Trip gives UCN law enforcement students firsthand experience
By Steven Sukkau, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Winnipeg Sun Students in the University College of the North’s Law Enforcement Certificate program met Premier Wab Kinew and toured policing, corrections and public service facilities during an annual career exploration trip to southern Manitoba. The trip gave students an opportunity to learn about careers in law enforcement through visits to police agencies and correctional centres in Winnipeg and Brandon, the Manitoba First Nations Police Service training facility in Portage la Prairie, the Manitoba Legislature and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Students attended question period at the legislature, where they also met Kinew. UCN said the annual trip is intended to connect classroom learning with real-world environments while allowing students to build professional networks and explore career opportunities in policing, corrections and...
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‘This is a resurrection’: Kivalliq Summer Games returns after 12-year hiatus
By Daron Letts, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunatsiaq News The first Kivalliq Summer Games to be held in 12 years is expected to draw more than two dozen athletes from the region to Chesterfield Inlet this week. “This is a resurrection of the Games,” said hamlet recreation co-ordinator Russell Mullins, who is organizing the event. From Thursday to Sunday, 26 athletes from Arviat, Baker Lake, Rankin Inlet and Chesterfield Inlet are set to compete in Arctic sports ranging from the four-man carry to the knuckle hop. Athletes are categorized as under-18 juniors or over-18 seniors. There are 17 males and nine females taking part, ranging from age 12 to 34. Six of the 10 Chesterfield Inlet athletes are competing for the first time. The idea to bring the Games back...
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Pete’s Dam hydro proposal progressing
By Joe O’Grady, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Temiskaming Speaker TEMISKAMING SHORES – Efforts continue to create a demonstration site at Pete’s Dam for small-scale hydro-electric generation, with proponents getting ready to proceed to the next step. Tony Hamilton of Thordon Energy provided an update on the project – a joint initiative with Timiskaming First Nation – at Temiskaming Shores’ July council meeting. “We’ve done the engineering analysis,” he said. “It’s probably around 67 per cent complete. (This is) fairly significant for us to know what we’re dealing with and if we should go ahead. The flow analysis is complete, but we will continue to monitor. The environment assessment and permitting plan and the estimate to complete that plan is also complete.” Thordon Energy has been using a “very, very small...
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Wotstak man awaits sentencing for arson
By Judy Cole, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, River Valley Sun A Wotstak man remains in custody to await his sentence after setting a house on fire and threatening to throw gasoline on police officers. Greg Paul McCormick, 36, of Wotstak (Woodstock First Nation), appeared in provincial court in custody for sentencing on Aug. 11 after changing his plea to guilty on several charges laid by the RCMP. After hearing submissions from both the Crown and defence, Judge Rose Campbell reserved her decision on sentence until Aug. 21 at 1:30 p.m, Crown Prosecutor Sean Corscadden recommended McCormick serve 54 months in federal prison, minus time served, and be placed on three years of probation following his release. McCormick was arrested in June 2025 and was denied bail when he appeared in...
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Dene Skateboards signs first sponsored skater, with plans to endorse many more
By Kody Ferron, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Yellowknifer Yellowknife’s newest skateboard company, Dene Skateboards, just signed its first sponsored skater. As of July 17, Forrest Doctor, a Yellowknives Dene First Nation member from Ndilo who created Dene Skateboards in November 2025, has signed Tre Stonechild, a Cree man based in Regina, as his first official rider. “It just feels so good that I’m doing this, what I’ve always wanted,” Doctor said of the endorsement deal. “I feel really good about it, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what other talent I can set out there, and get more of these Indigenous skaters recognized by the culture.” Doctor began skateboarding in 1992, when he was 10 years old. He says skateboarding was a way for him to find some stability...
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“Bait And Switch”: New Provincial Residential School Survivor Funding Is Not What It Seems
By Alex Murray Writer The Ontario government announced a $7 million investment on August 5 to fund initiatives aimed at supporting residential school survivors and their communities. But it may not be what it seems. The investment is being made through the Indian Residential School Community Engagement Fund (IRSCEF) and provides up to $250,000 to successful applicants. It’s part of a $20 million commitment for 2026-27 to support residential school survivors. Applications are open until September 16, 2026. However, the big investment is not providing any new money, according to Survivor’s Secratariat Lead Laura Arndt. “It is not new funding, it’s the same program, the same application,” Arndt told Turtle Island News. “I call it a bait and switch.” She pointed out she was able to cut and paste her...
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Lawyer: Federal Recognition Crucial For Namaygoosisagagun Rebuilding Efforts the Answer
By Alex Murray Writer After the entire community was razed by wildfire, Namaygoosisagagun First Nation now needs to rebuild. And the First Nation’s lawyer says there is a very clear way to resolve the issues facing that rebuild: federal recognition as a First Nation, which they do not currently have. “Make them have status, and all the problems go away,” Meaghan Daniel, general counsel for Namaygoosisagagun, told Turtle Island News. “Usually there’s no magic wand. Here, there is one. There’s an actual magic wand, which is: here’s the First Nation status.” “Give them status. Now we can rebuild capital infrastructure, we can put back the generators. We can put back the houses. We can put back the band office. Literally magic wand me, and we can fix this. But if...
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Brantford Native Housing helping urban First Nations register for membership
By Lynda Powless Editor BRANTFORD, ONT-Brantford Native Housing will soon begin helping First Nations people in the city apply for, or replace, lost band membership cards but it isn’t coming without some controversy. Lacey Stevens, Community and communications officer said the urban centre has just been designated as a ‘Trusted Source’ by Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) to aid Indigenous people in the city register for band membership. “We had this flashback last week,” she told Turtle Island News. “We are not issuing status cards. We have applied to be a “Trusted Source,” she said. Stevens said the staff have just finished ISC training and wanted to be clear are “we aren’t issuing status cards. ”ISC’s “Trusted Source” program trains individuals to verify, identity and certify supporting documents for Indian Registration...
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Brantford-Brant South MP Larry Brock To Step Down Next Month
By Alex Murray Writer There is yet another federal by-election on the horizon as Brantford-Brant South-Six Nations Conservative MP Larry Brock announced on August 6 his intention to step down next month. “Following careful consideration, I’ve decided to step down as Member of Parliament effective September 18,” Brock said in a letter posted to his social media accounts. Earlier this summer, Brock had also stepped back from his role as Shadow Minister of Justice. He said he was honoured to hold the position because of his commitment to criminal justice reform. But Brock won’t be leaving the justice stage for good. The MP, who was elected in both 2021 and 2025, said he’s accepted “an opportunity to return directly to the frontlines of justice at the Brantford Crown Attorney’s office.”...
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Ontario looking to re-open Brantford Jail
By Alex Murray Writer BRANTFORD-Ontario Solicitor General Michael Kerzner was in Brantford on August 6 to tout the PC government’s $3 billion investment in correctional capacity and announce progress in reopening the Brantford Jail that was closed in 2017. “By reopening this jail, we could bring back online 125 new spaces,” Kerzner said. “This means more capacity to keep dangerous offenders off our streets, strengthen public safety across Ontario, and support our broader plan to build a stronger correctional system.” Kerzner was flanked by Brantford-Brant MPP Will Bouma and Brantford Police Service Chief Jason Saunders as he made his remarks in the parking lot of the old jail, which was opened in 1852 and adjoins Brantford’s courthouse. The provincial plan will create 2,500 new correctional beds and 700 correctional staff...
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It’s audit time
It appears the current members of the Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) don’t seem to mind setting a new record for late audits. The current SNEC has set the record for late audits starting with last year’s not being released until August and now it appears to be repeating itself. Of course, the argument this year, we hear, is they want to hold a community meeting to discuss the document but that certainly doesn’t account for not making it public as soon as SNEC approved it at its recent closed “audit” meeting. Without even going into why SNEC audits are in closed sessions now, it isn’t unusual, anymore, for SNEC to be late with its audit. It almost seems to be the norm. It seems to have almost become expected with...
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Today in History
Aug 9 In 2018, the family of an Indigenous man shot to death on a Saskatchewan farm in August 2016 filed lawsuits against the RCMP and the farmer who was acquitted in the killing. Colten Boushie died after being shot in the head on a farm near the community of Biggar. Aug 10 In 2021, Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister said he was leaving politics. Pallister made the comments during a caucus retreat in Brandon. The premier had been under fire over the past month for comments he made about Canadian history and Indigenous people. Aug 14 In 2019, Canada’s ethics watchdog found Prime Minister Justin Trudeau violated the Conflict of Interest Act by improperly pressuring then-attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould to halt the criminal prosecution of SNC-Lavalin. Mario Dion says that...
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Cherokee Nation safeguarding seeds on Arctic “Doomsday Vault”
The Cherokee Nation will bank corn, bean and squash seeds in the Arctic “doomsday vault”, becoming the first US-based tribe to safeguard culturally emblematic crops for future generations. The Svalbard seed vault, the world’s most sheltered storage facility, currently holds 992,039 crop seeds from across the world. It was created on a Norwegian archipelago about 800 miles from the North Pole in order to safeguard as much of the planet’s unique genetic material as possible. Losing a crop variety is as irreversible as the extinction of an animal or bird. On 25 February, nine Cherokee seeds will be deposited into the vault, deep inside a mountain on permanently frozen ground called permafrost. The seeds chosen are Cherokee white eagle corn – the tribe’s most sacred corn, used for cultural ceremonies...
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Rivermen deadlocked with Merchants in league final
By Sam Laskaris Writer Despite a six-goal performance from the league’s most valuable player Thunder Hill, the Six Nations Rivermen were unable to take a commanding lead in their Ontario Series Lacrosse (OSL) championship final. The Rivermen were edged 10-9 by the visiting Brooklin Merchants in a match held at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena on Sunday. With the win the Merchants, the defending OSL champs, were able to tie their best-of-five league final series at 1-1. Six Nations had captured the series opener 8-4, a game held last Friday at the Merchants’ home rink, Iroquois Park Sports Centre in Whitby. The series resumes on Friday when the Rivermen will host Game 3 at the ILA. Game time is 8 p.m. The Merchants will then host Game 4 on Sunday at...
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Chiefs sweep Kodiaks to advance to league final
By Sam Laskaris Writer The Six Nations Chiefs are one step away from hosting this year’s national Mann Cup series. The Chiefs, the three-time defending Canadian champions, downed the visiting Cobourg Kodiaks 8-5 this past Saturday in Game 3 of their Major Series Lacrosse (MSL) semi-final series. With that victory, the Chiefs swept their best-of-five series versus the Kodiaks in the minimum three games. Saturday’s victory, at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena (ILA), also propelled the Chiefs into the MSL championship final series. The Six Nations club, however, entered the week not knowing which squad it would face in the league final. The Peterborough Lakers were leading the Oakville Rock 2-1 in their best-of-five semi-final series. Game 4 in that series was scheduled for Tuesday night in Peterborough, after the press...
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Attack hosting provincial championships
By Sam Laskaris Writer Tim Bomberry has a rather interesting analogy for the local women’s box lacrosse squad that he coaches. “We’re like a box of chocolate sometimes,” Bomberry said of the Six Nations-based Grand River Attack. “Sometimes we play really well. And sometimes we don’t play that well.” Bomberry believes that the Attack will be bringing their A-game in the coming days. That’s because his charges are hosting this year’s season-ending Women’s Major Series Lacrosse (WMSL) playoff championship tournament. The event, which will feature all 11 WMSL entrants, will begin Friday and continue until Sunday. Matches will be held at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena in Six Nations as well as the Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre in Brantford. The WMSL tourney will feature an A Division, which includes the Attack,...
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From goats to porcupines, these animal evacuees escaped B.C. wildfire
By Nono Shen When a wildfire roared toward Summerland, B.C., staff from the Interior Wildlife Rehabilitation Society had to evacuate about 30 animals from the facility in an hour. Eva Hartmann, founder of the sanctuary, said the centre was destroyed — but the animals have all been safely relocated to a wildlife centre in Kamloops, B.C., about 220 kilometres northeast. They include bats, skunks, a porcupine, a baby beaver named Poppy, two otters, 14 water birds and three turtles, said Ryan Cope, a volunteer. “So, it was a bit of a Noah’s Ark menagerie getting them out, and they really only had an hour to get out before the fire blew through the property,” said Cope, adding that it was chaotic to corral the birds to their respective kennels. The...
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Indigenous ultrarunner uniting First Nations communities, including Stoney Nakoda, through movement
By Leah Pelletier, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Rocky Mountain Outlook ÎYÂRHE NAKODA – In an old cut-out from the Dawson Creek newspaper, yellowed with age, Anita Cardinal’s dad stands tall in blue jeans and moccasins. He had just completed a marathon in under two-and-a-half hours. “He just finished a marathon in his jeans, his moccasins and he looked great,” said Cardinal, founder of the non-profit Indigenous Runners Alliance that advocates for Indigenous representation and healing through running. “That’s elite running.” The Nêhiyaw (Cree) ultrarunner takes after her dad. “My dad would run everywhere … He’d be hunting and we’d barely keep up with him. He’s in his seventies and he can still run,” said Cardinal, who grew up on Woodland Cree First Nation in Northern Alberta. “I got my love...
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From goats to porcupines, these animal evacuees escaped B.C. wildfire
By Nono Shen When a wildfire roared toward Summerland, B.C., staff from the Interior Wildlife Rehabilitation Society had to evacuate about 30 animals from the facility in an hour. Eva Hartmann, founder of the sanctuary, said the centre was destroyed — but the animals have all been safely relocated to a wildlife centre in Kamloops, B.C., about 220 kilometres northeast. They include bats, skunks, a porcupine, a baby beaver named Poppy, two otters, 14 water birds and three turtles, said Ryan Cope, a volunteer. “So, it was a bit of a Noah’s Ark menagerie getting them out, and they really only had an hour to get out before the fire blew through the property,” said Cope, adding that it was chaotic to corral the birds to their respective kennels. The...
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What to know about the Bald Range fire and B.C.’s wildfire emergency
By Canadian Press Staff Here are key facts about the Bald Range wildfire that exploded within hours of its detection in British Columbia’s south Okanagan region on Aug. 7. B.C. officials declared a provincewide state of emergency the next day, with Premier David Eby saying it marked a significant shift in the province’s wildfire season. The fire – The Bald Range fire has grown to span nearly 180 square kilometres by Tuesday, burning just outside Summerland, B.C., on the western shore of Okanagan Lake. – British Columbia Premier David Eby has said he was told the fire was “like a bomb” going off as it roared east towards the community of about 12,000 residents. – Officials said Tuesday that the fire had since expanded “slightly further” toward of Peachland, B.C.,...
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