SNEC has new fiscal agreement with Indigenous Services Canada
Six Nations has entered into a multi-year funding agreement with the federal government. Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) approved an amendment to the five-year funding agreement with Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) at its General Finance meeting on April 15 without much discussion. The amendment from ISC provides an additional $6.1 million for Child and Family Services. The funds will go toward two different sections of the department, $3.3 million to Six Nations Child and Family Services Capital and First Nations Rep Capital Services will receive $2.7 million. Although Councillor Audrey Powless-Bomberry revealed, it may not go directly to the programs. She pointed out that the comprehensive funding agreement states that the funding goes to the chief and CEO. “Who determines that and what are the criteria? What goes to the...
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SN development corporation launches new funding program
SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND – Capital projects in the community may be eligible for up to $50,000 in funding through a new program from the Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation (SNGRDC). On Friday (April 19), SNGRDC announced the launch of their new program. Called the “Pledge Program,” the new initiative is focussed on responding to the recommendations outlined in 2019’s Community Plan. “Organizations that apply to the Pledge Program must be able to identify how their capital project pledge request aligns with the needs of the Six Nations community as outlined in the 2019 Community Plan,” said SNGRDC in Friday’s media release. The funding available from this new program is specifically geared towards capital projects. For SNGRDC capital projects mean “significant, long-term investment in assets or...
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Indigenous players among those seeking Stanley Cup glory
By Sam Laskaris Writer Six Nations member Brandon Montour is hoping this is the year he will win the ultimate prize in professional hockey. Montour and his Florida Panthers teammates came up one step shy of winning the Stanley Cup in 2023. The Panthers were downed by the Vegas Golden Knights 4-1 in the National Hockey League’s best-of-seven championship series last spring. The Golden Knights’ roster included defenceman Zach Whitecloud, a member of Sioux Valley Dakota Nation in Manitoba. Both the Panthers and Golden Knights once again qualified to participate in the 2024 NHL playoffs, which began this past Saturday. A total of 16 clubs advanced to the post-season. Besides Montour and Whitecloud, two other Indigenous players are also competing in the playoffs this spring. They are Metis forward Connor...
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Six Nations members featured on National Lacrosse League playoff participants
By Sam Laskaris Writer It’s playoff time in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). And there’s no shortage of individuals with Six Nations connections that will be participating in this year’s NLL post-season. After regular season action was completed this past weekend, eight teams in the 15-club pro circuit qualified to move on to the playoffs. That includes the Toronto Rock, who finished atop the league standings with an impressive 15-3 record. The Rock roster includes Justin Martin, a rookie defender who chipped in offensively with 16 points (10 goals and six assists). Martin appeared in all 18 of the Rock’s regular season outings. Toronto will square off against the Rochester Knighthawks in a quarter-final matchup this Saturday. The match will be staged at the Rock home facility, FirstOntario Centre in...
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Warriors cross border to participate in pre-season lacrosse tournament
By Sam Laskaris Writer One of Six Nations’ newest lacrosse teams got its first taste of game action this past weekend. The Grand River Warriors, an expansion franchise in the Can-Am Lacrosse League, participated in pre-season tournament on Saturday, which was hosted by the Newton Golden Eagles. The Warriors had some mixed results at the event staged at the Gil Lay Memorial Sports Arena in Irving, N.Y. The Grand River squad was victorious in one of the three matches it played at the tournament, which featured five of the six entrants that will participate in the Can-Am league, a Senior B men’s circuit, this season. The Warriors were originally scheduled to also play a fourth contest on Saturday. But that match was not held as their opponents, the Allegany Arrows,...
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First Nations wrestler helps unveil Canadian clothing line for Paris Olympics
By Sam Laskaris, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Justina Di Stasio’s lifelong dream is starting to feel more and more like reality. Di Stasio, a member of Norway House Cree Nation in Manitoba, is a wrestler who will represent Canada at this summer’s Paris Olympics in France. Di Stasio was in Toronto on April 16 for the Athlete Kit reveal, featuring all of the clothing that Canadian athletes will wear during the Olympics and Paris Paralympics. The event, staged at The Liberty Grand in Toronto, was hosted by lululemon, which is the official outfitter for athletes representing the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic committees. Di Stasio, who lives in East Vancouver, was excited to be among the Canadian athletes to model the clothes they’ll be wearing. “Everything feels more like I’m going...
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Freeland says $5 billion just a start for Indigenous loan guarantee program
By Ian Bickis THE CANADIAN PRESS TORONTO– The $5-billion announced for an Indigenous loan guarantee program in last week’s budget is just a start, said Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland. “Nothing would make me happier than seeing that $5-billion oversubscribed and needing to put in place even more,” she said, speaking to media at the First Nations Major Projects Coalition conference in Toronto on Tuesday. The program is designed to help Indigenous communities buy equity in natural resource and energy projects by securing them more favourable interest rates. Freeland said she would like to see the program up and running quickly, and the government has set up a special office in the Privy Council to get clean energy projects done faster. But the government also faced criticism at the conference...
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Urgent Six Nations Gané Yohs Community Health Centre closed due to mold
By Lynda Powless Editor SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND- A second Six Nations public building has been closed as a result of mold being found in the building. The Gané Yohs Community Health Centre that houses the local medical centre, public health, labs and dental office have all been shut down with no expected re-opening date announced. Just two weeks ago the Six Nations Housing building on Chiefswood Road was shut down due to mold. It has since been remediated and re-opened. The health centre closure came in a rush Tuesday, April 23rd with a notice telling the community the closure was “urgent. and the result of mold being “discovered sent out Tuesday evening. The notice said Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) “regrets to inform its staff members and the...
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`More employee focused’ at Qikiqtani Industry Limited
By Kira Wronska Dorward Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Resource extraction economies, such as Nunavut’s, can only take place when the necessary support, infrastructure and services exist. In other words, when all the other jobs that make the mining possible are being done as well. Housing, food, care and community building are all essential components. Pratik Rajput, senior project manager at Qikiqtani Industry Limited, has spent the last four years supporting Baffinland Iron Mine’s work on the ground, including through the uncertainty of the Covid-19 pandemic. Rajput lives full-time in Iqaluit. “I started as a project coordinator in 2020 for Qikiqtani Industries Limited mostly focusing on recruitment for the company. In July 2021, I got promoted to manager, where I was focusing more on recruitment, contract management, dealing with the client a...
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Freeland says $5 billion just a start for Indigenous loan guarantee program
TORONTO-Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland says the $5-billion announced for an Indigenous loan guarantee program in last week’s budget is just a start. Speaking to media at the First Nations Major Projects Coalition conference Tuesday, Freeland says nothing would make her happier than for it to be oversubscribed and needing to put more funding in place. By guaranteeing loans through the program, the federal government intends to help Indigenous borrowers secure more favourable interest rates when investing in natural resource and energy projects. The First Nations Major Projects Coalition estimates there will be $525 billion in capital investment opportunities for Indigenous equity participation over the next 10 years. Mark Podlasly, chief sustainability officer of the coalition, said in a chat with Freeland at the conference that the loan guarantee program...
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‘Historic’ law recognizing Haida Aboriginal title introduced in B.C. legislature
THE CANADIAN PRESS VICTORIA- The B.C. government says legislation formally recognizing the Haida Nation’s Aboriginal title over the archipelago of Haida Gwaii was introduced in the legislature Monday. The province says the “Rising Tide” Haida Title Lands Agreement is the first negotiated deal of its kind in Canada, providing for a “staged transition” to Haida jurisdiction. Haida Nation President Jason Alsop said the new law in B.C. is a “step toward peaceful co-existence” with the province. “It was always Haida title land,” Alsop said at a news conference alongside Premier David Eby and others Monday. “We look forward to the opportunities that come out of this, but we recognize it’s not easy work.” “It’s an exciting thing to be a part of. The status quo is just not working and...
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RCMP and fire crews mobilize as wildfire threatens Cold Lake First Nations
By Chantel Downes Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Cpl. Troy Savinkoff, Public Information Officer with the Operations Committee with the provincial RCMP media line, provided details of the ongoing response. “Our RCMP is currently on scene at Cold Lake First Nations supporting the emergency operation centre with some limited evacuations,” he stated. RCMP has been involved in the evacuation of 10 homes, affecting approximately 20 people. Further evacuations are on standby as the fire situation develops. The cause of the fire is unknown, as the incident is too recent for authorities to determine what happened, said Savinkoff. The size of the wildfire remains a concern, but the exact scale is unclear. “It’s sizable enough that we’ve evacuated some people, but hopefully, I know fire crews are working hard to get it...
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Large study shows caribou herds in Alberta, B.C., growing from wolf culls, cow pens
By Bob Weber THE CANADIAN PRESS Fresh research suggests western Canada’s once-dwindling caribou numbers are finally growing. But the same paper concludes the biggest reason for the rebound is the slaughter of hundreds of wolves, a policy that will likely have to go on for decades. “If we don’t shoot wolves, given the state of the habitat that industry and government have allowed, we will lose caribou,” said Clayton Lamb, one of 34 co-authors of a newly published study in the journal Ecological Applications. “It’s not the wolves’ fault.” Caribou conservation is considered one of the toughest wildlife management problems on the continent. The animals, printed on the back of the Canadian quarter since 1937, require undisturbed stretches of hard-to-reach old-growth boreal forest. Those same forests tend to be logged...
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Telus Cup crowds have Membertou businesses prepared for busy week
By Mitchell Ferguson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter MEMBERTOU- The return of the Telus Cup national under-18 men’s hockey championship to Nova Scotia and the tournament’s first time coming to Cape Breton marks a significant step up for Membertou-hosted sports events but also in local economic impact. For the first time in a First Nations community, the Telus Cup tournament is being held this week at the Membertou Sport and Wellness Centre. Local business managers are anticipating a busy week ahead. In January, Jennifer Collins, chair of the Telus Cup host committee, highlighted the anticipated economic boom at a launch event for the tournament. She said the estimated financial impacts would be significant and would support a total of $1.3 million of economic activity in the province, of which $1.1 million...
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Honda to build electric vehicles and battery plant in Ontario, sources say
By Allison Jones THE CANADIAN PRESS TORONTO- Honda Canada is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant near its auto manufacturing facility in Alliston, Ont., where it also plans to produce fully electric vehicles. The Canadian Press has learned that the federal and Ontario governments will make the announcement this week. Senior sources with information on the project confirmed the deal but were not yet able to give any dollar figures. Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Monday morning told a First Nations conference that there will be an announcement this week about a new deal that he said will be double the size of a Volkswagen deal announced last year. That EV battery plant set to be built in St. Thomas, Ont., comes with a $7-billion capital price tag....
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Ontario First Nation leaders call for disbandment of Thunder Bay police
TORONTO-First Nation leaders are renewing calls to dissolve the Thunder Bay police as the force’s former leadership faces charges in a widening misconduct probe. Nishnawbe Aski Nation, several chiefs of northern Ontario First Nations and several families with loved ones who died in the city say Thunder Bay police can no longer conduct credible investigations. Several reports since 2018 have documented systemic racism in the Thunder Bay police force and outlined how investigations into the sudden deaths of Indigenous people have been tainted by racist attitudes and stereotyping. Thirteen of those investigations were so poorly handled they had to be reinvestigated. The Ontario Provincial Police announced criminal charges this month against the former Thunder Bay police chief and another high-ranking member. Current Thunder Bay police Chief Darcy Fleury vowed last week...
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First Nations on cusp of more self sustaining project financing
TORONTO- The chair of the First Nations Major Projects Coalition says Indigenous people are set to become true partners in big projects that will help lead to a future of self-sustaining financial independence. Speaking at the coalition’s annual conference Monday, chair Sharleen Gale, chief of the Fort Nelson First Nation, says to get there though, First Nations need access to competitively priced capital. She says the coalition came together close to a decade ago in part because First Nations were being offered credit card-level interest rates for project financing, making it hard to get anything off the ground. Gale says the $5-billion Indigenous loan guarantee announced last week in the federal budget is an exciting step to make capital cheaper and get more projects started, the profits of which could...
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$10 million for Kahnawake Cultural Arts Centre
By Marcus Bankuti Local Journalism Initiative Reporter An agreement between Hydro Quebec and the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) was finalized this week, establishing shared ownership of a major energy transmission line in a deal heralded as a form of “economic reconciliation” that is the first of its kind. A contribution of $10 million from Hydro Quebec to the Kahnawake Cultural Arts Center (KCAC) was also announced at the signing ceremony. “This is all historic. This is all trailblazing,” MCK grand chief Kahsennenhawe Sky-Deer said of the Hertel project. “We are proud of ourselves for always taking that leap and trying to establish new ground, not only for ourselves, but setting the stage for other brother and sister communities to get involved and do something historic as well.” Hydro Quebec...
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Funding dries up for Interlake’s crisis support program
By Dave Baxter Local Journalism Initiative Reporter An organization that supports survivors of sexual violence could be forced to stop offering a critical program after federal funding was not renewed earlier this month. The organization’s executive director says it would be a significant loss for the people they serve. “We are established in these communities as a trusted support,” Survivor’s Hope Crisis Centre (SHCC) executive director Coral Kendel said. “And we already know that survivors of sexualized violence are hesitant to share their experiences for a number of reasons, including stigma, the possibility of not being believed, or because they don’t have a trusted person they can confide in.” SHCC is headquartered in Pinawa, and Kendel said they are the only organization in the Interlake-Eastman region that works specifically with victims...
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Whale experts confident orca calf will survive, find family if rescue plan succeeds
The odds of a two-year old killer whale calf surviving in the open ocean on its own and eventually reuniting with family members remain solid if a rescue team manages to free the orca from the Vancouver Island lagoon where she’s been trapped for nearly a month, whale experts say. A second attempt to rescue the orca was put on hold Friday when the young whale ate an 18-kilogram portion of provided seal meat for what was believed to be the first time since getting stranded in the tidal lagoon in Little Espinosa Inlet near Zeballos, B.C. The large-scale rescue effort is expected to involve boats, nets, divers and drones and centres on a plan to catch the female calf in a large net, place her in a sling, transport...
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