Northern Ontario wildfires destroy homes in First Nation, prompt large evacuations
By Maan Alhmidi Forest fires in northwestern Ontario have devastated several communities, forcing widespread evacuations and destroying homes and buildings in one First Nation as harrowing wildfire videos and images emerge on social media. The fires have prompted evacuation orders for several communities, including Armstrong, Lac La Croix First Nation, Collins First Nation, Whitesand First Nation, Gull Bay First Nation and Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation. Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief Linda Debassige said a fast-moving wildfire has advanced toward Namaygoosisagagun First Nation, also known as Collins First Nation. The fire has caused extensive damage and destruction to homes and buildings, Debassige said in a statement. She said community members were forced to flee without the support of emergency services but all have been accounted for based on the...
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Chiefs warn they’ll fight any assault on First Nations rights in major projects push
By Alessia Passafiume First Nations chiefs say they’ll oppose any actions by federal and provincial governments to expedite major projects that would undermine their rights and environmental protections. They passed two resolutions at the Assembly of First Nations annual general meeting in Ottawa on Wednesday confirming that stance and committing the AFN to opposing legislation or policies that dilute their rights or undermine their decision-making processes. Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation Chief Veronica Smith said recent federal moves to speed up major projects “have raised concerns among First Nations across Canada that efforts to expedite project approvals may undermine the meaningful implementation of free, prior and informed consent, treaty relationships, environmental stewardship responsibilities and nation-to-nation decision-making.” Many First Nations have expressed concerns about Prime Minister Mark Carney’s major project...
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Northern Ontario fires prompt large-scale evacuations, destroy homes in First Nation
By Maan Alhmidi and Allison Jones Forest fires in northwestern Ontario have devastated several communities, forcing widespread evacuations and destroying homes and buildings in one First Nation as harrowing wildfire videos and images emerge on social media. The fires have prompted evacuation orders for several communities, including Armstrong, Lac La Croix First Nation, Collins First Nation, Whitesand First Nation, Gull Bay First Nation and Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation. Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief Linda Debassige said a fast-moving wildfire has advanced toward Namaygoosisagagun First Nation, also known as Collins First Nation. The fire has caused extensive damage and destruction to homes and buildings, Debassige said in a statement. She said community members were forced to flee without the support of emergency services but all have been accounted for...
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Wild fire smoke from northern Ontario pushing into southern Ontario including Six Nations
A haze caused by smoke from northern fires fill the skies over the Grand River at Ohsweken Wednesday, July 15, 2026 (Photo by Alex Murray) SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND RIVER-Wildfire smoke drifting into southern Ontario has produced an orange sky hanging over most cities and towns causing an air quality warning to be issued across the province. More relief is expected tomorrow, after Wednesday, July 15th, registered some of the worst air quality in the world as a result of smoke from northwestern Ontario forest fires moving south. Environment Canada updated its air quality warning to orange in the Toronto area as a result of heavy smoke conditions from wildfires. The wildfire smoke caused poor air quality and reduced visibility for much of southern Ontario, the federal weather...
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Wildfire smoke turns Toronto sky orange, prompts air quality alerts across Ontario
By Kathryn Mannie Smoke from wildfires in northwestern Ontario is drifting south and choking the skies over Toronto and other regions. Environment Canada’s air quality warnings are active from Thunder Bay to Kingston and down to London as several First Nations communities in northwestern Ontario are under mandatory evacuation orders due to forest fires. Jean-Philippe Bégin, a meteorologist with the weather agency, says winds from the northwest will continue to blanket Toronto and southern Ontario with smoke until at least Friday, when winds are expected to change direction and blow smoke north. It could bring relief to southern Ontarians by the end of the week but would put communities north of the fires in the crosshairs. “It’s only displacing the problem,” Bégin said, “as long as the forest fires are...
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Feds announce new members of Senate appointments advisory board
By Catherine Morrison A week after Prime Minister Mark Carney announced his first picks for the Red Chamber, the federal government named almost a dozen people to its Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments. In 2016, the previous Liberal government created the independent advisory board to provide non-binding recommendations on Senate appointments to the prime minister. But the board had become largely dormant under Carney, with most of the seats on it left vacant. On Wednesday, the government announced its plans for the board. The statement said the board will continue to have three federal members, including a chair, and two additional members from each province or territory where a Senate vacancy is to be filled — the same as it was under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. A news release...
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Chiefs warn they’ll fight any assault on First Nations rights in major projects push
By Alessia Passafiume First Nations chiefs say they’ll oppose any actions by federal and provincial governments to expedite major projects that would undermine their rights and environmental protections. They passed two resolutions at the Assembly of First Nations annual general meeting in Ottawa on Wednesday confirming that stance and committing the AFN to opposing legislation or policies that dilute their rights or undermine their decision-making processes. Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation Chief Veronica Smith said recent federal moves to speed up major infrastructure projects “have raised concerns among First Nations across Canada that efforts to expedite project approvals may undermine the meaningful implementation of free, prior and informed consent, treaty relationships, environmental stewardship responsibilities and nation-to-nation decision-making.” Many First Nations have expressed concerns about Prime Minister Mark Carney’s major...
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Northern Ontario wildfires destroy homes, buildings in First Nation community
Forest fires in northwestern Ontario have devastated several communities, forcing widespread evacuations and destroying homes and buildings in one First Nation. The fires have prompted evacuation orders for several communities, including Armstrong, Lac La Croix First Nation, Collins First Nation, Whitesand First Nation, Gull Bay First Nation and Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation. Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief Linda Debassige says a fast-moving wildfire has advanced toward Namaygoosisagagun First Nation, also known as Collins First Nation. Debassige says in a statement that the fire has caused extensive damage and destruction to homes and buildings. She says community members were forced to flee without the support of emergency services but all have been accounted for based on the information available as of this morning. Collins First Nation Chief Helen Paavola...
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AFN-Chiefs call on feds to criminalize residential school denialism as hate speech
By Alessia Passafiume First Nations chiefs say the federal government is enabling residential school denialism by failing to make it a crime. The chiefs passed an emergency resolution at the Assembly of First Nations meeting in Ottawa this week calling on the feds to criminalize residential school denialism as hate speech. Chief David Monias of Pimicikamak Cree Nation says the truth is not optional and that reconciliation cannot exist without it. He says there is extensive documentation of the abuse those institutions perpetrated on First Nations children and efforts to downplay that history distort the truth. More than 150,000 Indigenous children were forced to attend residential schools, the last of which closed in 1996. An estimated 6,000 children died in the schools, though experts say the actual number could be...
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New gathering space marks major milestone for Cold Lake FirstNations
By Chantel Downes, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Lakeland This Week The nation officially broke ground on the new Community Gathering Space on June 19. The facility will be located between Hotel Dene and Casino Dene along Highway 28 and is expected to accommodate up to 750 guests. Once complete, the space will be used for community celebrations, cultural gatherings, conferences, trade shows, markets, meetings, weddings, and other special events. It will also directly connect Hotel Dene and Casino Dene, strengthening the nation’s hospitality and tourism offerings. Shawna Janvier, CEO of Hotel Dene & Conference Centre and Casino Dene, said the Community Gathering Space has been years in the making. “It’s been in the planning stages for about five years or so, most of that being in the last three years....
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Wildfire smoke turns Toronto sky orange
(CP) Smoke from wildfires in northwestern Ontario drifted south and choked the skies over Toronto and other regions on Wednesday. Environment Canada’s air quality warnings are active from Thunder Bay to Kingston and down to London as several First Nations communities in northwestern Ontario are under mandatory evacuation orders due to forest fires....
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Feds announce new members of reformed Senate advisory board
By Catherine Morrison A week after Prime Minister Mark Carney announced his first picks for the Red Chamber, the federal government has named almost a dozen people to its Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments. In 2016, the previous Liberal government created the independent advisory board to provide non-binding recommendations on Senate appointments to the prime minister. Under the Carney government, the board will continue to have three federal members, including a chair, and two additional members from each province or territory where a Senate vacancy is to be filled — the same as it was under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. A news release today says the board will be chaired by François Rolland, who has served as a federal member of the board since 2018. Others named to the...
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Impending closure of Ekati diamond mine a ‘deeply disappointing outcome’: owner
The impending closure of the insolvent Ekati diamond mine is a “deeply disappointing outcome” for workers, shareholders and communities in the Northwest Territories, said the chief executive of Australia-based Burgundy Diamond Mines. “Ekati has made an extraordinary contribution to the territory for more than 25 years as a major private-sector employer and through its long-standing relationships with Indigenous communities and local businesses,” Jeremy King said in an announcement posted to the Australian Stock Exchange. The Supreme Court of British Columbia granted the Canadian arm of Burgundy, Arctic Canadian Diamond Company Ltd., protection from creditors in May. Since then, Burgundy said it reached out to a broad range of potential investors and counterparties. “Despite an extensive process to identify new investment or a transaction, no viable proposal was received,” King said....
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Ogwadeni:deo Celebrates End of School Year At Annual Foam Party
By Alex Murray Writer School’s not truly out at Six Nations of the Grand River until the youngsters get to frolic around Ogwadeni:deo’s annual end of school year Foam Party. Hosted in the parking lot in front of Ogwadeni:deo for the second year running, over 100 community members and Six Nations youth came out for the event on a scorching hot Friday evening on July 10. Ogwadeni:deo community development worker and lead organizer for the Foam Party Brianne Cavan said it’s an opportunity for the kids to “let loose” after a long school year. “It’s an end of school party, so it’s for the kids to let loose after getting out of school,” Cavan told Turtle Island News as youngsters zipped around her carrying big smiles and lacrosse sticks and...
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Ministry of Finance wants meeting on “contraband” tobacco….RBC asks GRE partners to move accounts…too much money for bank?
By Lynda Powless Editor Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) held a closed-door meeting with the Ministry of Finance (MOF )just two weeks before the community’s largest tobacco company executives were ejected from a local bank. Turtle Island News has learned Elected Chief Sherri-Lyn Hill and CEO Debra Jonathan met with the MOF officials about what the ministry described as Six Nations’ “contraband tobacco” industry. The ministry said it had six questions it wanted to discuss with SNEC and ask the community. Turtle Island News has learned Elected Chief Sherri-Lyn Hill brought the meeting request to SNEC saying she thought the meeting was a “good idea” because non-Six Nations people were now coming to Six Nations and opening tobacco manufacturing plants. Elected Chief Hill was referring to a June raid that...
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Six Nations agrees to consolidated funding agreement with MOH
Six Nations approved moving forward with a new consolidated funding agreement with Ontario’s Ministry of Health that officials say will significantly reduce administrative reporting requirements while giving the community greater flexibility over how provincial health dollars are used. The agreement, approved by SNEC in a recorded vote with one opposition from Councillor Helen Miller, marks the first phase of a multi-year effort to consolidate numerous provincial health funding agreements into a single transfer payment agreement. Bryan Herechuk, director of Well-Being, said the change will reduce administrative workload, increase local decision-making and allow funding to be shared across programs when needed, while maintaining existing funding levels. Herechuk told council the Department of Well-being currently manages numerous separate agreements with both the Ministry of Health and Ontario Health, each carrying its own...
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Six Nations Farmers get $75,000 for white corn project
Six Nations approved $75,000 for the Six Nations Farmers Association’s 2026 White Corn Project following an emotional debate over new funding policies, accountability measures and the future of one of the community’s longest-running food initiatives. Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) voted 10-2 to allocate the funding from Ontario First Nations Limited Partnership (OFNLP) funds at the General Finance Committee meeting on July 6 after Art and Jesse Porter from the Six Nations Farmers Association raised concerns that delays in the approval process left them planting this year’s crop without knowing whether financial support would be available. The discussion highlighted growing tensions between council’s push for stronger financial accountability and concerns that new funding requirements are being applied to long-standing community programs that have operated for decades. Art Porter told SNEC...
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Artist Corrie Hill Hopes to Inspire the Next Generation of Six Nations Artists With Indigenous GO Bus Design
By Alex Murray Writer It was near the shores of Lake Erie at the now-closed Ridgeway-Crystal Beach High School that Six Nations artist Corrie Hill discovered her love of art. Hill, who was tapped by Metrolinx to do their National Indigenous History Month (NIHM) GO Bus wraparound design this year, always knew she wanted to create “beautiful things.” She just didn’t know what exactly those things would be. It was only when she connected her Haudenosaunee heritage with her love of art that she finally “put two and two together.” “As I got older, I kind of made the choice to start my healing journey, start feeling my mental wellness and kind of rebuild that connection to my Haudenosaunee heritage and that’s kind of where I put two and two...
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Editorial: Six Nations sovereignty versus Ontario
There’s nothing complicated about what Ontario’s Ministry of Finance (MOF) does. For First Nations communities it’s clear. It enforces the Tobacco Tax Act. It sends the Ontario Provincial Police to hide in plain sight around First Nation communities to arrest unsuspecting consumers of egregious behaviour! The behaviour? Along with buying a local craft they dared to buy a tobacco product in a First Nation community. Their crime! They didn’t pay taxes. The reason for the push? Politics. Off reserve convenience stores (voters) complain the sale of their tobacco products has fallen due to sales in First Nation communities. Not a fact they’ve actually been able to prove since tobacco sales began falling for various health reasons years ago. The real reason. Ontario doesn’t like not collecting the taxes. So now,...
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Kashechewan: Ottawa “dragging their feet” as First Nations faces evacuations
By Alex Murray Writer NIAGARA FALLS, ONT- For Kashechewan First Nation it’s been six months…and counting. The First Nation has been evacuated at least once in each of the last 18 years, but the latest now means they are being separated from their land for six months. It’s the longest evacuation Tyson Wesley can remember. “It’s not the situation that we would like to be in. I think our people ultimately want to just be home,” Wesley, Kashechewan’s Executive Director, told Turtle Island News. “It’s not a vacation for us when we’re in Niagara Falls. It’s not a six-month vacation where we’re in a hotel.” A state of emergency was declared by the First Nation on January 3, 2026, when cryptosporidium was found to be infecting the water supply. Most...
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