First Indigenous-led recovery community in province opens
By Alexandra Noad, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Lethbridge Herald The Blood Tribe has opened the first of five Indigenous-led recovery communities, with the opening of the newly built Iitakamotsiipiohsopi (a place to recover) Recovery Community, a 75-bed recovery community. This recovery community centre will provide land-based treatment at no cost, to those struggling with addiction. Premier Danielle Smith says this recovery community, along with others opening across the province, will allow more Albertans to break the cycle of addiction and rebuild their lives. “This first-of-its-kind recovery community, led by the Blood Tribe, creates a space where people can heal, rebuild their lives and reconnect with their community.” The Government of Alberta provided the capital funding for the recovery community, but the building is owned and managed by the Blood Tribe....
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Turtle Island News’ annual Earth Day Tree Give-Away Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Turtle Island News’ annual Earth Day Tree Give-Away Wednesday, April 22, 2026. Come get a tree! Publisher Lynda Powless and Sales Manager Darren Doxtater are getting the trees ready for you! (Photo by Jim C. Powless)...
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Federal schools charge provincial rankings data outdated
By Lynda Powless Editor Federal schools on Six Nations are challenging the validity of widely circulated provincial rankings, arguing the data behind them is outdated, incomplete and fails to reflect the realities of First Nations education systems. The Director of Federal Schools, Travis Anderson outlined concerns with the Fraser Institute’s 2025 report at the Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) General Council meeting on April 14. The report uses 2023-24 standardized test data to rank Ontario elementary schools. Anderson said the report relies heavily on EQAO results from a single year, which was the first full return to in-person learning following the COVID-19 pandemic for the federal schools. “These results are a snapshot in time,” Anderson said. “Using any single measure to judge school success is over-simplifying and may be inaccurate.”...
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Six Nations dreams of a pool grown to possible aquatic centre
By Lynda Powless Editor It started with a chat by two Six Nations residents. Now, Six Nations may be closer to having its own aquatic centre. A long-envisioned community pool project has evolved into a large-scale proposal for a multi-use aquatic and recreation facility. The proposed $65 million project was unveiled at Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) General Council meeting on April 14. “I’m here to tell you the history of how this started,” Arlene Martin, chair of the Community Pool Committee said. Martin said she asked about the idea in February 2023 when she approached Steve Williams of Grand River Enterprises (GRE) about bringing a pool to Six Nations. “He said, ‘We need one letter from a community member.’ So I said, ‘Well, I’ll write that letter,’” Martin said....
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Iroquois Lodge residents’ move to Brantford is delayed by a month
Six Nations lodge residents are still awaiting a move to be closer to home after 10 months at a Delhi residential facility. Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) CEO Debra Jonathan provided an update to SNEC at its April 14th council meeting saying the planning and reporting structure to facilitate the move is complex. Councillor Kerry Bomberry asked Jonathan about the move. Six Nations lodge residents were relocated to the Delhi location after the flood in June 2025. Jonathan said while the move was initially anticipated for mid-April, it is now expected to take place in mid to late May. She said unlike the emergency relocation to Delhi, the move to Brantford requires a detailed transition plan and approval from the Ministry of Long-Term Care. SNEC was told the plan has...
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Late Six Nations Actor Graham Greene Celebrated At Woodland Cultural Centre Event
By Alex Murray Writer Half a year since his passing, Graham Greene still casts a long shadow over the Six Nations of the Grand River community he grew up in. The Oscar-nominated actor was recently honoured with a special event at the Woodland Cultural Centre (WCC) on Six Nations land near Brantford as part of Reel Canada’s National Canadian Film Day celebrations on April 15. 10 members of Greene’s family from across four generations were present at the screening of Greene’s 1991 film Clearcut, including his two older sisters, Pam Miller and Carol Hill. Miller said it was “weird” to still see her brother, who passed away at the age of 73 in September 2025 after a long illness. But she also said seeing him on screen—which she said she...
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Six Nations student named Loran Scholar
April 16, 2026 (Brantford) – Six Nations own Madison Davey,a student attending Assumption College in Brantford, has been named a 2026 Loran Scholar. The Loran Scholar Foundation selected 36 exceptional youth from 5,400 applicants from across Canada this year. Loran Scholars demonstrate the challenge of leaving the world better than they found it. The Foundation said this year’s graduating high school and Cégep students are driven by “their values-driven approach to leading and their dedication to uplifting their communities that distinguish them as Loran Scholars.” “Assumption College School is incredibly proud of Madison for being selected as a 2026 Loran Scholar,” said ACS Principal Darren Duff. “This remarkable achievement reflects her exceptional leadership, character, and deep commitment to serving others within our school community and beyond.” The Loran Award, offered...
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Editorial: Earth Day time to help a planet
By Lynda Powless, Editor It’s Earth Day!!! A day the world stops to remember the ground we all walk on. It’s an annual event every April 22nd to show support for the environment, for the world around us.. For the past 56 years the world has been pausing to mark the day by stopping to think about what are we all, and individually, doing to help the Mother Earth. There have been protests against oil spills. Polluting factories, raw sewage, pesticides, toxic dumps have all been on the list of what is no longer acceptable. We all fear the loss of wilderness and wildlife and the sadness that comes with the thoughts of a world without either. There are predictions of what is to come. The world’s population will hit...
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Today in History
April 26 In 2022, the university formerly known as Ryerson changed its name to Toronto Metropolitan University. The university, which had been named after an architect of Canada’s residential school system, faced growing calls to change its name. School president Mohamed Lachemi said the new name reflects that the school is located in the heart of Canada’s largest and most diverse city. In 2023, ten northern Ontario First Nations sued the province and the federal government, claiming the Crown tricked them into signing over their land in 1905 without their consent. The chiefs from Treaty 9 territory gathered at the Ontario legislature alleging that governments made decisions on their land without consulting or dealing with them as equal partners. The First Nations objected to mining, logging and developing the mineral-rich...
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Week 3: Heather Winterstein Inquest Peer Worker Says She “Should’ve Been In A Bed”
By Alex Murray Writer A peer support worker who interacted with Heather Winterstein on both December 9 and December 10, 2021, told a coroner’s inquest last Thursday (April 16) that he believed she was “too sick” to be in the waiting room on December 10 and should have been in a bed. Winterstein passed away from sepsis in a St. Catharines hospital, now called Marotta Family Hospital, after seeking medical care at the facility over the previous two days. An inquest into her death began on March 30. Scott Cronkwright, a peer support navigator working with the hospital and Quest Community Health Centre, was assigned to work with Winterstein on the first day she came to the hospital on December 9. While on shift on December 10, Cronkwright saw Winterstein...
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Six Nations in spotlight as NLL playoffs commence
By Sam Laskaris Writer Six Nations will be well represented in this year’s National Lacrosse League (NLL) playoffs that kick off this week. The pro circuit concluded its 2025-26 regular season schedule on Sunday. And the top eight finishers in the 14-club league qualified for the league’s single-game, quarter-final round. Matches will be held this Friday and Saturday. One of the Friday contests will feature the Halifax Thunderbirds, who are owned by Six Nations member Curt Styres, who also doubles as the club’s general manager. The Thunderbirds secured their playoff spot on Saturday, thanks to a 12-6 home victory over the Ottawa Black Bears. Six Nations member Warren Hill, who played all but about two minutes of the 60-minute match, backstopped the Thunderbirds to victory by making 34 saves. With...
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Rebels set for season opener
The Six Nations Rebels have some high hopes for their 2026 campaign. The regular season home opener for the local Junior B lacrosse team will be this Friday. The Rebels will host the Welland Raiders in a match at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena. The opening faceoff is set for 8 p.m. The Six Nations squad will then hit the road for its first away match on Saturday. The Rebels will square off against the host Point Edward Pacers in a 7 p.m. game. “We are pretty set,” said Blue Hill, who is entering his second year as the Rebels’ head coach. “And we’re pretty excited for the new season.” The Rebels’ roster features 10 returning players, including starting goalie Ryder Johnson. “He’s going to be key this year,” Hill said...
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Supreme Court rules for Michigan in its fight to shut down an aging energy pipeline
By Mark Sherman WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Wednesday sided with Michigan in ruling that the state’s lawsuit seeking to shut down a section of an aging pipeline beneath a Great Lakes channel will stay in state court. Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote for a unanimous court that the Enbridge energy company waited too long to try to move the case to federal court. The case is part of a messy legal dispute about a pipeline that has moved crude oil and natural gas liquids between Superior, Wisconsin, and Sarnia, Ontario, since 1953. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel sued in state court in June 2019 seeking to void the easement that allows Enbridge to operate a 4.5-mile (6.4-kilometer) section of pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac, which link Lake...
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Piikani Nation welcomes court’s pause of separation referendum process
By Somya Lohia, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Shootin’ the Breeze Piikani Nation says a Court of King’s Bench ruling recognizes the risk of “irreparable harm” to treaty rights if a petition seeking a referendum on Alberta’s separation from Canada moves forward without legal review. “This decision confirms that there are real legal issues at stake that must be addressed before this process goes any further,” Chief Troy Knowlton says in an April 13 statement. “You cannot advance a process of this magnitude while sidestepping the Constitution and the treaties that are foundational to this country.” Knowlton says treaty rights are constitutionally protected and cannot be overridden through a referendum process. “This is fundamentally about the rule of law,” he says. “This is not about politics. It is about ensuring that...
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‘We’re trying not to take any chances’: Potential flooding forces another evacuation
By Marissa Lentz-McGrath, Local Journalism Initiative, TimminsToday.com KASHECHEWAN – More than 100 vulnerable residents were evacuated from Kashechewan First Nation on Monday as leaders prepare for a possibly dangerous spring breakup after an unusually snowy winter. Executive director Tyson Wesley said evacuees from the community on the James Bay coast are staying in Timmins, Kapuskasing, Cochrane and Niagara Falls. “They have to leave the community because of our assessment of how much snow fell in the region,” Wesley said. “The thickness of the ice is a little thicker than in previous years, so we’re trying not to take any chances.” The community is home to roughly 2,200 people, though only about 300 were in the community when the evacuation started. The rest of the members haven’t returned after being displaced...
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‘Stay away from the water’: Communities across Canada on flood alert
By Eli Ridder Communities across the central and eastern parts of Canada are on high alert as officials warn of spring flooding caused by rainfall and rapidly melting snow. Medically vulnerable residents of a First Nation community located 180 kilometres north of Winnipeg are being moved out in advance of anticipated flooding. Manitoba Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor says Peguis First Nation is proceeding with the partial evacuation in case rising water levels of the nearby Fisher River render local roads impassable. The community has been sandbagging since last week, but Chief Stan Bird said Tuesday it remained to be seen whether all of the 200 or more homes that might need protection will get barriers. Tents and teepees have also been set up inside the community arena, according to Naylor....
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Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette leans on experience in pre-election cabinet
Newly minted Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette has unveiled a cabinet that leans on experienced ministers, opting for stability instead of a shakeup as her government heads into a pre-election period. After winning the Coalition Avenir Québec leadership race on April 12, Fréchette spent just over a week before introducing the senior members of the team she is expected to lead into a fall general election. More than a third of the ministers will be remaining in existing portfolios in the new cabinet of 29 people. Jean-François Daoust, a professor at Université de Sherbrooke’s school of applied politics, says Fréchette’s new team appears to be designed to demonstrate experience and stability ahead of the election campaign. ”It’s a government of continuity which is not surprising,” said Daoust. Fréchette will rely on...
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Manitoba cabinet minister says she received vile threats; man arrested
By Steve Lambert Winnipeg police have arrested a man after a Manitoba cabinet minister received racist and threatening letters. Nahanni Fontaine, the families minister who was first elected 10 years ago, says she received letters in July and September that contained vile and grotesque language. Fontaine, who is Indigenous, says she has received many hateful letters during her time in office, but these were especially troubling and some of her colleagues told her to involve police. Winnipeg police say they investigated the anonymous letters and arrested a 72-year-old man on Saturday who faces charges of criminal harassment and uttering threats. Fontaine says she doesn’t know the who the person arrested is. Fontaine and another Indigenous cabinet minister, Bernadette Smith, had their constituency offices hit by attempted arson last year, and...
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Alberta’s ‘Forever Canadian’ petitioner says UCP making ‘sham’ of democratic process
By Lisa Johnson The former politician who gathered more than 456,000 signatures to keep Alberta in Canada says he watched first-hand Tuesday as the legislature committee tasked with a review continued to strangle the democratic process. Thomas Lukaszuk, a former deputy premier, said he’s not surprised, but it’s “bizarre” the committee, led by governing United Conservative Party members, shut down a proposal to soon hear from him directly. “It shows pure cynicism and disregard for this democratic process,” he said. Lukaszuk said Premier Danielle Smith’s UCP is playing a “cynical, political game” by delaying its work to give a separatist petition, currently gathering signatures, a leg up on putting their question on an October ballot. “For lack of a better term, the process is a sham,” Lukaszuk told reporters after...
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Overlapping claims are behind protests from First Nations against two treaties
By Wolfgang Depner A coalition of First Nations say they are prepared to block major projects and take legal actions if British Columbia does not pause two treaties to resolve overlapping territorial claims. Politicians in Victoria are debating legislation to implement treaties with Kitselas First Nation in northwestern B.C., and the K’omoks First Nations on Vancouver Island, but both agreements face opposition from neighbouring First Nations. Representatives from the Nine Allied Tribes, the Lax Kw’alaams Band near Terrace, and the Wei Wai Kum First Nation on Vancouver Island say government has not consulted with them about the agreements. Don Wesley of the Nine Allied Tribes says affected First Nations will “shut down the corridors that feed the Port of Prince Rupert” and close Highway 16, if the government does not...
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