Two Ohsweken residents facing weapons and stolen vehicle charges
By Austin Evans Writer A man wanted on outstanding weapons and stolen vehicle warrants just wasn’t fast enough to evade Six Nations Police after being spotted working on two vehicles on Bicenntennial Trail. Six Nations police, on patrol, spotted a man with an outstanding arrest warrant working on two vehicles at a residence on Bicentennial Trail on August 2. Police called for more officers to respond and once they arrived the man attempted to drive away in one of the cars but was caught and taken into custody. At the same time a woman ran from the car and was arrested after a short foot pursuit. Police said both the man and woman had warrants for their arrest from neighbouring police services. The police investigation also revealed both vehicles were...
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B.C. report explores inequalities in justice, health, child-welfare systems
The Canadian Press British Columbia’s Human Rights Commissioner says inequalities are baked into the province’s justice, health and child-welfare systems. Kasari Govender says her office’s latest report is aimed at spotlighting the human rights issues people face when they come into contact with 10 provincial systems, especially Indigenous people, women and other marginalized groups. Govender says “unaffordable, inaccessible and inappropriate housing” tops the list for human rights issues in B.C., where homelessness and encampments “unsurprisingly” grow amid the housing affordability crisis. She says women and girls are particularly at risk of violence on the street, and choose to stay with abusive partners with no other affordable options for housing. Govender’s report, titled “Rights in Focus: Lived Realities in B.C.,” says thousands of people have been forced into homelessness in the...
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Two Ohsweken residents facing weapons and stolen vehicle charges
By Austin Evans Writer OHSWEKEN, ONT- Two Ohsweken residents are facing weapon and stolen vehicle charges after Six Nations Police raided a Seneca Road address July 5, 2024, seizing a prohibited weapon and three stolen vehicles following a firearms investigation. A man and a woman were taken into custody without incident. Ohsweken resident Jeffrey Martin, 44, is facing charges including: possession of a prohibited weapon, possession of a firearm or weapon contrary to a prohibition order, and three charges of possession over $5,000. Police also arrested 31-year-old Ohsweken resident Alana Hill. Hill has been charged with possession of a prohibited weapon and three charges of possession over $5,000. Both of the accused were held in custody pending a formal bail hearing....
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Historical groups looking to preserve area’s stories
By Darlene Wroe, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter DISTRICT – Members of the area’s historical community are working at forming a new umbrella organization to support local heritage museums and groups. Maggie Wilson, president of the Cobalt Historical Society, Felicity Buckell of the Cobalt Mining Museum, and Sarah Johnston of the Haileybury Heritage Museum (and also the Cobalt Historical Society) are seeking to create a district-wide organization with the common objective of preserving local history. Wilson related in an email interview that the group met in the spring to discuss current projects, including the digitization of the Haileyburian newspaper that had been printed locally in the first half of the twentieth century. Wilson said that the group “discussed formal alliances between the two Cobalt heritage agencies, and how we could improve information...
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Northern Animals hoping for city support
By Darlene Wroe Local Journalism Initiative Reporter TEMISKAMING SHORES – Representatives of the Northern Animals Rescue and Sanctuary and the City of Temiskaming Shores are meeting to discuss the support the rescue centre needs. Last week representatives of the centre went online to highlight that rent for their building loomed and they did not have the funds. They expressed the view that closure was near. The building houses about 100 dogs and cats at any time. Jennifer MacKewn, founder of the not-for-profit centre, was more optimistic by this week after city representatives reached out to her for a meeting to discuss the situation. Her hope is that the meeting will reveal a way the city can help the centre, and come up with a model the sanctuary can take to...
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Six Nations Elected Council taking out $23 million loan to fund Kawenni:io/Gaweni:yo schools
By Lynda Powless Editor Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) is taking out a $23 million loan to fund construction of the Kawenni:io/Gaweni:yo Elementary and Secondary School. SNEC passed a motion in an in-camera Political Liaison meeting directing CEO Nathan Wright to obtain a loan for a little more than $23 million to finance the construction of the school’s building. Wright told SNEC, during its Tuesday, Aug., 13 council meeting more information on the project will come soon. “In addition to that we will be seeking an Indigenous preference loan through a number of different avenues, that comes with a 1 per cent interest rate attached to that,” he said. The school’s board has been coming to SNEC to plead its case with an ever rising cost for constructing the school...
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Six Nations woman heads NASA’s Mars simulation
NASA Mohawk woman knows what life on Mars could be like By Austin Evans Writer NASA completed their first simulation of life on Mars with a Six Nations Mohawk woman leading the mission. Dr. Kelly Haston and her crew stepped out from the mock Mars base in Houston, Texas on July 6th, a full 378 days after they began their mission in June 2023. Dr. Haston is a registered Six Nations Mohawk, a status she inherited through her grandmother. She’s never been to Six Nations but said she hopes to next time she visits her family in Ontario. This was the first mission in NASA’s Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) series which simulates year-long stays on the surface of Mars at the Johnson Space Center. “Analog missions are...
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MCFN announces four candidates for upcoming by-election
By Ethan Brand Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation has announced the four candidates that will appear on the ballot for a council by-election to be held this month. The election will be held to fill a councillor position left vacant when Bill LaForme resigned in April due to personal reasons. MCFN council consists of the chief and seven council members. The four candidates on the ballot are Ellen Lorriane Coady, Ken Hughes, Ashley Sault, and Luanne Vandecamp, said a MCFN press release. Patrick Laforme was also nominated during the process but declined to be on the ballot. The election will take place on August 17, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation Community Centre, said the release. MCFN...
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Six Nations Paramedic Services ambulance out of service after passenger vehicle collides with ambulance
By Austin Evans Writer Though one of Six Nations Paramedic Services’ ambulances was out of service after an accident, they said their service will not be impacted. Haldimand Ontario Provincial Police officers responded to a reported collision at the intersection of King St. and Main St. in Hagersville on August 5 at approximately 1:15 am. The officers confirmed that a passenger vehicle collided with a Six Nations Paramedic Services ambulance. Occupants of both vehicles sustained minor injuries. Paramedic Services supervisors Ryan Courtney and Mary Heather Cochren were unable to disclose exact details of the accident but confirmed no other people were in the ambulance. Additionally, they confirmed the ambulance was not responding to a call when the crash happened. The ambulance itself is currently not in service. Courtney said they...
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OPP continue to investigate assault of pedestrian found on Sixth Line Road
Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) are seeking the public’s assistance after an individual with serious injuries was found on Sixth Line Road. OPP said at about 5:45 a.m., on Sunday, August 11, 2024, the Haldimand OPP, responded to a report of an injured person on 6th Line, Caledonia between Argyle Street South and Oneida Road. OPP said the victim was taken to a trauma centre for treatment. “Officers have determined that an assault occurred, and the circumstances are still under investigation,” The Haldimand OPP Major Crime Unit is assisting with the criminal investigation. Investigators are asking home and business owners on 6th Line, between Argyle Street and Oneida Road, to review any video doorbell or security camera footage for any vehicular or pedestrian activity captured between 4:30 a.m. and 5:45 a.m....
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Six Nations Police investigate vandalism at local school
Six Nations Police are investigating after several windows were broken at I.L. Thomas Elementary School. SNP said they were were contacted about the break and enter to the Cayuga Road school “after the fact. Six Nations schools have not yet opened after the summer break. Six Nations Police (SNP) responded to a report of vandalism at about 7 am on August 2. SNP said the building suffered significant property damage. No one was located within the building and no property was reported to be taken. Damage estimates were not available. Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to contact Six Nations Police at (519) 445-2811, or submit a tip to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477....
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Brant County halts river access after archeological finds
By Austin Evans Writer Brant County has cancelled the construction of a river access point in the face of high archaeological assessment fees. The County of Brant purchased the lot at 25 Newport Road in July 2021 with the plan to create 37 parking spots for people who wanted access to the Grand River. In response to an inquiry about the property’s potential archaeological significance, Brant brought Archaeological Consultants Canada (ACC) to assess the site. ACC assessed a 20 by 80 metre area on the site and were monitored by both the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and Six Nations of the Grand River. Before the project’s cancellation, ACC completed three stages of assessments and located 1311 artifacts, 1174 of which were Indigenous. Of the 1174 Indigenous artifacts, 1146...
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Chiefswood Mansion frontage to be filled with garden of native plants
By Austin Evans Writer The former naturalization site at Chiefswood Mansion is being transformed into a garden of native plants. The second phase of clearing the invasive species hit the site last week with an excavator began clearing the area. The excavator scooped up dirt and plants and piled them into a small hill of excavated material. The prairie naturalization site at Chiefswood Mansion began being cleared on June 26 without informing the public in advance. Since then, a number of plants had regrown requiring additional clearing. Sources told Turtle Island News the initial clearing left roots in the ground, allowing previously cleared plants to sprout back up. A bulldozer was brought in for the initial clearing that left a number of roots untouched. After the initial clearing, Six Nations...
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Who is doing business here?
The summer doldrums may have hit but economic issues don’t take a backseat and who is actually running some businesses at not just Six Nations but in other First Nations community’s surfaces when the sun shines and people are out of doors. Six Nations prides itself on non-interference in people’s private property, but issues are surfacing as warehouses suddenly start appearing across the community. The growth of an underground economy controlled by non-Six Nations band members attracted to the community’s license free and tax-free status is giving birth to an increase in illegal activities by non- Six Nations band members using the community’s unique status for their own gain. They are renting property, putting up warehouses and launching businesses, from tobacco to now cannabis. Neighbours complain to band council when...
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Today in History
Today in History for Aug. 19: In 1928, Inuk sculptor Qaqaq Ashoona was born. In 2022, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the nomination of Michelle O’Bonsawin to the Supreme Court of Canada, making her the first Indigenous person to be named to the high court. O’Bonsawin spent five years as a judge at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Ottawa. She had also taught law at the University of Ottawa and served as the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group’s general counsel for eight years. O’Bonsawin identifies as a bilingual Franco-Ontarian and an Abenaki member of the Odanak First Nation. Today in History for Aug. 20: In 1992, the federal government, provinces, territories and the four major aboriginal groups in Canada reached unanimous agreement on native self-government at constitutional talks...
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Does logging a burned out forest hurt or help?
By Sydney Lobe, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Years ago, ecologist Dr. Karen Price walked through a forest ravaged by wildfire that had been logged and replanted. It was a uniform mass of pine trees, devoid of birds and wildlife — it was “ecologically boring,” she recalls. By contrast, the nearby eco reserve — which had also burned, but was left undisturbed — was a sound bath of bird calls and rustling leaves, and home to rare wildlife like goshawks. She notes that while this is just an anecdote, the juxtaposition was a more powerful illustration of the difference between a forest logged for “salvage lumber” and one left to regrow naturally than she’d seen in any graphs of young forests. Price, alongside other experts, is expressing concern that salvage logging...
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Rivermen advance to Presidents Cup in B.C. by winning the Ontario Series Lacrosse title
By Sam Laskaris Writer The Six Nations Rivermen will travel to British Columbia later this month to battle for a national title. The Rivermen qualified for the Presidents Cup, the national Senior B tournament, on Sunday. The Six Nations squad downed the host Brooklin Merchants 8-7 in a match held at the Iroquois Park Sports Complex in Whitby. Rodd Squire scored the game-winning goal, a powerplay marker, with slightly more than two minutes remaining in the contest. With that victory the Rivermen won their best-of-five Ontario Series Lacrosse (OSL) championship series 3-1 over the Merchants. “It was a solid team effort,” said Rivermen head coach Wayne Hill, who is also the team president. “We were all pulling on the same rope.” The Merchants had won the series opener 13-11. But...
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Six Nations member wins two provincial championships on the same day
By Sam Laskaris Writer It was a super Sunday for Six Nations member Wayne Hill. For starters, Hill served as the head coach of the Six Nations Under-11 boys’ squad that captured its Ontario Lacrosse Association A playoff championship. The roster of the Six Nation squad included Hill’s son Ratoratseriio. Six Nations won all six of its matches at the provincial tournament, which was primarily held in Whitby. The local club edged the Whitby Warriors 7-6 in its championship final. Later that evening the elder Hill won another provincial title. He’s the president and was also recently named the head coach for the Six Nations Rivermen, who were crowned Ontario Series Lacrosse (OSL) champs. “I have never heard of that happening before,” Hill said of his back-to-back provincial titles accomplished...
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Chiefs battling familiar foe in Major Series Lacrosse championship final
By Sam Laskaris Writer Just one team is standing in the way of the Six Nations Chiefs’ quest to host this year’s Mann Cup tournament. The Chiefs, the defending national Senior A champions, are currently battling a familiar opponent, the Peterborough Lakers, in a best-of-seven Major Series Lacrosse (MSL) championship final series. The eventual league winner will host this year’s Mann Cup championship series next month. The Chiefs captured the national title last year in British Columbia, defeating the host New Westminster Salmonbellies 4-1 in a best-of-seven series. The Six Nations club had advanced to the 2023 Canadian final by sweeping the Lakers 4-0 in their MSL championship. That ended Peterborough’s reign of four consecutive Mann Cup championships. The Lakers had won the national crown in 2017, ’18, ’19 and...
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