Long after the woolly dog’s extinction, Coast Salish kin carry on the canine’s legacy
Debra Sparrow working on her weaving (MOA Collection ) in the Museum of Anthropology on the traditional and unceded territory of the Musqueam people.( Photo by Alina Ilyasova) By Kayla MacInnis Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Debra qasen Sparrow recalls talking and learning about Coast Salish woolly dogs with her grandfather, Ed Sparrow, in her early days as a weaver. Born in 1898, Ed remembered seeing the now-extinct canines around their village, and watching the women weaving with the companion animal’s woolly hairs. The x?m??k??y??m (Musqueam Indian Band) artist’s grandfather told her that “every village had wool dogs, that they were like gold because, of course, their fibers were mixed with the mountain goat and then rove made into a roving for spinning and spun,” she shared. Known in some...
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Physicians departing and ER closures put Prince Rupert on red alert
By Seth Forward Local Journalism Initiative Reporter A recent emergency room closure and rumours of as many as eight physicians relocating or retiring has created serious concern for the Prince Rupert community. Northern Health has confirmed that an unspecified number of physicians will either leave Prince Rupert or retire in the near future, furthering fears in a community that is already short of doctors. However, the health authority also confirmed there will be three new physicians coming to the city before the end of 2024. “Northern Health is currently aware of or anticipating both primary care provider departures and arrivals in the coming months, and we continue to recruit to current vacancies. We cannot comment on the specific plans of independent primary care providers in the community, but physicians do...
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Dialysis care expanded at Wetaskiwin Hospital: AHS
By Qiam Noori Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Alberta Health Services (AHS) has expanded dialysis services at the Wetaskiwin Hospital. According to an AHS press release, the satellite hemodialysis unit was previously open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. six days a week. Now, with the expansion, it is open seven days a week. AHS said the added extra hours now provide space for 12 more patients, accommodating all patients who were on the wait list since Feb. 1. “I’m very pleased more patients from the Wetaskiwin area will be able to access to critical kidney care within their community seven days a week,” said Adriana LaGrange, Minister of Health. “Thanks to Alberta Health Services and all the staff involved for expanding the hours of the dialysis clinic and being so...
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New Brunswick long term care unprepared for next generation of aging seniors
FREDERICTON- New Brunswick’s seniors advocate says the province will need to rethink its long-term care offerings to respond to the needs of an increasingly diverse population. Kelly Lamrock says the government should engage First Nations and other groups, including the LGBTQ community, to make sure they feel welcome in the province’s care homes. He recommends, in a report released today, that the provincial Social Development Department partner with the New Brunswick Multicultural Association to draw up a profile of future long-term care users, looking at cultural attitudes and the needs of growing immigrant communities. The 198-page report says the province’s long-term care system needs urgent action if New Brunswickers are going to feel safe relying on it. Lamrock says residents in long-term care homes lack independence and can be forgotten...
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Mayor McPherson responds to AFNOO deputation
By Austin Campbell Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The fight to keep the Franco-Ontarian flag flying permanently across Greenstone continues. Mayor James McPherson spoke to Dougall Media in a follow up from Greenstone’s regular council meeting on March 11, where the municipal council heard a deputation from the Association des francophones du Nord-Ouest de l’Ontario (AFNOO) regarding the flag’s removal. McPherson reiterated the fact that equity remains at the forefront of the issue. “We want to recognize all of the founding groups that we have in our area,” he said, adding that it was specifically a review of the municipality’s strategic plan which identified improvements they could make with regard to engaging Indigenous communities. McPherson said, as a result, the municipality devised an “action plan.” “And with that lens, when we...
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‘Lip service’: Saskatchewan chief wants meeting with Ottawa after mass killer report
By Kelly Geraldine Malone THE CANADIAN PRESS SASKATOON- A First Nations chief in Saskatchewan says his community needs a seat at the table after a probe into the release of a mass killer failed to include members’ input. A joint investigation by the Correctional Service of Canada and the Parole Board of Canada into the statutory release of Myles Sanderson was made public Tuesday. Sanderson was unlawfully at large when he killed 11 people and injured 17 others on the James Smith Cree Nation and in the nearby village of Weldon in 2022. The 32-year-old died in police custody a few days after the killings. Chief Robert Head of the Peter Chapman Band, one of the three communities that make up the First Nation, says he was disappointed members were...
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Native groups sit on a treasure trove of lithium. Now mines threaten their water, culture and wealth
By Megan Janetsky, Victor R. Caivano And Rodrigo Abd THE ASSOCIATED PRESS TUSAQUILLAS, Argentina (AP)- Irene Leonor Flores de Callata, 68, treks along a bone-dry riverbed, guiding a herd of llamas and sheep through stretching desert. Flores de Callata’s native Kolla people have spent centuries climbing deep into the mountains of northern Argentina in search of a simple substance: Fresh drinking water. Here, in one of the most arid environments in the world, it’s a life force that underpins everything. In rainy months, the sacred lands surrounding their small adobe town of Tusaquillas well with water. In the dry months, families hike miles under the beating sun, hopeful their livestock can sip from a small plastic container, fed by a hose running high into the distant mountains. Today is a...
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Capilano University introduces new reconciliation framework
By Mina Kerr-Lazenby Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Capilano University has introduced a new framework that will guide staff and students to better prioritize and support Indigenous ways of knowing. Chen?chenstway, a Skwxwu7mesh Snichim (Squamish language) term meaning to support and respect one another, has been a collaboration between the university and the Squamish, s?lilw?ta? (Tsleil-Waututh), Lil’wat, Musqueam, Sechelt, and Metis Nations. Miranda Huron, the university’s director of Indigenous Education and Affairs, said the document outlines five primary areas of commitment: learners, employees, programming, culture and knowledge. It will provide direction for incorporating First Nations languages, cultures and knowledge, and will offer guidance on how to fulfil the University’s promise to meet the goals and objectives outlined in the Truth and Reconciliation Act, she said. “This is our commitment to truth...
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B.C. to kill 25 deer to test for chronic wasting disease in Kootenay region
VICTORIA- The B.C. government says it will cull 25 deer in the Kootenay region to test for chronic wasting disease. The Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship says two deer in the region tested positive for the disease earlier this year. The ministry says the animals will be collected in a 10-kilometre area around where the two diseased animals were found. It says wildlife experts will use the samples to determine if more animals have the condition, which impairs brain function. The province says it has recently begun mandatory testing for chronic wasting disease of any deer, moose, elk and caribou killed on B.C. roads, and it has restricted how carcasses can be transported and disposed of around the area where it was first detected. The ministry says it...
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B.C. philanthropists donate $92 million, plan for the future of the Tula Foundation
VICTORIA- A pair of British Columbia philanthropists are donating the last $92 million from a “windfall” sale of their medical imaging company to the charitable foundation they founded. Eric Peterson says the donation with his wife Christina Munck to the Tula Foundation is the beginning of “handing off the baton” and planning for the future of the organization. The Tula Foundation, named after one of the couple’s dogs, supports several charitable initiatives, including the Hakai Institute, a Canadian science institute researching coastal ecology, and the Environmental Law Centre at the University of Victoria. Peterson says the couple originally started the foundation after the multimillion-dollar sale in 2001 of his privately owned medical imaging company, Mitra, and they were advised that they would feel like idiots if they died with money...
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‘My job is not to be popular,’ Trudeau says after pressed to ditch carbon price hike
By Bill Graveland and Lauren Krugel THE CANADIAN PRESS CALGARY- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pushed back Wednesday on growing demands from premiers to dump the planned April 1 hike to the consumer carbon levy, saying leaders must tackle both affordability and climate change. “My job is not to be popular,” Trudeau said, briefly pausing and adding with a wry smile, “Although it helps.” “My job is to do the right things for Canada now and do the right things for Canadians a generation from now.” Trudeau made the comments to reporters in Calgary after meeting earlier in the day with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith for the first time since last summer. She and six other premiers have called on Trudeau to abandon the 23-per-cent hike to help Canadians already dealing...
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It’s Lil’ NHL time!
Former Six Nations chief inducted into Little NHL Hall of Fame By Sam Laskaris Writer Former Six Nations chief Ava Hill has become a Hall of Famer. And that’s not something that Hill had ever envisioned happening. “I’ve never ever dreamt of being a Hall of Famer for anything,” Hill said this past Saturday, after she was inducted into the Little Native Hockey League’s Hall of Fame. Hill was one of 15 inductees into this year’s class for the tournament, often simply called the Little NHL. Induction ceremonies were held at the Little NHL gala staged at the Hilton Toronto/Markham Suites Conference Centre & Spa. The gala was held in conjunction with this year’s 50th anniversary tourney, which began on Monday (Mar. 11) and continues until Thursday, Mar. 14. Hill...
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Rush over to apply for controversial Drinking Water Settlement
By Lisa Iesse Writer When it came down to the deadline despite being told they would not see any money Six Nations community members rushed to apply for the controversial First Nations Drinking Water Settlement. The move came after community members began raising questions about a March 6 band council notice to apply for the drinking water settlement they are “not eligible” for. On March 6, the Six Nations band council posted a reminder on their facebook site about tonight’s application deadline for the First Nations Drinking Water Settlement. Applications for the First Nations Drinking Water Settlement. from First Nations communities deemed eligible and individuals can be submitted up to Thursday March 7, 2024 11:59 PM PST. Six Nations Councillor Helen Miller said she signed several forms for community members....
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Councillors want to exert sovereignty, setting up planning depart
Six Nations may set up a planning department to assert its sovereignty when it comes to development along the Haldimand Tract. Six Nations Elected Councillors (SNEC) Cynthia Jamieson and Helen Miller attended a meeting with Municipal staff and planners as well as provincial staff regarding housing and development and gave a report to council at the Political Liaison meeting on March 11. Miller suggested having planning staff dedicated to keeping tabs on development within the Haldimand Tract. “A planning person or department, it kind of ties into the CAP Team; they’re not doing everything these people are doing. It’s interesting to sit and listen to,” she said. Councillor Amos Keye said if SNEC is a sovereign nation it should stop “pussy footing around” and demand developers accommodate Six Nations. “I...
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Seat for Indigenous rep on Hamilton City Council being sought
By Lisa Iesse Writer HAMILTON / SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND – An Urban Indigenous advocacy group is calling for the city of Hamilton to make space for Indigenous representation on council. The Indigenous Consultation Circle, also known as the Circle of Beads, are a collective of Indigenous community leaders, advocates and organizations who joined forces in support of the safety of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people in the Hamilton area. Members of the Circle joined the city mayor and council at a February council meeting to announce the proposal of an Indigenous seat on council. “The Circle of Beads convenes to address colonial violence as it intersects with corrections, policing, courts, child welfare, housing, education, health care, and other space that our community experiences matters related to their...
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Six Nations Elected Council to sponsor Brantford Mayor Gala
Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) plans to sponsor Brantford’s Mayor’s Gala for the first time. SNEC passed a motion to sign on as a Gold Sponsor for the 15th Brantford’s Mayor’s Gala at the General Finance committee meeting on March 4 at a cost of $3,000. Councillor Helen Miller said she didn’t believe SNEC had ever contributed financially to the event. “It would be the first time, if we do,” she said. Director of accounting Wayne Staats said he couldn’t confirm that it has never happened, but looked for a donation to the gala and couldn’t find one in the past two years, but would ensure that those funds would be written into the 2024 budget. “This would be out of next year’s budget, so we’ll ensure once the budget...
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Brant County Detour to affect Six Nations roads
The County of Brant will run a detour through Six Nations while nearby construction takes place. Two County of Brant employees, Mark Eby, director of infrastructure and asset management and Joe Murphy, capital project manager, presented its proposed detour to Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) at the Political Liaison meeting on February 26. Eby said the County of Brant will embark on repairs to a culvert on Old Greenfield Road sometime between July and September. “The Darnley culvert rehabilitation project just immediately west of the Six Nations Territory,” he said. “We’re asking for permission to use this detour.” Although SNEC accepted the presentation as information, director of Public Works Mike Montour said SNEC didn’t need to give permission as past processes have allowed for permissions to go through public works....
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COVID-19 changed the face of communities
A Six Nations COVID-19 community study is showing us how the community was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. And how it changed the face of our communities. Suddenly people were gone. Faced with isolation, unable to meet as a community the aftereffects of the deadly disease resulted in massive losses to Indigenous communities. Losses we are still coping with. The study released this week showed not only how community infrastructure coped with having the world wide disease, but issues that sprang up during the three years the community and world battled the infectious disease. The study isn’t a surprise. Every community, town, city and nation has undergone COVID-19 studies with results showing a world not only under seige but mental health issues that pushed people to the limits. The pandemic...
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Emma Stone won, but Lily Gladstone didn’t lose
By Jake Coyle THE ASSOCIATED PRESS LOS ANGELES (AP) – The Academy Awards were full of sure-things, long-awaited anointments and easy predictions. The “Oppenheimer” romp. Ryan Gosling’s Ken stealing the show. That put even more focus on the category that was hardest to call: best actress. When Emma Stone was announced as the winner, a ceremony light on surprise got a genuine shock, perfectly illustrated by Stone’s stunned expression. Stone’s win, for her sensational performance in “Poor Things,” was hard not to cast as a defeat for Lily Gladstone. The “Killers of the Flower Moon” actress had been picked by most prognosticators and – as everyone knew – history hung in the balance. Her win would have been the first for a Native American in the nearly century-long history of...
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