Six Nations hospice planning continues
Construction planning for the future Six Nations hospice continues, although several infrastructure and design challenges have delayed progress. Updates from both the Wellbeing Committee and the Built Environment, Climate Adaptation, Lands and Membership Committee were presented during the Six Nations Elected Council General Council meeting on July 14, giving the community a picture of the project’s progress. Wellbeing Committee chair Councillor Amos Key Jr. said the hospice remains a key component of Six Nations’ long-term vision to create an integrated health system that provides care from prenatal services through end-of-life care. “We’ve got parts of it. We’ve got the hospice now going,” Key said. “We want to look at diagnostics, assessment, all of that, as well as part of that integrated health system.” Key said construction has been slowed after...
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Editorial: Conflict of interest, declare it, move on!
Whether, or when, a band councillor is in a conflict of interest has risen….again! And not surprising it involves councillor Hazel Johnson and her connection to the Six Nations Farmers’ Association (SNFA). The SNFA was approved to receive $75,000 in community funding for their annual White Corn Project. A venture that involves the planting of the white corn for community harvesting. A worthwhile project that has been in existence for decades. This year, however, councillor Dayle Bomberry questioned his colleague’s involvement in the discussion and voting to approve the funding when two of councillor Johnson’s sisters work for the project and will receive honorarium from the SNFA that would come from the SNEC donation. Johnson says she is not in conflict. And, not only not in conflict, but expected councillor...
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Today in History
July 20 In 1885, the trial of Louis Riel, leader of the Metis and founder of Manitoba, began. Riel was charged with treason for his role in two Metis rebellions. He refused to plead insanity, as his lawyer suggested, and was convicted. He was hanged later that year. July 21 In 1961, the government-built town of Inuvik, N.W.T., was officially opened. The town, the largest Canadian community north of the Arctic Circle, was constructed to replace the old settlement of Aklavik, which was being threatened by flood and erosion. Located on the Mackenzie River delta, the town’s economy is centred on nearby oil and gas exploration. In 2021, Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister appointed former cabinet minister Eileen Clarke to a powerful financial oversight committee, only to have Clarke reject the...
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Six Nations councillor called for conflict
By Lynda Powless Editor A Six Nations councillor was called out at a recent Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) session after supporting a motion that may have financially benefited her family. SNEC is now seeking guidance from its Integrity Commission after clashing over conflict of interest policies at the General Finance meeting Monday ( July 20). The SNEC argument erupted over whether Councillor Hazel Johnson should have declared a conflict on a previous funding decision. The discussion began during approval of the July 6 council minutes, when Councillor Dayle Bomberry questioned whether Johnson should have declared a conflict of interest on a previous motion involving funding for the Six Nations Farmers Association (SNFA). “I was just wondering because it involves her siblings,” Bomberry said. “I was just wondering if she...
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Rivermen to battle Bengals in semi-finals
By Sam Laskaris Writer For the second straight year the Six Nations Rivermen will square off against the Hamilton Bengals for the opportunity to advance to their league finals. The Rivermen and Bengals will meet in a best-of-five Ontario Series Lacrosse (OSL) semi-final series, which will begin this Saturday. Six Nations will host the series opener at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena. The Rivermen and Bengals also met in an OSL semi-final series in 2025. Hamilton won the first two matches of that best-of-five affair. But Six Nations came storming back and racked up three straight victories to capture the series. The Whitby-based Brooklin Merchants then swept the Rivermen 2-0 in last year’s OSL championship final series. Both clubs entered that series realizing regardless of what transpired in the league final,...
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Whitlow named MVP of Arena Lacrosse League
By Sam Laskaris Writer Wes Whitlow got a text last week that left him a bit baffled. Whitlow, a star with the Six Nations Snipers of the Arena Lacrosse League (ALL), received a message from the club’s head coach Darcy Powless. “My coach texted me and just said ‘Congrats. It’s well overdue,’” Whitlow said. “And I was like ‘For what?’.” Then, a few minutes later, Powless sent Whitlow a pic from the league’s social media announcing Whitlow had been selected as the ALL’s MVP for the 2025-26 campaign. “I said ‘That’s pretty cool,’” Whitlow said. “I didn’t expect to win that.” Whitlow, who turned 28 this past Thursday, had a spectacular season with the Snipers, who captured the ALL championship this past March. He racked up a whopping 78 points...
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SPORTS BRIEFS: Arrows’ season ends with Orangeville loss
By Sam Laskaris Writer Following an impressive regular season showing the Six Nations Arrows were hoping to have a long playoff run. But the Arrows’ 2026 campaign came to an end on the weekend, much sooner than team members would have preferred. The Orangeville Northmen registered a 12-11 overtime victory over the visiting Arrows on Sunday. With that win the Northmen upset the Arrows 4-2 in a best-of-seven Ontario Junior Lacrosse League (OJLL) quarter-final series. The local Junior A squad was considered a contender for its league title this season after posting a 13-5 regular season record. As for the Northmen, they were a .500 club during the regular season, winning nine of their 18 matches. Orangeville might have been viewed as the underdog heading into the series against Six...
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First Nations on Manitoulin Island offer unique Indigenous tourism experiences
By Sam Laskaris Writer Manitoulin Island’s claim to fame continues to be the fact it is the world’s largest freshwater island. But there is an endless amount of reasons to visit the island, located about six hours north of Toronto and accessible by car or, depending on the time of year, by ferry. Manitoulin Island is approximately 160 kilometres long, from its most westerly to easterly points. And it covers slightly under 2,800 square kilometres, which is about half the size of the province of Prince Edward Island. Manitoulin Island comes from the Anishinaabe word Manidoowaaling, which in English translates to “Spirit Island” or “Cave of the Spirit.” And there’s certainly no shortage of Indigenous tourism experiences on the picturesque island, which includes six First Nations. For those travelling by...
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More than 170 wildfires burning in Ontario’s north
Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources is listing 173 wildfires as active this morning in Ontario’s north, including 12 that had been sparked in the last 24 hours. Early estimates suggest the flames have ravaged more of the province’s forests this season than any previous year on record, burning through more than 7,250 square kilometres so far. Most of the fires in the province have burned in the last 10 days, and forced more than 1,800 people from their homes. Twelve of the 13 evacuated communities are First Nations. On Tuesday, First Nations leaders called for a public inquiry into Ontario’s wildfire response, accusing the province of leaving communities to fend for themselves without timely support for evacuations. Earlier in the day, Premier Doug Ford said his government had done everything...
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Indigenous leaders meet premiers on sidelines of national meeting in P.E.I.
By Alessia Passafiume The national chief of the Assembly of First Nations says she thinks premiers are finally starting to get the message that First Nations cannot be left out of discussions on major projects and building up the Canadian economy. “It seems like there’s a little bit of a shift,” Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak said in an interview with The Canadian Press after she wrapped up a meeting with premiers from across the country on Tuesday. “In order to move this country along, we’re going to have to work more closely together.” Provincial and territorial leaders are assembled in Charlottetown this week for the annual Council of the Federation meeting. Indigenous leaders met with premiers on the sidelines of that conference, bringing a message that their voices must be heard...
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Fleeing by boat: Why the Namaygoosisagagun First Nation wildfire tragedy was so predictable
By Sara Wilson, PhD Candidate, Communications, Simon Fraser University On July 13, the residents of Namaygoosisagagun First Nation in Northern Ontario watched a massive wildfire jump the rail line near their homes. Facing an approaching 350,000-hectare fire, just over two dozen people who were in the community at the time could not wait for official evacuation co-ordinates, government transport or provincial emergency alerts. Instead, they evacuated entirely by boat, carrying only what they could hold. While every member survived, their community was entirely destroyed. Another First Nation, Whitewater Lake, has also been destroyed as more than a dozen others across Northern Ontario remain under mandatory evacuation orders. The political response is following a familiar playbook, blaming climate change as the sole culprit for the devastation. But the loss of Namaygoosisagagun...
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First Nation leaders call for public inquiry into Ontario wildfire response
By Jordan Omstead First Nation leaders are calling for a public inquiry into the Ontario wildfire response after they say communities were left to evacuate without help from the province and some residents narrowly avoided the encroaching flames. The chief of Gull Bay First Nation says an inquiry should investigate a number of issues such as the government’s emergency co-ordination with First Nations, evacuation planning and overall provincial preparedness. Chief Wilfred King says the lack of communication and evacuation support should “horrify all Canadians.” Record-breaking wildfires burning across northern Ontario have prompted evacuations in at least 12 First Nations and forced more than 1,800 people to flee their homes. Several communities, including Whitewater Lake and Whitesand, have reported widespread destruction. Premier Doug Ford says his government has done “everything we...
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Ford says Canada can ‘dismantle’ U.S. ahead of meeting between Carney and premiers
By Eli Ridder Prime Minister Mark Carney and the country’s premiers are huddling for a virtual Team Canada meeting Tuesday afternoon after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened a dramatic increase in tariffs on some Canadian goods. P.E.I. Premier Rob Lantz, who is hosting his counterparts for an annual leaders meeting, said Carney was added to Tuesday’s agenda after Trump signed orders to increase levies by 50 per cent on a variety of goods ranging from hockey sticks to honey to cement. Senior White House officials said the tariffs, to be applied within 30 days, are in response to provincial bans on U.S. liquor, Canada’s supply managed dairy system and quotas on certain U.S. vehicles. The new tariffs will not apply to energy, potash, fish or other goods already facing separate...
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Thunderstorm cancels first day of World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series
SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND RIVER-Sprint Car Series fans will have to wait another day to enjoy the World of Outlaws festivities at Ohsweken Speedway after the first night of the event was cancelled due to thunderstorms. After sustained downpour and strong winds were felt throughout Ohsweken on Tuesday (July 21) morning afternoon, World Outlaws announced that night one of the marquee event would be cancelled. “With heavy rainfall hitting Ohsweken Speedway Tuesday morning and afternoon and weather models showing continued downpours through the evening, World of Outlaws NOS Energy Sprint Car Series and track officials have agreed to cancel the Federated Auto Parts Six Nations Showdown opener,” they said in an update. They confirmed that the second night of the two-day event would still be going on as scheduled, with weather forecasted to...
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Indigenous leaders meet premiers on sidelines of national meeting in P.E.I.
By Alessia Passafiume Indigenous leaders meeting premiers on the sidelines of a national conference this week say their voices must be heard nationwide as provincial and federal governments pursue major projects and a new trade deal with the U.S. Provincial and territorial leaders are assembled in Charlottetown this week for the annual Council of the Federation meeting. Indigenous leaders typically meet with the premiers ahead of their official meetings, something Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak has compared to being relegated to the “kiddie table.” First Nations chiefs secured their own meeting with premiers and Prime Minister Mark Carney this October after years of demanding one. Victoria Pruden, president of the Métis National Council, says Métis ought to have their own meeting with Carney and relevant premiers...
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Union blasts Ford government for ‘mismanagement’ of forest firefighting efforts
By Jon Thompson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Ricochet As wildfires swallow swaths of northern Ontario, in what is already the worst wildfire season in the province’s history, the union representing forest firefighters is sounding the alarm over what he calls “government mismanagement at the highest levels.” Noah Freedman, vice president of Local 703 with the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, says from human resources to aircraft, the province’s culture of relying on surge funding to pay for forest fires is costing Ontario a lot more than money. “What we’re talking about is government mismanagement at the highest levels,” Freedman says. “We have a lack of helicopters to get people to fires. We have a lack of crews to get people to these fires. The reason these fires ended up the...
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This is Ontario’s worst wildfire season, early estimates suggest. It’s not over yet.
By Jordan Omstead Wildfires across northern Ontario have torched more of the province’s forest than during any previous year on record, early estimates suggest, with a recent burst of fast-moving wildfires responsible for nearly all of the area burned in just a few days. The province’s latest numbers suggest fires have burned through more than 7,250 square kilometres of Ontario’s forest, surpassing the previous record set in 2021. Fire estimates are often revised once officials get a closer look at the devastation, but the initial numbers indicate just how quickly the season has worsened. “Just seeing how much smoke and how large these fires grew very quickly was just a testament to how intense they were,” said Liam Buchart, a fire weather specialist with the Canadian Forest Service. Ontario’s season...
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Emergency plans urged for all areas
By Sandi Krasowski, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Chronicle-Journal Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Natural Resources Minister Mike Harris and Emergency Preparedness Minister Jill Dunlop visited Thunder Bay on Saturday and toured evacuation centres and the Thunder Bay International Airport. They saw first-hand the plight of evacuees who were forced from their burning communities as well as the pilots working to extinguish the fires and evacuate people. By Monday, 1,800 people from 13 northern communities had been evacuated, with many still in the process of evacuation as flames came closer to their homes. The province says it recognizes the changing climate and annual increase of wildland fires both across the province and the country. “We need a large national fire strategy,” Ford said. “We seem to be going through this every...
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Inuit company gets $35.6 million from feds to build 23 staff housing units in Iqaluit
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News The federal government is investing $35.6 million to build a 23-unit staff housing complex in Iqaluit at 174 Nikku Lane, which will be built by Inuit firm Arctic Fresh Projects. That works out to just over $1.5 million per home. Many housing developments in Nunavut cost between $800,000 and $1 million per unit. The higher price tag is because this housing project will be highly efficient and environmentally sustainable, and will be the first LEED Gold building in Nunavut, explained Kevin Turner, an official at Public Services and Procurement Canada. Minister of Public Works and Procurement Joel Lightbound made the announcement on July 21 at Iqaluit’s Pilimmaksaivik Office, which is the Federal Centre of Excellence for Inuit Employment in Nunavut....
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‘Wildfires are now a crisis’: Indigenous communities knew how to care for the land; then the rest of us arrived
By Anushka Yadav, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Pointer Much of Canada is ablaze. Ontario has become the face of nature’s wrath with the highest number of active wildfires in the country. As firefighters battle nearly 200 forest fires — 70 not under control — Ontarians woke up to a yellow Wednesday sky with the worst air quality in the world, and things only got worse today in parts of the province. The ominous pearl grey chemical air that eventually descended upon millions, as the smoke became too thick for even the sun to affect its colour, was not all that July 15 brought. Shortly after 11 a.m., dystopia and irony were packaged into a parody brought to you by the stalwarts of “Protect Ontario”. “Canadians know that we can...
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