University lifts ban on the singing of Newfoundland and Labrador’s official anthem
Newfoundland and Labrador’s Memorial University has lifted a ban on the singing of the “Ode to Newfoundland” at convocation ceremonies. The ban was imposed in 2022 as the university’s senate responded to complaints that the province’s official anthem omits Labrador, contains outdated language and does not reflect the “many communities” within the institution. At the time, then-university president Neil Bose said the decision was intended to “create safer and more welcoming spaces for all students.” The senate voted to reinstate the singing of the anthem late Tuesday after it was presented with a report from a committee that recommended the change following months of consultations. University president Jennifer Lokash issued a statement saying the song will be sung during convocation ceremonies scheduled for next month. She also issued an apology,...
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Poilievre promises to ban bail, parole and house arrest for repeat serious offenders
By Anja Karadeglija Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre insisted Wednesday that his promised three-strikes law wouldn’t run afoul of the Constitution, after several justice experts said some of his crime policies are likely to get struck down by the courts. Poilievre was campaigning in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. where he repeated his promise that a government led by him would make those convicted three times of “serious” offences ineligible for bail, probation, parole or house arrest. Those offenders also would be sentenced to a minimum prison term of 10 years and could get a life sentence. They could not “be released until they have proven that they are no longer a danger to society,” he said. “Under my watch, the only way for repeat offenders to obtain their freedom will be...
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Dry saloon keeps going amid challenges
By Sandi Krasowski, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Chronicle-Journal Howl at the Moon, Thunder Bay’s first dry saloon and late-night coffee bar, is celebrating its second anniversary by thanking all the organizations and patrons that supported the establishment that is vital for so many people. “We’re still here,” said Jody Loos, founder and owner of the dry bar. He said its success is because of organizations like Big Trout Lake First Nation, which has partnered with Loos by establishing a house tab at the coffee bar for its off-reserve members. Loos hopes the initiative will be inspirational for other First Nations to follow suit. Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug, which is Ojibwa-Cree for Big Trout First Nation, developed the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug Kikenjigewen Onaakonikewin (KIDO) KI Family Law to take over child and family...
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Watchdog investigates after Saskatchewan teen was hit by RCMP vehicle
A Saskatchewan teenager is in hospital after he was struck down by an RCMP vehicle on a First Nation north of Regina. Mounties say it happened while police responded to a “firearms-related call” on the Kawacatoose First Nation, roughly 130 kilometres north of Saskatchewan’s capital city. Police say one of the responding officers was driving down a grid road when he hit the teen near a rural home on the First Nation. The officer was not hurt but called an ambulance for the 16-year-old, who was airlifted to a hospital in Regina before being transferred to Saskatoon. RCMP say the Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team will look into the collision and the boy’s injuries to determine if the officer should be charged. No other details are to be released until...
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Why tax literacy should be a national priority in Canada
By Esteban Vallejo Toledo, PhD Student in Law and Society, University of Victoria The last time Canada’s political parties campaigned during a tax season was more than a decade ago. This year, taxes are a hot topic, and for good reason. Shortly after the federal election was called, the political parties began rolling out promises of tax cuts to win over voters. At the same time, although Canada’s consumer carbon tax was scapped last month, debates about the industrial carbon tax are likely to continue. As the election campaign continues and political parties make more tax-related promises, approximately 3,520 tax clinics and 18,090 volunteers are doing their best to help people file their taxes until April 30. Some of the volunteers are struggling to help as many people as possible....
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Flooding April 5, 2025
Flooding April 5, 2025 saw the Grand River not only flow over her banks but across roadways on Six Nations with some of the worst flooding on Fourth Line at Mohawk Road. (Photo by Jim C.Powless)...
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Six Nations Councillor: a lifetime of local politics
By Lynda Powless Editor At 60, and heading into a new chapter, Helen Miller wasn’t ready to simply retire. Active, interested in community issues she stepped into politics with a political career that would span 21 years as a Six Nations Elected Councillor. In a freewheeling interview with Turtle Island News she talked about being a councillor. She had always followed Six Nations politics, attending community meetings, council sessions and staying alert to local issues. “I wrote a lot of letters to the editor on different issues. I just always had an interest in politics.” She went to public school at Six Nations before heading to Caledonia for ight school saying she got “a late start in life.” Married in 1962 and later divorced she was a single mom in...
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AFN: First Nations could decide outcome of 36 federal ridings
AFN identifies First Nations ridings that can shape the election By Joshua Santos Writer With a federal election looming the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) has identified 36 federal ridings where First Nation voters could determine the outcome of Canada’s 45th federal election on April 28. “The federal election represents an important opportunity for each federal party to say how they intend to build a strong and mutually beneficial relationship between the Crown and First Nations,” said National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak. In an interview with Turtle Island News, National Chief Nepinak said “Canada’s economic success and future stability depends on First Nations people being partners in decision making.” The AFN compared population data from the 2021 Census with Election Canada’s voting results from the 2021 federal election. The AFN...
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Measles Hangs in the Air as Hamilton Health Sounds Alarm
By Joshua Santos Writer Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) is sounding the alarm on measles prevention as cases rise in the region. The health authority said measles spreads through coughing or sneezing and can stay in the air or on surfaces for up to two hours after an infected person leaves. Symptoms begin with fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes, followed by a rash starting on the face and spreading to the rest of the body. Complications can include pneumonia or swelling of the brain, especially in young children, older adults, and those with weak immune systems. HHS states the best prevention is two doses of a measles-containing vaccine, such as the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine. Children routinely receive two doses of MMR vaccine as part of Ontario’s...
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Voting patterns changing
There’s a federal election going on, in case there is any chance someone missed that little fact. With just three weeks left for Canada to decide who its newest Prime Minister is going to be. For First Nations, for perhaps one of the first times in electoral history, Indigenous issues are actually being heard on the election trail. That is the campaigns of the Liberals and Conservatives. Like the rest of the country we are still wondering what the NDP are doing? Meanwhile both have highlighted the need to work with First Nations, no plans on how that would happened but it is clear First Nations voters are becoming a focal point but whether their issues are is another question. First Nation leaders want to see a commitment to work...
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Weekly Cartoon
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Today in history
April 6 In 1909, the North Pole was apparently reached by American Robert Peary. He began his sixth attempt to reach the Pole at Ellesmere Island, and was joined later by aide Mathew Henson and four Inuit. They spent nearly 30 hours at the spot scores of explorers had sought to reach. But Peary’s claim to be the first one there is still disputed. Another explorer, Dr. Frederick Cook, said he got there in 1908 but the U.S. Congress rejected his claim. April 7 In 2008, the federal government signed a deal with the Dene and Metis to create a national park around the headwaters of the South Nahanni River in the Northwest Territories. It would be called the Naats’ihch’oh National Park Reserve. April 9 In 2019, Prime Minister Justin...
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Gane’ Yohs Health Centre mold remediation begins
By Joshua Santos Writer Demolition crews began tearing down interior walls and ceilings at the Gane’ Yohs Health Centre launching a critical mold remediation project by the Six Nations to address health and safety concerns at the facility on March 24. The health centre has been plagued by mold for the past year. Remediation efforts, conducted in collaboration with Indigenous Services Canada (ISC), follows an engineering assessment to evaluate the extent of the damage caused by water infiltration. The pharmacy at the front of the building and the mental health and addictions office at the rear remain unaffected while the public health office in the middle section of the facility is undergoing remediation. “Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) is supporting Six Nations of the Grand River in their work to assess...
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Rebels prepare for regular season opener following pre-season tournament
By Sam Laskaris Writer Blue Hill now has a much better indication of what his roster will look like this season. Hill is entering his first season as the head coach of the Six Nations Rebels Junior B lacrosse squad. The Rebels played three games in a pre-season tournament they hosted this past Saturday at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena (ILA). The Rebels utilized 32 players in their weekend tourney. And Hill said he wasn’t overly concerned about the results in those matches. Six Nations registered a victory over the Welland Generals but was beaten in its two other outings by the Kahnawake Hunters and Halton Hills Bulldogs. “The wins and losses for that day didn’t really matter,” Hill said. “I just wanted to get a look at the players and...
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Six Nations goalie stars for Flamborough hockey squad
By Sam Laskaris Writer Thanks in large part to a Six Nations member, a Flamborough-based boys’ minor hockey squad exceeded expectations this season. Katsienhiio Squire was a star goaltender for the Flamborough Sabres’ Under 15 AA club. Squire and his teammates would prefer to still be playing this season. But their 2024-25 campaign came to an end when they were edged 4-3 in a shootout by the Milton Winterhawks in their Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA) championship final held Mar. 30 in Whitby. The OMHA final against Milton was a marathon match. The two squads were deadlocked at 3-3 following three periods (15 minutes each) of regulation time. The Sabres and Winterhawks then played three scoreless 10-minute overtime periods. The game then moved on to a shootout to determine a...
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Six Nations lacrosse players have a league of their own
By Sam Laskaris Writer Mia Martin just wanted to continue playing lacrosse in her home community. So, the Six Nations member did something about it. She created a league, which will primarily feature other local adults who were also keen to take to the field. The result is the Womens Lacrosse League (WLL), which will kick off on May 18. All WLL matches will be staged at the Blue Track at the Six Nations Sports & Cultural Memorial Centre. Martin was blown away by the interest in the new circuit. She had to cap off the registrations at 84 players. The inaugural season will feature four squads. Each team will have 21 players on its roster. The clubs are simply called different colours – Blue, Purple, Green and Pink. Martin,...
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York-Durham: A new federal riding brings changes for local voters
By Darryl Knight, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter With Canadians set to go to the polls on Monday, April 28 to elect a new Parliament, many residents should take note that they are now part of a newly restructured riding. For the past few elections, Uxbridge Township voters were part of the Pickering-Uxbridge riding, which stretched in an elongated shape from Pickering’s shoreline up to Uxbridge’s northern boundary. Meanwhile, Scugog voters belonged to the Durham riding. However, following the 2022 electoral redistribution, Durham has been divided, with Clarington and Oshawa portions forming the new Bowmanville—Oshawa North riding, while Scugog has been incorporated into York-Durham. Similarly, Brock voters, who were long part of the Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock riding, are now included in York-Durham as well. The newly created York-Durham riding is significantly larger...
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Aboriginal housing project seeking artist for mural
By Alexandra Noad, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The Aboriginal Housing Society will be opening their Iinii’toyis-Buffalo Lodge multi-unit housing unit and are putting a callout for artists to be part of a mural project. Aboriginal Housing Society provides sustainable housing solutions built on a cultural basis. Melissa Many Fingers, vice chair and treasurer for the society, says Aboriginal Housing provides support for Indigenous people who need to move from reserve to more urban settings for economic reasons such as work or school, which can be challenging. “We just want to be able to give that equal opportunity and gear our housing needs more cultural based, so that way we’re serving our clients in the best way we can.” Aboriginal Housing offers a graduate-style program where people who are struggling are...
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Thieves boost eight pickup trucks in one night from same property in rural Norfolk
By J.P. Antonacci, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The thieves came and went over the course of two and a half hours, returning “multiple times” to a rural property in Norfolk County to steal eight pickup trucks in one night. Norfolk County OPP say three or four suspects made several trips to the property on Concession 3 Townsend in Wilsonville between 1:40 a.m. and 4:10 a.m. on Monday. The pack of thieves allegedly made off with eight pickups trucks which had been parked on the property. The theft was discovered later that morning. Two of the stolen trucks were later recovered at the intersection of Concession 3 Townsend and Cockshutt Road. Police say the vehicles were “extensively damaged and deemed beyond repair.” The other six trucks were found in various locations...
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Chief of Champagne and Aishihik First Nations glad to see bear hunt measures in place
By Talar Stockton, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Chief Barb Joe of Champagne and Aishihik First Nations said she’s happy to see the Yukon government ban grizzly hunting in proximity to the traditional village of Klukshu. The ban was announced on March 31 alongside other changes to territorial hunting and fishing regulations. For the 2025-26 hunting season, hunters will not be able to kill grizzlies within 100 metres of the Haines Road corridor from Gribbles Gulch to Unnamed Creek No. 1. Previous restrictions on hunting were already in place on the west side of the road, as it falls within the boundaries of Kluane National Park (hunting is generally banned in national parks). Now, the prohibition will also apply to the east side of the road, where grizzly hunting was previously...
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