Today in History
Nov 2 In 1796, Six Nations natives authorized Chief Brant to sell or lease some of their land to provide a steady income for the people.who were struggling to survive in their new settlements after the Revolutionary War. The goal of investing the money to generate a permanent annuity. In 1869, Louis Riel seized Fort Garry in Winnipeg during the Red River Rebellion. Nov 3 In 1995, Queen Elizabeth II signed a formal apology and compensation deal for indigenous Maori people dispossessed by British colonization of New Zealand. In 2021, Indigenous writers Katherena Vermette and Tomson Highway took home the top prizes at the Writers’ Trust Awards. Vermette, a Red River Métis author and poet in Winnipeg, won the $60,000 fiction award for “The Strangers.” Highway, based in Gatineau, Que.,...
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UNDER THE NORTHERN SKY – The Day The Earth Shook
by Xavier Kataquapit www.undethenorthernsky.com I was outside under the bright warm fall sunlight when I felt the world turn dark on me and the earth shook beneath my feet. My sister called with the tragic news that we had lost our 31 year old niece Myris Kataquapit. Myris, whom the family enjoyed simply calling ‘Mie’, was a bright light that touched many people in her extensive Kataquapit and Sutherland family of Attawapiskat. She is the daughter of my older brother Mario and Mie’s mother Margaret Sutherland. Her passing was deeply felt by our family as she was a dedicated mother to her daughters Auria and Eleanor. She also is survived by the girls’ father Warren Louttit. Mie was also the stepdaughter of Kelly Harris and the late Doug Medd. She...
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Bomberry inducted into Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame and Museum
By Sam Laskaris Writer It’s now official. Cory Bomberry has become a Hall of Famer. Earlier this summer it was announced that the Six Nations member was part of the 2025 class for the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame and Museum. But the induction ceremony was held this past Saturday at the MontHill Golf & Country Club in Caledonia, mere minutes from Bomberry’s Six Nations home. “I had my family there with me,” Bomberry said. “So, that was quite an emotional day. The induction was special having my whole family there.” Bomberry becomes the third member of his family to be inducted into the Canadian hall of fame. His father Oliver, whose nickname is Cap, went into the hall via the Builders category. And his brother Cam was recognized for...
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Ironmen itching to hit ice following bye week
By Sam Laskaris Writer The well-rested Six Nations Ironmen return to action this weekend. The Ironmen have been idle since they thumped the Halton Hill Coyotes 11-1 in a home game back on Oct. 26. The Six Nations squad, which is competing in its inaugural season of the Northern Premier Hockey League (NPHL), will play a pair of contests this weekend. For starters the Ironmen will hit the road on Saturday to battle the host Alvinston Killer Bees. That match, which will be held at the Brooke-Alvinston-Inwood Community Centre Complex, is scheduled to begin at 6:45 p.m. Six Nations will then host the Tilbury Bluebirds in a Sunday matinee. That game, which will be held at the Six Nations Sports & Cultural Memorial Centre, has a puck drop set for...
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Longboat leads Badgers into Baggataway Cup
By Sam Laskaris Writer The Brock University Badgers men’s lacrosse squad is on a bit of a roll. And Vince Longboat, the Six Nations member who serves as the head coach of the St. Catharines-based Badgers, believes that could bode well for his club in its quest to capture a league championship. The Badgers are one of six teams that have qualified for this year’s Baggataway Cup, the championship tournament for the Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association (CUFLA). The three-day Baggataway Cup begins on Friday. All matches will be staged at the Terry Fox Stadium in Brampton. “Right now we are playing really well,” Longboat said of his squad. “And patience is going to be a key for us this weekend. If we can stay patient and stick to the...
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Your first look at what Canadian Tire is doing with the Hudson’s Bay stripes
By Tara Deschamps When Canadian Tire learned that it had come out on top of a bidding war to own the Hudson’s Bay stripes this summer, one of its marketing executives said the feeling was comparable only to the most magical time of year. “It was like Christmas, quite honestly,” Eva Salem recalled of the June moment when her company got court permission to buy a treasure trove of HBC’s intellectual property, including the multicoloured motif, the HBC name and other slogans and trademarks from the defunct retailer for $30 million. “We were so excited.” But the joy quickly evolved into a reminder that owning one of the oldest and most venerable symbols of Canadiana comes with enormous weight. The motif hearkens back to a painful past when the fur...
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Prince Harry in Toronto this week for several events tied to Remembrance Day
Prince Harry is set to begin a two-day visit to Toronto to attend events supporting veterans and the military community ahead of Remembrance Day. The office of the Duke of Sussex says he’s making the trip at the invitation of the True Patriot Love Foundation, which supports Canadian military members, veterans and their families. Prince Harry has several engagements today, including a private lunch followed by an evening fundraiser for the HALO Trust – a U.K.-based charity that helps clear explosives around the world and was also supported by his late mother, Diana. Prince Harry, who served in Afghanistan as a member of the British military, is also set to meet some of Canada’s oldest veterans at Sunnybrook Hospital’s veterans centre on Thursday. He will then attend a dinner organized...
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Wall Walk show strong performances for Catholic Division
By Michael Oleksyn, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Prince Albert Daily Herald School Divisions need to know what is happening in many areas. To this end the Prince Albert Catholic School Division board of education looks at School Division Achievement Data through something called a “Wall Walk”. The board of education did their first Wall Walk at their regular meeting on Monday. The report from director of education Lorel Trumier and Superintendents Wade Mourot and Charity Dmytruk included Faith, Priority Action plans that focused on demographics and grad rates, mental health and wellbeing, reading, and other topics. The division aligns with provincial targets in some cases but also has its own targets. Trumier said improvements in reading results and graduation rates are the highlight of the report. However, she also said...
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Child killed in crash on Nova Scotia highway mourned in Eskasoni, Antigonish
By Rosemary Godin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cape Breton Post Mi’kmaq communities on Cape Breton Island and in the Antigonish area are mourning the death of a seven-year-old boy who was involved in a motor vehicle collision while travelling with family Saturday night on Highway 104, in Antigonish County. The other vehicle involved in the collision left the scene but is believed to be a large farm or construction vehicle. Aidan Roy Denny died at the scene and others in the vehicle were injured, with one child remaining in hospital. He was the son of Sulian Denny and Adrienne Peters of Eskasoni and Paqtnkek First Nations. According to RCMP, on Nov. 1 at approximately 9:50 p.m., police, fire services, and EHS responded to a report of a collision on Hwy....
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Sisters graduate together, contribute to Mi’kmaq health care
By Rosemary Godin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cape Breton Post The valedictorian at this Wednesday’s Cape Breton University Fall graduation enjoyed her nursing studies so much, she chose to continue on in the field of medicine and is already a student in the Dalhousie University Medical School. Shareeve Gould won’t be alone on stage Wednesday. She graduates along with her sister Jada, who has been going through the CBU experience with her. Born and raised in Eskasoni First Nation, the sisters began their post-secondary studies together through Cape Breton University’s in-community bachelor of science in nursing pathway cohort that helps Indigenous students learn in a culturally sensitive manner. The university’s School of Nursing will be celebrating a milestone at this year’s Fall convocation when its bachelor of science, nursing (BScN)...
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Mi’kmaq crafter helping to reclaim what was once thought lost
By Rosemary Godin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cape Breton Post The proliferation of skilled Mi’kmaw art forms available all over Unama’ki in the last few years has not just “sprung up” on its own. Creative and concerned L’nu (the people) are taking back their traditional livelihoods that were nearly wiped out during a dark period in Canada’s history of the residential school system, which the United Nations refers to as genocidal. Whycocomagh First Nation member Tina Bernard knows the history and the struggle Indigenous people have had maintaining their culture ever since colonization came to Unama’ki (Cape Breton). She is the Mi’kmaw craft education co-ordinator with the Cape Breton Centre for Craft and Design. Her role is to implement educational programming based on Mi’kmaq culture, history and traditions. For the...
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Fort St. John, Dawson Creek mill owner to continue investment in ‘next generation of forestry professionals’
By Ed Hitchins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Energeticcity.ca FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — More investment in education will come for a building products company with a heavy presence in the Peace region. LP Building Solutions, a company with mills in both Fort St. John and Dawson Creek, announced during National Forest Products Week in Nashville, Tennessee that it will expand its partnerships with ForestryWorks and the First Nations Forestry Council on Wednesday, October 22nd. Founded in the 1970s, LP Building Solutions has had a presence in Dawson Creek with an oriented strand board (OSB) wood plant siding mill since 1987, which was converted into a siding plant in 2019, and an OSB mill in Fort St. John since 2005. ForestryWorks is part of the Forestry Workforce Training Institute, founded in...
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Manitoba early reading screening legislation passes final test
By Maggie Macintosh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Winnipeg Free Press Manitoba’s poor literacy rate has prompted MLAs of all political stripes to unanimously endorse a private member’s bill to increase teacher monitoring and support for struggling readers. Bill 225 requires elementary schools to systematically screen elementary students for early signs of struggle, immediately act on warning signs and document findings in report cards. Tyndall Park MLA Cindy Lamoureux first tabled the legislation — now named the Public Schools Amendment Act (Early Reading Screening) — on March 26. Lamoureux, the lone elected official representing the Manitoba Liberals, drafted it with parents and dyslexia advocates. On Tuesday, following repeated pleas for the government to collaborate on adjustments, an updated version of it passed third reading. “Unfortunately, here in Manitoba, literacy rates are...
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SLRD adopts reconciliation guide charting a ‘living’ path forward
By Luke Faulks, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Pique Newsmagazine The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) has formally adopted Truth & Reconciliation: In Practice, A Guide for Working in a Good Way, a document outlining how the organization intends to translate nearly a decade of reconciliation pledges into daily governance. Since declaring itself a “Regional District of Reconciliation” in 2016, the SLRD Board has endorsed several Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and committed to aligning its work with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Board Chair Jen Ford called the new guide “just the next step of that declaration,” offering a pathway for how staff and elected officials “intend to show up in a good way.” “It’s not a binding contract. It’s not...
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Strong opposition to proposed 50 tiny homes in Penticton expected at Tuesday’s council meeting
By Keith Lacey, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Penticton Herald Public opposition to a proposal to bring 50 tiny homes to Penticton’s industrial park was expected to be voiced loudly and clearly during Tuesday’s regular meeting of Penticton council. Since the City of Penticton, Penticton Indian Band and provincial government announced a couple of weeks ago that a deal has been reached to place 50 tiny homes at 616 Okanagan Avenue, there have been several articles, letters to the editor and columns written in the Herald and other media outlets. Council was expected to discuss the proposal in depth early in Tuesday’s (Nov. 4) council meeting, which began at 1 p.m. in council chambers at City Hall. Numerous letters opposing the proposal have been forwarded to members of council in advance...
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B.C. cabinet ministers, First Nation leaders gather amid tensions over Cowichan case
Two days of meetings in British Columbia between provincial officials and First Nations leadership are under way amid tensions over a landmark Aboriginal-title court ruling. The province says the 10th B.C. Cabinet and First Nations Leaders’ Gathering will involve more than 1,300 meetings aimed at advancing government-to-government relationships. Those relationships have been strained after a B.C. Supreme Court judge ruled in August that the Cowichan Tribes have Aboriginal title over about 750 acres on the Fraser River, that Crown and city titles on the land are defective and invalid, and the granting of private titles on it by the government unjustifiably infringed Cowichan title. Premier David Eby says getting clarification from the Court of Appeal is important when it comes to more than just the affected landowners, saying the land...
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Don’t complain, get paid: Kitimat resident offered thousands from LNG Canada
By Matt Simmons, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Narwhal LNG Canada offered thousands of dollars in financial compensation to at least one Kitimat, B.C., resident for their discretion around “additional incremental flaring and noise” from the gas liquefaction and export facility, according to a document reviewed by The Narwhal. In return, the resident would agree to “not make any complaints or raise any concerns or objections with respect to LNG Canada, the LNG facility or the works with any third parties, including but not limited to members of the media, the [BC Energy Regulator] or the District of Kitimat” related to operations for around one week at the beginning of November. The document, shared with The Narwhal by a source who asked that their name not be published, details how...
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Arctic ambassador’s tough role begins by listening at home
By Sonal Gupta, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer Canada’s new Arctic ambassador is stepping into a challenging diplomatic role at a time when the North is facing shifting geopolitical and climate realities. Appointed in July 2025, Virginia Mearns, a respected Inuit leader, enters her role as Ottawa enacts an ambitious $35 million Arctic foreign policy initiative designed to protect Canada’s northern frontier while weaving stronger bonds with Arctic allies and Indigenous communities. Mearns told Canada’s National Observer in an exclusive interview on Wednesday, that she will focus on strengthening relationships at home for the remainder of the first year, starting with consultations next week. Discussions will focus on priority issues for northerners, including security, climate change, infrastructure, resource management and land-use planning. “It’s really important for me to...
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Federal budget includes significant promises for the North
By Claire McFarlane, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cabin Radio Federal finance minister François-Philippe Champagne has proposed a 2025 budget that includes big investment in northern infrastructure, sweeping cuts to the public service and an increase in military spending. Mark Carney’s minority Liberal government must now convince at least one other political party to help the budget pass by November 17, when a vote is expected to be held. If the budget fails, that will trigger a new federal election within a year of the last one. Tuesday’s budget contained some significant commitments for the North. For example, Ottawa is promising to create an Arctic Infrastructure Fund that would invest $1 billion over four years. The fund would be spent on major transportation projects such as airports, seaports, all-season roads and...
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Ontario First Nations waiting on billions in delayed child welfare funding
By Sonal Gupta, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer For First Nations in Ontario, a multi-billion dollar child welfare agreement could be a lifeline for their communities, allowing them to run their own child welfare programs and raise their children closer to home and culture. But months after the signing, communities are still waiting for the funding to flow. “The Chiefs in our region have been clear: our children cannot wait,” said Abram Benedict, Ontario regional chief for the Chiefs of Ontario in a press release. “We have a strong mandate from the Ontario Chiefs-in-Assembly to pursue this agreement and any attempts to delay its implementation will be considered unacceptable interference in our communities’ inherent jurisdiction.” The Ontario deal stalled out because of opposition from the First Nations Child...
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