Feds’ labour data shows wage gap for Indigenous workers
By Isaac Nay Local Journalism Initiative Reporter A new tool created by Ottawa to reveal potential barriers in the workplace shows a significant gap in wages for Indigenous workers. On Friday, Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan launched a tool called Equi’Vision that reveals Indigenous workers’ mean hourly wage is about nine per cent less than non-Indigenous workers’ hourly earnings across Canada. Experts say the gap is evidence of systemic inequities. “I think anybody with a sane mind would agree that there should be no wage gap,” said Rodney Nelson, an Indigenous governance and economic development researcher at Carleton University. “I wish I had the magic bullet and answer to why, but I think it’s a combination of many different things.” Each year, federally-regulated private-sector businesses with 100 or more employees must...
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Activist group rebrands, but its hard push for a national wildfire agency remains
By Matteo Cimellaro Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Pink paint splashed over artist Tom Thomson’s iconic Northern River. A topless protester interrupts the Juno Awards with environmental messages of “land back” and “save the Greenbelt” across her torso. A shutdown of key bridges and intersections throughout Ottawa. These are some of the protest actions by Last Generation Canada, an environmental activist group formerly known as On2Ottawa. Now, the group is rebranding to align with an international climate movement network called A22, as it prepares for a new wave of direct action and demands in the nation’s capital. The new name is an amendment of Last Generation’s counterpart in Germany, which maintains this is the last generation to stop climate collapse, while also being the first to effect change in society. A...
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MN S happy to see self governance law reach third reading in House of Commons
By Michael Oleksyn Local Journalism Initiative Reporter A law that would recognize self-governance for Metis people in Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Alberta is one step closer to becoming reality. A process that began over three months ago, concluded Monday with the advancement of Bill C-53, which now returns to the House for Third Reading. Metis Nation, Saskatchewan (MN-S) President Glen McCallum said the bill is a significant step for Metis people, and the MN-S is celebrating it. “It’s beautiful to see,” McCallum said. “To be able to look at our history in regards to where we come from, the many years of struggles with the Metis Nation, to be able to be where we’re at today is huge.” If the bill passes third reading it would create the Recognition of Certain...
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Six Nations Police and Firefighters host Hockey Night in Ohsweken
Six Nations Police and Firefighters hockey night in Six Nations A Hot Ticket Night By Lisa Iesse Writer It was the coolest event on the rez! A hockey match between Six Nations Firefighters and Six Nations Police kept spectators on the edge of their seat Thursday night, (Feb. 1) while stirring up something special for the local food bank. The special event saw police and firefighters going head-to-head in an exciting hockey night in Ohsweken that saw over 200 eager fans from across Six Nations, Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, Brantford, Hamilton and surrounding areas show up for some serious hockey fun, courtesy of two forces to be reckoned with: the Six Nations Fire and Six Nations Police! Constable Cody Johnson called the match the “next best thing” to...
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Six Nations reaches deal with Amazon warehouse contractor, HDI refuses comment
By Turtle Island News Staff The city of Cambridge may think municipalities don’t have a duty to consult with Indigenous people on land rights, but it didn’t stop Six Nations from reaching a tentative deal with Broccolini Construction who is building a huge Amazon warehouse there. Six Nations Lands and Resources director, Lonny Bomberry said they have reached a tentative deal with the developers for $250,000. But it wasn’t just the money they wanted. Bomberry said the contractor agreed to plant trees in a 10 to one tree placement ratio. They also agreed to the, long-term environmental protection of a wetland near the site. The deal is making it rounds with Six Nations community sessions and so far Bomberry said community response has been positive. The contractor built a huge Amazon...
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Another Six Nations school seeks funding
By Lynda Powless Editor Another Six Nations private school is asking Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) for help in building itself a new school . Skaronhyase’kó:wa, The Everlasting Tree School, asked SNEC, at its General Finance meeting Monday (Feb., 5) for $2 million of the $3.5 million needed to financially support a new modular building to house the school. It’s the third school to seek assistance to build or buy a new school building. SNEC signed a $8.5 million loan for Six Nations Polytechnic to buy its campus in Brantford in August 2021. The current status of that three year old loan has not been made public. Last month the Kawenni:io/Gaweni:yo Elementary and Secondary School made another plea to SNEC to guarantee a $25 million loan to build their school. The...
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SNEC in-camera agenda mistakenly posted to Facebook
Six Nations Elected Council posted its in-camera agenda for its General Finance meeting on February 5, instead of the open agenda meeting. The agenda posted to Facebook at 8:55 a.m. sought approvals for paying legal fees for ongoing court cases, including Six Nations court case against the Attorney General Of Canada and his Majesty the King in Right in Ontario for Breach of Fiduciary Duty and Trust Accounting, it also included the intervention claim by the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. JFK Law LLP’s invoice for the month of December is $18,535. There was also a motion for litigation for the Mohawk Street Utilities, with Blake, Cassels and Graydon LLP overseeing. The same law firm will represent Six Nations to transfer land from McClung Properties Limited from a deal...
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Six Nations Elected Council wants more information on state of community’s finances
As Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) enters budget season new councillors wanted more information on the current state of Six Nation’s finances. Carlos Alvarez, Audit partner and Matthew Ciardelli, audit senior manager gave the new council a crash course in how to interpret an audit and then explained Six Nations 2023 audit to new council members at the General Finance meeting on February 5. Councillor Cynthia Jamieson asked several times how much unallocated funding SNEC has in reserves or surpluses to use in the 2024-2025 budget. “We are not equipped to go through any budgeting process without knowing how much discretionary funding, how much cash and of that, what can we spend? I see looking through it, surpluses, reserved, monies committed… Can you summarise that whole thing? We need to...
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Councillor wants SNEC to learn more about domestic violence
Domestic violence is on the rise and Councillor Melba Thomas wants Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) to learn more about the harm many community members and entire families face on a daily basis. Thomas told SNEC she believes councillors and staff could benefit from training to recognize and learn more about domestic violence. A virtual presentation was held at the SNEC’s Jan., 9th council meeting. “It’s at an all time high. Ever since [the COVID-19 pandemic] hit,” she said. “Not only for us here at Six Nations, but communities surrounding us. It’s believed to be an epidemic now, according to Six Nations Police. They deal with this all the time.” On January 17 Tap Resources and the Six Nations Justice Department hosted a virtual presentation featuring Lundy Bancroft, the author...
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Our water is under threat: New global initiative to find solutions with Indigenous expertise
By Isaac Nay Local Journalism Initiative Reporter As climate change threatens global water systems, a new research initiative aims to leverage Indigenous expertise to manage cross-border water resources. Climate change puts people’s access to water in jeopardy. Extreme weather events like floods and droughts are becoming more frequent and extreme, damaging infrastructure and affecting water quality. Often, rivers, lakes and bodies of water affected by these crises cross international borders. Now, researchers across North America are coming together to help communities adapt. The new Global Center for Understanding Climate Change Impacts on Transboundary Waters is a team co-led by researchers from the University of Michigan and McMaster University. The team will work with Indigenous people to protect bodies of water that cross international lines, starting with the Great Lakes. Dawn...
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CBC an Indigenous Strategy Or funding grab?
So CBC says it is now going to have an Indigenous oversight office. An office that is suppose to ensure that CBC actually does what it is already claiming it does, be the country’s national broadcaster. A job that comes with bags of government funding dollars. The national “publically funded” broadcaster says its “new” national strategy will see the hiring of more Indigenous staff and will promote Indigenous languages. A move that, no doubt lends itself to ensuring more funding for the CBC that could be facing potential cuts or belt tighting to its excessive funding. And for the first time, if it actually does what it claims its going to do, the country may actually hear the Indigenous perspective. The broadcaster says it talked to hundreds of people across...
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Winless Snipers still remaining upbeat
By Sam Laskaris Writer Darcy Powless believes he has the right individuals in place to have some lacrosse success. But Powless, the head coach and general manager of the Six Nations Snipers, is still waiting for his charges to rack up their first win of the Arena Lacrosse League (ALL) season. The Snipers saw their record fall to 0-7 when they dropped a 21-13 decision to the host Whitby Steelhawks this past Saturday. That match, which was held at Children’s Arena in Oshawa, marked the midway mark of the season for the Six Nations squad. The winless Snipers are currently occupying the basement in the ALL’s eight-team, Ontario-based East Division. But Powless, and plenty of league observers, realize that the Snipers are actually not that bad. “On paper, we’ve got...
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Rising lacrosse star from PIB tries out for Team Canada
By Athena Bonneau, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter As the sun dips behind the mountains, casting its golden glow on the landscape of sn?pin?tktn? (Penticton), Meadow Arcand-Squakin stands on the field with a lacrosse stick in her hand, ready to face the challenges that lay ahead. The young syilx and plains Cree woman from the Penticton IndianBand is emerging as a talented multi-sport athlete with aspirations that extend far beyond the boundaries of sports. Recently, Arcand-Squakin seized an opportunity by undergoing tryouts for Team Canada in women’s box lacrosse, bringing her one step closer to achieving her lifelong dream. After seeing an online advertisement for the first-of-its-kind tryouts, she did not hesitate to apply. The three-day event, which unfolded from January 3 to 7 in “Langley,’’ brought in approximately 200 Indigenous...
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Northern Manitoba First Nations declare state of emergency over poor winter roads
WINNIPEG- Chiefs from four northern Manitoba First Nations say they have declared a state of emergency because unseasonably warm weather has led to the failing of the winter road network they depend upon for vital goods and services. Grand Chief Scott Harper with a council representing the four First Nations, says their immediate focus is on expediting delivery of essential goods to safeguard the health, safety and well-being of residents. Harper called on the provincial and federal governments to meet with representatives from St. Theresa Point, Wasagamack, Garden Hill and Red Sucker Lake. Grand Chief Cathy Merrick of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs says the state of emergency is the “direct outcome of a legacy of inaction from governments to ensure First Nations have equitable access to goods, services and...
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Concerns persist about radioactive waste disposal site in Ontario
By Natasha Bulowski Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Everyone agrees a safe solution is needed for Canada’s current and future radioactive waste. But whether a recently approved disposal facility in Deep River, Ont., is the answer is the subject of hot debate. The “near-surface disposal facility” (NSDF) will see up to one million cubic metres of radioactive waste buried in a shallow mound at Chalk River Laboratories (CRL), about 190 kilometres northwest of Ottawa. Project proponents argue Canada must find a way to store low-level nuclear waste, some of which is currently not well-managed. “It’s a cleanup project and it needs to be done,” said Deep River Mayor Suzanne D’Eon in an interview with Canada’s National Observer. She called the project a “sensible solution.” “It’s also on a site that is...
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Metis speedskater hopes to represent Canada at 2026 Winter Olympics
By Sam Laskaris Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Alison Desmarais aspires to become an Olympian. The Metis Nation of Alberta member competes with the Canadian national NextGen (developmental) team in long track speedskating. She’s in her second season and trains in Calgary. Desmarais was a member of the Canadian national NextGen (developmental) short track squad from 2018 to 2020, but that group trains in Montreal. “I don’t speak French so the move to Montreal was really hard for me. And after a year I just decided I wanted to move back to Calgary,” she said. She was halfway through her studies at the University of Calgary, Desmarais explained, so it made sense to move back to western Canada. Desmarais, who is 26, believes she is making giant strides in long track...
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`We’re still losing kids’: Young panelists discuss intergenerational trauma at Iqaluit conference
By Jeff Pelletier Local Journalism Initiative Reporter A panel of young adults spoke of how intergenerational trauma from residential schools continues to impact their lives and communities, on the final day of the National Gathering on Unmarked Burials in Iqaluit. Four young people, two of them Nunavummiut, told their stories and also shared messages of hope on Thursday afternoon. The panel was one of the final events at the three-day gathering organized by the office of Kimberly Murray, the federally appointed special interlocutor for missing children and unmarked graves and burial sites. While the focus was on northern voices, the gathering was attended by representatives from Inuit, First Nations and Metis communities from across Canada. Pakak Picco of Iqaluit, one of the youth panelists, emotionally described dealing with the loss...
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Tangible bones store intangible culture, memories and stories
By Shari Narine Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Until federal politicians start “valuing people in their own homes”, intangible cultural heritage will remain misunderstood and underappreciated, said Agnieszka Pawlowska-Mainville, author of Stored in the Bones. “They always assume that intangible cultural heritage has something to do with materials, museums, archives, when really sometimes it just means valuing people in their own homes. Like a grandmother teaching her grandson or granddaughter how to cook, a father using his own hands with his own niece, nephew to do some kind of carving or some kind of sewing. It’s that element that I think (there’s) a lot of misunderstanding about,” said Pawlowska-Mainville, an associate professor in First Nations Studies at the University of Northern British Columbia. In Stored in the Bones, published late last...
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Makivvik election sees sharp drop off in voter turnout
By Cedric Gallant Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Pita Aatami won the Makivvik Corp. presidential election in a landslide last week, but voting day drew the lowest voter turnout in recent memory. Aatami earned 71 per cent of the vote. A total of 1,900 Nunavimmiut, or 18 per cent of the total voter base, voted him in. Voter turnout in the Feb. 1 election was 26 per cent. By comparison, in 2021 voter turnout reached nearly 41 per cent and nearly 47 per cent in 2018. Aatami said he is “deeply honoured” by the trust his fellow Inuit placed in him, in a statement released by Makivvik Corp. He also spoke of a “journey towards self-determination,” adding he is “committed to ensuring that the voices of our people are heard in...
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