Growing number of youth are experiencing `eco anxiety’; experts say despair can be turned into meaningful action
By Rachel Morgan Local Journalism Initiative Reporter THE POINTER As graduating president of her high school’s environment club, Anita Wong knows a lot about individual acts to promote sustainability. Throughout her four years participating with the club, the Mississauga teen has helped make important changes at her school. The group has held workshops on upcycling, set up compostable cutlery for all school events and most recently opened a thrift store for a circular micro-economy. But while Wong leads such efforts, she knows the actions of youth won’t have large-scale impact unless governments and businesses move away from the fossil fuel industry. The constant nagging concern_which can turn into a prevailing fear that more and more young people are weighed down by_is hard for many older generations to understand. Those born...
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Shipping frenzy threatens Indigenous food security
Matteo Cimellaro Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Arctic shipping and the noise and environmental pollution left in its wake are driving narwhals and other animals farther away from those who depend on them. Lisa Koperqualuk points to the Inuit community of Mittimatalik (Pond Inlet), a northern Baffin Island hamlet with a population of around 1,500, as an example of how shipping has affected Inuit Nunangat, the Inuit homeland stretching through Russia, Alaska, Canada and Greenland. Over the past decade, the number of ships has increased in Mittimatalik’s waters. The increase of ships includes shipping vessels transporting iron from the Mary River Mine on Baffin Island 160 kilometres south of the community, as well as cruise and cargo ships, carrying both tourists and supplies to the North. It’s caused narwhals to veer...
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Canada’s Indigenous women forcibly sterilized decades after other rich countries stopped
By Maria Cheng THE ASSOCIATED PRESS TORONTO (AP)- Decades after many other rich countries stopped forcibly sterilizing Indigenous women, numerous activists, doctors, politicians and at least five class-action lawsuits allege the practice has not ended in Canada. A Senate report last year concluded “this horrific practice is not confined to the past, but clearly is continuing today.” In May, a doctor was penalized for forcibly sterilizing an Indigenous woman in 2019. Indigenous leaders say the country has yet to fully reckon with its troubled colonial past, or put a stop to a decades-long practice that is considered genocide. There are no solid estimates on how many women are being sterilized against their will, but Indigenous experts say they regularly hear complaints about it. Sen. Yvonne Boyer, whose office is collecting...
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AFN opens finances, as calls for reinstatement fail
AFN controversy ends no vote to reinstate RoseAnne Archibald HALIFAX -Former Assembly of First Nations (AFN) Chief RoseAnne Archibald is out. After debate held up the AFN meeting for almost two hours during its opening Tuesday morning attempts to seek re-instatement of the former National Chief failed when a resolution to reinstate her didn’t make it. Archibald is attending the meetings virtually and spoke again criticizing the process and calling her firing a coup. Before the gathering got underway, the organization announced it was sharing the past decade’s worth of financial statements, which it said “confirm the absence of any financial concerns.’’ The dramatic vote to remove RoseAnne Archibald as the first female leader of the largest First Nations advocacy organization in Canada “was not taken lightly,’’ the AFN’s new...
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Walking, riding, dancing in show of support at annual Ride4Pride Six Nations
By Lisa Iesse Writer SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND – Decked in a spectrum of bright colours, rainbow waves of cyclists, strollers, walkers and skateboarders swept through Six NationsSaturday, (July 8) marking the fourth annual Ride4Pride. The Ride4Pride took route starting at about 10 am in Veterans Park and headed west towards Seneca Road, “completing all 4 directions” of the community, Si Nations SN Outreach announced on their Facebook site. The park was decorated with Pride flags, Haudenosaunee Confederacy flags, and flag designs fusing a celebrated Haudenosaunee sovereignty together with 2S & LGBTQ+ Pride. The rainbowed space of the park also featured a selfie station, and a colouring table. The ride celebrates 2S & LGBTQ+ resilience and inclusion in Six Nations. “This event is important to let community know that we...
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Mississauga Nation visits United Kingdom and his Royal Highness King Charles III
By Lynda Powless Editor LONDON, ENGLAND- The Mississaugas Nation in Ontario sent a delegation of Chiefs and representatives to the United Kingdom last week. It’s the first Mississaugas Nation delegation to meet with United Kingdom (UK) officials since the 1860’s. The delegation included Mississaugas First Nation Chief Bob Chiblow, Credit First Nation Chief Stacey Laforme, Chad Cowie from Hiawatha and Councillor Steve Toms from Curve Lake. They met with officials including Ralph Goodale, High Commissioner for Canada in the UK and toured Saint James Palace where they presented a wampum for his Royal Highness King Charles III on behalf of the Mississauga of the Credit and met with Cannon Paul Wright at the UK Chapel royal who hosted a reception in their honour. The delegation caught up with His Royal...
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Consultant to look at how to engage community
A long-time contentious issue between the Six Nations community and its elected council is how the community’s voice is heard and suggestions implemented. Now a plan is forming to tackle the issue head on. Tabitha Curley, a local consultant is leading the Community Engagement Standards (CES) project with the help of the CES Working Group and has come up with a Community Engagement Standards Guide for SNEC to run a pilot project with. Curley presented the guide to SNEC at its Political Liaison Committee meeting on June 26, but will continue to finalize the guide and continue engagement activities until the end of August 2023. Curley is asking for SNEC employees, councillors and departments to participate in community engagement events and support documentation circulation until then. A large part of...
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Mississaugas of Credit First Nation build birch bark canoes
By Lisa Iesse Writer MISSISSAUGAS OF THE CREDIT – The Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation (MCFN) are harvesting traditional knowledges of the lands, waters and stars with the launch of two community-built Anishinaabek birch bark canoes. The canoe build began on July 3rd at the Fall Harvest Grounds at 659 New Credit Road. where community members found themselves building through heat waves complete with thunderstorms and even a funnel cloud or two around, with only a tent as a shelter. On Monday (July 10) with the sun shining brightly, the Anishinaabek birch bark canoes, heavy with love and labour, carrying generations of knowledge, moved across the cool sparkling waters of a local creek. The build was led by MCFN Knowledge Keeper Mark Sault and Darren Lentz. The two men, who...
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Time for AFN to get down to business
It’s over. Former Assembly of First Nations National Chief RoseAnne Archibald may not like it. Her supporters may not like it. But she is done. Archibald’s attempt to get reinstated to her job failed Tuesday after almost two hours of debate and three attempts to get the issue on the floor at the opening of the AFN’s 44th annual general assembly in Halifax. Even Archibald herself appeared virtually to chastise the chiefs, again, and tell them not to continue with the “coup” that removed her. Archibald has cut a wide swath in her attempt to get her job back. She has made claims she wasn’t fired, it was a coup against her. She claims it was supported by Liberal partisans and loyalists to former AFN leaders. She had called on...
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Premier’s statement on the appointment of interim Assembly of First Nations national chief
FREDERICTON (GNB) – The following statement was issued today by Premier Blaine Higgs regarding Joanna Bernard’s appointment as the interim Assembly of First Nations national chief: On behalf of all New Brunswickers, I congratulate Joanna Bernard from Madawaska First Nation for her appointment as the interim national chief of the Assembly of First Nations. We are proud to see a New Brunswicker named to this important national position. Interim National Chief Bernard brings a solid foundation of experience and expertise to her new role, and we wish her much success....
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1492 Land Back Lane spokesman gets discharge, judge takes Haudenosaunee law into account
By Lynda Powless, Editor Three years ago Six Nations land defender Skylar Williams was facing a series of charges including a potential $20 million damages charge, a criminal conviction for failing to abide a court order and breaches. Today he is a free man but it had nothing to do with being a huge court win for Indigenous rights. Instead, he said, it may have come down to luck. or the changing times. “We have gone from $20 million (in possible damages)in damages, breaches and now here we are, three years later. with an absolute discharge, ”he says and pauses. “We all thought that we were going to have to serve time,” he said. He quietly adds, “but we got lucky with one judge on one day, that saw things...
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Oneida cyclist fulfills childhood dream at Tour de France
By Sam Laskaris Writer Neilson Powless continues to make history at the Tour de France. Powless, who is Oneida, became the first Native American to compete in the prestigious Tour de France when he lined up for the prestigious cycling race in 2022. Powless, a 26-year-old who was born at the Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, is once again taking part in this year’s Tour de France. The 110th edition of the event began on July 1 in Bilbao, Spain. And it will conclude with the final stage on July 23. This year’s race, which consists of 21 stages, will cover a total of 3,404 kilometres. Though he didn’t win the opening stage of this year’s race, Powless did make a name for himself that day. That’s because he...
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Surgeon becomes first Native American to climb Mount Everest
By Sam Laskaris Writer Jacob Weasel has some pretty lofty goals. Literally. Weasel is a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe in South Dakota. He’s also a surgeon at the Monument Health Rapid City Hospital in his state. When he’s not helping others at work, there’s a good chance Weasel is working towards his bucket list of climbing the highest mountains on each continent. His most recent conquest was scaling to the top of Mount Everest, the world’s tallest mountain, which is located between Nepal and Tibet. He is believed to be the first Native American to climb Mount Everest, which is almost 8,900 metres tall. Weasel’s historic climb also benefitted others. His venture raised funds for a non-profit organization, the Wopila Project, which is aiming to build a...
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Roundup of local lacrosse squads
By Sam Laskaris Writer Rebels undefeated streak snapped It was fun while it lasted. And it lasted a rather long time. But the Six Nations Rebels finally tasted defeat on Sunday, for the first time this season. The local Junior B lacrosse squad had posted a perfect 20-0-0 regular season mark. The Rebels then swept the Owen Sound North Stars 3-0 in their best-of-five, opening-round playoff series. Six Nations then downed the visiting Guelph Regals 15-8 in Game 1 of their best-of-five Western Conference semi-finals on Saturday. The Regals, however, bounced back with an 8-7 home victory on Sunday, evening the series at 1-1 and also snapping the Rebels’ 24-game undefeated streak. Six Nations will host Game 3 this Friday at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena. The opening faceoff is scheduled...
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Haudenosaunee squad learning lessons, getting closer to beating U.S. and Canada on world stage
Summary “Not to make excuses, but that definitely sucked… Not to say if we had a day off we would have beat Canada, but I’d like to think it would have been a lot closer game. But, who knows… It is tough to play seven games in seven nights without a rest.” — Haudenosaunee goalie Warren Hill By Sam Laskaris Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The Haudenosaunee squad is getting closer to the perennial powerhouses of the United States and Canada at the world men’s field lacrosse championships. The Haudenosaunee team took the bronze medal again at this year’ tourney, which concluded on July 1 in San Diego, Calif. “We’re getting closer,” said Haudenosaunee star forward Austin Staats, who led all tournament scorers with 38 points, including a whopping 30 goals...
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Order of Canada announcement
Multiple award-winning artist, producer and curator Santee Smith is one of several people named in this summer’s Order of Canada announcement. (McMaster Photo)...
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City Of Hamilton consultation not there on find of 4,000-year-old artifacts
By Lisa Iesse Writer HAMILTON – The city of Hamilton is blaming revamping of its consultation policies for failing to notify nearby Indigenous communities that Indigenous artifacts had been found at a downtown park. An archaeological dig unearthed arrowheads and flint flakes at up to 4,523 and 1,523 years old during excavation of a planned spray pad two weeks ago. But work on the park had begun in 2007, some 16 years ago, without notification. The city says archaeological consultation requirements with Indigenous groups got lost in the shuffle as they developed and improved their monitoring policy. The Victoria Park site at 500 Kings Street West, where the ancient Indigenous arrowheads and flint flakes were found is on the unceded traditional territories of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council (HCCC), Six...
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SN Elected Council looking at how to spend any lawsuit settlement
By Lynda Powless Editor Six Nations Elected Council’s (SNEC) administration is already looking at how it will spend any settlement the community may see from its massive lawsuit seeking answers to what happened to Six Nations lands and money. SNEC CEO Darrin Jamieson is making administrative changes in anticipation of any reparations from the federal and provincial governments. Jamieson says structural changes are already happening within the organization in an effort to prepare for a windfall settlement he believes will come from Six Nations court case against the Canadian and Ontario governments when it comes to land encroachment and misuse of the Six Nations Trust funds. Six Nations lawsuit seeking an answer to what happened to Six Nations monies and lands has been valued at from $13.9 bill to $8.7 trillion...
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Six Nations going after cities for failing to consult on development
Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) wants to go after surrounding municipalities about their development. The Six Nations Consultation and Accommodations Process (CAP Team) came under fire after councillors accused them of not keeping tabs on or consulting about recent developments in the City of Brantford and County of Brant at its Political Liaison meeting on June 26. Councillor Helen Miller said a part of Brantford’s Earl Haig Family Fun Park is currently under construction to add a large apartment building to the city and there are plans to turn Freshco into an apartment building as well, while homes are also slated for Brant Park Conservation area. “Those are darn close to the river. I think Six Nations should be raising big concerns about this. There was no consultation, no nothing...
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