Federal freshwater agency stares down budget cuts
By Natasha Bulowski, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer A brand new agency tasked with protecting Canada’s freshwater is likely on the chopping block as part of an array of budget cuts promised by Prime Minister Mark Carney that span most departments and agencies. Texts from Environment and Climate Change Minister Julie Dabrusin’s staff suggested “there is nowhere else to cut” while deliberating how to meet Carney’s order to cut spending 15 per cent over three years, the National Post reported on Aug. 26. The Canada Water Agency, tasked with protecting and managing Canada’s freshwater and brokering international agreements, launched in October 2024. Less than a year into its mandate, it could be facing spending cuts that experts and some opposition MPs warn could not come at a worse...
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Self-government and getting rid of the Indian Act has become an even more timely discussion, says author
By Shari Narine, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Windspeaker.com It’s a “perfect storm,” says Bob Joseph about the timing of the release of his recent book. 21 Things You Need to Know About Indigenous Self-Government: A Conversation About Dismantling the Indian Act coincides with the push by the new federal government to implement its first major piece of legislation, the One Canadian Economy Act, since being elected. Joseph, a member of the Gwawaenuk Nation in B.C., and an initiated member of the Hamatsa Society, a deeply spiritual ceremonial group of the Kwakwaka’wakw, lists the first “thing” about self-government as the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which sets the standard for their treatment. That standard includes the 16th point in his book: the right to free, prior and...
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Partnership Launches Indigenous Pathways to Entrepreneurship in Northern Manitoba
By Steven Sukkau, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Winnipeg Sun Indigenous entrepreneurs in northern Manitoba will soon have expanded access to mentorship, training, and funding through a new partnership between the Indigenous Prosperity Foundation (IPF) and Community Futures North Central Development (CFNCD). The two organizations announced Friday the launch of the Indigenous Pathways to Entrepreneurship Program, a first-of-its-kind collaboration that will bring tailored business supports directly into Indigenous communities across the region. “This partnership is about advancing prosperity by ensuring Indigenous entrepreneurs have access to mentorship, funding, and training rooted in Indigenous ways of doing business,” said Relay Tangie, Interim Executive Director of IPF. “Together with CFNCD, we are building pathways to opportunity, innovation, and community wealth.” Programs to Build Skills and Opportunity The initiative includes three cornerstone programs: Skill Development...
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Carney argues his government still has fiscal anchors after PBO raises concerns
By Craig Lord and Catherine Morrison Prime Minister Mark Carney insisted Wednesday his government does have fiscal anchors after the interim parliamentary budget officer raised concerns about government transparency. Jason Jacques told a House of Commons committee on Tuesday that he wasn’t sure if the federal government still has its fiscal anchors, which he said causes the people that he works with “a considerable degree of concern at this point.” During a heated question period exchange with Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre on Wednesday, Carney said the government does indeed have fiscal anchors that are guiding the budgeting process. “We are going to spend less so the country can invest more. We are going to balance the operational budget in three years. We’re going to have a declining level of debt,”...
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Judge dismisses Indigenous Amazon tribe’s lawsuit against The New York Times and TMZ
By Itzel Luna LOS ANGELES (AP) — A California judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by an Indigenous tribe in the Brazilian Amazon against The New York Times and TMZ that claimed the newspaper’s reporting on the tribe’s first exposure to the internet led to its members being widely portrayed as technology-addled and addicted to pornography. The suit was filed in May by the Marubo Tribe of the Javari Valley, a sovereign community of about 2,000 people in the Amazon rainforest. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Tiana J. Murillo on Tuesday sided with the Times, whose lawyers argued in a hearing Monday that its coverage last year was fair and protected by free speech. TMZ argued that its coverage, which followed the Times’ initial reporting, addressed ongoing public controversies...
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Progressive groups rally ‘common front’ to march, challenge elements of Carney agenda
By Jordan Omstead Canada-wide protests are planned this weekend, a coalition of progressive civil society groups say, in what organizers call an emerging “common front” to elements of the new Liberal government’s agenda. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s support for new fossil fuel projects, expected public service cuts, expanded military support and new border measures are some of the concerns motivating Saturday’s co-ordinated day of action, organizers of the Draw The Line protests say. “It became very clear to many organizations and many movements that we needed to ramp up for a fight in the coming months, and so we’ve tried to design Draw The Line to meet that moment here,” said Amara Possian, the Canada team lead at 350.org, an international climate group. The protests are part of a global...
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Lichen, logging, land rights: Complex forces play out in fate of ancient B.C. forest
By Brenna Owen A shaggy, cool-green lichen hangs from the trunk of a tree in a forest on northeastern Vancouver Island, growing on the bark like coral on a rocky sea floor. Lichenologist Trevor Goward has named it oldgrowth specklebelly, and while the slow-growing lichen is a species at risk in its own right, he says it is also an indicator of forests that are “the oldest of the old.” “It’s what it tells us about the forest that we walk through,” Goward says, comparing ancient forests to libraries and museums. “They are the continuity from the past.” Old-growth advocate Joshua Wright photographed oldgrowth specklebelly this summer in a forest about 400 kilometres northwest of Victoria. The forest is “strikingly beautiful,” he says, with towering yellow cedars growing for hundreds...
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Six Nations Elected Council may expand councillor’s roles
The Six Nations Elected Chief’s office is looking into allowing band councillors, who are committee chairs, to reach out to federal and provincial ministers to further the work of their portfolios. The issue came to the forefront at Six Nations Elected Council’s (SNEC) September 9 Council meeting, after Councillor Amos Key said he wanted to speed up discussions with government and questioned the role of committee chairs to reach out to government officials. Key said he wanted to make sure Six Nations was at the government’s tables. He questioned how much authority portfolio/committee chairs and directors should have when communicating directly with government ministers or external officials, rather than going through the Elected Chief’s office. Councillor Key, through the Well-Being Committee, recommended Council hold a broader discussion on “levels of...
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Haudenosaunee Confederacy says cannabis industry exploiting vulnerable
The Six Nations cannabis industry was hit with another blow last week when the Six Nations Haudenosaunee Confederacy issued a statement notifying the community it “stands in opposition to the establishment, operation, or expansion of the cannabis industry within Haudenosaunee territory.” The notice was released September 6, 2025, condemning the now six-year- old cannabis industry that has grown up in the community. The Confederacy called it a “serious lack of oversight by the Six Nations Elected Band Administration (SNEBA) in creating the cannabis body,” It places the blame for what it says is the “exploitation of vulnerable populations’ at the door of the SNEBA created cannabis commission. The statement says there has been a “serious lack of oversight for the Cannabis Commission,” as an entity. The Six Nations Elected Council...
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Six Nations Elected Council organizing data
Six Nations has unveiled an interactive population dashboard designed to centralize demographic data and support community planning and political advocacy. Councillor Dean Hill, chair of the Data Governance Committee presented the dashboard at the Six Nations Elected Council’s General Council meeting on September 9. “I know, whereas Six Nations of the Grand River data department has created a Power BI dashboard…that allows for a centralized system to track historical and current population data as well as future projection trends,” Hill said. “It’s a potential resource for future political advocacy.” The dashboard covers 50 years of data, allowing users to explore age, gender, and on- or off-reserve populations. “This is all interactive…we can filter if we want to go off reserve, we can see the age demographics of male and female,...
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Six Nations candle lighting marks World Suicide Prevention Day
Lights in the darkness honoured the lost and spread hope. For the second consecutive year, community members gathered by candlelight at Veterans Park for World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD), to remember loved ones and share messages of hope. Six Nations Social Services and Brightening the Spirit – Breaking the Silence hosted the Candlelight Gathering on Sept. 10, to acknowledge friends and family suffering loss due to suicide and provide guidance to anyone seeking mental health support. “Our primary message is to encourage the community to be aware of those around them and to check in with them if they notice they are having a hard time,” said Larry Longboat, manager of Six Nations Child and Family Services. “It is our hope that our community becomes aware that thoughts of suicide...
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Ogwadeni:deo may be on the move as talks open on new building
Ogwadeni:deo aims to build a new facility to support children and community groups. Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) endorsed plans to apply for funding to build a new $36.4 million facility to house Ogwadeni:deo, the community’s child welfare agency at the General Council meeting on September 9. The project, designed by Two Row Architect, will create a 54,490-square-foot facility at a cost of $36.4 million to replace the agency’s leased building. Reva Bomberry, Ogwadeni:deo Commission Chair, said the current location is no longer sufficient for the services required. She also said the owner of their current facility has raised the rent and their lease expires in 2028. The new facility would be located at the corner of Mohawk Road and First Line Road. Darryl Fisher, an architectural technologist with Two...
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Councillor tells Elected Chief advocacy needed after community shut out of funding
Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) says the community has been repeatedly shut out of provincial health funding streams, and needs to press for immediate, forceful advocacy. Six Nation Elected Council listened to two presentations from Abigail Hill, Well-Being Liaison officer, outlining denials and stark local health data at the General Council meeting on September 9. “Six Nations of the Grand River was not eligible for the first round of primary care team expansion funding, which is very problematic when Indigenous communities are not given the same opportunity, and yeah, funding opportunities to advance our own systems, in addition to the provincial system,” Hill said. Councillor Amos Key expressed anger that the community wasn’t given the licensing. “We were turned down with a diagnostic license and we’re totally pissed off. I...
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Six Nations spreads colourful message at Moment 4 Life Run
Six Nations spread a colourful message about suicide awareness. On Sept. 10, the community put their best feet and wheels forward for an important cause, at the Moment 4 Life Colour Walk/Run, in recognition of World Suicide Prevention Day. Sporting special T-shirts and sunglasses, participants were splattered with colourful paint as they moved around the Blue Track at Six Nations Parks and Recreation. Organized by the Department of Well-Being, the annual, family-friendly event was created to raise awareness for suicide prevention, support those struggling and honour those who have been lost. It also serves to open lines of communication and dialogue surrounding suicide, as well as reduce stigma, break down barriers and show the community which local support services are available to them in times of need, said life promotion...
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Where’s the audit?
The job of Six Nations Elected Chief has always been one of petitioning federal and provincial ministers on a variety of issues with much needed funding at the top of the list. Add to it making sure council’s questions on various issues are answered and you have a job that is mostly one of meet, greet and to simply put, answer the community on …where’s the money? But that doesn’t seem to have translated in the head of the current Elected Chief who seems to bounce from playing more of a secretarial role to the current elected council than its leader. Case in point, every SNEC meeting she starts off reading a list of meetings she attended and events and lunches she went to. The Elected Chief rattles of a...
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Today in History
September 15 1688 Jacques de Denonville abandons and demolishes Fort Niagara to meet the demands of the Iroquois. Fort Niagara, New York 1763: The Royal Proclamation is issued by the British Crown, outlining policies for the British North American colonies and affecting the territory and rights of Indigenous peoples. 1815 Selkirk Settlement colonists return to Red River after being driven out by angry Métis. Manitoba 1874 Treaty – Cree, Saulteaux, Assiniboine and others sign Treaty #4 (Qu’Appelle Treaty) in Southern Saskatchewan and Alberta; 120,054 sq km; $12 per Indian; schools; farm instruction; acreage. Qu’Appelle, Saskatchewan September 18 1989 Crime – Ontario NDP Leader Bob Rae arrested with 15 others in Temagami Wilderness Society anti-logging blockade near a stand of old-growth white pines; an Ontario Supreme Court ruling September 14, 1989...
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UNDER THE NORTHERN SKY: Defending The Heart Of Mother Earth
by Xavier Kataquapit www.underthenorthernsky.com One of the most beautiful serene places I’ve ever visited was on the banks of the Opinagau River in northern Ontario, just near the corner of land where James and Hudson Bay meet. This is a river just south of the Lakitusaki River, known in English as Lake River. Opinagau River is also just north of the Nawashi River, the home territory where my mom Susan (Paulmartin/Rose) Kataquapit and her family originated from. My dad Marius Kataquapit took us to this northern river one fall to go moose hunting. Our group never did manage to see any moose on that trip but it was an amazing time to be on the land surrounded by absolutely no one for hundreds of miles all around. During that trip,...
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Six Nations Chiefs are the 2025 Mann Cup Champs!
It was tense. it was nail biting. it was the kind of edge of the seat drama we all nervously love to await. And then it happened. The Six Nations Chiefs made history with Saturday night’s 12-7 Six Nations Chiefs Game 7 Mann Cup win! They showed the world why they are the 2025 Mann Cup Champions by winning their ninth Mann Cup, a rare second three-peat in itself that made them only the second franchise in Mann Cub history to do so. The Chiefs strong come-back had people jumping in their seats. Down 3-2 in this best-of-seven series, the Chiefs buckled down and took to the floor with what has been called the greatest roster ever assembled (minus Randy Staats and Josh Byrne, who had been sidelined by injury in...
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Six Nations holds traditional games day
By Carly McHugh, Writer Traditional Games Day teaches youth about culture, community It was all fun and games when local youth gathered at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena (ILA) on Sept. 12. Presented by Ganohkwasra Family Assault Support Services and the Six Nations Police, the sixth-annual Traditional Games Day introduced participants to Haudenosaunee games and related teachings they would traditionally receive in the longhouse. Seventeen youth aged 14 to 18, along with two youth mentors, came together to play lacrosse, peach pit, bone and toggle and tug of war, as well as show off their archery skills. Participants were treated to a free catered lunch and had a chance to win giveaway prizes, including a recurve bow and arrow. They also heard from a guest speaker, community lacrosse coach Wayne Hill....
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Wildfire evacuation orders lifted in Cariboo region in B.C. Interior
Several evacuation orders prompted by wildfires in British Columbia’s Interior have been rescinded, although residents in a portion of the area will remain on alert. The Cariboo Regional District and the Ulkatcho First Nation say in a joint statement that the order issued on Sept. 5 because of the Dusty Lake and Beef Creek Trail wildfires may still be reissued if the fires threaten properties again. The statement says part of the previous Dusty Lake order area is still on evacuation alert for nearby Holtry Creek, which covers 65 parcels of land and about 268 square kilometres. Alerts have also been lifted in the Smokey Lake fire area that has been under caution since Sept. 14. The BC Wildfire Service said this week that fall-like weather has aided the fight...
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