Unique Indigenous Communities in Canada are close to home . . . and far from ordinary

 Above: Wikwemikong Heritage Organization Annual Cultural Festival An invitation to Ontarians to escape from home and visits Indigenous experiences across the province Canadians love to travel and the pre-COVID favourite destinations included the USA, Mexico, United Kingdom, France, and Cuba. Travel restrictions have changed all that and Canadians have joyfully turned their

Wiisag Corporation: A local cannabis company with a global mission

 Indigenous peoples throughout North America have long harvested, traded and smoked a wide variety of plants for recreational, medicinal and ceremonial purposes. Many Indigenous communities see the legalization of the cannabis industry in Canada as a chance for future prosperity. Wiisag Corporation, a Canadian Indigenous integrated cannabis company, is helping

The other DC superheroes show some love for the North

 Education is a cornerstone in building a child’s future and books serve as a tool to impart knowledge and understanding, making them an integral part of growth and development. DC Publishing is on a mission to bring that opportunity to the far corners of the country. DC Canada Education Publishing

Costly Fix: Power, Politics, and Nature in the Tar Sands

 Costly Fix • Power, Politics, and Nature in the Tar Sands By: Ian Urquhart 364 pages • ISBN 978-1487594619 Costly Fix examines the post -1995 Alberta tar sands boom, detailing how the state inflated the profitability of the tar sands and turned a blind eye to environmental issues. It considers

Warrior Heart – Q&A with Cody Coyote

 Feature image by James Park Photography “Mamawi” is an Ojibwe word that means “all together”. It’s also the name of the new album by Indigenous artist Cody Coyote, a release he hopes inspires love, understanding and some reconciliation for Canada’s Indigenous issues. There’s a reason why CBC called him a

Perfect 10 at the NAC! Sir John A.: Acts of a Gentrified Ojibway Rebellion

 The NAC has pulled off a theatrical perfect 10 in Drew Hayden Taylor’s Sir John A:  Acts of a Gentrified Ojibway Rebellion.  It is a thought-provoking play about various issues such as First Nations relations,  the struggles of youth, reconciling with history, justice and finding your place in the world. 

Beyak’s Anti-Native Comments Shock in Many Ways

 Lynn Beyak is not someone who would usually make much of an impression on the public world, with her background in real estate, insurance, and selling cars. But in 2013 the Prime Minister Stephen Harper appointed her to the Senate, where she remained fairly anonymous. Until, that is, her appalling

Trudeau’s Pipeline Blockage Continues

 Justin Trudeau made a lot of promises to Canadians while campaigning — 226 to be precise, according to TrudeauMeter, a non-partisan website tracking his political performance.  So far only 55 of them have been achieved. While the Liberal government’s abandoning of its electoral reform promise came as a blow to

Celebrating Canada 150 and before: Krystle Retieffe’s Dreamworks

 Ottawa, July 3, 2017 – Alpha Art Gallery and Ottawa Life Magazine are proud to welcome Krystle Retieffe, the powerful Mi'kmaq female artist born on Nova Scotia's South Shore, who will be presenting her celebrated works at the 25 Murray Street gallery from July 6 to 23, 2017. Vernissage: July

Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival Expands For 6 Days of Cultural Celebration

 Ottawa Life’s Festival City Series is back! We'll provide a unique look at some of your favourite events. We’ll go beyond the music with artist interviews, volunteer profiles, concert reviews and spotlights on the tastes, sights and sounds of the festival season.  Your city! Your festivals and events! Like a good sunscreen,

JUNO Spotlight: A Tribe Called Red

 Nominated For: Video of the Year (R.E.D.) Jack Richardson Producer of the Year (Sila, R.E.D.) Electronic Album of the Year (We Are the Halluci Nation) When art meets activism something amazing is bound to happen. When that includes an exultant dance party set to pulse pounding dubstep, house, and hip

24th anniversary of the Indspire Awards—Indspirational!

 Photos by Renée Boucher Doiron Looking to the past to change the future, the rousing refrain of the 24th anniversary of the Indspire Awards, was evident even before the uplifting showcase that was to come even began. The grinning and the glamorous started to pour into the National Arts Centre

“Wake up, Pretend I’m Okay, Sleep.”

 Charlie Angus Would Be a Great Leader for the NDP and Canada Charlie Angus is the embodiment of the everyman or every-person MP. First elected to Parliament in 2004 in the Northern Ontario riding of Timmins–James Bay, the former punk-rocker, alt-country social activist and entrepreneur has been handily re-elected several

What’s Happening North of 60

 Canada is a country born from colonization. This process, and the residential schools that followed, have had monstrous effects on First Nations peoples, effects that we are only beginning to acknowledge through the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. But the colonization of the North, for the First Nations, Métis and Inuit

Prime Minister Trudeau… So Far, So Good… But Soon, The Rubber Hits Road.

 By all counts things are going well for Canada’s new Liberal government. Aside from Prime Minister Trudeau’s brief off-side when he unintentionally elbowed NDP MP Ruth Ellen Brosseau in Parliament, leading to a possible Oscar or “Golden Raspberry” for her and Thomas Mulcair for best performance for feigned outrage. It

Watershed Moment

 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been actively putting forward a different approach to governance: one that champions transparency, freshness, action, something that says this time it’s different. One of his ministers in particular, seems to be the embodiment of that sentiment. There’s a positive vibe when entering Environment Minister Catherine

Dear Health Minister – Please Reinstate Funding for Cochrane Canada

 Cochrane is a key global healthcare resource that needs Canada’s involvement Imagine you’re our new Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau. Despite a grueling election campaign, you’re flush with energy and idealism in a country where “better is always possible.” One key priority is improving Canada’s prosperity but there are also many

We Need a Radical New Approach for Kids in Care

 Families seeking support services should not have to worry their children will be taken away from them Six advocates for First Nations children have gone on a symbolic hunger strike at the Manitoba Legislature to try to raise awareness across the country about Manitoba’s broken child welfare system. Why? Well, here’s one

Religion, Theology, and Tomorrow’s Society

 Religions in Crisis October 22, 2015, will mark the first anniversary of a tragic event that took place here in Ottawa: the shootings at the National War Memorial and on Parliament Hill. The attacker claimed he was acting on account of his religious beliefs. Since then, the media have reported that many young people from Canada have travelled

The Safe Water Project: Clean Water for the Community

 Above: The Keewaytinook Centre of Excellence All photos courtesy of Keewaytinook Okimakanak The issue of drinking water and boiling water advisories in First Nations communities has been a prominent concern for many years. A report released by the Council of Canadians indicated that as of January 2015 there were 169 drinking water advisories in 126

Mother Canada also about embracing immigrants, not just honouring war dead

 It is not news to point out that Canada accepts more immigrants, per capita, than any other nation in the world, as Globe columnist Jeffrey Simpson recently pointed out. It is a distinction that serves us well as we build a welcoming society, bereft of the deep social turmoil that

The Métis — Ignored No Longer

 There are emerging signs that the Federal Government is finaly recognizing Métis land claims. The people of the Métis Nation number 350,000 who are spread across much of Canada and some of the northwestern U.S.A. The definition of the members of the Métis Nation put forward by the Métis National

Evoking Memories on Parliament Hill: The War of 1812

 The War of 1812 Monument on Parliament Hill was inaugurated this November by the Honourable Shelly Glover, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, and Toronto artist Adrienne Alison to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812. “This new landmark on Parliament Hill will forever remind us of

Pipeline Construction – The Federal Stance

 Energy exports, particularly oil and gas, are a key pillar of the Canadian economy, support hundreds of thousands of jobs in Canada and provide great wealth to the nation. With the 2015 Federal election just around the corner, Canadians are focused now more than ever on the three major federal

Aboriginal Initiatives at Nipissing University

 The Aboriginal Initiatives Program at Nipissing University offers students a unique opportunity to remain connected with their heritage while receiving their education. Throughout the school year, as well as in the summer, the Aboriginal Initiatives Office is busy helping students engage in their studies and in their community in order