South Slave residents asked to unplug appliances as NTPC struggles with power outages
By Eric Bowling, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, NWT News/North Residents of Hay River, K’atl’odeeche First Nation and Enterprise are being asked to unplug appliances as Northwest Territories Power Corporation is struggling to restore power after issues with one of the diesel generators meant to take over for the Taltson Hydroelectric Dam. A total power outage during a heat wave has impacted all three communities throughout the July 30 afternoon. Environment Canada issued a heat warning for the region on July 30, warning temperatures could get as high as 30 C. NTPC communications manager Doug Prendergast referred NNSL to posts published on the power utility’s social media feed, which began detailing the issue at 12:28 p.m., noting there was an issue with a diesel engine and workers were on sight. At...
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Indigenous explainers: How smokehouse meat helped protect winter food supplies
By Ed Hitchins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Energeticcity.ca PINK MOUNTAIN, B.C. — It’s a picturesque setting at Pink Mountain Ranch for the annual Blueberry River First Nations (BRFN) Cultural Camp. Surrounded by a vast, grand valley, the event is in full swing. Towards the exits, there are several people lined up, with the smell of cured meat swirling in the air. The process of drying meat goes back generations for the Indigenous people of North America. Historically, in the Peace region, the area was subject to sudden ‘chinooks’ or thawing spells in which meat would readily spoil and a winter’s supply could not be left to the mercies of the weather, according to writer Dorthea Calverley in a 1973 article published by the South Peace Historical Society. Thus, excess meat...
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Manitoba monument to Chief Peguis, planned for 2024, still a year away
By Steve Lambert A planned monument to commemorate Chief Peguis and the first treaty signed in Manitoba has been delayed again. The structure, originally planned for 2024 then pushed back one year, is now expected to be completed in the latter part of 2026. Bill Shead, co-chair of the group planning the memorial, says there have been several legal, administrative and other issues over the past year, and efforts to obtain charitable status from Revenue Canada are ongoing. He says work on the bronze statue is well underway, but more time is needed for fundraising and construction of the monument’s large plinth or foundation. The monument is to be built on the northwest section of the Manitoba legislature grounds. It is to pay tribute to a gathering in 1817, when...
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Weston family wants to buy Hudson’s Bay charter and donate it, museum says
By Tara Deschamps The Canadian Museum of History says the Weston family wants to buy the royal charter that formed Hudson’s Bay 355 years ago and donate it to the Quebec institution. The document issued by King Charles II gave the Bay rights to a vast swath of land spanning most of Canada and extraordinary power over trade and Indigenous relations for decades. The museum says the acquisition still needs court approval but if that is obtained, the Westons will donate the document immediately and permanently. The Bay put the charter up for sale to put a dent in the roughly $1.1 billion in debt it had when it filed for creditor protection in March. The Weston family has made its fortune through Canadian retail chains including Loblaw Cos. Ltd....
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Ottawa says it wants to improve income assistance program on First Nation reserves
The federal government says it is committed to working with Mi’kmaq First Nations in Nova Scotia to improve the income assistance program. The comments are in response to criticism that there is a gap of more than $25 million a year between what First Nations people on reserve receive from Ottawa and what they would get from Nova Scotia if they lived off reserve. Ta’n Etli-tpi’tmk, a group that represents 12 of 13 Mi’kmaq First Nations in Nova Scotia, says some people living on reserve who rely on income assistance from Ottawa are being kept in deep poverty. A spokesperson for Indigenous Services Canada and for Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada says Ottawa is working to make its income assistance program “more responsive” to people in need. Anispiragas Piragasanathar...
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Quebec man facing charges after stolen vehicle rammed in Brantford city police cruisers
BRANTFORD, ONT-A Quebec man is facing a series of charges after ramming a stolen vehicle into two city police cruisers in an attempt to flee. Brantford Polic Service (BPS) received a report a vehicle was stolen from a Bilanski Farm Road residence driveway Tuesday, July 29, 2025, at about 4:00 a.m.. Police later had the stolen vehicle blocked in at the intersection of Wayne Gretzky Parkway and Elgin Street when the driver rammed two police cruisers with the stolen vehicle in an attempt to flee. Both cruisers were significantly damaged. BPS said the accused left the stolen vehicle in the intersection and ran towards Campbell Street with officers in pursuit. Police chased the man to Elgin Street and Stanley Street where he was placed under arrest. As a result a...
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Manitoba government poll suggests concerns over health care, crime and immigration
By Steve Lambert The number of Manitobans concerned about crime and public safety has risen steadily, an opinion poll done for the Manitoba government suggests. The Benchmark poll by Leger is commissioned by the province and conducted every few months to gauge public concerns. The latest available survey, done in October and obtained by The Canadian Press under Manitoba’s freedom of information law, suggests affordability and health care remain the most popular concerns. The survey involved an online panel of 818 Manitobans between Oct. 21 and 31. Because online panel polls do not randomly sample the population, they cannot be assigned a margin of error. Three in four respondents cited rising costs as a concern, while 70 per cent cited wait times for health care. Both figures were in the...
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Wildfire near Lytton, B.C., larger than initial estimate after aerial mapping
BC Wildfire Service data show a blaze south of Lytton that has triggered multiple evacuation alerts is three times its original estimated size and continues to burn out of control. The service’s latest update on the Cantilever Bar wildfire says it is now measured at 4.6 square kilometres, up from the 1.5 square kilometres reported earlier this week. The update says the larger estimate is due to more-accurate perimeter mapping after smoke cleared enough to allow aircraft to fly overhead. Evacuation alerts over the fire have been imposed by Thompson-Nicola Regional District and three local First Nations communities. The wildfire service says the blaze is about 10 kilometres south of Lytton — a community devastated by fire in 2021 — and on the west side of the Fraser River. It...
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Registering to vote necessary for people who have moved
By Pearl Lorentzen Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Lakeside Leader The next municipal election is October 20, 2025, and people who have moved since or weren’t registered in the federal election will have to change their information ahead of time. Ashley Lindbergh is the returning officer for the Town of Slave Lake. She answered a few questions about the permanent voter list. “If a member of the public registered to vote for the federal election they will be on the list,” says Lindbergh. “However, if residents have moved within the municipality and their physical address has changed since they last registered, they will have to change their information.” People can register at www.voterlink.ab.ca. The deadline to register for the list varies by municipality. August 15, 2025 is the deadline to register...
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Ontario officially cancels Starlink contract, won’t say how much that cost taxpayers
By Liam Casey Ontario has officially cancelled its $100-million contract with Starlink, but the province refuses to say how much it cost taxpayers to get out of the deal. Energy and Mines Minister Stephen Lecce did not answer numerous questions Wednesday about the kill fee the province will have to pay Elon Musk’s SpaceX. “I can confirm we’ve cancelled the contract at this point, and we look forward to bringing forth alternatives to the people of Ontario so we can get people connected,” Lecce said at an unrelated press conference. Infrastructure Minister Kinga Surma announced the deal last year to deliver high-speed internet to 15,000 residents in rural and northern Ontario. The deal, which was set to go live in June, would have covered hardware and installation costs but not...
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Lil’wat development in Whistler secures funding through First Nations Bank of Canada
By Luke Faulks, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Pique Newsmagazine On July 28, the First Nations Bank of Canada (FNBC) announced it will provide financing for Lil’wat’s Tseqwtsúqum̓ development in Whistler’s Function Junction, marking the single largest investment made to date under its Indigenous Land Development Program. FNBC did not disclose the precise figure going towards the Nation’s development. The funding package, delivered in partnership with the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB), will support Lil’wat Business Group’s (LBG) mixed-use, Indigenous-led, 5.3-acre development, which promises new commercial space and workforce housing at the entrance to Whistler’s industrial core. “We are proud to support the Lil’wat Business Group and the Tseqwtsúqum̓ project, which will not only contribute to the economic resilience of the Lil’wat Nation but also create a lasting impact on the broader...
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PACE Is Closing After 31 Years of Supporting Sex Workers
By Michelle Gamage, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Tyee PACE Society, a non-profit that supports sex workers in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, is closing after 31 years. In a message posted to its website, the society said it was closing because of “operational challenges, funding gaps, and debts,” as well as its charitable funding status being revoked, which affected what kind of funding it could apply for. PACE’s last day will be July 31, with a gathering held at a later date to bring community members together to say goodbye. The non-profit did not respond to a media request before deadline. The announcement is being met with rage and grief, as it drastically affects what services, supports and safety nets are available for street-based sex workers, who are some of the...
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First Nations protest walk continuing trek to Queen’s Park
By Diane Johnston, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Temiskaming Speaker TEMISKAMING SHORES – Just over two weeks ago, a small group of First Nations youth protesters set out on foot from Timmins for Queen’s Park. They’re calling for the repeal of provincial and federal legislation aimed at speeding development of major infrastructure projects in response to the trade dispute with the U.S. Anger over Bill 5 and Bill C-5 – Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act and the One Canadian Economy legislation, which includes the Building Canada Act– spurred Tristan Ashishkeesh, a founder of the walk, to take action. The legislation and governments’ responses echo previous governments’ approaches to First Nations’ concerns, said Ashishkeesh in an interview on the side of Highway 11 last week. “We’re getting pushed, and no...
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Heat wave couldn’t stop the crowd at Champion of Champions’ Pow Wow
Six Nations Grand River PowWow did not disappoint! Photos by Jim C. Powless This past weekend‘s heat didn’t stop the Champion of Champions Pow wow from bringing the crowds and competitors from all over the continent along with their families and hundreds of spectators to Six Nations to experience the energy of dance, music and tradition over two days of competitions....
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Orange Shirt Day to mark former Mohawk Institute Residential school as historical museum
By Lynda Powless Editor The Woodland Cultural Centre is about to become a historic museum. The centre is seeking $10,000 in funding from Six Nations for its coming Truth and Reconciliation Day or Orange Shirt Day event. The event which will mark the grand opening of the former Mohawk Institute residential school to the public as a historical museum. The request was presented at SNEC’s General Finance meeting on July 21 by Woodland Artistic Director Jake Jamieson and Manager of Education Krysta Longboat. The event is scheduled for September 30, 2025, and they expect to draw approximately 3,000 visitors to the site. Programming will include self-guided tours of the former residential school, cultural exhibitions, local student performances, and community engagement activities. Jamieson said the event is one of Woodland’s key...
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Six Nations still in State of Emergency from flooding
A monh after flooding waters receded Six Nations is still under a State of Emergency with remediation underway. Over 60 residents of the Iroquois Lodge are still living in temporary locations at various centres and with family while the Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) departments continue to assess and remediate the lodge. A statement released by SNEC communications said “We recognize the impact that this crisis has had on our community and thank everyone for your ongoing cooperation.” The statement said the clients evacuated to various locations are “safe, well cared for, and are looking forward to returning home. We are committed to facilitating this process as quickly and efficiently as possible.” Some lodge residents have had to be evacuated as far away as Delhi, Ont., COO and Incident Commander...
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Six Nations Elected Council may increase staff spending limits
By Lynda Powless Editor Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) is weighing expanding spending limits for senior staff. SNEC is in the midst of reviewing proposed changes to its financial management policy that could significantly increase spending limits for senior administrators. The changes could also clarify procurement procedures for major contracts. SNEC reviewed a recommendation from staff to revise Section 9.3 of the Financial Management Policy at SNEC’s General Finance meeting on July 21. The revisions were not approved, but will come back with more information. The proposal continues to maintain the $50,000 spending cap for department directors, but introduces a new level for its executive team directors with spending authority up to $200,000 without SNEC approval. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Operating Officer (COO), and Chief Financial Officer (CFO)...
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Mississaugas of the Credit expansion has Haldimand concerned
Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation (MCFN) are growing and is planning to expand on land in neighbouring Haldimand County. MCFN, next door to Six Nations, has applied to Ottawa, to add 308 acres land in Haldimand County to the reserve. That acreage includes four parcels of land along Highway 6. An estimated one-third of the land or 108 acres, is inside the Hagersville urban boundary. Hagersville had designated it for employment and had zoned it for farming. MCFN owns the land after buying it through a numbered company. But because it is within Haldimand’s border they could have final say on zoning and development. That is unless the federal government approves MCFN’s request to add it to MCFN through the federal “addition to reserve” process. Losing the employment land...
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Six Nations Police seeking help in identifying four people after a smoke-bomb ignited inside a local business
OHSWEKEN, ON – Six Nations Police are seeking the public’s help after a smoke-bomb type firework was ignited inside a local business causing damage to the business. Police are looking for, four individuals believed responsible for damaging a Chiefswood Road business Saturday, July 19th, 2025 at about 11:58 a.m. Six Nations Police attended the area business to find that a smoke-bomb type firework that emits flame and smoke was ignited in the establishment.The device caused minor damages to the interior of the building as a result of the smoke residue and burning. Police said “fortunately, no additional fires were ignited in the area.” The four suspects ignited the device and left the area, driving an older model black pick-up truck. Six Nations Police are seeking help in identifying four men....
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Brantford Police seek info on Baby Parker Identity
Brantford-Brantford Police are appealing to the public for help in closing a two-decade old search for the identity of Baby Parker. The search for Baby Parker’s parents and identity would become the largest canvass every held by the Brantford Police Service (BPS). BPS released a statement on July 27, 2025, saying they “remain dedicated to the investigation of Baby Parker and, the search to identify the child’s mother and/or father, with a renewed appeal to members of the community for information.” The investigation began on July 28, 2005, when city police received a call that a citizen had found the body of a full-term newborn baby boy in the area of the walking trails near Dufferin Avenue and Parkside Drive. The baby’s death has since been the subject of an...
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