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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Pro lacrosse player from Six Nations included among Haudenosaunee U-20 coaching staff
By Sam Laskaris Writer There will now be even more Six Nations representation on the Haudenosaunee Nationals men’s Under 20 lacrosse squad that will compete at next year’s world tournament. Six Nations member Delby Powless had previously been named the general manager of the club that will participate at its world tourney, next July in South Korea. This past Thursday, however, club officials announced its coaching staff. Among those selected to help guide the team is Blake Gibson-McDonald, a pro player from Six Nations, who will serve as an assistant coach with the squad. Gibson-McDonald, who is 28, plays professionally with the Las Vegas Desert Dogs. The Desert Dogs are one of 15 clubs that compete in the National Lacrosse League. “I am incredibly honored and grateful to be named...
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Father and son to represent different squads at national lacrosse tournament
Local Journalism Initiative As it turns out the father-and-son duo of Jay and Layne Smith will be participating in this year’s Presidents Cup, the national Senior B men’s lacrosse tournament. But in a bit of an odd twist, the Smiths, members of the Six Nations of the Grand River in Ontario, will be representing different clubs at the Canadian tournament, which begins Aug. 25 in Delta, B.C. Jay Smith is the rookie general manager and an assistant coach with his hometown Six Nations Rivermen, who qualified for the Presidents Cup by winning the Ontario Senior Lacrosse (OSL) title. As for Layne Smith, he started off the 2024 campaign with the Rivermen, the team he has also suited up for the past several seasons. But once there was an appealing offer...
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Six Nations Chiefs need to rally to host Mann Cup
SPORTS BRIEFS By Sam Laskaris Writer CHIEFS REQUIRE MASSIVE RALLY The Six Nations Chiefs need to quickly return to their winning ways if they wish to maintain their hopes of hosting and capturing the Mann Cup at home this year. The Chiefs are the defending national Senior A lacrosse champs as they won the 2023 Mann Cup in British Columbia. They beat the host New Westminister Salmonbellies 4-1 in a best-of-seven series last September. The Six Nations squad, however, has now dug itself into a bit of a hole as it lost the first two games of its Major Series Lacrosse (MSL) best-of-seven championship final series versus the Peterborough Lakers. The eventual MSL champs will earn the right to host this year’s Mann Cup series, starting on Sept. 6. The...
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Six Nations man facing theft charges
By Austin Evans Writer A repeat thief was charged with assaulting an Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officer. Haldimand OPP officers responded to a reported theft from a business on Argyle Street, Caledonia on August 18 at approximately 1:40 pm. OPP said a man entered the store twice, both times taking items and leaving without payig. Haldimand OPP arrested the man a short distance away Colin Porter, 31, of Six Nations is facing six charges including : assaulting a peace officer, obstructing a peace officer, resisting a peace officer, possessing property obtained by crime under $5000, and two counts of theft under $5000. He remains in custody and is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Cayuga on August 22, 2024....
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Manitoba First Nations call for alcohol restrictions after violence prompts curfew
The Canadian Press-First Nations chiefs in northern Manitoba are calling for restrictions on alcohol purchases following an uptick in violent crimes, including a series of stabbings in one community over the weekend. “When someone goes into a liquor store and they purchase a case of 60-ounce bottles … they’re obviously bootlegging,” Acting Grand Chief Angela Levasseur, with Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, said Tuesday. “Where is the regulation? Why is the government aiding and abetting bootleggers by allowing people to purchase these mass quantities of alcohol without a permit?” The advocacy group for some northern Manitoba First Nations said it has seen a 40 per cent increase in violent acts in the communities it represents since 2021. Levasseur is calling on the federal and provincial governments to stop the flow of illicit...
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Manitoba chiefs call for PM to rescind Charles Adler’s appointment to Senate
The Canadian Press First Nations chiefs in Manitoba are calling for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to rescind the appointment of veteran broadcaster Charles Adler to the Senate. The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs says Adler’s past comments toward Indigenous Peoples are “grossly offensive” and perpetuate stereotypes. In 1999, while working on a radio show in Winnipeg, Adler called Indigenous leaders “uncivilized boneheads” and “intellectually moribund,” among other names. Grand Chief Cathy Merrick questioned how Adler, who was appointed to the Senate to represent Manitoba on Trudeau’s advice on Saturday, could advocate for First Nations in a respectful way given his previous words. “For comments like that to be made from someone that is going to be appointed into the Senate is not acceptable because you carry those thoughts,” she said. “It...
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Brantford man and woman facing drug charges
By Austin Evans Writer BRANTFORD,ONT- The Brantford Police Services (BPS) has seized over $24,000 in illicit drugs in just two arrests. Members of the BPS conducted an investigation to locate and arrest an unnamed 23-year-old Brantford man wanted for multiple offences. The investigation was led by members of the BPS High Enforcement Action Team and the BPS Tactical Intelligence Generated Enforcement and Response Unit. As a result of the investigation, members of the BPS Emergency Response Team and the BPS K-9 Unit arrested the man at Colborne Street and King Street at approximately 5:45 pm on August 14. Officers searched him and found a concealed and loaded handgun, roughly 79 grams of suspected Fentanyl, a digital scale, multiple cell phones, and a large amount of cash. An unnamed 33-year-old Brantford...
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A B.C. First Nation burned down — now it’s building back bigger
A year ago, a wildfire tore through a First Nation in the interior of British Columbia, destroying 32 structures. And yet, Skwlāx te Secwepemcúl̓ecw is celebrating. James Tomma, Kukpi7 (Chief) of the First Nation that sits around 60 kilometres east of Kamloops, told Canada’s National Observer that there was a sense of despair right after the climate catastrophe during last year’s historic wildfire season. Skwlāx was one of more than 90 First Nations who were evacuated last year. Tomma lost his own home to the fire. He and his brothers tried to stave the fire off of their old family home, but it too burned to the ground. Community members whose homes were also lost were housed across the region, some in towns 45 minutes away, including in nearby Kamloops...
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Manitoba chiefs call for PM to rescind Charles Adler’s appointment to Senate
Canadian Press 20/08/2024 14:46 First Nations chiefs in Manitoba are calling for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to rescind the appointment of veteran broadcaster Charles Adler to the Senate. The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs says Adler’s past comments toward Indigenous Peoples are “grossly offensive” and perpetuate stereotypes. In 1999, while working on a radio show in Winnipeg, Adler called Indigenous leaders “uncivilized boneheads” and “intellectually moribund,” among other names. Grand Chief Cathy Merrick questioned how Adler, who was appointed to the Senate to represent Manitoba on Trudeau’s advice on Saturday, could advocate for First Nations in a respectful way given his previous words. Adler wrote on social media that being criticized is nothing new for him, and that he expects the same while serving in the Senate. Assembly of First Nations...
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