Six Nations Police violent crime stats show increase
By Lisa Iesse Writer Six Nations Police (SNP) 2023 crime stats show violent crimes are on the increase. Police stats show assaults alone increased from 142 in 2022 to 154 last year but more poignantly the amount of charges skyrocketted from 27 charges in 2022 to 138 assault assault charges in 2023 that’s an increase of 91 charges. Data collected in 2022 and 2023 by SNP show an increase in calls for service to police and an increase in charges for violent crimes. In 2022 SNP received 4722 calls for service but in 2023 the number of calls for service jumped to 5,215, confirmed Jamie Smith of SNP. So far this year (2024) SNP has received about 600 calls for service, added Smith. Early figures for 2023 released by SNP...
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MCFN remember the lives of those lost to violence
By Lisa Iesse Writer MISSISSAUGAS OF THE CREDIT FIRST NATION – Trailblazers of the MMIWG2SBM movement sound the call for justice as they celebrate the lives of Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit persons, boys and men taken far too soon. By the podium inside the Mississaugas of the Credit (MCFN) community centre stand photos of mothers, daughters, sisters, and aunties. There’s Patricia Carpenter, Elaine LaForme and a young woman named Diane holding her newborn baby. Patricia Carpenter’s family, who are from the Alderville First Nation, join Elaine LaForme’s family and the MCFN community. “My grandmother tirelessly dedicated her life to advocacy and bringing awareness to Missing and Murdered Indigenous girls and women and also thus went on to include boys and Two-Spirit persons,” Shauna Kechego-Nichols, who is Patricia Carpenter’s niece, tells...
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Six Nations Police on the frontline
Six Nation’s Police annual report has hit the streets and with it comes, not an unexpected result, but a frightening one. Crime is not just on the increase, but violent crime is. First Nation communities are no stranger to violent crime. Statistics have shown us that. We know Indigenous people, in particular women, are more likely to be victims of crime . And for the first time the horror of a mass murder entered a First Nations community with the greatest single loss of life on September 4, 2022, when Myles Sanderson killed 11 and injured 18 people in a mass stabbing at 13 locations on the James Smith Cree Nation and in Weldon, Saskatchewan, Canada. A loss that has affected communities nation wide spurring leaders to revisit their own...
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Grand River Attack prepping for new season with some new opponents
By Sam Laskaris Writer The brass of the Grand River Attack is busily making plans for what it hopes will be a successful 2024 campaign. It remains to be seen how the Attack, traditionally a powerhouse in the Women’s Major Series Lacrosse (WMSL), will fare in its upcoming season. But members of the local squad know they will be facing some new opponents this year. WMSL officials announced on Monday that the league has expanded and will feature two new entrants this year, the Kingston Cannons and the Peterborough Lakers. Nine clubs had participated in the WMSL season in 2023. But it has yet to be determined whether the circuit will include 11 or 12 teams this year. The Toronto Stars, who dropped out of the loop prior to the...
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Tomahawks’ 2024 roster to begin taking shape
By Sam Laskaris Writer Head coach Jay Smith will start getting a sense what the Six Nations Tomahawks’ lineup for the coming season will look like as early as this Friday. The Tomahawks, a Senior C men’s lacrosse squad, are the defending provincial champions, having won the Senior Series Lacrosse (SSL) title this past August. The Six Nations club will stage its first tryout of the year this Friday, Feb. 23, from 6-8 p.m. at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena (ILA). Two other tryout sessions have also been announced. They will be this Saturday, Feb. 24, from 10:30 am until noon, also at the ILA. And another session will be staged this coming Monday, Feb. 26, from 9:30 p.m. until 11 p.m., again at the ILA. “After that, I start making...
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Snipers denied opportunity to rack up third straight victory
By Sam Laskaris Writer If they were a bit more disciplined or if they had capitalized on their powerplay opportunities, the Six Nations Snipers could be on a three-game winning streak right now. Instead, the local Arena Lacrosse League (ALL) squad was unable to register its third consecutive W. The Snipers were downed 13-11 by the Brampton Express this past Saturday in a match held at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena (ILA) in Six Nations. The Snipers, who had managed back-to-back victories after losing their first seven matches this season, appeared they might pick up another win on Saturday. The Six Nations side held a slim 10-9 lead with less than 10 minutes to play in the fourth and final quarter of their contest versus the Express. But the Brampton club...
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Six Nations Police charge four in fentanyl trafficking investigation
Four Ohsweken residents are facing trafficking in fentanyl, cocaine and drug possession charges after Six Nations Police (SNP) executed a search warrant Friday, Feb., 15 on a Fifth Line Road home and mobile trailer. SNP executed two Section 11 Controlled Drugs & Substances Act search warrants at the 5th Line Road residence and mobile trailer where four adults were arrested without incident, police said. Two women, ages 34 and 58, and two men, 38 and 35 are facing a series of trafficking and drug related charges. Three of the accused were remanded in custody pending formal bail hearings, the 35-year-old man was released via a Form 10 Undertaking with a future court date. The charges came as a Six Nations Police Fentanyl trafficking investigation came to a conclusion. On February...
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3 Nolans hype up players at tournament
By Amanda Rabski-McColl Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Attending hockey tournaments brings a sense of nostalgia to the Nolan family. Ted Nolan and his sons, Brandon and Jordan, attended the Mushkegowuk Cup on Saturday, Feb. 17, hopping from arena to arena, meeting with players and fans, and signing autographs, but the atmosphere is one they’re all very familiar with. “This is where it all started for myself,” said Ted Nolan. “If they have half the fun I had at that age, they must be having a good time.” Hockey was a big part of Ted Nolan’s life growing up in Garden River First Nation near Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. That love of the game saw him playing for the Greyhounds, then going to the NHL as a player, and later as...
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Event provides comfort and space for residential school survivors
By Amanda Rabski-McColl Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Residential school survivors gathered together to support one another and share this week. Hosted by Moose Cree First Nation and Kashechewan First Nation, a survivors’ summit was held from Tuesday, Feb 13 to Thursday, Feb. 15 in Timmins, bringing together residential school survivors from northern Ontario and Quebec. “We have initiatives in both communities because both communities have survivors at Horden Hall,” said elder Stella Schimmens, who is from Moose Cree First Nation. “We have three generations of people who went to the school.” Many attendees at this week’s conference are survivors of Bishop Horden Hall, an Anglican residential school in Moose Factory. Indigenous children were sent there from 1906 to 1976. The events focused on giving survivors a chance to share their...
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Nearly $1 million federal funding boosts Indigenous entrepreneurs on Six Nations, Mississaugas of the Credit
By J.P. Antonacci Local Journalism Initiative Reporter A not-for-profit organization that gives seed money to budding Indigenous entrepreneurs got a $924,000 boost from the federal government on Tuesday. Ohsweken-based Two Rivers Community Development Centre will use the money from the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) to offer skills training workshops and a youth entrepreneurship program, and host events promoting Indigenous businesses in Six Nations of the Grand River and Mississaugas of the Credit. The various projects will “build a generation of Indigenous business leaders” while creating up to 60 jobs, said Two Rivers CEO David Vince. The money is part of $5.4 million from FedDev Ontario earmarked for five Indigenous-led projects, including a new greenhouse producing fish and vegetables in Curve Lake First Nation and a...
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First Nations uneasy chronic wasting disease will weaken food security
By Rochelle Baker Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Knowledge keeper and hunter Robin Louie is worried. Worried his people’s food security, traditional knowledge and culture will suffer yet another hit with the dreaded arrival of chronic wasting disease in their territory in the southern Kootenays. “It’s a serious issue,” said Louie, an executive with the Ktunaxa Nation Council, which includes four First Nations. “Our nations generally eat a lot of wild game.” On Tuesday, B.C. launched its first set of new rules to try to stem the spread of CWD, also dubbed the zombie deer disease, after recently confirming two deer south of Cranbrook tested positive. The fatal neurological disease has no cure and affects cervids like moose, deer, elk and caribou and is almost impossible to eliminate once it’s established...
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B.C. New Democrat government makes pledges to homebuyers, renters, in throne speech
By Dirk Meissner THE CANADIAN PRESS VICTORIA- British Columbia’s New Democrat government is pledging more homes for first-time buyers and eviction protection for renters in a throne speech that promises affordability measures in this week’s budget. The throne speech, read in the legislature by Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin on Tuesday said the government is putting forward a vision where everyone can get ahead and no one is left behind. “If we work together, this will be a place where everyone can build a good life, whether you live in a city, town, rural or First Nations community,” said Austin. The speech marked the start of the spring legislative session and comes ahead of the provincial budget on Thursday which is less than nine months from the provincial election. Austin told the legislature...
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Event provides comfort and space for residential school survivors
By Amanda Rabski-McColl Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Residential school survivors gathered together to support one another and share this week. Hosted by Moose Cree First Nation and Kashechewan First Nation, a survivors’ summit was held from Tuesday, Feb 13 to Thursday, Feb. 15 in Timmins, bringing together residential school survivors from northern Ontario and Quebec. “We have initiatives in both communities because both communities have survivors at Horden Hall,” said elder Stella Schimmens, who is from Moose Cree First Nation. “We have three generations of people who went to the school.” Many attendees at this week’s conference are survivors of Bishop Horden Hall, an Anglican residential school in Moose Factory. Indigenous children were sent there from 1906 to 1976. The events focused on giving survivors a chance to share their...
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World premieres bring together Indigenous and immigrant voices in Canada
By Michael Staples Local Journalism Initiative Reporter After months of preparation, members of Canada’s Indigenous and immigrant communities are preparing to launch a pair of multimedia storytelling experiences they hope will illustrate a rapidly developing bond between the groups. The world premiere of One Land, Two Hearts: WhereWeStand will debut Feb. 23 at the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 in Halifax. A second premiere presentation will occur Feb. 25 at the Woodland Cultural Centre in Brantford, Ont. Indigenous participants paired with newcomers have worked to produce everything from live storytelling to spoken word to dance to films all of which are designed to reflect on the differences and common ground of identity and belonging. Cyrus Sundar Singh, co-creative producer, said the premiere is more than just bringing “a...
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Ottawa warns it will likely close lucrative baby eel fishery
By John Chilibeck Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Canada’s most valuable export fishery could be done for the season before it’s even started. The federal fisheries minister has warned she will probably shut the baby eel fishery this spring in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia because her department doesn’t have time to come up with new rules to stop rampant poaching threatening the longterm survival of the species. In a letter sent last week to the 12 baby eel, or elver, licence holders in the Maritimes, Diane Lebouthillier says time is running short and there’s just too much to do ahead of the season, which normally starts in about six weeks, near the end of March or beginning of April. “It is my view that it is not possible to have...
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Tribal bloodshed shines spotlight on instability in strategically vital Papua New Guinea
By Rod Mcguirk THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -A tribal clash in Papua New Guinea’s remote highlands in which at least 26 people were killed has put a growing internal security problem under the microscope in the strategically vital South Pacific island nation that has garnered closer military attention from the United States and China. The rival powers are increasingly keen to strike security pacts with the developing nation whose international significance has grown in tandem with China’s increased regional influence. Here’s a look at some key issues surrounding Papua New Guinea’s internal security concerns: PAPUA NEW GUINEA, THE COUNTRY Papua New Guinea is the most populous South Pacific island nation after Australia and was a colony of that near neighbor until independence in 1975. The government estimates Papua...
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Kuujjuaq sculptor turns ice into art at Quebec’s Winter Carnival
By Cedric Gallant Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Sammy Kudluk’s ice sculpture depicting two Inuit women holding a qulliq was viewed by thousands of people at the Quebec Winter Carnival. The Kuujjuaq artist created the piece Feb. 11. Kudluk said he has been honing his craft as an artist for nearly 50 years, doing painting, sculpting and soapstone carving. “I have not done that much ice sculpting,” Kudluk said in a phone interview, after returning from Quebec City. Kuujjuaq’s river ice, he explained, has too much air in it and tends to crack, but the ice at the carnival is made specifically for the art. Kudluk’s first foray into ice-sculpting was five years ago, at the ice hotel created each year in Sainte-Foy near Quebec City. For this festival, Kudluk said his...
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Saint John police ‘working towards’ diversity expectations: chief
By Andrew Bates Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Saint John’s police chief says a diversity and inclusion recruiting initiative is part of efforts to make the force more reflective of the city’s demographics. The Inclusivity and Diversity Recruitment Camp runs May 23 at the Saint John Police Force’s Peel Plaza headquarters, according to a press release Wednesday. The full-day program aims to bring in potential recruits from underrepresented communities, including women and visible minorities, and give them an idea of what life as a police officer looks like, according to Chief Robert Bruce. “We’re looking for people … that are looking to find out what policing is all about and how they can serve their community,” Bruce told Brunswick News. At the Tuesday meeting of the Saint John Board of Police Commissioners,...
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Acimowin Opaspiw Society Says Police Refusing To Investigate Saddle Lake Mass Graves
By Jeremy Appel Local Journalism Initiative Reporter A year after announcing the discovery of undocumented mass graves at the former Blue Quills Residential School, the head of the Acimowin Opaspiw Society (AOS) says the RCMP and Alberta chief medical examiner are refusing to assist in their investigation. The AOS is a non-profit based out of Saddle Lake Cree Nation, where Blue Quills operated from 1898 to 1932 before the forced assimilation institution was moved to St. Paul County, where it remained until its closure in 1970. At a Jan. 24 press conference on Enoch Cree Nation, AOS executive director Leah Redcrow said this lack of cooperation from authorities is the product of “continued negligence and institutional racism against our people.” The first of the communal graves was discovered by “accidental...
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