Nurse practitioner team grows across western Manitoba
By Steven Sukkau, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Winnipeg Sun Prairie Mountain Health (PMH) has added seven new nurse practitioners to its primary health-care team, strengthening access to services in communities across western Manitoba. The additions come as Manitoba prepares to recognize Nurse Practitioner Day on Nov. 18, celebrating the contributions of nurse practitioners (NPs) to health care throughout the province. As of October 2026, PMH has 37 nurse practitioners serving communities across the region, providing care in both rural and urban settings. The seven recent graduates of the University of Manitoba’s Master of Nursing, Nurse Practitioner program have taken positions at clinics and health facilities throughout the region. Branden Howe will serve Birdtail Sioux First Nation and Keeseekoowenin Ojibway First Nation through PMH’s mobile clinic. Brianne Frykas and Jarret McKinnon...
Register
‘Just keep doing it’: Alaina King reflects on municipal turnout and why she ran twice for Parry Sound council
By Shania Tabobondung/ Local Journalism Initiative /ParrySound.com Alaina King, an Anishinaabekwe (Anishinaabe woman) and Parry Sound council candidate, keeps having the same dream. “In my dream, I could see garbage filling up the river. It was almost visible to the top and there were people crossing the river by walking on the trash,” King recalled. “I saw children swimming in a ‘roped-off’ area.” She said the meaning of the dream became clear when a 12-year-old youth offered an interpretation: adults had dumped their waste into the water believing no one would notice, leaving the next generation to clean up the mess. For her, this dream reaffirmed what she and her culture know: that it is everyone’s responsibility to create a better future for future generations. It is also what led...
Register
Food Bank on the Edge expands reach as more ‘working families’ access the service
By Nora O’Malley Local Journalism Initiative Reporter. Ha-Shilth-Sa Ucluelet, B.C. – Budgets are stretched thin and food banks across Canada are seeing more people with full-time jobs accessing their services. Food Banks Canada’s annual HungerCount project tracks and reports on food bank visits and client demographics. This year, the non-profit said food bank usage has nearly doubled since March 2019, and nearly 18 per cent of food bank clients reported having a job, compared to 12 per cent in 2019. Food Bank on the Edge serves the west coast communities of Ucluelet, Tofino, Millstream, Port Albion, Hitacu, Opitsaht, Ty-Histanis/Esowista, Ahousaht, Hesquiaht and Toquaht. It is accredited under Food Banks Canada’s Standards of Excellence program, which sets the benchmark for safety, dignity and operational excellence in food banking. Last September 2025,...
Register
Public asked to shape future of Hudson’s Bay royal charter
By Tara Deschamps The four institutions sharing Hudson’s Bay’s royal charter are launching a public consultation to help decide how access to and education around the 356-year-old document are handled in the future. The museums and archive that form the Hudson’s Bay Co. Royal Charter Consortium say the public consultation will be led by consulting firm First Peoples Group with support from Nanos Research and Lord Cultural Resources. The public consultation will have several phases, beginning with a focus on Indigenous relations. It will include virtual gatherings and in-person meetings starting this month to collect feedback from Indigenous people in Winnipeg, Timmins, Ont., Yellowknife, Vancouver and Iqaluit. The second phase will include a national survey with all Canadians invited to participate. The feedback generated will form a framework the Archives...
Register
Neskantaga says provincial proposal threatens protesters
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, SNnewswatch.com NESKANTAGA — Chief Gary Quisess says the province is setting the stage for repression of Indigenous protests so that it can push through a road to the Ring of Fire. A regulatory proposal from the government is designed to empower police “to subdue any protest, blockade or ‘barrier’ to the advancement of the Ring of Fire,” Quisess said in a recent letter to the province’s solicitor general and attorney general, as well as the federal justice minister. Premier Doug Ford’s government “is laying the groundwork for the legislative, regulatory or policy mechanisms and police use of force required to build the Northern Road Link,” according to Quisess’s letter, dated Oct. 31. The province is building access roads to Marten Falls and Webequie...
Register
History-making minister realizes challenges lie ahead
By Sam Laskaris, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Iori:wase But Savard-Tremblay, who was appointed as the province’s Minister Responsible for Relations with the First Nations and the Inuit following last month’s Quebec election, is greatly looking forward to his new responsibilities. His duties will obviously impact Kahnawa’kehró:non. “There are some issues but I’m not announcing anything for Kahnawake yet because I think it’s important for me to talk to Grand Chief (Cody) Diabo before,” Savard-Tremblay said in a phone interview with Iorì:wase on October 30. “All the things he would want to tell me or and many things I want to tell him, I hope we won’t do it by the media or any way before we have our first meeting, which we hope to have soon.” Following last week’s First...
Register
1 in 3 teens face dating violence, and doctors should be on alert: pediatric society
By Nicole Ireland The Canadian Paediatric Society is urging doctors to talk to teen patients about healthy relationships and dating violence. In new guidance issued Thursday, the society said one-third of teens in Canada experience physical, psychological, sexual or technology-related abuse — including stalking — in relationships. Dating violence among teens is not new, but technology like texting or social media can facilitate abusive behaviour, such as teens tracking their partners or forbidding them from communicating with friends, said Dr. Megan Harrison, chair of the society’s adolescent health committee, in an interview. “Those types of behaviours happen to adults as well. So not just teens, but the difference is an adolescent is still, you know, forming their own identity,” she said. “So it’s a more vulnerable time for things like...
Register
Hydro-Québec to sell portion of New York transmission line to Kahnawake
By Marieke Glorieux-Stryckman Hydro-Québec is proposing to sell a share of a segment on a new power transmission line to New York to the Mohawk community of Kahnawake. The First Nations community south of Montreal could become a shareholder of a 58-kilometre segment of the transmission line in Quebec under the proposed deal. Hydro-Québec estimates this segment of the line, which is in large part underground with a smaller section underwater when it reaches the Richelieu River, cost around $800 million to build. However, the utility said in filings to the province’s energy regulator that the asset the council of Kahnawake would invest in is worth $310 million. The council of the First Nation plans to buy an ownership stake worth about half of this value, said Eric Doucet, a...
Register
City council approves master plan for new Whitehorse neighbourhood
By Noah Korver, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Yukon News A new residential development looks to be on the horizon in Whitehorse. On Monday Oct. 26 city council approved the Highland Estates Master plan, and moved the proposed Highland Estates neighbourhood development one step closer to breaking ground. According to an administrative report tabled to council on Oct. 19, the land parcel for the proposed neighbourhood is located west of the Lobird Mobile Home Park. The parcel is owned by the Lobird Living Corp., a land development and real estate company. Under Lobird’s proposal, the company plans to divide and develop the tract into a new country-residential neighbourhood consisting of 16 residential units that will each sit on at least half an acre of land. The approval has been nearly three...
Register
Fact File: No evidence for Trump claim Canada will ‘pay for all’ of Keystone pipeline
By Marissa Birnie United States President Donald Trump claimed Sunday that Canada would pay for the entirety of a revived Keystone XL pipeline. While the project has yet to be revived, the Prairie Connector pipeline that would reuse Keystone XL infrastructure is jointly owned by two independent companies, one Canadian and one American, with no federal funding commitments as of yet. Experts on Canada’s natural resource sector say such funding seems unlikely. THE CLAIM During a media scrum in Dubuque, Iowa, Trump said trade negotiations with Canada would include the Keystone pipeline. “They’re going to build the Keystone pipeline. They’re going to pay for it. They’re going to pay for all of it,” he said, adding that the U.S. would provide the route and Canada the financing. Both Trump and...
Register
Manitoba premier calls for end of U.S. tariffs after Trump rebuked in midterms
By Ian Bickis Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew is calling on U.S. politicians to work to remove tariffs on Canada and end the war with Iran after resounding Democratic party wins in the midterm elections. On social media, Kinew congratulated Democrats for “absolutely dominating Trump” in Tuesday’s vote. The party took control of both houses of Congress and flipped long-held Republican Senate seats and state-level positions. Kinew, who has been a vocal critic of Trump, says Americans have delivered a resounding rejection of the president’s actions. The premier says Canadians are ready to rebuild the relationship and strengthen the economies of both countries. Formal trade talks stalled when Canada walked away from negotiations in August, but Prime Minister Mark Carney said there have been official trade discussions in recent days. Kinew...
Register
Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation invests $15 million in First Nations Bank
TORONTO — -CP- The Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation have become one of the First Nations Bank of Canada’s (FNBC) largest shareholders after investing $15 million into the bank giving it a 10 per cent ownership stake. The investment in the Indigenous-owned chartered bank, the only one of its kind in Canada, marks the completion of a $50-million capital raise. The FNBC provides commercial and personal banking services including loans, mortgages and investments to both Indigenous and non-Indigenous clients. The bank said the investment will allow for expanding its lending capacity while pursuing opportunities in Indigenous business, infrastructure and economic development. Bill Lomax, president and CEO of the bank, made the announcement while speaking at the Canadian Club in Toronto on Wednesday. Bill Lomax, left, President and CEO, First...
Register
Halloween at Six Nations brings out the community
Photos by Jim C. Powless and Barbara Latkowski...
Register
Six Nations Elected Council land rights trial focuses on language
By Barbara Latkowski Writer Language and its transfer from generation to generation was key in the testimony of Joseph Martin at the Six Nations of the Grand River’s (SNGR) land claim trial this week. SNGR has waited over 31 years since suing Canada and Ontario over sold land and mismanaged trust funds spanning more than 100 years, something Martin says continues to have detrimental impacts on his community today. “I don’t know if anyone has been homeless or displaced but that’s what happened to our people by teaming up with the Crown. At war with the Crown, we were ultimately displaced from our homeland,” Martin said. “The effects it has had on our people, physically, mentally emotionally and spiritually were tremendous. We had to leave behind our graveyards, our ancestors,...
Register
Community litigation viewing to continue
Six Nations community members are invited to continue viewing the litigation and staying up to date. Six Nations will resume community viewing of its ongoing litigation in November and introduce written summaries of court proceedings to keep community members informed, CEO Deb Jonathan told Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) on Oct. 27 at the General Council meeting. Jonathan said litigation viewing would resume in the coming days, with details about the viewing location to be announced through the community’s social media channels. Access is expected to remain available until November 23.“I do have to say that our viewing audience has dropped even further, but we will be keeping access to litigation viewing open for our community up to November 23,” Jonathan said.Alongside the viewing arrangements, Six Nations will begin issuing...
Register
HCCC: Court’s Dismissal of Six Nations Elected Band Council’s move to join Men’s Fire’s lawsuit against HDI a “Positive Step Forward”
By Lynda Powless Editor BRANTFORD, ONT- An attempt by the Six Nations Elected Band Council (SNEC) and Men’s Fire to join forces in a court action against the Haudenosaunee Development Institute (HDI) has been ruled out. The Ontario Superior Court of Justice, in a decision Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, dismissed the move saying it would “add complex constitutional questions and cause further delay,” to a case already a decade before the courts. The Davey vs Hill suit was launched 10 years ago. The HDI is the development arm of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council (HCCC). The court also said SNEC/the Band was “not a necessary party to the existing action.” In a statement released today ( Oct., 29 2026) The Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council (HCCC) welcomed the decision saying it is...
Register
Six Nations students’ academics up, but attendance down
Six Nations students are making gains in mathematics achievement, but attendance and secondary school credit accumulation remain areas of concern. Claudine VanEvery, Grand Erie District School Board Trustee presented the annual report under its Education Services Agreement at Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) General Council meeting on October 27. The 2025-2026 report outlined student achievement data, culturally affirming programming and transition supports and identified priorities for the coming school year. Julie White, superintendent of Indigenous Education said continued collaboration between schools, families and the community will be essential to improving student outcomes. Grand Erie reported 504 Six Nations students enrolled during the 2025-2026 school year. While attendance data showed Six Nations students had a higher average number of absences than the board overall, White said attendance had improved compared with...
Register
Community marks Murdered and Missing at Six Nations
By Barbara Latkowski Writer Photographs of those missing and murdered filled the gathering space at Ganohkwasra Family Assault Support Services. One was hung in loving memory of Six Nations community member, Paula Joy Martin, who was murdered in April 1996. She was 31. As the Deyetiyenyadoha murdered and missing Indigenous person’s liaison and counsellor, Chasity Martin supports families who have lost loved ones. But for her, the annual gathering at Ganohkwasra, resonates more deeply. Her aunt was Paula Joy Martin. “For me, my aunt and her son, my cousin, had been murdered. His murder is still unresolved, no accountability and no one has been charged. The investigation, yet again, seems too be at a halt. I’ve had no updates from police. I’ve had to do it all independently. I have...
Register
Go Bus staying
GO bus service through Six Nations will continue as a permanent route. Councillor Dayle Bomberry shared the news during Six Nations Elected Council’s (SNEC) General Council meeting on October 27 as part of an update from the Built Environment, Climate Adaptation, Lands and Membership Committee, saying the Metrolinx route known as 15B had been made permanent. The service began April 5, 2025, as part of a partnership between Metrolinx, Six Nations and Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation to expand public transit access in both communities. The initial service was announced as a pilot project with three trips daily in each direction, seven days a week. The route connects community stops with the Brantford Bus Terminal, McMaster University and Aldershot GO Station, providing connections to regional transit and the Lakeshore...
Register
Editorial: SNEC/HCCC time for solutions
Six Nations Elected Band Council (SNEC) needs to explain itself. Now, we realize no matter what the issue is with this current band council there are times when you just have to give your head a shake! SNEC, out of the blue, joined the local Men’s Fire group in an attempt to take the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs’ Council’s (HCCC) development arm the Haudenosaunee Development Institute (HDI) to court. SNEC never explained why they joined the lawsuit? They didn’t explain what they hoped to gain, on behalf of the community, you know the community who didn’t even know the HDI was being taken to court, or if they were just jumping onboard to help the Men’s Fire group pay some legal bills. (And if that’s the case SNEC really needs to...
Register
