Six Nations expanding water testing
Six Nations of the Grand River is expanding water testing after higher levels of strontium were found in groundwater wells. The expansion is part of ongoing water quality monitoring, and is not connected to the flooding that occurred in the territory on June 18.The Environmental Public Health Officer at Indigenous Services Canada will be conducting well water testing for: strontium, nitrite, nitrate and manganese. Testing will begin with the highest-risk households, with additional testing being offered to anyone that expresses interest, as capacity allows. Highest-risk groups within a household, include pregnant and breastfeeding persons, and infants and children up to 24 months old. Strontium can replace calcium in developing bones, and may lead to rickets, a bone disorder that can weaken or soften bones, stunt growth and cause bone deformities....
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Six Nations holds water festival
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A number’s game
Technology has gone from producing any number of upscale coffee percolators to how First Nations communities now run their elections. And it hasn’t been without controversy. In order to vote in a band election, anyone casting a ballot firstly has to be a band member. And that in itself is creating a major controversy. Over the years people have lined up to claim their great, great, great granddaddy or grandma were “Indians” so they to should be. And the reasons largely have nothing to do with cultural awareness or wanting to be belong. It’s about money. It’s about looking for the “benefits” of being a status Indian. They want education dollars to pay for their post-secondary funding and make no secret about it. At Turtle Island News we frequently have people...
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Today in History
July 8 In 1912, American Jim Thorpe replied, “Thanks, King,” when told by Swedish King Gustav at the Olympic Games in Stockholm that he was the greatest athlete in the world. Thorpe won both the pentathlon and decathlon at the Games. But he was stripped of his medals the next year after it was learned he had played pro baseball. In 2005, former First Nations leader David Ahenakew was convicted and fined for promoting hatred against Jews. Days later he was stripped of his Order of Canada. In February 2009, the judge at his second trial found him not guilty of wilfully promoting hatred against Jews but chided him for the controversial comments. He died March 12, 2010, after a long battle with cancer. In 2021, the Assembly of First...
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Weekly Cartoon
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Here We Stand – A Call To Action Attawapiskat River Protest
By Xavier Kataquapit Northern First Nation Chiefs and leaders came together on the Attawapiskat River on July 1 to show their support for a youth led protest against Ontario’s Bill 5 and Canada’s Bill C5. They came to meet with Jeronimo Kataquapit, a First Nation youth from Attawapiskat First Nation who is leading a protest to occupy the land and water way that the people of the Attawapiskat River call home. Kataquapit and the Chiefs held a gathering that included leaders and community members and youth from Neskantaga First Nation to discuss their concerns and show to government that their people still use and live on the river. First Nation leadership that attended the gathering included Chief Elizabeth Kataquapit of Fort Albany FN, Chief Sylvia Koostachin-Metatawabin of Attawapiskat FN, Chief...
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Six Nations members return with bronze medal from Pan-American lacrosse tournament
By Sam Laskaris Writer A pair of Six Nations women made a bit of field lacrosse history in Florida this past week. Fawn Porter and Kimaura Schindler, who are both defenders, were members of the Haudenosaunee Nationals squad that participated at the Pan-American Lacrosse Association (PALA) tournament. The Haudenosaunee squad captured the bronze medal at the eight-team tournament, which concluded June 30. The PALA tourney was held in the city of Auburndale. The top four finishers qualified for the 2026 world tournament, which will be held in Japan. The Haudenosaunee side entered the final day of tournament action knowing it was assured of a Top 4 finish. The club then earned some hardware, defeating Puerto Rico 12-10 in the bronze-medal match. The Haudenosaunee team overcame a 7-2 halftime deficit and...
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Legends included in latest episode of lacrosse series
By Sam Laskaris Writer A pair of well-known lacrosse players with Six Nations connections were included in the latest episode of Rabil’s Places aired on ESPN+. Jeremy Thompson and Zed Williams were featured in the episode titled Creator’s Game, which was aired last Wednesday. The series is hosted by former pro player Paul Rabil, who dives into the history of the game including its Native American beginnings. Thompson is one of the four well-known brothers from Onondaga Nation in New York. All four brothers became pro players. Jeremy Thompson was a member of the Mann Cup champion Six Nations Chiefs in 2023 and ’24 along with his brother Lyle. While Lyle Thompson is still with the Chiefs this season, Jeremy Thompson has joined the Kahnawake Mohawks, a Senior B club...
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SPORTS BRIEFS:
By Sam Laskaris Writer Arrows conclude regular season in Burlington The Six Nations Arrows will be looking to snap a two-game losing streak and conclude their regular season with a win on Wednesday. The local Junior A club is sporting a 13-6 record, good for third place in the 11-team Ontario Junior Lacrosse League (OJLL). The Arrows will wrap up their regular season on Wednesday with a road match against the Burlington Blaze. The opening faceoff at Burlington’s Central Arena is scheduled for 8 p.m. The Six Nations squad will undoubtedly be looking for a W against the Blaze in order to begin its post-season on an upbeat note. The Arrows hit the road this past Friday and were downed 7-4 by the league-leading Orangeville Northmen. The Arrows were then...
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Nesbitt, Bear and Paupanekis all drafted by National Hockey League clubs
By Sam Laskaris, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Windspeaker.com Three First Nations teens were among those selected in this year’s National Hockey League (NHL) Entry Draft. And two of those players didn’t have to wait long to hear their names called at the two-day event, which was held in Los Angeles and concluded on June 28. Jack Nesbitt, a member of Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory on Manitoulin Island in Ontario, was chosen in the first round, 12th over-all, by the Philadelphia Flyers. Nesbitt, a centre, has spent the past two seasons with the Windsor Spitfires, which competes in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). The Detroit Red Wings then utilized its 13th pick over-all on Carter Bear, a member of Peguis First Nation in Manitoba. Bear, a forward, has been starring the last...
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Environmentalist, political science student joins B.C. Greens leadership race
The B.C. Green Party has announced Adam Bremner-Akins as its third contestant for the party’s 2025 leadership race. It says Bremner-Akins is a political science student, environmentalist and lifelong B.C. resident who has been a party member for eight years and previously ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the legislature. Bremner-Akins’ profile on the party’s website says he is currently in the final year of a political science degree at Simon Fraser University and divides his time between the B.C. Greens, working at a restaurant and tending to his garden on his family’s farm. The two others are Comox town councillor and physician Jonathan Kerr, and climate justice and Indigenous solidarity advocate Emily Lowan. They’re seeking to replace Sonia Furstenau, who had been leader since 2020 but announced she would...
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Historic discovery brings Inuit filmmakers’ animation to life after half a century
By Jill Westerman, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News A group of 13 Inuit filmmakers who created 58 animated short films (shorts) in the 1970s will now have their work available for public viewing for the first time after the films were rediscovered, restored, and digitized by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). The shorts were created during a six-week training workshop in Kinngait, formerly known as Cape Dorset, between 1972-1975. The program provided training and equipment to many Inuit artists and musicians which led to the creation of the Sikusilarmiut Animation Studio in Nunavut. The films are now contained within seven digitized film reels available for streaming free of charge on the www.nfb.ca website, a half-century after they were made. While 17 of those films, created by six...
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R.O.P.E. squad seeking public help in locating federal offender Joshua Gray
(TORONTO, ON) – The Repeat Offender Parole Enforcement (R.O.P.E.) Squad is requesting the public’s assistance in locating a federal offender wanted on a Canada Wide Warrant as a result of a breach of his Statutory Release. Joshua Gray is described as a Caucasian male, 44 years of age, 5’10” (178cm), 140 lbs (63.5 kgs) with brown hair and green eyes. GRAY has numerous tattoos; Letters-Left Hand Joker Skull-Left Upper Arm Person with Bandana with Pistol-Left Upper Arm A Cross-Left Upper Arm 2 owls-Left Upper Arm ‘Believe’-Right Forearm Skull-Right Upper Arm Angry Rodent-Right Foot A Design-Right Ribcage He is currently serving a 6-year, 9-month and 9-day sentence due to: Armed Robbery Possess Schedule I Substance for Purpose of Trafficking Disguise with Intent Possess Schedule I Substance. The offender is known to...
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Get to know the new chief of West Point FirstNation
By Jacksen Friske, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cabin Radio West Point First Nation’s newest chief, Devon Felker, has been attending council meetings since before he could remember. “My mom was chief of West Point First Nation years ago, in the early 2000s, when I was just a baby. She would take me to the assembly meetings all around the Dehcho,” Felker told Cabin Radio. Felker, a 26-year-old from Hay River, Northwest Territories, was elected as chief on July 3. He has served as a member on the First Nation’s council since 2019. One lesson Felker said he learned as a councillor that he will carry into his role as chief is: “Be equal, because everyone has their different ideas of what’s right and you’ve got to kind-of try and balance...
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Number of homeless people in Toronto more than doubled between 2021 and 2024: report
By Maan Alhmidi The number of homeless people in Toronto has more than doubled between the spring of 2021 and last fall, a newly released survey showed. Toronto’s Street Needs Assessment survey estimated that 15,400 people were homeless in Toronto last October, up from about 7,300 in April 2021. “These data highlight the failure of multiple systems, such as affordable housing, health care, mental health, income support, and the justice system,” a city report said. “People are left with nowhere to turn, and the shelter system or staying outdoors become the last resort.” The report said the increase in Toronto mirrors the situation in Ontario and across Canada after the COVID-19 pandemic directly affected homelessness rates. “Specific groups continue to be overrepresented among those experiencing homelessness, outlining the need for...
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Nunatsiavut to Nunavik: 25 Years of Learning, Connection, and Youth Empowerment
GATINEAU, QC, July 08, 2025 — In celebration of its 25th anniversary, the Students on Ice (SOI) Foundation sets sail on its latest educational expedition on July 12, bringing together 22 youth from around the world for a transformative journey from Nain, Nunatsiavut, to Kuujjuaq, Nunavik. From July 12–27, 2025, aboard the Mi’kmaq-owned icebreaker Oqwatnukewey Eleke’wi’ji’jit (MV Polar Prince), participants will travel alongside a team of educators, scientists, Indigenous Elders, artists, and leaders. Throughout the journey, they will engage with the culture, knowledge, and stewardship initiatives of Inuit communities in Nunatsiavut and Nunavik. “As we celebrate 25 years of Students on Ice, I’m filled with gratitude for the thousands of youth, educators, and Indigenous partners who’ve shaped this journey,” says SOI founder and president Geoff Green. “This summer’s expedition from...
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Brantford Police shut down illegal psilocybin storefront for second time
BRANTFORD, ONT-Brantford city police have seized over $29,000 in illegal psilocybin and a 28-year-old Hamilton man is facing trafficking charges after police raided a city storefront. The Brantford Police Service Drug and Firearm Enforcement Unit executed the search warrant at an illegal retail psilocybin storefront on Murray Street near Chatham Street after receiving information the illegal business had reopened after having been shutdown previously. Police seized 2596.5 grams of psilocybin with an estimated street value of $29,674 after executing the search warrant July 2, 2025, at the storefront. The seizure involved multiple police units including the Brantford Police Service Core Engagement and Response Unit, Criminal Intelligence Unit and Forensic Identification. A 28-year-old man from Hamilton was arrested at the scene and stands charged with Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking...
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Three area police services host 2025 Special Olympics Ontario Provincial Summer Games
BRANTFORD, ON – Over 1000 athletes competiting in the 2025 Special Olympics Ontario Provincial Summer Games are ready to hit the games taking place from July 10-13, 2025, across Brantford, Brant County, and Six Nations of the Grand River. The games are being hosted by the three police services that include the Brantford Police Service, Ontario Provincial Police, and Six Nations Police Service and see competitions in athletics, Bocce, golf, soccer and softball, while bringing the communities together to highlight the talent, dedication, and spirit of athletes with intellectual disabilities. This event represents the highest level of Special Olympics competition in Ontario, with athletes competing for the chance to advance as part of Team Ontario to the Special Olympics Canada Summer Games, taking place in Medicine Hat, Alberta from August...
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Painting begins on ‘Our Story, Our Wall’ mural to showcase Indigenous history following racist graffiti incident
By Ed Hitchins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Energeticcity.ca FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Community members, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, gathered at Treaty 8 offices in Fort St. John to send out a profound message in response to the hateful racist graffiti left on the building’s south wall last winter. In February, the wall was vandalized with profanities and swastikas, prompting an RCMP investigation into the incident. The Treaty 8 Tribal Association gathered with supporters for ‘Our Story, Our Wall,’ an event on July 7th to mark the beginning of a mural painted by Indigenous artist Alisa Froh. Garry Oker and Trail Acko were on hand as part of the Doig River Drummers, alongside representatives from the Indian Residential School Survivors Society and sponsor R360 Environmental Solutions Canada. Froh, a member...
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Hospital working to make western medicine better for Indigenous and First Nations patients
By Celeste Percy-Beauregard, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Hamilton Spectator BRANTFORD, ONT-Patients at Brantford General Hospital and the Willett Urgent Care Centre in Paris can now voluntarily self-identify as Indigenous or First Nations. It may sound like a small change — but it will hopefully help connect more people with culturally safe care and better supports once they leave, Michelle Bomberry, manager of Indigenous Health Services at Brant Community Healthcare System (BCHS), told The Spectator. The hospital is based in Brantford, where around five per cent of the population identified as Indigenous as of the 2021 census profile. But it also serves residents from the neighbouring Six Nations of the Grand River (the most populous First Nation in Canada) and Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. BCHS, which oversees the...
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