Editorial: Reconciliation or delay???
The city of Brantford is creating a new “Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation” strategy. It’s supposed to be a strategy aimed at improving relations between the city of Brantford and Six Nations of the Grand River. And it will be a wonder if it happens. Let’s be frank. Any relationship that has existed between the two has been more than testy over the decades, if in fact there even is a relationship. And having lunch with the mayor is hardly a relationship. What there is, is a “relationship” based on centuries of history blighted by stolen lands, discrimination and economic loss. It’s a relationship that saw Six Nations children taken from residential school to work as servants and gardeners for Brantford residents. The relationship between the Six Nations of the Grand...
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Today in History
March 15 In 1973, Indigenous people in Alberta won a settlement of nearly $200,000 in so-called “ammunition money” because an 1877 treaty stipulated they should have been paid $2,000 annually. March 17 In 2020, Ontario Premier Doug Ford declared a state of emergency over COVID-19, ordering the closure of bars, restaurants, theatres and libraries. Alberta and British Columbia made similar declarations, while the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs declared a state of emergency for 62 First Nations, closing reserve borders to non-essential travel. March 18 In 2019, the country’s top bureaucrat announced he would retire as clerk of the Privy Council. Michael Wernick said in a statement there was no path for a “relationship of mutual trust’’ if the Conservatives or N-D-P form the next government. Former justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould...
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Six Nations Farmers Association want $75,000 for white corn project
The Six Nations Farmers Association appeared before the Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) at the General Finance Committee meeting on Monday (March 16) to request $75,000 for its long-running white corn project. It’s an initiative organizers say remains essential to food security, cultural continuity and community sharing. Ruby Jacobs told SNEC the project, which operates on roughly 35 acres, continues to meet steady demand across the territory. “The need for it is still there,” she said. “Last year, the years before there, it’s been quite a success. There’s that everything’s got planted, everything got used up at the end of the season.” The project grows both white and flint corn and provides traditional food to longhouses, schools and community members. She said the initiative traces its roots back to the...
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Former pros and premier Ford attend Little NHL ceremony
By Sam Laskaris Writer Hundreds of Six Nations families are spending a good chunk of their March Break at GTA hockey rinks. That’s because about 20 local clubs are participating at this year’s Little Native Hockey League tournament. The event, often simply called the Little NHL, began on Sunday and continues until Thursday. A record-breaking 271 clubs from across Ontario are participating in what has become the province’s largest First Nations youth hockey tournament. Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory, located on Manitoulin Island, is serving as the host First Nation of this year’s tournament. Games are primarily being held in Markham. Rinks at nearby communities are also being utilized for some matches. A tournament kickoff event in Unionville on Sunday featured various former National Hockey League players, local and provincial politicians as...
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Six Nations Stars qualify for provincials in their first year of Senior C action
By Sam Laskaris Writer It’s already been a rather successful season for the Six Nations Stars. And it could get considerably better next month for the local senior women’s hockey squad. The Stars are a first-year squad that competes in the 24-team South Western Ontario Women’s Hockey League (SWOWHL). Despite being a first-year entry, the Six Nations club has enjoyed plenty of success in its own league playoffs and has qualified for the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association (OWHA) championships. The Stars are one of 20 clubs that will participate in the Senior C category at the provincials, which will be held Apr. 9-12 at various rinks throughout the GTA. The Six Nations team is currently riding a nine-game unbeaten streak. It didn’t lose a game in February and hasn’t tasted...
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SPORTS BRIEFS: Six Nations squad advances to league playoffs
By Sam Laskaris Writer Bears and Snipers to battle in ALL playoffs It’s guaranteed that a Six Nations squad will be advancing to the Final Four of this year’s Arena Lacrosse League playoffs. That’s because the Ohsweken Bears and Six Nations Snipers, who placed fourth and fifth, respectively in the league’s regular season standings, will be squaring off in a playoff contest this Sunday. That match will be staged at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena (ILA). The opening faceoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. The winner of the Bears/Snipers contest will move on to the ALL’s semi-finals the following weekend. The Bears and Snipers posted identical 7-7 regular season records. The clubs split their two matchups this season but the Ohsweken side was awarded a higher regular season finish based on...
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Minister tours Kashechewan water plant amid ongoing water crisis
By Marissa Lentz-McGrath, Local Journalism Initiative, TimminsToday.com KASHECHEWAN – Federal officials and First Nations leaders visited Kashechewan First Nation as the community continues to deal with a water emergency that forced hundreds of residents to evacuate. According to a post from the Assembly of First Nations, Minister of Indigenous Services Mandy Gull-Masty toured the community’s water treatment plant alongside Chief Hosea Wesley on Monday (March 16). Also attending the visit were Fort Albany First Nation Chief Robert Nakogee and Nishnawbe Aski Nation Chief Alvin Fiddler. Later in the day, Leo Friday joined leaders for a meeting at the local school. TimminsToday reached out to Indigenous Services Canada and Kashechewan First Nation, but has not received a response. In its post, the Assembly of First Nations said leaders emphasized the need...
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Millions of dollars in work for ‘absolute lifeline’ to First Nations
By Matt Prokopchuk, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, NWOnewswatch.com CAT LAKE — Several winter road construction projects have received provincial funding, and one First Nations council manager says those corridors continue to be crucial lifelines. Jonathan Salo is the technical unit manager at Windigo First Nations Council. The organization provides a number of social, economic development and other services to seven Indigenous communities, most of which are remote. “Just from a cost perspective, like the costs for goods and materials in our communities is, I would say, not fathomable for most people,” he said. “I know there’s a lot of complaints about the cost in grocery stores and the cost of fuel and gas for everyone, but it’s definitely far worse and far more expensive in our communities.” That cost, he...
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March Sees Decline in Suspected Overdoses in Brantford
By Alex Murray Writer BRANTFORD, ONT- The Grand Erie Public Health (GEPH) has issued a community wide warning after a recent spate of drug overdoses in the Brantford area. GEPH said the increase in drug overdoses came over the final two weeks of February based on data from the Brantford Police Service (BPS). The increase continuing across a second week triggered the GEPH to issue a community warning. From February 16 to 22, there were seven non-fatal overdoses in the Brantford area. The next week, from February 23 to March 1, there were 10, five of which occurred on the same day on February 27. According to the GEPH, those numbers are above what is typical for such a short timeframe. The 17 total non-fatal overdoses from February 16 to...
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Nature groups warn federal funding cuts endangering efforts to protect land, water
By Nick Murray Some of Canada’s most prominent conservation groups say Ottawa is putting at risk its goals to protect nearly one-third of Canada’s land and waterways, with tens of millions of dollars in federal funding about to run out. Canada has committed to protecting 30 per cent of its terrestrial and coastal areas by 2030 and was only about halfway to that target by the end of 2024. The commitment was reinforced by the Liberal election platform and the speech from the throne delivered by King Charles last May. In a letter sent to Prime Minister Mark Carney last week, the heads of four environmental advocacy groups said the lack of clarity on whether the funding will be renewed has created uncertainty for people working in the conservation sector....
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From Attawapiskat to Latvia: Soldier happy to be home after 6-month deployment
By Marissa Lentz-McGrath, Local Journalism Initiative, TimminsToday.com TIMMINS – Growing up in Attawapiskat First Nation, Nigel Nakogee spent much of his time outdoors. Hunting geese and moose, snaring rabbits, and camping were regular parts of life. “I’m a bit of a hunter,” he told TimminsToday. “I hunted a lot growing up. Pretty much camped during my teenage years.” Those early experiences on the land eventually helped shape his path into the military. Nakogee, now 24, serves as an infanteer with the Algonquin Regiment in Timmins. In November, he returned from a six-month deployment in Latvia as part of Rotation 2502. He left in June and returned home in November. While the six months felt long at times, the experience was rewarding. “In the moment, it felt really long, but it...
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Opening date for Manitoba’s first drug consumption site up in the air: Kinew
By Brittany Hobson The Manitoba government is walking back comments that a supervised drug consumption site could open soon, with Premier Wab Kinew saying the province is taking some time to get things right. Kinew told reporters Monday that he couldn’t provide a timeline for when the long-promised facility would open, because his government is working with a local service provider to determine how users will be connected to treatment, recovery or social service options. It could take months for a network of services to be set up, he said. “I want it to be a serious health-care facility staffed by high functioning, high achieving health-care folks who understand not just the cultural and community context, but also everything that the evidence and that their experience and practice would show...
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Councillor Espey triumphs at Arnold Sports Festival
By Renee Lilley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Portage Graphic Leader A Portage la Prairie city councillor and veteran arm wrestler has returned from one of the world’s largest strength competitions with a trio of medals and a renewed focus on a world title. Ryan Espey secured two gold medals and one silver at the Arnold Sports Festival, held recently in Columbus, Ohio. Competing in the event for roughly the sixth time since 2001, Espey claimed the top spot in the left-arm open division — the professional class — and gold in the masters left-arm category for competitors aged 40 and older. He rounded out his performance with a silver medal in the right-arm masters division. “It was overwhelming,” Espey said of the festival, which sees approximately 250,000 attendees pass through...
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First Nation to host wellness, trauma workshop with help from former NHL star
By Ed Hitchins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Energeticcity.ca PROPHET RIVER, B.C. — Trauma and grief suffered by the Indigenous community will be at the forefront of a wellness event hosted by Prophet River First Nation (PRFN). Scheduled for several days next week, the free wellness, trauma and grief workshop will take place at the school on the PRFN reservation. It will be hosted by Brayden Morton, who serves as PRFN’s deputy director of wellness. Morton can relate to the struggles of addiction and told Energeticcity.ca he’s been sober for 11 years. “As addicts, we want to quit,” said Morton. “There is always a side of us that does want to quit. It’s just about taking the action steps to get to that place.” Joining Morton will be former National Hockey...
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Apache women seek court intervention as federal land is turned over for copper mining
By Susan Montoya Bryan The transfer of federal forest land in Arizona to a pair of international companies that plan to mine one of the largest copper deposits in North America is complete, but a group of Apache women is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene as a last-ditch effort to stop the project. The title to the land was conveyed by the federal government to Resolution Copper on Friday after an appeals court denied requests by the San Carlos Apache Tribe and environmentalists seeking to block the move. The appeals court determined that the plaintiffs’ legal claims likely would not succeed and lifted an emergency injunction that was put in place last summer. The land includes Oak Flat — an area used for centuries for religious ceremonies, prayer...
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Bell Canada to build large data centre outside Regina
The parent company of Bell Canada is planning to build a new data centre outside Regina that is billed to be a major contribution to Canada’s artificial intelligence sovereignty. BCE Inc. is to build the 300-megawatt data centre in the rural municipality of Sherwood, Sask., with construction slated to begin this spring. The facility is projected to generate economic value of up to $12 billion for the province, including short- and long-term job creation. Its construction is expected to support at least 800 trades and engineering jobs, with a minimum of 80 full-time roles created once it’s fully operational. The facility is expected to come online in stages, with the first expected to go live during the first half of 2027. The company has also partnered with the Crown corporation...
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Why it could take years to trace the Indigenous artifacts returned by the Vatican
A tikinagan baby cradle is pictured following its repatriation from the Vatican collection, during an unveiling event at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Que., on Tuesday, March 10, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby By Alessia Passafiume More than 60 Indigenous items repatriated from the Vatican are now back on Canadian soil — but their journey home is just getting started. Experts and elders are now working to trace their origins and return them to the communities that created them. The items — which include baby carriers, embroidered gloves, a bow and arrow, moccasins, a sealskin kayak and a model Métis sled and dog team — are being housed for now at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Que. They are not being made available for public...
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Traditional Anishinaabe Ojibwa Grandmother Kim Wheatley to host ancestral storytelling sessions
By Christian Collington, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, TheIFP.ca For the second year, Grandmother Kim Wheatley will bring ancestral storytelling to the annual Maple Syrup in the Park festival at Terra Cotta Conservation Area. Visitors can experience her teachings on March 22, with sessions at 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. As a traditional Anishinaabe Ojibwa grandmother from Shawanaga First Nation, Wheatley views storytelling as a vital, intergenerational tool for reconnection. These stories are more than just entertainment, they are a means of embedding “truths, relationship, responsibilities, respect and always a note of reciprocity” into the listener’s experience, she said. For Wheatley, who carries the spirit name Head or Leader of the Fireflower and is a part of the Turtle clan, the goal of sharing these traditional narratives is to inspire visitors to...
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Brantford Medical Officer “Urges” Caution During Upcoming Cold Front
By Alex Murray Writer It seems the groundhog has seen his shadow and will not be coming out of his burrow in the Grand Erie region for some time yet. The Grand Erie Public Health (GEPH)’s Medical Officer of Health (MOH) issued a Cold Notification for the Grand Erie region that includes the Six Nations of the Grand River reserve, Brantford-Brant, and Haldimand-Norfolk, effective March 6, 2026. According to GEPH, the MOH issues a Cold Notification when some or all the region is expected to experience temperatures under -15 Celsius or when wind chill values get up to -20 degrees Celsius. GEPH says that temperatures of -15 degrees Celsius or colder can cause unprotected skin to freeze in less than 30 minutes. The risk of developing hypothermia is also higher....
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Honouring Indigenous Peoples to Host Youth-to-Youth Truth and Reconciliation Gathering at Six Nations
By Alex Murray Writer For non-profit Honouring Indigenous Peoples (HIP), teaching the youngest generation is a key component of Truth and Reconciliation. That’s why they continue to hold TRC events specifically for young people. HIP will host their fourth annual Youth-to-Youth (Y2Y) Truth and Reconciliation National Gathering at Six Nations of the Grand River from March 22-28, 2026. The program is offered for free to avoid any financial barriers potential participants may be facing. According to HIP, the Y2Y gathering is aimed at fostering “reconciliation, environmental stewardship, and cultural understanding among Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth across Canada.” “Through shared experiences, outdoor activities, and leadership development, the program empowers youth to become advocates for social change, environmental sustainability, and the preservation of Indigenous traditions,” HIP says. The program brings together 25 Indigenous...
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