To smell or not to smell…
Six Nations Band Council has a problem on its hands. In a rush way back in 2019 to establish a cannabis “law” in the community it ended up taking two years to actually pass what it calls is cannabis control law. By the time the cannabis control law was passed in June of 2021, the community was already afloat with cannabis retail shops and wholesalers. The Six Nations Cannabis Commission became the band council’s sole regulatory and licensing body over cannabis regulation, production and sale of it. At the time the band council of the day said the creation of the commission was to ensure a sole regulatory and licensing authority over cannabis production and sales here. The idea was to ensure the health, safety and security behind the sales...
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Today in History
June 18 In 2003, Inuvik-based Aboriginal Pipeline Group signed a landmark deal with Trans-Canada Corp. and four natural gas producers, giving natives in the Northwest Territories one-third ownership of a $5 billion Arctic pipleline project. In 2015, Manitoba became the first province to formally apologize for the ‘60s Scoop, when child-welfare agents removed aboriginal children from their families and placed them for adoption in non-Indigenous homes. A few days later, Alberta also apologized. In 2019, Justin Trudeau gave Canada’s controversial Trans Mountain pipeline expansion a second lease on life. The decision to approve the project a second time came nine months after the Federal Court of Appeal ripped up the original approval, citing incomplete Indigenous consultations and a faulty environmental review. The decision came the day after the Liberals passed...
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Weekly Cartoon
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Nolan to be inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame
By Sam Laskaris Writer Ted Nolan is making one thing clear, he is NOT a retired hockey coach. A member of Garden River First Nation in Ontario, last held a noteworthy coaching gig in 2015 as the head coach of the Buffalo Sabres in the National Hockey League (NHL). When a recent article about Nolan described him as a retired coach, he was quick to respond. “I never retired,” said Nolan, who also had NHL coaching stints with the New York Islanders and Hartford Whalers, the franchise that relocated and became known as the Carolina Hurricanes. “I’d like to do it again. But nobody is calling me.” Nolan, however, did receive a recent and much-appreciated call. Earlier this month it was announced he would be part of the Class of...
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Miller will continue academic/athletic career at Laurentian University
By Sam Laskaris Writer Tray Miller will be furthering both his academic and lacrosse careers in Sudbury starting this September. Miller, a 20-year-old Six Nations member, has committed to attend Laurentian University. While taking classes in the school’s concurrent education program, he’ll also play for the Laurentian Voyageurs men’s field lacrosse squad. “Eventually I would like to be a teacher of some sort,” Miller said. The Voyageurs compete in the 14-team Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association (CUFLA), which features a dozen clubs in Ontario and two from Quebec. Miller had originally hoped to start attending Laurentian this past September. But some funding that he was hoping to secure to help cover some of his expenses did not arrive in time. But he’s now all set to start to head to...
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SPORTS BRIEFS: Stealth on winning streak
By Sam Laskaris Writer Stealth on three-game winning streak Thanks to a pair of one-goal victories on the weekend the Six Nations Stealth is guaranteed of finishing with at least a .500 record. The local Junior C lacrosse squad hit the road on Saturday and edged the host Huntsville Hawks 12-11. The Stealth then edged the visiting Burlington Warriors 7-6 on Sunday in a match held at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena (ILA). With just two regular season outings remaining, the Stealth is now sporting a record of 8-6. For the second time this year the Six Nations club is also on a three-game winning streak. The Stealth will be looking to extend that streak on Friday when it battles the host Wilmot Wild at the Plattsville Arena. The opening faceoff...
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11-year-old wins $3K to start his own business
By Marissa Lentz-McGrath, Local Journalism Initiative, TimminsToday.com TIMMINS – Zak Brunet is just finishing Grade 5 at Timmins Centennial Public School, but he already has big business plans and $3,000 in startup funding to help make them happen. The 11-year-old entrepreneur is the youngest recipient of funding from the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) Region 3’s inaugural business pitch competition, where he impressed a panel of judges with his proposal to launch a 3D printing company called Printy McPrintface. “I saw a 3D printing video on YouTube when I got home from school, and I wanted to make money,” Zak told TimminsToday. His love of problem-solving and creativity made 3D printing the perfect fit. “You get to turn cool ideas into real things,” he said. As for the name of...
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Fire damages Cheakamus Centre Longhouse, programs relocated
By Ina Pace, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Squamish Chief Education programs hosted at the Cheakamus Centre Longhouse will be moved to outdoor cabins this month, as the June 4 roof fire continues to be investigated. Though not related to the current Dryden Creek wildfire, another fire has had an impact on local programming. On June 4, the Cheakamus Centre Longhouse was damaged in an internal fire, leaving the roof damaged on the inside. There were no injuries. The centre, which is owned by the North Vancouver School District, hosts overnight field and cultural Indigenous education, to foster values such as community building and land stewardship for both children and adults. It is based in Paradise Valley on 165 hectares of ecological reserve belonging to the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation)....
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Liberal MP wants to see major projects bill amended, studied further
Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith warned Tuesday that Parliament is hastily plowing ahead with the government’s major projects bill when it should be in listening mode. Erskine-Smith told reporters Tuesday he’s never seen a bill of this magnitude pushed through the House at such a pace in his 10 years as a Toronto MP. He was the only Liberal MP to vote against his government’s motion limiting debate on the major legislation on Monday. The Liberals and Conservatives passed a closure motion that will push Bill C-5, the Building Canada Act, through the House of Commons this week with limited committee study. Erskine-Smith said he supports getting new projects built quickly but he wants to see the bill studied more thoroughly and amended to remove contentious clauses that grant the executive...
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Indigenous, Black patients waiting longer to be seen in Winnipeg ERs: report
By Brittany Hobson Race-based data collected in Manitoba’s health-care systems suggests Indigenous, African and Black patients are waiting longer in Winnipeg emergency rooms and often leave without seeing a doctor. A report examining visits to emergency rooms and broken down by race says African and Black patients are triaged at the same rate as other racial groups, but are waiting the longest, upwards of five hours in some cases. It also says Indigenous patients are visiting hospitals for similar triage reasons compared with white patients, countering the idea that Indigenous people are using emergency departments inappropriately. Manitoba says it is the first in Canada to collect voluntary race-based data from patients when they register for care as a way to reduce systemic racism within the health-care system. The report looked...
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Aamjiwnaang evacuates areas due to elevated benzene levels
By Andrew Wilton, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Sarnia Journal On Friday June 13, Aamjiwnaang First Nation’s Band Council issued an Evacuation Notice recommending members evacuate certain areas of the community due to high reported emissions of benzene. Due to reported high benzene levels at the Ada Lockridge and AFN Sportscenter monitors, they are recommending an evacuation of members living between Churchill Road and the first set of tracks on Tashmoo Ave. Residents in this area were asked to evacuate to the Community Centre. Other community members were advised to exercise caution and avoid this area. Chief Janelle Nahmabin of Aamjiwnaang First Nation says that “roughly 20-25 people were in the evacuation zone and several stayed. Some may have felt reassured knowing that additional monitoring was occurring.” An additional mobile monitor...
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Scattering of protesters, empty sites, on second and final day of G7 leaders summit
By Bill Graveland More than 50 Sikh protesters continued their demonstration Tuesday outside Calgary city hall on the second and final day of the G7 leaders’ summit. The number was down from Monday’s numbers, but dozens of blue and yellow Khalistan flags, along with two Canadian flags, were waved during the demonstration. There was drumming, chanting and a life-sized replica of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in prison garb. Modi arrived late Monday to the meeting of world leaders in nearby Kananaskis, Alta. Canada was hosting leaders from the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Italy and the European Union. Leaders from several non-member countries, including Modi, were also invited. Protesters were first outraged that Prime Minister Mark Carney invited Modi to the event, but Sikhs for Justice...
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MPP sees ‘devastated’ landscape on visit to Sandy Lake
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Thunder Bay Source SANDY LAKE – Much land was “devastated” by the forest fire that forced an evacuation of the Sandy Lake First Nation reserve, but luckily no lives were lost and the community’s leadership has pulled through. That, in a nutshell, was Kiiwetinoong MPP Sol Mamakwa’s assessment after a recent visit to the reserve some 230 kilometres northeast of Red Lake. “There’s a lot of land that’s devastated” in the area, Mamakwa told Newswatch in an interview Monday. “It was very emotional for some of the leadership to see some of their camps (and) cabins burnt down … (because) being on the land is a way of life,” he said. Mamakwa said as he was leaving the fly-in community he could see...
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G7 leaders agree to ‘charter’ on wildfires, pledging global co-operation
By Matthew Scace Leaders of the G7 have agreed to co-operate on efforts to manage the impacts of devastating wildfires, which are surging for another summer across Canada. The leaders are calling it the Kananaskis Wildfire Charter and it’s believed to be a groundbreaking commitment for G7 leaders. It’s a timely statement, as Canada continues to face another destructive wildfire season that has forced thousands from their homes. In Manitoba earlier this week, some of the province’s 21,000 evacuees were given the green light to return home. “These increasingly extreme wildfires are endangering lives, affecting human health, destroying homes and ecosystems, and costing governments and taxpayers billions of dollars each year,” the leaders wrote in a joint statement. Wildfires have been mentioned in past G7 communiqués, but in far less...
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‘A good news budget’ Sask Rivers passes balanced budget without dipping into reserves
By Michael Oleksyn, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Prince Albert Daily Herald The Saskatchewan Rivers School Division passed a balanced 2025-2026 budget without dipping into reserves for the first time in four years. The division also benefited from provincial funding to offset inflationary costs for a second consecutive year. Financial Officer Jerrold Pidborochynski presented the budget during Monday’s school board meeting. “The increase to inflationary costs that were addressed, it allowed us to do some things that we haven’t in the past,” Director of Education Neil Finch said. “It was a good a good news budget for sure.” Finch gave the example of purchasing new school buses as something that benefitted from the inflationary offsets. “School buses are a great example, there’s been a significant increase in the cost of a...
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First Nations leaders oppose Bill C-5
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Thunder Bay Source ONIGAMING – Chief Jeffrey Copenace wasn’t in Ottawa Tuesday for a rally against Bill C-5, but he was following its progress. “The Ojibways of Onigaming, we’ve been very clear to both the federal government as well as to the provincial government that we have concerns about Bill 5 as well as C-5,” Copenace said in a phone interview. The provincial Bill 5 passed in the legislature and received royal assent earlier this month against strong objections and protests from First Nations across Ontario. It enables the Ontario cabinet to create “special economic zones” for speedy approval of mines and other projects. Bill C-5, the One Canadian Economy Act, is in federal Parliament and would grant the federal cabinet authority to...
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Highlights from Day 2 of the G7 meeting in Kananaskis
By Catherine Morrison Canada hosted the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alta., with the agenda on Day 2 focused on foreign policy. The summit continued without U.S. President Donald Trump, who left early due to the conflict in the Middle East. Prime Minister Mark Carney was set to meet with several leaders, including NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Here are some highlights from the second day of the summit. Canada pledges $4.3 billion in support for Ukraine While meeting with Zelenskyy, Carney condemned “in the strongest terms” the latest Russian attacks on Ukraine and outlined $4.3 billion in new support for Ukraine’s defence. That sum includes $2 billion for weapons like drones, ammunition and armoured vehicles — which Canada will count...
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Brazil auctions off several Amazon oil sites despite environmentalists and Indigenous protests
By Fabiano Maisonnave BRASILANDIA, Brazil (AP) — Brazil auctioned off several land and offshore potential oil sites near the Amazon River on Tuesday as it aims to expand production in untapped regions despite protests from environmental and Indigenous groups. The event came months before Brazil is to host the U.N.’s first climate talks held in the Amazon. The protesters outside Tuesday’s venue warned of potential risks that oil drilling poses to sensitive ecosystems and Indigenous communities in the Amazon. A luxury Rio de Janeiro hotel hosted the auction conducted by the National Oil Agency. Most of the 172 oil blocks for sale are located in areas with no current production, such as 47 offshore locations close to the mouth of the Amazon River and two sites inland in the Amazon...
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‘Canada is not for sale’ — but new Ontario law prioritizes profits over environmental and Indigenous rights
By Martina Jakubchik-Paloheimo Despite provincewide protests, Ontario’s Bill 5 officially became law on June 5. Critics warn of the loss of both environmental protections and Indigenous rights. The law empowers the province to create special economic zones where companies or projects don’t have to comply with provincial regulations or municipal bylaws. Bill 5, also known as the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, reduces the requirements for environmental assessment. By doing so, it weakens ecological protection laws that safeguard the rights of Indigenous Peoples and at-risk species. Indigenous rights and Indigenous knowledge are critical for planetary health. But the bill passed into law with no consultation with First Nations. Therefore, it undermines the duty to consult while seemingly favouring government-aligned industries. Indigenous Peoples have long stewarded the environment through...
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Liberal MP wants to see major projects bill amended, studied further
Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith warned Tuesday that Parliament is hastily plowing ahead with the government’s major projects bill when it should be in listening mode. Erskine-Smith told reporters Tuesday he’s never seen a bill of this magnitude pushed through the House at such a pace in his 10 years as a Toronto MP. He was the only Liberal MP to vote against his government’s motion limiting debate on the major legislation on Monday. The Liberals and Conservatives passed a closure motion that will push Bill C-5, the Building Canada Act, through the House of Commons this week with limited committee study. Erskine-Smith said he supports getting new projects built quickly but he wants to see the bill studied more thoroughly and amended to remove contentious clauses that grant the executive...
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