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THE EABAMETOONG FIRST NATION
made headlines in October when Chief Lewis Nate sent up a flare for all the world to see in his attempt to get help for his embattled community. The community is remote, about 300 km northeast of Thunder Bay in Ontario, accessible only by plane, and home to only 1,200 people, but it has seen its share of violent activity this year, with three homicides and 50 cases of arson since January. The condition of the community has people sleeping with fire extinguishers close to hand. There has also been a series of animal mutilations. The chief issued a state of emergency and reached out to the wider community for help. “The situation in our community has escalated out of control. Please help the people of Eabametoong,” Chief Lewis Nate said Oct. 22.
“We need help. We’re in a situation where people are living in fear. We are in a situation where we can’t function as a community — in all areas of our lives,” he said. He believes prescription drugs is at the heart of the violence and the community’s youth can be linked to about half of all the crime. The community is working on more prominent security and the federal government is investing $200,000 to repair the school that was damaged by fire.
THE BC ASSOCIATION OF
Aboriginal Friendship Centres will host the 9th Annual Aboriginal Youth Conference Gathering Our Voices on March 21 to March 24, 2011 in Prince Rupert, B.C. The conference will attract up to 1,500 Aboriginal youth from across Canada. The theme of the conference will be “A Vision of Our Future.” It will focus on Aboriginal health, language, culture, the environment, employment, education, sports and recreation. This theme will be reflected in 40-plus workshops, a 50 booth Career and Education Fair, cultural and recreational activities, evening events and motivational speakers. Farley Stewart, the association’s first vice-president and the executive director of the Prince Rupert Friendship House says, “The Friendship House of Prince Rupert is happy to co-host this event and our youth are very excited about the event coming here. Many of our youth cannot afford to go out of community to experience events such as this. This is an event that can have a positive impact on their lives and create good healthy memories and new friendships that will last a lifetime.” Youth Conference Registration Packages, the Call for Facilitators and the Call for Exhibitors are available at the Web site www.bcaafc.com/newsandevents/gathering-our-voices.
ERROL RANVILLE OF THE C-WEED BAND
was the lone survivor of a collision near The Pas, Man. in early October. The crash killed five people, including Ranville’s wife Marcie. The Aboriginal musician is well known in the Prairie provinces. Born in Ste Rose du Lac, the Juno nominee grew up the eighth child of 12. He opened a chain of nightclubs called C-Weed’s Cabaret and achieved a number one hit record on the Canadian Country Music Charts (Evangeline). Ranville was executive producer for Manito Ahbee and the Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards in 2006 and 2007. He was inducted into the Aboriginal Hall of Fame in 2005. Magic in the Music, a greatest-hits CD, was released in May 2010.
The vehicle Ranville was travelling in collided with a Chevrolet Cavalier in which four people were killed. All four were residents of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation.
RCMP said the Cavalier and Ranville’s 2007 Jeep Wrangler caught fire after colliding on Highway 10 at about 4:30 a.m. Ranville was taken to Winnipeg’s Health Sciences Centre and is expected to make a full recovery.
CHERYL GERVAIS, 40, ADMITTED
in a Saskatoon court Oct. 26 that she took part in a ballot-stuffing scheme in the 2004 Métis Nation-Saskatchewan election. Brian Amyotte is on trial facing conspiracy and forgery charges. She said she worked as a social worker with the MNS in North Battleford at the time of the election. Amyotte was one of her bosses, as was an uncle, Ralph Kennedy. Both were candidates in the North Battleford area, and both gave her lists of names they wanted typed up and added to the voters lists at polling stations.
“I knew the names were made up, that they didn’t exist. They were fake,” she told court.
She was also ordered by the men to work as a polling clerk in Marshall, Sask. “They basically told me, ‘Do your kids like to eat?’” Gervais testified. The single mother was raising eight children at the time.
Gervais said this was not an unusual situation in Métis politics, so she didn’t think twice.
“I was so used to it. . . . That was how it was done,” she said.
She was told not to seal the ballot box and take it to the MNS office after the polls closed “‘because we still have more to do’,” she said.
Lyle Lee who was also among the candidates told her she needed to do what she was told “or people’s necks were going to get broken and stuff,” she said.
Gervais has received a conditional sentence for her part in the fraud. Kennedy also pleaded guilty and received a one-year jail term. Lee pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge and received a conditional sentence of two years less a day.
Amyotte’s trial continues.
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