UNDER THE NORTHERN SKY: Celebrating Graduates In Attawapiskat
By Xavier Kataquapit My home community of Attawapiskat First Nation is celebrating the annual graduations of students from Kattawapiskak Elementary School and Vezina Secondary School. These are proud moments for our community as families get to celebrate their children. These moments are especially important for our First Nation communities, as education in my parents’ time was a traumatic event that affected the lives of young people. My parents, Marius and Susan Kataquapit, both attended residential school as children and it was terrible for them and their families. Their parents were forced to give up their young ones for the entire year in order to go to school and the children were separated from their families and communities. For the government, it was a form of assimilation that was designed to...
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Rivermen anticipate stiff challenges this weekend
By Sam Laskaris Writer The Six Nations Rivermen have yet to lose a game in regulation time this season. But Rivermen captain Rodd Squire is fully aware things will in all likelihood get a bit more challenging for the local Senior B lacrosse squad, starting this weekend. The Rivermen registered another convincing victory this past Saturday, downing the visiting Belleville Kodiaks 13-4 in a match held at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena. The Six Nations squad has now won seven of its eight contests this season. Its lone setback was an 8-7 overtime loss versus the Owen Sound North Stars. The Rivermen will face a pair of formidable opponents this weekend. For starters, the club will hit the road on Saturday to square off against the Hamilton Bengals, a club Six...
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Chiefs extend winning streak to eight
By Sam Laskaris Writer The Six Nations Chiefs will hit the midway mark of their 18-game regular season schedule this Saturday with a road contest versus the Brooklin Lacrosse Club. And the Chiefs, who are not only the three-time defending champs of their Ontario-based league, Major Series Lacrosse (MSL), but have also captured the national Mann Cup crown the past three years, continue to prove that there is a good chance they’ll be adding more hardware to their collection this season. Six Nations improved its 2026 record to a perfect 8-0 this past Saturday with a 10-6 win against the Owen Sound North Stars. That tilt was actually played in Collingwood as the North Stars’ home rink was being utilized by the local Junior B team for a playoff match....
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Sports Briefs: Attack drop pair of games in Waterloo
By Sam Laskaris Writer It was not quite the weekend that members of the Grand River Attack were hoping for. The Six Nations-based club was yearning to register some victories to prove that it should be considered among the contenders this season for the Women’s Major Series Lacrosse (WMSL) championship. But the Attack, which had won three out of its first four league contests this year, saw their record drop to .500 after losing a pair of games held at the Albert McCormick Community Centre in Waterloo. For starters, the Grand River squad blew a 3-1 second-period lead and was downed 6-3 by the Whitby Rush. The Attack was then downed 9-4 by the Peterborough Lakers, league finalists in 2025, in an afternoon tilt. The Lakers took control of the...
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Former NHLer Jordin Tootoo to attend Mi’kmaw Summer Games in August
By Rosemary Godin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cape Breton Post All five First Nation communities in Cape Breton are gearing up – literally – for the upcoming Mi’kmaq Summer Games 2026 to be held in Sipekne’katik (Shubenacadie) from August 13-23. Widely known as the Olympics of Mi’kmaki, the games attract thousands of athletes and sports enthusiasts of all ages for ten days of gathering, competing, and cultural activities. A highlight of this year’s games will be the presence during the last weekend of National Hockey League veteran Jordin Tootoo, who made history as the first Inuk player to play in the NHL, skating a 13-year career with 723 games across teams like the Nashville Predators and Detroit Red Wings. Off the ice, Tootoo is an author, a recipient of the...
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Separate drownings over two days in British Columbia’s Interior
By Chuck Chiang A kayaker has drowned in British Columbia’s Okanagan Lake, while another is presumed dead after being swept away in the Columbia River near Castlegar, both within a two-day span. Police in West Kelowna say two kayakers went into the water on Friday near the Westbank First Nation beach. The kayakers faced sudden windy conditions that overturned their boats, and one person went under and didn’t resurface. Central Okanagan Search and Rescue was able to find the body several hours later, and police say that person has been identified as a U.S. citizen. On Saturday night, police in Castlegar say they received reports of a man in distress in the Columbia River, with witnesses telling investigators that he was seen being carried downstream. Police say no trace of...
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Petition seeks Ramara’s support for safety review of aerodrome
By Danielle Pitman, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, OrilliaMatters.com An advocacy group in Ramara, requesting that Lake Country Airways aerodrome at The Cape Resort be shut down until federal authorities conduct a safety review, wants the township to step aboard. Jen Dundas, spokesperson for the group who started the change.org petition and executive director of Camp Couchiching, stood before council on Monday. She was joined by neighbours and residents, both in person and virtually, who live near the Lake Country Airways’ operations on Rama Rd. The group made quick work following parliamentary parameters for a paper petition, which Simcoe North MP Adam Chambers brought to the House of Commons last week. Citing serious gaps in the ways aerodromes are regulated in Canada, Dundas asked Ramara to support an independent safety review...
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Saskatchewan auditor finds public safety agency lacks planning to fight wildfires
By Jeremy Simes A report from Saskatchewan’s auditor says the province’s public safety agency needs to do a better job at preparing for the wildfire season. Tara Clemett’s report, released Tuesday, says the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency doesn’t plan for the right amount of resources it needs each year to fight wildfires. It says the agency also isn’t properly budgeting before the season begins. “Having that money up front allows you to make sure that you probably have the resources in place,” Clemett told a news conference. “By basing budgets on robust resource plans … the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency can make sure it has the necessary resources to manage and mitigate the risks associated with wildfires.” Planning could also save the agency money on contracts, she added. Her report...
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‘Whatever it takes:’ Indigenous group seeks help repatriating items from Switzerland
By Brittany Hobson Sacred pipes, intricately beaded regalia and firearms believed to be associated with the period of the Battle of the Little Bighorn are some of the thousands of Indigenous artifacts a group of First Nations leaders and advocates are trying to repatriate from Switzerland. The items have been housed at a privately owned museum near Zurich, which closed its doors late last year after the collector decided he wanted to retire. A delegation travelled to the country to visit the museum before it closed, and is now urging federal, First Nations and tribal governments in Canada and the United States to intervene and help bring these artifacts back to North America. “We’ve got to do whatever it takes to reconnect our ancestral, sacred bundles back into our communities,”...
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Métis Nation British Columbia announces by-election dates to replace president
By Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Energeticcity.ca SURREY, B.C. — Métis Nation British Columbia (MNBC) has finalized the date of its byelection to replace its president. An announcement by MNBC on Tuesday, June 23rd, said “an important by-election” will be held between Saturday, August 8th, and Saturday, August 22nd, with membership allowed to vote either online or via mail. Candidacy nominations opened on June 23rd, with the last day to submit names for the ballot on Monday, July 13th. According to the statement, MNBC will unveil the full list of candidates on Saturday, July 18th. The by-election notice is to replace Walter Mineault, who was removed as MNBC president earlier this year after an independent investigation regarding multiple allegations of misconduct. Mineault had been suspended in the summer of 2024, and...
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Ottawa to peg first national interest projects in territories: sources
By Nick Murray Ottawa is expected to announce Wednesday that it will begin the process of designating two key Arctic infrastructure projects as being in the national interest, say government sources. The projects are the first Ottawa has signalled it will elevate to become projects of national interest under the Building Canada Act, which allows the government to fast-track approvals and allow them to skirt some environmental laws. Three federal and territorial government sources, who were not authorized to speak about the announcement before it’s public, provided details to The Canadian Press. They said the Grays Bay road and port project in Nunavut and the Mackenzie Valley highway project in the Northwest Territories are to be announced at a news conference in Yellowknife. The Grays Bay road and port project...
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First Nation opens affordable housing in Kenora
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, SNnewswatch.com KENORA — A 24-unit affordable housing development on Eighth Street has had its official grand opening. The Kekekoziibii Development Corporation (KDC), owned by Shoal Lake 40 First Nation, constructed the units for Indigenous people and held the grand opening Tuesday morning in Kenora. A news release describes the housing project as “a significant investment in affordable housing, Indigenous-led economic development and community well-being.” The building includes 13 studio suites and 11 one-bedroom apartments, along with shared amenities, a program room and on-site supports designed to foster housing stability and opportunity. Federal funding for the project was announced in July 2024. Through a partnership with Niiwin Wendaanimok (Four Winds), 15 of the units will provide housing for people participating in education and employment...
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‘He stood for something’ Victor Thunderchild High School celebrates 22 graduates
By Michael Oleksyn, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Prince Albert Daily Herald The Class of 2026 at Victor Thunderchild High School was the largest class in school history. The grad class held their graduation at King George School on Tuesday. With a class of 22 graduates, the former Won Ska Cultural School has grown significantly since changing their name. Miley Eninew was named the recipient of the prestigious Victor Thunderchild Legacy Scholarship. Eninew said that coming to Thunderchild changed her. “When I first came here, I was a very mad kid,” Eninew said. “I was like a bad kid, actually. But they were super open. They didn’t rush me to do anything I didn’t want to do.” Eninew completed Grade 9 at Carlton before transferring to Victor Thunderchild for Grade 10...
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Northern airlines propose provincial subsidy to lower flight costs
By Maya Ekman, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, NWOnewswatch.com FORT FRANCES — Tickets start at $450 for a flight between Thunder Bay and Fort Frances but that price could one day lower. The town and North Star Air celebrated the launch of the new flight path on Thursday and meanwhile the airline’s vice president, Tom Meilleur, is working on making air travel in the north more affordable. North Star Air, Bearskin Air, Air Creebec and Wasaya Airways have joined together in a proposal titled the Northern Ontario Airfare Affordability Program (NOAAP), and Meilleur said that while it is in early stages, they have seen some support. “Affordability is one of the biggest problems that we have here in the North, and there is no getting around it without some kind of...
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‘It’s all words’: First Nation says feds haven’t fulfilled $8B water settlement
By Maya Ekman, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, NWOnewswatch.com NESKANTAGA – Five years after an $8 billion clean water settlement the First Nation with the longest standing drinking water advisory in the country says they haven’t seen a cent. “For Neskantaga, it’s very troubling; things are not moving. Words, it’s all words, and we want action where we can have clean drinking water,” said Gary Quisess, chief of Neskantaga First Nation, now in their 31st year without safe water. “We’ve lost life in these 31 years. I don’t know how many lives we’ve lost over a water treatment plant.” Last week, the federal government put forth the First Nations Clean Water Act along with the “largest funding commitment ever made for First Nations,” to target long-term drinking water advisories. Quisess says...
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Byelection announced for July 21 in northern Manitoba riding
A byelection has been scheduled for next month in northern Manitoba to fill the seat of a legislature member who died earlier this year. Premier Wab Kinew says a byelection in The Pas-Kameesak will take place July 21. Amanda Lathlin, who represented the riding, died in March at 49 after taking a leave of absence due to health issues. Lathlin was a former band councillor for Opaskwayak Cree Nation and became the first First Nations woman elected to the legislature in 2015. Lathlin’s father, Oscar Lathlin, was an NDP cabinet minister who served in the government of former premier Gary Doer. Kinew’s NDP occupies 33 of the legislature’s 57 seats, along with 20 Progressive Conservatives, one Liberal, two Independents and one vacant seat. This report by The Canadian Press was...
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Michigan Senate candidate accuses Trump of keeping Canada-US bridge closed to help donor
By Joey Cappelletti WASHINGTON (AP) — The delayed opening of a bridge connecting Michigan and Canada is spilling into one of the country’s most closely watched Senate races, as Democratic candidate Mallory McMorrow launches the first major effort to turn the controversy into a political liability for President Donald Trump and Republicans. McMorrow’s new ad, shared first with The Associated Press, accuses Trump of blocking the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge and suggests he is doing so to benefit a major political donor, building on an anti-corruption message she has sought to make central to her campaign. The bridge, which spans the Detroit River and connects the Motor City with Windsor, Ontario, was slated for a ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 12. It was abruptly postponed after officials said...
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First Nation leaders call on Alberta Premier’s executive director to resign
By Jeremy Appel, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Alberta Native News First Nations leaders are calling on Premier Danielle Smith to apologize and fire her office’s executive director after he made online remarks blaming chiefs for their people’s suffering. Bruce McAllister, a former MLA and TV broadcaster, was responding to the Assembly of Treaty Chiefs (AOTC) unanimously passing a resolution on June 16 asking the RCMP and auditor general to investigate the premier for treason. “We call for this investigation on the basis of the intentional violation of the Treaties; of calling a referendum in the face of severe risks to Canada’s sovereignty and the Treaty Relationship, and of failing to take action on the violation of privacy rights of millions of people,” reads an AOTC statement. Criminal Code section 46(2)...
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Brantford Police Seek Help Locating Missing Indigenous Girl
By Alex Murray Writer BRANTFORD, ONT-Brantford Police Service (BPS) is seeking the public’s help in locating a missing 16-year-old named Illyana. BPS said she was last seen on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, at about 3:30 p.m. in the area of Chatham Street and Clarence Street, a few blocks northeast of Victoria Park in downtown Brantford. Illyana is described as an Indigenous female about 5’5” tall. She has black curly hair, no tattoos, and was last seen wearing a brown hoodie, brown pants, and slippers. She was also carrying a blue grocery bag. BPS is looking to verify Illyana’s well-being and are seeking assistance from anyone who may have information regarding her location. Anyone with information about Illyana’s whereabouts is asked to please contact BPS at 519-756-7050 and reference incident #...
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Several First Nations sign deal with Ottawa to own part of a nuclear reactor
Chief Ted Williams of Rama First Nation was on hand for the announcement (Supplied Photo) By Liam Casey Several Ontario First Nations are set to become owners of a new nuclear reactor after striking a commercial partnership with the federal and provincial governments. Ottawa and Ontario are providing loan guarantees of $700 million to the seven Williams Treaties First Nations east of Toronto that will turn into equity for one of the four small modular reactors that are being built at the Darlington New Nuclear Project in Bowmanville, Ont., by Ontario Power Generation. Ontario Energy and Mines Minister Stephen Lecce said this is the first equity partnership with First Nations in a nuclear reactor in Canada. He said the investment will result in a minority stake for the First Nations...
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