Six Nations Cannabis Commission board member fees haven’t dropped despite hiring staff
By Lynda Powless Editor SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND RIVER- The Six Nations Cannabis Commission continues to budget a large amount to pay Commissioner for administration fees and some Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) councillors are questioning why. At the same time the SNCC has refused to make the 2025 budget publically available. SNEC approved the Six Nations Cannabis Commission’s (SNCC) 2025 budget at the SNEC’s general finance meeting April 15th but with the condition that it comes back to SNEC with a reason for the $81,496 it has budgeted to pay Commissioners for administration fees. SNCC has in addition to not making the 2025 budget publicly available it has not disclosed the total amount of it’s budget. Kathy Mair, chief commissioner, told SNEC the administration fees paid to commissioners began...
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Legislative amendments would allow First Nations to own land
By Alexandra Mehl Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Victoria, BC – In early April the provincial government introduced legislative amendments to the B.C. Land Title and Property Law Act, that, if passed, will remove barriers for First Nation bands to acquire, hold and register land. “Many people in Canada do not know that First Nations could not own land in the province of British Columbia,” said Hugh Braker of the First Nations Summit. “Many people don’t know that in British Columbia, other provinces and in the federal system there are still laws that discriminate against Indigenous people that are founded in racism.” This year marks 150 years since the establishment of the B.C. Land Act which “explicitly forbid First Nation individuals from having interests in land,” said Murray Rankin, minister of Indigenous...
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NTI criticizes federal budget shortfalls in education funding, among other issues
By Kira Wronska Dorward Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Despite huge disappointment with the federal budget announcement on April 16, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI) has indicated that it still looks forward to collaborating with the federal government on several initiatives. A huge disparity remains between what Canada announced with its 2024 budget and what Nunavut Inuit require in order to enjoy a quality of life similar to other Canadians, according to a news release from NTI. “Twenty-five years after the creation of the territory, the quality of life of the average Nunavut Inuk today is demonstrably worse than in 1999,” said NTI President Aluki Kotierk. “There is a continuing and worsening housing shortage, 70 per cent of Nunavut Inuit are food insecure, Inuktut fluency is decreasing and Nunavut Inuit are dying from...
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‘I never thought this is where we’d be’: Genier named woman of influence
By Amanda Rabski-McColl Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Two influential women leading the way for awareness of the lasting impacts of residential schools had an emotional meeting recently. Quilts for Survivors founder Vanessa Genier was honoured by Women of Inluence+ in Toronto as one of the Top 25 Women of Influence 2024. While at the event, Genier met Phyllis Webstad, who founded the Orange Shirt Society and started Orange Shirt Day, which honours Indigenous children who were forced into residential schools. Meeting each Webstad came together through social media posts and felt like it was meant to be, said Genier. “We were only with her for about 20 minutes, but it just meant a lot,” she said. “It was very emotional to meet her, and just to chat with her, and...
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Federal budget ignores Indigenous infrastructure needs: Assembly of First Nations
OTTAWA- The national chief of the Assembly of First Nations says the latest federal budget all but ignores the needs of the communities she represents. Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak says Ottawa is neglecting a long-standing promise to close the First Nations infrastructure gap by 2030. And she wants Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland to explain themselves in person when the AFN meets in Montreal in July. A recent Assembly of First Nations report found that $349 billion is needed to close that gap, a price tag that is only expected to grow. But the federal budget only allocated a total of $918 million to upgrade First Nations, Metis and Inuit infrastructure across Canada. Woodhouse Nepinak says she’s also meeting with opposition parties to lay out the assembly’s...
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Federal budget ignores Indigenous infrastructure needs: Assembly of First Nations
OTTAWA- The national chief of the Assembly of First Nations says the latest federal budget all but ignores the needs of the communities she represents. Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak says Ottawa is neglecting a long-standing promise to close the First Nations infrastructure gap by 2030. And she wants Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland to explain themselves in person when the AFN meets in Montreal in July. A recent Assembly of First Nations report found that $349 billion is needed to close that gap, a price tag that is only expected to grow. But the federal budget only allocated a total of $918 million to upgrade First Nations, Metis and Inuit infrastructure across Canada. Woodhouse Nepinak says she’s also meeting with opposition parties to lay out the assembly’s...
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Let’s Celebrate Earth Day!
Turtle Island News annual Earth Day tree-give away is April 22nd, and through the years we have had so many enjoy the day. (Turtle Island News files) For details view our poster....
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SNEC telling band members to appeal water claim denial
Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) is encouraging band members who are being turned down for any compensation from the massive $8 billion First Nations Drinking Water Settlement (FNDWS)to appeal. SNEC Councillor Helen Miller told council community members who submitted applications for a share of the settlement last year are now receiving letters denying their claims. She told the SNEC April 9th meeting the denials are due to Six Nations not making the cut for the approved First Nations list. “They are starting to go out to the ones that applied last year,” she said. “ She said people are being turned down “because Six Nations isn’t on the qualified list, so just letting everybody know.” Miller is urging community members to appeal the decision. Elected Chief Sherri Lyn Hill says...
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CMHC changes disguise transfer of services councillor says
Six Nations’ Housing Department doesn’t think changes to the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation will have much effect on their program delivery, but Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) isn’t so sure. Lily-Anne Mt. Pleasant, director of housing told SNEC changes to the CMHC’s On-Reserve Residential Rehabilitation Assistance Program (RRAP) won’t cause changes to service delivery despite CMHC moving to an amalgamation of services already offered to Six Nations community members. She said changes to the programs only include the First Nation taking on responsibility for inspections rather than CMHC employing Ontario First Nations Technical Services Corp (OFNTSC). to perform those inspections. Six Nations already employs an inspector. “We use our own inspectors prior to application anyways and we do final inspection to ensure it’s up to code,” she said. “OFNTSC...
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Six Nations Police investigating after body found on Second Line
Six Nations Police are investigating after the body of a man was found on Second Line Road near Chiefswood Road late Friday afternoon. Police, Six Nations Fire Department and Ambulance Services all responded to the location. Emmergency Services received a 911 call shortly after 5 p.m. about an unresponsive person, police said in a media release on Friday night. Upon arrival, police located a man near the side of road who was deceased. A portion of Second Line Road between Chiefswood Road and Tuscarora Road was closed for several hours during the police investigation....
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Animal wellness program gets funded, but vandalism hitting program kennels
Six Nations is planning to fund and look into the maintenance of its Animal Wellness program. The program hasn’t had a long-term funding source since 2021, but Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) passed a motion to give the program $290,000 as a result of 2023 /24 Economic Development Management Agreement. Kelly Gordon, Portfolio Lead for Health Services told SNEC’s April 15th finance meeting the program was funded through Ontario First Limited Partnership (OFNLP) funds prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, but was transferred to the Health Services Department in 2021 where they were able to fund the program with excess COVID-19 funding, but funding for the 2023-2024 fiscal year was up in the air. “Within our department we are quite limited. There’s not a lot of surplus, to our knowledge. Within...
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Six Nations Elected Council okays town using Mohawk name
Six Nations Elected Council went behind closed doors to support the use of the Mohawk name for a city’s lacrosse team despite city residents arguing it was discriminatory. The team dropped the name after it drew the ire of local Elora residents. Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) updated the community during its April 9th council meeting about its decision to support the Elora Mohawks returning to the use of its former name. SNEC passed a motion in-camera after the March 26th meeting to support the team by writing a letter to the Centre Wellington Minor Lacrosse Association. The letter will give SNEC’s blessing to use the name Mohawk in the team name, but within the motion expressed the team should educate itself on Haudenosaunee history and culture. Elected Chief Sherri...
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Local man wins $100,000 in LOTTO MAX draw
A local man is $100,000 richer today after winning a LOTTO MAX draw. Brent Staats matched the last six of seven ENCORE numbers in the exact order needed to win the Feb., 9, 2024 LOTTO MAX draw of $100,000. Brent, 39, says he just started to play the lottery regularly this year and this is his first big win. “I always add ENCORE to my ticket,” he said at the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto where he was picking up his winnings. The father of two received an email from OLG when he discovered he won big. “I was so excited and happy to see I won. The first person I told was my wife and she was in disbelief – she couldn’t believe I won!” Brent plans to purchase...
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Film company to shoot film scenes on Six Nations
A Hamilton based film company will shoot parts of a film on Six Nations as early as this fall. Ryan Furlong, owner of Fenian Films in Hamilton and Chris Cowles, a Los Angeles and Hamilton based producer, visited Six Nations Elected Council’s (SNEC) General Council meeting on April 9 to seek approval to film parts of For the Love of Rose on the reserve and for guidance on cultural accuracy. “The film touches upon Indigenous characters and we want to get the tradition and cultural components right,” Furlong said. SNEC approved the request. The film is about a former champion boxer, Tom King, who has a wife and child to care for, but falls into poverty and has a sizable debt. He is offered a job, by a wealthy man,...
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Councillor wants to streamline process
The way Six Nations councillors report their activities may change. Six Nations Elected Councillor Helen Miller suggested lumping council reports at the end of the month at the Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) General Council meeting on April 9. “When the month is over all your meetings have been attended,” she said. “I think we need to make it more organized. We have a spot for them on every agenda… I think we need to schedule them better.” Miller said councillors should also give a verbal report to community members along with a written report submitted to council. Miller included the chief’s update portion of the agenda as well because sometimes Elected Chief Sherri Lyn Hill doesn’t have an update to give. Miller said when there isn’t an update to...
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When a secret meeting really is a secret…
Hmmm… so Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) says they didn’t keep a meeting with mayors from up and down the Haldimand Tract a secret. A meeting held at the Gathering Place, with no public notice, no press invites, no photo ops and a meeting, we as a newspaper learned about from…well, the mayors not the Six Nations Elected Chief or her communications’ army. During regular discussions with some area politicians we learned they were attending a dinner with SNEC some of which, by the way quipped, “ so I guess we will see you there.” So how does Six Nations Elected Chief Sherri-Lyn Hill react to Turtle Island News learning of the closed, secret meeting with mayors and having to learn from her guests? Instead of learning from her mistake,...
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Weekly Cartoon
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MLA concerned ‘a lot of trust has been broken’ between RCMP and Indigenous women
By Tom Taylor, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter NWT NEWS/NORTH MLA Jane Weyallon Armstrong is concerned that there is a growing rift between Indigenous women and members of the RCMP. “There’s not enough trust,’’ she told NNSL Media on April 9. “A lot of trust has been broken.’’ Weyallon Armstrong, who represents the four Tlicho communities of Behchoko, Whati, Gameti and Wekweeti, first broached her concern about the distrust between some Indigenous women and NWT police during the Feb. 29 session of the legislative assembly. She contended at the time that, over the years, women in her communities have told her stories about mistreatment at the hands of the RCMP, including “having their hair pulled’’ and their “wrists fractured by excessive use of force.’’ “It’s happening,’’ she added in April. “They’re...
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Sharp rise in OD deaths demands better policies for those in their 20s, 30s: study
By Camille Bains THE CANADIAN PRESS Opioid-related deaths doubled in Canada between 2019 and the end of 2021, with Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta experiencing a dramatic jump, mostly among men in their 20s and 30s, says a new study that calls for targeted harm-reduction policies. Researchers from the University of Toronto analyzed accidental opioid-related deaths between Jan. 1, 2019 and Dec. 31, 2021 in those provinces as well as British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, and the Northwest Territories. Manitoba saw the sharpest rise in overdose deaths for those aged 30 to 39- reaching 500 deaths per million population, more than five times the 89 deaths per million population recorded at the beginning of the study period. In Saskatchewan, the death toll for that age group nearly...
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Local lacrosse player enjoying time with the National Lacrosse League’s Las Vegas Desert Dogs
By Sam Laskaris Writer Blake Gibson-McDonald has been racking up the frequent flyer miles. That’s because the 27-year-old Six Nations member is a member of the Las Vegas Desert Dogs, who compete in the professional National Lacrosse League (NLL). Gibson-McDonald had spent the past two years on the east coast, suiting up for the NLL’s Philadelphia Wings. Gibson-McDonald spends a good chunk of his work week doing social media and community outreach locally for the Ogwehowek Skills & Trades Training Centre. But as the weekend approaches, he finds himself on a plane to Las Vegas or to one of several other North American destinations if the Desert Dogs have a road game on their schedule. “I go to every practice,” Gibson-McDonald told The Turtle Island News in an interview this...
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