Whitlow racks up 12 points while Snipers’ goalie also scores in lopsided victory
By Sam Laskaris Writer Things were going the Six Nations Snipers’ way on Sunday. How good was it for the local Arena Lacrosse League (ALL) squad? Well, consider the fact Dylan Sprentz, who was originally penciled in to be the club’s backup goalie, was instead dressed as a runner. Sprentz played some offence and managed to score a goal in the Snipers’ 23-13 triumph over the visiting Peterborough Timbermen in a contest held at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena (ILA). While Sprentz’ goal was a highlight for team members, it was another Six Nations player who was the offensive star of the match. Wes Whitlow racked up a whopping 12 points in the game. Whitlow scored five goals and added seven assists. Snipers’ head coach Darcy Powless said he was told...
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Funding program returns for Indigenous hockey coaches
By Sam Laskaris Writer Hockey coaches from Six Nations are among those eligible to receive some new funding. Officials from the Hydro One Inc. (Hydro One) and the Coaches Association of Ontario (CAO) announced details of their Indigenous Hockey Coaching Grant on Monday. The grant, launched last year, aims to boost Indigenous representation in sports leadership by making hockey more accessible and affordable for coaches from Indigenous communities. Individuals can apply to receive up to a maximum of $1,500 each. That money will be used to cover costs such as training, equipment and travel. During the inaugural year of the grant there were a total of 38 recipients. Funding was used to pay for practice ice time, equipment and registration fees. “With the success of last year’s inaugural grant, I’m...
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Six Nations COVID study shows mental health issues widespread
By Lisa Iesse Writer SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND – Findings from Six Nations’ COVID CommUNITY study show widespread physical, mental, and emotional impacts on relationships, work life, and education from the pandemic since 2020. Initial findings from the study were presented Saturday morning (March 9) at Six Nations Community Hall and was also live streamed on Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC)’s facebook page. The video attracted 1.3 K views on SNEC’s facebook page as of March 11. The three-year community-based study included surveys, and interviews along with blood samples. Blood sample data was used to assess exposure to Covid-19, and levels of antibodies (to combat the virus) present in the blood of participants over time. Sara Smith, who is an epidemiologist from Six Nations, worked on the study with...
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Overhaul of Ontario police law set to take effect five years after act passed
By Allison Jones THE CANADIAN PRESS TORONTO- An overhaul of Ontario’s 34-year-old law governing policing in the province is set to take effect next month, with its rules and regulations covering everything from oversight to discipline to more easily allowing the suspension of officers without pay. The Community Safety and Policing Act now has an implementation date of April 1, a full five years after it was passed, following a lengthy process involving more than 30 meetings with municipalities, advocates and police services and the filing of more than two dozen regulations to accompany the law. The new act is huge, with a whopping 263 sections, more than 100 sections longer than the law it replaces, but new rules allowing police chiefs to suspend officers without pay in some circumstances...
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Berkeley to return parking lot on top of sacred site to Ohlone tribe after settlement with developer
By Olga R. Rodriguez THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SAN FRANCISCO (AP)- A San Francisco Bay Area parking lot that sits on top of a sacred tribal shell mound dating back 5,700 years has been returned to the Ohlone people by the Berkeley City Council after a settlement with developers who own the land. Berkeley’s City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to adopt an ordinance giving the title of the land to the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust, a women-led, San Francisco Bay Area collective that works to return land to Indigenous people and that raised the funds needed to reach the agreement. “This was a long, long effort but it was honestly worth it because what we’re doing today is righting past wrongs and returning stolen land to the people who once lived...
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Fishers say closure of lucrative baby eel fishery won’t stop poaching in Maritimes
By Keith Doucette THE CANADIAN PRESS HALIFAX- Ottawa’s decision to close the lucrative elver fishery on rivers in the Maritimes won’t prevent illegal fishing of the baby eels, a commercial licence holder in Nova Scotia said Tuesday. Stanley King said the federal Fisheries Department has moved too slowly to put in place enforcement measures that could have allowed for a 2024 season. “The poaching will continue unabated as it has for the previous two closures,” King predicted in an interview Tuesday. “The government should know by now that closures don’t work, especially when they are not enforced.” He added that only 60 arrests resulted from 1,400 complaints made last year to the federal Fisheries Department. In announcing this season’s closure the department said fisheries officers would enforce the ban and...
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Conference panel discusses aspects of Indigenous participation in the mining sector
By Sam Laskaris Local Journalism Initiative Reporter On March 5, Saga Williams was featured on a panel discussion at the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) conference held March 3 to March 6 in Toronto. Williams, from the Curve Lake First Nation and owner/operator of AS Williams Consulting, works with the First Nations Major Project Coalition on membership outreach. She frequently advises on First Nations’ involvement in the critical mineral and energy sectors. She has worked alongside Indigenous communities on projects that exceed the $100-million cost mark. As part of the panel “Decarbonization: New avenues for Indigenous participation” William said an innovative approach to protecting the environment is “creating an economic benefit for communities who want to protect green space where the decarbonization happens naturally. “And we need to...
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`LIVES ARE ARE AT STAKE’: Nursing shortage leads to state of emergency in PCN
By Dave Baxter Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Despite opening a new health-care centre last fall, a northern Manitoba community is facing an “overwhelming” health-care crisis and is turning patients away because of a severe lack of nurses. “We are at a breaking point. Lives are at stake, and the health and well-being of our community members are in jeopardy,” Pimicikamak Cree Nation (PCN) band councillor and councillor responsible for health in PCN Donnie Mckay said. On Friday, officials with PCN, a remote northern community of about 6,200 on-reserve members that is also commonly referred to as Cross Lake, held a media conference where they announced they were declaring a “state of emergency” over health care in the community. In October, the community held a grand opening for their new Howard...
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One person displaced by Wotstak First Nation fire
By Jim Dumville Local Journalism Initiative Reporter One person was displaced by a fire that destroyed a house on Eagle’s Nest Drive in Wotstak First (Woodstock) Nation on Friday morning, March 8. While the single-family dwelling remained standing after the Woodstock Fire Department subdued the blaze, Fire Chief Harold McLellan described the home as “destroyed.” McLellan said the home’s occupant had already left the house before a neighbour spotted the fire and called it in. He said an investigator from the Fire Marshal’s Office visited the fire scene on Friday, but they still have not positively determined a cause. He said they don’t consider the fire as suspicious. McLellan said his firefighters received some extra support when a small group of firefighters heading to a fire training session in the...
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B.C. First Nation says racism, doctor shortage persists in regional health care
WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C.- A British Columbia First Nation says racism in the health-care system persists despite efforts by the government and industry to combat the problem. The Tsilhqot’in National Government says in a statement that it met with officials from Interior Health, the Cariboo Regional District and the City of Williams Lake last week to address the issue. Tsilhqot’in Tribal Chair Joe Alphonse says racism within the local health system is limiting the Indigenous community’s access to care, and the problem is further exacerbated by a “dire shortage of doctors.” The nation’s statement says the doctor shortage remains at Cariboo Memorial Hospital, and “racism at the hospital is still happening.” In November 2020, the B.C. government released the report which found that “stereotyping, prejudice and racist treatment” were common experiences...
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Chiefs, province publicly call out feds for taking back unspent oil and gas clean up dollars
By Shari Narine Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Alberta chiefs are asking the Liberal government to allow them to keep millions in unspent federal dollars and dedicate that money to oil and gas site rehabilitation on reserves. As an economic driver for the energy industry that had work shut down due to COVID-19 pandemic health measures, the federal government in 2020 allotted $1.7 billion to the three prairie provinces through the Site Rehabilitation Program (SRP) to perform well, pipeline and oil and gas site closure and reclamation work. Of the $1 billion received by Alberta, the Indian Resources Council (IRC) and Indigenous leaders were successful in lobbying the Alberta government to allocate 10 per cent to be used for work in Indigenous communities. The SRP fund was administered by the province....
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North Vancouver City Library welcomes first Indigenous storyteller in residence
By Mina Kerr-Lazenby Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Kung Jaadee, author, educator, drummer and singer, has more than a tale or two up her sleeve. Born and raised in Haida Gwaii, and as a member of the Haida, Musqueam and S?wx?wu7mesh ?xwumixw (Squamish) Nations, Kung Jaadee has unparalleled understanding of the stories, traditions and legends that make up much of local Indigenous culture. For years Kung Jaadee has travelled the breadth of the country sharing her stories with all who will listen, and now she’s bringing her tales to the ears of those on the North Shore, as the North Vancouver City Library’s inaugural Indigenous storyteller in residence. The program, a regular fixture at the Vancouver Public Library but a first for the North Shore, will invite a notable person annually...
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Fort McKay First Nation eyes payday with new lease for bitumen production on lands
By Shari Narine Local Journalism Initiative Reporter A potential new deal with Suncor Energy could generate up to $2.25 billion in royalties for Fort McKay First Nation over five years if full bitumen production is realized from a lease on reserve land. It’s an estimated figure based on a concept, said Chief Raymond Powder, which is dependent on the price of West Texas Intermediate, a grade of crude oil, with a barrel of oil set at $60, $75 or $90. A memorandum of understanding on a prospective oil sands lease was signed March 7 between the northern Alberta First Nation and Suncor. The MOU was made possible after Indigenous Services Canada passed Regulations Amending the Fort McKay First Nation Oil Sands Regulations last December. The amendment saw Reserve No. 174C, which...
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Indigenous resistance mounts to nuclear waste dump near Ottawa River
By Patrick Quinn Local Journalism Initiative Reporter First Nations leaders took their opposition to a recently approved radioactive waste disposal site near the Ottawa River to Parliament Hill February 14, calling on the federal government to halt the project that they say threatens drinking water, wildlife and their fundamental rights. On January 8, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) approved plans for a nuclear waste disposal facility at the Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) site at Chalk River. The near-surface facility located about 160 kilometres northwest of Ottawa would feature a mound holding up to a million cubic metres of low-level radioactive waste about one kilometre from the Ottawa River. “We stand united in safeguarding the well-being of our shared environment and the fundamental right of all Canadians to access clean...
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U of L kicks off Indigenous Awareness Week
By Steffanie Costigan Local Journalism Initiative Reporter University of Lethbridge celebrated the start of Indigenous Awareness Week with a Blackfoot naming ceremony, and mini powwow on Monday. Indigenous Awareness Week will be celebrated at the university until Friday. “What Indigenous Awareness Week does is bring people together and build relationships,” said vice-provost, Iniskin Indigenous Relations, Dr. Leroy Little Bear. Little Bear added “the more we talk to each other, the better we know each other, the easier it is to work together. In my words, it’s all about relationships. If we have good relationships, it’s much easier to work together and to cooperate.” The Faculty of Fine Arts received a Blackfoot name “Piiksinaasin.” Translated it means “fancy writer.” Heather Davis-Fisch, Dean of Fine Arts, shared the impact receiving an Indigenous...
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We could be in the ocean’: Trepassey residents worried as breakwater fails, mayor says town can’t afford another project
By Sanuda Ranawake Local Journalism Initiative Reporter TREPASSEY, N.L.- Jim Corrigan is worried. He’s one of several residents in Trepassey whose property is at risk after the failure of the town’s breakwater.A lifelong resident of Trepassey, and a fisherman with 40 years of experience behind him, Corrigan says he’s living in fear.“I’ve spent a lot of time out to sea. You don’t stop the North Atlantic. They can’t just build what they had before and expect it to work,” says Corrigan. The town’s breakwater failed just eight months after it was rehabilitated, a project that received funding from the federal and provincial governments. “Eight months. That’s it. Like I say, it’s just not done right,” says Corrigan. “Water levels are the big issue now. It’s the main source of our...
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17 North Shore women nominated for Women of Distinction Awards
By Mina Kerr-Lazenby Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The nominees for the 41st edition of the YWCA Women of Distinction Awards have been announced, with 17 of the women in the running for the award from West Vancouver, North Vancouver and Lions Bay. The annual awards honour the individuals and organisations whose “outstanding activities and achievements” have contributed to the well-being and future of the community, said the organisation. This year, 106 nominees have been chosen from across Metro Vancouver. Split into 12 categories, the nominees represent achievements in the likes of arts and culture, business, community commitment, education, environmental stewardship, reconciliation and health. North Vancouver’s own Orene Askew, DJ, Squamish Nation councillor, and motivational speaker, is up for the Arts, Culture and Design award. Nominated in the Business and the...
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Child advocate position to remain vacant
By Kevin Jeffre Local Journalism Initiative Reporter THUNDER BAY- Thunder Bay is forging ahead with other strategies to serve children and youth. Recently there have been calls for the city to fill the Thunder Bay child advocate position. In a letter from President Tisha Duncan of the Regional Multicultural Youth Council (RMYC) written in February 2023 to city council, she said the hiring is long overdue. “The RMYC believes in your words at the political table on January 26,” the letter stated. “We are kindly asking you to fill the vacant position and bring together stakeholders to revive the Thunder Bay Children’s Coalition to engage the community in implementing the Seven Youth Inquest Recommendations.” The 2016 inquest examined the deaths of seven youth who travelled to Thunder Bay from their...
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Brokenhead bringing in First Nations police to replace RCMP
By Dave Baxter Local Journalism Initiative Reporter A southern Manitoba First Nation is transitioning away from being policed by RCMP and bringing in a First Nations-led police force. “We are proud to bring a police service to Brokenhead Ojibway Nation that is by First Nations for First Nations,” Brokenhead Ojibway Nation (BON) Chief Gordon BlueSky said during an event held last week, where it was announced that the community will begin the transitioning police services to the Manitoba First Nations Policing Service (MFNPS). BON, a community of about 800 on-reserve members along Highway 59, north of Winnipeg, is currently policed by the Selkirk RCMP detachment. BlueSky believes policing can be more effective in communities when the force and its officers better understand the specific needs of First Nations people and...
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Atlantic newspaper owner Saltwire faces insolvency after lender files claim
HALIFAX- A private equity fund is initiating insolvency proceedings against Atlantic newspaper owner SaltWire Network Inc., claiming it owes tens of millions of dollars after several years of mismanagement. In documents filed to the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia on Monday, Fiera Private Debt Fund said Saltwire and The Halifax Herald Ltd. together owe it $32.7 million, plus almost $600,000 of accrued and outstanding interest. About three-quarters of that debt is owed by Saltwire, which owns a number of news publications across Atlantic Canada including Halifax’s Chronicle Herald, the Telegram in St. John’s, and the Guardian in Charlottetown. Fiera said in the filings that senior management of the company has mismanaged the business, used employee pension funds for operations and failed to remit HST, among other allegations. It said in the...
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