Six Nations Elected Council facing two possible attempts by employees to unionize
Unions may be coming to some Six Nations band employees. Six Nations employees may be trying to unionise, but at least one attempt was unsuccessful. Nathan Wright, CEO told Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) provincial and federal Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) unions are attempting to gain signatures from SNEC staff at different department locations in the community. Wright, during his monthly update to council on January 23rd spent very little time on the topic but did say one application was no longer a concern. “We did hear that CUPE has withdrawn its application and it’s not an issue going forward, So, we don’t have much to worry about there,” he said. The powerpoint presentation pointed out the application that was denied was a provincial application, but SNEC should...
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Six Nation Election Code Committee and Integrity Commission roles may merge
By Lisa Iesse Writer According to documents obtained by Turtle Island News the role of the Six Nations Election Code Ccommittee (SNECC) may be expanding to take over the powers of what was an independent Integrity Commission. SNECC chair, Audrey Hill said the election code committee “Terms of Reference” show a “big change” to the Election Code Committee’s mandate giving unprecedented powers to dismiss or redirect complaints before they reach the Integrity Commission. The SNECC began a review of the Six Nations Election Code Integrity Commission rules a few months ago. Hill and committee member Sharon Martin presented the idea that their committee review the role of an integrity commission to Six nations Elected Council (SNECC) in November 2023. SNEC did not pass any motions in relation to the SNECC taking over...
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PART II: Homeless on increase as families struggle
By Lisa Iesse Writer Indigenous persons face increasing risks of homelessness but have few alternatives to a failing shelter system, say advocates. A recent count (conducted in April 2023) found that at least 52 percent of people experiencing homelessness in the city of Brantford are Indigenous. An increase from 2021 and 2018 counts where 35 percent of homeless persons in Brantford identified as Indigenous. “Our homeless numbers and encampment of urban indigenous and rural Indigenous has skyrocketed,” says Alma Arguello, executive director at Brantford Native Housing (BNH). Considering about 5 percent of Brantford’s population identify as Indigenous (Statistics Canada), the findings warn Indigenous persons disproportionately face homelessness at a growing rate. Brantford is next to the most populated First Nation in the country (Six Nations) and another populous First Nation,...
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Six Nations to invite municipalities to history session
Six Nations is continuing its push to try to educate politicians in municipalities along the Haldimand Tract. Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) passed a resolution at its Political Liaison meeting Jan.,22, approving a summit with municipalities to provide education about the duty to consult. The Consultation and Accommodation Process (CAP) Team hopes to bring mayors and staff together at Six Nations to educate them on the history of Six Nations, the Haldimand Tract and the consultation and accommodation process in a bid to encourage municipalities to take on their legal duty to consult voluntarily. “I think it’s just more follow up education which is a major, major factor. We need political input from mayors up and down the tract,” Phil Montour said. The original date was scheduled for Tuesday, March...
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Oneida author writes children book adventures of Jay and Gizmo
By Lisa Iesse Writer ONEIDA NATION OF THE THAMES- “The Adventures of Jay and Gizmo” author Kristi White is empowering Indigenous children to reclaim their cultural and language sovereignty. “(‘Jay and Gizmo’) goes towards supporting a whole movement of uplifting and supporting Indigenous children to be able to connect, to be able to get literacy skills, to feel like they belong no matter where they end up,” White told Turtle Island News. White is from the Oneida Nation of the Thames. Back in 1969, Chief Virginia Summers, who is her great aunt, advocated for a community library there. Yet decades later during White’s youth, the community remained without a library, and without other necessities like clean drinking water. White explains these are critical resources the community is still being denied...
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Installation of future cable drawing complaints
First Nations Cable continues to push forward with its plan to cover Six Nations in fibre cables to provide stable, fast internet to the community before the end of 2025, but some community members have complaints about the installation process. Jeff Thomas, owner of First Nations Cable said crews are working diligently to install conduit for fibre and the fibre itself at the Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) General Council meeting on January 23 and some sections are already live. “It’s night and day compared to what we had before,” Thomas said. Thomas said his company contracted Solo Cable Solutions Inc. to install the fibre conduit underground, and some community members are having issues with the company. Troy Sider, chief operating officer of Solo Cable said the complaints coming from...
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The monster within
The time has come for the Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) to explain to the community where the funds to pay for its massive re-organization is coming from. What pots of money are they diving into and why was the huge “modernization” brought in if they can’t afford it. The Six Nations Band Administration exists for one reason. To oversee government programs being operated in the community. Over the years the administration has grown to include a variety of departments and services but in the past, before that occurred, federal or provincial dollars were found to pay for the department cost or hiring of additional staff. Newbie councillor Dayle Bomberry knows more than anyone else on council how difficult it is to find funds to provide much needed programs and...
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Six Nations councillors are working, councillor says
Six Nations Councillors may not be giving reports on their activities in open session, but Councillor Helen Miller says they are working hard. Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) continues to undergo its orientation process and Miller told community members at the Political Liaison meeting on January 22 that councillors are meeting every day to learn more about the internal structure of SNEC and what each department is working on and how they can help politically. “We’ve been so busy doing orientation. We’ve had a meeting almost everyday. That’s why we are not going to outside meetings. We’re busy, don’t think we are just sitting here,” she said. Councillor Dayle Bomberry said he had a conflict and couldn’t attend a meeting with Indigenous Services Canada about updating the tendering policy, but...
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Ontario trucker loses bid for third trial in killing of woman at Edmonton hotel
EDMONTON- Alberta’s highest court has dismissed a former Ontario truck driver’s bid for a third trial in the 2011 death of a woman in an Edmonton hotel. Bradley Barton was sentenced to 12-and-a-half years for manslaughter in the death of Cindy Gladue, a Metis and Cree woman who bled to death in a bathtub. Gladue, 36, was a sex worker Barton had hired for two nights. “The appellant was convicted of manslaughter. He appeals that conviction, arguing certain evidence should not have been admitted at trial,’’ said Monday’s decision by the Court of Appeal of Alberta. “We find no reviewable errors in the trial judge’s rulings on the admissibility of evidence.’’ Barton’s lawyers also argued the trial judge erred in part of his charge to the jury, but the three...
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LaForme starring with Corvairs during overage hockey season
By Sam Laskaris Writer Steve LaForme is finishing off his junior hockey career where he started it. LaForme, a member of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, is currently toiling with the Caledonia Corvairs, members of the Greater Ontario Junior H Hockey League (GOJHL). LaForme, who turns 21 on Feb. 7, is in his final season of junior hockey. And he’s doing his best to make his overage year a memorable one. He’s currently averaging more than a point per game with the Corvairs, having earned 35 points (eight goals and 27 assists) in his first 34 matches. LaForme had also played his first year of junior in the GOJHL, with the Hamilton Kilty B’s. He also racked up his share of points then, during the 2019-20 campaign, when...
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Little NHL celebrates 50th anniversary with record number of participating teams
By Sam Laskaris Writer The number 50 will not be the only one being celebrated at this year’s Little Native Hockey League tournament. The event, often simply called the Little NHL, has become the largest Indigenous youth hockey tournament in the province. It will soon celebrate its 50th anniversary in style. That’s because the tourney, which will feature games Mar. 11-14, has attracted a record 246 clubs. The 2024 event will primarily be staged at rinks throughout Markham. Rinks in neighbouring Stouffville and Richmond Hill will also be utilized for the tournament, which will feature about 4,000 players and team members from all parts of Ontario. The registration deadline for this year’s tournament was Jan. 15. But it wasn’t until this past Sunday when tournament organizers were able to officially...
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Chiefs and league rivals to participate in modified 2024 schedule
By Sam Laskaris Writer The defending national Mann Cup champion Six Nations Chiefs will have a couple more rivals they’ll be squaring off against in regular season action this year. Yet the Chiefs will end up playing fewer games than they did last season. Officials with the Major Series Lacrosse (MSL) announced on Sunday that the Chiefs will commence their 2024 campaign on May 20. The Six Nations squad will battle the visiting Owen Sound North Stars in the community’s annual Bread and Cheese Day game. That contest will be held at Iroquois Lacrosse Arena. MSL officials will release the remainder of the MSL schedule soon. While dates and locations for those contests are not yet known, MSL reps have revealed that its seven teams will only play 12 regular...
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California Gov. Newsom backs dam removal projects to boost salmon. Critics say that’s not enough
By Adam Beam THE ASSOCIATED PRESS EUREKA, Calif. (AP)-California Gov. Gavin Newsom is pledging to fast-track more than half a dozen projects by the end of his term to remove or bypass dams that have blocked salmon from returning to the state’s chilly mountain streams and acting as the keystone of a complex ecosystem that sustains both economies and spiritual beliefs for tribes. Newsom, now in his second term and seen as a potential Democratic presidential candidate beyond 2024, has worked hard to stake a claim as the nation’s most environmentally-conscious governor. But his record has been dogged by criticism from environmental groups who say his water policies benefit big agriculture at the expense of salmon and other fish species in danger of becoming extinct. Millions of salmon once filled...
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Kashechewan taking new path for evacuations
By Amanda Rabski-McColl Local Journalism Initiative Reporter A Northern Ontario First Nation community is taking the lead in its emergency response with a new partner. Kashechewan First Nation and Missanabie Cree First Nation ISN Maskwa have agreed to collaborate and use each other’s services exclusively through the upcoming flood and fire seasons. The agreement is the first of its kind. The agreement includes community safety personnel, security, transportation including air and bus travel, flight co-ordination, catering services, and accommodations. “It’s not only about meeting their needs, but it’s also about creating capacity within their own community for emergency response,” said Joe Sayers, Missanabie Cree First Nation ISN Maskwa’s general manager. “So there’s commitments in training.” These supports also extend to the work that needs to be done in the community...
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Don’t miss it: Six Nations Fire Fighters take on Six Nations Police in a fun hockey fundraiser
By Lisa Iesse Writer SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND – A special hockey fundraiser will see Six Nations Finest square off Feb 1 with all proceeds going to the local food bank. “It’s on! Tell your mom, tell your grandma, tell your dog! February 1st 2024 8pm at the GPA (Six Nations Sports and Cultural Memorial Arena) in Ohsweken,” the Six Nations Firefighters Association (SNFFA) posted on their facebook page. The hockey match is organized by the SNFFA, a group of volunteer/career firefighters working to support local community initiatives. Calvin Thomas, president of the SNFFA, told the Turtle Island News the fundraising project is a “joint venture” sparked from family connections across the ranks of Six Nations Fire and Emergency Services and Six Nations Police. “One of our members from the (Six Nations...
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Manitoba’s ice road network opens for the season
By Dave Baxter Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Despite an unusually mild winter, the province said this week that most ice roads in Manitoba are now in use, opening up essential routes for isolated northern First Nations communities. On Monday, the province announced in a media release the opening of its winter road season for 2024. Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor said the winter road system provides “essential pathways for most northern communities that rely on the system for regional travel and delivery of essential goods.” The winter road season in Manitoba typically begins in mid-to-late January and lasts until mid-to-late March, allowing only a small window of time where vehicles can travel to several communities by land, or where those communities can receive some goods that can’t be brought...
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Ontario Regional Chief Glen Hare raising alarm, Métis Nation of Ontario after Indigenous lands
By Lynda Powless Editor TORONTO, ONT- Ontario Regional Chief Glen Hare is raising the alarm after the federal government allocated over $1 million from ‘New Indigenous-Led Natural Climate Solutions” funding to the Métis Nation of Ontario (“MNO”) that could see the MNO use the funding to buy and claim First Nation treaty lands in the province. In a statement Tuesday, (Jan. 26) Ontario Regional Chief Glen Hare said the federal government announced $12.8 million in funding allocations for New Indigenous-Led Natural Climate Solutions, but $1.3 million of it is going to the MNO. Chief Hare said he is concerned the MNO could use the $1.3 million “to undertake an internal project on this initiative – a project that involves the potential for the MNO to acquire lands for conservation and...
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Neskantaga First Nation works to uplift community since suicide crisis 10 years ago
By Liam Casey THE CANADIAN PRESS NESKANTAGA FIRST NATION, ONT.- Small, white crosses dot a graveyard just outside Neskantaga First Nation in northern Ontario. Some graves are marked with white picket fences, flowers have been placed at others. Most have no names or ages, but some do. A 16-year-old girl rests in one plot, a 13-year-old in another. Suicide brought them there. Ten years ago, Neskantaga First Natio, a remote community with a population of about 450, declared a state of emergency after four suicides and several attempted suicides by teens. The state of emergency officially remains, but the community quietly spoke about a small milestone this past summer: no one had killed themselves in Neskantaga in three years. Several measures helped get to that point, there are mental-health counsellors...
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SCO program offers help for First Nations veterans
By Miranda Leybourne Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The Southern Chiefs’ Organization was on hand for Sioux Valley Dakota Nation’s Winterfest on the weekend promoting its First Nations Veterans Program, which aims to help First Nations veterans seeking support. Transitioning from serving with the military to civilian life can be a struggle, said Justin Woodcock, the co-ordinator of the program. He served eight years with the Canadian Armed Forces, and when he left, many of his friends were finding life after service fraught with difficulty. “I was losing a lot of friends to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and I wanted to do something to give back, so I chose a career in social work. I finished my education and now I’m kind of bridging my First Nation background and my military...
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