Kahnawake Grand Chief Cody Diabo: 2025 Federal Budget fails to uphold fiscal responsibility to First Nations
By Lucas-Matthew Marsh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Iori:wase While spared from the harshest austerity measures outlined in the 2025 federal budget, the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) is concerned about how upcoming cuts to Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) will impact the community. MCK Grand Chief Cody Diabo accused the federal government of failing to uphold its fiscal responsibility to First Nations with the budget. “One could see it as a way to starve us into submission,” Diabo said. Presented last week, the Liberal Party has touted the 2025 federal budget as an “investment budget,” reducing funding for social services in favour of increased spending on infrastructure projects. Professor Peter Graefe called the shift a clear break from the Trudeau-era approach to public spending. “Carney is changing the direction here, in...
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Kahnawake opposed to federal move to give status to over 3,500 people without consultation
By Lucas-Matthew Marsh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Iori:wase Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) Chief Jeremiah Johnson spoke out against the proposed Bill S-2 at the Standing Senate Committee on Indigenous Peoples last week. The bill aims to update the Indian Act by removing outdated terminology and creating a pathway for people to reclaim Indian status due to involuntary enfranchisement. But Johnson argued that Bill S-2 does nothing to address the deeper colonial framework that is embedded into the Indian Act. “It doesn’t dismantle the system; it simply changes its vocabulary,” Johnson stressed. Tabled last spring by Minister of Indigenous Services Mandy Gull-Masty, Bill S-2 would amend the Indian Act to align with the 2021 Supreme Court ruling in Nicholas v. Canada. The bill could allow an estimated 3,500 individuals to...
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Provincial healthcare provider doing Indigenous engagement in Slave Lake
By Pearl Lorentzen Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Lakeside Leader Indigenous residents of Slave Lake and area are invited to have their say on health care provided by Covenant. Covenant is a faith-based health care provider in Alberta, with four branches: Covenant Health, Covenant Care, Covenant Living, and Covenant Foundation. The Slave Lake engagement is Tuesday, November 25 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Slave Lake Native Friendship Centre. It is the last of a series of engagements held by Covenant throughout Alberta, over the last six months. “One of our goals is to build relationships with Indigenous communities,” says Adam North Peigan. Peigan is the lead for Covenant’s Indigenous Health Development & Community Engagement. Peigan is a member of the Piikani First Nation in Treaty 7. Piikani is...
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In Gitanmaax, new family services department is fighting to protect children
By Amy Romer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, IndigiNews This is the first story in a three-part series about child welfare jurisdiction in Gitanmaax. When a young girl handed Jim Woodworth a thank-you card, he hesitated to open it — knowing it might be emotional. As he read the card aloud, Woodworth’s voice caught. “I’m from Vancouver Island and I now know that I am also from Gitxsan, Hazelton,” the card reads. “I am so grateful to know about my Frog Clan and meet my family of which I belong. Thank you for bringing me home.” The card now sits on display inside the recently opened office for Gitanmaax’s new family services department, Wila Dildilsdi’m — which translates to “how we live.” Woodworth, Wila Dildilsdi’m’s director, shares the office with jurisdiction...
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Federal prison service ‘ill-equipped’ for long-term mental health care: watchdog
By Jim Bronskill Weak policies, insufficient training and a lack of specialized treatment are hindering the Correctional Service of Canada’s efforts to deliver mental health care, the federal prison ombudsman says in his latest annual report. Correctional investigator Ivan Zinger says it’s “abundantly clear” the prison service is fundamentally ill-equipped to provide long-term mental health care to people experiencing acute psychiatric distress, suicidal thoughts or chronic self-injury. In cases involving such serious mental illnesses, transfers to external, secure, community-based psychiatric hospitals are necessary, Zinger says in the report. The Correctional Service of Canada routinely transfers individuals requiring complex physical care — such as chemotherapy or heart surgery — to external hospitals, Zinger notes. “It would be unthinkable to attempt such procedures in-house,” he writes. “Yet, when it comes to mental...
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Lawsuits challenge land exchange aimed at allowing a road to be built in an Alaska wildlife refuge
By Becky Bohrer JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska Native tribes and conservation groups sued the federal government Wednesday, seeking in at least three separate lawsuits to overturn a land exchange aimed at allowing a road to be built through a national wildlife refuge. Legal challenges to the land exchange agreement reached last month between Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and an Alaska Native village corporation include claims that it was not properly analyzed, that it poses risks to sensitive habitats and that it could threaten migratory birds that some Alaska Natives rely on for food. King Cove, a community of about 870 people near the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, has for years pushed to have a road built through the refuge for access to an all-weather airport at Cold Bay, about...
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Ontario urban Indigenous students reclaim identity with Atlantic salmon restoration
By Sonal Gupta, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer Indigenous students in southern Ontario are raising Atlantic salmon eggs in classroom tanks, reviving a species lost for over a year and reconnecting with their culture in the process. Each January, classrooms welcome about a hundred tiny Atlantic salmon eggs nestled inside “fish condos.” Over the next few months, students in Grades 5 through 8 watch the eggs come to life as they learn about native biodiversity, ecosystem health and stewardship. When it’s time to release the young salmon into restoration streams such as Duffins Creek, the day becomes a ceremony — students lay tobacco and berries on birch bark to honour the fish’s return to local waters. “Throughout the program kids built relationships with the salmon. They help raise...
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Carney government reduces savings targets for some departments, agencies, includes Crown Indigenous Affairs
By Catherine Morrison Eight fewer departments and agencies are being asked to slash their budgets at least 15 per cent over the next three years, a move one economist says shows Ottawa’s cost cutting exercise was not “thought through.” Earlier this year, Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne directed most ministers to find ways to cut their departments’ program spending by 15 per cent over the next three years. At the time, the government said National Defence, the RCMP and the Canada Border Services Agency would have lower savings targets of two per cent. The federal budget proposes to add eight more departments to that list. They include the Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, Indigenous Services Canada and the Department for Women and Gender Equality. The other government bodies facing two...
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Addiction recovery program, wellness workshop being offered
By Carl Clutchey, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Chronicle-Journal Options for becoming sober and enhancing one’s well-being have surfaced. Fort William First Nation is offering affected band members a cost-free option for breaking free of addiction. “This program is open to band members who are ready and committed to their recovery,” a reserve bulletin said. “A detox bed will be reserved before departure to (a care facility) to ensure your safety and comfort as you begin your healing journey,” it added. Participants must first complete intake forms and other documents before being accepted into the program, the bulletin said. Those who are interested can contact the community’s mental health and addictions team by calling 807-622-8802. And later this month, Fort William First Nation is hosting a wellness workshop that aims...
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All northern Alberta MLAs oppose the removal of Lesser Slave Lake riding
By Pearl Lorentzen, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Lakeside Leader At the moment, Alberta has 10 provincial electoral divisions in northern Alberta. The Electoral Boundary Commission proposes removing the Lesser Slave Lake riding, and increasing the size of the other ridings. All 10 MLAs for northern Alberta have spoken against the change. Scott Sinclair, MLA for Lesser Slave Lake, has been vocal in his opposition (see article in the Nov. 5 Leader). The remaining northern Alberta MLAs are also opposed to the change. A letter from the nine UCP MLAs is on Page 10 of this week’s Leader. The MLAs are Dan Williams (MLA for Peace River), Glenn van Dijken (MLA for Athabasca – Barrhead – Westlock), Scott Cyr (MLA for Bonnyville – Cold Lake – St. Paul), Brian Jean (MLA...
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‘Fed up’ Mi’kmaw allies to stand shoulder to shoulder for treaty rights rally Saturday
By Rosemary Godin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cape Breton Post A coalition of Mi’kmaw, settler groups and communities from across Nova Scotia will gather at Halifax Commons this weekend in a movement called “Shoulder to Shoulder.” The rally is being held to call on the provincial Tim Houston government to respect Mi’kmaw rights, follow democratic processes and stop selling off Nova Scotia to corporate interests. Events in Cape Breton are a catalyst for the gathering. “If you live, work, play or pray in Nova Scotia, we want you there,” say Mi’kmaw land defenders Glenda Junta of Eskasoni and Michelle Paul of Acadia First Nation. “We’re standing in solidarity with all resistance movements in Nova Scotia. We want to hear your voices.” Both women are spending time on Hunter’s Mountain in...
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Ignoring Indigenous consent poses real financial risk to investors, securities regulators warned
By Aaron Walker, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Windspeaker.com The Anishnawbe Business Professional Association (ABPA) is calling on the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) to take stronger action against “redwashing” — the corporate misuse of reconciliation language. ABPA warned that redwashing could expose investors, pension funds, and taxpayers to major financial losses. In a position paper titled From Reconciliation to Regulation, the association argued that many companies use positive imagery and community sponsorships to project reconciliation while continuing large-scale projects on Indigenous lands without securing free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC). “Redwashing is the gap between a company’s marketing and its reality,” said ABPA president Jason Rasevych. “A company cannot ‘redwash’ its operations by sponsoring a community festival while simultaneously ignoring its duty to obtain consent on a project. It’s a corporate...
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Tribes that restored buffalo are killing some to feed people because of the shutdown
By Matthew Brown And Graham Lee Brewer Of And Amelia Schafer Of Ict WOLF POINT, Mont. (AP) — On the open plains of the Fort Peck Reservation, Robert Magnan leaned out the window of his truck, set a rifle against the door frame and then “pop!” — a bison tumbled dead in its tracks. Magnan and a co-worker shot two more bison, also known as buffalo, and quickly field dressed the animals before carting them off for processing into ground beef and cuts of meat for distribution to members of the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes in northern Montana. As lawmakers in Washington, D.C., plod toward resolving the record government shutdown that interrupted food aid for tens of millions of people, tribal leaders on rural reservations across the Great...
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The 37 donors helping pay for Trump’s $300 million White House ballroom
By Will Weissert WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says his $300 million White House ballroom will be paid for “100% by me and some friends of mine.” The White House released a list of 37 donors, including crypto billionaires, charitable organizations, sports team owners, powerful financiers, tech and tobacco giants, media companies, longtime supporters of Republican causes and several of the president’s neighbors in Palm Beach, Florida. It’s incomplete. Among others, the list doesn’t include Carrier Group, which offered to donate an HVAC system for the ballroom, and artificial intelligence chipmaker Nvidia, whose CEO, Jensen Huang, publicly discussed its donation. The White House hasn’t said how much each donor is giving, and almost none was willing to divulge that. Very few commented on their contributions when contacted by The...
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First Nations firefighting team from Manitoba captures national title
By Sam Laskaris, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Windspeaker.com Though the team was making its first appearance at a national event, Josh Roulette had a good feeling that the Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation Firefighters would capture a Canadian championship. Roulette is the fire chief of the six-man firefighting team that won the over-all title at the 36th annual National Firefighting Competition held Oct. 25 in Calgary. A total of eight teams participated in the event. Other competing squads represented British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, Nunavut and the Atlantic region. This marked the fourth year the team from Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation, located in southern Manitoba, has participated in firefighting contests, but in previous years it had some stiff competition within its own province and had not won the...
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Inuit university will get $50 million from federal government: MP Idlout
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News The federal government has promised to create a $50-million fund to build Inuit Nunangat University and the minister of Indigenous Services Canada has faith the Inuit Child First Initiative will continue, MP Lori Idlout told Nunavut News. Idlout said the Prime Minister’s Office told her that the federal government would match the contribution made by national Inuit organization Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) to build an Inuit-led university in the North. The new university would have a main campus and four satellite campuses, Idlout said she was told, with the possibility of Cambridge Bay serving as one of the locations. “They have included an announcement to fund the Inuit Nunangat University. While they didn’t include it in the budget, I did...
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Hudson’s Bay finds new homes for war memorials, lawyer looks to relocate U.K. plaques
By Tara Deschamps Several war memorials previously on display at Hudson’s Bay stores are getting new homes. Plaques from the department store’s Calgary, Winnipeg and Vancouver locations have all been donated to local branches of the Royal Canadian Legion, said Franco Perugini, a senior vice-president of real estate and legal at the defunct retailer, in a Wednesday email to The Canadian Press. Another memorial commemorating Simpsons employees who died in the Second World War was given to TD Bank, the financial institution revealed the same day. Simpsons is a former department store HBC bought in 1978. The plaques have been in need of a new home since Hudson’s Bay closed all of its stores earlier this year and started winding down the business. The collapse almost immediately caught the attention...
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Woman facing impaired charge after Six Nations Police investigation
OHSWEKEN, ON-A 41-year-old Ohsweken woman is facing charges after Six Nations Police investigated a “suspicious vehicle parked at a local business on Third Line Road. Six Nations Police arrived at the scene at about 3:08 p.m. Sunday, Oct., 5, 2025, and said officers saw a vehicle parked with the windows down and a woman asleep in the driver’s seat. Police said while speaking with the woman impairment was suspected. An Approved Screening Device (ASD) was issued and police said it resulted in a” fail”. As a result, police arrested and charged Amber White, 41, of Ohsweken, Ontario with: – Impaired-Operation – Alcohol per se Offence “80 plus” The accused is scheduled to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice in Brantford, Ontario on a later date. The vehicle was impounded...
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Agricultural Day educates Six Nations about local food security
By Carly McHugh Writer The Six Nations Farmers Association’s Agricultural Day brought community members of all ages together for a common goal: to educate them about local farming initiatives and ensure the future of food security. Held at the Six Nations Community Centre on Nov. 7, the second-annual event featured interactive activities including a photo booth; corn, grain, greenhouse and vegetable garden displays; artwork depicting a cultural way of life and the growing cycle; and children’s farm activity centres. Attendees could also contribute to a variety of fundraisers, including a scratch board, a 50/50 draw, and beef and pork draws, with proceeds going toward the association’s upcoming agricultural resource centre. The project began back in 2017, after local farmers assessed the status and future of agriculture in Six Nations. At...
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Six Nations, Brantford prepare for elders’ move to former Fox Ridge facility
By Carly McHugh Writer The Six Nations elders who were evacuated from Iroquois Lodge after the flood back in June will officially be making a temporary home at the former Fox Ridge Community Care building in Brantford. Close to 50 residents who had no choice but to leave Six Nations and stay at Peoplecare Communities in Delhi will soon be relocated to the fully operational long-term care (LTC) facility, which was recently purchased by the city. Brantford city council voted in favour of the plan on Oct. 28, and the city took possession of the building on Oct. 30. All previous residents were moved to Fox Ridge’s new site prior to the sale. Now that Brantford has possession of the building, they will prioritize moving the displaced elders. There will...
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