This page is dedicated to providing my readers who would like to follow my latest column which I produce on a regular basis every second week.
- :: Wawatay News :: Ice Roads Of Winter Freedom
Winter road season has finally started again on the James Bay coast. This seasonal ice road is an important transportation route for everyone because it offers a sense of freedom, allowing people to travel away from their home communities for all kinds of activities. This is the time of year when major bingo events take place in the communities and families from nearby First Nations can travel to visit their relatives. There are also major hockey tournaments that bring people together to take part in fun and exciting events.
The winter ice road is also an opportunity for many families to access southern communities and the railway network in Moosonee to gather food items, household goods and other necessities at a more affordable price. This is also the time for individuals to search for their next major vehicle, snowmachines, ATVs or other large equipment down south, so they can more easily and affordably transport them north.
…. to read the story, please click on the link below
https://www.wawataynews.ca/blogs-columns/ice-roads-winter-freedom
- :: Wawatay News :: We Were Hockey Heroes
I recently lost my cousin Joey Okimaw. We were childhood friends who had grown up together since we first entered grade school in Attawapiskat. Joey’s parents are Margaret and Peter Okimaw. Margaret is my first cousin and she is the daughter of my uncle Alex and aunt Susan Kataquapit. It was always exciting to be around Joey when we were kids because he was the first grandchild in Alex’s family. It meant that Joey and his siblings Gregory and June were always surrounded by a group of young, vibrant aunts and uncles. Alex’s children are Janie, John, Rosalyn, Bertha, Evelyn, Morris, James, David, Helen and Margaret. They are all older than me, so we younger cousins, looked up to all of them.
…. to read the story, please click on the link below
https://www.wawataynews.ca/blogs-columns/we-were-hockey-heroes
- :: Windspeaker :: Mike was a beacon of love and friendship
I lost the love of my life Michael McGrath this past Sunday December 28, 2025. He was a bright light that shone for so many people in our families but also in a circle of friends that seemed to span the world.
Mike was born and raised in Iroquois Falls into a grand Irish Canadian family that originated from the Ottawa valley. His mother Emily McGrath imparted in him her kind and gentle spirit, and his grandmother Margaret Dunn, whom everyone knew as Granny, guided and influenced his life.
…. to read the story, please click on the link below
https://www.windspeaker.com/under-northern-sky-xavier-kataquapit/mike-was-beacon-love-and-friendship
- :: Wawatay News :: Christmas Is All About Love
Christmas is just around the corner and everyone is getting into the spirit of the holidays with music, decorations, department store shopping and stocking up on food for big family feasts. Decorations are happening everywhere and this year, we had an early supply of cold and snow, so we in the north, will definitely have a picture post card Christmas filled with mounds of white, frost and crystalline snow.
This is also a bittersweet time for myself and many other people. We lost people during the holidays and there are tragic memories or commemorations that are inextricably tied to this time of year. We also have to deal with rampant consumerism where we are constantly badgered, bothered or encouraged to buy, spend and consume as much as possible whether we have the money or not. As the world grows more and more financially difficult for all of us, it is getting harder and harder every year to fulfill that promise of achieving the Hollywood, Hallmark, all American white Christmas we’ve all grown up to see in movies and TV shows.
…. to read the full column, please click on the link below
https://www.wawataynews.ca/blogs-columns/christmas-all-about-love
- :: Wawatay News :: We Need To Stand With First Nation Leaders
On December 2, 2025 during a Special Chiefs Assembly hosted by the Assembly of First Nations, the chiefs from across Canada voted unanimously to adopt an emergency resolution tabled by British Columbia First Nations leaders to support upholding the current oil tanker ban on the pacific coast as well demanding the withdrawal of the agreement clearing way for a new oil pipeline to the coast of British Columbia. Both federal and provincial governments have been doing their best to divide and conquer in rapid fire meetings with First Nations across the country in negotiating agreements and handing out money. Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith signed a memorandum of understanding on November 27 to co-operate on energy, opening up the prospect of an exemption from the tanker ban to support a major pipeline.
…. to read the full column, please click on the link below
https://www.wawataynews.ca/blogs-columns/we-need-stand-first-nation-leaders