Chiefs welcome ‘remoteness quotient’ in child welfare deal
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, SNnewswatch.com FORT HOPE — One of the most welcome components of the Ontario Final Agreement (OFA) to reform child welfare services on reserves is the remoteness quotient, leaders of northern First Nations say. The remoteness quotient is the factor by which child and family services funding is increased to account for extra costs incurred by remote First Nations such as Eabametoong, whose Fort Hope reserve is some 370 kilometres north of Thunder Bay and accessible only by air during most of the year. “We’re going to need that part of the agreement because, right off the bat, we’re disadvantaged in anything that we do in the community because of the remoteness factor,” Chief Solomon Atlookan told Newswatch. He was speaking shortly after Monday’s...
Register
‘How many more have to die?’: Northern Ontario fires expose delays in human rights complaints for First Nations
By Jon Thompson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Ricochet The fly-in Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nationlost another home to fire over the weekend, as the Auditor General of Canada refuses to investigate allegations that the Canadian Human Rights Commission is “slow-walking” complaints over inequitable firefighting resources in northern Ontario First Nations. The March 28 duplex fire in the community 600 kilometres north of Thunder Bay followed a house fire four days earlier that took the life of KI Chief Donny Morris’s three-year-old grandson. On Friday, the Auditor General’s office refused a public call by the five-member Independent First Nations Alliance and KI, supported by the 49 chiefs of Nishnawbe Aski Nation to investigate why there has been no progress on an urgent claim they filed with CHRC seven months ago. “Our office...
Register
Bonnechee Valley raise concern over potential tax loss to non-profit Aboriginal housing plan
By Debbi Christinck, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eganville Leader Eganville – Bonnechere Valley could be facing a loss of $18,000 in taxation revenue annually if an application by the Ontario Aboriginal Housing Support Services Corporation is successful. “I am worried about it,” CAO Annette Gilchrist said last Tuesday during council. “I am worried they are going to win and we are going to lose this assessment.” She explained this application is province-wide and is being fought by other municipalities across Ontario. There is a big impact in many larger municipalities and the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) is also involved in presenting the impacts on municipalities. Locally it would impact 51 properties in the County of Renfrew for a taxation impact of $36,000 to the county. In BV it...
Register
Historic Saskatchewan town of Duck Lake fails in bid to sell naming rights
By Fakiha Baig and Jeremy Simes Duck Lake — a Saskatchewan community steeped in history that includes Louis Riel and the Northwest Rebellion — will not be renamed for a corporate sponsor. The mayor says a campaign accepting bids to buy the naming rights to the town is dead but admits the bad blood it spawned lives on. “Lots of people still won’t even look at me anymore. They’re quite angry about it,” Mayor Jason Anderson said in an interview. On Tuesday, the deadline passed for the town, located north of Saskatoon, to accept sealed bids from businesses to pony up and take over the town name. The minimum acceptable bid was $10 million. Anderson said there were no bidders in the campaign, which began last fall and would still...
Register
First Nations chiefs demand apology after PM said he could ‘outlast’ demonstrator
By Alessia Passafiume Two First Nations chiefs are calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to apologize for saying he could “outlast” a First Nations woman who was protesting over mercury poisoning in her community. Chrissy Isaacs, a Grassy Narrows woman suffering from mercury poisoning, was in Toronto on Monday to demand compensation from the provincial government for mercury contamination. The Dryden Paper Mill released thousands of kilograms of mercury into the community’s river system from the 1960s to 1970s, and community members are still dealing with the fallout today. During a news conference Carney held on Monday with Ontario Premier Doug Ford to announce new funding for housing, Isaacs and a group of community members and their supporters were chanting and shouting about the harms they are facing. Carney responded...
Register
Calls for accessible intercity bus service in the Alberni-Clayoquot region intensify
By Nora O’Malley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Ha-Shilth-Sa Vancouver Island, BC – As gas prices continue to climb due to the conflict in the Middle East, calls for a frequent and affordable bus service in the west coast and central Vancouver Island region are being amplified. For west coast residents, there is no bus service to Port Alberni, leaving folks without vehicles dependent on family, friends, rideshares or hitchhiking. In Port Alberni, there is a privately operated bus service with daily service to Nanaimo Departure Bay ferry terminal, but it’s prohibitively expensive for many people, with round-trip tickets costing $90. “We are in a bit of an oil shock now. We could wake up tomorrow and it could be even higher. And not to mention the environmental aspect, public safety...
Register
Six Nations community vents frustrations with health care system during Heather Winterstein inquest info session
By Alex Murray Writer Just as an inquest into the death of Heather Winterstein opens, a Six Nations councillor is calling for a public inquiry into the way Indigenous people are treated in the public health care system. “An inquest is a one-off,” councillor Key said. “ A public inquiry would be broader he added. “They probably would start with looking at how many people want to volunteer their issue with the medical system. They would prepare an agenda that would look at all of that in a public inquiry. And at least it would have weight to change law. It would have more teeth.” Six Nations elected Council (SNEC) held an information session at the GREAT Theatre March 24th on the inquest into the death of Heather Winterstein. Winterstein’s...
Register
“Trailblazer” Susan Aglukark Honoured In Pre-Junos Event
By Alex Murray Writer With the 2026 Juno Awards coming up in nearby Hamilton on March 29, the Indigenous Performing Arts Alliance (IPAA) decided it was the perfect time to honor an Indigenous music icon: Inuk singer-songwriter Susan Aglukark. The luncheon was hosted at Yogi’s Barn in the Six Nations town of Ohsweken on March 25. The event brought together members of the Six Nations community with Indigenous musicians and attendees from across Canada. Aglukark said that being recognized was an honor, but what made it even more special was the fact that it was an Indigenous event organized by Indigenous people on unceded Indigenous land. “It’s a privilege to be honored. This has been an absolutely beautiful experience,” Aglukark told Turtle Island News. “And to be on Indigenous land...
Register
Six Nations business man tells Vegas conference, it’s a once in lifetime opportunity
By Sam Laskaris Writer Whenever Isaiah Kicknosway gets a chance to educate others about cannabis he jumps at the opportunity. That’s why Kicknosway, a Six Nations resident, travelled to Las Vegas this week to participate in the Resolution Economic Summit. The four-day event, which concludes on Thursday, is the largest Native American economic development summit in North America. It is held annually in Las Vegas. This year’s event attracted more than 5,000 delegates from across the United States and Canada. Kicknosway was one of the speakers of a Wednesday session title Growing an International Cannabis Brand. He is the vice-president of Kemosabi, a local cannabis company and licensed cultivation and manufacturing operator under the Six Nations Cannabis Commission. Kicknosway has been Kemosabi’s vice-president since the company’s inception in 2022. “For...
Register
Six Nations Tourism Welcome Centre near completion
Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) has approved over $350,000 to finish construction of its controversial tourism welcome centre. The centre is being built at Chiefswood Park adjacent to the Pauline Johnson mansion a national historic site. Construction began last September without SNEC knowledge or approval. Controversy began to erupt when a sign depicting the new tourism centre was under construction went up and councillors began hearing from community members questioning construction on the historic site. Councillor Greg Frazer, who sits on the tourism committee, did not explain how the project went forward without SNEC approval or knowledge. Instead, he told SNEC in September 2025 Six Nations has a growing tourism market. In September 2025, SNEC approved $1,174,832 in funding to complete the building project. However, a $1.2 million grant received...
Register
SNEC allocating another $1 million to hook up homes to water
By Alex Murray Writer Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC), saying clean water is a basic human right, is spending $1 million in funding from its Indigenous Health Equity Funds to hook up more homes to the community’s new watermain extensions. The funds are on top of the $1 million in Canadian Human Rights Tribunal Prevention funds already earmarked for the project. During SNEC’s March 24 meeting, Councillor Helen Miller moved a multi-million-dollar recommendation from the Built Environment, Climate Adaptation, Lands and Membership Committee to improve the community’s access to clean water. The recommendation looked at both the quality and quantity of water accessible to community members. Previous studies showed wells within Six Nations and ground water had been contaminated. The construction of a water treatment plant and the extension of...
Register
Six Nations Elected Council gets $40,000 toward water lab
Six Nations Mobile Water lab will be getting a $40,000 boost from Sleeman Brewery. The Mobile Water Lab conducts proactive testing of household wells and cisterns. The company made the donation on World Water Day.’ The company is providing the $40,000 donation to the One Drop Foundation through the Sleeman Better Water Fund who brought the proposal forward. A large number of Six Nations households rely on wells or cisterns for their water. Systems that can be vulnerable to contamination. That contamination can be identified only after community members notice a problem. The Mobile Water Lab engages in proactive testing of household wells and cisterns advising on the health of the water and helps ensure clean water for drinking and cooking. . “We were excited to see One Drop Foundation’s...
Register
AFN National Chief and American counterpart sign declaration in Las Vegas
By Sam Laskaris Writer Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak travelled to Las Vegas this week in part to sign an important declaration. The AFN and the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) renewed their commitment to unity, co-operation and mutual support by signing the Declaration of Kinship and Cooperation among the Indigenous Peoples and Nations of North America. Woodhouse Nepinak was joined for the signing ceremony by NCAI president Mark Macarro. The event was held at Caesars Palace on Tuesday and was part of the Reservation Economic Summit. The four-day Summit, which concludes on Thursday, is the largest Native American economic development event on the continent, held annually in Las Vegas. More than 5,000 delegates attended this year’s event. The AFN and NCAI had first...
Register
Human rights tribunal approves massive child welfare deal for Ontario First Nations
By The Canadian Press The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal has approved a landmark First Nations child welfare deal between the federal government and First Nations in Ontario, partially ending a decades-long discrimination case. Monday’s decision comes after chiefs across the country twice voted down a national $47.8 billion deal proposed by the federal government to reform the child welfare system in 2024. The decision marks a step toward resolving a dispute that began in 2007 when the Assembly of First Nations and the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society filed a joint human rights complaint about federal child welfare funding. In a ruling on that complaint in 2016, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal concluded the federal government had discriminated against First Nations children by underfunding the on-reserve child welfare...
Register
Editorial: Just waiting for the audit…
It’s audit time. That arduous time of the year when governments at all levels start the challenge of wading through how public dollars were spent and explaining why. Indigenous governments across the country will put pen to paper to account for millions of dollars in federal and provincial funds and what they did with their community’s own source revenues. It hasn’t come without issues over the years. In March 2026 a forensic audit by KPMG of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations spending found almost $29 million in ineligible or unsupported funding. At the community level bands are required, under the First Nations Financial Transparent Act, to publish audited financial statements within 120 days of the financial year end. And when they do what they find isn’t surprising. Bands are...
Register
Today in History
March 29 In 2016, nine members of one family, including three children under five, died in a house fire on Pikangikum First Nation, a remote northern community near the Manitoba-Ontario border. In 2019, Jody Wilson-Raybould said she took the “extraordinary and otherwise inappropriate step’’ of secretly recording a phone call with the country’s top public servant just before Christmas because she feared the conversation would cross ethical lines and she wanted an exact account of what transpired. An audio recording and transcript of the call with Michael Wernick, then-clerk of the Privy Council, were released publicly in a package of material Wilson-Raybould submitted to the House of Commons justice committee, which was studying whether there was any political interference in a prosecution of Montreal engineering firm SNC-Lavalin. March 30 In...
Register
UNDER THE NORTHERN SKY: Every Step Towards The Future Counts
By Xavier Kataquapit I’m happy to see the ongoing support and assistance in our northern remote communities to help our people cope with so many lifelong and generational issues, trauma and pain that our people carry. It took me many years to understand that these programs or services are not a one-stop service or a single program that will provide instant resolutions or cures for the issues that plague our people. Much of the trauma that our people deal with are issues that affect our communities across generations. These are issues that stem from generations of systemic racism in our northern communities, where being Indigenous was considered something negative to be looked down upon. That culture of looking down on a people is what led to the Residential School system,...
Register
Haudenosaunee Nationals lacrosse program hopeful of Olympic inclusion
By Sam Laskaris Writer Claudia Jimerson is involved in plenty of behind-the-scenes work trying to get the Haudenosaunee Nationals women’s and men’s lacrosse teams to the Los Angeles Olympics. Jimerson, who is the Haudenosaunee Nationals’ director of lacrosse operations, was a featured speaker at a session at this year’s Reservation Economic Summit, which began Monday and continues until Thursday at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. More than 5,000 delegates, primarily from Canada and the United States, have converged for the conference, the largest Native American economic development event, which is annually held in Las Vegas. Jimerson spoke at a Monday session called The Haudenosaunee Journey to the 2028 Olympics. “This is about building something bigger than the moment,” Jimerson said. “It’s about building trust between nations, strengthening relationship and showing...
Register
Hill earns MVP accolade after backstopping Snipers to league championship
By Sam Laskaris Writer The Six Nations Snipers managed to win games when they mattered most. And as a result, members of the local Arena Lacrosse League (ALL) squad are now celebrating their second championship season. The Snipers captured their latest title in convincing fashion, with a lopsided 14-4 victory over the Toronto Monarchs on Sunday. That match was held at the Toronto Rock Athletic Centre in Oakville. The Six Nations club had earned a berth into the championship final thanks to a 19-8 semi-final win over the Whitby Steelhawks one day earlier. The Snipers had only managed to win two of their first seven regular season outings this season. But the club got hot down the stretch and managed to finish the regular season with a .500 record (7-7)....
Register
Ironmen and Killer Bees deadlocked in conference championship series
By Sam Laskaris Writer The Six Nations Ironmen are hoping they’ll be the ones celebrating a conference championship this weekend. The local Senior A men’s club is in the midst of its Northern Premier Hockey League (NPHL) best-of-five Metropolitan Conference championship versus the Alvinston Killer Bees. The host Killer Bees downed the Six Nations squad 4-2 in the series opener on Saturday. But the Ironmen evened up the series thanks to a 4-3 victory in Game 2 on Sunday, in a match staged at the Six Nations Sports & Cultural Memorial Centre. The series will resume on Thursday in Alvinston and the two teams will then square off in Six Nations on Saturday. If necessary, the fifth and deciding match will be in Alvinston on Sunday. Ironmen goaltender Chris Hrabec,...
Register
