Want to plant trees? Tree Canada can help!
By Emily Plihal Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 26/06/2024 17:50 Northern Sunrise County is looking for avid outdoor enthusiasts looking to plant more trees to be part of Tree Canada’s new National Greening Program. “In 2023, an opportunity arose through a partnership with the Alberta Conservation Association (ACA) and has evolved significantly since then,” says Environmental Program Coordinator Katie Bartman. “While the ALUS program allowed for smaller projects to be executed, the Tree Canada National Greening Program has accelerated the reforestation process considerably.” The purpose of the National Greening Program is to target areas in need of reforestation or afforestation with mass seedling plantings. Last year, according to Tree Canada, over 2 million trees were planted in five regions: British Columbia, the Prairies, Ontario, Quebec, and the Atlantic. Tree Canada is...
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Leaked TC Energy recording prompts B.C. to probe claims of outsized lobbying influence on government
By Matt Simmons, Mike De Souza The Narwhalé Local Journalism Initiative 26/06/2024 18:07 B.C. Attorney General Niki Sharma has asked a provincial watchdog to look into a series of bold claims about how an executive at a Canadian oil and gas giant — and former BC NDP political staffer — claimed the company had leveraged political connections to persuade the provincial government to significantly weaken its environmental policies. “We’ve been given opportunities to write entire briefing notes for ministers and premiers and prime ministers,” a TC Energy executive was recorded saying in a leaked tape from March 2024, adding that sometimes “overworked and underpaid” public servants “just want the job done for them.” The executive in question is Liam Iliffe, a former chief of staff to ex-premier John Horgan. Iliffe...
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Catholic Church and B.C. First Nation unveil covenant on residential schools
The Canadian Press 26/06/2024 18:37 The leader of Vancouver’s Roman Catholic archdiocese says the church was wrong to administer residential schools in British Columbia, and he hopes a newly released covenant with a First Nation can act as a road map for redress. Archbishop J. Michael Miller said the covenant between the archdiocese, the diocese of Kamloops and the Tkemlups te Secwepemc First Nation, signed in March, can be “an instrument of further dialogue and accountability” in guiding reconciliation between Indigenous and Christian communities across Canada. “In that sense, it’s not a finished document,” Miller said during an online news conference Wednesday alongside Tkemlups te Secwepemc Chief Rosanne Casimir. “It’s a living, dynamic statement of moving to the future in hope. By embracing these commitments, and the shared truths outlined...
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Northwest lithium project faces opposition
By Mike Stimpson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 26/06/2024 19:28 SANDY LAKE – An online petition against Frontier Lithium’s PAK Project is nearing its goal of 15,000 signatures, but Gary Mamagesic likely won’t be adding his name to the list. Not that the Sandy Lake First Nation member thinks open-pit lithium extraction south of his community is a good idea. Mamagesic said he grew up in Red Lake, where his father worked at an open-pit mine, so he has seen the ugliness of open-pit mining. Then there are his concerns about environmental impacts. “They’re going to need a lot of water and all the chemicals that are involved (in lithium mining),” he said. He said water levels could drop, adversely affecting the abundant fish supply Sandy Lake now enjoys. Mamagesic...
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Dams, storage ponds, used to hold contaminated water after Yukon mine landslide
The Canadian Press 26/06/2024 20:06 Contaminated water that overflowed in a landslide and equipment failure at a Yukon gold mine is being pumped into storage ponds, while the investigation continues into what went wrong, the territory’s Department of Energy, Mines and Resources said. Minister John Streicker said in a statement Wednesday that current information suggested the failure at the heap-leach facility at the Victoria Gold Eagle Mine on Monday had not affected drinking water for the Village of Mayo, about 80 kilometres south of the mine. The slide pushed contaminated water outside its containment area and over an embankment, the department said. Heap leaching uses chemicals to percolate through crushed ore, allowing it to extract gold, and the company’s website says the Eagle Mine uses a cyanide solution in the...
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Tribes honor the birth of a rare white buffalo calf in Yellowstone and reveal its name: Wakan Gli
The Associated Press 26/06/2024 20:12 WEST YELLOWSTONE, Mont. (AP) — In a gathering near a picturesque lake outside Yellowstone National Park, hundreds of people cheered Wednesday as a Native American leader spoke the name revealed on a painted hide for a rare white buffalo that was born in the park earlier this month: Wakan Gli, which means “Return Sacred” in Lakota. The moment marked the highlight of a Native American religious ceremony to commemorate the calf’s birth that also featured dancing, drumming, singing and the retelling of how a mysterious woman brought a message of reassurance during hard times. Earlier this month, the white buffalo calf was born in Yellowstone National Park’s vast and lush Lamar Valley, where huge, lumbering bison graze by the hundreds in scenes reminiscent of the...
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‘Pivotal moment’: Trudeau and Tsilhqotʼin nation celebrate anniversary of land ruling
The Canadian Press Chief Joe Alphonse of the Tsilhqot’in First Nation says the 2014 court ruling that resulted in the first declaration of Aboriginal title in Canadian history triggered a decade of “huge” shifts. Alphonse said on Wednesday’s 10th anniversary of the Supreme Court of Canada decision that recognized the First Nation as the titleholder within their traditional territory that there had been a transformation in policy toward Indigenous people that “cut deeper than I ever imagined that one single case could.” Speaking in Tsilhqot’in territory in the remote Nemaiah Valley in British Columbia’s Interior, Alphonse said the “pendulum’s always swinging in politics,” looking back on the last decade while remembering the adversarial relationship with the Harper-era Conservatives. Alphonse said he feared a change in the federal government would mean...
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Lawyers looking for thousands of families owed money by Veterans Affairs
Lawyers are trying to get in touch with hundreds of thousands of people who are owed money through a class-action lawsuit against Veterans Affairs. The suit was launched after the Veterans Ombudsman found the government had been improperly calculating the disability pensions and benefits of some clients starting in 2003. The government reached an $817-million settlement in April with a group of former military and RCMP members. Around 117,000 veterans will get their payouts from the department directly, but another 215,000 eligible people have since died. Lawyer Michel Drapeau says if their surviving family members don’t file a claim they will miss out on the payment. There’s already been an exhaustive search involving social media and mailouts, and the law firms involved have hired management and consulting firm KPMG to...
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Federal offender at large for almost a year arrested at Ohsweken
Brantford, ON – A Federal Offender who was unlawfully at large for almost a year has been arrested in Ohsweken, Six Nations of the Grand River . The Repeat Offender Parole Enforcement (R.O.P.E.) Squad said Bryce Saunders had been unlawfully at large since September 13, 2023. A Canada Wide Warrant was issued for his arrest and police said, at the time, he was know to frequent the City of Brantford. Bryce Saunders, 22, was located at Ohsweken and arrested by the ROPE Squad. Saunders, who is Indigenous, was described as six-feet-tall, around 140 pounds with brown hair and hazel eyes and tattoos n his right hand with the letters “OTF” and another his left forearm. He is serving a 3 year and 10-month sentence for Possession of a Firearm, Possession...
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Brantford man and woman facing child pornography charges
BRANTFORD, ONT- A city man and woman are facing child pornography charges as a result of a Brantford Police Service Internet Child Exploitation Unit (ICE) investigation. The Brantford Police ICE Unit executed a search warrant at a Brantford address after receiving a tip through the National Centre for Missing & Exploited Children. Police seized multiple computers, cellphones, and electronic devices during the course of the search and a follow up investigation. ICE Unit detectives found evidence of child pornography on the various devices. As a result of the investigation, on June 25, 2024, a 22-year-old man and a 22-year-old woman, both of Brantford, were arrested and held for a bail hearing. The two accused are each facing a charge of Accessing Child Pornography, contrary to the Criminal Code. The Brantford...
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Montour and Florida teammates capture Stanley Cup
By Sam Laskaris Writer The Stanley Cup will indeed soon be coming to Six Nations. That’s because local hockey player Brandon Montour and his Florida Panthers’ teammates are this year’s National Hockey League champs. The Panthers captured the Stanley Cup on Monday thanks to a 2-1 victory over the visiting Edmonton Oilers. With that Game 7 triumph the Florida squad won its best-of-seven league final 4-3. Each member of the winning organization traditionally gets to spend a day with the Stanley Cup and take it wherever he wants. During the television broadcast of the Panthers’ post-game celebrations, Montour confirmed he will bring one of the world’s most prestigious trophies to Six Nations once it is his day with the Cup. “Be ready for it to come home,” said Montour, a...
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Councillor’s concerns over closed meetings cut off as streaming goes black
By Lynda Powless Editor It was almost ironic. Just as Six Nations Elected Councillor Helen Miller was expressing concerns about the increase in closed council meetings with the current Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) the online viewing went black. The webcast last Tuesday of the live council session had been experiencing “technical difficulties” through the entire feed but it wasn’t until Councillor Miller raised concerns of transparency and closed sessions that all olf a sudden the live feed suddenly died. SNEC communications said it was a case of “technical difficulties.” Councillor Miller was voicing her concerns about the amount of closed meetings the current SNEC has started to host and the lack of agenda items on open meeting agendas. She told the General Council meeting on June 18, she was concerned....
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Six Nations Fall Fair gets $120,000 boost from community’s OFNLP gaming funds
Six Nations’ 155th annual Fall Fair will receive more than $100,000 from elected council, a donation Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) hopes will smooth over some community member’s frustrations with the bande’s new governance structure, a structure being blamed for an increase in closed SNEC meetings. SNEC approved a motion from the Community Committee to donate $120,000 to the Six Nations Agricultural Society (SNAG) for the Fall Fair at its General Finance meeting on June 17. Councillor Amos Key asked CEO Nathan Wright to send out a press release about the donation to quiet unrest in the community. “Because we’re giving out this public money, maybe we should have a press release going out that we’re donating that money to the fair board, just to get some brownie points because...
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Six Nations Councillors say they will be “out” in the open soon
By Austin Evans Writer Just as Six Nations Elected Councillor Helen Miller was warning band council it’s closed meetings violated its own communications’ policy councillor Miller became a victim of a live stream cutoff. Just 14 minutes into a short June 18th Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) meeting councillor Miller was voicing her displeasure with the lack of agenda items at the last three council meetings. “I’m getting upset,” she said in the sometimes delayed loading of the online stream with buffering issues, it also suffered sound echoing and bad resolution. “The last three council agendas, there’s been nothing on there. That’s not good,” she said. She told SNEC, “we have all these closed meetings, closed committees, closed political liaisons, we have nothing on the council agenda. It’s totally unacceptable...
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Chiefs frustrated with AFN’s child welfare work, say they’re not being consulted
The Canadian Press Three regional chiefs representing nearly half of First Nations say a national association is overstepping its mandate by making decisions that will directly affect children and families without consent. They also accuse the Assembly of First Nations of attempting to sideline an organization partly responsible for realization of a $40-billion settlement to address the matter. The chiefs, representing First Nations in Saskatchewan, British Columbia and Quebec-Labrador, said in a letter to the national chief that the organization is not being transparent in its negotiations for a final settlement agreement with Canada on First Nations child and family services. Chiefs Bobby Cameron, Terry Teegee and Ghislain Picard also said in the letter that the AFN’s legal counsel are attempting to exclude the First Nations Child and Family Caring...
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Cooling stations opened to beat the heat wave
Cooling stations on Six Nations open last week amid a week-long heatwave. Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) announced that the Community Hall and the Sports Den will open as cooling stations on June 19 at its General Council meeting on June 18. Councillor Melba Thomas brought the matter to the table after several community members have voiced concerns about the “excruating” heat. “If they don’t have, or their air conditioner breaks down, or they just have fans, we don’t know what’s all out there in the households,” she said. CEO Nathan Wright said those locations will be open to assist the community and the information will go out on the radio and social media. “They can head down to the Community Stations and they will also have water available there...
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Six Nations departments start to receive funding agreements
Jennifer Court, Director of Financial Reporting and Analysis presented a list of funding agreements to Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) at its General Finance meeting on June 17. The presentation was not shown at the meeting, but Court said there are currently $4.1 million in funding agreements SNEC’s departments have received for the 2024-2025 fiscal year. The agreements are from many sources including Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) and Public Services Canada. “I’ve spoken a few times to this council and explained ministry agreements come late in the year,” she said. “That does not mean we haven’t received the funds, but we haven’t received the agreements, so this is representative of agreements we’ve agreed to.” SNEC also approved two ISC funding amendments, including an additional $84,192 for health accreditation services, and...
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Heated Solidarity Day fun, but rides and firefighters kept it cool!
By Austin Evans Writer The heat warning wasn’t enough to stop Six Nations from showing off its community spirit on Solidarity Day. Residents from Six Nations and beyond made their way to the community centre at noon on June 21, going on rides, eating candy apples, and getting sprayed on by a firetruck. It was the community’s annual National Indigenous Peoples’ Day/Solidarity Day celebrations with SNEC putting on the event to bring everyone together and help them enjoy the sunny day despite the heat warning. “Today, it’s about bringing the community together, being able to share a meal with everyone, have some fun with the kids,” said event coordinator Leigh Thompson. “It’s also about staying cool, beating in the heat. We got the splash pad and Fire here doing checks...
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Six Nations Elected Council sneaking behind closed doors
Now eight months into the current Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) no one will get to hear the opinions of the individuals they elected. SNEC is muzzling itself under the guise of saying they don’t want the community to see them bickering and they appear afraid of online streaming. They are using adjusted agendas and silence to do it. They are shortening agendas for council meetings with selected items on them. All other items that require discussion will be pushed into a closed political liaison meeting where they can say whatever they like without fear of having to answer to the people who elected them. Oh, and by the way, that would be you! Elected Chief Sherri-Lyn Hill is leading the parade to keep issues and council voices away from...
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