Six Nations Fall Fair gets $120,000 boost from community’s OFNLP gaming funds
Six Nations’ 155th annual Fall Fair will receive more than $100,000 from elected council, a donation Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) hopes will smooth over some community member’s frustrations with the bande’s new governance structure, a structure being blamed for an increase in closed SNEC meetings. SNEC approved a motion from the Community Committee to donate $120,000 to the Six Nations Agricultural Society (SNAG) for the Fall Fair at its General Finance meeting on June 17. Councillor Amos Key asked CEO Nathan Wright to send out a press release about the donation to quiet unrest in the community. “Because we’re giving out this public money, maybe we should have a press release going out that we’re donating that money to the fair board, just to get some brownie points because...
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Six Nations Councillors say they will be “out” in the open soon
By Austin Evans Writer Just as Six Nations Elected Councillor Helen Miller was warning band council it’s closed meetings violated its own communications’ policy councillor Miller became a victim of a live stream cutoff. Just 14 minutes into a short June 18th Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) meeting councillor Miller was voicing her displeasure with the lack of agenda items at the last three council meetings. “I’m getting upset,” she said in the sometimes delayed loading of the online stream with buffering issues, it also suffered sound echoing and bad resolution. “The last three council agendas, there’s been nothing on there. That’s not good,” she said. She told SNEC, “we have all these closed meetings, closed committees, closed political liaisons, we have nothing on the council agenda. It’s totally unacceptable...
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Chiefs frustrated with AFN’s child welfare work, say they’re not being consulted
The Canadian Press Three regional chiefs representing nearly half of First Nations say a national association is overstepping its mandate by making decisions that will directly affect children and families without consent. They also accuse the Assembly of First Nations of attempting to sideline an organization partly responsible for realization of a $40-billion settlement to address the matter. The chiefs, representing First Nations in Saskatchewan, British Columbia and Quebec-Labrador, said in a letter to the national chief that the organization is not being transparent in its negotiations for a final settlement agreement with Canada on First Nations child and family services. Chiefs Bobby Cameron, Terry Teegee and Ghislain Picard also said in the letter that the AFN’s legal counsel are attempting to exclude the First Nations Child and Family Caring...
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Cooling stations opened to beat the heat wave
Cooling stations on Six Nations open last week amid a week-long heatwave. Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) announced that the Community Hall and the Sports Den will open as cooling stations on June 19 at its General Council meeting on June 18. Councillor Melba Thomas brought the matter to the table after several community members have voiced concerns about the “excruating” heat. “If they don’t have, or their air conditioner breaks down, or they just have fans, we don’t know what’s all out there in the households,” she said. CEO Nathan Wright said those locations will be open to assist the community and the information will go out on the radio and social media. “They can head down to the Community Stations and they will also have water available there...
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Six Nations departments start to receive funding agreements
Jennifer Court, Director of Financial Reporting and Analysis presented a list of funding agreements to Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) at its General Finance meeting on June 17. The presentation was not shown at the meeting, but Court said there are currently $4.1 million in funding agreements SNEC’s departments have received for the 2024-2025 fiscal year. The agreements are from many sources including Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) and Public Services Canada. “I’ve spoken a few times to this council and explained ministry agreements come late in the year,” she said. “That does not mean we haven’t received the funds, but we haven’t received the agreements, so this is representative of agreements we’ve agreed to.” SNEC also approved two ISC funding amendments, including an additional $84,192 for health accreditation services, and...
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Heated Solidarity Day fun, but rides and firefighters kept it cool!
By Austin Evans Writer The heat warning wasn’t enough to stop Six Nations from showing off its community spirit on Solidarity Day. Residents from Six Nations and beyond made their way to the community centre at noon on June 21, going on rides, eating candy apples, and getting sprayed on by a firetruck. It was the community’s annual National Indigenous Peoples’ Day/Solidarity Day celebrations with SNEC putting on the event to bring everyone together and help them enjoy the sunny day despite the heat warning. “Today, it’s about bringing the community together, being able to share a meal with everyone, have some fun with the kids,” said event coordinator Leigh Thompson. “It’s also about staying cool, beating in the heat. We got the splash pad and Fire here doing checks...
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Six Nations Elected Council sneaking behind closed doors
Now eight months into the current Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) no one will get to hear the opinions of the individuals they elected. SNEC is muzzling itself under the guise of saying they don’t want the community to see them bickering and they appear afraid of online streaming. They are using adjusted agendas and silence to do it. They are shortening agendas for council meetings with selected items on them. All other items that require discussion will be pushed into a closed political liaison meeting where they can say whatever they like without fear of having to answer to the people who elected them. Oh, and by the way, that would be you! Elected Chief Sherri-Lyn Hill is leading the parade to keep issues and council voices away from...
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New Ontario Regional Chief keen to focus on relationship building
The Chiefs of Ontario new Regional Chief Abram Benedict chats with our Sam Laskaris about taking on the mantle of Ontario Regional Chief By Sam Laskaris Writer Abram Benedict realizes he has challenging tasks ahead of him. But Benedict, who was elected as the Ontario Region Chief (ORC) at the Chiefs of Ontario annual regional assembly at Six Nations, is more than willing to be the one leading those challenges. “There is a lot of work to do,” Benedict told the audience the final day of the three-day assembly held at the Six Nations Sports and Cultural Memorial Centre. “And I will rely upon each and every one. Every one of you has expertise in various areas. And I will need your support to advance our priorities and so that...
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Local woman faces impaired charge
OHSWEKEN, ON- A Six Nations woman is facing an impaired driving charge after police spotted a vehicle been driven “erratically” on Tuscarora Road. Six Nations Police said officers on patrol activated their emergency lights and sirens and pulled over the vehicle Friday, June 14, 2024. Police approached the vehicle that had pulled over to the side of the roadway and found a woman, alone in the vehicle, they said was displaying signs of impairment. Police arrested and charged Holly Styres, 34, of Ohsweken, Ontario with the following crimina loffences: – Impaired Operation – Alcohol per se Offence Styres was also issued a Provincial Offence Notice under the Liquor Licence Act had her drivers’ licence suspended for 90 days, and the vehicle was impounded for 7 days. The accused is scheduled...
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Indigenous girls’ hockey camp set for August
By Sam Laskaris Writer Six Nations hockey players are being sought for the Girls Indigenous Summer Camp which will be held nearby in August. The camp will be led by Kalley Armstrong, the granddaughter of George Armstrong, one of the greatest players to suit up for the National Hockey League’s Toronto Maple Leafs. Armstrong, who died in 2021, played almost 1,300 games for the Maple Leafs between 1950 and 1971. He was a member of four Stanley Cup-winning squads. And he was the captain of the Toronto team when it last won the league championship in 1967. As for his granddaughter, she founded Armstrong Hockey, a skills development program, in 2019. Her summer schedule this year includes the Six Nations camp, which will actually be held at the Haldimand County...
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Champion curler provides inspirational advice during storytelling series
By Sam Laskaris Writer Kerri Einarson believes its worth setting some lofty goals. Einarson, who is Metis, is a four-time Canadian curling champion. This past Friday she hopped online and was part of the Storytelling Series: Celebrating Indigenous Sports Heroes, organized by Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame. The event was part of the national hall’s commitment to highlight contributions of elite Indigenous athletes during June, which is National Indigenous History Month. Earlier in the month Six Nations resident Cindy Martin was featured in the storytelling series as she is the great great great niece of legendary local runner Tom Longboat. “It’s amazing to be a female Indigenous athlete,” said Einarson, who skipped her Manitoba-based rink to victory at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, the national women’s curling championship, four consecutive...
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Jack Anawak stands up for Inuit youth not fluent in Inuktut
By Darrell Greer Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Jack Anawak, originally from Naujaat and now living in Iqaluit, had a highly successful career as a politician for the most part and played a substantial role in the launch of Nunavut as its own territory. The Nunavut Implementation Commission, chaired by John Amagoalik, made recommendations to set up the Government of Nunavut (GN). Amagoalik is acknowledged as a founder of the territory. The commission’s work ended in 1997 and Anawak, a former member of parliament, was appointed as an interim commissioner to carry out its recommendations. Anawak recently made a post to Facebook saying that some young Inuit do not have the ability to speak Inuktut fluently, but that does not make them any less Inuk. He posted that “we” have ourselves...
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‘I hear your concerns’: Trudeau reflects on devastating byelection loss
After losing a Toronto-area riding the Liberals have held for more than three decades, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday he heard the “concerns and frustrations” of voters. His party, pollsters and even Conservatives had considered Toronto-St. Paul’s to be a relatively safe seat for the Liberals as voters headed to cast ballots in a byelection Monday. But by the wee hours of Tuesday, the Conservative candidate took a narrow lead and clinched the seat — the first time the Tories have won in Toronto proper since 2011. The upset has sparked questions about the political prospects of Trudeau and his Liberals, whose polling numbers across Canada are down around their ankles. “These are not easy times, and it is clear I, and my entire Liberal team, have much more...
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Long-awaited Arctic port and road project restarts with regulatory filings
A long-awaited project that would see an Arctic deepwater port and road connecting rich mineral resources to international shipping routes as well as offering the Navy another northern beachhead has been revived. The proposed Grays Bay Port and Road, which has been a northern dream for more than a decade, has refiled an environmental assessment with regulatory authorities in Nunavut, restarting a process that has been stalled for years. The massive project on Canada’s central Arctic coast in the middle of the Northwest Passage could open up crucial mineral resources, said Brendan Bell of the West Kitikmeot Resources Corp., which is leading the effort and is majority owned by the Kitikmeot Inuit Association, a birthright corporation created by the Nunavut Land Claim. “Every country is intent on securing a supply...
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Native American ceremony will celebrate birth of white buffalo calf in Yellowstone park
The Associated Press 26/06/2024 HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Ceremonies and celebrations are planned Wednesday near the west entrance of Yellowstone National Park to mark the recent birth of a white buffalo calf in the park, a spiritually significant event for many Native American tribes. A white buffalo calf with a dark nose and eyes was born on June 4 in the the park’s Lamar Valley, according to witnesses, fulfilling a prophecy for the Lakota people that portends better times but also signals that more must be done to protect the earth and its animals. “The birth of this calf is both a blessing and warning. We must do more,” said Chief Arvol Looking Horse, the spiritual leader of the Lakota, Dakota and the Nakota Oyate in South Dakota, and the...
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Atlantic Ballet of Canada to launch Indigenous dance program in Moncton this fall
The Atlantic Ballet of Canada is spearheading an Indigenous dance program this fall that will allow eight dancers to train close to their communities and culture. Nipahtuwet Naka Wespahtuwet Possesom (Paul), who is director of Indigenous programs at the ballet, says there are no professional training programs in Atlantic Canada and that the ballet’s initiative is filling an important gap. The new two-year program that will launch in Moncton, N.B., this fall will accept eight Indigenous dancers in Grade 11. In a Canadian first, the program will allow dancers to receive support and training close to their land and families, without having to relocate to other parts of the country. A news release from the ballet says the program will teach contemporary style and is rooted in the “world views,...
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St’uxwtéws brings authentic cultural lens to historic ranch site after taking over management
By Dionne Phillips Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Misty Antoine’s family has long been connected to the Hat Creek Ranch near “Cache Creek” in Secwepemcúl’ecw. Her grandfather used to work there, she said, and her family’s history can be traced back from that area. Now, Antoine is the one running operations at the ranch and its nearby fossil beds, after her home community of St’uxwtéws (Bonaparte First Nation) was involved in a deal to take over its management. “It’s bringing back a lot of our connection to our people,” she said in an interview. “[There’s] a huge connection with Bonaparte, many of the families, specifically my family — the Antoine family — we actually originate from the Hat Creek Ranch area.” The Hat Creek Ranch is a heritage site located on...
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Warrior races return to turf club
By Alexandra Noad Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The enthralling show of horses billowing down the racetrack bareback and the riders dressed in full regalia showing off their agility by jumping to another horse mid-race is back Sunday and July 1 at Rocky Mountain Turf club. Warrior races have been hosted at the grandstand for the last four years. Rose Rossi, General Manager of Rocky Mountain Turf Club, says the first Warrior Race held at the grandstand was a resounding success. “I couldn’t believe my eyes when I was up in the eye in the sky and looking down and I was standing there with Martin Heavy eHad and he says, ‘Wow, is this ever the biggest salt and pepper crowd.’ The crowds were huge. Everybody enjoyed the culture of the...
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First Nations, Ottawa, B.C., announce $335M for protection off Great Bear coast
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his government is working with 17 First Nations in British Columbia as well as the provincial government to expand protection for marine ecosystems off the coast of the Great Bear Rainforest. He says the initiative will add about 14,000 square kilometres of newly protected areas, while supporting sustainable development for the waters off the rainforest on B.C.’s central and northern coast. The federal government is committing $200 million to the initiative, while the B.C. government is contributing $60 million and $75 million is coming from philanthropic investors, for a total of $335 million to create an ongoing fund. The initiative builds on the Great Bear Rainforest model, which has protected large swaths of old-growth forests while supporting job creation and economic diversification for communities along...
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