Sisterhood gathering: eclipse connected to founding of Confederacy
By Lisa Iesse Writer “Sisterhood is medicine” says Samantha Doxtator in anticipation of April’s total solar eclipse, projected to take an unprecedented path directly above the Haudenosaunee Nations. Doxtator is an astronomer from Oneida of the Thames and she tells the gathering her sister led her to study Haudenosaunee astronomy. Doxtator is continuing the work and research pf Sasha Doxtator, a Haudenosaunee astronomer who passed away in July 2021. Iehstoseranon:nha Dawn and Kelly Back joined Doxtator and a gathering of women who met in a “Celestial Sisterhood” of Haudenosaunee” women to honour the ancestors in the name of peace at the Woodland Cultural Centre Wednesday (February 28). Dawn is a Feather Keeper/Protector and artist practicing and sharing bird medicines. She is Akwesasronon, Wakhskaré:wake (Bear Clan), and the founder of the...
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Some SNEC members pushing for more council transparency
By Lynda Powless Editor Six Nations Councillor Helen Miller is getting help keeping items from going into closed sessions in this term of council thanks to some of the new councillors. Some Six Nations Councillors have been moving items from in-cameras sessions into open citing the need to be more transparent to the community. Councillors opted to move several items from the in-camera agenda into the open at the Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) Political Liaison committee meeting on February 26. Councillor Cynthia Jamieson said she didn’t see a reason to keep some of the items private, including an update from Trevor Bomberry on a potential visit to the Navajo First Nation, a funding agreement from the Assembly of First Nations to partake in a review of the 1965 Welfare Act...
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Six Nations Cannabis Commission at the “end” of its rope without bank account
The Six Nations Cannabis Commission (SNCC) is at the end of its rope with the banking system and wants Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) to advocate for it as a community safety measure. Kathy Mair, chief commissioner of the Six Nations Cannabis Commission (SNCC)’s presented its quarterly report at SNEC’s General Finance meeting, March 4th, after it was moved from the in-camera agenda. Mair said there’s not much left the SNCC can do to get itself, its producers or retailers on-reserve a bank account because the banks see them as criminals. “I need political advocacy for this,” she said. “Cannabis was legalized in 2018 and only cannabis businesses off territory can access banking. We can not. Whether we’re licensed or not. No First Nation in Canada is allowed to use...
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“Third World Conditions”: SN Public Works says SNEC needs to push for clean drinking water funding
The Public Works Department wants Six Nations to make clean drinking water a priority for funds and political advocacy. Mike Montour, director of public works told Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) at the Policial Liaison meeting on February 26, that if they have a surplus for the 2024-2025 budget he’d like them to consider making getting people connected to the water lines a priority. “I think we’ve done a great job to knock down barriers to give people the ability to connect to the water main,” Montour said. But he knows there are more barriers that exist and said some families on Six Nations are living in “third world conditions” without indoor plumbing or electricity and that makes hooking up to the watermain impossible until plumbing is installed in the...
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SN Elected Council to petition Enbridge to lower gas fees
Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) agreed to look into trying to get the community exempted from delivery fees being charged for natural gas to be delivered here. But stopped short of petition the federal government to remove the carbon tax now hitting community gas bills. The carbon tax is also expected to rise to 15 cents per cubic metre of natural gas on April 1. A Six Nations community member told SNEC he was unhappy with the cost of natural gas. Andrew Mark Hill told SNEC, at its Feb., 27th he wanted an explanation for why his Six Nations Natural Gas (SNNG) bill is “exorbitantly” high, in comparison to more expensive forms of fuel. “To me that’s unacceptable and so I met a few other people, they are concerned about the...
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The opening of Shelley Niro’s exhibit The 500 Year Itch
By Lisa Iesse Writer HAMILTON / SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND – Shelley Niro’s “500 Year Itch” exhibit comes in like a “velvet hammer” to open the Art Gallery of Hamilton’s (AGH) winter exhibition. Shelley Falconer, AGH director, remembers the first time she came across Niro’s work, “it was like a gut-wrench,” she tells the crowd. It’s opening day, Saturday February 24, at the AGH, hundreds of people overflow from the gallery’s halls for the special retrospective of Niro’s work, which also includes new works by the internationally acclaimed artist and filmmaker. “The way you could tap into female archetypes with this bemused radiant intelligence, it hit me and it stayed with me,” Falconer told Niro and the gathering. Falconer quotes a friend who once said aptly, “Shelley’s work is...
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Commentary: Your right to know
In what was clearly a breath of fresh air some of Six Nations new elected council members have begun taking a stand on transparency.Councillor Cynthia Jamieson surprised viewers when she told her fellow council members she didn’t see any reason for some of the council agenda items to be in a closed session. The items, included a potential trip to the Navajo Nation in Arizona to discuss their governance structure pinpointing on land use. She also questioned why the Six Nations Cannabis Commission would be reporting to a closed session or how reviewing the 1995 Welfare Act constituted going behind closed doors. And she questioned why after SNEC had agreed to have the items in an open session they were put into closed sessions by staff. Councillors for the past...
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Six Nations to review welfare agreement
Six Nations will receive funding to assist in the cost of contributing its review of the 1965 Indian Welfare Agreement. Arliss Skye, director of Social Services told Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) that the Chiefs of Ontario (COO) was offering funding to help review the legislation regarding social services, child and family services and Ontario Works. “There’s no process set up other than here’s some funding when it happens,” she said. Indigenous Services Canada offered $10.2 million as well as $1.8 million to the Nishnawbe Aski Nation. COO divided the funds among unaffiliated nations based on population. Six Nation will receive $335,771 to do the consultation when the time comes. In 1965 Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) and the Ontario government signed the 1965 Indian Welfare Agreement that deemed...
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OPP officers cleared in 2023 Six Nations standoff
By Lynda Powless Editor It tool nine hours and 17 bullets fired at close range to bring a standoff that began on Halloween night 2023 with an armed Six Nations man to the end. The front door of his Chiefswood Road trailer home had been crushed by an OPP armoured vehicle. Tear gas had been fired and a police drone shot down. Three Ontario Provincial Police officers involved in the standoff and gunfire exchange with Six Nations last November were cleared Friday of any wrongdoing in a gunfire exchange with a Six Nations man who had claimed to be “cop hunting”. Ontario’s Special Investigation unit (SIU) concluded there were “no reasonable grounds” to believe the officers who had responded to a Six Nations Police assist call had committed a crime, according...
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Blackhawks looking for success at Little NHL tournament
By Sam Laskaris Writer Murray Porter is no stranger to the Little Native Hockey League tournament. The Six Nations member recalls that as a youngster he participated in the event, often simply called the Little NHL, about 10 times. Porter, who is now 39, said he was on five championship teams at the tourney, which has become the largest Indigenous youth hockey event in Ontario. While he used up his playing eligibility long ago, Porter will be participating at this year’s tourney, the 50th annual Little NHL, scheduled for Mar. 11-14 in Markham. That’s because he’s the head coach of the Six Nations Blackhawks boys’ Under-11 squad. A record number of 246 clubs are taking part in the tournament, which will be staged primarily at various Markham arenas. Rinks in...
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Sports Briefs: Montour named NHL’s Second Star of Week
By Sam Laskaris Writer Montour named NHL’s Second Star of Week It was certainly a good week for Six Nations member Brandon Montour. Montour, a defenceman with the National Hockey League’s Florida Panthers, was recognized for his efforts on Monday. He was named as the NHL’s Second Star of the Week after he played a key role with the Panthers, who won all three of their matches this past week. Montour registered six points, two goals and four assists, in those matches. Both of Montour’s goals were game-winning ones. For starters, Montour had a pair of assist and then netted the game-winning goal as the Panthers edged the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 last Tuesday. Though he was held pointless, Montour saw more than 26 minutes of action on Thursday as his...
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Indigenous wrestler qualifies for Paris Olympics
By Sam Laskaris Writer It’s official. Justina Di Stasio, a member of Norway House Cree Nation in Manitoba, will fulfill a lifelong dream and represent Canada in the Olympics. Di Stasio, a wrestler who competes in the women’s 76-kilogram weight class, earned her spot onto the Canadian women’s Olympic squad this past week. In order to advance to the 2024 Paris Olympics in France, Di Stasio needed to place in the top two in her grouping at the Pan-American Olympic qualifiers, staged in Acapulco, Mexico. Di Stasio defeated a competitor from Honduras in her opening bout. And when she registered a victory over a rival from Argentina in a semi-final bout on Feb. 29, Di Stasio officially punched her Olympic ticket to Paris. “This feels amazing,” said Di Stasio, who...
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SNEC pressing Elected Chief’s staff for timely reports
Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC)is putting pressure on the Elected Chief’s staff to ensure reports have names and are sent to council in a timely fashion. Elected Chief Sheri-Lyn Hill was not present at the February 26 Political Liaison meeting and Councillor Greg Frazer chaired the meeting in her absence. Frazer tried to skip the standing chief’s update section of the meeting noteing her absence. Political Advisor Christopher Mahon confirmed there was no update and later confirmed she was at the Chiefs of Ontario for a Leadership Advocacy Strategy Session, where she would have the opportunity to speak to Premiere Doug Ford and Minister Of Indigenous Affairs, Greg Rickford. Councillor Melba Thomas objected to the lack of update, saying despite the chief’s absence her staff should have a copy of...
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Fire that destroyed nursing station forces Ontario First Nation to evacuate patients
The chief of a remote northwestern Ontario First Nation says his community has evacuated people with specific medical needs after a fire destroyed its nursing station. Chief Russell Wesley of Cat Lake First Nation says people who need treatment for cancer, diabetes, and addiction support were among those removed from the community on Monday evening. The chief says the First Nation has established a team to find solutions aimed at restoring health services following the Saturday night fire in the Ojibway community of about 650 people, located about 440 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay, Ont. He says the six nurses who have remained in the community are currently staying at the local fire base. The Nishnawbe Aski Police Service has said it is investigating the circumstances of the fire, with...
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Portraits of survivors to be featured at Humboldt gallery
By Nicole Goldsworthy Local Journalism Initiative Reporter A upcoming exhibit at the Humboldt and District Gallery will feature portraits of Holocaust and residential school survivors. They didn’t know we were seeds by Saskatoon artist Carol Wylie, opens Tuesday, March 5. Wylie has been creating art for 30 years, focusing solely on portrait and figuration. She said inspiration for the portraits started in 2016, when she listened to a Holocaust survivor speak about his experiences in a death camp during the Saskatoon Holocaust Memorial service. “I was struck anew by the extent of abuse a human being can endure at the hand of another,” she said on her website. Wylie decided she needed to find a way of honouring the stories and memories of Holocaust survivors and used her artform to...
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Alberta outlines five year, $125M plan to protect communities from drought, floods
By Bill Graveland THE CANADIAN PRESS CALGARY- The Alberta government is promising $125 million over five years to protect communities against flood and drought. The money was included in last week’s provincial budget and, if approved, can be used for projects like berms, flood walls and retention ponds. “Today, due to a strong El Nino not seen in seven years, we’re seeing warmer temperatures, coupled with even less precipitation,” Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz told a news conference Monday. “This has led to empty riverbeds and dangerously low reservoirs across our province. This is a serious situation and our government recognized we had to take immediate action.” Schulz said the Drought and Flood Protection Program will be application-based, with municipalities, improvement districts, special areas, Metis settlements and First Nations all eligible. At...
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Investors sought for sovereign wealth fund
By Miriam Lafontaine Local Journalism Initiative Reporter KAHNAWAKE- The investment manager for the Kahnawake Sovereign Wealth Fund (KSWF), Branden Morris, was in Montreal for a conference hosted by the Responsible Investment Association (RIA). He used the time as an opportunity to network with investment portfolio managers and get the word out about the new fund. Morris also got the chance to speak on a panel at the conference Monday, which touched on how reconciliation and Indigenous rights can be better integrated into investment decisions. “We have capital left in the fund to invest in various ventures. Here everybody is in the investment space,” Morris told The Eastern Door. “They have large infrastructure projects, there are portfolio managers, so it’s just a good opportunity to let them know that we exist.”...
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Yuk Yuk’s head comes to defence of controversial comedy act accused of using anti Indigenous racism, misogyny to get laughs
By Dave Baxter Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The CEO of Canada’s largest comedy club chain says he believes that comedy and comedians should never be censored no matter how low they go, even if they go so low as to make light of the actions of an infamous serial killer, who committed some of the more heinous acts this county has ever seen. “I have no morals,” Mark Breslin, the co-founder and CEO of Yuk Yuk’s said. “If I did I couldn’t do my job.” On Thursday, Breslin spoke to the Winnipeg Sun about recent controversy surrounding Alberta-based touring comedy act the Danger Cats, a three piece act made up of, according to their website, Sam Walker, Brett Forte and `Uncle Hack.’ The group is being accused of using anti-Indigenous...
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