Sun shines on Bread and Cheese
Six Nations marks 160 years of celebrating Bread and Cheese Day By Alex Murray Writer Not even the scorchingly hot temperatures could keep Six Nations community members from showing up in the thousands to enjoy the midway rides and food vendors and most of all the Bread and Cheese at the 160th annual Bread and Cheese Day celebrations on Victoria Day Monday. The biggest draw of course was the Bread and Cheese giveaway inside Six Nations Sports and Cultural Memorial Centre. Six Nations elder Gerard Roberts, who said the early bird catches the worm, was among the first in line, arriving at 9am on the holiday Monday for noon give-away. Roberts was even able to find a wedding anniversary gift for his wife at the festival while friends held his...
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Mississaugas of Credit First Nation taking feds to court
Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation-The Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation (MCFN) wants to know how much money the federal government is spending to fight First Nations seeking increased education funding for their children. And they are going to go to court to find out. MCFN launched a launched a Federal Court application last week that could force Canada to release records detailing how much public money has been spent fighting against increased education funding for First Nations children. The move came after Canada refused to disclose records related to its legal costs in ongoing litigation concerning equitable education funding for First Nations students. MCFN maintains that the federal government is legally required to release the information under federal access to information laws. “Canadians deserve transparency from their government,”...
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Six Nations Elected council donation policy more “bureaucratic”
Six Nations passed a draft policy aimed at formalizing how funding requests over $15,000 are evaluated and approved. Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) approved the new Community Strategic Investment Fund policy and application framework during its May 12th meeting . The policy is designed to standardize how community funding requests are evaluated, scored and administered. . The recommendation came from the Finance Committee. Committee Chair Aaina VanEvery said. Councillor VanEvery presented the policy and said she had circulated the policy previously and received no feedback. “It’s now or never,” she said. VanEvery told council the policy was developed to address long-standing challenges in how funding requests are received and processed. She said that applications have often arrived “haphazardly and sometimes without the information,” creating what she described as “a lot...
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Indigenous Worldview Is “Foundational” In Creation of Toronto’s New Ookwemin Minising Island Project
By Alex Murray Writer “Foundational.” That’s how Metis architect Terence Radford describes the influence of Indigenous knowledge and worldviews on Waterfront Toronto’s new Ookwemin Minising Island project. “My position on this is, it’s foundational. Indigenous peoples have been on this land since time immemorial and are the original caretakers and stewards. And as a landscape architect, my practice involves working with the land,” Radford told Turtle Island News. Radford is the principal landscape architect and founder of Trophic Design, an Indigenous firm that is serving as the local landscape architect and Indigenous design advisor for the island’s design. The island’s name means “place of the black cherry trees” in Anishinaabemowin and was determined through a process led by the City of Toronto’s Indigenous Affairs office. Previously called Villiers Island, it...
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Six Nations woman details community projects at data sovereignty conference
By Sam Laskaris Writer Rachel VanEvery is doing her best to ensure Six Nations is not being exploited by others. VanEvery, a Six Nations member, is currently serving as the acting director of data, analytics and insights for the First Nation. She also serves as the community research co-ordinator and the secretary for the Six Nations Research Ethics Committee. VanEvery was in Toronto this past week as she was a speaker at the Chiefs of Ontario Powering Up Data Sovereignty conference. The three-day event, which ran May 12-14, was staged at the Chelsea Hotel. VanEvery was a panelist for an opening-day session titled Community-Level Initiatives: Challenges, Solutions and Innovations. During her presentation she told conference attendees about the work local research ethics committee has done developing capacity in the community....
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Editorial: Bureaucratic management has descended
Six Nations Elected Council has become, well, simply put, just too bureaucratic. That is, the councillors themselves appear to be creating more bloat and are making following the still newly created administrative procedures a priority and forgetting about common sense. The ballooning bureaucracy created by the past council and supported by the current one is in fact changing the council itself from community representatives to elected bureaucratic managers. Case in point. SNEC recently decided to take a look at their community funding policy. A policy aimed at cutting out the red tape in helping community groups get projects off the ground or simply keep running. Unfortunately, in cutting that red tape, they lengthened it. Let’s start with the name. Instead of a simple community donation fund we now have the...
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Today in History
May 17 In 2013, Elijah Harper, the Cree politician who clutched an eagle feather as he blocked the Meech Lake constitutional accord in 1990 and led Canadian indigenous people into a new era, died of cardiac failure due to diabetes complications. He was 64. May 19 In 1996, the RCMP stormed an armed barricade to end a five-week standoff at the Waterhen native reserve in Manitoba. Thirty-two people were arrested. May 20 In 2021, Nunavut’s sole MP said she would not seek re-election. New Democrat Mumilaaq Qaqqaq said after weeks of reflection and consultation with friends and family that she had decided not to run for a second term. The 27-year-old said federal institutions like the House of Commons are not easily changed and that governments fail to help Indigenous...
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Rivermen win third consecutive game
By Sam Laskaris Writer The Six Nations Rivermen are still undefeated this season thanks to a third-period rally in their latest outing this past Saturday. The Rivermen eked out a 9-8 victory over the visiting Hamilton Bengals in an Ontario Series Lacrosse contest held at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena (ILA). Six Nations trailed by a pair of goals, 8-6, heading into the third and final period of Saturday’s outing. The Rivermen managed to score three goals in the final 20 minutes while Six Nations goaltender Sam Forbes, who was making his first start of the season, prevented the Bengals from scoring any further goals. Ross Hill scored the game-winning goal with under three minutes remaining in the contest. “It felt good to get the game winner at the end there,”...
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Ironmen struggle at The Freddy
By Sam Laskaris Writer The Six Nations Ironmen were hoping that this would be the year that they win a national championship. But they did not come close to fulfilling their goals. In fact, the Ironmen failed to even win a game at this year’s Fred Sasakamoose Chief Thunderstick National Hockey Championship. The tournament, often simply called The Freddy, is annually held in Saskatoon and features the top Indigenous men’s and women’s clubs from across the country. The Ironmen came close to winning the tourney in 2024, losing out in the championship final. The squad also fared well in its four other appearances prior to this year. But the Ironmen were eliminated from The Freddy at the 2026 event, which wrapped up on Sunday, after losing all three of their...
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Mount Stewart Consolidated celebrates Bear Witness Day
By Pratik Bhattarai, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eastern Graphic Around 200 students at Mount Stewart Consolidated School celebrated Bear Witness Day on May 8 to honour an Indigenous child, Jordan River Anderson, who died at five. Anderson died after the federal government and Manitoba government argued over who was going to take care of his medical bills while he was in the hospital for two years. He died in 2005. “He never made it home to live with his family. And because of this, Jordan’s principle, named after him, was created to ensure that First Nation children across the country are treated equally. Something like that just wouldn’t happen if Jordan wasn’t a First Nation child,” said Susie Pendleton, who’s the First Nation support staff for the school. Jordan’s...
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CBC pausing production on satirical Indigenous show amid claims false pretences lured guests
By The Canadian Press staff The CBC is pausing production on a satirical show on Indigenous issues after blowback from some who claimed false pretences were used to lure high-profile guests. CBC spokesperson Chuck Thompson says the public broadcaster is halting production on “Northland Tales” to ensure it doesn’t negatively affect the news brand and so existing footage can be assessed. Several current and former Conservative politicians have gone on social media to denounce the production of the show, which was being produced for CBC and APTN. The show is described by the Indigenous Screen Office – which works to increase Indigenous media representation using federal funding – as a satire program meant to “flip the script” on modern and historical injustices against Indigenous Peoples. Conservatives are questioning why CBC...
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Washing ceremony marks settlement of Canadian Tire racial profiling complaint
By Ashley Joannou and Darryl Greer Dawn Wilson gestures towards representatives from Canadian Tire and Blackbird Security during a Heiltsuk Nation during a washing ceremony in Vancouver, on Tuesday, ...
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Marathon port project gets $2 million from FedNor
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, SNnewswatch.com MARATHON — The Town of Marathon’s ambition to build a new commercial port took a big step forward Tuesday with a $2-million funding announcement by local MP Patty Hajdu, Mayor Rick Dumas said. Hajdu, the Liberal MP for Thunder Bay-Superior North and minister responsible for FedNor, announced the funding to help restore a port to Marathon in a news conference at the Lakeview Community Hall. “Major infrastructure projects like the Port of Marathon play a key role in strengthening local economies, connecting communities and creating opportunities for Northern Ontarians,” she said. “Today’s announcement supports local businesses and natural resource development, while delivering lasting economic benefits. It is about building a stronger, more resilient Canada, now and for the future.” The Peninsula Harbour...
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Youth suicide prevention shouldn’t hinge on a ride to the city — cabinet minister
By George Lee, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Macleod Gazette No matter how rural, remote, complex or demanding their homelives are, youths at risk of suicide should be able to find support when and where they need it. That ideal underpins a $2-million grant program accepting applications until June 1, Alberta Minister of Children and Family Services Searle Turton told The Macleod Gazette. Myriad programs and options for youth are at most a bus ride away in the big city. But that isn’t true in Fort Macleod, Pincher Creek or “in my neck of the woods,” said Turton, the UCP member representing Spruce Grove-Stony Plain. “The last thing I want to hear about is someone that’s going through their darkest day and they don’t know where to turn to for...
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Moose Hide Campaign Day sparks conversations about Indigenous men, their roles in the community
By Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Energeticcity.ca FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — As he stood speaking to the crowd gathered at Fort St. John’s Festival Plaza, John Lambert spoke candidly about being a young boy in Oliver, B.C. and his introduction to domestic violence. “I can remember my father chasing my mother down the stairs,” said Lambert, an Indigenous man whose band roots are near Fort St. James. “I still remember her running down the stairs, screaming, running into the street, calling for the police to be called. They were, and Dad was subsequently arrested.” “The majority of assaults against women today are done by First Nations people, by our own people. Now ask: how did we get here? How did we go from a culture that didn’t even hit our...
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Three-week break ahead for Geraldton gas pumps, closest station 35 km away at Long Lake #58 First Nation
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, SNnewswatch.com GERALDTON — Gas pumps in Greenstone’s most populous community will be unavailable for three weeks beginning Monday, May 25. But Iqbal Singh, manager of Wayne’s Esso in Geraldton, says the station’s convenience store will remain open during that time. “Only the gas station will be closed as we will be renovating the gas pumps and (replacing) the tanks,” he told Newswatch on Tuesday. The nearest gas station is about 35 kilometres away in Long Lake #58 First Nation, and there’s one a little farther away in Longlac. Another gas station is in Rocky Bay (Biinjitiwaabik Zaaging Anishinaabek), about 100 km from Geraldton. Singh said customers have said they wish the gas bar could remain open during renos “but they think they can...
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Alberta NDP says last-minute petition meeting may signal referendum vote
By Lisa Johnson Alberta’s Opposition says the decision by Premier Danielle Smith’s United Conservatives to schedule a last-minute committee meeting suggests the government might be looking for a new way to get a separation question on a fall referendum. A bipartisan legislature committee headed up by the UCP is to meet Wednesday to discuss a pro-Canada petition put forward by former deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk. Lukaszuk gathered more than 400,000 names to force either a legislature vote or a provincewide referendum on keeping Alberta in Canada. The committee has been discussing what to do with his petition. Lukaszuk has said he wants a legislature vote, not a referendum. Smith and her UCP members of the committee have argued that Albertans who signed Lukaszuk’s petition believed they were demanding a referendum...
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Agnico Eagle’s $3.3B Hope Bay mine moving ahead
By Arty Sarkisian, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunatsiaq News Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. is moving ahead with its third gold mine in Nunavut — the Hope Bay gold complex, located 150 kilometres southwest of Cambridge Bay. The board has approved a $3.3-billion investment to develop the site, with “initial production” starting as early as 2030, according to a company news release. “This includes the core infrastructure needed to build and operate safely and reliably in Nunavut,” said CEO Ammar Al-Joundi during Tuesday’s ceremony at the Hope Bay site. Among other upgrades, the work may include building a high capacity processing facility, a 37-megawatt power plant with heat recovery, water management infrastructure and fuel and logistics systems, he said. Once finished, Hope Bay could produce 400,000 to 435,000 ounces of gold...
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Funding boost for adult education evokes emotional response
By Maggie Macintosh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Winnipeg Free Press Tears of joy were shed on Tuesday as mature students, teachers and government leaders gathered to celebrate a multimillion-dollar boost for adult education in Manitoba. The 2026-27 earmarks $24.9 million to help adults with interrupted schooling upskill and complete their Grade 12 or equivalency education. It includes $2.5 million in new funding — 10 times the top-up announced in the last budget. Advanced Education and Training Minister Renée Cable called Manitoba’s adult learning centres and literacy programs “a forgotten piece of the puzzle.” Kindergarten-to-Grade 12 and post-secondary institutions have long overshadowed these key programs, Cable said. “We need to make sure that, where K to 12 hasn’t been as successful as it ought to have been — maybe it wasn’t...
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Washing ceremony marks settlement of Canadian Tire racial profiling complaint
By Ashley Joannou and Darryl Greer The sounds of Indigenous drums and song bounced off the walls of an East Vancouver banquet hall Tuesday evening as members of British Columbia’s Heiltsuk Nation gathered for a traditional washing ceremony years in the making. Dawn Wilson and her father Richard filed a human rights complaint against Canadian Tire and security company Blackbird Security over a racial profiling incident at a store in Coquitlam. Canadian Tire acknowledged its former employee contravened the human rights code against racial profiling and discrimination when they searched Richard Wilson’s bag in 2020. The ceremony, held at the Croatian Cultural Centre on Commercial Drive, drew dozens to take part in the cultural healing process. Dawn Wilson thanked representatives of both companies for showing up. “We wholeheartedly forgive everything...
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