Chiefs reveal protected list and draft new players
By Sam Laskaris Writer A half dozen new players have become property of the defending national Mann Cup champion Six Nations Chiefs. For starters the Chiefs last week revealed the names of the three graduating junior players that they were protecting prior to the Major Series Lacrosse (MSL) Entry Draft, held this past Sunday at the Toronto Rock Athletic Centre in Oakville. MSL squads are allowed to protect a maximum of four individuals that played their junior lacrosse in their area. The Chiefs’ brass opted to protect three players: Ross Hill, Tyler Davis and Aiden Fearn. They toiled with the Six Nations Arrows’ Junior A club during the 2023 campaign. Fearn, however, ended up being traded to the Orangeville Northmen for the latter half of the season. But the Chiefs...
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Nolan among panelists at Toronto’s Carnegie Initiative Summit
By Sam Laskaris Writer Former National Hockey League player and coach Ted Nolan will be among the panelists at the Carnegie Initiative (CI) Summit in Toronto next week. Nolan, a member of Garden River First Nation in northern Ontario, is one of several Indigenous panelists that will take part in the event, which will be held Jan. 30-31 at the Hilton Downtown. Nolan played 78 games in the NHL. He suited up for 60 games with the Detroit Red Wings and 18 with the Pittsburgh Penguins. As a bench boss he captured the Jack Adams Award for being the NHL’s Coach of the Year during the 1996-97 season when he was with the Buffalo Sabres. Nolan will be part of a Jan. 31 morning panel titled When Hockey Doesn’t Love...
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SPORTS BRIEFS
By Sam Laskaris Writer All three of the Six Nations-based squads in the Arena Lacrosse League came up a bit short in their latest efforts this past weekend. For starters, the Six Nations Snipers scored a season-high 19 goals in their Saturday afternoon contest. But the visiting Snipers were still downed 25-19 by the Peterborough Timbermen, in a match held at the Millbrook Arena. Danton Miller, playing in his first game for the Snipers, led the club offensively with eight points, including four games. With Saturday’s loss the Snipers are still seeking their first W of the season. They are now sporting an 0-5 record. The Snipers’ next opportunity to enter the win column will be this Saturday when they will square off against the defending league champion Toronto Monarchs....
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Lily Gladstone, first Native American actress nominee, travels to Osage country to honor Oscar nod
By Jocelyn Noveck THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Lily Gladstone knew she wanted to be somewhere special when the Oscar news came. And that somewhere was not home, watching on TV, but in Oklahoma with the Osage community, where the real-life version of her character lived and where Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” is centered. “I decided that I wanted to be on the Osage reservation, should this news come in today,” Gladstone said in an interview shortly after receiving her historic nomination for best actress, the first Native American so honored. “I wanted to be as close to Mollie Kyle and her family as I could be. So I’m here in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. Once things wrap up, I think I’m gonna load up and drive out to Fairfax and...
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Incident downtown brings back memories of missing son
By Dave Baxter Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The mother of a man who has been missing for almost a decade says news of a recent incident at a Winnipeg hotel has opened up old and painful wounds because that hotel is one of the last places her son was seen alive. “It just triggered me to see something like that happen at the Marlborough Hotel, because that is where the investigation started when Colten went missing,” Lydia Joyce Daniels said on Tuesday. “A lot of sad thoughts have resurfaced, so it’s been a tough few days.” Daniel’s son Colten Pratt was 26 years old and hanging out with a group of friends at the Marlborough Hotel on Smith Street on Nov. 6, 2014. At some point in the early morning...
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Dance production takes on difficult subject of the mercury poisoning of a First Nation
By Sam Laskaris Local Journalism Initiative Reporter One of its own community members is raising awareness about the long lasting and devastating effects of mercury poisoning in Grassy Narrows First Nation. Waawaate Fobister, who is an actor, dancer and playwright, is gearing up to present the dance piece titled Omaagomaan in a pair of major Canadian cities. The 60-minute production uses movement, sound and storytelling to tell of the tragedy of the northern Ontario Nation, which continues to deal with the fallout of mercury poisoning. The fiasco began several decades ago when a chemical plant, located southeast of Grassy Narrows, dumped several tonnes of mercury into the Wabigoon River between 1962 and 1970. The majority of the people in the First Nation ended up with mercury poisoning, partly from eating...
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Brant OPP warn public of fraud call seeking $6000 for grandson’s bail
BRANT, ON – The Brant County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) are warning the public to be cautious when receiving phone calls demanding urgent financial transactions after investigating a fraud complaint in Paris. Brant OPP responded to a fraud complaint in Brant County after the complainant said they had received a call from an individual, Jan., 23rd, 2024, claiming to be a law enforcement official. The caller alleged that the complainant’s grandson was in custody due to a collision and urgently needed $6000 for bail. OPP said in response, to the alarming call, the complainant, trusting the fraudulent information, visited a local Purolator location to dispatch the money to an address in Quebec. It was only later, upon realizing the scam, that the complainant contacted the Brant OPP. Officers immediately urged...
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Tiny cabins chosen to aid homeless in C K
By Pam Wright Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Chatham-Kent has decided to move forward to create a 50-tiny-cabin development to help address the ongoing homelessness problem. At their mid-January meeting, council voted to approve the model with the aim of providing transitional housing to residents that find themselves in need of shelter. The 100-square-foot cabins, constructed out of shipping containers, arrive fully equipped and ready to go. Built by NOW Housing, the cabins are portable and can be moved to different sites as needed. Chatham-Kent will join Peterborough and the Region of Waterloo, which have cabin developments in place. Council’s decision followed a detailed report by Josh Myers, C-K’s director of operations for housing services. The report compared the cost of constructing a fixed bunkhouse-style congregate living structure to the cabin...
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Inquiry into child protection system in Labrador hears from Innu health care leader
SHESHATSHIU, N.L- An inquiry into the treatment of Innu youth in Labrador’s child protection system is hearing today from an Innu woman who says her parents lost control of their lives when they moved to Sheshatshiu in 1960. Mary Pia Benuen is now the primary health director in Sheshatshiu, an Innu community in central Labrador that is home to about 1,200 people. Benuen told the inquiry her parents and their 11 children lived in a tent when they first moved to the community from Davis Inlet in northern Labrador, but she said the family became more fragmented after they moved into a house that had a wood stove but no running water. The 63-year-old woman says her parents eventually became abusive alcoholics, but she recalled how the family seemed to...
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NDP caucus to focus on federal budget, housing at three day retreat in Edmonton
EDMONTON- The federal New Democrats are holding a three-day caucus retreat in Alberta’s capital, a place where the party would like to grow its support. The NDP caucus is set to talk about health care, affordability and the party’s next national campaign as MPs get ready for Parliament to return next week. On Monday, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh went door-knocking with Edmonton Centre candidate Trisha Estabrooks, a riding the party is hoping to win in the next election. Jennifer Howard, Singh’s chief of staff, says the party will also discuss their confidence-and-supply agreement with the minority Liberal government. That deal will see the NDP support the Liberals on confidence and budgetary matters until 2025 in return for movement on key priorities. The NDP touts the federal dental-care program and a...
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Six Nations Police seeking public’s help after local shooting
OHSWEKEN, ON- Six Nations Police are appealing to members of the public for assistance with an ongoing police investigation that saw a person shot Saturday, Jan. 20th and two people leaving the scene. Six Nations Police were called to a Harold Road address Saturday, at about 3:00 p.m. after receiving reports of shots being fire and a man shot. Police and Emergency Medical Services responded to the scene and found a single victim suffering from a gunshot wound. The person was taken to a local area hospital in stable condition. Area witnesses told police a black Sports Utility Vehicle left the area at a high rate of speed shortly after the shooting. Two people were seen to be, being picked up by the same vehicle before it left the area....
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Inquiry into child protection system in Labrador hears from Innu health care leader
SHESHATSHIU, N.L.- An inquiry into the treatment of Innu youth in Labrador’s child protection system is hearing today from an Innu woman who says her parents lost control of their lives when they moved to Sheshatshiu in 1960. Mary Pia Benuen is now the primary health director in Sheshatshiu, an Innu community in central Labrador that is home to about 1,200 people. enuen told the inquiry her parents and their 11 children lived in a tent when they first moved to the community from Davis Inlet in northern Labrador, but she said the family became more fragmented after they moved into a house that had a wood stove but no running water. The 63-year-old woman says her parents eventually became abusive alcoholics, but she recalled how the family seemed to...
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Supreme Court rejects an appeal from a former business partner of Hunter Biden
WASHINGTON (AP) -The Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal from a former business partner of presidential son Hunter Biden who was seeking to overturn his criminal conviction for securities fraud. As is typical, the justices did not comment in leaving in place a federal appeals court ruling that reinstated the fraud conviction of Devon Archer. A lower court judge had earlier set aside a jury verdict that found Archer guilty of fraud and ordered a new trial. It was the second time the Supreme Court denied Archer’s appeal. Hunter Biden was not involved in the effort to defraud the Oglala Sioux Indian tribe in a scheme that involved the sale of bonds, but participants in the fraud invoked his name to enhance their credentials, according to court records. Archer...
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`Canada’s’ backlog of Jordan’s Principle requests is at `crisis levels’: Caring Society
By Amy Romer Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The First Nations Child and Family Caring Society says “Canada” has failed to properly implement Jordan’s Principle and families trying to apply for support are facing a dire backlog. The organization has filed 1,000 pages of evidence to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal supporting a non-compliance motion against the federal government for failing on its promise of timely access to health care for First Nations children. An affidavit from executive director Cindy Blackstock filed on January 12th says the federal government has allowed problems to “fester to crisis levels” with First Nations children paying the price. The Caring Society is asking the Human Rights Tribunal to order the federal government to take various actions to address the pileup of Jordan’s Principle requests. In October...
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Southern Chiefs’ Organization launches Sixties Scoop awareness campaign
By Dave Baxter Local Journalism Initiative Reporter A First Nations advocacy group has launched a new campaign to raise awareness about the legacy and the impacts of the Sixties Scoop. This week, the Southern Chiefs’ Organization (SCO) announced the launch of the new education and awareness campaign, “Stronger Than the Scoop.” “We often talk about resilience when it comes to our peoples, and that certainly applies to those who survived the Sixties Scoop,” SCO Grand Chief Jerry Daniels said in a media release announcing the campaign. The Sixties Scoop was a period of decades in which policies were enacted in Canada that allowed the child welfare system to take Indigenous children from their families, and place them into homes with predominantly non-Indigenous families. It’s estimated that over approximately three decades...
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Economics, affordability top agenda as Liberal cabinet meets in Montreal
By Mia Rabson THE CANADIAN PRESS MONTREAL- One of the federal government’s top priorities for the year ahead involves attracting new international grocers to Canada to expand competition and drive down prices, Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said Sunday as a cabinet retreat was about to begin in Montreal. The entire federal cabinet is in the city for a three-day retreat ahead of the return of Parliament on Jan. 29 and the next federal budget expected later this winter. With cost-of-living issues still top of mind for Canadians, and signs in the polls that voters are growing ever crankier with the federal Liberals for being unable to provide much relief from rising prices, the ministers are trying to use the meeting to hone in on policies that may help. Food prices...
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Miawpukek First Nation’s Chief Mi’sel Joe retires
By Sanuda Ranawake Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Chief Mi’sel Joe of the Miawpukek First Nation. After 41 years, Chief Mi’sel Joe of the Miawpukek First Nation in western Newfoundland has announced his retirement from the position of administrative chief. Since being elected on Jan. 17, 1983, he has witnessed change and progress for first nations. In an interview with Saltwire, Joe said he’s happy about the progress made by first nations groups across Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador. “I think as a community we’ve come a long way in the growth of who we are and as a Mi’kmaq community.” Joe says he’s happy not only for his people, but for the system of governance they have established. Their membership was 822 on-reserve and 2,238 off-reserve as of 2022. Among...
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Climate change, health care, fisheries, and Indigenous identity among major concerns and plans for NCC in 2024: President Todd
By Sanuda Ranawake Local Journalism Initiative Reporter NunatuKavut Community Council President Todd Russell says he has big plans for 2024, including addressing some of his biggest concerns. In an interview with Saltwire, Russell discussed his biggest concerns and plans for the coming year. Russell says his biggest concern is climate change, and he is already thinking of ways to address issues that will arise. It’s an issue NCC has dealt with in the past, but Russell says it will have an even worse impact in 2024. “Certainly, with NCC in 2023 we found the intensity of the pressures and impacts of climate change were much more intense,” Russell says. “Whether it be with the fishery, infrastructure, energy, or in the community, for whatever reason there was a heightened pressure of...
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National Film Board’s ‘Losing Blue’ Chronicles Alarming Alpine Lake Changes Amid Climate Crisis
By Matt Weingarden Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) presents “Losing Blue,” a poignant documentary delving into the profound effects of global warming on Canada’s iconic glacier-fed alpine lakes. These lakes, renowned for their unique blue hues shaped by mountains and ice, face imminent threats as climate change accelerates environmental shifts, leading to the disappearance of some of these spectacular blues. In collaboration with Living Lakes Canada, an award-winning water science and stewardship NGO, the NFB will host an exclusive online “Losing Blue” screening on Wednesday, January 31, at 5 p.m. PST /6 p.m. MST / 8 p.m. EST. The 16-minute and 40-second short film, celebrated for its stunning cinematography, immerses viewers in a visual journey through ancient mountain lakes while prompting reflection on the significance...
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Get kids up to date on vaccinations, watch for signs of invasive Strep A: doctors
By Camille Bains THE CANADIAN PRESS The recent deaths of six children in Ontario and four children in British Columbia from a bacterial infection is grabbing parents’ attention. Doctors say severe cases of invasive Group A streptococcal infection are extremely rare. Here’s what to know about the disease that is showing up in record numbers this season and also puts adults, especially those aged 65 and older, at risk. What is Group A streptococcus? Streptococci bacteria are commonly found in the throat and on skin. Dr. Monika Naus, medical director of immunization programs and vaccine preventable diseases at the BC Centre for Disease Control, said some people have no symptoms but others may get strep throat, a mild illness often accompanied by a fever. It resolves on its own within...
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