Time to rethink the move
Six Nations Elected Council is struggling with its inherited new system of administration. And no one can’t blame them. The names of the departments alone are enough to make one raise an eyebrow never mind figure out what they mean. Add to that the massive addition of new staff and a CEO who inherited a system that no one seems to have ever wanted but seemed to accept since it gave the on leave or former CEO something to do Add to trying to figure out what department does what and who they are the part-time councillors are struggling with the system no one seems to be assured they really understood when they voted it in. Even the staff are still settling in. The new system required the current councillors...
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Third annual Overdose Awareness Day warns fentanyl risk
By Austin Evans Writer The third annual Overdose Awareness Day event showed the support open to Six Nations residents struggling with addiction. Lethal opioid overdoses have become more and more common since 2020. In Ontario deaths increased from 1,554 in 2019 to 2,461 in 2020. Each year from 2021 to 2023 had more deaths from opioid overdoses than 2020. Eve Kahama, manager of the Harm Reduction Action Outreach Program explained the increased presence of fentanyl in other drugs has made overdosing much more common. “It’s pretty high here, but the same thing is echoed everywhere,” she said. “Especially with the toxic drug crisis that we have now, people are seeing fentanyl in their crystal meth, people are seeing fentanyl in their opioids. It makes the risk of overdose quite bad.”...
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Outing a pretendian: How four Métis scholars redefined Indigenous identity policy
By Chelsea Gabel Bobby (Robert) Henry, Caroline Tait and Janet K. Smylie Addressing the pretendian issue in Canada is deeply personal, for us, because we are the academics who uncovered and exposed Carrie Bourassa’s Indigenous identity fraud. We are four Red River Métis scholars who hold Métis citizenship with our familial connections to the Prairies. We are Indigenous health researchers, and our relationship began 20 years ago through the Network Environments for Indigenous Health Research. In 2018, we discovered that Bourassa had fabricated her Métis identity, a deception dating back to her graduate studies at the University of Regina. An anonymous email from a former student exposed inconsistencies in her claims of Métis, Anishinaabe and Tlingit ancestry. Confronting Bourassa led us to investigate further, resulting in a detailed review of...
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Chiefs capture MSL title and right to host Mann Cup championship
By Sam Laskaris Writer The defending Mann Cup champion Six Nations Chiefs have earned the right to defend their national title on their home turf. The Chiefs downed the host Peterborough Lakers 11-8 on Tuesday night. That match was held at the Peterborough Memorial Centre. With that victory the Six Nations squad won its best-of-seven Major Series Lacrosse (MSL) championship final series in six games. More importantly, however, the triumph also earned the Chiefs the opportunity to host this year’s national Senior A championship series. The Western Lacrosse Association (WLA) champion Victoria Shamrocks will provide the opposition in that best-of-seven series, which is expected to start on Sept. 6. All matches will be held at the Chiefs’ home rink, the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena. A full schedule for the series is...
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Chiefs ready to square off against visiting Shamrocks in Mann Cup series
By Sam Laskaris Writer It’s almost time. Members of the Six Nations Chiefs are itching to start defending the national Mann Cup championship that they captured last year. But unlike in 2023 when they travelled to British Columbia, the Chiefs will host all of the games in this year’s best-of-seven national championship series at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena (ILA). The Victoria Shamrocks, who captured the B.C.-based Western Lacrosse Association title this year, will provide the opposition in the series, which begins on Friday night. The opening faceoff for Game 1 is scheduled for 8 p.m.Chiefs’ star goaltender Warren Hill said his teammates are pumped at the prospect of winning this year’s Mann Cup series at home. “Obviously any time you can play in front of friends and family at home...
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Rivermen gain learning experience at Presidents Cup tournament
By Sam Laskaris, Writer The Six Nations Rivermen were unable to bring home any hardware from this year’s Presidents Cup tournament. But Rivermen head coach Wayne Hill deemed his team’s participation in the national Senior B men’s lacrosse championship a success. The seven-team Presidents Cup tournament concluded this past Saturday in Delta, B.C. The Rivermen had earned the right to participate in the event by winning their Ontario Series Lacrosse (OSL) championship. The Six Nations club, however, posted a 2-3-1 round-robin record at the tournament. The Rivermen finished in fifth place in the standings. But only the top four finishers moved on to playoff action and had the opportunity to capture medals. “It was still good,” said Hill, who is also the president of the Rivermen. “It was a good...
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Rivermen upset their protest at Presidents Cup wasn’t heard
By Sam Laskaris Writer The British Columbia-based Ladner Pioneers won their third consecutive national Senior B men’s lacrosse championship this past Saturday. But members of the Six Nations Rivermen, who competed in the Presidents Cup tournament, believe the Pioneers did not play by the rules and should have been disqualified from the Canadian championships. Jeff Powless, a former general manager of the Rivermen who served as a team advisor this season, said the Rivermen did not follow a new rule that stated Senior B clubs could only have a maximum of five players on their roster that had played professionally in the National Lacrosse League this past season. The Ladner roster had five players who were NLL regulars in their lineup at the Presidents Cup tournament. They were Ryan Benesch,...
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Roster of bronze-medal winning Arrows includes four Six Nations members
By Sam Laskaris Writer The Six Nations Rivermen were unable to win a medal at their national Senior B tournament this year. Some Six Nations members, however, did manage to capture some bling at the Presidents Cup tournament, which concluded this past Saturday. The seven-team national tourney was hosted by the Ladner Pioneers in Delta, B.C. The Pioneers won their third consecutive national title, beating the Edmonton Miners 9-2 in the gold-medal contest. Meanwhile, the New York-based Allegany Arrows, whose roster included four Six Nations members, captured the bronze-medal, beating the Cornwall-based Snake Island Muskies 11-8 in the battle for third place. Local members on the Allegany squad were Layne Smith, Daris Anderson, Chase Martin and Jesse Jimerson. While Jimerson has been living in the state of New York for...
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Six Nations Police holding school safety and traffic blitzes
By Austin Evans Writer As another school year begins, the Six Nations Police advise the community to drive safe. Six Nations Police has increased the officers on patrol to monitor traffic during school hours in school zones and the village of Ohsweken. Additionally, school bus drivers have been asked to get the license plates of cars which ignore their stop signs. Any drivers who fail to stop for a school bus face a minimum $490 fine and six demerit points for a first offence. Police Chief Darren Montour said Six Nations Police will continue their heightened traffic monitoring for the first two weeks of the school year. After two weeks, Six Nations Police will release a report on how many traffic stops and charges they made. Speeding in school zones...
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First Nation councillor calls for resignations after teen killed in police shooting
The Canadian Press A band councillor with an Alberta First Nation is calling on two RCMP officers to resign after the shooting death of a 15-year-old boy. Izaiah Swampy Omeasoo of Samson Cree Nation says in an online statement that members of his community are mourning the death of Hoss Lightning. Speaking on behalf of Hoss’s family, he says the presence of the officers poses a “serious danger” to people living near Maskwacis, south of Edmonton. He also called for police reform, Indigenous-focused de-escalation training and greater access to mental health support funding. “We must … come together to stand up against the injustice Indigenous Peoples face (and) the justice Hoss Lightning deserves,” Swampy Omeasoo said. Wetaskiwin RCMP said they received a report Friday about a boy who had called...
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Ahousaht in mourning after two sudden losses, arrest made after fatal incident at residence
By Nora O’Malley & Eric Plummer Local Journalism Initiative Reporters A State of Emergency has been declared in Ahousaht following a heartbreaking weekend of two unexpected deaths in the community. Police are investigating the death of an adult man and Ahousaht leadership has confirmed the tragic passing of a female youth worker. In a statement Sunday, police say Ahousaht RCMP responded to a call on Saturday, Aug. 31 at 6:29 p.m. to a residence on Robinson Avenue. “When police arrived, they saw that BCEHS were on scene providing medical aid to an adult man. He was immediately transported to hospital where he was later pronounced deceased,” said Cpl. Madonna Saunderson in a media release. “A short time later an adult man was arrested in connection with the incident. He has...
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Rivermen upset their protest at Presidents Cup wasn’t heard
By Sam Laskaris Writer The British Columbia-based Ladner Pioneers won their third consecutive national Senior B men’s lacrosse championship this past Saturday. But members of the Six Nations Rivermen, who competed in the Presidents Cup tournament, believe the Pioneers did not play by the rules and should have been disqualified from the Canadian championships. Jeff Powless, a former general manager of the Rivermen who served as a team advisor this season, said the Rivermen did not follow a new rule that stated Senior B clubs could only have a maximum of five players on their roster that had played professionally in the National Lacrosse League this past season. The Ladner roster had five players who were NLL regulars in their lineup at the Presidents Cup tournament. They were Ryan Benesch,...
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Walkers oppose nuclear waste in Northwestern Ontario
By Mike Stimpson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter IGNACE – The fifth annual Walk Against Nuclear Waste concluded on Labour Day morning with about 30 participants from points east and west converging on a patch of land south of Highway 17 between Ignace and Dryden. Approximately 20 protesters began their walk in two groups Sunday morning, one heading east from Wabigoon and the other going west from Ignace. They were joined by about 10 more people along the way. They walked about 20 kilometres on Sunday, were driven to overnight accommodations, and then returned to finish their walks Monday morning, participant Sheila Krahn told Newswatch. “I was very proud of those people that did walk,” said Krahn, who trailed the group from Ignace in an RV. “I’m physically not able to...
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Deadly Shellfish Toxins Hinder Indigenous Food Sovereignty. How to Fix That
By Michelle Gamage The Tyee Local Journalism Initiative Reporter When it’s feeding time, Vancouver Island University biology student Chloe McLaughlin carefully scoops a palm-sized green sea urchin out of a tank. Flipping it upside down, she exposes the creature’s mouth and gently feeds it a biotoxin that is highly poisonous to humans. The biotoxin, also known as paralytic shellfish poison, affects only creatures with central nervous systems, she says. Potentially lethal to humans, it doesn’t hurt sea urchins or other bivalve filter feeders such as oysters, clams, scallops, mussels and cockles. This experiment is part of a larger collaboration between the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Vancouver Island University to improve testing for biotoxins in seafood and ultimately improve food security for remote and Indigenous communities along the coast, says...
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B.C. to open 13 new First Nation primary care clinics, 10 to open this fall
The Canadian Press 03/09/2024 15:22 British Columbia is moving ahead with 13 new First Nations primary care centres in the province, with 10 scheduled to start operating this fall. The province’s First Nations Health Authority and the Health Ministry say in a joint statement that there will be a total of 15 such clinics in B.C. once the 13 new locations are all opened. Health minister Adrian Dix says in a statement that the expanded slate of First Nations primary care clinics is another step in “dismantling and eradicating Indigenous-specific racism from B.C.’s health-care system.” The clinics combine primary care and social services with Indigenous health supports, and officials say they will be operated in partnership with the local First Nations. The 10 facilities scheduled to begin taking patients this...
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Nova Scotia conservation group announces its largest purchase of coastal land
The Canadian Press The Nova Scotia Nature Trust plans to complete its largest acquisition of privately owned coastline by the end of the month. The non-profit conservation group announced Tuesday that it had purchased Cape Negro Island, one of the province’s largest coastal islands at 317 hectares. No financial details were disclosed, but the group confirmed the purchase was made possible by the federal government, the Nova Scotia Crown Share Land Legacy Trust and community donations. As well, the Nova Scotia Nature Trust confirmed it has secured a deal to buy the adjacent Blanche Peninsula. But that deal won’t close until the required funds are raised — a goal the group hopes to reach by Sept. 30. Together, the two properties in Shelburne County amount to 1,034 hectares of coastal...
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NDP to have ‘tough conversations’ about its deal with Liberals at coming retreat: MP Slugline: NDP-Liberals
The Canadian Press The NDP’s supply and confidence deal with the Liberals in Ottawa will get heavy scrutiny when leader Jagmeet Singh meets with his caucus in Montreal next week, with the Liberals’ decision last month to force binding arbitration to end a work stoppage at the country’s major railroads potentially triggering the end of the pact. Liberal House Leader Karina Gould insisted last week that the deal will last until its planned end point next June. However NDP labour critic Matthew Green says the NDP has been re-evaluating the deal after Labour Minister Steve MacKinnon directed the Canada Industrial Relations Board to impose binding arbitration less than 24 hours after Canadian Pacific Kansas City and Canadian National Railway locked out their workers after failing to reach a contract deal...
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Nova Scotia conservation group announces its largest purchase of coastal land
The Canadian Press The Nova Scotia Nature Trust plans to complete its largest acquisition of privately owned coastline by the end of the month. The non-profit conservation group announced Tuesday that it had purchased Cape Negro Island, one of the province’s largest coastal islands at 317 hectares. No financial details were disclosed, but the group confirmed the purchase was made possible by the federal government, the Nova Scotia Crown Share Land Legacy Trust and community donations. As well, the Nova Scotia Nature Trust confirmed it has secured a deal to buy the adjacent Blanche Peninsula. But that deal won’t close until the required funds are raised — a goal the group hopes to reach by Sept. 30. Together, the two properties in Shelburne County amount to 1,034 hectares of coastal...
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Native Centre finds a ‘novel’ way to get kids into reading
By Julia Sacco Local Journalism Initiative Reporter There’s a vending machine at the Niagara Regional Native Centre, but it’s not packed with chips and snacks. This vending machine is filled with books — specifically, Indigenous-authored books, for community members to take home for free. The machine is sponsored by Start2Finish, a Canadian charity that provides educational support to the country’s at-risk children, intending to break the child poverty cycle. The Niagara Regional Native Centre received one of eight book vending machines provided to friendship/cultural centres and schools on Anishinaabe Algonquin, Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, Lūnaapéewak, Attawandaron, Blackfoot Confederacy, Tsuut’ina, Îyâxe Nakoda Nations and Métis Nation lands. Wyller Fushtey, the Native Centre’s Akwe:go program coordinator, controls the book vending machine. “It’s an opportunity for our community to access Indigenous literature by Indigenous authors...
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