Ironmen prepare for national tournament as league action concludes
By Sam Laskaris Writer It’s not over yet. Yes, the Six Nations Ironmen did have their inaugural season in the Northern Premier Hockey League (NPHL) conclude this past Saturday. But the local Senior A men’s squad is now turning its focus on next month’s Fred Sasakamoose Chief Thunderstick National Hockey Championship. The Ironmen were downed 5-2 by the Alvinston Killer Bees in a Saturday match held at the Six Nations Sports & Cultural Memorial Centre. With that victory the Killer Bees were crowned as the champs of the NPHL’s Metropolitan Conference, winning their best-of-five series in four games. “It’s not ever the ending that you want, when you make it to the finals and just come up a little short,” said Ironmen head coach Ryan Davis. “But we ran into...
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Tavares-coached Bandits clinch playoff spot with sixth consecutive win
By Sam Laskaris Writer It wasn’t that long ago that it appeared almost a certainty that a new champion would be crowned for the first time in a while in the National Lacrosse League (NLL) this season. But the way things have been transpiring lately, the Buffalo Bandits, the three-time defending league champs, just might have what it takes to garner a fourth consecutive title. The Bandits are led by bench boss John Tavares, who is also the head coach of the Six Nations Chiefs, who are the three-time reigning Mann Cup (Canadian Senior A) champs. Buffalo’s lineup includes Six Nations member Tehoka Nanticoke, who has three NLL championship rings in his first three pro seasons. The Bandits’ roster also includes several others who have been key contributors to the...
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Indigenous women’s groups urge funding to limit risks to safety, prosperity
By Alessia Passafiume Advocates are calling for long-term, stable federal funding to safeguard Indigenous women and girls — and are warning the federal government’s major projects push could place them at higher risk. Hilda Anderson-Pyrz, president of the National Family and Survivors Circle, said groups like hers still don’t know if they’ll receive continued funding from Ottawa. She said that uncertainty undermines their efforts to address the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. “When we’re looking at the safety and human security of Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit and gender-diverse people, it’s really critical that organizations who are doing this important work — and even through the lens of prevention and economic participation — that they receive long-term, sustainable and equitable funding,” she said. “They’re severely underfunded....
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Indigenous women’s groups urge funding to limit risks to safety, prosperity
By Alessia Passafiume Advocates are calling for long-term, stable federal funding to ensure safety and prosperity for Indigenous women and girls, with a national focus on major building projects. Hilda Anderson-Pyrz, president of the National Family and Survivors Circle, says groups like hers still don’t know if they’ll receive continued funding from Ottawa, which undermines work to address the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. She will join other organizations holding a news conference on Parliament Hill today urging continued funds for support programs and services. Anderson-Pyrz says the federal government must take serious action to protect Indigenous women and girls, especially as it ramps up plans for resource extraction and infrastructure projects that can put them in harm’s way. Amnesty International has reported that binge drinking...
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Understanding Gladue and the application of justice to Indigenous offenders
By Troy Dumont, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Alberta Native News Recently, the Gladue principles have drawn attention across Canada amid discussions on how justice is applied to Indigenous offenders. When Canadians hear the phrase “Gladue report,” it is often stripped of its legal meaning and reduced to shorthand for leniency. Under the anonymity of the internet, ignorance has become commonplace, turning comment sections into breeding grounds for misinformation and hostility. Many people react to the term as though it means a free pass or special treatment based solely on identity. Some examples from Reddit threads include: “Gladue – knew it would be involved. Infantilizing FN’s at the expense of everyone else – nice ******* work.” “I hope he doesn’t get Gladued. He’s a cold blooded murderer.” “Gladue report continues to...
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Federal government puts out $412.9 million to renew the Pacific Salmon Initiative
By Chuck Chiang The federal government is spending $412.9 million over five years to renew the Pacific Salmon Strategy in a plan to protect and rebuild wild populations. Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson made the announcement in North Vancouver Tuesday, saying in a statement that the first five years of the initiative has shown what is possible when partners work together to restore habitat, expand hatchery programs, improve management and find new ways to protect vulnerable stocks. “But the challenges facing wild Pacific salmon are far from over,” Thompson said in the statement. “Through the renewed (salmon strategy), our government is committing to the next chapter of this work — one grounded in science, guided by Indigenous leadership, and driven by the shared responsibility to protect salmon for generations to come.”...
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Federal government wants court to toss out human rights decision against RCMP
The federal government says the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal wrongfully awarded compensation to both complainants and witnesses who claimed discrimination by the RCMP in an investigation of historical sexual abuse allegations against a school teacher in Burns Lake, B.C. The tribunal issued a decision last month directing the RCMP to review its policies, practices and training when dealing with “Indigenous crime complainants in historical abuse investigations.” The decision stems from a 2017 complaint made by members of the Lake Babine First Nation for discriminatory conduct by police during an investigation of alleged abuse by a teacher and coach in the 1960s and 1970s. The teacher’s name was ordered to be kept confidential by the tribunal, and three of four the complainants died before the complaint hearing. The tribunal awarded $7,500...
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Federal government puts out $412.9 million to renew the Pacific Salmon Initiative
The federal government is spending $412.9 million over five years to renew the Pacific Salmon Strategy in a plan to protect and rebuild the wild populations. Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson made the announcement in North Vancouver today, saying in a statement that the first five years of the initiative has shown what is possible when partners work together to restore habitat, expand hatchery programs, improve management and find new ways to protect vulnerable stocks. The department says two dozen wild Pacific salmon populations have been assessed as endangered, 10 as threatened and nine are listed as being of special concern. The salmon initiative was first launched in 2021, allowing collaboration with the B.C. and Yukon governments, Indigenous Peoples, harvesters, scientists, environmental and stewardship groups and communities along the West Coast....
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Kahkewistahaw welcomes herd of bison
By Nicole Taylor, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The World-Spectator On March 27, members of Kahkewistahaw First Nation gathered to welcome a new bison herd to the land, marking a step toward food security and sovereignty. The project has been several years in the making. Chief Evan Taypotat said the idea began during the Covid-19 pandemic. “This obviously started when Covid hit us in 2020. We didn’t have any meat, self-sustenance. Not long after, in 2022, we started talking about making this day a reality. These buffalo are high maintenance, they take a little bit of TLC to look after them. So we got everything in place. We didn’t rush things,” said Taypotat. “It doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a lot of planning, four years. “In 2024 we found a herd we...
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‘Tyranny of the minority’: Court hears injunction bid on Alberta separation petition
By Jack Farrell A court hearing began Tuesday for an Alberta First Nation’s request to at least temporarily put on ice a petition to force a vote on whether the province should quit Canada. Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation, as well as a handful of other First Nations, is challenging the constitutionality of Alberta’s citizen-initiated referendum process, saying its use by separatists violates treaty rights. Orlagh O’Kelly, a lawyer for Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation, told an Edmonton court that an injunction is appropriate because there’s no rush to hold a vote, nor is there an “unbridled right to petition to break up Canada.” Instead, O’Kelly said, Alberta’s process is the “legislative legitimization … of what we call the tyranny of the minority.” The hearing, which is scheduled to last multiple days,...
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Former B.C. cabinet minister George Abbott to serve as chief treaty commissioner
A former provincial cabinet minister is being promoted to the role of chief commissioner of the British Columbia Treaty Commission, the independent body responsible for facilitating negotiations between First Nations, B.C. and Ottawa. A joint statement from B.C.’s Ministry of Indigenous Relations, the First Nations Summit and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada says long-serving MLA George Abbott is set to assume the role for a three-year term. The move comes just over a year after Abbott was first appointed by the province to serve as one of several commissioners for two years. The statement says the appointment of the chief commissioner is a consensus decision, starting with the passage of a resolution by the First Nations Summit, followed by orders-in-council by the provincial and federal governments. It says the...
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Land Back Task Force in Squamish, B.C., sparks interest after landmark court ruling
By Wolfgang Depner Recent court rulings involving Aboriginal title have raised interest in a new committee that is exploring how public lands in Squamish, B.C., can be returned or co-managed with the Squamish First Nation, the district mayor said Tuesday. Armand Hurford said the Land Back Task Force was created last July as part of reconciliation efforts, a few weeks before the landmark Cowichan Tribes ruling that confirmed Aboriginal title over about 300 hectares of land near Vancouver’s airport. The mayor said the court decision has “heightened interest” and concerns the work of the task force could affect private property, but that’s not the case. Rather, a page dedicated to the task force on the Squamish district website says its work is focused on “restoring (Squamish) Nation governance, stewardship and...
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Court of King’s Bench hears Sturgeon Lake’s arguments for separatist petition injunction
By Jeremy Appel, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Alberta Native News Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation (SLCN) was in court Tuesday, April 7, in an effort to stop the collection of signatures for a citizen-initiated referendum on Alberta independence. SLCN filed a lawsuit in January against the provincial government, the federal government and Alberta’s chief electoral officer for permitting the petition process to proceed. It’s one of four legal challenges launched by First Nations against the province facilitating an independence referendum. “It didn’t need to get to this point, but now that we’re here, we really want to express to all governments that First Nations aren’t going anywhere,” SLCN Chief Sheldon Sunshine told reporters outside of the downtown Edmonton courthouse where the case is being heard. The Treaty 8 First Nation argues...
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‘We’ve been through a lot, so this is really good news for us’
By Aastha Sethi, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cabin Radio Hay River’s deputy mayor says $20 million in federal cash for a new water treatment plant is the largest investment in such a project in the town’s history. As the funding Keith Dohey celebrated it as the Northwest Territories town’s “biggest and most important” infrastructure investment. He said maintaining the ageing plant had become increasingly expensive, prompting council to make its replacement a top priority. Multiple applications had been made to Ottawa for help. Now, the federal government is promising to cover about 75 per cent of the cost of a new plant. Dohey called that “recognition of its importance to not only our community, but to our region and broader territory. Clean and safe drinking water is a keystone for...
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It’s time to build! Carney breaks down plans to spend $51B on local infrastructure
Provinces and territories must allocate 20 per cent of their funding to rural, Northern and Indigenous communities and 10 per cent of funding through the $6-billion “direct delivery” stream must go to Indigenous-led projects. The federal government will address infrastructure gaps across Canada with billions of dollars in funding over the coming decade, Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Tuesday at a news conference in Brampton, Ont. Carney used the event to break down how his government plans to dole out $51 billion in the Liberals’ Build Communities Strong Fund. The new pot of money was first announced in the 2025 budget, which became law last month. Ottawa plans to nearly double the rate of infrastructure investment in Canada over the next eight years compared with the previous eight years,...
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Film uplifts ceremonies for the return of ooligan, a vital fish for Nuxalk Nation
By Dionne Phillips, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, IndigiNews Qwaxw Siwallace remembers a time in his Youth when sputc (ooligan), and the nutritious grease Nuxalk harvested from the fish species, were plentiful. “It was just a part of everyday life,” he told IndigiNews, “when it was in abundance.” His favourite food was smoked ooligan, also known as eulachon. But their grease was also added to most other foods. He loved it so much as a young child that his father had to start giving him his own bowl of ooligan grease. “Otherwise I would just keep eating,” the co-founder of Nuxalk Radio said with a laugh. “It was just something that was just part of everything in such abundance. You never imagined it would disappear.” But for 28 years, his community...
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Man wanted in stabbing, Brantford Police are warning the public do not approach
BRANTFORD, ONT- The Brantford Police Service (BPS) are asking the public to contact police immediately, and not approach, if they spot a man wanted for a series of charges after a 50-year-old man was stabbed multiple times at a Dalhousie and Brock Street residence Saturday, April 4, 2026. BPS were contacted at about 8:45 p.m., with a report that a man had been stabbed and a second male victim had been threatened at a Dalhousie and Brock street residence. Officers arrived at the residence and an investigation where they found a man had been stabbed multiple times. The victim was transported to hospital for treatment of serious injuries. BPS issued an arrest warrant for Thomas Dean Cain, 41, wanted on the following charges related to this incident: Aggravated Assault Assault...
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‘Budget you’d pass if climate change wasn’t a problem’: Ford doubles down on highways
By Anushka Yadav, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Pointer Dark clouds hovered over Queen’s Park. Thunder cracked and the sky wept as Caledon grandmother Betty de Groot and Stouffville grandmother Victoria Creese waited anxiously for what this year’s budget might bring. On March 26, they stood alongside fellow members of Grand(m)others Act To Save The Planet (GASP) with a single, urgent plea for the Doug Ford PC government: “Don’t bulldoze our future.” It’s not their own future they fear losing. It’s their children’s, their grandchildren’s. That’s what brought them here — through wind, through rain, through yet another provincial budget day where hope felt increasingly fragile. Standing shoulder to shoulder, the two women talked about what they hoped to see and about everything they knew was at stake. “I would...
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Feds looking at how to ‘cushion the blow’ as gas prices rise amid Iran war: Carney Slugline: Cda-Iran-Oil
By Catherine Morrison Prime Minister Mark Carney says the federal government is looking at how to support Canadians as oil prices rise amid the ongoing war in the Middle East. Oil prices have surged since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, averaging more than $1.80 per litre across Canada today, compared with about $1.32 a year ago. Carney says his government wants to help “cushion the blow” for Canadians. The conflict has cut off flows of crude through the critical Strait of Hormuz and shut down energy production across parts of the Middle East. Conservatives have called on the Liberals to give Canadians some relief at the pumps by suspending federal taxes on gas and diesel for the rest of the year. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said...
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Cannabis raids cause trauma, fear and distress, says Potlotek chief
By Rosemary Godin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cape Breton Post Before last Thursday, Potlotek First Nation was known for its significant history as a sacred gathering place for the Mi’kmaq people for centuries. Chapel Island, just off the shores of Potlotek, served as a central location for spiritual and political gatherings long before European colonization. Chiefs from surrounding areas would meet there to assign hunting and fishing territories, settle disputes, and govern their people, all under the leadership of the district chief. But today, the tiny Mi’kmaq community on the shores of the Bras d’Or Lakes is neither peaceful nor able to settle a dispute that blew wide open when RCMP raided a cannabis shop last week, ramming the door down and breaking windows. Potlotek Chief Wilbert Marshall says last...
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