Lichen, logging, land rights: Complex forces play out in fate of ancient B.C. forest
By Brenna Owen A shaggy, cool-green lichen hangs from the trunk of a tree in a forest on northeastern Vancouver Island, growing on the bark like coral on a rocky sea floor. Lichenologist Trevor Goward has named it oldgrowth specklebelly, and while the slow-growing lichen is a species at risk in its own right, he says it is also an indicator of forests that are “the oldest of the old.” “It’s what it tells us about the forest that we walk through,” Goward says, comparing ancient forests to libraries and museums. “They are the continuity from the past.” Old-growth advocate Joshua Wright photographed oldgrowth specklebelly this summer in a forest about 400 kilometres northwest of Victoria. The forest is “strikingly beautiful,” he says, with towering yellow cedars growing for hundreds...
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Six Nations Elected Council may expand councillor’s roles
The Six Nations Elected Chief’s office is looking into allowing band councillors, who are committee chairs, to reach out to federal and provincial ministers to further the work of their portfolios. The issue came to the forefront at Six Nations Elected Council’s (SNEC) September 9 Council meeting, after Councillor Amos Key said he wanted to speed up discussions with government and questioned the role of committee chairs to reach out to government officials. Key said he wanted to make sure Six Nations was at the government’s tables. He questioned how much authority portfolio/committee chairs and directors should have when communicating directly with government ministers or external officials, rather than going through the Elected Chief’s office. Councillor Key, through the Well-Being Committee, recommended Council hold a broader discussion on “levels of...
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Haudenosaunee Confederacy says cannabis industry exploiting vulnerable
The Six Nations cannabis industry was hit with another blow last week when the Six Nations Haudenosaunee Confederacy issued a statement notifying the community it “stands in opposition to the establishment, operation, or expansion of the cannabis industry within Haudenosaunee territory.” The notice was released September 6, 2025, condemning the now six-year- old cannabis industry that has grown up in the community. The Confederacy called it a “serious lack of oversight by the Six Nations Elected Band Administration (SNEBA) in creating the cannabis body,” It places the blame for what it says is the “exploitation of vulnerable populations’ at the door of the SNEBA created cannabis commission. The statement says there has been a “serious lack of oversight for the Cannabis Commission,” as an entity. The Six Nations Elected Council...
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Six Nations Elected Council organizing data
Six Nations has unveiled an interactive population dashboard designed to centralize demographic data and support community planning and political advocacy. Councillor Dean Hill, chair of the Data Governance Committee presented the dashboard at the Six Nations Elected Council’s General Council meeting on September 9. “I know, whereas Six Nations of the Grand River data department has created a Power BI dashboard…that allows for a centralized system to track historical and current population data as well as future projection trends,” Hill said. “It’s a potential resource for future political advocacy.” The dashboard covers 50 years of data, allowing users to explore age, gender, and on- or off-reserve populations. “This is all interactive…we can filter if we want to go off reserve, we can see the age demographics of male and female,...
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Six Nations candle lighting marks World Suicide Prevention Day
Lights in the darkness honoured the lost and spread hope. For the second consecutive year, community members gathered by candlelight at Veterans Park for World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD), to remember loved ones and share messages of hope. Six Nations Social Services and Brightening the Spirit – Breaking the Silence hosted the Candlelight Gathering on Sept. 10, to acknowledge friends and family suffering loss due to suicide and provide guidance to anyone seeking mental health support. “Our primary message is to encourage the community to be aware of those around them and to check in with them if they notice they are having a hard time,” said Larry Longboat, manager of Six Nations Child and Family Services. “It is our hope that our community becomes aware that thoughts of suicide...
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Ogwadeni:deo may be on the move as talks open on new building
Ogwadeni:deo aims to build a new facility to support children and community groups. Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) endorsed plans to apply for funding to build a new $36.4 million facility to house Ogwadeni:deo, the community’s child welfare agency at the General Council meeting on September 9. The project, designed by Two Row Architect, will create a 54,490-square-foot facility at a cost of $36.4 million to replace the agency’s leased building. Reva Bomberry, Ogwadeni:deo Commission Chair, said the current location is no longer sufficient for the services required. She also said the owner of their current facility has raised the rent and their lease expires in 2028. The new facility would be located at the corner of Mohawk Road and First Line Road. Darryl Fisher, an architectural technologist with Two...
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Councillor tells Elected Chief advocacy needed after community shut out of funding
Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) says the community has been repeatedly shut out of provincial health funding streams, and needs to press for immediate, forceful advocacy. Six Nation Elected Council listened to two presentations from Abigail Hill, Well-Being Liaison officer, outlining denials and stark local health data at the General Council meeting on September 9. “Six Nations of the Grand River was not eligible for the first round of primary care team expansion funding, which is very problematic when Indigenous communities are not given the same opportunity, and yeah, funding opportunities to advance our own systems, in addition to the provincial system,” Hill said. Councillor Amos Key expressed anger that the community wasn’t given the licensing. “We were turned down with a diagnostic license and we’re totally pissed off. I...
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Six Nations spreads colourful message at Moment 4 Life Run
Six Nations spread a colourful message about suicide awareness. On Sept. 10, the community put their best feet and wheels forward for an important cause, at the Moment 4 Life Colour Walk/Run, in recognition of World Suicide Prevention Day. Sporting special T-shirts and sunglasses, participants were splattered with colourful paint as they moved around the Blue Track at Six Nations Parks and Recreation. Organized by the Department of Well-Being, the annual, family-friendly event was created to raise awareness for suicide prevention, support those struggling and honour those who have been lost. It also serves to open lines of communication and dialogue surrounding suicide, as well as reduce stigma, break down barriers and show the community which local support services are available to them in times of need, said life promotion...
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Where’s the audit?
The job of Six Nations Elected Chief has always been one of petitioning federal and provincial ministers on a variety of issues with much needed funding at the top of the list. Add to it making sure council’s questions on various issues are answered and you have a job that is mostly one of meet, greet and to simply put, answer the community on …where’s the money? But that doesn’t seem to have translated in the head of the current Elected Chief who seems to bounce from playing more of a secretarial role to the current elected council than its leader. Case in point, every SNEC meeting she starts off reading a list of meetings she attended and events and lunches she went to. The Elected Chief rattles of a...
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Today in History
September 15 1688 Jacques de Denonville abandons and demolishes Fort Niagara to meet the demands of the Iroquois. Fort Niagara, New York 1763: The Royal Proclamation is issued by the British Crown, outlining policies for the British North American colonies and affecting the territory and rights of Indigenous peoples. 1815 Selkirk Settlement colonists return to Red River after being driven out by angry Métis. Manitoba 1874 Treaty – Cree, Saulteaux, Assiniboine and others sign Treaty #4 (Qu’Appelle Treaty) in Southern Saskatchewan and Alberta; 120,054 sq km; $12 per Indian; schools; farm instruction; acreage. Qu’Appelle, Saskatchewan September 18 1989 Crime – Ontario NDP Leader Bob Rae arrested with 15 others in Temagami Wilderness Society anti-logging blockade near a stand of old-growth white pines; an Ontario Supreme Court ruling September 14, 1989...
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UNDER THE NORTHERN SKY: Defending The Heart Of Mother Earth
by Xavier Kataquapit www.underthenorthernsky.com One of the most beautiful serene places I’ve ever visited was on the banks of the Opinagau River in northern Ontario, just near the corner of land where James and Hudson Bay meet. This is a river just south of the Lakitusaki River, known in English as Lake River. Opinagau River is also just north of the Nawashi River, the home territory where my mom Susan (Paulmartin/Rose) Kataquapit and her family originated from. My dad Marius Kataquapit took us to this northern river one fall to go moose hunting. Our group never did manage to see any moose on that trip but it was an amazing time to be on the land surrounded by absolutely no one for hundreds of miles all around. During that trip,...
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Six Nations Chiefs are the 2025 Mann Cup Champs!
It was tense. it was nail biting. it was the kind of edge of the seat drama we all nervously love to await. And then it happened. The Six Nations Chiefs made history with Saturday night’s 12-7 Six Nations Chiefs Game 7 Mann Cup win! They showed the world why they are the 2025 Mann Cup Champions by winning their ninth Mann Cup, a rare second three-peat in itself that made them only the second franchise in Mann Cub history to do so. The Chiefs strong come-back had people jumping in their seats. Down 3-2 in this best-of-seven series, the Chiefs buckled down and took to the floor with what has been called the greatest roster ever assembled (minus Randy Staats and Josh Byrne, who had been sidelined by injury in...
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Six Nations holds traditional games day
By Carly McHugh, Writer Traditional Games Day teaches youth about culture, community It was all fun and games when local youth gathered at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena (ILA) on Sept. 12. Presented by Ganohkwasra Family Assault Support Services and the Six Nations Police, the sixth-annual Traditional Games Day introduced participants to Haudenosaunee games and related teachings they would traditionally receive in the longhouse. Seventeen youth aged 14 to 18, along with two youth mentors, came together to play lacrosse, peach pit, bone and toggle and tug of war, as well as show off their archery skills. Participants were treated to a free catered lunch and had a chance to win giveaway prizes, including a recurve bow and arrow. They also heard from a guest speaker, community lacrosse coach Wayne Hill....
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Wildfire evacuation orders lifted in Cariboo region in B.C. Interior
Several evacuation orders prompted by wildfires in British Columbia’s Interior have been rescinded, although residents in a portion of the area will remain on alert. The Cariboo Regional District and the Ulkatcho First Nation say in a joint statement that the order issued on Sept. 5 because of the Dusty Lake and Beef Creek Trail wildfires may still be reissued if the fires threaten properties again. The statement says part of the previous Dusty Lake order area is still on evacuation alert for nearby Holtry Creek, which covers 65 parcels of land and about 268 square kilometres. Alerts have also been lifted in the Smokey Lake fire area that has been under caution since Sept. 14. The BC Wildfire Service said this week that fall-like weather has aided the fight...
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LeBlanc, MacKinnon take over for Freeland as she leaves Carney’s cabinet
By Kyle Duggan and Dylan Robertson Chrystia Freeland abruptly left Prime Minister Mark Carney’s cabinet on Tuesday to take on a new role as Canada’s special envoy for the reconstruction of Ukraine. Freeland’s decision to step down from Carney’s front bench prompted a hastily organized mini-cabinet shuffle late in the day at Rideau Hall, where Freeland’s two roles were divided up among other cabinet ministers. Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc was sworn in as internal trade minister, while government House leader Steven MacKinnon took over the transport portfolio. Freeland announced her resignation from cabinet on Tuesday following media reports that cited anonymous sources saying she was expected to leave. She left Tuesday’s regular cabinet meeting smiling and talking with Carney as they walked past TV cameras, but neither stopped to...
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Colchester council refers event funding to tourism committee
By Sam McBain, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Advocate The Municipality of Colchester County unanimously voted to refer a request from the Central Nova Civic Society for $150,000 to a yet-to-be operational tourism committee. The funding request, dealt with at a recent council meeting, was for two separate events: The Nova Scotia Stampede and the World Under 17 Hockey Challenge. Both are events that are hosted by the Nova Scotia CCS with the Stampede being held on the Sept 18-21 at the Nova Scotia Provincial Exhibition Grounds and the World Hockey Challenge being hosted on Oct. 31-Nov. 8 at the Rath Eastlink Community Centre. They’ve also asked for an equal contribution of $150,000 from the Town of Truro. However there hasn’t been a committed contribution from them yet. “Council does...
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Nisga’a Nation can help convince other nations for LNG export site off coast: Eby
By Wolfgang Depner British Columbia Premier David Eby says his government is “counting” on the Nisga’a First Nation to help “increase the level of support” among other nations that opposed a massive liquefied natural gas export facility soon to float off the northwestern coast. Eby says his government will support the Nisga’a, while acknowledging “there is still work ahead” to get other area First Nations on board that opposed the Ksi Lisims LNG project, which has a limited window to get off the ground. Both the provincial and federal government have signed off on the facility that is an agreement with the Nisga’a, Rockies LNG Limited Partnership and Western LNG, but four of six other First Nations asked to provide consent did not grant it, and numerous environmental groups are...
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Richmond, B.C, mayor won’t seek re-election after 25 years in the role
By Nono Shen The mayor of Richmond, B.C., says he has decided not to seek re-election next year, wrapping up what will be a 25-year tenure in the role. Malcolm Brodie says it has been an honour and privilege to serve the city through “times of growth, opportunity and challenge.” Brodie points to the recent Cowichan Tribes ruling by British Columbia Supreme Court as one of the challenges his successor will need to tackle. The ruling last month granted the Cowichan Tribes Aboriginal title over a portion of almost 7 1/2 square kilometres of land they claimed in Richmond, as well as fishing rights along a stretch of the south arm of the Fraser River. The City of Richmond has since filed a notice of appeal in the case, with...
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Freeland resigns from cabinet as she takes on new role as special envoy to Ukraine
By Kyle Duggan and Dylan Robertson Chrystia Freeland is quitting Prime Minister Mark Carney’s cabinet and taking on a new role as Canada’s special envoy for the reconstruction of Ukraine. Freeland announced her resignation as transport minister on Tuesday. She said she will remain in the House of Commons as an MP for her Toronto riding of University-Rosedale but will not seek re-election. She left Tuesday’s regular cabinet meeting smiling and talking with Carney as they walked past TV cameras. Neither stopped to answer questions from reporters stationed outside the room. Instead, the news came out through media leaks before the cabinet meeting, and social media posts about an hour afterward. “A great strength of democracy is that no one holds political office in perpetuity. After twelve fulfilling years in...
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First nation leads effort to monitor orca-threatening ship noise
By Sonal Gupta, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer Underwater noise is a serious threat to endangered Southern Resident killer whales, as ship and ferry traffic intensifies through some of the busiest waters off Vancouver Island. With ship traffic surging following the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline — and set to grow even more following a port expansion at Roberts Bank, south of Vancouver — Indigenous-led efforts are underway to track vessel noise and protect whale habitat, according to government documents obtained by Canada’s National Observer. Snuneywuxw First Nation, whose traditional territory includes the Gulf Islands and key fishing grounds along major shipping routes to Nanaimo and Vancouver, is now in its second year of actively monitoring underwater noise. John White, member of the nation and director of...
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