In the early 1970s, the only way Cree communities could communicate with the outside world was by radiotelephone. Supplies came to the coastal communities by boat or by float- or ski-equipped aircraft. Whapmagoostui was the only Cree community with an airport, because of the military base there. Only Mistissini and the villages where the Waswanipi Crees lived were accessible by road.

Founded in 1975, the James Bay Telecommunications Corporation (SOTEL) provided residential telephone service in the different communities. The launching of the Anik satellite during this same period made it possible for the Crees to receive CBC television broadcasts. Later, the communities put up satellite antennas that gave them access to a wider variety of channels. Today, a number of communities have access to cellular telephone services, most homes have their own antenna or cable service, and some have Internet access. The first local radio stations and the first community television initiatives arose in the 1980s. More recently, local radio stations have begun to air regional broadcasts. The Cree magazine, The Nation, has been distributed in all communities for over a decade.

Since access roads were built to Fort George (1974), Nemaska (1986), Eastmain (1995), Wemindji (1995) and Waskaganish (2001), all Cree communities, with the exception of Whapmagoostui, have year-round access to Québec’s road system. And all have airports with regular airline (Air Creebec) service, or are located close to such airports.

Telesat’s first satellite, Anik A1 was the world’s first commercial geostationary communications satellite (source: www.telesat.ca). An image of the Anik A1 satellite before its launch is shown in Figure 1. It has been retired since July 15, 1982 (source: www.telesat.ca) after nearly 10 years of faithful service. It now sits in a geosynchronous orbit with an inclination of 14.5 degrees to the Earth’s equatorial plane. From my vantage point at Rideau Ferry, the satellite sat at 139 degrees in azimuth and 45 degrees in altitude at the time.