CreeFest is being held in Timmins for the first time, giving many Cree families living in the city an opportunity to reconnect with their culture while inviting the public to experience Cree traditions. Mushkegowuk Council Grand Chief Leo Friday said bringing the annual celebration to Timmins makes it more accessible for many people who are unable to travel to their home communities. “This is the first time we do it in Timmins, and the reason for that – we have a lot of our people living in Timmins, and they never got a chance to go to our communities because the flights are too expensive. So that’s one of the reasons why we have it in Timmins to make our people in Timmins aware that we are not forgetting about them,” said Friday. Timmins Mayor Michelle Boileau said the festival also offers residents and visitors an opportunity to experience a wide range of cultural programming. “If not to come visit your friends and family, there’s a reason to come just in the programming and what goes on here,” she said. Organizers said the festival features live Indigenous music, traditional drumming and dancing, arts and crafts vendors, traditional foods, daily Elders meals and activities for youth and families. They also said the gathering supports Indigenous artists, entrepreneurs, and tourism across Northern Ontario. Producer Rich Hunter said expanding the marketplace was a major focus this year. “A big thing this year is the arts and crafts and the marketplace, non-Indigenous and Indigenous,” he said. “We kind of, like, wanted that to be a big thing this year, along with the evening concerts, the cultural programming. We have a cooking tent for cooking wild gees and we also have a youth program at Hollinger Park.” Wildlife photographer David Courtois is among the artists showcasing his work during the festival. “Trying to capture something original, something rarely seen. Everyone sees these animals in the forest. Just trying to get something clear, original, trying to capture and show what I’ve been seeing out there and share it, not just from showing the wildlife, but the cultural aspect of it, because it’s rare to see these wolves now. To see them more and more, more and more people are shooting them on sight,” said Courtois. CreeFest continues through Thursday at the McIntyre Community Centre and features special guests including actor Adam Beach and musician Adrian Sutherland. Admission is free.
