Haudenosaunee Confederacy says Six Nations Elected Council “crossing the line” audits publicly available
By Lynda Powless Editor A more than 100-year-old governing dispute at Six Nations has resurfaced, this time over who gets to collect development fees on lands claimed by Six Nations. The dispute arose after the Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) agreed to join a class-action, lawsuit launched by a local men’s group, against the Haudenosaunee Development Institute (HDI). The HDI is the development arm of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council (HCCC) the traditional governing body at Six Nations. SNEC is the elected band council created under the Indian Act in 1924 when the RCMP ousted the HCCC from governance. The “Men’s Fire’ lawsuit “seeks accountability for consultation and accommodation funds received by the HDI on behalf of the Six Nations community.” The suit charges “community members have a right to...
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Mississaugas of the Credit Business Corporation Partner With HOPA On Hamilton Biodiesel Facility
By Alex Murray Writer The Mississaugas of the Credit Business Corporation (MCBC) has acquired a 51 percent ownership in a project aimed at restarting a critical biodiesel production facility in Hamilton. MCBC, Treaty Rights Holders of the land, are partnering with Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority (HOPA) Ports, on the project. The partnership was announced in a press release on June 26. The facility, which is located at Pier 14 in the Port of Hamilton, produced biodiesel from a mix of agricultural and waste-based feedstocks. It was set for permanent closure before HOPA and MCBC swooped in. The project will be operated by a new entity created by both partners: Biidaaban Renewable Energy (BRE). BRE has secured a long-term land lease and will take the lead on restarting and operating the facility,...
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Six Nations Fire celebrates those “Who Answered the Call” at awards ceremony
By Alex Murray Writer Sheltered inside Fire Station #1 on a rainy Thursday afternoon, past and present members of the Six Nations Fire Department (SNF) congregated to celebrate those who have “answered the call” with Recognition and Years of Service Awards. The ceremony also served as the latest recognition of the 60th anniversary SNF is celebrating this year. “60 years ago, the department was built by dedicated volunteers who answered the call to service for the community,” SNF Chief Michael Seth said in a speech. “They stopped everything in their personal life whenever an alarm sounded, and they laid the foundations for the department we know today.” Six Years of Service Awards were handed out during the ceremony, including one for 30 years at the department for Seth. Deputy Chief...
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Six Nations Fire Begins Summer Boat Rescue Training On the Grand River
By Alex Murray Writer Summer has arrived at Six Nations, and that means enjoying all the beloved Grand River has to offer and with the support of the Six Nations Fire Department (SNF), everyone can do so safely. SNF began their boat rescue training operations last week in anticipation of the increased river traffic. But also, just to hone their skills: they are a department that is always preparing for the worst “what ifs” on behalf of the rest of the community. “We always train for the what if right. That’s just our job. We do a lot of training that maybe we’ll never use,” Acting Captain Josh Cowling told Turtle Island News. “But it’s the what if, and we just think of our families out here on the water....
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Six Nations Elected Council from tobacco to finance policies
Six Nations Elected Chief Sherri-Lyn Hill told Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) Ontario’s Ministry of Finance and the Solicitor General are seeking input from interested communities on issues related to what they described as “contraband” tobacco, organized crime and community safety at the June 23 General Council meeting. Hill said the engagement opportunity was offered to her office on June 10 and will be discussed further at the community level. She said the first reading of Bill C-37, An Act Respecting Water, Source Water, Drinking Water, Wastewater and Related Infrastructure on First Nations Land, was tabled in the House of Commons on June 16. Hill said her office will review the legislation in greater detail in the coming weeks. “Early comments from various sources are reporting it’s a watered-down version,...
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Brantford Reconciliation session no show
By Alex Murray Writer There were posters and charts and lots of seats but only one person showed up for a recent Brantford engagement session aimed at learning how the city could improve their services to the public. The session was part of the City of Brantford’s “Walking Together: Community Engagement to Inform Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation Initiatives” project. A Six Nations-based consulting firm, Fluid Consulting, organized the June 23 Ohsweken session for the City of Brantford’s Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation Framework (IRRF). The firm’s owner, Tabitha Curley, said the low turnout may have been the result of a limited budget that only allowed for a social media post and direct emails. Or she said it may be simply that Indigenous people didn’t “necessarily see themselves in it.” “It is...
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Editorial: Haudenosaunee men…stand tall…
Sometimes, you just have to shake your head. This is one of those times. The Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) has decided to join with the local “Men’s Fire” group to take aim at the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council’s (HCCC) development arm, the Haudenosaunee Development Institute or HDI. SNEC made the decision and announced it at its general council session June 9th. Their lawsuit names the HDI, Aaron Detlor and Brian Doolittle and any and all the corporations the HDI may have received monies from on behalf of the HCCC. Elected Chief Sherri-lyn Hill made quite a grandstanding moment out of the announcement they were going to be legally taking on some community members in a lawsuit. And they are community members, every single one of them. If in fact...
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Today in History
June 28 In 2023, RoseAnne Archibald was voted out as national chief of the Assembly of First Nations. The vote to remove Archibald took place during a special chiefs assembly that was convened in part to address the implications of a human-resources investigation related to complaints filed against her. June 30 In 2011, Labrador’s Innu Nation voted in favour of a land and hydro deal crucial to a multi-billion-dollar Lower Churchill hydroelectric project. In 2021, B.C.’s Lower Kootenay Band said ground-penetrating radar found 182 human remains in unmarked graves close to a former residential school site. The Lower Kootenay Band said the community of aqam began using the technology last year and that some of the unmarked graves were as shallow as 90 centimetres. It was believed the remains are...
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Brantford General Hospital launching Indigenous Menu
By Alex Murray Reporter Chef Rick Powless believes adding Indigenous food to the patient menu at Brantford General Hospital (BGH) transports Indigenous people back to their homes and culture. “It reminds us of who we are. It takes us back home,” Powless said at the soft launch of BGH’s Indigenous additions to the hospital’s “Inspired Selections” patient-centric menu on June 24. “When they’re in a hospital and they’re eating this food, it’s that remembering of who they are. You remember, ‘My grandmother made it like this,’ or ‘That tastes like my dad’s food.’” Powless talked about how renowned Indigenous chef Bertha Skye’s reaction to hospital food in the final days of her life inspired him to find a solution. “I had a mentor who was in the hospital in her...
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Chiefs still undefeated at midway mark of regular season
By Sam Laskaris Writer It wasn’t a typical Six Nations Chiefs’ game of late. But the end result was the same. The Chiefs jumped out to a 3-1 lead after the opening 20 minutes in their road contest versus the Brooklin Lacrosse Club this past Saturday. Six Nations also had a solid second frame, extending its lead to 7-2 heading into the third and final period. The Chiefs, who are the three-time defending national Mann Cup champions, then cruised to an 11-6 victory in the match held at the Iroquois Park Sports Centre in Whitby. “We kind of flipped the script a little bit,” said Chiefs’ goaltender Warren Hill. “Teams have been kind of either jumping on us early or like competing with us in that first period, maybe the...
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Rivermen looking to avenge loss to Merchants
By Sam Laskaris Writer The Six Nations Rivermen will not have to wait long to avenge their only loss in regulation play this season. The Rivermen were downed 12-8 by the Brooklin Merchants in an Ontario Series Lacrosse match held this past Saturday at the Iroquois Park Sports Centre in Whitby. The local Senior B squad is now gearing up to host the same Merchants, this coming Saturday on its home turf. That contest, at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena, has an opening faceoff scheduled for 7 p.m. The Rivermen were missing several key players who were unable to attend Saturday’s match in Whitby. In fact, the short-staffed Merchants only had 14 runners (four under the maximum of 18 allowed) dressed for the game. “We knew that we were going to...
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Ironmen announce additional signees
By Sam Laskaris Writer The Six Nations Ironmen continue to make off-season news. In early June the local Senior A men’s hockey club began announcing some of those individuals who had committed to play for the upcoming 2026-27 season. The Ironmen are gearing up for their second year in the Northern Premier Hockey League (NPHL). Among those early-month commitments that were announced were three returnees. They were Ironmen captain Mitch Green, who was utilized as both a forward and defenceman, assistant captain Brenden Anderson, who also saw action up front and on the blueline, and forward Terry Bridgland. The Six Nations squad also announced its first new recruit, forward Caleb Petrie, who spent the past three seasons with the Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks. In the second half of the...
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First Nations leaders reject ‘homeless’ label for Kashechewan evacuees in Niagara Falls
By Marissa Lentz-McGrath, Local Journalism Initiative, TimminsToday.com NIAGARA FALLS — Northern Ontario leaders say the priority should be fixing the infrastructure problems that forced Kashechewan residents to leave their homes, rather than criticizing those affected by the evacuation. These comments followed a discussion at a Niagara Falls council meeting on June 23, where retired CAO Ken Todd presented the city’s Unhoused and Vulnerable Populations Action Plan and said people assume First Nations evacuees are homeless. This week, First Nations leaders have spoken out, condemning the comments, with Kashechewan Chief Hosea Wesley saying that people are “displaced, not homeless”. In an email to TimminsToday, Carey Campbell, manager of the office of the mayor and CAO, said Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati would not comment further until after scheduled meetings with First...
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B.C. landowner loses bid to reopen landmark Cowichan Aboriginal title case
A British Columbia Supreme Court judge has ruled against a company that was trying to reopen a landmark Aboriginal title decision after the original trial lasted more than 500 days. The court ruled in August that the Cowichan Tribes have Aboriginal title over a portion of Crown, city and private land in Richmond, saying the Crown’s granting of private titles on the land “unjustifiably” infringed on the Cowichan title. Montrose Properties, the area’s largest landowner, tried to get the case reopened, arguing it was unfairly omitted from the original trial and that its fee simple land interests are directly affected by a declaration of Aboriginal title. While the Cowichan Tribes did not seek to have private titles invalidated, and are not laying claim to those lands, the case has led...
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Crews facing wind gusts as they battle wildfires in northern Manitoba
A town in northern Manitoba says high winds are forecast as emergency crews work to contain a threatening wildfire. Lynn Lake says Manitoba Wildfire Services is focusing efforts on fire breaks and protecting the town’s main power line and highway route. The out-of-control blaze forced the community and two nearby First Nations to evacuate over the weekend, leaving more than 700 people out of their homes. Lynn Lake said Monday that the fire had grown to around 70 square kilometres, up from 50 square kilometres Saturday. It says helicopters were in the air as part of the firefighting effort and that more fire management experts were on their way to help. As of Sunday, there were 127 fires burning in the province, with 12 of them considered out of control....
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Searching for Closure – Awacak helps find Indigenous children lost in Quebec’s healthcare system
By Patrick Quinn, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Nation An Indigenous-led organization called Awacak is expanding its outreach in Cree and Inuit communities to help families find answers about their children who were hospitalized and never returned. They work with the department of family support in Quebec’s Indigenous affairs ministry to access records under a provincial law enacted in 2021. Then known as Bill 79, the law is a response to the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. “When we search, we search with our hearts,” said Awacak’s Pikogan-based director Françoise Ruperthouse. “We try to find answers because I know what it does when we search and we don’t find them. It hurts so badly. We are always in waiting.” Before Quebec’s law was adopted, Ruperthouse...
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Carney, Inuit leaders meet, agree on need for better co-operation
By Nick Murray Prime Minister Mark Carney and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami leader Natan Obed kicked off a meeting today of the Inuit-to-Crown partnership committee by agreeing there’s room to improve the relationship between Ottawa and Inuit. Carney is in Kuujjuaq, Que., with six of his cabinet ministers for a meeting with Inuit leaders. The issues on the agenda include Arctic sovereignty, security and defence, housing and food security, the proposed Inuit university, and Inuit health and wellness. In opening remarks, Obed said Canada and Inuit need to work together “in a way that protects” Inuit interests on their homeland. In his own remarks, Carney said Canada will embed Inuit perspectives and knowledge in its approach to its decisions in the Arctic. The meeting comes after tensions between Canada and Inuit...
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The Latest: Supreme Court upholds birthright citizenship, rejecting Trump’s restrictions
The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a broad conception of birthright citizenship, rejecting President Donald Trump’s executive order declaring that children born to parents who are in the United States illegally or temporarily are not American citizens. The decision, in line with the longstanding judicial interpretation of the 14th Amendment, comes on the final day of a Supreme Court term that has centered on Trump’s expansive claims of presidential power — and largely ruled in his favor. In its other Tuesday rulings, the court upheld laws in roughly half the states that prohibit transgender girls and women from playing on their public school and college sport teams and struck down limits on party spending in federal elections. Here’s the latest: Immigrant advocacy group welcomes birthright citizenship ruling “The Justices rightly...
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Year old charges against Six Nations woman dropped
OHSWEKEN, ON- Charges have been withdrawn against a Six Nations woman caught up in a police raid more than a year ago. Six Nations Police charged seven people in connection with a cocaine trafficking operation at Six Nations, but charges were dropped against one of those arrested. Charges of Firearm: Unauthorized Possession, Firearm: Knowledge of Unauthorized Possession, Firearm: Regulations – Prohibited or Restricted Firearm with Ammunition against Cher General, 51, of Six Nations were dropped. The charges came after a Six Nations Police’ Drug Enforcement Unit raid on two residences and a motor vehicle on Chiefswood Road and Fifth Line Road April 9, 2025. General told Turtle Island News she ” had no involvement in any drug trafficking operation.” She said police raided her residence but no drugs were found. The...
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Week long heat warning across southwestern Ontario issued
Southwestern Ontario Canada is in a yellow-level warning after a “long-duration heat event” began Monday. The warning is in effect through to Friday, and could reach into the weekend with maximum temperatures reaching 36 C. It is only dropping to 21 to 25 and humidex values are expected to stay between 37 and 45 C. Watch for signs of heat exhaustion. Environment Canada warns signs include headache, nausea, dizziness, thirst, dark urine and intense fatigue. If any of these signs are present, stop any activities and drink water. If you are outside make sure to stay hydrated and take lots of breaks. Check any relatives or elderly who are more susceptible to the heat. Heat stroke is a medical emergency, and signs can include red or hot skin, dizziness, nausea,...
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