Arviat Housing Association achieves 100 per cent Inuit employment
By Darrell Greer Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The days of the Arviat Housing Association trying to recruit workers from the south are long gone. The association still recruits, but, these days, it hires from within its own community. Arviat Housing Association manager Gleason Uppahuak oversees an operation that has six positions in the administration department and 16 in the maintenance department. Uppahuak said Arviat Housing currently has about 500 units that it administers and maintains, with another 500 people on a waiting list. He said the association also has three apprentices doing Level One, Level Two and Level Three training towards becoming a housing maintenance service (HMS) person. “They’re kind of a jack of all trades and do plumbing, heating and some electrical,” said Uppahuak. “I am very proud...
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AFN national chief promotes child welfare agreement, as expert raises concerns
The Canadian Press The national chief of the Assembly of First Nations says there are 47.8 billion reasons for chiefs to accept a child welfare reform deal with Canada, but a leading child welfare expert is warning chiefs to review the fine print. National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak has been promoting a settlement that would see the federal government set aside $47.8 billion over 10 years to reform the First Nations child welfare system. The deal was struck after decades of advocacy and litigation from First Nations and experts, seeking to redress decades of discrimination against First Nations children who were torn from their families and placed in foster care because the child welfare systems on reserves were not funded to provide services that could keep families together. The federal...
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Police charge 10 drivers with impaired over 10 days
By Katie Nicholls, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter THUNDER BAY — Local police have charged several drivers with impaired over a very short period of time. Const. Tom Armstrong with Thunder Bay Police said 10 people were arrested for impaired driving over a 10-day period, which demonstrates that the problem has not gone away despite prevention efforts from police. “I feel like a broken record with it. I think it’s something that we’ve done a significant number of public education (sessions) and very obvious enforcement initiatives. We’re trying to do all we can. We’re trying to be creative about it, but it’s just that society is not getting it and not making that change. I don’t know why,” he said during a media availability on Wednesday. Armstrong said these arrests from...
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Deadline for music residency for Indigenous artists fast approaching
By Crystal St. PIerre Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Indigenous music artists from across Canada are being called on to apply for the CBC Indigenous Music Residency by Aug. 29. The program is an initiative between the SOCAN Foundation and CBC that will provide invaluable mentorship to six music creators from First Nation, Métis and Inuit communities. The residency will be held in Toronto from Oct. 14 to Nov. 8. “The biggest thing is that this is supposed to benefit, it’s customized around the people that are applying,” said Nic Meloney, CBC production executive for the residency. “So, if they feel it within themselves that they’ve got the confidence to be able to deliver, the confidence and the creativity to be able to step into a realm like that and they’ve got...
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The Haudenosaunee National Women’s Team are at the World Lacrosse Championships in Hong Kong
The Haudenosaunee National Women’s Team are at the World Lacrosse Championships in Hong Kong for the U20 Women’s Field Lacrosse games (Submitted Photo)...
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Credit First Nations has a familiar face on council with election
By Austin Evans Writer Promising to improve communication between the Mississaugas of the Credit and their council, Ashley Sault has returned to the Pillar 6 Lead Councillor role. Sault thanked the community for coming out to support her, saying they gave her the encouragement she needed to keep going. “There are so many people, I think it would be dangerous to try and name any few people because there were so many,” she joked. “Obviously my husband and my kids and my closest friends and family, but I don’t want to discredit how much the support from the rest of the membership mattered as well to me.” She also congratulated the other nominees on their campaigns and invited them to keep getting involved in the community. “Everybody ran a good...
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Brantford has a shopping list for the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, Six Nations Elected Council attending to meet and greet
By Lynda Powless Editor BRANTFORD, ON – The City of Brantford is attending the annual Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) meeting this week with a grocery list of needs. It’s joining more than 2,500 participants from hundreds of municipalities and organizations across Ontario at Ottawa’s Shaw Centre from August 18 to 21 and among them will be a Six Nation Elected Council delegation. The conference allows municipal and provincial officials to discuss “pressing challenges that extend beyond municipal resources and responsibilities,” the city said in a statement. For Brantford among other issues it hopes to “foster a collaborative relationship with Indigenous communities.” It says that can happen with “meaningful consultation and shared prosperity initiatives. These discussions are crucial for ensuring that Indigenous voices are heard and that their needs...
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SN Elected Council spending almost $80 million on projects
Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) is spending almost $80 million to build a local school, new lodge and hospice. SNEC has tasked its staff to “go out and seek” more than $40 million to construct a new Iroquois Lodge Long Term Care Home. SNEC passed a motion in a closed Political Liaison meeting directing CEO Nathan Wright to find the $43 million to have a new Iroquois Lodge built. Wright announced the direction to find the funds during an update at the General Council meeting on August 13. In total he was directed to spend $72.6 million on construction projects that include the lodge, funding the Kawenni:io/Gaweni:yo Elementary and Secondary School with a $23 million loan and $6.6 million to build a hospice. Funding the lodge, he said “is a...
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SNEC to fund $6.6 million hospice after delays
Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) plans to bite the bullet and pay the full cost of building a hospice on Six Nations after losing out on a donation that would have covered the cost of construction. SNEC passed a motion in an in-camera Political Liaison meeting directing CEO Nathan Wright to use the $6.6 million the Six Nations community receives annually from Hydro One as part of the Bruce. In the past the money has been available to community led projects. Wright gave an update at the General Council meeting on August 13 and said the $6.6 million would come from a Hydro One deal made by a previous council, concerning a transmission line between The Bruce Power Complex near Kincardine, Ont. and Hydro One’s Milton Switching Station, but in...
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Go-Bus routes at Six Nations in planning
Six Nations may have its own Go Bus route through the community in 2025. Teresa Doolittle, project administrator for Six Nations Public works, said she and Metrolinx staff have been working together for two years to introduce a pilot project to the community. She updated Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) at its August 13th meeting. “It’s not a complete answer to what we heard in the transportation study. but it’s a piece,” Doolittle said. Doolittle said she had hoped the pilot would begin in September, but it wasn’t going to be possible and their new target, though still lofty, would be December, but she’s not sold on that idea. “Maybe we wait until closer to April when the weather gets nicer, instead of launching in the winter,” she said. The...
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Following criticism, Ottawa removes funding caps for residential school searches
The federal government is backtracking on a move to limit funding for searches of former residential school grounds. Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree said in a statement Friday the government has heard concerns from Indigenous leaders and communities “loud and clear.” Communities could previously receive up to $3 million per year through the Residential Schools Missing Children Community Support Fund, but the government had moved to cap funding at $500,000. Anandasangaree said the government will now lift that cap and remove planned restrictions on the funding, which goes toward locating burial sites at former residential schools and identifying children who never returned. The recent changes, he said, “fell short of our solemn commitment to finding the children.” The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs was among the groups that had decried the...
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Mobile dental clinic being set up after health centre closes
By Austin Evans Writer After four months of no dental services on reserve, a mobile clinic is being developed for the unhoused Dental Clinic. Gane’ Yohs was closed on April 23 due to an extensive mold infection which Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) CEO Nathan Wright described as “all throughout” the walls and ceiling. Most of Gane’ Yohs’ services have been running out of White Pine Wellness Centre since May 17 with the exception of the Dental Clinic. On August 15, SNEC Communications announced that a mobile dental clinic was being built outside of White Pines and was scheduled to open on September 3. SNEC said the trailer will cost $333,946 during their general finance meeting on August 19. Wright claimed SNEC would pay up front for the trailer and...
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Well known lacrosse player facing assault charges
By Austin Evans Writer One of the biggest names in Six Nations lacrosse is facing multiple charges for assault. Austin Staats is well-known locally for his time on the Six Nations Chiefs in the Major Series Lacrosse league and on the San Diego Seals in the National Lacrosse League. Brantford Police arrested Staats on August 11, charging him with three counts of assault, three counts of assault with choking, two counts of threatening death or bodily harm, forcible confinement, mischief, and failure to comply with a release order. Brantford Police said the incident occurred in Brantford. Staats is the son of Elected Chief Sherri-Lyn Hill. This is not the first time Staats has been charged for violent crimes. He was charged with aggravated assault in October 2023. The National Lacrosse...
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Six Nations Public Works has $1.73 billion capital project hopes
Six Nations Public Works is once again attempting to have projects in the community funded through the federal government and working on resurfacing roads. Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) approved three motions related to infrastructure at its General Council meeting on August 13 and will pass other resurfacing projects soon. One motion was passed during a closed meeting to make a lot on Concession Road 5 in Tuscarora Township a Fleet and Transportation hub. There was no mention of what fleets would set up shop on the lot. Councillor Dayle Bomberry said Public Works had submitted its Annual Plan to the First Nations Infrastructure Investment plan and it includes 387 capital projects totaling more than $1.73 billion. “This is a capital projects plan that has been submitted to the department...
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SNEC closes doors to spend millions
Behind closed doors… Let’s say that again…behind closed doors… Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) decided to rack up what could amount to a more than $80 million bill on three projects that could tie the financial hands of future councils. And the community knows little of why the decision was made. Instead, in what amounts to a brief statement, SNEC’s CEO mentioned, by the way we are looking to spend up to $80 million and hope to find funds to help foot the bill. The money is going towards the cost to build a local school, a new lodge and a hospice. Without any doubt those are all good causes or needs but that isn’t the question. For some reason the current council went behind closed doors at its newly...
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Brandon Montour community celebration costs hit $184,000
Celebrating Brandon Montour’s Stanley Cup win cost Six Nations a lot more than it bargained for. Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) had set a budget to celebrate the Florida Panthers Stanley Cup win at $54,000, but CEO Nathan Wright told council at the General Finance meeting on August 19, they spent more than three times that. “When it was determined that the numbers coming in far exceeded what the community could handle, that’s when our costs ballooned,” Wright said. The night before the parade, he anticipated the costs were “north of $125,000” and he said he “cautioned council the night before” the parade, but said the costs kept rising due to safety requirements. The total cost ended up coming in at $184,187 for the three-hour event that took place on...
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Six Nations Natural Gas board blamed for late Six Nations Elected Council audit
Six Nations Elected Council’s (SNEC) annual audit is late again this year, but should be available in the coming weeks. SNEC passed a motion to pay auditing firm KPMG $72,760 for its progress on the 2023-2024 audit during its General Finance meeting on August 19. The fiscal year ended March 31, 2024. Councillor Helen Miller asked why the audit isn’t complete yet and what the hold up is. “We were all gung ho get it done in June and now here we are and it’s almost September again,” she said. Jennifer Court, Director of Financial Reporting and Analysis laid the blame on the Six Nations Natural Gas (SNNG) board saying SNNG held up the process. She said SNNG originally submitted their draft audit and not a complete audit. “Unfortunately the...
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Six Nations Fire Gala bigger than ever
The Six Nations Fire Service is hoping hosting a larger annual gala will net them more money for the operating budget, but can’t cover the costs up front. Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) passed a motion to front a little more than $33,000 at the General FInance meeting on August 19. The 2024 Fire Gala will be held at Monthill Golf and Country club but the largest cost is coming from this year’s entertainment, a charity casino run by Abbey Road Entertainment coming in at $24,908. CEO Nathan Wright said Abbey Road will set up and run casino games, people will donate a certain amount of money in return for chips, gamble those chips and use their winnings to enter draws for prizes. Councillor Audrey Powless Bomberry voted against using...
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Six Nations Rivermen goalie preparing to compete in various prestigious championships
By Sam Laskaris Writer It’s already been an award-winning season for Six Nations Rivermen goaltender Drew Hutchison. But the 26-year-old could add several more accolades to his list of 2024 accomplishments in the coming weeks. “It could be a busy fall,” Hutchison said. “We’ll just keep moving on and hope for the best.” Hutchison already knows that he will be part of the Rivermen contingent that will compete in the Presidents Cup, the national Senior B lacrosse tournament, that starts this Sunday in British Columbia. He’ll also represent the United States at the world men’s lacrosse tournament that will be held next month in Utica, N.Y. And there’s also a chance he will play in the Mann Cup, the Canadian Senior A tournament, with the Peterborough Lakers next month. For...
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