Tribes that restored buffalo are killing some to feed people because of the shutdown
By Matthew Brown And Graham Lee Brewer Of And Amelia Schafer Of Ict WOLF POINT, Mont. (AP) — On the open plains of the Fort Peck Reservation, Robert Magnan leaned out the window of his truck, set a rifle against the door frame and then “pop!” — a bison tumbled dead in its tracks. Magnan and a co-worker shot two more bison, also known as buffalo, and quickly field dressed the animals before carting them off for processing into ground beef and cuts of meat for distribution to members of the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes in northern Montana. As lawmakers in Washington, D.C., plod toward resolving the record government shutdown that interrupted food aid for tens of millions of people, tribal leaders on rural reservations across the Great...
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The 37 donors helping pay for Trump’s $300 million White House ballroom
By Will Weissert WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says his $300 million White House ballroom will be paid for “100% by me and some friends of mine.” The White House released a list of 37 donors, including crypto billionaires, charitable organizations, sports team owners, powerful financiers, tech and tobacco giants, media companies, longtime supporters of Republican causes and several of the president’s neighbors in Palm Beach, Florida. It’s incomplete. Among others, the list doesn’t include Carrier Group, which offered to donate an HVAC system for the ballroom, and artificial intelligence chipmaker Nvidia, whose CEO, Jensen Huang, publicly discussed its donation. The White House hasn’t said how much each donor is giving, and almost none was willing to divulge that. Very few commented on their contributions when contacted by The...
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First Nations firefighting team from Manitoba captures national title
By Sam Laskaris, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Windspeaker.com Though the team was making its first appearance at a national event, Josh Roulette had a good feeling that the Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation Firefighters would capture a Canadian championship. Roulette is the fire chief of the six-man firefighting team that won the over-all title at the 36th annual National Firefighting Competition held Oct. 25 in Calgary. A total of eight teams participated in the event. Other competing squads represented British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, Nunavut and the Atlantic region. This marked the fourth year the team from Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation, located in southern Manitoba, has participated in firefighting contests, but in previous years it had some stiff competition within its own province and had not won the...
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Inuit university will get $50 million from federal government: MP Idlout
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News The federal government has promised to create a $50-million fund to build Inuit Nunangat University and the minister of Indigenous Services Canada has faith the Inuit Child First Initiative will continue, MP Lori Idlout told Nunavut News. Idlout said the Prime Minister’s Office told her that the federal government would match the contribution made by national Inuit organization Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) to build an Inuit-led university in the North. The new university would have a main campus and four satellite campuses, Idlout said she was told, with the possibility of Cambridge Bay serving as one of the locations. “They have included an announcement to fund the Inuit Nunangat University. While they didn’t include it in the budget, I did...
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Hudson’s Bay finds new homes for war memorials, lawyer looks to relocate U.K. plaques
By Tara Deschamps Several war memorials previously on display at Hudson’s Bay stores are getting new homes. Plaques from the department store’s Calgary, Winnipeg and Vancouver locations have all been donated to local branches of the Royal Canadian Legion, said Franco Perugini, a senior vice-president of real estate and legal at the defunct retailer, in a Wednesday email to The Canadian Press. Another memorial commemorating Simpsons employees who died in the Second World War was given to TD Bank, the financial institution revealed the same day. Simpsons is a former department store HBC bought in 1978. The plaques have been in need of a new home since Hudson’s Bay closed all of its stores earlier this year and started winding down the business. The collapse almost immediately caught the attention...
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Woman facing impaired charge after Six Nations Police investigation
OHSWEKEN, ON-A 41-year-old Ohsweken woman is facing charges after Six Nations Police investigated a “suspicious vehicle parked at a local business on Third Line Road. Six Nations Police arrived at the scene at about 3:08 p.m. Sunday, Oct., 5, 2025, and said officers saw a vehicle parked with the windows down and a woman asleep in the driver’s seat. Police said while speaking with the woman impairment was suspected. An Approved Screening Device (ASD) was issued and police said it resulted in a” fail”. As a result, police arrested and charged Amber White, 41, of Ohsweken, Ontario with: – Impaired-Operation – Alcohol per se Offence “80 plus” The accused is scheduled to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice in Brantford, Ontario on a later date. The vehicle was impounded...
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Agricultural Day educates Six Nations about local food security
By Carly McHugh Writer The Six Nations Farmers Association’s Agricultural Day brought community members of all ages together for a common goal: to educate them about local farming initiatives and ensure the future of food security. Held at the Six Nations Community Centre on Nov. 7, the second-annual event featured interactive activities including a photo booth; corn, grain, greenhouse and vegetable garden displays; artwork depicting a cultural way of life and the growing cycle; and children’s farm activity centres. Attendees could also contribute to a variety of fundraisers, including a scratch board, a 50/50 draw, and beef and pork draws, with proceeds going toward the association’s upcoming agricultural resource centre. The project began back in 2017, after local farmers assessed the status and future of agriculture in Six Nations. At...
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Six Nations, Brantford prepare for elders’ move to former Fox Ridge facility
By Carly McHugh Writer The Six Nations elders who were evacuated from Iroquois Lodge after the flood back in June will officially be making a temporary home at the former Fox Ridge Community Care building in Brantford. Close to 50 residents who had no choice but to leave Six Nations and stay at Peoplecare Communities in Delhi will soon be relocated to the fully operational long-term care (LTC) facility, which was recently purchased by the city. Brantford city council voted in favour of the plan on Oct. 28, and the city took possession of the building on Oct. 30. All previous residents were moved to Fox Ridge’s new site prior to the sale. Now that Brantford has possession of the building, they will prioritize moving the displaced elders. There will...
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Six Nations man facing attempted murder charge
BRANTFORD, ONT- Brantford Police have arrested an Ohsweken man accused of stabbing two men on Saturday. Police said the man was arrested Monday ( Nov. 12). Brantford Police said the charges came after learning that an altercation had occurred around 2:20 a.m. Saturday outside a bar at Market and Chatham Streets. Two men were stabbed in the incident. Police said one man was treated with life-threatening injuries and the second man was treated for serious injuries. Police said the suspect fled the scene following the stabbing. Police arrested a 27-year-old man of Ohsweken Monday at 11 a.m. The man has been charged with: • two counts of attempted murder • two counts aggravated assault. • breach of probation, release order and undertaking. The accused man was held for bail. Police...
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Indigenous leaders federal budget short on health care, education
By Dylan Robertson The federal budget fails to offer the investments in health and education their communities desperately need, some Indigenous leaders said Wednesday, a day after the Liberals tabled the latest fiscal plan in the House of Commons. The budget froze annual base funding for Indigenous health and social services and for treaty work. Ottawa says that freeze amounts to a two per cent cut at a time when most federal agencies face a 15 per cent cut. Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak said the freeze will have serious impacts on communities with high birthrates. She also said the budget offers no plan to close the education gap that holds back economic growth in Indigenous communities. “Sadly, yesterday’s budget did not include any generational investments...
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Budget lacks fiscal detail, says Chiefs of Ontario official
The Chiefs of Ontario is seeking greater clarity on how new government programs will be implemented in partnership with First Nations and are calling for stronger, distinctions-based investments following the release of the 2025 federal budget this week. In a release to The Chronicle-Journal on Wednesday, Ontario Regional Chief Abram Benedict said Ontario First Nations want commitments that close the long-standing gaps in infrastructure, housing and essential services. “We recognize the federal government’s focus on growth and resilience, but true national strength must include equitable investments that ensure First Nations can thrive alongside all Canadians and are not left behind,” Benedict said. A three-year, $2.3-billion investment to renew the First Nations Water and Wastewater Enhanced Program and $1 billion to create an Arctic infrastructure fund are among several Indigenous-related investments...
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Budgets appear to weaken treaty pledges: grand chief
By Sandi Krasowski, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Chronicle-Journal Leaders of Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) voiced their concerns during the Treaties Recognition Week Fall Assembly that the 2025 federal budget offers little comfort and uncertainty for First Nations. The NAN leaders echoed the unease by the Chiefs of Ontario about funding cuts for Indigenous Services, and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, without clarity on where cuts will fall. NAN Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler says the budget replaces long-term investments with short, year-to-year cycles, which is concerning about how it will affect NAN’s collective efforts to close the housing, infrastructure and health gaps that define life in its communities. In a release to The Chronicle-Journal on Wednesday, Fiddler said Treaties Recognition Week should be a time to honour the sacred...
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Indigenous Services minister says Indigenous leaders shouldn’t worry about “zeros” in the budget
The Indigenous Services minister says community leaders shouldn’t worry about zeros in the recent federal budget for programs their members rely on. Instead, Mandy Gull-Masty says those holes are an opportunity for leaders to suggest where the government should allocate money in the future. The budget froze annual base funding for Indigenous health and social services and treaty work. Gull-Masty says this amounts to a two per cent cut at a time when other ministers were told to trim spending by 15 per cent. Indigenous leaders worry the cuts go far beyond the advertised two per cent, with funding for Trudeau-era programs — including education and emergency management — set to expire next year, Instead, this budget, unlike previous ones, has no specific chapter on Indigenous spending, with a heavy...
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SNIPE keeps the scares going long after Halloween
By Carly McHugh Writer Since they were eight years old, Todd Thomas Sr. and his brother, Trevor Thomas, have had a passion for interacting with ghosts. Back then, no one believed them. But that has very much changed, as they have now gained a following from getting up close and personal with spirits from Ohsweken and beyond. In 2011, after years of visiting haunted locations casually with friends, Todd founded Six Nations Investigating Paranormal Encounters (SNIPE) and began getting more serious about ghost hunting. Over time, his team has improved their techniques and grown to involve familiar faces like his close friends Artie Martin and Jay Smith. In fact, SNIPE has gained so much traction in the ghost hunting realm that they now have their own TV show on APTN....
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Will he build, baby build?
Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty says we shouldn’t worry about all the zeros in the federal budget released last week. Nor should Indigenous leaders worry about what the feds are calling only a two percent cut in funding . Kinda makes you wonder if she’s reading the same document Indigenous leaders are. Remember these are the same Liberals who say they are still ‘committed to reconciliation.’ But instead of a commitment to a way forward what has happened is the slashing of Indigenous communities much needed funding to two percent at both Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) by the Carney government. Add to it a freeze on funding for Indigenous health and social services. Add to that not a word on closing the...
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Today in History
Nov 10 In 2024, Indigenous leaders gathered along with politicians, family and friends in celebrating the life and legacy of Murray Sinclair. The former Truth and Reconciliation Commission leader died on Nov. 4 2024 at the age of 73. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau paid tribute to Sinclair at the commemorative ceremony held at Winnipeg’s Canada Life Centre, home to the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets. Nov 11 In 2008, Joseph Boyden won the $50,000 Scotiabank Giller Prize for his second novel “Through Black Spruce,” a portrait of contemporary aboriginal life and family struggles that ensue after a beautiful young woman goes missing. In 2021, Indigenous author Lee Maracle, who championed the stories of native women to change the face of Canadian literature, died. A family friend said the acclaimed author, poet and...
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UNDER THE NORTHERN SKY: There Is No Such Thing As A Just or Honourable War
By Xavier Kataquapit As we are ready to honour November 11, Remembrance Day I think about the destruction war has done to my James Bay Cree family and my partner Mike’s Irish Canadian family. When you are affected by the death, wounding or dramatization of family members you realize how the terrorism of war ripples on into generations. There is no glamour, no justice and no sense to any war ever fought that I can understand. In the First World War a recruiter made his way by canoe on the river systems all the way to Attawapiskat in 1916 and in fact more or less coerced a group of 22 young Cree men. He took them by canoe route south where these men ended up on a train which travelled...
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Former Six Nations chief Ava Hill named to Hockey Canada’s Indigenous Advisory Circle
By Sam Laskaris Writer Hockey Canada officials are doing their bit to further reconciliation efforts. And they’ve chosen a former Six Nations chief to assist with their endeavours. Ava Hill, who spent 15 years on the Six Nations council, including a pair of terms as chief, is one of 11 individuals who have been appointed to Hockey Canada’s inaugural Indigenous Advisory Circle. The group, which will have its first meeting in Toronto on Wednesday, will help inform Hockey Canada’s policies, programs and practices as well as initiatives that will advance work with Indigenous peoples. Hill, who did not seek to be re-elected as the local chief after her last term expired in 2019, said individuals had to apply to join the Indigenous Advisory Circle. “It looks like they were making...
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Rookie university football season ends for Six Nations member
By Sam Laskaris Writer For Six Nations member Brody Thomas it was a year of paying his dues. Thomas, a defensive lineman, was a rookie with the Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks’ football squad. Though he was a star at Caledonia’s McKinnon Park Secondary School, Thomas did not dress for any of the Golden Hawks’ matches this season. Laurier’s 2025 campaign came to an end this past Saturday. The Golden Hawks were downed 30-27 by the visiting Queen’s Gaels of Kingston in the Yates Cup, the Ontario university championship match. Laurier had won the Yates Cup last year and also advanced to the national Vanier Cup final, which was captured by the Laval Rouge et Or. The Golden Hawks had more than 100 players on their roster this season. Thus,...
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SPORTS BRIEFS: Six Nations Ironmen split weekend games
By Sam Laskaris Writer Ironmen register Sunday victory with last-minute goal Thanks to a last-minute goal on Sunday, the Six Nations Ironmen were able to split their two weekend games. The Ironmen, who are competing in their inaugural season of the Northern Premier Hockey League (NPHL), edged the Tilbury Bluebirds 4-3 on Sunday. Tyler Hill scored the game-winning goal, assisted by his younger brother Theo, with just 18 seconds remaining in the contest, held at the Six Nations Sports & Cultural Memorial Centre. It was a welcome result for the Six Nations squad which was thumped 11-3 by the host Alvinston Killer Bees on Saturday night. Theo Hill, Tycie Cowan and Terry Bridgland scored the other Ironmen goals on Sunday. Meanwhile, Tim Porter, who made 29 saves, picked up the...
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