Welcome to AMMSA.COM, the news archive website for our family of Indigenous news publications.
Launched in 2002. A publication specifically designed to serve the Indigenous people of Ontario.
Page 9
The second annual Wataybugaw Aboriginal Thanksgiving festival at Toronto's Harbourfront Centre was a huge success, with attendance double that of 2002. The two-day festival takes place on Sunday and Monday of the Thanksgiving holiday long weekend. This year, Harbourfront officials estimated that 1,500 people attended the festival on Sunday alone. Monday was even busier, with 2,…
Page 8
A benefit concert held at Toronto's historic Massey Hall on Oct. 10 was supposed to raise money for the George family of Stoney Point, Ont. to fight a wrongful death lawsuit against the Ontario Provincial Police and former Ontario premier Mike Harris. Instead, it turned into a fundraiser for a new Aboriginal education fund.
The Harris government, which was in office during…
Page 8
A Thanksgiving Round Dance in honour of community volunteers was inaugurated Oct. 9 on Manitoulin Island. Ten people from local First Nations were celebrated for their lifelong contributions to community well-being.
The event was organized in memory of Mary Lou Fox (Odemin Kwe), a Manitoulin Elder who made the establishment of the Ojibwe Cultural Foundation (OCF) one of…
Page 5
Miziwe Biik Aboriginal Employment and Training, along with representatives from Evergreen Foundation, Foodshare, and the Toronto Food Policy Council, celebrated the Miziwe Biik garden's first harvest festival on Oct. 8, an event that attracted about 75 people.
Myles Migwans walked along the community garden that he designed and planted on the grounds of Miziwe Biik, a…
Page 4
Ken Parker, the owner-operator of Sweetgrass Gardens, believes that gardening should be "a joint venture with nature."
Parker, who gives gardening tips on the Weather Network and is also a gardening expert for the Gardening Gamble show on television, presented a slide show on native plants at the Miziwe Biik Aboriginal Employment and Training Centre in Toronto Oct. 29. The…
Page 3
Great strides have been made in introducing Native study courses into the mainstream curriculum, but that is only part of the battle. Native students need to be empowered to learn their language, and culture and self-esteem are key factors in that process, according to educators At the Raising Our Voices conference held in London Oct. 17 to 19, They shared insights into the…
Page 2
It's not easy being a police officer, and it's not easy being an archaeologist. You may not think the two groups have much in common, but a weekend workshop at Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) headquarters in Orillia showed otherwise.
From Oct. 24 to 26 members of the Ontario Archaeological Society, the OPP Museum and the OPP came together for Common Ground: Exploring…
Page 1
Sheguiandah First Nation - On the evening of Nov. 2, Elder Max Assiniwe of Sheguiandah First Nation passed on. He had been a special spiritual advisor to the Union of Ontario Indians, the Anishinabek Nation Elder's Council, and to former grand council chief Vernon Roote.
Grand Council Chief Earl Commanda offered his condolences and asked for a period of mourning to honour…
Page 1
Northwestern Ontario may be isolated geographically from large markets, but in this age of cyberspace it can still compete in the global economy.
Ideas, information, the drive to get the job done and the money for start-upare all that are required.
To put some fire under current and prospective business people, the Nishnawbe Aski Development Fund (NADF) and Thunder…
Page 1
For First Nations with small population and remote locations, cultural renewal can be challenging. However, a small Native community nestled on Western Manitoulin has reached out to larger reserves for help in bringing the traditions home.
Zhiibaahaasing First Nation, formerly known as the Cockburn Island band, held its fifth annual powwow Oct. 25. The theme was Honouring…
Page 10
OTTAWA-Indian Affairs and Northern Development announced this month it is allocating millions of dollars for overdue capital improvements to water and sewage systems on three reserves.
On Oct. 3 Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nation learned it would receive $6 million for a new water treatment plant, raw-water intake, reservoir addition and trunk water main.
"This…
Page 8
It was two years ago when Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm brought up the subject of Native erotica among a group of Native writers who had met to talk about the stories they liked to tell.
"I kept asking why we don't write about it, because sexuality is part of being alive," said Akiwenzie-Damm, when the Honouring Words Indigenous Authors' tour stopped in Owen Sound on Sept. 30.…
Page 8
Building environmentally sensitive, affordable housing was emphasized at a housing symposium and trade show held at Harrison Hot Springs Resort and Spa at Harrison Hot Springs, B.C., from Sept. 15 to 18.
The theme of the symposium was "Housing Ourselves," and it encompassed designing, building, renovating and managing housing.
Delegates got the chance to tour the…
Page 7
Shelley Niro was the featured guest artist at Native Women in the Arts' Catalyst Cafe in Toronto on Sept. 23. Kerry Potts, community liaison for Native Women in the Arts and emcee for the evening, introduced her, remarking that she's known for her "fabulous sense of humour."
Niro needed that sense of humour, as the planned showing of her most recent film went all wrong.…
Page 6
Agriculture was in the spotlight Sept. 18 to 21 as the residents of Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve celebrated the importance of food producers locally and globally. The theme of this year's fall fair was "agriculture around the world."
The annual event is sponsored by the Wikwemikong Agricultural Group.
In the community arena, visitors had an opportunity to view…