Goose Harbour Lake wind farm officially opens
By Alec Bruce, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Guysborough-Antigonish Journal MULGRAVE – Seven years in the making, the first of Guysborough County’s new generation of large-scale wind farms is officially open – if not quite ready for business. Port Hawkesbury Paper Wind (PHP Wind) declared the $450-million Goose Harbour Lake development complete during a technical tour of the site near Mulgrave on Oct. 20. But its published timetable still places commercial operation before year’s end. The project comprises 24 Nordex N163 cold-climate turbines with a combined generating capacity of 168 megawatts. Their output is expected to equal at least 60 per cent of Port Hawkesbury Paper’s annual electricity requirements. “This project represents much more than 24 turbines,” said mill owner Ron Stern in the opening announcement. “It is an investment in...
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Youths tell trial of climate change toll, from anxiety to flood and heat impacts
By Brieanna Charlebois Sadie Vipond says she was just seven years old when she began noticing the impacts of climate change. Now a 20-year-old plaintiff in Canada’s first youth-led climate trial, Vipond described experiencing catastrophic floods in Calgary in 2013, that the city says resulted in mass evacuations, one death and $6 billion in financial losses. “I was beginning to see different actions in my community around the climate crisis, and so I was also feeling very anxious about my future,” she told the Federal Court in Vancouver. Vipond is one of 15 plaintiffs who are arguing that federal legislation violates their constitutional rights by continuing the trajectory of greenhouse gas emissions. The trial that began Monday heard in an opening statement from the youths’ lawyer, Catherine Boies Parker, that...
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Six Nations Elected Council land rights trial hears story of Haudenosaunee land rights
By Barbara Latkowski Writer Oral histories are playing an integral role in the Six Nations Elected Council’s (SNEC) long awaited land claim trial now entering its fourth week. SNEC’s case is centering around Haudenosaunee culture, histories, stories and teachings. Six Nations of the Grand River (SNGR) has waited over 31 years since suing Canada and Ontario over sold land and mismanaged trust funds spanning more than 150-years. Six Nations community member, Dr. Darren Thomas’s testimony laid out a history based on oral transmission. “The Haudenosaunee, we exist as a collective society, one of which is absolutely dependent on your relational connections and relational well being. When you are doing chores for an elder for example, that’s where that learning happens, that’s when they freely share their stories and teaching,” Thomas...
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Mohawk Chapel showcases history and artists’ festival
By Barbara Latkowski Writer It was a celebration of coming together. Six Nations’ Mohawk Chapel rolled out the welcome mat in an outdoor artists’ gathering giving the public a chance to enjoy featured art and the historic Mohawk Chapel. Artists, writers, poets, storytellers, vendors, dancers and musicians all gathered at the Mohawk Chapen to celebrate their ‘past, present and future’. “We wanted to bring the community back to the chapel,” said event organizer Taima Beaver from Six Nations Tourism. “This is to celebrate our amazing crafters, dancers, singers, artists and just to reconnect. The youth are important. I really wanted to showcase that. And our elders are here too. There’s a bluegrass band here that I have seen play since I was a kid. And we are also showcasing our...
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Over $200,000 in education funding costs prompts SNEC to look at costs for students attending off reserve schools
Six Nations approved a funding agreement amendment supporting tuition assistance for community members whose children attend school off territory, while councillors called for better data collection and communication about the program. Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) approved Amendment No. 211 to the comprehensive funding agreement with Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) during its October 19 General Finance meeting. The amendment provides tuition funding of $206,365 and a five per cent administration fee of $10,318.25 for Six Nations to process the payments. Donna Dodson, CFO and Linda Parker, the Chief of Staff, explained that the program helps parents who choose to send their children to schools outside the community, including public and private institutions. The tuition assistance is capped at an amount equivalent to what the relevant provincial school board receives to...
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Six Nations Police hoping to host youth hockey camp
Six Nations Police are hoping to hold a three-day youth hockey camp over the Christmas break at the Six Nations arena. The SNP youth hockey camp is aimed at building positive relationships between police and young people through sport. Constable Tyson Bomberry, Six Nations Police Community Services Officer presented the request to Six Nations Elected Council’s (SNEC) General Finance meeting on October 19, outlining plans for the camp, scheduled for December 28 to 30, 2026. The camp will feature the 3NOLANS and will host 25 youth, primarily ages 11 and 12. 3NOLANS was co-founded in 2013 by Ted Nolan, Brandon Nolan, and two-time Stanley Cup winner with the LA Kings, Jordan Nolan. The request is for arena access and ice time while the facility is scheduled to be closed...
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Carney, premiers kick off meeting with First Nations leaders in Ottawa
By Alessia Passafiume and Kyle Duggan As First Nations leaders sat down with Prime Minister Mark Carney and some of the premiers Monday for their first face-to-face meeting in decades, young people protesting outside were demanding a seat at the table. In her opening remarks at the meeting in Ottawa, Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak said First Nations have to be part of the discussion when decisions about the federal government’s major projects agenda are being made. “That is why we are here, to build prosperity and well-being for our children and the next seven generations,” she said. “It can’t just be about ramming through major projects as fast as we can.” Monday’s meeting is the first such gathering since the Kelowna Accord talks of 2005,...
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Six Nations planning for Christmas
Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) will spend $66,906 for two senior Christmas dinners in December, following strong attendance and a long wait list at last year’s holiday gathering. The events, organized through the Senior Support Hub with support from the Department of Wellbeing and Social Services, will offer community members ages 55 and older a sit-down holiday meal, music, entertainment and gifts. Organizers also plan to provide meal deliveries for seniors unable to attend in person and include residents of Iroquois Lodge. Debra Jonathan, CEO told SNEC at the General Finance meeting on October 19 that last year’s event, held at Mont Hill, attracted nearly 400 seniors in a single day, with additional community members left on a wait list. “This year we don’t want to have to turn anybody...
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Six Nations ‘Indian Hospital’ survivors part of engagement process to establish Indian Hospitals Foundation
Six Nations of the Grand River (SNGR) is part of a cross-country engagement process that will help to inform the establishment of a new $385.5 million non-profit foundation for survivors of Indian hospitals and their family members. On Oct. 20, the Indian Hospitals Foundation Engagement Outreach Team invited Six Nations survivors, families, intergenerational survivors, and community members to attend a private engagement session to share their stories and ideas regarding the establishment of the foundation. “This non-profit foundation would do all sorts of ‘non-compensation’ things. So, in other words, set up programs or healing services for former patients, create curriculum schools for young people to learn, look at commemoration, maybe develop a museum or something like that,” said Dr. Mike DeGagné who is leading the foundation’s engagement process. “So, there...
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Editorial: A long road ahead
Six Nations Elected Council’s (SNEC) long awaited land claim trial is continuing this week. And, interestingly enough Haudenosaunee oral history is being played out as part of SNEC’s claim to land rights at Grand River. The testimony itself is revealing since all of it is based on a time period prior to the existence of the elected council, a political machinery imposed by the Canadian government, you remember them, the guys they are actually fighting in court. So, it shouldn’t come as any surprise when community members become confused about who’s history is being played out, who the characters are and why SNEC uses a political history that political system cannot call its own. Of course, it is a lot simpler for Canada and Ontario to take on SNEC. SNEC...
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Today in History
Oct 28 In 2012, a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake shook the north-central coast of British Columbia in the Haida Gwaii area. Tsunami warnings were issued along the B.C. coast and as far away as Hawaii, though there were no reports of major damage. Oct 29 In 2021, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization was now recommending booster shots of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines for people who received two doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. It was also recommending boosters for adults over the age of 70, front-line health-care workers with a short interval between their first two doses, and First Nations, Inuit and Métis people. In 2021, the federal government appealed a ruling that ordered Ottawa to compensate First Nations children removed from their homes — but said the parties had agreed to...
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Nunavut Inuit assocation ‘a billion dollar organization’: new CEO
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI) is managing $1.35 billion, according to its new CEO, Navarana Beveridge. Beveridge announced the latest figure at NTI’s annual general meeting in Kugluktuk on Oct. 21. ‘We can now say that NTI is a billion-dollar organization,” she said. “I started with Inuit organizations over 20 years ago, and I had not imagined to be able to say that today. But I do think that there’s a need to change how we work. I think we’re now less advocacy and more results-oriented in our approach.” The money is held across three accounts: Makigiaqta Inuit Training Corporation, a resource revenue trust from mining royalties, and one just labelled ‘NTI.’ Nunavut’s largest Inuit organization can work alongside governments in...
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After 35 years, Susan Aglukark is still finding new ways to tell her story
By Chevi Rabbit, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Alberta Native News For Susan Aglukark, a career in music has become a journey of discovery, connecting Inuit identity, cultural history and healing. The Inuk singer-songwriter and author also supports Northern Indigenous youth through the Arctic Rose Foundation, using arts and culture to create opportunities for connection and mentorship. As she looks ahead to new music and another instalment in her Una Huna? book series, Aglukark reflects on her career, the importance of Indigenous-led organizations and protecting the connection between Indigenous people and the land. Staying the course Aglukark moved from Nunavut to Ontario in 1988 to start a new chapter of her life. She released Arctic Rose in 1992 before signing a record deal and releasing her breakthrough album, This Child, in...
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Six Nations Stars split first two matches
By Sam Laskaris Writer Things could have gone just a bit better. But the Six Nations Stars are still relatively pleased with how things transpired in their first two matches of the 2026-27 season. The Stars are in their second season of operations and compete in the South Western Ontario Women’s Hockey League. The Norfolk Hericanes, the defending league champs, eked out a 4-3 victory over the host Stars this past Friday. That match was held at the Six Nations Sports & Cultural Memorial Centre. The Stars then hit the road on Sunday and blanked the host Woodstock Wildcats in a match at Embro Arena. “Although it would have been good to get the win in both games there were a lot of positives to take away from our home...
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Ironmen extend undefeated streak to four games
By Sam Laskaris Writer The Six Nations Ironmen are on a bit of a roll. Yes, it is still early in their second season of competing in the Northern Premier Hockey League. But the Ironmen have had a torrid start and are now sporting a perfect 4-0 record. The local Senior A men’s squad kept up their winning ways this past weekend with a pair of convincing victories over the Woodstock Lakers. For starters the Six Nations club hit the road on Saturday and defeated the host Lakers 7-3. The Ironmen then thumped the visiting Woodstock team 12-3 in a match held Sunday afternoon at the Six Nations Sports & Cultural Memorial Centre. “We’re doing pretty good right now,” Ironmen assistant captain Steve LaForme said shortly after Sunday’s tilt. LaForme...
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Athletes and coaches honoured at national sports gala
By Sam Laskaris Writer Many of the country’s top Indigenous athletes converged in Ottawa on Saturday to be recognized for their achievements with awards honouring a Six Nations legendary figure. The National Indigenous Sports Gala featured regional and the national Tom Longboat Award recipients. The Tom Longboat Awards are annually presented by the Aboriginal Sport Circle, the country’s governing body for Indigenous athletics. They are named after the famous Six Nations long-distance runner, who won the 1907 Boston Marathon and also competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics. The regional winners at Saturday’s gala were representing their province or territory. And they were all eligible for the national award as well. The national recipients ended up being luger Trinity Ellis, a Métis Nation British Columbia citizen who has represented Canada in...
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Carney is looking at changing the Indian Act. Here’s what you need to know
By Alessia Passafiume It’s one of the most important laws in Canada’s history, it’s widely loathed by the people it affects — and most Canadians know little about it. The Indian Act, which dates from 1876, gives Ottawa sweeping powers over First Nations communities and people, including the authority to decide who qualifies for status and what reserves can and can’t do. While the law is heavily criticized by First Nations leaders and people, it also protects reserve lands. Status under the Indian Act entitles people to certain health and social services. On Monday, during a historic gathering of federal, provincial and First Nations leaders in Ottawa, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew pitched the idea of abolishing the Indian Act. Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was “very open to” the...
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First Nations have ‘every right’ to be skeptical of major projects office: Farrell
By Nick Murray The head of the federal government’s major projects office said Tuesday First Nations have “every right” to be skeptical of her office’s intentions, elaborating on comments she made at the British Columbia Assembly of First Nations two weeks ago. Dawn Farrell took an hour’s worth of questions from MPs on the House of Commons environment committee Tuesday. Her committee appearance happened two weeks after she addressed the B.C. chiefs. Many of those chiefs were frustrated over what they said was a lack of consultation on whether Canada should designate the Pacific Link pipeline as a project of national interest. Prime Minister Mark Carney designated the project — a new oil pipeline from Alberta to the southern B.C. coast — on Oct. 1. Some chiefs said they were...
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Regis Korchinski-Paquet’s mother questions purpose of coroner’s inquest
By Paola Loriggio Regis Korchinski-Paquet’s mother questioned the purpose of a coroner’s inquest examining the circumstances of her daughter’s death as well as the video and audio evidence presented in it, as lawyers for several police officers pressed her Tuesday to clarify what she saw that day. Claudette Beals was again shown excerpts of a video combining security footage from the hallway outside the apartment with audio from a police microphone as she resumed her testimony at the inquest. Last week, Beals testified she saw police push her daughter toward the balcony, causing the inquest to halt for several hours as counsel for the parties figured out how to move forward. A lawyer representing one of the officers who was in the apartment when Korchinski-Paquet went over the balcony cross-examined...
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Nunavut Inuit association puts $41 million in federal funds into health and wellness over five years
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News Nunavummiut Inuit will get an additional $40.8 million in health and wellness funding on top of federal government-provided healthcare funding between April 1, 2027, and March 31, 2032. Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI) has allocated the additional money provided by the Government of Canada, the land claims organization announced on Oct. 21. Maternal and child health, midwifery, mental health, crisis response teams, addictions and trauma treatment are among the areas being funded over the next five years. Non-profits organizations and culturally-grounded programs through the Umingmak Centre, for clients who experienced child abuse; fetal alcohol spectrum disorder group Piruqatigiit Resource Centre; and the Qaujigiartiit Health Research Centre will receive the funding. NTI President Gloria Uluqsi said she wants the funding “to support...
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