Which items will be tax-free under the Liberals’ promised GST/HST break?
Canadian Press-The government on Thursday announced a sweeping promise to make groceries, children’s clothing, Christmas trees, restaurant meals and more free from GST/HST between Dec. 14 and Feb. 15. “Our government can’t set prices at checkout, but we can put more money in people’s pockets,” Trudeau said at a press conference announcing the measures. The government says removing GST from these goods for a two-month period would save $100 for a family that spends $2,000 on those goods during that time. For those in provinces with HST, a family spending $2,000 would save $260. Thursday’s announcement also included a rebate for Canadians who worked in 2023 and made less than $150,000, totalling $250 per person. Here are the items that will be GST/HST-free if the Liberals’ legislation passes. Groceries Many...
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Kahnawake Grand Chief Diabo having high-level discussions about AFNQL
By Marc Lalonde, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter In the wake of a recent two-day conference organized by the Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador, Mohawk Council of Kahnawake Grand Chief Cody Diabo said he’s having “high-level” discussions about further participation in such bodies. “Right now, those discussions are very, very high-level discussions,” he said. Diabo said he’s also reach out to other Iroquois communities, “because I feel like we have more in common with those communities than with some of the others.” Diabo was in attendance for the first day of a two-day AFNQL conference held last week in downtown Montreal. “I was unable to make the second day because we had a meeting here to figure out what to do about the Asbestos Containing Materials (ACM),” Diabo said,...
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Acho Dene Koe First Nation looks to lift alcohol restrictions
Boyd Clark, the First Nation’s acting band manager, said the nation is exploring the prospect of opening a liquor store and a cannabis store – the proceeds from which would fund addictions services and counsellors in the community. “The intent of the First Nation is to move forward with this, with at some point in time seeking a plebiscite in the community to gain support where the bylaw is changed or removed in its entirety, which will allow the full sale of alcohol,” said Clark. He said the First Nation has looked at similar models that exist in British Columbia and Alberta. According to the current restrictions, no one is permitted to purchase, sell or transport more than three of the following types within one week: 1,140 ml of spirits,...
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Liberals to offer GST break on toys, restaurant meals but need help to pass it
The federal Liberals are seeking to temporarily take the federal sales tax off a slew of items just in time for Christmas. A senior government official who was not authorized to speak publicly about the announcement says the move would affect a number of items including toys, diapers, restaurant meals and beer and wine. A last-minute cabinet meeting is underway virtually this morning to discuss the proposal. The move is similar, though less extensive, than what NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said last week that he would do if his party wins the next election. Singh is taking credit for forcing the Liberals to take today’s action, saying in statement late Wednesday that the NDP won a “tax holiday” for Canadians. The Liberals will need the NDP’s help to pass the...
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Papuan women’s mangrove forest in Indonesia is increasingly threatened by development and pollution
JAYAPURA, Indonesia (AP) — On the southeastern coast of the city of Jayapura, Petronela Merauje walked from house to house in her floating village inviting women to join her the next morning in the surrounding mangrove forests. Merauje and the women of her village, Enggros, practice the tradition of Tonotwiyat, which literally means “working in the forest.” For six generations, women from the 700-strong Papuan population there have worked among the mangroves collecting clams, fishing and gathering firewood. “The customs and culture of Papuans, especially those of us in Enggros village, is that women are not given space and place to speak in traditional meetings, so the tribal elders provide the mangrove forest as our land,” Merauje said. It’s “a place to find food, a place for women to tell...
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Opportunity council split on wolf bounty
By Pearl Lorentzen Local Journalism Initiative Reporter A motion to end a wolf incentive program in two M.D. of Opportunity hamlets was defeated by a tie of five to five. At the November 13 Opportunity council meeting, Councillor Leo Alook added the wolf incentive program in Peerless Lake and Trout Lake to the agenda. “Do we continue with it?” he asked. “I’ve been called about it.” Alook didn’t directly say but implied that community members wanted the program. A wolf incentive (sometimes called a bounty) runs during hunting and trapping season, the end October to the end of March. Trappers or hunters provide proof that they killed a wolf, and the M.D. pays them $250. Earlier, the M.D. had stopped the wolf incentive across the M.D. Spring of 2023, it...
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Blood Tribe first responders take a ‘Walk in Her Shoes’
Members of the Blood Tribe Police Force and Fire Department strapped on their heels to raise awareness for domestic violence at the 11th annual Kainai Women’s Wellness Shelter Walk in Her Shoes event on a cold Wednesday morning. November is recognized as Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Canada, with many organizations bringing awareness to the cause. Doris Low Horn, manager for the Kainai Women’s Wellness Shelter, says they do the walk to help raise awareness that domestic violence is still prevalent in the communities on the reserve. “The awareness is for the women (who) come through our shelters and that we make sure people are aware out there that domestic violence is still alive and well in our communities and on our reserves,” said Low Horn. Const. Kuljeet Khangura, a...
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New Brunswick First Nations can claim title over privately owned land: court
NEW BRUNSWICK-(CP)-A New Brunswick court has found that First Nations can seek title to vast areas of privately owned land in the province, but to do so they have to go through the Crown rather than the companies that own it. The Nov. 14 decision by Justice Kathryn Gregory of the Court of King’s Bench is in connection with a lawsuit launched in 2021 by six Wolastoqey Nations seeking a declaration of Aboriginal title over more than 50 per cent of the land in the province. The land in question includes areas held by major timber and oil companies, but Gregory’s decision removes the seven industrial defendants from the lawsuit and says only the Crown — represented by the federal and provincial governments — has a direct legal relationship with...
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Police watchdog clears Manitoba RCMP in custody death
MANITOBA- (CP)-Manitoba’s police watchdog has cleared RCMP officers in the case of a man who died after he was taken into custody for public intoxication. The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba says the actions of officers and guards did not lead to the man’s death in July 2023. The man, found incapacitated on a road on Peguis First Nation, was picked up by a First Nations safety officer and transported to the Fisher Branch RCMP detachment. The report says while in custody, the man complained of having trouble breathing but declined medical attention. Emergency services were eventually called and the man was transported to a Winnipeg hospital, where he died two days later. The civilian director of the investigation unit, Roxanne Gagné, says in her report she can’t make recommendations...
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New study shows voting for Native Americans is harder than ever
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (AP) — A new study has found that systemic barriers to voting on tribal lands contribute to substantial disparities in Native American turnout, particularly for presidential elections. The study, released Tuesday by the Brennan Center for Justice, looked at 21 states with federally recognized tribal lands that have a population of at least 5,000 and where more than 20% of residents identify as American Indian or Alaska Native. Researchers found that between 2012 and 2022, voter participation in federal elections was 7% lower in midterms and 15% lower in presidential elections than among those living off tribal lands in the same states. Earlier studies show voter turnout for communities of color is higher in areas where their ethnic group is the majority, but the latest research found...
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Trudeau expected to announce temporary GST break on some items, NDP says
(CP)-OTTAWA,ONT-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to announce on Thursday a temporary GST break for certain essential items to help ease affordability pressures. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says in a statement that the announcement is in response to his party’s demands to permanently lift the goods and services tax on a range of expenses. “It’s far from the substantial and permanent relief the NDP wants to give Canadians. As usual, the Liberals are letting people down with their choice to make this a short-term tax holiday, on only some items,” Singh said. Last week, Singh promised an NDP government would remove GST from home heating, grocery-store meals, internet and mobile bills, diapers and children’s clothing. The Globe and Mail has reported that the prime minister is set to announce a...
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Estate sale Emily Carr painting bought for US$50 nets C$290,000 at Toronto auction
Canadian Press-TORONTO, ONT-An Emily Carr painting that sold for US$50 at an estate sale has fetched C$290,000 at a Toronto auction. Heffel Fine Art Auction House says “Masset, Q.C.I.” sold for $290,000 at its fall sale Wednesday night, above a presale estimate of $100,000 to $200,000. Including a commission paid by the buyer to the auction house, the total price came to $349,250. The oil on canvas painting depicts a carved grizzly bear atop a memorial totem pole in the village of Masset, B.C., on Haida Gwaii. It was discovered several months ago at a barn sale in the Hamptons, where a New York-based art dealer bought it for US$50. “Masset, Q.C.I.” was painted in 1912 as part of Carr’s efforts to create an extensive record of the artistic heritage...
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New Brunswick First Nations can claim title over privately owned land: court
Canadian Press-A New Brunswick court has found that First Nations can seek title to vast areas of privately owned land in the province, but to do so they have to go through the Crown rather than the companies that own it. The Nov. 14 decision by Justice Kathryn Gregory of the Court of King’s Bench is in connection with a lawsuit launched in 2021 by six Wolastoqey Nations seeking a declaration of Aboriginal title over more than 50 per cent of the land in the province. The land in question includes areas held by major timber and oil companies, but Gregory’s decision removes the seven industrial defendants from the lawsuit and says only the Crown — represented by the federal and provincial governments — has a direct legal relationship with...
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Randy Boissonnault leaves Liberal cabinet, prime minister says
Canadian Press-Randy Boissonnault is leaving his post as employment minister in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet after weeks of questions about the Edmonton MP’s past claims of Indigenous identity. Boissonnault has been under intense scrutiny after reporting from the National Post that raised questions about his past claims of Indigenous heritage. The newspaper reported that a company he co-owned had applied for government contracts while claiming to be Indigenous-owned. Boissonnault has been described as Indigenous multiple times in communications from the Liberal party and in 2018 referred to himself as “non-status adopted Cree.” He has walked back those claims since the reports emerged and both the Conservatives and NDP this week called on him to resign. The Prime Minister’s Office says in a statement that Boissonnault will “focus on clearing...
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CP NewsAlert: Randy Boissonnault leaves cabinet, prime minister says
The Canadian Press-Randy Boissonnault is leaving his post as employment minister in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet after weeks of questions about the Edmonton MP’s past claims of Indigenous identity....
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Yes! Santa Claus came to town
Yes! Santa Claus came to Six Nations and he brought Minnie & Mickey and friends! Six Nations was all smiles Saturday when St Nicholas himself, aka Santa Claus, made his way through Ohsweken kicking off the 36th annual Christmas season. Community Spirits in Action volunteers once again organized the annual event this time with an eye-catching Mickey Mouse theme that painted the community red as Mickey and his friends were depicted in floats and characters that made their way down Chiefswood Road. Parade winners include: Kids 0-12 years Category: 1st Place – was a TIE between Grannies Little Darlings and the Six Nations Children Services, Bicentennial 2nd Place – Six Nations Lands & Membership 3rd Place – the float by Annika Skye Youth 13-16 years Category: 1st Place – STEAM...
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Six Nations Polytechnic’s STEAM Academy now a high school
Six Nations Polytechnic’s (SNP) STEAM Academy announced plans to change the school’s name to SNP Secondary School. The name change, which is set to take effect in March 2025, was introduced during a presentation to the Six Nations Elected Council at the General Council meeting on November 12. Judy Reuben, Director of the STEAM Academy, and Kali Anevich, Development Officer presented the reasoning behind the decision which Anevich said comes after years of thoughtful consideration and community consultation, and aims to better reflect the diverse programming and growing student body at the school. “We’re excited to share some big news today. After extensive discussions and feedback from the community, we’ve decided to rename the SNP STEAM Academy to SNP Secondary School,” Anevich said. “This change will allow us to better...
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Six Nations Elected Chief outlines her travel list
Six Nations Elected Chief updated the community on the ongoing work of the 59th elected council at its one-year mark saying she is reinforcing her commitment to addressing community issues and advancing political goals. Elected Chief Sherri Lyn Hill gave an update on her office’s recent efforts during the Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) General Council meeting on November 12. “We’re in our first year of office now, and I want to highlight the work we’re doing both collectively, as a council and individually to support community members and advance important initiatives,” Hill said. “We will soon be sharing a printed and mailed update, which will also be posted on our social media platforms.” Hill listed a number of places and events she visited including Woodland Cultural Centre to see...
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SNEC says Orange Shirt giveaway a success
Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) recognized community members and staff who worked diligently to provide a giveaway to the community for September’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation day. Councillor Dayle Bomberry wanted “to go on the record” at the General Council meeting on November 12 to thank volunteers, staff and councillors who attended the giveaway on September 27. More than 800 bags were given out, which volunteers and staff put together. “I know it was a very extensive day for the volunteers and the staff,” he said. Volunteers included: Hilary Mt. Pleasant, James Logan, Ethan Thomas, Bryson Longboat, Tina Garlow, Tonya Henhawk, Leslie McDougal, Lacy Curley, Star Longboat, Veronica Racette, Jacelyn Hill, Amy General, Chase Longboat, Clarrisa Mt. Pleasant, Theresa Mt. Pleasant. Staff Included: Leigh Thompson, Summer Hill, Brandy...
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Woodland Cultural Centre turns hate mail into positive announcing drag show coming
By Austin Evans Writer In response to queerphobic hate mail sent to a guest of the Woodland Cultural Centre, the centre has begun planning a drag show for December. On November 6, Chief Curator of the Textile Museum of Canada Armando Perla shared a letter sent to the museum to their Instagram page. The letter included a picture of Perla clipped from the Brantford Expositor at the opening of the 1924 exhibition at the Woodland Cultural Centre and a hand-written note. The message berated Perla for their outfit, claiming they were “pushing” their “degeneracy” on “normal people.” Perla is non-binary and describes themself as “Indigiqueer,” a term coined in 2004 referring to Indigenous people who relate their gender identity and sexual orientation to their Indigenous identity. On November 9, Woodland...
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