B.C. at a Crossroads: Indigenous Leaders Defend Declaration Act Amid Mining Shift
By John Wirth, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Alberta Native News Indigenous leaders in British Columbia are calling on the provincial government to stand firm on the Declaration Act following a landmark court ruling and a 45% drop in new mining claims. As the province transitions to a new mineral tenure system in 2026, a debate is erupting over whether Indigenous rights are inflaming economic uncertainty – or curing it. The tension follows a major December 2025 Court of Appeal ruling in the Gitxaała case. The court confirmed that the Declaration Act is not just a symbolic collection of goals, but a law that applies to all provincial decision-making – including the controversial Mineral Tenure Act (MTA). For decades, dating back to the province’s colonial beginnings, B.C. has used a “free...
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MN-S ERII rep Digness suspended after ethics review; interim appointed
By Nicole Goldsworthy, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, SaskToday.ca SASKATOON — The Métis Nation–Saskatchewan (MN-S) has suspended Eastern Region 2 representative Brent Digness for an indeterminate period following an ethics review related to recordings made public earlier this month. In a statement released Jan. 20, the MN-S Provincial Métis Council said its ethics committee convened after recordings surfaced during the week of Jan. 12 that raised serious concerns about Digness’s conduct. The council said the content of the recordings demonstrated an abuse of power and included harmful language directed toward Métis citizens, women and members of the broader Saskatchewan community. According to MN-S, Digness has publicly acknowledged his actions. At a special Eastern Region 2 (ERII) council meeting held Jan. 13, Hudson Bay Local 114 President Marilyn Ekert was appointed interim...
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Bigstone taking over Chip Lake rebuild
By Pearl Lorentzen Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Lakeside Leader At the end of May 2025, a wildfire burnt half of the buildings in Chipewyan Lake, north of Wabasca. This small community in the Boreal forest is in the midst of being transferred from an M.D. of Opportunity hamlet to a Bigstone Cree Nation reserve. Throughout the evacuation and the initial stages of the rebuild, the M.D. took the lead and worked closely with Bigstone. However, by the end of January the whole process will be transferred over to Bigstone. The change is because Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) has agreed to rebuild the burnt homes, M.D. CAO Chad Tullis told M.D. council at the January 12, 2026 M.D. council meeting. Therefore, Bigstone needs to be the local government heading the project. The...
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Verbatim: Carney’s speech to the World Economic Forum
Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered a speech at World Economic Forum that is garnering attention around world. Here is the full text of his speech: Thank you very much, Larry. I’m going to start in French, and then I’ll switch back to English. [Translated from French] Thank you, Larry. It is both a pleasure, and a duty, to be with you tonight in this pivotal moment that Canada and the world (is) going through. Today I will talk about a rupture in the world order, the end of a pleasant fiction and beginning of a harsh reality, where the geopolitics of the great powers is not subject to any constraints. But I will say, on the other hand, that other countries, especially middle powers like Canada, are not powerless. They...
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Fact File: Police unaware of any link between human trafficking, N.S. cannabis shops
By Lyndsay Armstrong The Nova Scotia government has said its crackdown on illegal cannabis shops was motivated in part by a desire to rein in human trafficking and ensure cannabis sold in the province is not contaminated with fentanyl. The federal justice minister and local police say they have not received reports of human trafficking linked to contraband cannabis, and police in Nova Scotia say they have no evidence of fentanyl being present in seized cannabis. Here’s a look at the claims. JUSTICE MINISTER TIES ILLICIT WEED SALES TO HUMAN TRAFFICKING The Nova Scotia government in December ordered police to crack down on illegal cannabis, with the premier saying the unregulated drug poses a serious public health risk. When provincial Justice Minister Scott Armstrong issued the directive on Dec. 4,...
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Feds ignore calls for moratorium, approve commercial herring fishing
By Sonal Gupta, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer When Kurt Irwin was growing up near Salt Spring Island on British Columbia’s southern coast, spring meant herring season. He remembers the ocean turning white as the small fish filled the harbours, the sky alive with gulls and salmon chasing them just below the surface. “We haven’t seen that in many years… They [commercial fishing boats] literally fished it out,” said the now 58-year-old Irwin, a councillor for the Penelakut Tribe, located near Chemainus on Vancouver Island. Their members have also been pushing for a five-year moratorium on commercial herring fisheries to allow stocks to recover. For the 2025–26 season, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) approved the harvest of more than 2,000 tons of herring from the Salish Sea for...
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Tofino council supports Tla-o-qui-aht’s bid to change some BC geographical names
By Nora O’Malley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Ha-Shilth-Sa Tofino, BC – Following the official renaming of Tofino’s Mackenzie Beach back to its traditional name tinwis (pronounced ti-nu-wis) in the fall, Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation (TFN) has applied to the BC Geographical Names Office to change three additional place names: North Chesterman Beach, Kennedy Lake and Meares Island. Tofino Mayor Dan Law and council expressed unanimous support for the name change proposals during the Jan. 20 regular council meeting. “Just a reminder, we are not renaming necessarily, these placenames have been named these names for millennia,” said Law. He directed district staff to confirm their support to the BC Geographical Names Office. While in support of the proposed name changes, councillor Sarah Sloman raised concerns about safety when it comes to response...
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Six Nations Elected Council may hold cannabis referendum
By Lynda Powless Editor A move by Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) to hold a referendum that could outlaw cannabis here is already sparking controversy in the community. Turtle Island News has learned SNEC, in a closed meeting, agreed to look to amend the band council’s cannabis law by holding a referendum that could ask the community whether they want cannabis here or not. SNEC has already sought legal opinions on potential changes or banning of cannabis sales. The move has councillor Helen Miller concerned. “So what happens if we have a referendum and the community says no, we don’t want cannabis here. What is the plan if tht happens? What are we going to do then? Shut em all down? How would we do that? What is our plan...
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Six Nations Social Services staff tell local Youth Council to hand over branding in attempted take over
By Lynda Powless Editor In a surprising move Six Nations Youth Council (SNYC) says they were told to “hand over” their branding and all their documents by Six Nations council’s administration staff. The reason…? Dominique Bomberry, SNYC coordinator of the independant group, said they were told by band employees it was needed so Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) could start fresh with a new youth council. SNYC members appeared at SNEC saying they wanted to seek clarity and address any miscommunication between the youth organization and SNEC. Dominique Bomberry, SNYC coordinator, called for a more collaborative working relationship with SNEC and its departments. while emphasizing the importance of maintaining the Youth Council’s independence.,to SNEC at its Jan 13th meeting. Dominique Bomberry said she felt “disrespected” after a meeting with Arliss Skye,...
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Six Nations Flooding State of Emergency now in seventh month
Six Nations of the Grand River (SNGR) is now seven months into a flooding state of emergency. Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) said the community remains under a State of Emergency after a flooding hit June 18,2025. SNEC says it is continuing its “response and remediation efforts” to the flooding. In a statement released last week SNEC said that “Significant progress has been made in restoring impacted facilities.” The statement said 15 buildings were affected but only five are still under remediation. The statement did not list what facilities were impacted. However, one building, the Iroquois Lodge, was impacted with about 50 residents being forced to move to a facility in Delhi in June. The Iroquois lodge is the only long-term care home in Six Nations. The statement says Six...
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Six Nations to support Permanent People’s Tribunal
Six Nations will support an international opinion tribunal to bring awareness to Canada’s lacklustre response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action. Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) voted to support a request for a letter of endorsement for the Permanent People’s Tribunal at its General Council meeting on January 13 to examine crimes against humanity related to Indian Residential Schools, to allow Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal to secure funding for the project. They are seeking funding from the Future Generations Fund to support the Permanent People’s Tribunal, which is scheduled to hold public hearings in Montreal from May 25 to 29, 2026. Nakuset, Executive Director of the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal formally invited the Permanent People’s Tribunal to Canada in November...
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First Nation’s advice: ‘Be careful’ in the U.S.
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Thunder Bay Source EMO — Rainy River First Nations members are advised to “be careful” in their movements south of the Canada-U.S. border saying they’ve heard reports of Indigenous people being harassed and detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). A notice posted on social media advises members that they “have every right to travel and live (on) either side of the border.” But when in Minnesota, the notice continues, First Nation members should carry their Indian status card or Canadian passport with them at all times. Further, they are advised to contact Rainy River Chief Jim Leonard immediately if they run into trouble. “It has come to our attention that Status First Nations people are currently being targeted, assaulted and detained” by...
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Border mayors react to First Nation’s ICE advice
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Thunder Bay Source FORT FRANCES — Mayor Andrew Hallikas said Friday he hasn’t heard of any of his border town’s residents having negative experiences with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, so far. “We do have an excellent relationship with International Falls, Minn.,” he said in a phone interview. “They’re our sister city and we have very close ties with them, so people from Fort Frances are back and forth all the time. And nobody has reported any incidents or any issues where they’re concerned. “But that’s not to say that can’t happen, right?” Hallikas said he saw the post Rainy River First Nations’ chief made on Facebook, advising members to “be careful” and always carry ID when south of the border,...
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Yes, there is a youth group!
It took a few minutes…but they got there. There isn’t a community anywhere that doesn’t believe its youth is its future. They bring with them hope, excitement and the belief in a future. For those of us who are no longer youth it can’t help but touch our hearts. Especially after watching while the Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) tried to dig itself out of the hole it was pushed into, by one of its departments, in what we hope was simply a mis-communication and not an attempt to put youth in their place. In a nutshell, the Six Nations’ youth group had received funding from SNEC to the tune of about $25,000 over a year ago. Monies to carry out a variety of initiatives in particular those involving the...
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Today in History
January 13 In 2004, the Quebec government reached a tentative agreement with the Kanesatake police commission to end a potentially explosive Mohawk standoff at Kanesatake reserve near Oka, Que., allowing 60 besieged officers from various native bands to leave the station. Grand Chief James Gabriel, whose house was burned down during the protest, had invited aboriginal officers from outside the reserve to crack down on crime and marijuana growing operations in the community. January 14 In 2019, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made some changes to his cabinet – moving Montreal M-P David Lametti to justice and shuffling Vancouver’s Jody Wilson-Raybould to Veterans Affairs. January 22 In 1690, the Iroquois signed a peace treaty with the British government and the Great Lakes tribes. In 2007, the multiple murder trial of Vancouver-area...
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UNDER THE NORTHERN SKY: We Need To Protect Our First Nations From Emergencies
by Xavier Kataquapit I was surprised recently when I saw my relatives in my home community of Attawapiskat First Nation on the James Bay coast were still having to fetch water from a water pumping station in the community. For most people in the community, it is the only way for them to have clean drinking water. It was very surprising to me to see, because this was the reality when I was a teenager in the community over 30 years ago. I had hoped that by now, the water systems would be fixed and properly maintained to provide clean, safe drinking water to every household but that is not the case. A more serious issue has occurred in Kashechewan First Nation, south of Attawapiskat FN on the James Bay...
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Numerous Six Nations members to be inducted into North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame
By Sam Laskaris Writer A local Stanley Cup champion and several past and current Six Nations lacrosse stars are among those who will be inducted into the North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame this year. The North American hall, founded in 2022, does not have a permanent home. Instead, it lives online at the website https://www.naiahf.org/ An induction ceremony for the 2026 class is scheduled for May 30 in the Wisconsin city of Green Bay. This year’s inductees include Brandon Montour, the Six Nations member who helped the Florida Panthers win the National Hockey League’s ultimate prize, the Stanley Cup, in 2024. Montour, a 31-year-old defenceman, is now in his second season with the Seattle Kraken. He’ll be inducted into the hall via the Athlete category. A total of...
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Chiefs’ off-season moves
By Sam Laskaris Writer The brass of the Six Nations Chiefs has been busy in the past week making some moves. The Chiefs are the three-time defending national Mann Cup champions. And they will be hoping to win another Canadian title at home this September. The eventual champs of the Ontario-based Major Series Lacrosse (MSL) circuit, will host the Mann Cup series. The Western Lacrosse Association playoff winners from British Columbia will travel east to provide the opposition. Six Nations kicked off the MSL trade season this past week sending Larson Sundown to the Cobourg Kodiaks. In return the Chiefs acquired Chris Cloutier, who is currently playing pro in the National Lacrosse League with the Las Vegas Desert Dogs. Cloutier is expected to bolster the Chiefs’ firepower on offence. He’s...
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SPORTS BRIEFS: Ironmen back in action
By Sam Laskaris Writer Ironmen return to action The Six Nations Ironmen will finally return to action this Sunday following a lengthy 16-day break. The Ironmen, who are in their inaugural season of the Northern Premier Hockey League (NPHL), are on a four-game winning streak. But the Six Nations club has not played a match since it registered a 9-5 victory over the host Woodstock Lakers on Jan. 2. The Lakers will host the same Lakers this Sunday (Jan. 18) in a contest that will be held at the Six Nations Sports & Cultural Memorial Centre. The opening faceoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Thanks to their recent winning streak, the Ironmen have jumped into top spot in the North Division of the NPHL’s Metropolitan Conference. Six Nations is sporting...
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Hockey player seeks long playoff run
By Sam Laskaris, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Windspeaker.com Besides looking to finish his junior hockey career on a high note, Caleb Labelle is also spending time thinking about his academic and athletic futures. Labelle, a member of Biigtigong Nishnaabeg, a First Nation in northern Ontario, is a defenceman with the Kam River Fighting Walleye. The Junior A club based in Thunder Bay, Ont. is one of seven entrants in the Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL). This circuit features six franchises from northern Ontario and the Michigan-based Ironwood Lumberjacks. The Fighting Walleye are the defending SIJHL champions. And they participated this past May at the Centennial Cup, the national Junior A tournament. The Kam River squad managed to win one of its four round-robin matches at the Canadian tourney held...
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