The Indigenous exhibit that Trump failed to stop
By Felicia Mello/berkeleyside A group of local Indigenous leaders and Lawrence Hall of Science researchers strolled through the lobby of the discovery-based UC Berkeley museum last week as workers put the finishing touches on its latest exhibit, “Yuutka” (The Place of the Acorn). Replicas of black oak trees towered overhead, while California poppies, wild roses, yarrow, and black sage plants were projected on the floor and a creek and bridge were under construction nearby. A cartoon version of East Bay Ohlone matriarch Dolores Lameira smiled encouragingly from one wall as she coached visitors to the mixed reality experience on how to gather virtual acorns using baskets equipped with 3D sensors. “It really looks like her,” commented Vincent Medina, her great-nephew and one of the project’s creators. Yuutka is both the...
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Tornado Warning Issued Tuesday for Six Nations area
By Alex Murray Writer Severe thunderstorms hit the area of Brantford and Six Nations on Tuesday night (May 19), causing Environment Canada to issue several weather warnings. Environment Canada sent out multiple tornado warnings between 5 and 7 p.m. for areas including Brantford, the County of Brant, London, Simcoe-Delhi-Norfolk, and Woodstock-Tillsonburg-Oxford County. Environment Canada said, “this is a very dangerous and potentially life-threatening situation” and warned of wind gusts up to 110 km/h as well as hail the size of ping pong balls. They encouraged residents to take shelter immediately. The warnings remained in place for areas east of Hamilton and in the Niagara region until about 8:20 p.m. At Six Nations of the Grand River, dark storm clouds could be seen over Chiefswood Road in downtown Ohsweken just before...
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Treaty No. 6 First Nations Welcomes Court Ruling Against Separatist Petition
By Chevi Rabbit, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Alberta Native News The Confederacy of Treaty No. 6 First Nations is welcoming a recent Alberta Court of King’s Bench decision that quashed the approval of Stay Free Alberta’s proposed “independence petition,” calling the ruling a reaffirmation of Treaty rights and constitutional law in Alberta. Justice Shaina Leonard’s decision effectively blocks the petition process tied to an Alberta separation question. Treaty No. 6 leadership says the ruling reinforces what First Nations have long argued: that any attempt to pursue Alberta separation must recognize and respect Treaties No. 6, No. 7, and No. 8 as legally binding agreements. The Confederacy expressed gratitude for the continued legal and political advocacy of Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, the Blackfoot Confederacy, and Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation, noting their...
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Carney lays out pipeline conditions as Eby flags negotiations on B.C.’s priorities
By Chuck Chiang and Brieanna Charlebois British Columbia Premier David Eby says he and Prime Minister Mark Carney have agreed to enter negotiations on B.C.’s priorities for developing the economy. Eby says ahead of a closed-door meeting with Carney, who’s visiting Vancouver, that part of friendship is telling each other the truth, including that developing the economy must go hand in hand with protecting the environment. He says that includes the moratorium on oil tanker traffic off B.C.’s north coast, that has been raised as a potential impediment to any new pipeline from Alberta to the B.C. coast. Carney says it’s important to build in the right way, in partnership with First Nations and with an emphasis on sustainability, and the priorities of British Columbians. He had earlier Wednesday laid...
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CN Rail pledges $100 million to fight homelessness across its North American network
By Charlotte Glorieux Canadian National Railway says homelessness is a growing problem along its North American rail network and has pledged $100 million over ten years to fund community groups and shelters that offer services to the unhoused. Non-profits in Canada and the United States, including groups running research projects on homelessness, will be able to apply online for funding, Olivier Chouc, CN senior vice-president and chief legal officer, said in an interview Tuesday. He said CN officials are increasingly witnessing homelessness across the railway system. ”We have large areas, vacant land, and they tend to be attractive to homeless people and all these encampments,” Chouc said. For Montreal, where CN is headquartered, the company is donating $1 million to four organizations that help the homeless: Le Chaînon womens shelter;...
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‘Historic victory’ for Piikani as court quashes separatist petition
By Somya Lohia, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Shootin’ the Breeze Piikani Nation is calling a recent Alberta Court of King’s Bench decision a “historic victory” for treaty rights. A May 13 ruling by Justice Shaina Leonard struck down the approval of a citizen-led petition that would have triggered a referendum on Alberta separating from Canada. Chief Troy Knowlton says the decision affirms that Treaty 7 is a “living, constitutionally protected agreement” that cannot be overridden by a citizen-led initiative or provincial referendum. Leonard’s decision quashed chief electoral officer Gordon McClure’s approval of the Referendum Relating to Alberta Independence petition, finding he made an error in law that rendered the approval unreasonable. The court also found the province failed in its duty to consult First Nations, including the Athabasca Chipewyan First...
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Sun shines on Bread and Cheese
Six Nations marks 160 years of celebrating Bread and Cheese Day By Alex Murray Writer Not even the scorchingly hot temperatures could keep Six Nations community members from showing up in the thousands to enjoy the midway rides and food vendors and most of all the Bread and Cheese at the 160th annual Bread and Cheese Day celebrations on Victoria Day Monday. The biggest draw of course was the Bread and Cheese giveaway inside Six Nations Sports and Cultural Memorial Centre. Six Nations elder Gerard Roberts, who said the early bird catches the worm, was among the first in line, arriving at 9am on the holiday Monday for noon give-away. Roberts was even able to find a wedding anniversary gift for his wife at the festival while friends held his...
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Mississaugas of Credit First Nation taking feds to court
Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation-The Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation (MCFN) wants to know how much money the federal government is spending to fight First Nations seeking increased education funding for their children. And they are going to go to court to find out. MCFN launched a launched a Federal Court application last week that could force Canada to release records detailing how much public money has been spent fighting against increased education funding for First Nations children. The move came after Canada refused to disclose records related to its legal costs in ongoing litigation concerning equitable education funding for First Nations students. MCFN maintains that the federal government is legally required to release the information under federal access to information laws. “Canadians deserve transparency from their government,”...
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Six Nations Elected council donation policy more “bureaucratic”
Six Nations passed a draft policy aimed at formalizing how funding requests over $15,000 are evaluated and approved. Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) approved the new Community Strategic Investment Fund policy and application framework during its May 12th meeting . The policy is designed to standardize how community funding requests are evaluated, scored and administered. . The recommendation came from the Finance Committee. Committee Chair Aaina VanEvery said. Councillor VanEvery presented the policy and said she had circulated the policy previously and received no feedback. “It’s now or never,” she said. VanEvery told council the policy was developed to address long-standing challenges in how funding requests are received and processed. She said that applications have often arrived “haphazardly and sometimes without the information,” creating what she described as “a lot...
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Indigenous Worldview Is “Foundational” In Creation of Toronto’s New Ookwemin Minising Island Project
By Alex Murray Writer “Foundational.” That’s how Metis architect Terence Radford describes the influence of Indigenous knowledge and worldviews on Waterfront Toronto’s new Ookwemin Minising Island project. “My position on this is, it’s foundational. Indigenous peoples have been on this land since time immemorial and are the original caretakers and stewards. And as a landscape architect, my practice involves working with the land,” Radford told Turtle Island News. Radford is the principal landscape architect and founder of Trophic Design, an Indigenous firm that is serving as the local landscape architect and Indigenous design advisor for the island’s design. The island’s name means “place of the black cherry trees” in Anishinaabemowin and was determined through a process led by the City of Toronto’s Indigenous Affairs office. Previously called Villiers Island, it...
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Six Nations woman details community projects at data sovereignty conference
By Sam Laskaris Writer Rachel VanEvery is doing her best to ensure Six Nations is not being exploited by others. VanEvery, a Six Nations member, is currently serving as the acting director of data, analytics and insights for the First Nation. She also serves as the community research co-ordinator and the secretary for the Six Nations Research Ethics Committee. VanEvery was in Toronto this past week as she was a speaker at the Chiefs of Ontario Powering Up Data Sovereignty conference. The three-day event, which ran May 12-14, was staged at the Chelsea Hotel. VanEvery was a panelist for an opening-day session titled Community-Level Initiatives: Challenges, Solutions and Innovations. During her presentation she told conference attendees about the work local research ethics committee has done developing capacity in the community....
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Editorial: Bureaucratic management has descended
Six Nations Elected Council has become, well, simply put, just too bureaucratic. That is, the councillors themselves appear to be creating more bloat and are making following the still newly created administrative procedures a priority and forgetting about common sense. The ballooning bureaucracy created by the past council and supported by the current one is in fact changing the council itself from community representatives to elected bureaucratic managers. Case in point. SNEC recently decided to take a look at their community funding policy. A policy aimed at cutting out the red tape in helping community groups get projects off the ground or simply keep running. Unfortunately, in cutting that red tape, they lengthened it. Let’s start with the name. Instead of a simple community donation fund we now have the...
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Today in History
May 17 In 2013, Elijah Harper, the Cree politician who clutched an eagle feather as he blocked the Meech Lake constitutional accord in 1990 and led Canadian indigenous people into a new era, died of cardiac failure due to diabetes complications. He was 64. May 19 In 1996, the RCMP stormed an armed barricade to end a five-week standoff at the Waterhen native reserve in Manitoba. Thirty-two people were arrested. May 20 In 2021, Nunavut’s sole MP said she would not seek re-election. New Democrat Mumilaaq Qaqqaq said after weeks of reflection and consultation with friends and family that she had decided not to run for a second term. The 27-year-old said federal institutions like the House of Commons are not easily changed and that governments fail to help Indigenous...
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Rivermen win third consecutive game
By Sam Laskaris Writer The Six Nations Rivermen are still undefeated this season thanks to a third-period rally in their latest outing this past Saturday. The Rivermen eked out a 9-8 victory over the visiting Hamilton Bengals in an Ontario Series Lacrosse contest held at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena (ILA). Six Nations trailed by a pair of goals, 8-6, heading into the third and final period of Saturday’s outing. The Rivermen managed to score three goals in the final 20 minutes while Six Nations goaltender Sam Forbes, who was making his first start of the season, prevented the Bengals from scoring any further goals. Ross Hill scored the game-winning goal with under three minutes remaining in the contest. “It felt good to get the game winner at the end there,”...
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Ironmen struggle at The Freddy
By Sam Laskaris Writer The Six Nations Ironmen were hoping that this would be the year that they win a national championship. But they did not come close to fulfilling their goals. In fact, the Ironmen failed to even win a game at this year’s Fred Sasakamoose Chief Thunderstick National Hockey Championship. The tournament, often simply called The Freddy, is annually held in Saskatoon and features the top Indigenous men’s and women’s clubs from across the country. The Ironmen came close to winning the tourney in 2024, losing out in the championship final. The squad also fared well in its four other appearances prior to this year. But the Ironmen were eliminated from The Freddy at the 2026 event, which wrapped up on Sunday, after losing all three of their...
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Mount Stewart Consolidated celebrates Bear Witness Day
By Pratik Bhattarai, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eastern Graphic Around 200 students at Mount Stewart Consolidated School celebrated Bear Witness Day on May 8 to honour an Indigenous child, Jordan River Anderson, who died at five. Anderson died after the federal government and Manitoba government argued over who was going to take care of his medical bills while he was in the hospital for two years. He died in 2005. “He never made it home to live with his family. And because of this, Jordan’s principle, named after him, was created to ensure that First Nation children across the country are treated equally. Something like that just wouldn’t happen if Jordan wasn’t a First Nation child,” said Susie Pendleton, who’s the First Nation support staff for the school. Jordan’s...
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CBC pausing production on satirical Indigenous show amid claims false pretences lured guests
By The Canadian Press staff The CBC is pausing production on a satirical show on Indigenous issues after blowback from some who claimed false pretences were used to lure high-profile guests. CBC spokesperson Chuck Thompson says the public broadcaster is halting production on “Northland Tales” to ensure it doesn’t negatively affect the news brand and so existing footage can be assessed. Several current and former Conservative politicians have gone on social media to denounce the production of the show, which was being produced for CBC and APTN. The show is described by the Indigenous Screen Office – which works to increase Indigenous media representation using federal funding – as a satire program meant to “flip the script” on modern and historical injustices against Indigenous Peoples. Conservatives are questioning why CBC...
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Washing ceremony marks settlement of Canadian Tire racial profiling complaint
By Ashley Joannou and Darryl Greer Dawn Wilson gestures towards representatives from Canadian Tire and Blackbird Security during a Heiltsuk Nation during a washing ceremony in Vancouver, on Tuesday, ...
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Marathon port project gets $2 million from FedNor
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, SNnewswatch.com MARATHON — The Town of Marathon’s ambition to build a new commercial port took a big step forward Tuesday with a $2-million funding announcement by local MP Patty Hajdu, Mayor Rick Dumas said. Hajdu, the Liberal MP for Thunder Bay-Superior North and minister responsible for FedNor, announced the funding to help restore a port to Marathon in a news conference at the Lakeview Community Hall. “Major infrastructure projects like the Port of Marathon play a key role in strengthening local economies, connecting communities and creating opportunities for Northern Ontarians,” she said. “Today’s announcement supports local businesses and natural resource development, while delivering lasting economic benefits. It is about building a stronger, more resilient Canada, now and for the future.” The Peninsula Harbour...
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Youth suicide prevention shouldn’t hinge on a ride to the city — cabinet minister
By George Lee, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Macleod Gazette No matter how rural, remote, complex or demanding their homelives are, youths at risk of suicide should be able to find support when and where they need it. That ideal underpins a $2-million grant program accepting applications until June 1, Alberta Minister of Children and Family Services Searle Turton told The Macleod Gazette. Myriad programs and options for youth are at most a bus ride away in the big city. But that isn’t true in Fort Macleod, Pincher Creek or “in my neck of the woods,” said Turton, the UCP member representing Spruce Grove-Stony Plain. “The last thing I want to hear about is someone that’s going through their darkest day and they don’t know where to turn to for...
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