SNEC extended Christmas holiday may be going after complaints
The landfill site was closed. You couldn’t pay a water bill or get your septic tank emptied. Six Nations Elected Council SNEC) found itself the centre of community complaints when it shut down the entire band administration for a two-week holiday over Christmas. Now, back at work with band departments opened SNEC faced the issue at its Jan., 9th meeting saying in light of the complaints, it is considering cancelling its two-week holiday closure at Christmas time. Councillors talked about looking into keeping the or ganization open over the holidays and instead offering employees more mental wellness days in lieu of the two-week closure employees now enjoy. The conversation comes after local residents experienced issues over the break that required SNEC staff or departments to address, but no one was...
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Six Nations drone show – costs mean only one more showing
By Lisa Iesse Writer SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND – Friendship Walks organisers say despite the hard work invested in the Six Nations drone show, it will be shown just one last time due to the high costs of presenting it. TAP resources (an event management firm in Six Nations) is the company that organized Six Nations drone show. It was created to be shown at the Friendship Walks, which took place over three days in September along the Haldimand Tract. The walks celebrated the crucial role of Six Nations people in Canada’s history and the present. 1784’s Haldimand Tract Proclamation acknowledged Six Nations territories six miles deep along each side of the Grand River. Tuesday Johnson-MacDonald, president and lead project manager of TAP Resources explained the role of the...
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Six Nations Fire getting new rescue truck
Six Nations will receive an additional light rescue fire truck. Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) approved the purchase of the four-door Extreme Tactical Sawtooth at the General Finance meeting on January 15, after deferring the motion from the December 12 meeting. The truck was originally due for purchase in 2021 with the funds to cover the $366,574 truck coming from 2020-2021 and 2022-2023 Minor Capital funds. Crystal Farmer, assistant fire chief, told SNEC the department received the first invoice in December for $183,287, but SNEC deferred the motion to “clarify the numbers.” Now the entire cost needs to be paid. Councillor Dayle Bomberry pointed out the department doesn’t have the full amount ready to go, and asked if they had found the additional funds to purchase the vehicle. The fire...
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HCCC work stopped Canada’s move to melt down UNDRIP
Secrets always surface. Especially government secrets. And when it comes to the Rights of Indigenous People recently released Australian government documents from 2003 reveal it was Canada itself that led the parade to weaken any draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The two countries, home to large Indigenous populations, had worked together in secret to weaken the draft United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Australian cabinet records from the early 2000’s show it was Canada under the Chrétien Liberal government that took the lead, with the support of Australia, to water-down UNDRIP and use the weakened version as a pressure tactic against Indigenous leaders, including the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council, (HCCC). Indigenous leaders who wouldn’t budge on their original 1993 draft, the records showed....
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Cabinet papers: Howard government worked with Canada to oppose UN declaration on Indigenous rights
By Daniel Hurst @danielhurstbne The Guardian Australia led by Prime Minister John Howard’s government fought strongly against recognizing the right of Indigenous peoples to “self-determination” and worked secretly with Canada to try to change a draft UN declaration, newly released cabinet papers show. The cabinet papers from 2003, released by the National Archives on Monday, show that some Australian government departments held concerns about potential impacts of the UN declaration on the rights of Indigenous peoples, but Australia’s talks with Canada on amendments were being pursued with “no Indigenous consultation about the process or its product” as such input would be “premature”. John Howard’s government ultimately opposed the declaration when it was adopted by the UN general assembly in 2007, with 143 countries voting in favour and just four –...
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Newly elected chief provides welcoming at Leafs’ Indigenous Celebration Game
By Sam Laskaris Writer TORONTO – Claire Sault is a casual hockey fan. But the recently elected chief of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation found herself on the ice prior to a National Hockey League contest this past Saturday. There was no need, however, for Sault to display her skating, stickhandling or shooting abilities. That’s because Sault was asked to deliver a welcoming at the Toronto Maple Leafs’ second annual Indigenous Celebration Game. “It was a very huge honour for me to do that,” Sault said of her on-ice appearance at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena. “It’s important in our territory that we elevate our First Nation and that people understand that whole history.” Sault said she wasn’t nervous welcoming the spectators and participants to the game. More than 19,000...
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Local protected players and draftee join Arrows’ organization
By Sam Laskaris Writer Several potential players have joined the Six Nations Arrows in recent days. For starters, 20 local players were placed on the Arrows’ protected list last week, ahead of the Ontario Junior Lacrosse League (OJLL) draft held on Sunday. These 20 individuals suited up for one of Six Nations’ two Under-17 box lacrosse squads from this past year. The Arrows entered Sunday’s draft, which featured players across the province born in 2007, with two picks. But the Six Nations squad only ended up choosing one individual in the draft, held to stock players for the 11-team Junior A circuit. That’s because the Arrows ended up trading their first-round selection, the fifth pick over-all, and their second-round pick, 16th over-all, to the Peterborough Lakers. In exchange the Arrows...
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Sports Briefs: Six Nations members contributing to undefeated teams
By Sam Laskaris, Writer Some local players are making an impact with the two National Lacrosse League squads that are still undefeated. For starters, Justin Martin is the lone Six Nations player on the Toronto Rock roster. Martin, a rookie, has scored three goals this season for the Rock, who are off to a perfect 4-0 start. Meanwhile, the Albany FireWolves are the only other team in the 15-club pro circuit that is still undefeated. The FireWolves, who only managed to win three of their 18 contests a year ago, are off to a 6-0 start this season. The Albany squad is being led by goaltender Doug Jamieson, a Six Nations member, who has backstopped his side to all of their wins in their first half dozen matches. Meanwhile, a...
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Metis player proud to hit the ice as part of new women’s pro hockey league
By Sam Laskaris, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Though her club was unable to register a victory, elite hockey player Jocelyne Larocque, was thrilled to be on the ice as part of a pro squad. Larocque made history in 2014, becoming the first Indigenous player to suit up for the Canadian Olympic women’s team, which captured the gold medal at the Sochi Games in Russia. Larocque, who is Metis and 35, plays defence, and is now a member of the Toronto squad in the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL). The six-team league held its first ever match on Jan. 1 at Toronto’s Mattamy Athletic Centre, the facility that is the old Maple Leaf Gardens. Larocque and her Toronto teammates were blanked 4-0 by the visiting New York team in the New...
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Cree School Board launches Department of Higher Learning
By Patrick Quinn Local Journalism Initiative Reporter As more options become available in the region for the growing number of Cree students interested in post-secondary education, the Cree School Board has launched a new department dedicated to higher learning. The department will manage the post-secondary programs currently offered in Eeyou Istchee and those yet to come. So far it includes the Cree Teacher Training Program and the Iyeskuwiiu CEGEP-level springboard program. “We’re in the midst of negotiations to form my department, which will determine our plans for programs we want to develop in the next five years,” said director Darlene Cheechoo. “All the programs we are developing will emphasize Cree culture and language as much as possible, that’s a real high priority for the CSB and our department.” The land-based...
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Human rights complaint filed over Manitoba election ad against landfill search
By Brittany Hobson THE CANADIAN PRESS WINNIPEG- The daughter of a slain First Nations woman has filed a human rights complaint against Manitoba’s Progressive Conservatives for an ad campaign about its decision not to search a Winnipeg-area landfill for her mother’s remains. “Families need to be protected ? there should be laws in place to ensure that no political party could play off of a national tragedy. It should have never been a political thing,” Cambria Harris said in an interview Tuesday. “This is a humanitarian search.” Harris and Robyn Johnston, an advocate who represents the family, said they submitted the complaint last week. Harris posted a copy of the complaint on her Facebook page Monday. It alleges the party discriminated against Indigenous women and girls. The “decision to run...
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Chretien era effort to soften UN’s Indigenous language a ‘stain’ on Canada: Hajdu
By Alessia Passafiume THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA-The current federal Liberal government tried to distance itself Tuesday from the Jean Chretien-led one that reportedly conspired with Australia to weaken United Nations language on Indigenous Peoples in the early 2000s. Newly released Australian cabinet documents from 2003 show the two countries worked together on putting forward a softer version of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The declaration spells out Indigenous rights, including self-determination, language and cultural preservation, prohibits forced removal from lands or territories and requires states to consult with Indigenous Peoples. The proposed changes from Australia and Canada would have removed references to restitution of land, cultural genocide and demilitarization, significantly diminishing the scope and potential impact of the final version. The idea of a more state-friendly...
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Manon Jeannotte becomes Quebec’s first Indigenous Lieutenant Governor
By Patrick Quinn Local Journalism Initiative Reporter First Nations groups across Quebec applauded the nomination of Manon Jeannotte as the province’s first Indigenous lieutenant-governor on December 7, despite the unanimous vote in Quebec’s National Assembly only one day later to abolish the position. “Prime Minister Trudeau gave me his confidence with this position so it’s an honour,” Jeannotte told the Nation. “I was afraid that my new position would not be accepted by First Nations but it’s the contrary. Everybody is proud of this nomination and see I can change relations with the provincial government.” In his nomination, Trudeau noted, “Jeannotte has dedicated her career to advancing Indigenous Peoples’ well-being and making a real difference in the life of our communities.” Originally from the First Nation of Gespeg, a Mi’kmaq...
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Homelessness and housing emergency resolution passed by Edmonton city council
EDMONTON- Council of Alberta’s capital city passed a motion Tuesday declaring a homelessness and housing emergency, but the vote wasn’t unanimous. The resolution was brought by Mayor Amarjeet Sohi who said action had to be taken, because of a jump in homelessness in the city and because people are dying. “If we don’t treat this as a long-term emergency, more and more Edmontonians will fall through the cracks and become homeless,” Sohi said in his final pitch to council. “They’re one cheque away from losing their housing. At one time, I was one of those Edmontonians. I could have ended up on the street but community was there to support me, lift me up. But as a system we are failing people.” The emergency was passed by a vote of...
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New highway signs in Cape Breton dedicated to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
By Mitchell Ferguson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter WE’KOQMA’Q- In a tribute to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) human rights crisis in Canada, two new road signs have popped up along Highway 105 near both ends of We’koqma’q First Nation. These signs, featuring the image of 16-year-old Aleah Young of Eskasoni, are not only a symbol of remembrance but also a call for awareness and change. Barry Bernard, a community member who works in communications at Mi’kmaq Legal Support Network and runs the Red Tribe Boxing Club in Eskasoni, initiated the project with a vision to spread the message of MMIWG across Mi’kmaw territory. Bernard, emphasizing the gravity of the issue affecting Indigenous communities, says the MMIWG crisis has often been overshadowed, with investigations into the disappearances...
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What are sacred forests?
By Deepa Bharath THE ASSOCIATED PRESS KOTAGIRI, India (AP)- Sacred forests and groves are primeval woodlands that different faith communities around the world have safeguarded for centuries as abodes of the spiritual or the divine. Thousands of sacred forests have survived. They’re the church forests in Ethiopia’s highlands, hillside groves considered holy by Catholics in Italy, woodlands revered by Shinto practitioners in Japan and Indigenous people in Siberia, Australia, the Americas and India. Sacred forests are also treasure troves of biodiversity and are often the last bastion for species of flora and fauna that have become rare or even extinct elsewhere in those regions. Climate change, pollution and urbanization pose threats to these sacred spaces. Tended for generations by faithful caretakers, environmentalists and governments are now making a push to...
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‘People are dying’: Edmonton council meeting hears call for homelessness emergency
EDMONTON- The mayor of Alberta’s capital introduced a motion calling for an emergency to be declared over homelessness and housing Monday, along with a plan for immediate and systemic change. Amarjeet Sohi told a special city council meeting that action has to be taken now, adding that 300 people have died as a result of homelessness over the past year. “Service providers are being forced into unsustainable expansion to keep up with the demand. People are dying. Creating an emergency will signal to Edmontonians that council understands the magnitude of this problem,” Sohi said. “This is a call to action. The conversation I want to have today is not specifically about encampments or shelters. I’m here to talk about the system as a whole and how to best address the...
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Man running shirtless with baseball bat charged after kicking police dog
OHSWEKEN,- A local man is facing an assault charge after Six Nations Police received complaints about a suspicious person on Ojibway Road running around shirtless with a baseball bat Saturday Jan., 12th. Police received several complaints at abput 5:45a.m., from residents about a man screaming, running on the road, and approaching residences. Police arrived at the scene and located a man matching the description provided. Police said due to the “fog in the area at the time creating a visual obstruction,” police brought in the Six Nations Police Service Dog to help track the man along the roadway. Police located the bat the man was suspected of carrying along the roadway and then relocated the man attempting to enter a marked police cruiser with an officer inside. Police said a...
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Two communities in the running for storage of nuclear waste
By Jacqueline St. Pierre Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) is slated to close negotiations on its deep geological repository (DGR) in late 2024. The NWMO has been in discussion concerning Canada’s 175-year-long plan to bury its nuclear waste since 2008, and the process of developing the repository has been over 20 years in the making. Canada’s nuclear electricity producers established the organization under the Nuclear Fuels Waste Act (NFWA) in 2002. The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) was established in 2002 and is funded by Canada’s nuclear electricity producers like Ontario Power Generation and Hydro-Quebec. The organization has whittled down prospective sites to two communities: Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation in Northwestern Ontario and the Saugeen Ojibway Nation in the South Bruce Area in southern Ontario. The...
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