Future unclear about rural Canada Post outlets serving First Nations
By Carly McHugh Writer Hundreds of post offices in rural, remote, northern and Indigenous communities throughout Canada—including Six Nations—are now facing the possibility of potential closure. The move comes after the federal government lifted a protective moratorium that has been in place for more than 30 years. On Sept. 25, Minister of Government Transformation, Public Works and Procurement, Joel Lightbound, announced plans to restructure Canada Post’s current model, in an effort to rectify its financial losses and update its services. The recommendations for change included moving non-urgent mail by ground instead of air, lifting the moratoriums on community mailbox (CMB) conversions and rural post offices, and increasing the stamp rate for items at the post office. Lightbound also stressed the importance of protecting services in rural, remote and Indigenous communities...
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Six Nations Elected Council approves new housing loan signers
Six Nations Senior executive team will now be able to sign housing loans, but their approved spending limit won’t change. Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) approved an increase to the signing authority for senior administration, raising the spending limit to $350,000 for housing loans while maintaining a $300,000 limit for all other expenditures at the General Finance meeting on October 20. Jennifer Court, Chief Financial Officer, presented a recommendation to update the financial management policy to address delays in processing housing loans. Court explained that both she and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Tracy Brant currently hold the authority to incur expenses up to $300,000, but housing loan amounts exceeding that limit required additional Council approval, slowing the process. “This has caused some delays in processing those loans in a timely...
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SNEC Cannabis Commission changes faces again
The Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) has once again replaced the leadership of the Six Nations Cannabis Commission (SNCC), marking the second time in four years that the oversight body has been restructured. In a statement dated October 6 and released publicly on October 31, SNEC announced the appointment of Leslie Powless as the new Chair of the SNCC and Kim Frazer as a Commissioner. In addition, Councillor Alaina VanEvery and Carole Lesley Greene have agreed to sit with the Commission until a full complement of commissioners is appointed. SNEC stated that all current SNCC Commissioners have been removed “effective immediately” due to what Council described as a failure to meet obligations under the Six Nations of the Grand River Cannabis Law, corporate bylaws, and the Memorandum of Understanding between...
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Elected Chief says she is keeping eye on future projects
Six Nations Elected Chief Sherri-Lyn Hill says she continues federal and intergovernmental engagement and local community participation during her update at the Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) General Council meeting on October 28. Hill said she remains active on several files affecting Six Nations, including ongoing discussions with federal and provincial ministries on policy, infrastructure, and governance matters. From October 20 to 22, Hill attended the Iroquois Caucus meeting in Akwesasne, along with Councillor Greg Frazer. The caucus discussions focused on internal administration, harvesting, fire and emergency services, and land management. Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu was unable to attend in person, but Northern Affairs and Indigenous Services Canada Regional Director Michael Laverne participated virtually. Hill said she raised several Six Nations concerns with federal representatives, including land management, membership,...
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Finance office now has access to online portal
Six Nations approved a motion authorizing the Chief Financial Officer to access Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)’s online portal. Jennifer Court, CFO, was granted full access to Six Nations Elected Council’s CRA account at the October 20 General Finance meeting. Court discovered that a previous motion earlier in the year had granted offline rather than online access. Court told SNEC online access is necessary to ensure the finance department can receive up-to-date documentation and manage accounts efficiently, especially during mail disruptions like the Canada Post strike. “It was very challenging to get the access online,” Court said. “Several phone calls were made into the CRA, multiple hours on hold trying to find the information. And essentially, when I got a hold of them, they said, ‘well, somebody needs to authorize you...
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Time to rethink cannabis regs
Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) is changing the faces of its cannabis commission…again. It’s not the first time the fledgling body has undergone a shift in the people sitting on it and restructuring. But this time, elected councillors are taking seats at the table. The four-year-old body, and anyone left on it, will now be joined by band councillors Alaina VanEvery and Carole Lesley Greene. At least until the commission can get a full board. Which considering the controversy the industry has created volunteers may be in short supply. The cannabis commission has struggled to maintain any kind of continuity. And it has faced criticism for its lack of foresight in allowing huge cannabis operations to locate near large residential areas and schools. Community members have launched petitions in an...
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Today in History
Nov 2 In 1796, Six Nations natives authorized Chief Brant to sell or lease some of their land to provide a steady income for the people.who were struggling to survive in their new settlements after the Revolutionary War. The goal of investing the money to generate a permanent annuity. In 1869, Louis Riel seized Fort Garry in Winnipeg during the Red River Rebellion. Nov 3 In 1995, Queen Elizabeth II signed a formal apology and compensation deal for indigenous Maori people dispossessed by British colonization of New Zealand. In 2021, Indigenous writers Katherena Vermette and Tomson Highway took home the top prizes at the Writers’ Trust Awards. Vermette, a Red River Métis author and poet in Winnipeg, won the $60,000 fiction award for “The Strangers.” Highway, based in Gatineau, Que.,...
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UNDER THE NORTHERN SKY – The Day The Earth Shook
by Xavier Kataquapit www.undethenorthernsky.com I was outside under the bright warm fall sunlight when I felt the world turn dark on me and the earth shook beneath my feet. My sister called with the tragic news that we had lost our 31 year old niece Myris Kataquapit. Myris, whom the family enjoyed simply calling ‘Mie’, was a bright light that touched many people in her extensive Kataquapit and Sutherland family of Attawapiskat. She is the daughter of my older brother Mario and Mie’s mother Margaret Sutherland. Her passing was deeply felt by our family as she was a dedicated mother to her daughters Auria and Eleanor. She also is survived by the girls’ father Warren Louttit. Mie was also the stepdaughter of Kelly Harris and the late Doug Medd. She...
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Bomberry inducted into Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame and Museum
By Sam Laskaris Writer It’s now official. Cory Bomberry has become a Hall of Famer. Earlier this summer it was announced that the Six Nations member was part of the 2025 class for the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame and Museum. But the induction ceremony was held this past Saturday at the MontHill Golf & Country Club in Caledonia, mere minutes from Bomberry’s Six Nations home. “I had my family there with me,” Bomberry said. “So, that was quite an emotional day. The induction was special having my whole family there.” Bomberry becomes the third member of his family to be inducted into the Canadian hall of fame. His father Oliver, whose nickname is Cap, went into the hall via the Builders category. And his brother Cam was recognized for...
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Ironmen itching to hit ice following bye week
By Sam Laskaris Writer The well-rested Six Nations Ironmen return to action this weekend. The Ironmen have been idle since they thumped the Halton Hill Coyotes 11-1 in a home game back on Oct. 26. The Six Nations squad, which is competing in its inaugural season of the Northern Premier Hockey League (NPHL), will play a pair of contests this weekend. For starters the Ironmen will hit the road on Saturday to battle the host Alvinston Killer Bees. That match, which will be held at the Brooke-Alvinston-Inwood Community Centre Complex, is scheduled to begin at 6:45 p.m. Six Nations will then host the Tilbury Bluebirds in a Sunday matinee. That game, which will be held at the Six Nations Sports & Cultural Memorial Centre, has a puck drop set for...
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Longboat leads Badgers into Baggataway Cup
By Sam Laskaris Writer The Brock University Badgers men’s lacrosse squad is on a bit of a roll. And Vince Longboat, the Six Nations member who serves as the head coach of the St. Catharines-based Badgers, believes that could bode well for his club in its quest to capture a league championship. The Badgers are one of six teams that have qualified for this year’s Baggataway Cup, the championship tournament for the Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association (CUFLA). The three-day Baggataway Cup begins on Friday. All matches will be staged at the Terry Fox Stadium in Brampton. “Right now we are playing really well,” Longboat said of his squad. “And patience is going to be a key for us this weekend. If we can stay patient and stick to the...
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Your first look at what Canadian Tire is doing with the Hudson’s Bay stripes
By Tara Deschamps When Canadian Tire learned that it had come out on top of a bidding war to own the Hudson’s Bay stripes this summer, one of its marketing executives said the feeling was comparable only to the most magical time of year. “It was like Christmas, quite honestly,” Eva Salem recalled of the June moment when her company got court permission to buy a treasure trove of HBC’s intellectual property, including the multicoloured motif, the HBC name and other slogans and trademarks from the defunct retailer for $30 million. “We were so excited.” But the joy quickly evolved into a reminder that owning one of the oldest and most venerable symbols of Canadiana comes with enormous weight. The motif hearkens back to a painful past when the fur...
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Prince Harry in Toronto this week for several events tied to Remembrance Day
Prince Harry is set to begin a two-day visit to Toronto to attend events supporting veterans and the military community ahead of Remembrance Day. The office of the Duke of Sussex says he’s making the trip at the invitation of the True Patriot Love Foundation, which supports Canadian military members, veterans and their families. Prince Harry has several engagements today, including a private lunch followed by an evening fundraiser for the HALO Trust – a U.K.-based charity that helps clear explosives around the world and was also supported by his late mother, Diana. Prince Harry, who served in Afghanistan as a member of the British military, is also set to meet some of Canada’s oldest veterans at Sunnybrook Hospital’s veterans centre on Thursday. He will then attend a dinner organized...
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Wall Walk show strong performances for Catholic Division
By Michael Oleksyn, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Prince Albert Daily Herald School Divisions need to know what is happening in many areas. To this end the Prince Albert Catholic School Division board of education looks at School Division Achievement Data through something called a “Wall Walk”. The board of education did their first Wall Walk at their regular meeting on Monday. The report from director of education Lorel Trumier and Superintendents Wade Mourot and Charity Dmytruk included Faith, Priority Action plans that focused on demographics and grad rates, mental health and wellbeing, reading, and other topics. The division aligns with provincial targets in some cases but also has its own targets. Trumier said improvements in reading results and graduation rates are the highlight of the report. However, she also said...
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Child killed in crash on Nova Scotia highway mourned in Eskasoni, Antigonish
By Rosemary Godin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cape Breton Post Mi’kmaq communities on Cape Breton Island and in the Antigonish area are mourning the death of a seven-year-old boy who was involved in a motor vehicle collision while travelling with family Saturday night on Highway 104, in Antigonish County. The other vehicle involved in the collision left the scene but is believed to be a large farm or construction vehicle. Aidan Roy Denny died at the scene and others in the vehicle were injured, with one child remaining in hospital. He was the son of Sulian Denny and Adrienne Peters of Eskasoni and Paqtnkek First Nations. According to RCMP, on Nov. 1 at approximately 9:50 p.m., police, fire services, and EHS responded to a report of a collision on Hwy....
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Sisters graduate together, contribute to Mi’kmaq health care
By Rosemary Godin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cape Breton Post The valedictorian at this Wednesday’s Cape Breton University Fall graduation enjoyed her nursing studies so much, she chose to continue on in the field of medicine and is already a student in the Dalhousie University Medical School. Shareeve Gould won’t be alone on stage Wednesday. She graduates along with her sister Jada, who has been going through the CBU experience with her. Born and raised in Eskasoni First Nation, the sisters began their post-secondary studies together through Cape Breton University’s in-community bachelor of science in nursing pathway cohort that helps Indigenous students learn in a culturally sensitive manner. The university’s School of Nursing will be celebrating a milestone at this year’s Fall convocation when its bachelor of science, nursing (BScN)...
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Mi’kmaq crafter helping to reclaim what was once thought lost
By Rosemary Godin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cape Breton Post The proliferation of skilled Mi’kmaw art forms available all over Unama’ki in the last few years has not just “sprung up” on its own. Creative and concerned L’nu (the people) are taking back their traditional livelihoods that were nearly wiped out during a dark period in Canada’s history of the residential school system, which the United Nations refers to as genocidal. Whycocomagh First Nation member Tina Bernard knows the history and the struggle Indigenous people have had maintaining their culture ever since colonization came to Unama’ki (Cape Breton). She is the Mi’kmaw craft education co-ordinator with the Cape Breton Centre for Craft and Design. Her role is to implement educational programming based on Mi’kmaq culture, history and traditions. For the...
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Fort St. John, Dawson Creek mill owner to continue investment in ‘next generation of forestry professionals’
By Ed Hitchins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Energeticcity.ca FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — More investment in education will come for a building products company with a heavy presence in the Peace region. LP Building Solutions, a company with mills in both Fort St. John and Dawson Creek, announced during National Forest Products Week in Nashville, Tennessee that it will expand its partnerships with ForestryWorks and the First Nations Forestry Council on Wednesday, October 22nd. Founded in the 1970s, LP Building Solutions has had a presence in Dawson Creek with an oriented strand board (OSB) wood plant siding mill since 1987, which was converted into a siding plant in 2019, and an OSB mill in Fort St. John since 2005. ForestryWorks is part of the Forestry Workforce Training Institute, founded in...
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Manitoba early reading screening legislation passes final test
By Maggie Macintosh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Winnipeg Free Press Manitoba’s poor literacy rate has prompted MLAs of all political stripes to unanimously endorse a private member’s bill to increase teacher monitoring and support for struggling readers. Bill 225 requires elementary schools to systematically screen elementary students for early signs of struggle, immediately act on warning signs and document findings in report cards. Tyndall Park MLA Cindy Lamoureux first tabled the legislation — now named the Public Schools Amendment Act (Early Reading Screening) — on March 26. Lamoureux, the lone elected official representing the Manitoba Liberals, drafted it with parents and dyslexia advocates. On Tuesday, following repeated pleas for the government to collaborate on adjustments, an updated version of it passed third reading. “Unfortunately, here in Manitoba, literacy rates are...
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SLRD adopts reconciliation guide charting a ‘living’ path forward
By Luke Faulks, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Pique Newsmagazine The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) has formally adopted Truth & Reconciliation: In Practice, A Guide for Working in a Good Way, a document outlining how the organization intends to translate nearly a decade of reconciliation pledges into daily governance. Since declaring itself a “Regional District of Reconciliation” in 2016, the SLRD Board has endorsed several Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and committed to aligning its work with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Board Chair Jen Ford called the new guide “just the next step of that declaration,” offering a pathway for how staff and elected officials “intend to show up in a good way.” “It’s not a binding contract. It’s not...
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