council for the Arts Awards the 2014 Killam Prize to Canada’s Top Scholars and Scientists

 Professor D.R. Fraser Taylor, Carleton University   The Canada Council for the Arts has recently awarded the Killiam Prize to five Canadian Scholars and Scientists who have pushed boundaries in their respected fields.  Each winner has been awarded $100,000, made possible through the Killiam Trust fund. This fund, among other

Breaks That Saved Northern Dreams and Healed Pains: One of the Oldest Hip-hop Dance Crews in Canada Celebrates its 30th Anniversary

 Images courtesy of www.canadianbreaking.com By Damira Davletyarova Spectators pressed in, trying to see the dancers on the floor. Hip-hop stars circled. Cameras blinked. One dancer spun, dropping the body on the floor; he extended his legs. Half-lifting his body, he paused in mid-air. At the Saint Brigid’s Centre for the Arts,

The Blue Story of the Ottawa River

 As I travel the Ottawa River, I can't help but be impressed with its magnificent diversification. Every turn in the waterway brings a rich new experience. Along the shoreline are subtle signs of those who came before us, and in the tranquility of early morning one can almost hear the

Join the Conversation between Canadians and Aboriginal Peoples

 Poverty, lack of education and almost no consultation in important decision-making processes have contributed to the deeply rooted colonial relationship that exists between Canadians and indigenous peoples. In discussing nation-to-nation responsibilities, treaty rights, treaty responsibilities and personal commitments, the series aims to build a dynamic that can move towards decolonization

First Nations Come Last

 On May 27, her last day after a decade as Canada's official watchdog, Auditor General Sheila Fraser gave this dire warning.: “If the First Nations and the Federal Government don't find ways of working together, the living conditions in reserves will remain worse off than everywhere else in Canada, and

We Need Action On Land Claims And We Need It Now

 Canada's mining industry offers major opportunities for First Nations peoples. We are the larg-est industrial employer of Aboriginal peoples. We double the national aver-age, while some mines have Aboriginal workforces that are 30-40 percent Ab-original or even higher. And these are good paying jobs. The average income of Aboriginal people

Sometimes Compensation is the Road to Closure

 For more than 150 years, the Government of Canada attempted to assimilate aboriginal children by placing them in residential —otherwise known as boarding — schools. Since it was too difficult to change adults, they began "Christianizing" children as early as age five. But over the years, tens of thousands of