Former elected chief gives farewell address
Mark Hill’s four years at the helm of Six Nations Elected Council has been a “journey of a lifetime.” The Elected Chief took a moment at the end of the last General Council meeting of the 58th Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) on October 24 to thank his colleagues, family, staff and the community for a challenging, life changing, learning opportunity over his last four years in office. Hill is not seeking re-election this November and says he’s excited to move on to the next chapter in his life after leading Six Nations through a global pandemic. “I know it’s been a very challenging term, I am so pleased to have been able to work along your side for the betterment of the community. It’s been a huge undertaking, I’ve...
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Not about the “I” but the “we”!
Six Nations of the Grand River has a new Elected Council but with a lot of familiar faces. Half of the 12-member council is made up of previous councillors who have been re-elected but along with them are also a couple of well known faces. Cynthia Jamieson and Dayle Bomberry have a long history with Six Nations administration both have served as former Senior Administration Officers (SAOs now CEO) and not just for a year, and now they have dipped their toes in politics. With that kind of strong politically astute background we look forward to watching them over the next four years and in particular are anxious to see their take on the multi-million dollar new administration that still has heads turning and has effectively created a entire new...
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LETTERS: The courage of young women and men
On Remembrance Day, look at the old veterans gathered at your local cenotaph, standing proudly, or seated with a warm blanket on their lap. Try to imagine what they experienced many decades ago when they were young, and the world was at war. The great invasion to kick the Nazis out of France took place on June 6, 1944. The largest allied armada of war ships readied for the battle of Normandy. Those onboard would face an array of deadly obstacles; barbed wire, mines, and heavy concrete fortifications containing cannons and machine guns. This was the beginning of the end of Nazi Germany’s grip on Western Europe. Many years of preparation had taken place to get the allies ready for this day. Canada was already fighting in Italy, slowly pushing...
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OMSK students donate to Six Nations Food Bank!
The Oliver M. Smith Elementry School Student Council, made up of Grade 7&8 students raised $800 recently to donate to the Six Nations Food Bank. OMSK established a student to give students leadership opportunities and positive role models for younger students. Student council reps took Candy Gram orders from each class to raise funds for the Six Nations Food Bank. Mary Monture attended to receive the cheque on behalf of the Food Bank. With parent support, the OMSK student council was able to raise $800.00 (Supplied Photo)...
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Lacrosse coaches receive national Indigenous awards
By Sam Laskaris Writer Both of this year’s recipients of the National Indigenous Coaching Award are lacrosse coaches. Savanna Smith, who has Blackfoot ancestry and lives in Surrey, B.C., is the female recipient. And Tyndall Fontaine, a member of Sagkeeng First Nation in Manitoba, is the male winner. The winners are annually selected by the Aboriginal Sport Circle (ASC), the governing body for Indigenous athletics in Canada. Both Smith and Tyndall were presented with their awards this past Friday. They were honoured at the Petro-Canada Sport Leadership Awards Gala, which was hosted by the Coaching Association of Canada. The ceremony was held in Calgary. ASC president Rob Newman said both Fontaine and Smith are deserving recipients of their awards. “It is an honour for the Aboriginal Sport Circle to be...
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Porter among Haudenosaunee players seeking gold medal at Jamaica tournament
By Sam Laskaris Writer Fawn Porter is off to the Caribbean. But the Six Nations member is not heading on a vacation to soak up the sun and to get some rest and relaxation. Instead, Porter is on the Haudenosaunee women’s squad that will participate in the Pan-American Lacrosse Association (PALA) Sixes Cup, which will be held in Kingston, Jamaica. Porter is the only Six Nations player on the team. But the club does have another local connection as Six Nations’ Tim Bomberry is the head coach. The Haudenosaunee side, one of seven entrants in the women’s portion of the tourney, is considered the heavy favourite. The Haudenosaunee squad has been placed into a round-robin pool with host Jamaica, Peru and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Puerto Rico, Argentina and Mexico...
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Evictions being used to battle drug trafficking on Pine Creek First Nation
By Dave Baxter Local Journalism Initiative Reporter A First Nations community is taking tough and extreme measures to stop drug and alcohol dependency and warn that anyone caught trafficking could be immediately evicted from their home. In a notice from the community’s Chief Derek Nepinak and council, Pine Creek First Nation (PCFN) said multiple community members living in a band-owned housing unit were arrested and charged by RCMP for drug trafficking. PCFN said that as part of their Housing and Tenancy Policy, which community members must sign to rent or lease a band-owned home, those charged by RCMP in the incident have been evicted from the house. The community is now warning that anyone who lives in a band-owned home arrested for trafficking will face immediate eviction and said the...
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B.C. Indigenous summit addresses the elephant in the backroom
B.C. Indigenous summit addresses the elephant in the backroom VANCOUVER- British Columbia Premier David Eby says Indigenous leaders “raise an important point” about bureaucrats standing between First Nations and political leaders on the path to reform. Eby addressed First Nations’ frustrations of trying to change attitudes, relationships and laws in the province at the opening news conference of the eighth B.C. Cabinet and First Nations Leaders’ Gathering, underway in Vancouver. He was responding to First Nations Summit executive Robert Phillips, who says he’s still waiting to see the province and Indigenous leaders work together on “true co-development” of reforms. Despite B.C.’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act four years ago, Phillips says First Nations teams still face roadblocks behind the scenes as bureaucrats “stop” what he calls the...
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Buffy Sainte-Marie … Icon or Fraud?
Revelations about Buffy Sainte Marie’s ancestry is having a devastating impact on Indigenous communities across Canada By Lori Campbell Writer This isn’t a story about whether Buffy Sainte-Marie, musical icon, activist, community member and beloved Auntie, is biologically Indigenous. Rather, it’s more important to understand the deep impact a CBC report casting doubts on the singer’s ancestry is having across Indigenous lands, and how the fallout from the report shows what reconciliation is not. But before I go there, allow me to situate myself. It will shed some light about why this story may not sound like the one you are looking for, like most Indigenous peoples, I still need time to digest this news about Buffy, but why the impact of the story is something non-Indigenous people need to...
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Six Nations Own Source Revenues continue to prop up band
By Lynda Powless Editor Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) has finally released its 2022-2023 audit and while it shows an increase in government funding revenues of $17,000,000 over 2022 there is a huge increase of almost $50,000,000 in deferred revenues and own source revenues is bailing out what would have been a $3 million deficit. The band has $109,932,845 in what is called deferred revenues, dollars yet to come in or slated for projects yet to be undertaken or unfinished. At the same time, the band has only total cash of $89,421,201 leaving own source revenues to continue to prop up a positive financial picture. The band spent a total of $121,838,367 on expenses ranging from administrative costs, salary and benefits, utilities, equipment and repairs and other expenses. GOVERNMENT PROGRAM FUNDS...
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Six Nations Elected Council gets raise, but smaller council costs hit $834,022
Six Nations Elected Council costs soared to $834,022 last year after coming out of COVID-19 and despite little or no travel. Six Nations Band Council is made up of one full time Chief and 9 part-time councillors. Councillors are elected at large. Council and Chief received a raise included in the costs that totaled $147,608 that represents retroactive payment for the prior year. Currently honoraria /salary alone for the Elected Chief is $101,745 yearly ($1,956 weekly) compared to a base honoraria in 2021-2022 of $76,500 ($1,471 weekly) . That’s an increase of $58,153 and for councillors honoraria is now $54,796 ($1053.76 weekly) compared to $41,200 in 2021-2022. That’s a $13,596 raise. Six Nations Elected Council is also a smaller council now with only nine councillors and a chief compared to...
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Debate hits record numbers as some topics turn fiery
By Turtle Island News staff Six Nations third annual Six Nations Band Council Chiefs’ Debate was abuzz with community members questioning the candidates seeking seats on elected council. Elected Chief candidates, Councillor Sherri-lyn Hill-Pierce and former elected Chief Steve Williams sat side by side in a debate, while mostly cordial, was marked at times by fiery points of contention in front of an in-person audience of over 200 and more than 1000 tuning in to the live and recorded livestream posted on Turtle Island News Youtube. The night was hosted by local media Turtle Island News, editor Lynda Powless and David Moses, CKRZ TV/radio broadcaster together with Thru the Red Door. As the clock ticked over two hours, candidates dove headfirst into the deep waters of the debate answering audience...
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Over 30 running for Mississaugas of Credit First Nation Council
By Lisa Iesse Writer MISSISSAUGAS OF THE CREDIT FIRST NATION – Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation (MCFN) will see seven chief candidates on their next election ballot, and over 30 councillor candidates. The nomination results were released on Saturday (Oct 28) in a media statement announced by Veronica McLeod, who is MCFN’s Electoral Officer. MCFN posted the nomination results on their facebook page. The election is scheduled to take place on December 9, from 9 am to 8 pm at the MCFN Community Centre. As stated on their website, MCFN has about 2,570 members with approximately two thirds of the community living outside the official MCFN reserve boundary. Giima Stacey Laforme announced over the summer he would no longer be running for elected chief. Giima Laforme entered the leadership...
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Two killed in head on crash near Caledonia
HALDIMAND COUNTY – Six Nations is mourning the loss of a community member and a woman with ties to the community after a two car collission killed both in fiery crash. The two people were killed in a two-vehicle head-on collision south of Caledonia, on Fourth Line near Highway 6 at about 10 p.m. Sunday, Haldimand County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said Monday (Oct 30). OPP and emergency crews arrived on the scene and found a pickup truck on fire and a sedan in the ditch, OPP said. A 51-year-old from Ohsweken and a 36-year-old from Hagersville, the only people in the vehicles, were pronounced dead at the scene. Their names have not been released pending notification to next of kin. The crash is under investigation. OPP said the collision,...
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Deciding a future
Six Nations is headed to the polls this week in one of its’ most unusual band elections. It began with the appointment by the band’s CEO Darren Jamieson of a new election officer. Unfortunately, try as she might, the new elections officer resigned under a deluge of criticism and threats. She was replaced with a new electoral polling officer who caught in the middle of someone else’s planning decided to go with the flow but decided against online voting this year. That’s right you have to show up in person to vote. Normally during election time sitting politicians respect the voter’s right to decide and stay out of the politics, that is unless they are seeking re-election. Not so at Six Nations. And surprisingly so. The soon to be former...
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Indigenous group wants Buffy Sainte-Marie to lose 2018 Juno over ancestry doubts
A group of Indigenous women is calling for Buffy Sainte-Marie to lose her Juno Award for Indigenous album of the year, after a CBC story raised doubts about the singer’s ancestry. “We invite the Juno Awards Committee to revisit this 2018 category and explore ways of righting a past wrong. All Indigenous artists in this 2018 category … should be reconsidered for this rightful honour,” the Indigenous Women’s Collective said in a statement late Sunday, The Indigenous Women’s Collective, which describes itself as a group of mothers, grandmothers, academics and activists advocating to stop colonial violence against Indigenous women, said it reviewed CBC’s story and watched “The Fifth Estate” piece, released on Friday. It said it believes Sainte-Marie deceived the public about her origin as an “Indigenous Scoop survivor.” It...
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Metis presidents urge standing committee to pass Bill C 53 without amendments
By Shari Narine Local Journalism Initiaive Reporter It’s not at this stage in the process that Canada should weigh in, the Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs was told Oct. 26. It was holding its first hearing on Bill C-53, legislation that recognizes certain Metis governments in Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan. The time to weigh in will come when treaties from the legislation are being negotiated and that’s when other Indigenous people will be consulted, said Michelle LeClair, vice president for the Metis Nation-Saskatchewan (MN-S). “All three treaties?will be negotiated independently and it’s there, through that process, that duty to consult will be triggered,’’ she said. “But the venue for these concerns is not here. Not regarding Bill C-53. Our legislation doesn’t trigger the duty to consult. It lays...
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Longboat looking to lead Brock Badgers to playoff success
By Sam Laskaris Writer Vince Longboat is hoping a new Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association (CUFLA) champion will be crowned this weekend. Longboat, a Six Nations member, is the head coach of St. Catharines-based Brock University Badgers men’s field lacrosse team. He had led the Badgers to the CUFLA crown in 2021, his first year coaching the team. The Badgers are now one of six squads participating in this year’s Baggataway Cup, the CUFLA championship tournament, which begins Friday and continues until Sunday at Trent University in Peterborough. Besides hosting the 2023 tourney, the Trent Excalibur are also the defending CUFLA champions. Longboat and his Badgers will be squaring off against Trent in a quarter-final contest on Friday. The opening faceoff for that contest is scheduled for 7:40 p.m. The...
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