Staffing problems stall federal investigations of missing and killed Native people
By Sarah Raza And Savannah Peters SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Peter Martin went missing two years ago from the Fond du Lac reservation in Minnesota. His family hasn’t stopped looking, but they say the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs investigation into Martin’s disappearance has stalled since the agent assigned to the case left the role in early 2025. “They’ve never had a person take his space for this region and yeah, we haven’t heard from them since,” said family friend Kayla Jackson. The bureau’s Missing and Murdered Unit was created in 2021 to address the crisis of violence against Native Americans and put new resources toward solving cold cases. But a recent federal audit by the Interior Department’s internal watchdog found staffing issues have plagued the unit since its...
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Open house planned for Lorrain Valley solar farm
By Joe O’Grady, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Temiskaming Speaker TEMISKAMING SHORES – Area residents will have a chance to learn more and voice their opinions on a planned solar farm southeast of Haileybury during a public open house upstairs at the Shelley Herbert-Shea Memorial Arena on September 21. Neoen Ontario Solar 3 Inc., a partnership between Neoen and Matachewan First Nation, is proposing to develop a 50-megawatt solar farm at Paradis Bay, about 30 kilometres south of Haileybury on the Lorrain Valley Road. The project will include power conversion stations, a substation, an electrical collection system, access roads, perimeter fencing, operations and maintenance buildings on private land. During the public meeting, interested residents can “meet project staff and technical experts, ask questions, share your thoughts, and enjoy local refreshments,” Neoen...
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Between 50 and 70 employees will work at Aqqusariaq Nunavut Recovery Centre
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI) said it’s hoping all staff at the Aqqusariaq Nunavut Recovery Centre in Iqaluit will be Inuit. Between 50 and 70 employees will work at the territory’s first addictions, trauma and mental health treatment centre. So far, only the executive director of Aqqusariaq has been hired, with Annie Aningmiuq being tapped for the top job. “Positions will slowly start to be posted for the public and will be advertised via various media outlets,” said Annie Thomlinson, director of communications at NTI. For now, 46 positions have been confirmed for the facility. The therapeutic program will have 18 employees, including positions in case management, cultural programming, continuing care, outpatient services, nursing and social work. There will be 12...
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Two candidates so far in the running for mayor
By Kody Ferron, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Yellowknifer The race for the top job in Yellowknife is up to two as of Wednesday. Cochrane, who’s currently serving as a city councillor, was the first one to announce his candidacy and said he thinks he’s the right person for the job. “I believe Yellowknife deserves a city that gets the fundamentals right, spends responsibility and plans for the long term, and I think I’m the person who can do that,” he said. Cochrane is a born-and-raised Yellowknifer, a member of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, and its Metis. He said his background gives him a unique ability to understand and address Yellowknife’s needs, if elected mayor. He’s also been deputy mayor and chair of the city’s heritage committee. “I’m incredibly in touch, not...
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New poll: Nova Scotia government’s approval rating has recovered from recent plunge
By Devin Stevens A new poll suggests the approval rating for Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston’s government has partially recovered from the plunge it took following a round of big budget cuts in February. The online survey from Abacus Data shows that 35 per cent of those surveyed said they approved of the government’s performance, up five percentage points from July. About 44 per cent of respondents indicated their approval of the government in January, but that support plunged to 31 per cent in May, three months after the government tabled a budget that cut more than $300 million in spending. Protests followed and the premier eventually reinstated $53 million in grant reductions, most of which were for people with disabilities and seniors, as well as African Nova Scotians and...
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Staffing problems stall federal investigations of missing and killed Native people
By Sarah Raza And Savannah Peters SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Peter Martin went missing two years ago from the Fond du Lac reservation in Minnesota. His family hasn’t stopped looking, but they say the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs investigation into Martin’s disappearance has stalled since the agent assigned to the case left the role in early 2025. “They’ve never had a person take his space for this region and yeah, we haven’t heard from them since,” said family friend Kayla Jackson. The bureau’s Missing and Murdered Unit was created in 2021 to address the crisis of violence against Native Americans and put new resources toward solving cold cases. But a recent federal audit by the Interior Department’s internal watchdog found staffing issues have plagued the unit since its...
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If Alberta leaves Canada, it will need up to $170B and 70,000 civil servants: report
By Jack Farrell An report commission by the Alberta government says if the province wants to separate from Canada, it will have to shell out up $170 billion and hire 70,000 civil servants to do it. The report from the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy says the minimum cost would be $50 billion over the first five years of transition, topping out at $170 billion. The money would cover building new infrastructure, hiring staff to manage and oversee the transition, and cover Alberta’s portion of the federal debt. Separation, states the report, “involves far more than just drawing new borders and building a new state, picking new politicians and deciding on new policies. “It completely changes how public services, trade, taxes and laws work.” Premier Danielle Smith’s government...
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Six Nations Fall Fair 157 years of fun!
Six Nations Fair: Miss Six Nations celebrates 80 years By Dakota Brant Writer Six Nations has a new royal family! Five new Ambassadors were crowned during the 157th Annual Six Nations Fall Fair this past weekend. In front of a packed community hall audience First Nations Technical Institute student Lacey John, 25, was crowned the new Miss Six Nations. Joining the 2026-2027 Six Nations Ambassador family are: Sophia Ellis Little Miss Six Nations; Kesli Hill Miss Mini Six Nations; Emree Bradley is Miss Preteen Six Nations, who also walked away with the Theresa Mt. Pleasant Leadership Award for Highest Points Overall. The new Miss Teen Six Nations is Assumption College student Raynee Smith who impressed judges for overcoming a broken ankle and crutches as she graced the stage. First Miss...
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Environmental assessments hold up community lands
Two Six Nations properties going through the federal Additions to Reserve process continue to move forward, although funding received for required environmental assessments fell short of the amount requested. Councillor Cynthia Jamieson, chair of the Lands, Resources, Wealth and Economy Committee, provided an update during Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) General Council meeting on September 8 Jamieson said Tayler Hill, Lands and Resources Assistant Director at Six Nations Lands and Resources, addressed the committee’s standing Additions to Reserve (ATR) agenda item and said funding for environmental assessments required for the properties is the biggest issue. “They had put in for an application for dollars for the environmental assessments that had to be done, and they received, some, but not all of the requested amount,” Jamieson said. The funding is aimed...
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Hydro One Forestry to patrol electrical distribution lines
Hydro One Forestry will conduct a three-day visual patrol of electrical distribution lines on Six Nations. Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) passed a motion to allow Hydro One to identify vegetation and tree hazards that could interfere with hydro service at its General Council meeting on September 8. The patrol is scheduled for September 9 to 11, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., along the Caledonia TSM3 electrical distribution circuit in areas from Third Line to Sixth Line Road between Tuscarora Road and Highway 6, Cayuga Road between Third and Sixth line Roads, and along the railway between Third and Sixth line Roads. The recommendation said the visual patrol will involve up to two Hydro One employees travelling by motorized vehicle and/or on foot. The patrol is intended to identify...
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Six Nations litigation community survey
Six Nations community members may have a chance to take part in the Nation’s litigation against Canada. Six Nations Litigation is scheduled to begin Oct. 5, 2026 and the community is being asked to provide input on how it would like to participate in the proceedings. Six Nations Elected Council CEO Debra Jonathan made the announcement during the Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) General Council meeting on September 8, encouraging community members to complete a survey to let SNEC know how they’d like to get involved. “The Six Nations of the Grand River litigation is set to begin on October 5, 2026, and we would like to know how the community would like to take part in this,” Jonathan said. The survey is available online and hard copies can be...
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Six Nations Elected Council wants in on Men’s Fire suit seeking all monies and assets of HDI
By Lynda Powless Editor Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) is seeking to join a class action lawsuit launched by two community members against the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council’s (HCCC) development group. The move could result in both the “Men’s Fire” and SNEC facing off in a legal battle against the HCCC . SNEC (described in the suit as Six Nations of the Grand River Band of Indians), is seeking to join the lawsuit, launched Aug., 14, 2026, by community members Wilf Davey and Bill Monture, against the Haudenosaunee Development Institute (HDI), the development arm of the HCCC and its former employees or directors. The suit is targeting all “monies and related assets” obtained by the HDI through consultations and accommodations related to Haudenosaunee Aboriginal and Treaty rights through the Haldimand...
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Editorial: SNEC lawsuit a waste of dollars…again!
It doesn’t matter who wins…Six Nations people will end up the losers…again! The Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) is seeking to be added to a lawsuit started by two individual Six Nations community members that could end up costing the community millions in legal fees before it is done. Money that could have gone to housing. Money that could have gone roads or a finance program to help community members hook up to the water line. Instead, it will again be lost to lawyers and do nothing but create more division within Six Nations. What SNEC is now hoping to do, if the courts allow it, is take another kick at the can to change the community’s history. SNEC is trying to claim it is the “sole successor” to the...
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Today in History
Sept 13 In 2007, the UN General Assembly adopted the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which sets out global human rights standards for indigenous populations, despite opposition from Canada and three other countries. Sept 14 In 1989, Metis Dan Morris was appointed by the federal government as the first native commissioner to the Northwest Territories. Sept 15 In 2021, for the first time in nearly 25 years, members of the Shoal Lake 40 First Nation had clean, running water. The community on the Manitoba-Ontario boundary had been under a boil-water advisory since 1998. Its new water treatment plant finally opened, ending one of the longest boil-water advisories in the country. In 2025, the B.C. and federal governments approved the Ksi Lisims LNG export project off the...
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UNDER THE NORTHERN SKY: Pow Wow Is A Sacred Gathering
By Xavier Kataquapit This past month, I was happy to attend two Pow Wows I hadn’t been to in years. I attended the Mattagami First Nation Pow Wow and the Matachewan First Nation Pow Wow. These are two special communities I have had the good fortune to be involved in for over 30 years. I stopped attending public events eight years ago when my partner Mike was diagnosed with a debilitating disease. We could not afford for him to get sick with a common cold which meant that I also could not catch anything for fear of passing on any sickness to him. We both missed many events over the years but we were more than happy to hear about these Pow Wows since they meant so much to so...
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Six Nations Stars preparing for second season
By Sam Laskaris Writer The Six Nations Stars have been making plans to build upon their successful inaugural season. The Stars, members of the South Western Ontario Women’s Hockey League (SWOWHL), went on a late-season run and qualified for the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association championships, held at various arenas throughout the GTA this past April. The Six Nations squad was one of 20 entrants in the Senior C category at the provincials. The Stars managed to win two out of their three round-robin matches but did not advance to playoff action. The Stars then held their tryouts for the 2026-27 campaign this past May. A total of 36 individuals attended the tryouts and 24, including nine new players, were selected for the club’s roster. “Unfortunately, we had we had to...
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Ironmen to commence second NPHL season in early October
By Sam Laskaris Writer As it is preparing for its second season of league competition, Six Nations Ironmen head coach Ryan Davis said his organization is doing its best to keep up with the Joneses. Or more specifically, the Killer Bees. That would be the Alvinston Killer Bees, the squad that defeated the Ironmen in the Northern Premier Hockey League (NPHL) Metropolitan Conference championship final this past spring. The Ironmen will kick off their 20-game 2026-27 regular season campaign on Oct. 4 with a home contest against the Akwesasne Wild, members of the NPHL’s Capital Conference. That match will be held at the Six Nations Sports & Cultural Memorial Centre. The Ironmen have made some key off-season acquisitions in an attempt to bolster their roster. “We’re still working on some...
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From investment buzz to building: Canada’s major projects face hurdles, experts say
By Brett Bundale Canada’s inaugural investment summit has created a buzz that the country is open for business, but experts say the real test will be whether that momentum can translate into major projects that overcome labour shortages, community concerns, environmental hurdles and lengthy approvals. The two-day summit in Toronto included a flurry of multi-billion dollar funding announcements that Ottawa says are part of its broader goal of attracting $1 trillion in total investment in Canada over five years. Patrick Leblond, University of Ottawa associate professor of public and international affairs, says the investor momentum sparked by the summit is critical to reducing the perceived risk of investing in large-scale projects in Canada. He says even if some of the investments would have happened anyway, the buzz attracts additional capital...
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Élections Québec asked government to change French-language laws in 2023
By Erika Morris Élections Québec knew it would not be allowed to send voter information in English over a year before the electoral campaign, The Canadian Press has learned. The provincial election authority had tried to pressure the government to amend its language laws – even providing proposed wording – but the government refused, according to correspondence sent between April 2023 and June 2025. The deadline for Élections Québec to finalize its voting reminder cards in English is rapidly approaching, with a court process underway to force the agency to mail information in English. The provincial elections authority had to comply with 2022 language legislation making French the sole language of communication for public institutions. Earlier this month, it sent out unilingual voter documents for the first time in its...
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Carney, Harper make the case for Canada at inaugural investment summit
By Craig Lord A Liberal and a Conservative prime minister book-ended the final day of Canada’s first-ever investment summit, each making their pitch to global investors for help fulfilling an ambitious capital agenda. Prime Minister Mark Carney spent much of Tuesday trying to sweeten the deal for prospective investors. He announced a package of measures that included offering preferential tax measures for businesses who invest in capital and unveiled a plan to open Canada’s four major airports to private investment. The two-day summit in Toronto — a gathering of hundreds of domestic and global executives with trillions of dollars collectively in assets under management — sought to address both historic and fresh concerns about Canada’s investment climate. Canadian officials and business leaders were trying to buck the country’s reputation as...
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