Tomahawks register four victories at season-opening tournament in Brampton
By Sam Laskaris Writer The Six Nations Tomahawks made it clear that they will be one of the contenders this season in Ontario’s Senior Series Lacrosse. The Tomahawks, one of eight Senior C men’s team competing in the provincial circuit, won all four of their matches this past weekend at the season-opening tournament in Brampton. Instead of participating in league action, the entrants in the senior loop, a moniker which is misleading since it features players aged 22 and up, compete in four tournaments during the year before taking part in their provincial championships. “Not to sound cocky and confident but I was expecting us to come out of the weekend 4-0,” said Jay Smith, the Tomahawks’ head coach and general manager. Smith had founded the club in 2019. He...
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Winnipeg set to host 20th anniversary edition of National Aboriginal Hockey Championships
By Sam Laskaris Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Jeff Spencer is counting down the days. Spencer is the chair of the hockey committee for the Aboriginal Sport Circle (ASC), the national governing body for Indigenous athletics. The ASC annually organizes the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships (NAHC), which attracts elite Indigenous players, both female and male, representing their provinces, territories and regions. This year’s event begins this Sunday, May 7, and continues until May 13 in Winnipeg. All matches will be staged at the Seven Oaks Sportsplex. This marks the 20th time the national tournament, featuring many of the country’s top Indigenous teenage players, has been held. The first tournament was in 2002 at Akwesasne, Ont. The tourney should have actually celebrated its 20th anniversary a couple of years ago. But because...
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Miller leads Rivermen to victory with five-goal performance against North Stars
By Sam Laskaris Writer Following a five-year hiatus Danton Miller is once again having an impact with the Six Nations Rivermen. Miller was one of the key offensive players for the local Senior B lacrosse club during the 2018 season. But he tore some tendons in his left foot that season, forcing him to stop playing the sport until he was healthier. The 27-year-old is just returning to the sport now. And Miller is proving he still has quite the offensive touch. Miller earned four points (two goals and two assists) in Six Nations’ season-opening 15-6 victory over the Clearview Crushers back on Apr. 29. Miller also had a game-high five goals leading the Rivermen to a 12-10 triumph over the Owen Sound North Stars this past Saturday, in a...
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Brandon Montour shining for surprising Panthers: ‘I just wanted to run with it
By Joshua Clipperton THE CANADIAN PRESS TORONTO-Brandon Montour unloaded a one-timer and watched the puck hit the back of the net before dropping to one knee and sweeping his glove over the ice in celebration. The third-period goal on a delayed penalty took the air out of Scotiabank Arena and gave his Florida Panthers breathing room on the way to a 4-2 victory in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series against the Toronto Maple Leafs. For anyone not paying attention this season, Montour stepping up in a key moment has become the norm. The 29-year-old defenceman nearly doubled his career high with 73 points in 2022-23 after finally getting the chance to play a bigger role in his eighth NHL campaign. Largely a third-pair blueliner until this past fall,...
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Powless accepts scholarship offer to play lacrosse at Iowa’s Clarke University
By Sam Laskaris Writer As it turns out Six Nations’ Dougie Powless is not finished his collegiate lacrosse career just yet. Powless had spent the past couple of years playing field lacrosse for the Herkimer Generals, a junior college team based in the state of New York. Powless was scheduled to write his final Herkimer exam on Monday before returning to his Ohsweken home. But it was announced this past week that Powless will be continuing on with his academic/athletic careers south of the border. That’s because he has accepted an offer to play at Iowa’s Clarke University. He plans to major in History while also suiting up for the school’s lacrosse squad. The Clarke Pride lacrosse team competes in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Powless said he...
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Chasing Horse asks Nevada high court to toss sex abuse case
By Rio Yamat THE ASSOCIATED PRESS LAS VEGAS (AP)- A “Dances With Wolves” actor charged with sexually abusing Indigenous women and girls for more than a decade has asked Nevada’s high court to toss his sweeping indictment in state court. Nathan Chasing Horse and his lawyers have argued that his accusers wanted to have sex with him. The 46-year-old’s appeal to the state Supreme Court, filed Tuesday, marks his latest attempt to get his case dismissed as he remains jailed in Las Vegas on charges that could send him to prison for decades, or life, if convicted. “Nathan is pursuing this extraordinary writ because the trial court refused to dismiss the charges contained within the indictment in this case,” Deputy Clark County Public Defender Kristy S. Holston wrote in an...
Senate inquiry to highlight Indigenous contribution to Canada’s economy
By Shari Narine Local Journalism Initiative Reporter An inquiry launched May 3 by independent Saskatchewan Senator Marty Klyne aims to bring attention to Indigenous-owned and -controlled businesses across Canada. Klyne identifies as Cree Metis and is a member of Little Black Bear’s Band of Cree & Assiniboine Nations. He says that through a series of success stories shared in the Senate, he wants the private sector and Canadians at large to understand the impact Indigenous businesses have on the Canadian economy and be aware of the social contributions they make both locally and nationally. A recent report from the National Indigenous Procurement Working Group indicates 50,000 Indigenous-owned companies in Canada contribute up to $30 billion each year to the economy. A report undertaken by the Senate Prosperity Action Group in...
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Indigenous guardians help restore nature and community
By Mia Rabson THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA- On the shores of the eastern arm of Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories, Iris Catholique and the Ni Hat’ni Dene Indigenous Guardians have spent several years watching the ice take longer and longer to form every winter. It’s another sign of climate change and the changing environment in the north, and one more thing they are keeping track of as the group tasked with conserving both their traditions and their lands. “We call it ‘Dene Chanie’ and that means who we are, our way of life,” said Catholique. The Ni Hat’ni Dene program is one of 150 different Indigenous Guardians programs that have blossomed in the last five years. First Nations account for 120 of those, while Inuit and Metis communities...
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Alberta wildfires push thousands of Indigenous people from their homes
By Shari Narine Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Metis Settlement General Council President Dave Lamouche is on his way to East Prairie Metis Settlement to “see the devastation,” he told Windspeaker.com this afternoon. The community was caught between two fires and evacuated late Friday. About 500 to 600 people made their way to High Prairie. About 40 structures have been lost, said Lamouche. “Sheds, farms and stuff like that.” Some community members have remained behind to help with firefighting efforts, said Lamouche. On Sunday, East Prairie Metis Settlement was joined by Gift Lake Metis Settlement in declaring local states of emergency. Gift Lake Metis Settlement has not evacuated, said Lamouche, but the communities of Gift Lake and Whitefish Lake First Nation (Atikameg) have been without electricity and water since Friday. Whitefish...
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‘Challenging time’: Alberta wildfire evacuees to get financial aid, military to help
EDMONTON-The Alberta government promised financial aid Monday to people forced from their homes by wildfires that continue to threaten many areas of the province. The province also asked the federal government for help, and Premier Danielle Smith said military personnel would be deployed to prevent looting and maintain order in evacuated communities. “There is no question that this is a challenging time,” Smith said. “Tens of thousands of people have been forced from their homes and their jobs. They’re leaving behind all they own.” Close to 100 fires remained active Monday during an unusually early and intense fire season. So far this year, 405 wildfires have burned nearly 400,000 hectares, according to the latest data available on the Alberta government’s website. Last year at this time, 180 fires had burned...
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Indigenous missing person cases get researchers’ attention
By Susan Montoya Bryan THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)- A New Mexico task force charged with addressing missing person cases involving Native Americans is teaming up with researchers in Nebraska on a data collection project that they hope will begin to close the gaps when it comes to tracking cases and their outcomes nationwide. The goal of the federally funded effort is to better define the scope of what many experts and activists have referred to as a “silent crisis.” The work began last week, said Melody Delmar, special projects coordinator with the New Mexico Indian Affairs Department. One of the challenges for policymakers across Indian Country has been the lack of a consistent and sustainable system for reporting and tracking such cases. Researchers at the University of Nebraska-Omaha...
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Fort Albany Chief says flood protections are falling short
By Amanda Rabski-McColl Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Fort Albany Chief Elizabeth Kataquapit says the dykes that are supposed to protect the community are falling apart. The dykes that are meant to protect the coastal community from flooding are in disrepair, and leadership in the community says the federal government has not taken steps to address the issue. “The causeway between the mainland and Sinclair Island has been down almost since it was constructed,” said Kataquapit. She said the dyke between Sinclair Island and Anderson Island was also breached last year and leadership has been patching it up as best they can since then. “It’s still there, but the water went over the dyke and it caused damage,” she said. “Community leadership put gravel on it and rebuilt it last year.”...
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North Dakota governor signs law protecting tribal adoptions
By Trisha Ahmed THE ASSOCIATED PRESS North Dakota’s Republican Gov. Doug Burgum has signed a bill into law to protect tribal cultures by codifying the federal Indian Child Welfare Act into state law, Burgum’s office announced Monday. The federal Indian Child Welfare Act, enacted in 1978, gives preference to Native American families in foster care and adoption proceedings of Native children. Also known by the acronym ICWA, it was created in response to the alarming rate at which Native American and Alaska Native children were taken from their homes by public and private agencies. Several other states, including Montana, Wyoming and Utah, have considered codifying the act this year, as the U.S. Supreme Court considers a challenge to the federal law. A handful of white families have claimed the law...
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An intervenors’ hearing in the Six Nations Elected Council’s land rights case to re-start today
By Lynda Powless Editor The Haudenosaunee Development Institute (HDI), Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) legal team and other intervenors into the multi- billion dollar land rights case will all be back in a Toronto courtroom Tuesday, May 9 to begin the main intervenor hearing after a case conference failed to reach a resolution on outstanding issues Monday (May 8). The HDI had requested the case conference with all parties in a move to try to resolve “some or all of the issues before the court.” Monday’s discussions and negotiations were adjourned to Tuesday (May 9) for the main intervenor hearing. However, negotiations and discussions could still continue to try to settle some of the outstanding issues. One of those issues may be the terms that could lead to the Confederacy having...
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Ottawa Inuit call for end to violence at Red Dress Day vigil
By Jeff Pelletier Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The message was clear Friday when members of Ottawa’s Inuit community gathered to mark the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit people: The violence must end. At least 60 people assembled at Annie Pootoogook Park in Ottawa’s Sandy Hill neighbourhood for an afternoon vigil to mark what is more commonly referred to as Red Dress Day. The event was organized by Tungasuvvingat Inuit, and it featured political speakers, drumming and throat singing. Mikka Komaksiutiksak, an organizer of TI’s Arsaniq safe space program for 2SLGBTQIA+ Inuit in Ottawa, echoed what MPs said this week, calling violence against Indigenous women and girls an epidemic that needs to be stopped. “We come here to honour those people in our...
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HDI/HCCC seeks to resolve issues surrounding HDI intervention in Six Nations billion dollar land rights suit
By Lynda Powless Editor An intervenor hearing, on Six Nations Elected Council’s (SNEC) massive land rights case, scheduled to start Monday, has been delayed for 24 hours, after the Haudenosaunee Development Institute requested a case management conference . The request came after court filings showed Ontario lawyers tried to remove both the HDI and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council (HCCC) from the action while Canada supported their presence. After receiving the filings, Gilbert Law, on behalf of the HDI, (HCCC) asked the judge for a case management conference. “We, on behalf of HDI, had written the judge to ask that a case management conference be held, to at a minimum, address timing issues with the motion and secondly to see if the court could assist in resolving some or all...
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Parts of Grand Forks, B.C. under evacuation order as floodwaters rise across Interior
GRAND FORKS, B.C.- The threat of flooding throughout British Columbia’s Interior continued to spread Saturday as a combination of warm weather and rain drove higher flows in rivers and streams, putting several communities and their residents in harm’s way. According to the province’s River Forecast Centre, about half of B.C. is under flood watches, warnings or advisories. Three regions, Boundary, Cache Creek and Whiteman Creek in the Okanagans, are under active flood warnings. The Regional District of Kootenay Boundary was the busiest region in terms of flood activity Saturday, with the City of Grand Forks declaring a state of local emergency and issuing mandatory evacuation orders for 40 properties in and around the community. Grand Forks, located about 530 kilometres east of Vancouver, has also added 10 properties on the...
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Alberta declares state of emergency due to fires, more than 24,000 out of homes
CALGARY- Alberta declared a state of emergency Saturday due to the growing threat of wildfires that have forced more than 24,000 people from their homes. Premier Danielle Smith said the safety of Albertans is a priority, and the emergency status gives the government greater power to access emergency funds and mobilize additional support. “This is not a step that we took lightly,” Smith told a news conference following a meeting of her emergency management cabinet committee. “But it’s one that will allow the quickest and most effective response.” More than a dozen communities and rural areas have been evacuated in recent days. Officials said there were 110 wildfires burning in the province, with about three dozen considered out of control, as of late Saturday afternoon. Some buildings have been destroyed,...
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Trudeau, Simon take in pageantry of Britain’s first coronation in 70 years
By Morgan Lowrie THE CANADIAN PRESS LONDON- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Gov. Gen Mary Simon were among the dignitaries on hand as King Charles III was crowned at London’s Westminster Abbey on Saturday, marking the formal celebration of the start of his reign as King and his role as Canada’s head of state. The coronation was a two-hour traditional Anglican ceremony that combined ancient traditions and pomp and pageantry with a few modern touches. More than a dozen Canadians were among the ceremony’s guests of about 2,000. People in the crowd ranged from world leaders and aristocrats to community workers and first responders. A drizzle fell as the Canadian delegation entered the church, led by flag-bearer and astronaut Jeremy Hansen. Indigenous leaders were also on the Canadian guest list,...
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More needs to be done to keep Indigenous women, girls safe: Southern Chiefs’ Grand Chief
By Dave Baxter Local Journalism Initiative Reporter As Canada marked Red Dress Day, a Manitoba Grand Chief called on all levels of government to do more to keep Indigenous women and girls safe in Manitoba, and across Canada. “It is essential that governments of all levels work with First Nations on an urgent basis on this issue, as it is indeed a national emergency,” Southern Chiefs’ Organization Grand Chief Jerry Daniels said in a Friday media release. Daniels released that statement on Friday, as May 5 is Red Dress Day in Canada, a National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit People, and a day that Daniels said holds a lot of meaning in Winnipeg, and across this province. “Manitoba is ground zero when it...
