Terry McArthur, who resigned as chief of Pheasant Rump Nakota First Nation after being convicted of sexually assaulting a teenage girl, will not be receiving $48,000 in severance pay. Initially council said he would be paid but criticism from Aboriginal Affairs Canada forced council to withdraw the money. McArthur was sentenced to nine months in jail after pleading guilty in May to sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl in April 2012. Upon completion of his jail term, he will be on probation for a year. He will also be on the sex offender registry for a decade and must submit a DNA sample.

Broader social issues part of inquiry into child’s death

A partnership to promote Aboriginal journalism between Wawatay Native Communications Society and Journalists for Human Rights recently received the Canadian Ethnic Media Association’s 2013 Innovation Award. “The goal of this initiative is to develop a network of First Nations writers who can tell the stories from their communities in their own words and through their own experiences to ensure the First Nation perspective is reflected in mainstream media,” said Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Harvey Yesno in a news release.

The City of Timmins new logo is written in English, French and Cree and will be printed on various marketing materials. Through the Timmins Native Friendship Centre and the Ojibway & Cree Cultural Centre, the Timmins’ branding team facilitated focus groups to get feedback and determine an appropriate translation of the slogan “I’m in” using syllabics. “Many of us were glad to see some elements in the logo that also reflect the Aboriginal identity.

The Royal Canadian Mint’s newest $20 fine silver hologram coin was designed by Métis Nation of Ontario citizen and artist Nathalie Bertin. Entitled A story of the Northern Lights: The Great Hare displays the Odawa legend of Nanahboozho sitting by his fire that creates the northern lights. The colourful lights are highlighted with a uniquely shaped hologram that mimics their movement in the night sky. Only 8,500 coins have been minted.

The Métis Nation of Ontario has signed a memorandum of understanding with Rainy River Resources Ltd. to guide their working relationship in the development of the Rainy River Gold Project in the Township of Chapple, about 65 km northwest of Fort Frances. The MOU lays out the way in which the local Métis community, as represented by the MNO’s Treaty #3/Lake of the Woods/Lac Seul/Rainy River/Rainy Lake Regional Consultation Committee and the MNO Community Councils that are part of the committee, will be consulted regarding the development of the project.

This September, Carleton University will bring together artists, world-class experts and community heritage activists to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Samuel de Champlain’s passage up the Ottawa River. Champlain in the Ottawa Valley: History and Memory of an Encounter is a collaboration between academics, First Nations and the community, focusing on Champlain’s encounter with the Algonquins, its legacy and the implications for land occupation today. “It will be a critical reflection of what it meant for Aboriginal people and colonization,” said Prof.

The Nation to Nation Bike Tour, a joint initiative of KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives and The Otesha Project, saw 14 participants cycle along the St. Lawrence River, from the Kanien'kehaka (Mohawk) communities of Akwesasne to Tyendinaga. The Otesha Project is a youth-led organization that uses bike tours, theatre, experiential activities and storytelling to inspire people of all ages to create positive social change.

Windspeaker: What one quality do you most value in a friend?
Leemai Lafontaine: I value friends who are honest. Nothing is better than a dose of the truth when you really need it. 
 
W: What is it that really makes you mad?
L.L.: When people complain about their situation, but do nothing to change it.

W: When are you at your happiest?
L.L.: I’m happiest when I am with my family in Hawaii.
W: What one word best describes you when you are at your worst?
L.L.: Beastmode.