Gate going up on “Glebe lands” to keep homeless camps out
By Lynda Powless Editor Six Nations Public Works has erected gates and cement barriers blocking any entrance to the Glebe Lands as part of Six Nations Elected Council’s (SNEC) attempts to evict squatters from the lands and ensure more do not take up residence. Late last week bulldozers, trucks and other heavy equipment were on site removing the trailers and campers and tents that became home to homeless people. Only two of the dozens of homeless people identified as Six Nations people. Councillor Greg Frazer gave SNEC an update on the initiative’s progress at the General Council meeting on November 28 and said it’s going well. Director of Public Works Mike Montour, Frazer and Six Nations Police visited to assess the entrances on November 24 and 26 to block them off....
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Ontario Premier Ford step back from developing Greenbelt a win for the Haldimand Tract
It’s a win for the Haldimand Tract. At least that’s what Six Nations Elected Council’s (SNEC) Consulation and Accommodation Process Team (CAP) are celebrating after the Ford government walked back its plans to build on the Greenbelt and expand urban areas. In its monthly report for October and November the CAP Team told SNEC’s Political Liaison Committee meeting (November 27). Peter Graham, Consultation Supervisor said meetings and advocacy work for the Greenbelt and urban expansion have concluded with Ontario taking steps to reverse its decisions to remove land from the Greenbelt and force municipalities like Hamilton and Waterloo to expand their urban areas. The move came in October after Ford’s decisions and motives for the Greenbelt were investigated by the province’s integrity commissioner, the OPP (who handed off the investigation...
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Six Nations not impressed with Indigenous Services Canada
Six Nations councillors and staff say a Joint Gathering with Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) felt “pointless,” repetitive and concerns seemed to “fall on deaf ears.” Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) sent a delegation to the Joint Gathering with ISC on November 15 and 16 and gave verbal reports at the Political Liaison Committee meeting on November 27. Clair Pietron, Strategic Advisor and Systems Analyst said the updates presented were similar to last year’s and this year there were few ministers who spoke, or were present at the gathering leaving ISC employees to field questions they couldn’t answer. “They aren’t equipped [to answer] hard questions on the floor and say things like ‘I’ll take this back to my bosses.’ A lot of that is what kind of happened in presentations from...
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Six Nations Elected Council reviewing tender policy
Six Nations will review its tender policy in an attempt to give community members a leg up in the process. Councillor Helen Miller brought a complaint regarding the tender acceptance process from a community member at the Six Nations Elected Council’s (SNEC) l meeting on November 28. Miller said the member’s tender wasn’t selected for the snow removal contract put out earlier this month, and that person discovered an outside company’s bid was awarded the contract. “I thought this new council was going to work to get our people back in positions. Here you are hiring a non-native company,” she said. “If it’s true I am very concerned. We have several people in our community who do plowing.” Nathan Wright, CEO, confirmed it was true SNEC accepted a bid from...
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Six Nations Elected Councillors discuss travels and meetings
Some Six Nations council members are off to Ottawa this week attending the Assembly of First Nations meeting. The meet runs to Wednesday culminating in the election fo a new national chief. COO Six Nations Elected Councillor Audrey Powless-Bomberry has concerns about the Chiefs of Ontario (COO), but is enjoying the addition of culture to the meeting. She gave a verbal report at the Six Nations Elected Council General Council meeting on November 28. She attended the Fall Chief’s Assembly in Toronto on November 21 to 23 and said there weren’t enough chief’s to carry all of the member nation’s flags, which was disappointing. Community members were asked to carry flags. The COO have had an entrance of flages for more than two decades. She attended a committee for education...
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Six Nations to co-own battery storage system
By Lisa Iesse Writer Six Nations will co-own a new battery storage system if the community’s latest bid gets a green light from the province. Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation (SNGRDC) is teaming up with the Mississaugas of the Credit Business Corporation (MCBC), along with NRStor Inc and Aecon for the new project. The project partners hope to build a Battery Energy Storage System (“BESS”) on a 20-acre lot near Simcoe within five years. The structure would take up about 8 acres of space, and would house up to 106 MW, supplying 424 megawatt hours to the electric grid. If SNGRDC’s latest battery project bid is approved by the province’s Electricity System Operator (IESO), SNGRDC will hold a 25 percent ownership. MCBC will hold another 25 per...
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Local businesses hit by thieves in smash and grabs
Three local Six Nations business have been hit by robbers in the past week. The latest was a cannabis shop call the “Tribe” that sells cannabis and other items. The Chiefswood Road shop was hit Dec., 3 at 6:45 a.m. Two males broke into the shop through a door and stole an inside ATM machine from the store. They were driving a GMC SUV. The theft comes just six days after a local restaurant, Maracle’ Man’s, was hit. The restaurant was hit last Tuesday Nov., 28th at 4:21 a.m. Video shows two men getting out and used a crowbar to smash through the back door entering the shop and stealing the safe before leaving in a tan coloured pick up truck The driver never left the vehicle. There were two...
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Canada treading on First nations rights….again?
It looks like any love affair between the Liberal party and First Nations is quickly coming under fire. A parliament committee began studying Bill C-53, the Métis self government bill, last week and the new Crown-Indigenous Relations minister found himself getting off to a rocky start. The Liberal minister came out defending a bill that is aimed at formalizing Métis self-governance agreements. Agreements that have come under fire by Indigenous leaders who question the Bill and its affects upon Indigenous rights, in particular in Ontario. But no one is surprised, the newly appointed Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree, has continued to defended the government position saying the Liberal government is righting the wrongs of the past. He argues Métis have been fighting for their rights for centuries. And he told...
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Six Nations Police charge man who barricaded self in house
Six Nations Police said no one was injuried after a man barricaded himself inside a Sixth Line Road home and shot at police last Thursday, Dec., 1. Six Nations Police Const. Cody Johnson said the incident began when officers responded to a weapons call on Sixth Line between Chiefswood Road and Tuscarora Road in Ohsweken around 10:30 p.m. Thursday. Ontario Provincial Police were called in as back-up. Constable Johnson said a man had barricaded himself in a home and began shooting at police early Friday morning. He said he shot multiple times during the standoff with police. A hold and secure for the immediate neighbourhood was put in place and residents were urged not to travel to the area. “Throughout the early morning police were under fire from the individual...
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Six Nations granted a second Junior B lacrosse franchise
By Sam Laskaris Writer Six Nations youth will now have yet another opportunity to showcase their lacrosse skills locally in a junior league. That’s because the Six Nations Fire, a new Junior B squad, has been launched and is gearing up for its 2024 campaign. The Fire will be the only Canadian franchise in the First Nations Junior B Lacrosse League. Clubs from across New York also participate in the league. The Fire will play all of its home contests at Six Nations’ Iroquois Lacrosse Arena (ILA). “It kind of fell into our lap,” said Roger Vyse, who will serve as the head coach for the Fire. “Our community members jumped all over it.” Vyse had served as a co-coach for a portion of the 2023 campaign with the Six...
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Arena Lacrosse League kicks off this weekend
By Sam Laskaris Writer Another Arena Lacrosse League (ALL) season commences this Saturday. And all three of the squads that play their home contests at Six Nations’ Iroquois Lacrosse Arena (ILA) will be in action during the opening weekend of the eight-team, Ontario-based East division of the league. The ALL also has a British Columbia-based West division. Teams from the different provinces do not currently play each other. But league officials are hoping to one day have a national championship. For starters, the Paris RiverWolves, who do play home matches at the ILA, will start their campaign on the road on Saturday. They’ll square off against the Peterborough Timbermen, in a match which will be held at the Millbrook Arena, starting at 2 p.m. Then both the Ohsweken Bears and...
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SPORTS BRIEFS: Women’s lacrosse league unveils new jersey designs
By Sam Laskaris Writer Women’s lacrosse league unveils new jersey designs It’s now known what the players competing in the upcoming Women’s Arena Lacrosse League (WALL) will be wearing. The new jersey designs for all five squads that take part in the WALL’s Ontario-based East division were unveiled on social media on Monday. But it won’t be until later this month before it is determined which individuals will be suiting up for all of the clubs. All WALL East teams play all of their games at Six Nations’ Iroquois Lacrosse Arena. The WALL also has a British Columbia-based West division. Teams in that loop play all of their matches out of the Langley Field House. It was announced in October that all of the WALL East squads had been renamed...
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Constitutional challenge in Indigenous lobster fishing case moving ahead this week
By Michael MacDonald THE CANADIAN PRESS HALIFAX- An Indigenous fisherman is expected to appear Thursday in a northern New Brunswick courtroom, where he will launch a constitutional challenge that could prove pivotal for First Nations across the Maritimes. Cody Caplin, a member of the Eel River Bar First Nation, was fishing for lobster in the Bay of Chaleur in September 2018 when he and his brother Kyle were arrested and their boat was seized by federal fisheries officers. A year later, they were charged with 10 fishing offences, including trapping lobster out of season. Caplin says his brother eventually pleaded guilty to the charges, mainly because of the financial burden of going to trial. But Caplin has pressed on, claiming the Mi’kmaq have constitutionally protected Indigenous and treaty rights to...
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Crafty business with some of Six Nations best
This past weekend Martin’s Crafts hosted an impressive craft fair at the Six Nations Community Hall. This event featured some of Six Nation best crafters from moccasin makers to jewellery and card makers and many more....
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Iroquois Lodge: Inspection report finds allegation of sexual assault, patient infections failure to follow plans of care
By Lynda Powless Editor An Ontario Ministry of Long-Term Care report has surfaced with allegations not only of a staff member sexually abusing a resident at the Iroquois Lodge and Nursing Home (ILNH) but Six Nations Police were never notified. It says the lodge also has failed to provide proper care to at least two other residents resulting in infectious wounds and hospitalization in one case. The 16 page October 2023 inspection report, obtained by Turtle Island News, says a resident of the lodge was sexually abused by a staff member and the care licensee (Six Nations of the Grand River) failed to protect the resident from the attack. The Iroquois Lodge is overseen by the Six Nations band administration’s health department. The inspection report, dated Oct 19th, 2023, says...
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Six Nations Elected Council meets AFN candidates
The six candidates running for Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief want Six Nations support. All six candidates were given time to discuss their platform at Six Nations Elected Council’s (SNEC) Political Liaison Committee meeting on November 23 . Some of the candidates appeared in person including Dean Sayers. Reginald Bellrose and Craig Makinaw, while others appeared via ZOOM, all to help sway Six Nations vote at the AFN election on December 6 during the Special Chiefs Assembly in Ottawa from December 5 to 7. Dean Sayers served as Chief of Batchewana First Nation in Ontario since 2003, and is Anishinaabe Crane Clan. He said lived in Fort Erie and spent a lot of time on Six Nations and helped repatriate the remains of 350 Haudenosaunee who he said...
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Questions Need Answers
Six Nations Elected Council and its health department need to answer for a scathing Ministry of Health report that outlines an atmosphere of fear and questions the care of residents at the Iroquois Lodge. The report.issued in October outlines among other issues that the sexual assault of a resident by a staff member took place and Six Nations Police were never brought in. At least two other residents suffered severe health issues, one who eventually passed away, and a second, the report says, suffered from incomplete care. The report outlines deficiencies in care, failure to update care orders so other care takers would know of any changes in care and most disturbing discusses a sexual assault that was never reported to police. When asked about the police investigation into the...
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No One Speaks for Us: Not St. Marie or Anyone Else
By Doug George-Kanentiio I am a citizen of the Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne, taken from my home in January, 1967 and assigned to the Mohawk Institute, the most notorious of Canada’s residential schools. I was given the number 4-8-2-738. Those digits were in my file for the 18 months I was confined to the Institute, abbreviated to “73” which was marked in all my clothing. I was placed in a platoon of boys in my age group where we marched in strict military format from the dining hall to nearby school and back again upon dismissal. I saw and was subject to the harsh discipline brought to bear on those children who broke the rules which were meant to govern all of our actions whether as girls assigned to kitchen...
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