Tribal council investing in business, toward economic sovereignty
By Pearl Lorentzen, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Lakeside Leader A tribal council in Northern Alberta is using business investments to help support economic reconciliation and sovereignty for the First Nations it represents. Kee Tas Kee Now Tribal Council (KTC) consists of five First Nations in northern Alberta, in the area north of Lesser Slave Lake. They are Loon River First Nation, Lubicon Lake Band, Peerless Trout First Nation, Whitefish Lake First Nation (#459) and Woodland Cree First Nation. Trevor Thera is KTC’s director of business development and industry relations and president and CEO of KTC Investments Corp. Thera has a background in economic development, specifically helping First Nations groups invest in economic development to generate wealth for the nations. Wealth generation is important for First Nations, he says, because “it’s...
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Haldimand OPP investigating theft of stolen vehicle
HALDIMAND COUNTY, ON -The Haldimand County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) are investigating after a vehicle was stolen from an Argyle Stree, Caledonia address, March 30, 2025 at about 7:30 a.m.. OPP said the vehicle was stolen from the Argyle Street parking lot at about 1 a.m. by unknown individuals. The stolen vehicle is described to be a 2006 grey coloured Chevrolet Trailblazer with Ontario licence plate CWRS 705. If you have information about this investigation, please contact the Haldimand County OPP at 1-888-310-1122. Should you wish to remain anonymous you can leave an online tip at www.helpsolvecrime.com or contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) where you may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $2000. ...
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Brantford commits $1 million to new Woodland Cultural Centre
By Kimberly De Jong, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Brant Beacon BRANTFORD-City of Brantford Council voted in favour of investing an annual contribution of $250,000 over the next four years to the Woodland Cultural Centre’s Dwadę’nyota’ Dwaga:’shǫ:’ǫh “We Celebrate our Stories” capital campaign during its regular Council meeting on Tuesday, March 25, 2025. With the work to restore the former Mohawk Institute Residential School, which was supported by the roughly $25 million raised through the “Save the Evidence” campaign, nearly complete and with a grand opening date set for Tuesday, September 30, 2025, fundraising efforts are now underway to build a new Woodland Cultural Centre (WCC) to go along with it. During the meeting, Heather George, Executive Director of the WCC, presented councillors with some information about the organization itself, the...
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Additional funding avialable to Six Nations organizations
SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND- The Six Nations of the Grand River Economic Development Trust (SNEDT) has an additional $457,944.53 in funding available for community organizations applying for 2025 funding. The SNEDT announced the additional funding Monday April 1, 2025 . SNEDT said the new funding is a result of what it called the annual distributions of “surplus profits” from the Six Nations Grand River Development Corporation (SNGRDC). The funding is available to general applicants only. Information on how to apply is available at www.sixnationsedt.ca . The final application deadline is April 25, 2025, at 4:00pm. Applicant presentations will be made to SNGRDC’s Board of Directors’ EDT Committee on June 14, 2025, in the SNGRDC Boardroom (2498 Chiefswood Road). Since 2016, the EDT has invested over $24 million into the...
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Almost three decades of success in Baker Lake
By Darrell Greer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Kivalliq News Peter’s Expediting Ltd., based in Baker Lake, has been contracted to provide a number of services for Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. in connection with the Meadowbank processing centre and Amaruq gold mine. The company currently provides bus service for weekly crew changes to the local mine site. Its fleet of passenger vans and bus allows it to transport groups of up to 34 passengers for crew changes or community tours. Meadowbank achieved commercial production in March 2010, going on to produce its three millionth ounce of gold in 2018 before ceasing operations in 2019. The support infrastructure and mill facilities at the original site are still being used for supporting the satellite mine at Amaruq. Unless more gold is discovered, Meadowbank...
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Baker Lake set for new $6.35-million daycare
By Darrell Greer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Kivalliq News The news out of Baker Lake put a smile on many a face when it was announced recently that Baker Lake Daycare secured $6.35 million to construct a new daycare for the community. The previous facility was destroyed by fire in 2021. The funding comes from numerous sources, with the Kivalliq Inuit Association (KIA) kicking in a $2.48-million contribution agreement and the Government of Nunavut’s (GN) Early Learning and Child Care program providing an additional $3.46 million. Funding help will also be provided by both Peter’s Expediting Ltd. and Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. Amounts of funding aid from those two sources had not been announced as of press time. The new daycare will accommodate up to 56 children and is expected...
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Feds double loan pool for First Nations infrastructure buy-in
By Sonal Gupta, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer Canada is doubling down on Indigenous-led projects, increasing funding for a federal program that helps finance infrastructure projects like roads, water systems, and stakes in major resource projects. The federal government is boosting its support for the Canada Indigenous Loan Guarantee Corporation to $10 billion. The expansion means First Nations can now get increased funding for infrastructure, transportation and trade initiatives, in addition to energy and natural resource projects. The loan guarantee program is expected to help improve basic municipal services in First Nations communities, such as clean water, sewage treatment, roads, health facilities, and public schools — services other municipalities have had for decades. “First Nations have really gone without for so long that there’s going to be a...
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Man beats up co-worker during New Year’s Eve fireworks show
By Bob Mackin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Prince George Citizen A BC Supreme Court judge in Quesnel reserved sentence for a man who severely injured a younger co-worker at a New Year’s Eve party at their employer’s house. Darcy Larry Edward Penner pleaded guilty Tuesday, April 1 to aggravated assault before Justice Marguerite Church. Church heard an agreed statement of facts that said Penner, who was 37 at the time, punched a 17-year-old in the head around the time that partygoers were enjoying fireworks to ring in 2024. Penner knocked the victim to the ground and repeatedly punched him in the face while he lay on the ground. The victim was bloodied and his jaw broken. The victim admitted that he gave Penner the finger around 11 p.m. and that...
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Transfer of baby eel quota to First Nations was unfair, says federal judge
-CP-A federal judge has ruled that the Fisheries Department failed to properly consult commercial baby eel fishers when it transferred about 14 per cent of their quota to First Nations. The March 28 ruling from Justice Paul Favel says the quota transfer for the 2023 season away from Shelburne Elver Ltd. and South Shore Trading Co. Ltd. was “procedurally unfair.” The lucrative fishery in Maritime rivers has been the source of tension as prices in recent years have ranged between $3,000 and $5,000 per kilogram for the tiny eels — called elvers — which are shipped to Asia. Favel says the federal Fisheries Department didn’t engage enough with the two commercial licence holders before it cut their quotas for the 2023 elver season. Brian Giroux, a fisher with Shelburne Elver...
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Six Nations’ Norma General Lickers receives Coronation Medal
By Joshua Santos Writer A Six Nations elder and former Justice of the Peace has been recognized for her lifelong dedication to uplifting Indigenous women in the community. Norma General Lickers was awarded the inaugural King Charles III Coronation Medal. She said she was speechless when she received a call about the award. “It was overwhelming where I didn’t say anything,” said Lickers. “I couldn’t speak. I wasn’t expecting anything like that.” The King Charles III Coronation Medal, created to mark His Majesty’s Coronation on May 6, 2023, honours individuals across Canada for their contributions. Recipients embody service, diversity and environmental stewardship, according to a news release from the Ontario Native Women’s Association (ONWA). “This medal is about recognizing the significant difference you make in your communities,” said Ingrid Green,...
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Kanesatake grand chief removed, Commission rules
By Marcus Bankuti, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Following an Ethics Commission hearing requested – and boycotted – by Victor and Valerie Bonspille, a ruling has been rendered: the pair have vacated their positions on the Mohawk Council of Kanesatake (MCK) and no longer hold political office. “It goes to show that in Kanesatake, even though sometimes it’s hard to enforce, the law still applies,” said MCK chief Brant Etienne. However, Victor Bonspille still claims the title of MCK grand chief, insisting the hearing was illegitimate. “We were elected by you the people and you the people are the only authority that can remove (me) from my elected position. Let’s push for a general election and get rid of these dictators who refuse to recognize your voice,” wrote Victor on social...
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Gathering space for families at Brantford Hospital
Six Nations families now have access to gathering space at the Brantford General Hospital, while council looks outward to help businesses and use community statistics. Councillor Greg Frazer, chair of the Unity Building & External Government Relations & Justice Committee gave an update to Six Nations Elected Council at the General Council meeting on March 11 and said he attended the hospital’s grand re-opening of the newly renovated space last week. “It is a culturally appropriate gathering place for our members. It’s on the first floor, it’s well decorated and will supply a little solace for families. We do have big families, we do visit families can have a little Indigenous space for us to gather and relax. They are also saying food may be provided as well,” he said....
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Six Nations investment in infrastructure coming
Six Nations plans to invest in infrastructure heavily over the next several months. Councillor Dayle Bomberry updated Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) on up coming projects including capital projects aimed at improving community infrastructure. He told SNEC’s General Council meeting on March 25, 2025, projects included the hospice, a long-term care facility, a library/archival building, and an interim health facility. He emphasized coordinating these developments to address critical infrastructure needs as a whole including water, wastewater and hydro services for the future. “Coordination is key; we need to align these projects with community needs and infrastructure systems such as water and wastewater,” Bomberry said. Councillor Bomberry, chair of the Built Environment, Climate Adaptation, Lands and Membership Committee, highlighted the importance of managing and coordinating the projects effectively to ensure proper...
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SNEC working to update and secure its data
Six Nations is working toward controlling itso wn data to make decisions for the future. Councillor Dean Hill, chair of the newly established Data Governance Committee, provided the first update on the committee’s progress at the Six Nations Elected Council’s (SNEC) General Council meeting on March 25. Hill, alongside Executive Director of Data and Insights Zach Miller, emphasized the importance of data governance in the community’s future. Hill said the committee’s primary goal is to ensure that all data related to Six Nations’ territory and community remains secure and is only accessible to the community itself. “The security of our data is crucial, as data is the currency of the future. It gives us the power to make decisions, and it’s important that we stay on top of these matters...
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Sexual assault trial for Lake St. Martin First Nation chief begins in Winnipeg
By Brittany Hobson The trial for a First Nations chief in Manitoba who is accused of sexual assault has begun in Winnipeg. Christopher Traverse, who was the leader of Lake St. Martin First Nation at the time of his arrest last year, pleaded not guilty to sexual assault, sexual interference and child pornography Monday (March 13) morning in provincial court. Court heard from the complainant who was eight-years-old at the time of the alleged offences. In a video statement played in court, the girl claimed Traverse forced her into a bathroom in his home in Winnipeg in December 2023, took photos of her and sexually assaulted her. Investigators became aware of the allegations after the girl’s mother found one of the photos on the girl’s cellphone and reported it to...
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Trump’s tariffs will hit close to home
Imagine, if you can, deciding a decade ago to launch a business in your Indigenous community. Or even today. A chance to work within the community whether its construction to farming to retail to wholesaling. It’s yours and you get to work in your home community. A business that for some may be coming to an end…thanks to Trump’s tariffs. Trump’s tariffs are going to make life difficult not just for Canadians country wide but take a moment to image what it will do to Indigenous people. There isn’t a business owner anywhere that doesn’t fear a recession hitting or a trade war. Now take that fear and multiply it when it comes to Indigenous business. Indigenous people are launching businesses at five times the rate of non-Indigenous people in...
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Today in history
April 1 In 1999, dignitaries including Prime Minister Jean Chretien and Gov. Gen. Romeo LeBlanc dined on muskox, whale skin, Arctic char and raw seal to celebrate the creation of Nunavut in the eastern Arctic. Canada’s third territory gave the Inuit title to an area more than five times the size of Alberta. In 2011, five tiny First Nations on Vancouver Island began new chapters in their collective histories, when a land-claims treaty that took almost 20 years to negotiate took effect. In addition to 24,550 hectares and resource and program payments, it gave powers of self-government, including taxation rights, to the bands representing about 2,500 people near the communities of Bamfield, Port Alberni, Campbell River and Ucluelet. In 2019, a new scientific report from Environment and Climate Change Canada...
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UNDER THE NORTHERN SKY: Goodbye To The Hudson Bay Company
By Xavier Kataquapit The historic Hudson Bay Company has been diminished and the company is on its way to becoming lost to the history books. Starting this past month in March 2025, the company filed for creditor protection which forced it to liquidate all of its stores across the country except for six key flagship stores in major cities including the historic flagship location on Yonge Street in downtown Toronto. As an Indigenous person, who grew up in the shadow of this all consuming company in my home community of Attawapiskat, I am happy to see it disappear from the landscape. To many Canadians, the HBC conjures up nostalgic images of Hudson Bay blankets, Canadian store fronts and an historic name that occupied the history of Canada since before the...
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Six Nations Fire preparing for second season of operations
By Sam Laskaris Writer Representatives of the Six Nations Fire are confident things will be much better for the organization as it gears up for its second season. The Fire was an expansion entry in the First Nations Junior B Lacrosse League last season. The local club was the only Canadian entry in the league, which also included five American teams. “It should be smoother for us this year,” said Fire head coach Johnny Powless, who was a former junior and pro star player himself. The three others on the Fire coaching staff have also played in the professional National Lacrosse League. Powless’ brother Marshall will handle the Fire offence. Leo Stouros is in charge of the squad’s defence. And Nolan Clayton is the club’s goalie coach, who will also...
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