Men’s program reaches milestone meeting
By Sam Laskaris Writer A milestone event will be held at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena (ILA) on Wednesday night. The 100th meeting of the 7Sticks Men’s Mental Health and Addictions Circle will be held at the Six Nations arena. The group was co-founded in 2024 by a pair of individuals well known in local lacrosse circles, Miles General and Austin Staats. Those in the program meet once a week, for two hours on Wednesday nights, inside one of the ILA dressing rooms. “We use lacrosse as a platform,” General said. “And we call it 7Sticks because of the concept of our seven generations that’s with our Iroquois people. And so that’s why we incorporated that into it. It’s just to help provide an alternative pathway to healing for all of...
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Winnipeg to host the 2028 North American Indigenous Games
By Sam Laskaris Writer Six Nations athletes that are hoping to compete in the next North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) now know the city they will potentially showcase their skills in. It was announced this past Thursday that the NAIG Council has conditionally awarded the 2028 Games to Norway House Cree Nation (NHCN), located in Manitoba, as well as the Southern Chiefs’ Organization (SCO), which represents 32 First Nations in southern Manitoba. The Games, which are scheduled to be held from July 9-23 in 2028, will primarily be staged in Winnipeg. Other locations in the province will also be utilized for some of the competitions. The last NAIG was held in Nova Scotia, mostly in Halifax, in 2023. The next Games had originally been scheduled for Calgary in 2027. But...
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Blitz leading scorer joins Ironmen
By Sam Laskaris Writer The Six Nations Ironmen have signed one of their biggest rivals from a year ago. That would be Alex Gilmour, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound forward, who starred in the Northern Premier Hockey League (NPHL) with the Orangeville Blitz last season. Gilmour led the Blitz in scoring last season averaging more than two points per game. He collected 35 points (15 goals and 20 assists) in 16 regular season matches. When the Blitz ceased operations during the off-season Gilmour and all of his Orangeville teammates became free agents. “I was just trying to find something a little bit closer to home,” said Gilmour, who lives in Waterdown. “There’s tons of hockey out this way. But ultimately the schedule with Six Nations worked out the best.” Gilmour, who is...
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Readers invited to learn how to develop strategies to confront residential school denialism
By Shari Narine, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Windspeaker.com The editors of Truth Before Reconciliation: Confronting Residential School Denialism admit they would rather be working with Indian residential school survivors on other issues, but the appearance of a group of masked white supremacists on the Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc Nation near Kamloops, B.C. make confronting denialism a priority. “We think of our book like a toolkit. Now Canadians have a toolkit, the voices of survivors, the voices of credentialed researchers,” said co-editor Niigaan Sinclair, Anishinaabe from St. Peter’s/Little Peguis, and a professor of Indigenous Studies at the University of Manitoba. “Then, of course, all the different ways that we can strategize together to combat what is really a force that’s trying to encourage people to be ignorant, encourage them to believe misinformation...
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More than 300 advance polls open across Alberta in historic referendum on separation
By Jack Farrell Albertans across the province began lining up and casting their ballots Tuesday in the province’s historic vote on separation. Elections Alberta opened the doors at 310 polling stations for the first of five days of advanced voting ahead of the official polling day on Oct. 19. One downtown Edmonton polling station saw a lineup that stretched almost half a block after doors opened at 9 a.m., with voters spending anywhere between 30 minutes and an hour to cast their ballots. Premier Danielle Smith has put 10 questions to a vote, including whether Alberta should remain in Canada or hold a second, binding referendum on quitting Confederation. Some voters wore their vote on their sleeves by dawning hats or sweaters with the Canadian flag to go to the...
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Indigenous groups invest $65.3 million in Coastal GasLink pipeline in B.C
By Lauren Krugel A group representing five First Nations says it has invested $65.3 million for an interest in the Coastal GasLink pipeline, which brings natural gas from northeastern B.C. to the LNG Canada plant in Kitimat — and is set for a big expansion. FN CGL Pipeline Ltd. Partnership said in a news release Tuesday that members are putting up their own funds. “Our Nations are making this investment with their own capital. No government loan guarantees, no borrowed money,” said Chief Harley Chingee of McLeod Lake Indian Band. “It was a deliberate choice, the best way to secure maximum benefits from what we believe to be a sound commercial investment. The returns will now belong entirely to the communities, as will decisions as to how they are used.”...
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Oversubscribed provincial grant program gets $5M bump for healthier communities through sports
By George Lee, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Macleod Gazette Arenas, pitches, ball diamonds and trails help keep Albertans and their communities healthy and vibrant, a cabinet minister said in touting a topped-up initiative that contributes dollars to sports and recreation projects. Andrew Boitchenko said that curling rinks, pickleball courts and other sports-and-rec infrastructure tie strongly to physical and mental well-being across the province. Approvals worth an extra $5 million pushed grants under the Active Communities Initiative to $14 million this year. But enough demand exists for even greater provincial participation, said Boitchenko, the minister of tourism and sport and the UCP member for Drayton Valley-Devon. “I was happy to hear we were getting the top-up because we’re oversubscribed,” Boitchenko told The Macleod Gazette. The bump is a one-timer, but...
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Colombia’s peace tribunal says former rebel leaders committed war crimes against Indigenous groups
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombia’s transitional justice system Tuesday charged 10 former members of the rebel Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia with multiple war crimes and crimes against humanity, which it said were committed against five Indigenous groups. In a news conference the Special Jurisdiction for Peace, or JEP, said that between 1996 and 2016 the suspects oversaw the torture, murder and forced displacement of Indigenous leaders. It said they also ordered their subordinates to place landmines in Indigenous territory and destroy ecosystems that tribes rely on for their survival. “Today we are delivering justice to the most forgotten peoples of a segregated Colombia,” JEP magistrate Catalina Diaz said Tuesday. “These people have had their basic right to exist compromised.” Three former members of the FARC’s last secretariat are among...
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Arrowhead transit tests new bus service between communities
By Renee Lilley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Portage Graphic Leader Transit service in Long Plain and Portage la Prairie is taking shape, with potential routes now being tested between the two communities. Announced in September, Arrowhead Transit, owned by Long Plain First Nation, is partnering with the City of Portage la Prairie to provide bus service to residents. Long Plain Chief David Meeches says the first transit rider on Tuesday, October 13, took the bus from Long Plain to work in Portage, marking a successful trial run. “The passenger we had on Long Plain this morning is an employee of Portage la Prairie, so there was an immediate benefit that we noticed, and we’re hoping to expand that. But again, it’s trial and error,” said Meeches. While the bus routes...
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New Brunswick RCMP searching for suspect after one man killed at First Nation
RCMP in eastern New Brunswick are searching for a suspect after a man was found dead in Elsipogtog First Nation earlier today. The police force says officers discovered the body after receiving a report that a man had been shot outside a residence on Ball Park Street shortly before 2 a.m. The Mounties have confirmed they are investigating the case as a homicide. At around 2 a.m. this morning, an emergency alert message urged residents to lock their doors as police searched for a man described as armed and dangerous. RCMP sent another alert around 6 a.m. advising residents they could leave their homes and resume normal activities, adding there was no longer a threat to the community about 60 kilometres north of Moncton. Residents were told they could expect...
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Six Nations community members take long awaited stand as historic land claim case continues
By Barbara Latkowski Writer It’s not just about a parcel of land, it’s about relationships, for Phil Monture from Six Nations of the Grand River (SNGR). “It’s been over a 50-year journey. It’s about remembering those before us,” Monture said. “And I hope we get justice,” Monture said. Six Nations (SGNR) has waited over 31 years since suing Canada and Ontario over sold land and mismanaged trust funds spanning more than 150-years. Under the 1784 Haldimand Proclamation, the Crown granted 950,000 acres of land to SNGR in Ontario, known as the Haldimand Tract, in return for their alliance during the Revolutionary War. Monture took to the stand for the first time last Wednesday for the decades long land claim that finally went to trial on Monday in Toronto. Today, the...
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Modular home factory in Nunavut community would increase home prices, regional Inuit association told
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News The Kitikmeot Inuit Association’s board of directors was told last week that building a modular home factory in Cambridge Bay would drive up housing prices. Delivering modular housing supplies to Cambridge Bay, assembling them and then shipping finished homes to other communities in the region would drive up costs compared with simply having the materials sent directly to the communities, the board of directors heard during the first day of the Kitikmeot Inuit Association’s annual general meeting. Brad Krizan, chief operating officer of the Kitikmeot Corporation, explained the issue to the board at the meeting in Cambridge Bay on Oct. 6. “You’re basically going to ship materials twice. You’re going to have to ship the homes twice. We’re really looking...
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TC Energy completes Indigenous investment deal in Coastal GasLink
By Lauren Krugel TC Energy Corp. says it has closed a deal that gives five First Nations an economic interest in the Coastal GasLink pipeline, which brings natural gas from northeastern B.C. to the LNG Canada plant and export terminal in Kitimat, B.C. Financial terms of the deal were not immediately available. “This agreement turns years of partnership into long-term economic opportunity and shared prosperity,” François Poirier, president and chief executive of TC Energy, said in a news release Tuesday. Under the agreement with the FN CGL Pipeline Ltd. Partnership, the First Nations have obtained an economic interest in the entity that holds TC Energy’s limited partner interest in Coastal GasLink. Its members include the Haisla Nation, Halfway River First Nation, McLeod Lake Indian Band, Saulteau First Nations and West...
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NAPS outlines plan to eventually double staff
By Alicia Anderson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, TBnewswatch.com More recruits are needed by the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service. That’s what Terry Armstrong, chief of police, said at the police service’s annual general meeting on Tuesday. “We’re on a trajectory to double the police force in the next probably seven to eight years, but what we’re looking at is a police service of 520 and close to 200 civilians in our service,” Armstrong said. “We’re on course.” The annual general meeting reflects on the police service’s previous year, and invites chiefs of the 34 First Nations to submit feedback. Currently, the police service receives 80 seats a year at the police college, which helps with recruitment, Armstrong said, noting they get up to 20 seats per class. “Another thing we’re seeing...
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Ontario to move northwest regions to permanent daylight time
By Liam Casey Ontario is set to move parts of the province’s northwest region to permanent daylight time in order to align with Manitoba, Indigenous Affairs Minister Greg Rickford told The Canadian Press. Rickford said there is overwhelming consensus among municipalities, First Nations and businesses to make the time change permanent. Rickford says the province intends to make a regulatory change in the Time Act on Nov. 1 to allow regions west of the 90th meridian to align with Manitoba. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew announced last month the province would stop twice-annual clock changes and stay on daylight time year-round in the central time zone, leaving it one hour ahead of the other Prairie provinces rather than aligned with them. “That put northwestern Ontario, who sits in the central standard...
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Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler says drug violence must end
By Alicia Anderson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, TBnewswatch.com THUNDER BAY — Drug-related violence across Nishnawbe Aski Nation territories must end. That’s what Grand Chief of Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN), Alvin Fiddler, said during Nishnawbe Aski Police Service’s (NAPS) annual general meeting on Tuesday. “With that growth of our police service is also just the growth of drugs coming into our community and the violence that comes with it,” Fiddler said. The annual meeting connects police services with the chiefs of the communities they serve, so they can receive feedback. Fiddler said that despite the police force’s growth, more drugs are being smuggled into remote communities, leading to an increase in crime. “There’s a real demand on policing right now for public safety and community safety, and NAPS should be able...
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Ontario to move northwest regions to permanent daylight time
By Liam Casey Ontario is set to move parts of the province’s northwest region to permanent daylight time in order to align with Manitoba, Indigenous Affairs Minister Greg Rickford told The Canadian Press. Rickford said there is overwhelming consensus among municipalities, First Nations and businesses to make the time change permanent. The province intends to make a regulatory change in the Time Act on Nov. 1 to allow regions west of the 90th meridian to align with Manitoba, he said. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew announced last month the province would stop twice-annual clock changes and stay on daylight time year-round in the central time zone, leaving it one hour ahead of the other Prairie provinces rather than aligned with them. “That put northwestern Ontario, who sits in the central standard...
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Six Nations Police investigate fatal single vehicle collision
OHSWEKEN, ON, October 13, 2026 – An 18-year-old Ohsweken man has been killed in a single motor vehicle collision on Cayuga Road at Sixth Line that occurred at about 1:30 a.m. Monday Oct., 12. Six Nations Police Service (SNPS), the Six Nations Fire & Emergency Services and Six Nations Paramedic Services responding to the single motor vehicle collision found a pickup truck had struck a large tree. The driver, an 18 year old Ohsweken man, the only occupant of the vehicle, was pronounced deceased at the scene. SNPS closed the roadway for several hours while both SNPS and the OPP West Region Traffic Unit investigated the circumstances surrounding the collision. Anyone who may have witnessed the collision is asked to contact Six Nations Police at (519) 445-2811. ...
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Coroner’s inquest set to begin examining death of Toronto woman who fell from balcony
By Paola Loriggio A coroner’s inquest is set to begin today to examine the death of Regis Korchinski-Paquet, a Toronto woman who fell from a highrise balcony while police were in her home more than six years ago. Korchinski-Paquet, a woman of Ukrainian, Black and Indigenous ancestry, died on May 27, 2020 after police responded to calls about a family dispute at the apartment. She was 29. Her death came on the heels of the police killing of George Floyd, a Black man from Minneapolis, spurring further protests amid growing calls to defund the police. It also cast a spotlight on how police interact with people experiencing mental health crises. Ontario’s police watchdog investigated the case and eventually cleared Toronto police of wrongdoing in Korchinski-Paquet’s death. The Special Investigations Unit...
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Shelter in place on New Brunswick First Nation ends after report of armed person
Residents of a First Nation in eastern New Brunswick were urged to lock their doors early Tuesday after a report of a person with a weapon. RCMP said officers were looking for a person who used a firearm at Elsipogtog First Nation, roughly 60 kilometres north of Moncton. An updated emergency alert said the police operation had ended and there was no longer a threat to public safety. Police did not immediately share further details about the matter but said officers remain in the area as part of the investigation. On its website, Elsipogtog First Nation says it is one of New Brunswick’s largest First Nations reserves. Leaders from the Elsipogtog First Nation did not immediately respond to a request for comment. This report by The Canadian Press was first...
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