‘We’re Mi’kmaq first’: two-spirit identity supported by L’Nu communities
By Rosemary Godin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cape Breton Post The co-founder of the Wabanaki Two-Spirit Alliance, an organization that helps build support and awareness of two-spirits in Mi’kma’ki and Canada, wants to share what he has learned about two-spirits with others. Along with his friend, Indigenous lawyer Tuma Young, the alliance was formed around 2009 as a collective of two-spirit, Indigiqueer, LGBTQIA+ kin, elders, knowledge carriers, youth and allies from Wabanaki territory and across Turtle Island. In 2022, Young was formally presented with the 2022 Canadian Bar Association and the Sexual Orientation Gender Identity Committee National Hero award for his work in promoting two-spirit and LGBTQIA+ Equality. The Wabanaki Two-Spirit Alliance advocates for and celebrates 2SLGBTQIA+ communities through relationship building, 2S-led research, and community-led initiatives. Wabanaki means “people of...
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Six Nations signs MOU with Brantford over development of Brantford Boundary lands
City of Brantford Mayor Kevin Davis and Six Nations of the Grand River Elected Chief Sherri-Lyn Hill sign Memorandum of Understanding. (Supplied Photo) BRANTFORD, ON – Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the City of Brantford that outlines what they are calling a “framework for collaboration and shared prosperity in the future development” of over 7,000 acres of land known as the Brantford Boundary lands. Lands Six Nations “has an interest in.” The 7,563 acres were previously Brant County lands transferred to Brantford in 2016 for future city, residential, employment and economic growth and fall within Six Nations land rights areas. While no dollar figures have been discussed the MOU establishes a “Six Nations Community Prosperity Fund.” No details about the fund were provided...
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Conversations on Indigenous issues should be deeper by now, but myths and stereotypes persist
By Shari Narine, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Windspeaker.com The second edition of Indigenous Writes: A Guide to First Nations, Métis & Inuit Issues in Canada will be released in September, marking the 10th anniversary of the original volume. Author Chelsea Vowel admits that on the strength of the five years of “difficult conversations” that followed the 2015 final report issued by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) on Indian residential schools, she “probably naively” hoped that settler and newcomer knowledge about Indigenous peoples would be further along than it is. The first edition of Indigenous Writes followed a year after the TRC’s final report. “It quickly became apparent that political will runs everything and however much work you put into that educational push, (it) can be undone,” said Vowel, who...
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Rama First Nation poised to put the ‘wow’ into powwow
By Danielle Pitman, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, OrilliaMatters.com An inclusive celebration of culture and community takes place in Rama this weekend. Now in its 41st year, the Chippewas of Rama First Nation annual powwow has gained renown throughout the province over the decades. Taking place at the John Snake Memorial Community Grounds, thousands of visitors are expected and more than 100 food, arts and crafts vendors will descend on the First Nation over the upcoming weekend. The memorial grounds are named after John Snake, who died in 2014 at the age of 52. For 11 years he served as Rama’s cultural coordinator. A patient teacher, Snake was a respected storyteller and singer. A craftsman, he passed First Nation language and culture on to younger generations through drum making and playing....
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Parti Québécois says it won’t hold referendum on sovereignty while Trump is president
By Erika Morris If elected to form a government, the Parti Québécois says it would not call a referendum on sovereignty until at least 2029. PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon announced the news on Tuesday morning as Quebec political parties gear up for an election campaign that is expected to begin before the end of August. In a statement posted on social media, St-Pierre Plamondon said that a PQ government would not put the sovereignty question to a vote as long as U.S. President Donald Trump is in the White House. But he stressed that his party still plans to call a referendum on whether Quebec should separate from Canada in its first mandate. St-Pierre Plamondon said an issue as crucial as the future of Quebec requires a clear and...
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Highway 54 and Chiefswood Road re-opens
SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND RIVER-Chiefswood Road has re-opened after a short shut down just south of Highway 54 around noon on Tuesday afternoon due to a traffic accident. The Six Nations Fire (SNF) department told Turtle Island News that the collision was a fender bender. Several SNF and Six Nations Police (SNP) vehicles were on the scene as well as an ambulance. Vehicles travelling north on Chiefswood Road towards Highway 54 were being turned back at the intersection. The closest bridges across the Grand River that provided alternate access to Highway 54 are the Cockshutt Bridge in the west near Brantford and Highway 6 at the other end of the Six Nations reserve to the east. (Photo by Alex Murray )...
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Parry Sound school to be named after war hero Francis Pegahmagabow
By David Briggs, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, BayToday.ca The Near North District School Board (NNDSB) will name its new elementary school in Parry Sound after Francis Pegahmagabow, a highly decorated Anishinaabe soldier of the First World War, Chief of Wasauksing First Nation, community leader, and advocate for Indigenous rights. The Francis Pegahmagabow Elementary School will serve Kindergarten to Grade 6 students, with plans to open for this fall’s semester. A ceremony will take place later this fall to celebrate the school’s name and the enduring legacy of Francis Pegahmagabow. “Francis Pegahmagabow remains an important and respected figure within Wasauksing First Nation and beyond,” said Chief Shane Tabobondung of Wasauksing First Nation in a release. “We are grateful to the Pegahmagabow family for their blessing and permission to share his name...
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Rivermen qualify for Presidents Cup by capturing OSL title
By Sam Laskaris Writer The Six Nations Rivermen will be heading west in the hopes of adding to their 2026 accomplishments. The Rivermen captured the Ontario Series Lacrosse (OSL) title on Monday night thanks to a 7-4 victory over the visiting Brooklin Merchants at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena. The match was the fifth and decisive game in the best-of-five OSL championship series. Monday’s contest was tied 4-4 in the third period. But the Merchants scored three unanswered goals to emerge victorious and earn a shot at future glory. With the win the local Senior B club qualified for this year’s President Cup tournament. The national tourney, which will be held in Edmonton, will begin on Aug. 30. Eight squads will participate in this year’s Canadian championship, which is often simply...
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Inaugural reconciliation report finds progress, warns structural barriers remain
By Aaron Walker, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Windspeaker.com Canada entered its most active period of federal reconciliation work since the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) issued its 94 Calls to Action 11 years ago, reads the inaugural report from the National Council for Reconciliation (NCR). But the country’s first legislated independent assessment on Canada’s reconciliation progress warns that the increased activity has yet to produce fundamental structural change. The report, issued July 20, finds efforts have been made in rights-based legislation, child welfare discrimination settlements, increased investment and expanded distinctions-based partnerships, but persistent barriers continue to affect First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. Those barriers include continued short-term program funding, fragmented government responsibilities, gaps in data and measurement, engagement fatigue and rising residential school denialism. “We’ve had federal activity that’s...
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Yellowknives, Tlicho agree on route for Arctic Economic and Security Corridor
By Kody Ferron, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Yellowknifer The Tlicho Government and Yellowknives Dene First Nation have reached an agreement regarding the potential routing of the Arctic Economic and Security Corridor. The AESC is a proposed all-season road that will stretch across the NWT’s Slave Geological Province, connecting the territory to the Nunavut border and the Grays Bay Road and Port. The proposed corridor is roughly 400 km long. Prime Minister Mark Carney travelled to Yellowknife in March to announce that he would be referring the project to Canada’s Major Projects Office. An Aug. 12 joint news release from the Tlicho Government (TG) and Yellowknives Dene First Nation (YKDFN) states that the corridor will be an Indigenous project, co-led by the TG and YKDFN, in partnership with the GNWT. Federal...
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No charges against Manitoba officer who shot and killed dog after being bit
Manitoba’s police watchdog says it won’t pursue charges against an officer who shot and killed a dog on a First Nation. The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba says it was notified in July by the Manitoba First Nations Police Service that one of its officers had killed a dog. The agency says that on June 11, the unidentified officer went to a home at Swan Lake First Nation, 165 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg, to make an arrest and was bitten by the dog. The officer told the homeowner that the dog would have to be euthanized because it bit another person the day before, and the homeowner agreed. The officer returned a short time later and shot the animal while it was chained up outside and children were in the...
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Chief calls for respect from Alberta after government misses Treaty anniversary event
By Jack Farrell An Alberta chief is calling for more respect from the provincial government after its Indigenous relations minister missed a marquee event marking the 150th anniversary of the signing of Treaty 6. Joey Pete, the grand chief of the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations, says the lack of representation from Premier Danielle Smith’s government “says a lot.” The event, hosted today by the City of Edmonton and Mayor Andrew Knack at city hall, saw Indigenous dignitaries participate in ceremonies while officials from all levels of government delivered speeches. Pete says the upcoming Alberta separation referendum and talk of building new pipelines is a major concern for him, but says the province hasn’t made the time to sit down and talk. Indigenous Relations Minister Rajan Sawhney’s office says...
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Nunavut’s reported suicide attempts in 2025 tied for second-worst year on record
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News There were 38 reported suicide attempts in Nunavut in 2025, tying the second-worst year on record in the territory. Last year, which saw an increase of six people who were reported as attempting to end their life compared to 2024, tied 2019 as the second-worst year for suicide attempts in Nunavut’s history. There were 45 such attempts recorded in 2013. “These figures reflect reported suicide incidents and should not be interpreted as the number of deaths by suicide,” said Charmaine Deogracias, communications manager for the Department of Health. To protect the privacy of smaller communities, the Department of Health does not distinguish between suicide attempts and deaths from suicide, according to Deogracias. Suicide was declared a crisis in Nunavut for...
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Power at play in Chesterfield Inlet
By Daron Letts, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunatsiaq News Power played a part in the final day of the Kivalliq Summer Games, with athletes gathering on Chesterfield Inlet’s narrow sandy beach at noon. The three-day regional competition — the first held in more than one decade — ran Friday to Sunday. It featured two dozen adult and teen athletes from Arviat, Baker Lake, Rankin Inlet, Whale Cove and Chesterfield Inlet, who competed in 14 traditional Inuit competitions. Sunday began with a shout of the word “pull!” to mark the start of walrus pull, among the most gruelling of the competitions, and the only one held outdoors. Walrus pull is not a tug-of-war contest. Instead, one athlete struggles to out-brute a growing line of pullers, much like a harpooned walrus resists...
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Zero-spray farming: Community farm in Rama battles bugs and heat
By Danielle Pitman, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, OrilliaMatters.com It’s not just fruits and vegetables that are being harvested at the Rama Community Farm. Education is also at the root of the initiative. “I do know a lot more about squash, potatoes and what to do to keep them no-spray,” says Tommy Comego, who is back to work at Rama Maawnjiydiwag Gtigaan/Rama Community Farm for a third season. “Carrots I know how to weed out; sometimes it’s too many. We’ve got to air some of them out,” The vision plan for the farm began in 2015, says Kailey LeDrew, manager of economic development with the Chippewas of Rama First Nation. By 2017 they broke ground. From Day 1, Zero-spray produce was always at the heart of their vision. “We’re situated between...
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65 Inuit labourers building 54 housing units in five Nunavut communities
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News Inuit labourers are building homes in Nunavut thanks to an agreement between Nunavut Housing Corporation, NCC Investment Group and Arctic Fresh. A 12-unit housing complex and an eight-unit development are under construction in Iglulik, a 12-unit complex is being built in Coral Harbour and an eight-unit building is in the works in Sanirajak. In Sanikiluaq, an 8 plex is under construction and six units are being built in Grise Fiord. Nunavut Housing Corporation said homes in Sanirajak are expected to finish construction in October and the Coral Harbour units should be ready on November. In Iglulik, the construction on the two projects will wrap up in April 2027, Sanikiluak is expected to finish in July 2027, and Grise Fior should...
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Growing food for astronauts in space starts with Inuit in Nunavut
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News One day in the future, astronauts may need to grow food on the moon. Today, Nunavummiut need cheaper food from closer to home. That’s why the Canadian Space Agency awarded a $745,000 contract to Inuit-owned Arctic Fresh and modular farm company The Growcer Inc. on July 24. The entities are tasked with designing an indoor, year-round fruit and vegetable farm that meets Nunavut’s needs. “Nunavummiut communities are going to help us design it, and they’re going to help us decide what we want to grow in it,” said Merlyn Recinos, co-CEO of Arctic Fresh. Consultations will be held over the next year in Iglulik, Coral Harbour, Resolute Bay and Grise Fiord. For now, the contract with the Canadian Space Agency...
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Judge refuses to block Trump administration from building border wall along tribe’s reservation
By Michael Kunzelman WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge refused on Friday to block the Trump administration from taking steps to build 62 miles of international border wall along part of a Native American tribe’s reservation without its consent. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon in Washington, D.C., denied the Tohono O’odham Nation’s request for a court-ordered halt to border wall construction on its 2.8-million-acre reservation. Leon ruled the tribe hasn’t established that a border wall will change its reservation boundaries without congressional authority. The judge also rejected the tribe’s claim that the planned border wall would illegally trespass on its reservation. “And in any event, I find that the Government’s interests in securing the border, enforcing immigration laws, and ensuring public safety outweigh any surviving irreparable harms at this juncture,”...
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Residents warned to prepare for changes when returning home after a wildfire
-CP-More wildfire evacuees in British Columbia are being allowed to return home Saturday morning, as emergency officials downgrade evacuation orders to alerts around the community of Clinton. The changeover begins at 8:00 a.m., with the bulk of the updated alert area stretching north and east of Clinton, along Highway 97 to past 70 Mile House. The Thompson-Nicola Regional District says areas west of the town, from the Kelly Lake substation, north to the district’s border, remain under evacuation orders due to the continued threat posed by the Pear Lake wildfire. In a special update posted to YouTube, Clinton Mayor Roland Stanke said even though people are being allowed to go home, they will be returning to a community that has been profoundly affected, with the services people normally rely on...
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First Nations, Norwegian family unite to honour adventurer’s life and legacy
By Brittany Hobson Gry Skjottelvik arrived in Canada last month with a mission. The mother traded in the comfort of her home in a small village in Norway for the expansive, sprawling and sometimes treacherous terrain of northern Canada to trace the final steps of her son, Steffen Skjottelvik. It’s the second time in a year that Skjottelvik has made the trek following the death of her son whose body was recovered from the shores of a river in northern Manitoba while he was on a cross-continental journey of the Canadian wilderness with his two dogs, Togo and Bay. This time around, the trip was about moving forward with the First Nation communities that embraced her son. “It was lovely to meet the people there, to have the opportunity to...
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