UNDER THE NORTHERN SKY: Sixth Annual Every Child Matters Pow Wow In Kirkland Lake
By Xavier Kataquapit The Sixth Annual Every Child Matters Pow Wow brought together traditional people, Elders, youth and community members of every background for a day of commemoration and acknowledgement. The gathering was held at Civic Park in Kirkland Lake to commemorate ‘National Day for Truth and Reconciliation’ and ‘Orange Shirt Day’, two observances that acknowledge the history of the Residential School era in Canada. In traditional Indigenous culture, a Pow Wow is primarily a spiritual gathering of ceremony, commemoration, reflection, and remembrance, and also a time for celebration and entertainment. The Every Child Matters Pow Wow was collaboratively organized by Keepers of the Circle, Mino M’Shki-ki Family Health Team and the First Nations of Beaverhouse, Matachewan and Timiskaming. “This is an event that acknowledges the history of our ancestors...
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Monture joins American Box Lacrosse League
By Sam Laskaris Writer A Six Nations member will have an instrumental role in the new American Box Lacrosse League (ABLL). It was announced this past week that Stew Monture has been named as one of the head coaches and scouts for the ABLL’s player combine, which will be held Nov. 21-22 in Oneida, N.Y. Darris Kilgour, a former star player with the Six Nations Chiefs, will also serve as a head coach and scout at the Oneida event. Kilgour is a member of Tuscarora Nation in New York. Those who are keen to play in the professional league must submit a registration application to ABLL officials. It will then be determined which individuals to invite to the player combine next month. For its inaugural season, which will run from...
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Ironmen down Wild in NPHL season opener
By Sam Laskaris Writer The Six Nations Ironmen managed to kick off their 2026-27 campaign on a winning note. The Ironmen defeated the visiting Akwesasne Wild 8-5 in their Northern Premier Hockey League (NPHL) regular season opener on Sunday. The match was held at the Six Nations Sports & Cultural Memorial Centre. The Ironmen trailed 4-3 heading into the third period. But the Six Nations squad exploded for five goals in the final 20 minutes while the Wild only managed to score once. “We had a big third period and the guys played well,” said Ironmen head coach Ryan Davis. “But from a coaching point of view, it was not a game to be proud of. We didn’t have a lot of structure.” Davis though was pleased his charges were...
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Hill backstops Haudenosaunee squad to bronze at international tournament
By Sam Laskaris Writer A couple of weeks after helping the Six Nations Chiefs win their fourth consecutive national championship goaltender Warren Hill found himself leading another team to some glory. Hill, a Six Nations member, backstopped the Haudenosaunee Nationals men’s team to a bronze medal at the Pan-American Sixes Lacrosse Championships, which concluded on Sunday in Oshawa. Hill was in net for the Haudenosaunee side as it defeated Puerto Rico 15-13 in the bronze-medal match. Hill didn’t mind suiting up for the Haudenosaunee club at the Oshawa event, a couple of weeks after the Chiefs’ season concluded and while he is preparing for his professional season with the Halifax Thunderbirds in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). “It’s hard to say no when you get asked to play for the...
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Logging took the trees that bears called home. The Haida Nation is building them new dens
By Sonal Gupta, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer Elijah Washington pushes through wet ferns and branches left by logging, crossing the mossy forest floor on Haida Gwaii. He kneels beside a massive western red cedar stump. The cedar was felled decades ago during the industrial logging boom that cleared swaths of old growth across the archipelago off British Columbia’s north coast, leaving a hollow, decaying stump. Its top has since been trimmed with a chainsaw to fit a plywood sheet, capped with weather-resistant roofing material and covered with thick green moss collected from the surrounding woods. Near the base, an opening roughly the width of Washington’s safety helmet leads into a sheltered hollow lined with moss. “You just want it to be small enough for a mother bear...
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Residents question candidate’s statements ahead of election
By Pam Fedack, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Kenora Miner & News Leah Nilson, Kim Loranger and Ashley Trent are questioning how statements made by a candidate running for Kenora’s City Council might affect their ability to represent the municipality if elected. The three say they are concerned with public statements made by Karla Treadway about residential schools, reconciliation and cultural differences, along with a range of other statements that pertain to the evidence behind claims about nearby First Nations, gender ideology and social service salaries. The majority of the comments made took place on Treadway’s podcast, The Sovereign Sphere, where she says listeners can “expect truth and light conversations about culture, politics and living free.” “I think it’s difficult, if not impossible, for the Indigenous community to trust a councillor...
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Three finalists named for inaugural Writers’ Trust non-fiction editing prize
By Kaitlyn McGrath Award-winning poet Katherena Vermette is among the three finalists for the Writers’ Trust’s inaugural prize for non-fiction editing. The Nancy Flight Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction Editing awards $25,000 to an editor whose work has made an outstanding contribution to a full-length book of literary non-fiction. The organization says the award is the largest of its kind in Canada, with runners-up receiving $2,500 each. Vermette is nominated for editing “Carry Your Heart: Indigenous Helping Wisdom and the Science of Psychological Flexibility” by Cree psychotherapist Louis Busch, who blends Indigenous teaching wisdoms and Western psychology in the self-help title. The Winnipeg-born Vermette previously won the Governor General’s Literary Award for English-language poetry in 2013 for her collection “North End Love Songs.” She also won the Atwood Gibson Writers’...
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Interpol crackdown on illegal mining, logging and wildlife trafficking leads to 233 arrests
By Steven Grattan BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — An international crackdown on environmental crime across Latin America and the Caribbean led to 233 arrests and uncovered links between large-scale Amazon deforestation and companies across several continents, the international police organization Interpol said Wednesday. The two-month operation targeted illegal logging, gold mining and wildlife trafficking across nine countries, identifying some 60,000 hectares (148,000 acres) of illegally cleared forest — an area 10 times the size of Manhattan Island. But investigators increasingly focused beyond the people cutting trees, mining gold or trafficking animals to the companies, financial networks and international buyers suspected of profiting from environmental destruction. In one investigation originating in Colombia, authorities had identified 11 foreign companies suspected of involvement in clearing more than 52,000 hectares (128,500 acres) of protected Amazon...
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Don’t mistake attendance at a press conference as support for a pipeline, chief says
By Alessia Passafiume The grand chief of Treaty 8 First Nations stood behind Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith last week as they announced the Pacific Link pipeline was the first project deemed to be in the “national interest” under the Building Canada Act. But Trevor Mercredi said his presence shouldn’t be taken as a vote of confidence. “I want to be clear that our presence should not be interpreted as support for the project,” Mercredi told The Canadian Press. “Leadership was there to ensure our nations are not left behind. There are significant concerns that must be addressed, and it does not mean the pipeline is a done deal.” The national interest designation under the Building Canada Act, puts the pipeline proposal in line for streamlined...
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‘A terrible decision’: PM Carney set to open Canada’s four largest airports to private investment
By Benjamin Steeves, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Pointer Canada’s busiest airports could soon become laboratories for a new model of private investment as Prime Minister Mark Carney moves to hand decades-long operating concessions for those airports to private capital—a plan that is sparking questions about customer service, security for airport workers and impacts on municipalities that depend on the country’s largest aviation hubs. In his first budget , Carney hinted his government is considering changes to the ownership structure of airports across the country to “unlock more of the economic potential of Canada’s airports and consider new ways to attract private sector investment”. On September 15, a day after hundreds of protestors voiced opposition to the first-ever Canada Investment Summit and Carney’s focus on attracting private capital, with few...
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First Nations player starring at U of T eyes pro career
By Sam Laskaris, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Windspeaker.com Gavin Hemeon and his teammates with the University of Toronto Varsity Blues football squad have yet to win a game this season. But Hemeon, a member of Red Rock Indian Band in northwestern Ontario, is remaining upbeat in what could potentially be his final season of university ball. The Varsity Blues saw their record fall to 0-5 on Oct. 3 when they were blanked 46-0 by the visiting Guelph Gryphons in a match held at Toronto’s Varsity Stadium. “It’s a rough start,” said Hemeon, a right tackle who packs 300 pounds onto his 6-foot-7 frame. “But we’ve still got three games left and I feel good about those three games. And I think we could win all three.” Hemeon, one of the...
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MPs spar over Carney’s major projects bill as Parliament returns
By Craig Lord and David Baxter Parliamentarians returned to Ottawa on Monday and Opposition members of Parliament had their sights trained firmly on the government’s 243-page economic and labour bill. Prime Minister Mark Carney and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre also squared off in question period Monday over whether the government has done enough to prioritize Canadian materials in its sweeping infrastructure agenda. Key to that agenda is the Building Canada Strong Act, or Bill C-39, which was introduced on the first day of the fall sitting on Sept. 21. The government’s landmark economic legislation proposes measures to create a one-year timeline for federal project decisions, create zones of “national interest” where certain projects are pre-approved, and change when the jobs minister can intervene in a labour dispute — a move...
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Six Nations business robbed, armed suspects fire shots as leaving the area
This Six Nations business was one of three hit by thieves early Tuesday morning (Oct., 6, 2026). Product and empty boxes were left scattered on the ground outside the entrance of North Nation Smokes the last of three businesses to be hit. (Photo by Lynda Powless) SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND RIVER- Two Six Nations business were hit by breakins and a third was the scene of an armed robbery that saw shots fired before thieves made off with a large amount of merchandise and cash in a vehicle heading east towards Caledonia. Six Nations Police (SNP) said the series of breakins and robbery began Tuesday, (October 6, 2026), with police responding to an attempted armed robbery at a business on Highway 54, just east of Chiefswood Road. Police...
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MPs return for break with debate set on key legislation and new bill on the table
By David Baxter Parliamentarians are back in Ottawa where debate is set to continue on the government’s 243-page economic and labour bill, with plans to introduce legislation focused on national defence and security procurement. The government’s key piece of economic legislation, Bill C-39, proposes measures to create a one-year timeline for federal project decisions, create zones of “national interest” where certain projects are pre-approved and change when the jobs minister can intervene in a labour dispute — a move aimed at reducing the number of work stoppages. The legislation is expected to be pushed for committee study. Instead of going to a regular standing committee, the House of Commons will create a special committee to study the wide-ranging bill. Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations,...
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Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal delivers full verdict
By Marcus Bankuti, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eastern Door At the presentation of the final judgment of the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal, Sam Achneepineskum wondered if the government is waiting out residential school survivors like himself. “Even though overwhelmingly people have recognized that it happened and that we need to do something about it, I think they’re waiting for a time when our voices will become silent,” said Achneepineskum, who is from Marten Falls First Nation. But survivors’ voices have only grown louder across decades, he said. He is just one of the witnesses whose testimony was considered by the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal in Montreal in May, sharing his story so that the truth about a dark chapter in Canadian history may one day be fully reckoned with. The result...
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Michelle Good makes Giller Prize short list for 100K award for Canadian fiction
By Kaitlyn McGrath Order of Canada member Michelle Good is among the five finalists for Canada’s richest fiction award. The Giller Prize announced the short list for the prestigious award on Monday. Good is nominated for “Eliza Sunshine,” a multi-generational family saga that follows three generations of Cree women and the storytelling tradition that connects them. The Cree author, lawyer and activist had previously been longlisted for her 2020 novel, “Five Little Indians.” Also shortlisted are Tara Gereaux for “Wild People Quiet” which explores the repercussions of a woman’s decision to hide her Métis identity while living in a small prairie town in the 1940s and Nazanine Hozar for “The Small Ones,” which is about children caught up in a military insurgence along the Iran–Iraq border in the early 1980s....
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Tusaajiapik elders home residents being relocated to Montreal
By Daron Letts, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunatsiaq News Residents of Kuujjuaq’s Tusaajiapik elders home are being relocated to private facilities in a Montreal suburb 1,500 kilometres south. The move, in response to technical issues with the building, was announced in a joint statement issued Wednesday and signed by Larry Watt, Ungava Tulattavik Health Center’s executive director, and Jennifer Munick-Watkins, Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services executive director. “Transfers have begun and will continue until all residents have been safely relocated,” the release stated. The relocation is part of a three-way agreement that also includes Argyle Inc.’s long-term housing and care centre, a private seniors home in the Montreal suburb of Pointe-Claire. “The agreement aims to provide for a safe, caring and culturally sensitive living environment, including occasional...
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NWT Metis Nation elects Garry Bailey for sixth term
By Kody Ferron, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Yellowknifer Garry Bailey, who has been president of the NWT Metis Nation for 14 years, has reclaimed the organization’s top job. Bailey’s election win marks his sixth term, earning him another four years. The Metis National Council (MNC) congratulated Bailey on his win in a Sept. 21 social media post. “The MNC congratulates President Bailey on his re-election as NWTMN president,” reads the post. “Earlier this year, MNC and NWTMN signed a historic memorandum of understanding to strengthen our relationship, better understand priorities and explore more opportunities to work together. MNC looks forward to continuing this work with President Bailey while respecting the distinct rights, mandates, priorities and decision-making authority of Metis governments.” The NWT Metis Nation declined to provide NNSL Media with...
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Re-elected NWT Metis Nation President Garry Bailey eager to secure land claim
By Kody Ferron, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Yellowknifer Recently re-elected NWT Metis Nation President Garry Bailey says despite being left out of historic treaties, the Metis Nation will continue working towards equality. “The cause is worth it for me. I think I was meant to do this,” Bailey said in an interview. “I love what I do.” The NWT Metis Nation represents roughly 2,700 members across three areas of the territory: Fort Resolution/Deninu, Fort Smith/Thebacha, and Hay River/Xatlo Dehe. Bailey was returned as president in September, earning him a sixth term after already serving in the role for 14 years. He said he’s feeling good about re-election and honoured to have been chosen to continue his work. “It’s been what I’ve been doing for most of my life,” he said....
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Nunavut non-profit welcomes Greenlanders, Americans, and anyone who wants to make a kayak
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News More than 20 people from Greenland, the U.S., Nunavik and Iqaluit came to the Qajakkut Society’s open house at the Inuit Heritage Trust building in Iqaluit on Sept. 29. The qajaq (kayak) building non-profit organization brought experts from around the world to work on the boats in Iqaluit. Kuluk Jensen Poulsen, 20, who grew up in Nuuk, Greenland, finished in fourth place in his country’s qajaq championships this year. Nunavummiut should take up qajaq as a sport, like Inuit in his country do, Jensen Poulsen said. “I wish they can start taking it as a sport and try to attend Greenlandic championships. They can attend as an international competitor. They can be there every July, every year,” he said. Jensen...
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