Rivermen to battle Bengals in semi-finals
By Sam Laskaris Writer For the second straight year the Six Nations Rivermen will square off against the Hamilton Bengals for the opportunity to advance to their league finals. The Rivermen and Bengals will meet in a best-of-five Ontario Series Lacrosse (OSL) semi-final series, which will begin this Saturday. Six Nations will host the series opener at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena. The Rivermen and Bengals also met in an OSL semi-final series in 2025. Hamilton won the first two matches of that best-of-five affair. But Six Nations came storming back and racked up three straight victories to capture the series. The Whitby-based Brooklin Merchants then swept the Rivermen 2-0 in last year’s OSL championship final series. Both clubs entered that series realizing regardless of what transpired in the league final,...
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Whitlow named MVP of Arena Lacrosse League
By Sam Laskaris Writer Wes Whitlow got a text last week that left him a bit baffled. Whitlow, a star with the Six Nations Snipers of the Arena Lacrosse League (ALL), received a message from the club’s head coach Darcy Powless. “My coach texted me and just said ‘Congrats. It’s well overdue,’” Whitlow said. “And I was like ‘For what?’.” Then, a few minutes later, Powless sent Whitlow a pic from the league’s social media announcing Whitlow had been selected as the ALL’s MVP for the 2025-26 campaign. “I said ‘That’s pretty cool,’” Whitlow said. “I didn’t expect to win that.” Whitlow, who turned 28 this past Thursday, had a spectacular season with the Snipers, who captured the ALL championship this past March. He racked up a whopping 78 points...
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SPORTS BRIEFS: Arrows’ season ends with Orangeville loss
By Sam Laskaris Writer Following an impressive regular season showing the Six Nations Arrows were hoping to have a long playoff run. But the Arrows’ 2026 campaign came to an end on the weekend, much sooner than team members would have preferred. The Orangeville Northmen registered a 12-11 overtime victory over the visiting Arrows on Sunday. With that win the Northmen upset the Arrows 4-2 in a best-of-seven Ontario Junior Lacrosse League (OJLL) quarter-final series. The local Junior A squad was considered a contender for its league title this season after posting a 13-5 regular season record. As for the Northmen, they were a .500 club during the regular season, winning nine of their 18 matches. Orangeville might have been viewed as the underdog heading into the series against Six...
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First Nations on Manitoulin Island offer unique Indigenous tourism experiences
By Sam Laskaris Writer Manitoulin Island’s claim to fame continues to be the fact it is the world’s largest freshwater island. But there is an endless amount of reasons to visit the island, located about six hours north of Toronto and accessible by car or, depending on the time of year, by ferry. Manitoulin Island is approximately 160 kilometres long, from its most westerly to easterly points. And it covers slightly under 2,800 square kilometres, which is about half the size of the province of Prince Edward Island. Manitoulin Island comes from the Anishinaabe word Manidoowaaling, which in English translates to “Spirit Island” or “Cave of the Spirit.” And there’s certainly no shortage of Indigenous tourism experiences on the picturesque island, which includes six First Nations. For those travelling by...
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More than 170 wildfires burning in Ontario’s north
Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources is listing 173 wildfires as active this morning in Ontario’s north, including 12 that had been sparked in the last 24 hours. Early estimates suggest the flames have ravaged more of the province’s forests this season than any previous year on record, burning through more than 7,250 square kilometres so far. Most of the fires in the province have burned in the last 10 days, and forced more than 1,800 people from their homes. Twelve of the 13 evacuated communities are First Nations. On Tuesday, First Nations leaders called for a public inquiry into Ontario’s wildfire response, accusing the province of leaving communities to fend for themselves without timely support for evacuations. Earlier in the day, Premier Doug Ford said his government had done everything...
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Indigenous leaders meet premiers on sidelines of national meeting in P.E.I.
By Alessia Passafiume The national chief of the Assembly of First Nations says she thinks premiers are finally starting to get the message that First Nations cannot be left out of discussions on major projects and building up the Canadian economy. “It seems like there’s a little bit of a shift,” Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak said in an interview with The Canadian Press after she wrapped up a meeting with premiers from across the country on Tuesday. “In order to move this country along, we’re going to have to work more closely together.” Provincial and territorial leaders are assembled in Charlottetown this week for the annual Council of the Federation meeting. Indigenous leaders met with premiers on the sidelines of that conference, bringing a message that their voices must be heard...
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Fleeing by boat: Why the Namaygoosisagagun First Nation wildfire tragedy was so predictable
By Sara Wilson, PhD Candidate, Communications, Simon Fraser University On July 13, the residents of Namaygoosisagagun First Nation in Northern Ontario watched a massive wildfire jump the rail line near their homes. Facing an approaching 350,000-hectare fire, just over two dozen people who were in the community at the time could not wait for official evacuation co-ordinates, government transport or provincial emergency alerts. Instead, they evacuated entirely by boat, carrying only what they could hold. While every member survived, their community was entirely destroyed. Another First Nation, Whitewater Lake, has also been destroyed as more than a dozen others across Northern Ontario remain under mandatory evacuation orders. The political response is following a familiar playbook, blaming climate change as the sole culprit for the devastation. But the loss of Namaygoosisagagun...
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First Nation leaders call for public inquiry into Ontario wildfire response
By Jordan Omstead First Nation leaders are calling for a public inquiry into the Ontario wildfire response after they say communities were left to evacuate without help from the province and some residents narrowly avoided the encroaching flames. The chief of Gull Bay First Nation says an inquiry should investigate a number of issues such as the government’s emergency co-ordination with First Nations, evacuation planning and overall provincial preparedness. Chief Wilfred King says the lack of communication and evacuation support should “horrify all Canadians.” Record-breaking wildfires burning across northern Ontario have prompted evacuations in at least 12 First Nations and forced more than 1,800 people to flee their homes. Several communities, including Whitewater Lake and Whitesand, have reported widespread destruction. Premier Doug Ford says his government has done “everything we...
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Ford says Canada can ‘dismantle’ U.S. ahead of meeting between Carney and premiers
By Eli Ridder Prime Minister Mark Carney and the country’s premiers are huddling for a virtual Team Canada meeting Tuesday afternoon after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened a dramatic increase in tariffs on some Canadian goods. P.E.I. Premier Rob Lantz, who is hosting his counterparts for an annual leaders meeting, said Carney was added to Tuesday’s agenda after Trump signed orders to increase levies by 50 per cent on a variety of goods ranging from hockey sticks to honey to cement. Senior White House officials said the tariffs, to be applied within 30 days, are in response to provincial bans on U.S. liquor, Canada’s supply managed dairy system and quotas on certain U.S. vehicles. The new tariffs will not apply to energy, potash, fish or other goods already facing separate...
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Thunderstorm cancels first day of World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series
SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND RIVER-Sprint Car Series fans will have to wait another day to enjoy the World of Outlaws festivities at Ohsweken Speedway after the first night of the event was cancelled due to thunderstorms. After sustained downpour and strong winds were felt throughout Ohsweken on Tuesday (July 21) morning afternoon, World Outlaws announced that night one of the marquee event would be cancelled. “With heavy rainfall hitting Ohsweken Speedway Tuesday morning and afternoon and weather models showing continued downpours through the evening, World of Outlaws NOS Energy Sprint Car Series and track officials have agreed to cancel the Federated Auto Parts Six Nations Showdown opener,” they said in an update. They confirmed that the second night of the two-day event would still be going on as scheduled, with weather forecasted to...
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Indigenous leaders meet premiers on sidelines of national meeting in P.E.I.
By Alessia Passafiume Indigenous leaders meeting premiers on the sidelines of a national conference this week say their voices must be heard nationwide as provincial and federal governments pursue major projects and a new trade deal with the U.S. Provincial and territorial leaders are assembled in Charlottetown this week for the annual Council of the Federation meeting. Indigenous leaders typically meet with the premiers ahead of their official meetings, something Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak has compared to being relegated to the “kiddie table.” First Nations chiefs secured their own meeting with premiers and Prime Minister Mark Carney this October after years of demanding one. Victoria Pruden, president of the Métis National Council, says Métis ought to have their own meeting with Carney and relevant premiers...
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Union blasts Ford government for ‘mismanagement’ of forest firefighting efforts
By Jon Thompson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Ricochet As wildfires swallow swaths of northern Ontario, in what is already the worst wildfire season in the province’s history, the union representing forest firefighters is sounding the alarm over what he calls “government mismanagement at the highest levels.” Noah Freedman, vice president of Local 703 with the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, says from human resources to aircraft, the province’s culture of relying on surge funding to pay for forest fires is costing Ontario a lot more than money. “What we’re talking about is government mismanagement at the highest levels,” Freedman says. “We have a lack of helicopters to get people to fires. We have a lack of crews to get people to these fires. The reason these fires ended up the...
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This is Ontario’s worst wildfire season, early estimates suggest. It’s not over yet.
By Jordan Omstead Wildfires across northern Ontario have torched more of the province’s forest than during any previous year on record, early estimates suggest, with a recent burst of fast-moving wildfires responsible for nearly all of the area burned in just a few days. The province’s latest numbers suggest fires have burned through more than 7,250 square kilometres of Ontario’s forest, surpassing the previous record set in 2021. Fire estimates are often revised once officials get a closer look at the devastation, but the initial numbers indicate just how quickly the season has worsened. “Just seeing how much smoke and how large these fires grew very quickly was just a testament to how intense they were,” said Liam Buchart, a fire weather specialist with the Canadian Forest Service. Ontario’s season...
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Emergency plans urged for all areas
By Sandi Krasowski, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Chronicle-Journal Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Natural Resources Minister Mike Harris and Emergency Preparedness Minister Jill Dunlop visited Thunder Bay on Saturday and toured evacuation centres and the Thunder Bay International Airport. They saw first-hand the plight of evacuees who were forced from their burning communities as well as the pilots working to extinguish the fires and evacuate people. By Monday, 1,800 people from 13 northern communities had been evacuated, with many still in the process of evacuation as flames came closer to their homes. The province says it recognizes the changing climate and annual increase of wildland fires both across the province and the country. “We need a large national fire strategy,” Ford said. “We seem to be going through this every...
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Inuit company gets $35.6 million from feds to build 23 staff housing units in Iqaluit
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News The federal government is investing $35.6 million to build a 23-unit staff housing complex in Iqaluit at 174 Nikku Lane, which will be built by Inuit firm Arctic Fresh Projects. That works out to just over $1.5 million per home. Many housing developments in Nunavut cost between $800,000 and $1 million per unit. The higher price tag is because this housing project will be highly efficient and environmentally sustainable, and will be the first LEED Gold building in Nunavut, explained Kevin Turner, an official at Public Services and Procurement Canada. Minister of Public Works and Procurement Joel Lightbound made the announcement on July 21 at Iqaluit’s Pilimmaksaivik Office, which is the Federal Centre of Excellence for Inuit Employment in Nunavut....
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‘Wildfires are now a crisis’: Indigenous communities knew how to care for the land; then the rest of us arrived
By Anushka Yadav, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Pointer Much of Canada is ablaze. Ontario has become the face of nature’s wrath with the highest number of active wildfires in the country. As firefighters battle nearly 200 forest fires — 70 not under control — Ontarians woke up to a yellow Wednesday sky with the worst air quality in the world, and things only got worse today in parts of the province. The ominous pearl grey chemical air that eventually descended upon millions, as the smoke became too thick for even the sun to affect its colour, was not all that July 15 brought. Shortly after 11 a.m., dystopia and irony were packaged into a parody brought to you by the stalwarts of “Protect Ontario”. “Canadians know that we can...
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Fort William Gardens sits vacant despite opening doors to evacuees
By Clint Fleury, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, TBnewswatch.com THUNDER BAY – There are 157 empty cots set up at the Fort William Gardens. No one had walked into the evacuation centre to register yet when Premier Doug Ford and Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Response Jill Dunlop were there Saturday, she told reporters at a Toronto press conference Monday. Monday afternoon, Newswatch was informed by site commander Jason Kay, with the Loomex Group, that evacuees have still not registered at the building. He said that, at the moment, the facility isn’t required to be filled, but it’s open to all evacuees affected by wildfires. The evacuation centre was set up for the Namaygoosisagagun (Collins) First Nation and Armstrong evacuees, Dunlop said. Those communities evacuated on Monday, July 13, but the...
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Cote First Nation holds community camp at Madge Lake
By Bastien MacLean, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Kamsack Times Band members were invited to camp out at Elk and Moose campsites at Madge Lake, as the Cote First Nation held a community camp. “We’ve been running it for the last 30 plus years and it’s always a good time for our community to come out,” said Judge Cote, a councillor at Cote First Nation. “Everyone can have a great time, have some food, have some entertainment.” “Definitely with the weather we’ve been having, and the washouts, it can definitely dampen some spirits out there. Events like this, it’s nice to just get away from that kind of situation and forget some of our problems for a week, come out and have fun and just enjoy ourselves”. Vendors were on site,...
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Construction begins on $4B Enbridge natural gas pipeline expansion in B.C.
Enbridge Inc. has broken ground on a $4-billion natural gas pipeline expansion in British Columbia. The federal government approved the Sunrise Expansion Program in April. The project aims to add another 300 million cubic feet per day of transportation capacity to the province’s natural gas transmission system. The Sunrise project is using Canadian melted and poured steel supplied by InterPro Pipe and Steel in Saskatchewan. The federal government says Sunrise will help ensure natural gas supplies are available to liquefied natural gas export facilities on the West Coast while meeting local needs. Enbridge holds a 30 per cent stake in the Woodfibre LNG export terminal under construction in Squamish, B.C. The Sunrise expansion will add about 140 kilometres of new pipe to Enbridge’s existing 2,900-kilometre Westcoast Pipeline. Enbridge plans to...
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Quebec and Ottawa agree to streamline, speed environmental assessments
By Stéphane Blais Quebec and Ottawa say a new agreement will streamline the environmental assessment process for major infrastructure and resource development projects. Pascale Déry, provincial environment minister, and Joël Lightbound, Quebec Lieutenant and federal minister of government transformation, public works and procurement, made the joint announcement Monday. The two governments say they have reached an agreement in principle that aims to expedite environmental assessments for major projects such as mines, ports and pipelines. The agreement will ensure projects that fall under Quebec’s jurisdiction are subject only to the province’s evaluation. Déry said this agreement will eliminate duplicate assessments. “We need to strengthen our economy, diversify our markets, and that means developing our projects more efficiently and quickly,” she said. Residents and groups have 21 days to voice their concerns...
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