Kanonhstaton
It’s been 20 years since Six Nations women Janie Jamieson and Dawn Hill walked on to a housing develpment outside Caledonia reclaiming unceded Haudenosaunee lands. The land would be renamed Kanonhstaton and changed the way Indigenous people would take back their land. (Photo by Jim C. Powless)...
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Community growth could spur a $28 million fire department need
Six Nations Fire and Emergency Services could see up to $28 million in operational and infrastructure growth over the next decade, but Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) is not committing to financing the plan just yet. Fire Chief Michael Seth spoke to a recommendation to accept a comprehensive review conducted by the Emergency Management Group and to approve the department’s annual report at SNEC’s General Council meeting on February 24. SNEC was told the Emergency Management Group had conducted a comprehensive review of the community’s risk, the department structure and other areas all aimed at providing guidance to SNEC’s current and future operation and administration of the community. At the same time the Emergency Management Group offered a number of recommendations for service provision and improvement aimed at improving fire...
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Feds earmark $1.55 billion to ensure equal services for First Nations kids
By Connor McDowell, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Brandon Sun The federal government said it will continue to reform Jordan’s Principle as it announced $1.55 billion in funding on Thursday. Two western Manitoba First Nation chiefs welcomed the funding announcement, but are opposed to the changes introduced in 2025. The new funding is meant to provide immediate stability for the Jordan’s Principle program, which underwent reform last year after the federal government complained of misuse. Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty acknowledged that there has been confusion about what a course-correction will look like. “I know that the past few months have created much uncertainty for families,” Gull-Masty said during a press conference in Ottawa on Thursday. “We have had the opportunity to speak with them and collaborate with them in looking...
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Largest Operating Battery Storage Facility now operating
By Lynda Powless Editor The Hagersville Battery Energy Storage Park is operating. Boralex Inc. (“Boralex”) (TSX: BLX) and Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation (SNGRDC) are partners in the project, the largest operating battery energy storage facility in the country. The Hagersville Battery Energy Storage Park (HBESP) is sitting on unceded Six Nations of the Grand River lands near Hagersville. The landmark project is now buying and selling power in the Ontario energy market under a contract with IESO. The project has an operation capacity of 300 MW / 1,200 MWh, making it the largest project of its kind. Matt Jamieson, President and CEO of SNGRDC, saw the potential in the project and moved to make sure Six Nations was a part of it. “The HBES Park demonstrates...
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Changing CEOs: Six Nations man or woman at the top
Wondering who sits at the top of the Six Nations Elected Council’s (SNEC) administration? The top job at the band has seen significant change in the past eight years at the top of its administration while at the same time ushering in a new governance style they are still working the bugs out of. Since 2019 three men and three women had sat in the top administration seat. The changes came after current councillor Dayle Bomberry retired as Six Nations Senior Administrative Officer or SAO in 2019 after a decade in the role. SNEC appointed lawyer Mandy Wesley as acting Senior Administrative Officer effective Feb. 3, 2019 and went on the hunt for someone to fill the seat. She filled the role until Darren Jamieson was hired in 2020. He...
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Six Nations develops new document and map to counter claims
Six Nations has a new historical document and map aimed at countering what it describes as “false claims” within the Haldimand and Nanfan Treaty areas. Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) approved a motion to keep a new history paper as internal information only and subject to legal review at the Feb. 24 General Council meeting. The Lands and Resources, Wealth and Economy Committee brought forward a recommendation that the Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) approve the “Six Nations of the Grand River and the Mississaugas of the Credit (New Credit) First Nation history document and map” for distribution to proponents and posting on the Six Nations website. The document, accompanied by a map, was written by Lonny Bomberry, Director of Lands and Resources to counter “false claims in the Haldimand...
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Gauge to be installed on river
A new river monitoring system could soon give Six Nations real-time flood alerts at no cost to the community. At the Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) General Council meeting on Feb. 24, the Rachel VanEvery acting director of the Data Analytics and Insights (DA&I) department presented a proposal to install an electronic river level monitoring gauge on the Chiefswood Bridge, in partnership with the County of Brant and Six Nations Public Works. The initiative stems from a December 2024 outreach by Brant County to Public Works Director Michael Montour regarding expanded monitoring. “The Grand River has a need for enhanced monitoring,” VanEvery said. Currently, the closest river flow gauges are located in Galt and Canning, with three new gauges recently installed in Brant County. The County has invited Six Nations...
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200 years and counting…
It’s been 20 years since two Six Nations women walked onto a housing development being built on unceded Six Nations land and reclaimed it for the community. Today the land sits empty. Fields overgrown. It’s been two decades of waiting for the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council (HCCC) to decide how it will work with the people to make use of the vacant lands. And 200 years of waiting for a conclusion with Canada and Ontario, who seem to have a problem with Haudenosaunee reclaiming their lands. For Janie Jamieson and Dawn Hill it wasn’t just about reclaiming lands a housing development was scheduled to be built on. What the two women did was not just bring back the land, but set the stage for the enacting Haudenosaunee rights. They did...
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Today in History
March 7 In 1657, the sale of liquor to Canadian natives was prohibited by King Louis XIV of France. In 2019, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he should have been aware of an “erosion of trust” between his office and former minister of justice Jody Wilson-Raybould over the SNC-Lavalin controversy, but he stopped short of apologizing to her. He said as prime minister and leader of the federal ministry, he should have been more aware. Wilson-Raybould claimed she was improperly pressured to stop a criminal prosecution of SNC-Lavalin and was punished for her refusal to give in by being moved out of the Justice portfolio to Veterans Affairs in an early January cabinet shuffle. She resigned from cabinet shortly after the controversy erupted. In 2025, Buffy Sainte-Marie returned her Order...
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UNDER THE NORTHERN SKY: Who Is In Control Of Your Social Media
By Xavier Kataquapit We are all part of a great change in human civilization. Whether we know it or not, we are living through humanity’s first steps into the modern digital age. I grew up in the 1980s in my remote home community of Attawapiskat on the James Bay coast. Back then, it really felt like we lived in another world because we only had one reliable radio signal and three television channels with up to date news and content. Long distance phone calls were available but everyone was constantly concerned about the cost of using a phone, so it was only reserved for the most important calls. A generation before the 1980s, there was no direct connection to the outside world in my home community. My parents, Marius and...
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Ironmen win opening-round playoff series versus Coyotes
By Sam Laskaris Writer Bring on the Blitz. That’s what members of the Six Nations Ironmen were able to proclaim following their latest playoff triumph. The Ironmen downed the host Halton Hills Coyotes 6-3 in a Northern Premier Hockey League (NPHL) contest this past Saturday. With that victory the Six Nations club captured its best-of-seven series against the Coyotes 4-1. The Ironmen now move on to square off against the Orangeville Blitz in a best-of-seven North Division final in the NPHL’s Metropolitan Conference. Orangeville advanced to the divisional final by defeating the Woodstock Lakers 4-1 in its best-of-seven semi-final battle. The Blitz wrapped up that series with a 5-4 home win in Game 5 this past Friday. Six Nations forward Steven LaForme, who netted four goals in the series-clinching match...
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Hesquiaht Descendants earn second and Most Sportsmanlike at 66th All Native Basketball Tourney
By Nora O’Malley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Ha-Shilth-Sa Hesquiaht rookies Jaysen Touchie, Tessa Charleson and Brielle Tom. By Nora O’Malley Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Prince Rupert, B.C. – With a loss to the Laxgalts’ap Aces (Greenville) in game two of a grueling All Native Basketball Tournament, it could have easily gone sideways for the Hesquiaht Descendants. But the small team of eight players took the defeat, turned it into fuel and rallied to win six tough backdoor games for a spot in the women’s final against the Similkameen Starbirds from the Okanagan Valley. Along with 15 other teams in the women’s division, the Descendents made run for the title of the 66th annual All Native Basketball Tournament (ANBT), which was held Feb. 14 to 21 in Prince Rupert, B.C. “We...
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Six Nations Police seeking information on missing woman
By Alex Murray Writer The Six Nations Police (SNP) and the family of a local Six Nations woman are asking the community for help in finding Kristy Thomas, who has gone missing. Thomas was last seen on February 26, 2026, five days prior to the filing of the missing person report on March 3. The last time her family heard from her was February 27. “The family is concerned for her well-being as she normally communicates with them while she is out,” the report said. The last time she was seen, Thomas was wearing a black Helly Hansen light jacket, blue jeans, and black boots. She was also carrying a sparkly Coach purse. On February 26, Thomas was seen driving her 2007 Red GMC Sierra truck (license plate number: BA...
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Author roots novel in dark times
By Shari Narine, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Windspeaker.com Métis author Tara Gereaux dedicates her new novel Wild People Quiet to her late grandfather. It’s a fitting dedication as main character Florence Banks mirrors the actions of grandfather Clarence: They both hid their Métis identity. “I really wanted to write this book to understand the circumstances that my grandfather was living in when he was a young man,” said Gereaux. “I don’t know exactly when he might have made that decision to live as a white man, but I imagine it was probably when he was just a young man starting out on his own.” In 1946, the setting for Wild People Quiet, Gereaux’s grandfather would have been around 20 years of age. “I really wanted to explore that time period...
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NDP politicians set off on road trip to highlight northern Ontario road dangers
By Liam Casey Three Ontario New Democrats have set off on a 3,500-kilometre road trip from Toronto to the Manitoba boundary and back to highlight the dangers of northern roads. Northern legislators John Vanthof, Guy Bourgouin and Sol Mamakwa said the time has come for Premier Doug Ford and his Progressive Conservative government to take action to save lives. They say Ford has not done enough to address dangerous conditions on northern roads. “It’s shameful,” Vanthof said of the high numbers of fatal collisions and lengthy road closures, especially on highways 17 and 11. Those are the two main routes across northern Ontario, most of which is served by two-lane highways. “We’re going to drive from here to Manitoba on Highway 11 and we’re going to come back on 17...
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Nova Scotia Mi’kmaq chiefs see drastic impacts from provincial budget
By Rosemary Godin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cape Breton Post In the shadow of the provincial budget released this week, the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Chiefs (Maw-lukutijik Saqmaq ) is calling for a meeting with Premier Tim Houston under the principles established through the Mi’kmaq-Nova Scotia-Canada Tripartite Forum to express their concerns. The assembly has apprehensions with cuts to about 21 different Mi’kmaq-specific programs among a wide sweeping new budget. “The Nova Scotia government’s decisions will have drastic impacts on this province,” said Chief Leroy Denny, co-chair of the assembly. “Programs and organizations that the province and the Mi’kmaq have been partners on for years, this government decided to claw back or push away from. This is incredibly disappointing.” According to a post to Denny’s community of Eskasoni First...
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‘We can set the agenda:’ Carney continues middle power pitch in Australia
By Anja Karadeglija In Australia, Prime Minister Mark Carney continued his argument that middle powers should band together, saying Canada and Australia share the advantages of legitimacy and trust. “Australia and Canada can’t compel like the great powers; but we can convene, we can set the agenda, shape the rules, and organize and build capacity through coalitions that deliver results at speed and global scale,” Carney said in a speech at the Lowy Institute think tank in Sydney. Carney hit on many of the same points as he did in his headline-making Davos speech in January. “Middle powers have more power than many realize,” he argued. Carney gave the example of Europe, Australia, Canada, Japan and South Korea, saying that, combined, they have a larger GDP than the United States...
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Carney says he backs strikes on Iran ‘with some regret’ as world order frays
By Rod Mcguirk MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Wednesday he supported the strikes on Iran “with some regret” as they represented an extreme example of a rupturing world order. Carney spoke at the Lowy Institute, a Sydney-based international policy think tank, during the Australian leg of a trade-focused, three-nation visit that began in India. He will address the Australian Parliament on Thursday, then fly to Japan on Friday. “Geostrategically, hegemons are increasingly acting without constraint or respect for international norms or laws, while others bear the consequences. Now the extremes of this disruption are being played out in real time in the Middle East,” Carney said. The Canadian prime minister stressed his country was not apprised beforehand of the U.S.-Israeli airstrikes, in his first remarks...
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Winnipeg security guard charged with using brass knuckles on suspected shoplifter
By Brittany Hobson Winnipeg police have charged a security guard with assault after video surfacing online appeared to show him using brass knuckles to punch out a suspected shoplifter. The 23-year-old guard was arrested Monday evening and charged with assault with a weapon, unauthorized possession of a prohibited or restricted weapon and uttering threats after police became aware the assault was captured on camera. Police said the case began when officers were called to a Dollarama discount store in the city’s downtown on Saturday, where they arrested a 46-year-old who had been detained by an on-duty security guard. That man is accused of concealing $95 worth of merchandise and trying to leave the store before the guard intervened. That man was charged with robbery and uttering threats. Later on, an...
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In Manitoba, a growing herd of bagwaji-bizhikiwag offers lessons in community
By Crystal Greene, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, IndigiNews A large herd of bagwaji-bizhikiwag (wood bison) call Chitek Lake Anishinaabe Provincial Park in Manitoba home — and their community recently grew even larger. On Feb. 18, the herd welcomed ten new bulls and cows to their territory nestled between Lake Winnipegosis and Lake Winnipeg — more than 300 kilometres northwest of the City of Winnipeg. They’d traveled 12 hours in a massive cattle trailer across provinces, from Elk Island National Park in “Alberta.” Wood bison, once on the brink of extinction, have seen their populations climb thanks to conservation efforts. And even though historically the species wasn’t known to live in this herd’s area, the vast isolation of the park’s boreal forest, fields and lakes helps keep them safe from disease...
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