Survivors’ Secretariat opens doors to community
By Carly McHugh Writer Survivors, their families and Six Nations community members recently came together to show support, share stories and spread awareness about the Indigenous children still missing from the Mohawk Institute Residential School and the organization dedicated to finding them. Ahead of Truth and Reconciliation Day, Survivors’ Secretariat held an open house at their headquarters on Sept. 12. The event provided an opportunity for attendees to connect with board members, learn about their lived experience and support the organization’s initiatives and Reconciliation efforts. Attendees could also view the annual memorial for the children confirmed to have passed away in connection with the institute. This year, 105 feathers placed in an eagle pattern across the front lawn light up in orange each night, through the month of September. Year-round,...
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Take Back the Night third annual march hits Ohsweken
By Lynda Powless Editor They walked. They held signs And they remembered why they were there. A crowd of Six Nations families, friends and suporters walked through Ohsweken last Thursday (Sept.18) to Veterans’ Park to support an international movement to end sexual and gender-based violence. Organized by Six Nations Ganohkwa’sra’ a parade of local residents walked in solidarity with the world-wide movement to Take Back the Night. Take Back the Night is the oldest movement against sexual violence in all forms....
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Ahh… the Frazier folly
If a recent decision by the Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) to bail out what is fast becoming a tourism white elephant by immediately slipping into the community’s own source revenue shows the community anything it is that this council does not have a clue how to secure funding. SNEC has no idea what the word lobbying means neverymind advocating! SNEC is using the community’s own source funding to foot the bill for a $1.17 million Tourism Welcome Centre, This after the tourism committee headed by Six Nations newbie councillor and tourism appointee Greg Frazer began construction of the building without securing the much-needed funding to build it. Knowing the funding faux pas that was upon them, SNEC, forced into a corner, went ahead and approved funding to pay for...
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Today in History
September 23 1787 Treaty – Sir John Johnson of the British Indian Department and Deputy Surveyor General John Collins meet Mississauga chiefs Wabikane, Neace, and Pakquan at Carrying Place (Kenté) on the Bay of Quinte. Johnson agrees to pay the Ojibwa £1,700 ($8,500, or about $200,000 in current dollars), for a tract of land covering 101,528 hectares (250,880 acres), virtually all the land now covered by Toronto. The Toronto Purchase, ratified later, includes a small amount of cash and 149 barrels of goods, including axes, cloth, gunpowder, 2,000 gun flints, 24 brass kettles, 10 dozen mirrors, 2 dozen laced hats, a bale of flowered flannel, and 96 gallons of rum. Governor Guy Carleton also wanted land on the Bay of Quinte (near the current city of Belleville). The land is...
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California bill would provide support services to Native American families, reduce foster care
By Sarah Stierch/the Mendocino Voice SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A bipartisan bill to ensure Native American children and families receive culturally appropriate support services aimed at preventing foster care placements passed the California Legislature last week. If signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, Assembly Bill 1378 would amend state law to let tribes and tribal organizations partner with the California Department of Social Services to provide services aimed at keeping children safely at home and out of foster care. Currently, tribes and tribal organizations can access foster care, adoption and guardianship services, but most preventive services, such as legal assistance and family counseling, are only available through nontribal organizations that often lack the cultural competence to respect each tribe’s practices and sovereignty. AB 1378 would give tribes and tribal organizations the...
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Canada waited too long to diversify trade from U.S., BoC governor says
By Craig Lord The head of the Bank of Canada says the country waited too long to reduce its economic dependence on the United States and is paying the price today. Governor Tiff Macklem was in Saskatoon Tuesday giving a speech about global trade disruption to Saskatchewan business leaders. He warned that U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs have hit trade-sensitive industries hard in Canada and put economic growth on a permanently lower trajectory. To break free of its reliance on the U.S. economy, Macklem argued that Canada needs to develop new global markets for its products and knock down the internal barriers hampering productivity. He drew a comparison to the 2008-09 global financial crisis and the spillover effects a U.S. collapse at the time had on Canada. “Everyone talked about...
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Film featuring the late Graham Greene returns to its roots
By Andie Mollins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Williams Lake Tribune In the mid 1980s, a boy called Darrell Dennis was living in Esk’et (Alkali Lake), taking the bus every day to Williams Lake Junior Secondary School (WLJSS), when he got bit by a bug. This wasn’t just any bug – it was the drama bug, and he hasn’t been able to shake it since. Not that he’d want to – Dennis is now living full time in Los Angeles as an actor, writer, director and producer, and starting Friday, Sept. 26, his latest film will be screening in Williams Lake. “I’m very excited for it to be coming to Williams Lake,” said Dennis in an interview with the Tribune. Growing up in the area, Dennis remembers a time when...
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Next phase of government’s assault-style firearm buyback to begin in Nova Scotia
By Jim Bronskill The federal government plans to begin a buyback of assault-style firearms from individual owners with a pilot project in Nova Scotia. The pilot will be open to eligible gun owners in select areas of Cape Breton to ensure it runs smoothly before being launched across the country. Firearms owners can access a web portal as of Oct. 1 to file a declaration of interest. Participants may either deactivate their firearm using a licensed gunsmith or return it to police. “You cannot be serious about being tough on crime if you’re not willing to be tough on guns,” Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree told media Tuesday on Parliament Hill. “This program is part of that solution.” Since May 2020, Ottawa has outlawed approximately 2,500 types of guns on...
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Here’s how you can commemorate the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation in Tkʼemlúps
By Macarena Mantilla, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Wren Editor’s note: As a member of Discourse Community Publishing, The Wren uses quotation marks around the word “school” because the Truth and Reconciliation Commission found residential “schools” were “an education system in name only for much of its existence.” This Sept. 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. An ever-learning experience for many, this day offers various opportunities for folks to learn more about the effects of colonialism and the residential “school” system. Sept. 30 is also Orange Shirt Day, an Indigenous-led movement that began 10 years ago in Secwépemc Territory by Phyllis (Jack) Webstad, a residential “school” survivor who shared her personal story of staff taking her orange shirt from her. The movement supports communities on a journey...
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Hudbay Minerals temporarily shuts down Peru mine amid unrest, guidance unaffected
-CP-Hudbay Minerals Inc. says its operations have been affected by social unrest in Peru. A press release from the Toronto-based firm says its Constancia mine has been affected by local protests and what the company describes as illegal blockades. Hudbay says the Constancia facility has been temporarily shut down as a safety precaution after operating over the weekend. The company says it intends to perform preventive maintenance on the facility during the downtime. Hudbay says it believes the disruption is temporary and will not affect its 2025 production guidance. The company says ongoing social pressures escalated over the weekend with riots in Peru’s capital and several protests around the country. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 23, 2025. Companies in this story: (TSX: HBM) ...
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B.C. forestry sector in ‘crisis,’ triggering change in BC Timber Sales
By Nono Shen British Columbia’s forestry industry is “under pressure from all sides,” prompting the provincial government to bring in changes to expand the role of BC Timber Sales, including allowing some communities to manage their own forest resources. Forests Minister Ravi Parmar says attacks from U.S. President Donald Trump, “increasingly intense” wildfires and climate change all put extra pressure on the industry. A review of the work done by BC Timber Sales, an organization that manages 20 per cent of Crown timber, has generated 54 recommendations in a plan to help support a thriving forest economy. One of the key recommendations includes expanding three community forests in Vanderhoof, Fraser Lake and Fort St. James, allowing them to manage and protect their forest resources, all while ensuring a stable supply...
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Next phase of government’s assault-style firearm buyback to begin in Nova Scotia
By Jim Bronskill The federal government plans to begin a buyback of assault-style firearms from individual owners with a pilot project in Nova Scotia. The pilot will be open to eligible gun owners in select areas of Cape Breton to ensure it runs smoothly before being launched across the country. Firearms owners can access a web portal as of Oct. 1 to file a declaration of interest. Participants may either deactivate their firearm using a licensed gunsmith or return it to police. “You cannot be serious about being tough on crime if you’re not willing to be tough on guns,” Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree told media Tuesday on Parliament Hill. “This program is part of that solution.” Since May 2020, Ottawa has outlawed approximately 2,500 types of guns on...
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Language revitalization is improving Indigenous physical and mental health, UBC researchers say
By Abby Luciano, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, North Shore News Speaking Indigenous languages is helping protect culture. It might also improve mental and physical health. That is what University of British Columbia researchers are linking to in a recent review. “I was really happy to see validation in something that we already knew was true,” said Karleen Delaurier-Lyle, the study’s co-author and librarian at UBC’s X̱wi7x̱wa Library. “I was just excited because I knew that it would likely benefit a lot of folks that are doing this important revitalization work.” Researchers from UBC led the review with help from the University of Toronto and the University of Sydney looking at 262 academic and community resources. From those sources, researchers found about 78 per cent of studies showed a positive connection...
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‘Bringing them home in coffins:’ Ombudsman finds unsafe conditions in fly-in FirstNation
By Jon Thompson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Ricochet Ontario ombudsman Paul Dubé promised the beginning of a new relationship, and called for “immediate action to address the unacceptable and unsafe conditions in Neskantaga First Nation” on Friday, following his first-ever visit to a fly-in First Nation. Neskantaga Chief Gary Quisess said he’s looking forward to finding out what is holding up work on a litany of infrastructure problems that Dubé observed “multiply the impact of each other,” causing a polycrisis that is having a deep impact on quality of life in this Northern Ontario First Nation. “I’m looking forward (to) them (getting) more involved in our community,” Quisess said of his hopes for the Ontario ombudsman’s office. “For example, with funding and all these promises we’ve received from both levels...
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The Latest: Trump criticizes UN during address, says it’s ignoring his peace-promoting efforts
Watched by the world, President Donald Trump returned to the United Nations on Tuesday to deliver a wide-ranging address on his second-term foreign policy achievementsand lament that “globalist institutions have significantly decayed the world order,” according to the White House. World leaders are listening closely to his remarks at the U.N. General Assemblyas Trump has already moved quickly to diminish U.S. support for the world body in his first eight months in office. After his latest inauguration, he issued a first-day executive order withdrawing the U.S. from the World Health Organization. That was followed by his move to end U.S. participation in the U.N. Human Rights Council, and ordering up a reviewof U.S. membership in hundreds of intergovernmental organizations aimed at determining whether they align with the priorities of his...
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Police search Thunder Bay, Ont., landfill as part of investigation into woman’s death
By Maan Alhmidi Police in Thunder Bay, Ont., say they are searching a landfill in an ongoing investigation into the death of an Indigenous woman last year. Police say the search at the Thunder Bay Solid Waste and Recycling Facility is being done with help from Ontario Provincial Police and the Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service. It is part of the homicide investigation in the case of 42-year-old Deborah Anishinabie, who was reported missing in early December 2024 and confirmed to be dead later that month. Police say their work will include a search for partial human remains. They say the landfill search follows previous searches of areas in the city’s south side, conducted earlier this year. A 24-year-old suspect was arrested in the case and charged with second-degree murder and indignity...
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Spirit of Yuquot expressed through bentwood box pinhole camera carving and film photos
By Nora O’Malley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Ha-Shilth-Sa Ucluelet, B.C. – Two traditional artists from different cultures came together to create a remarkable project that tells the story of the Wolf Clan at Yuquot on Nootka Island, B.C. – a place of first contact with Europeans and Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations. Over the span of seven years, master carver Sanford Williams (Ahtsik-sta Qwayachiik) of Mowachaht First Nation and large format film photographer Ron Smid from Orillia, Ontario worked on a bentwood box pinhole camera. The finished bentwood box and a selection of black and white prints were displayed for the first time from Sept. 15 to 21 at Black Rock Resort in an exhibit titled ‘Spirit of Yuquot’ as part of Pacific Rim Arts Society’s (PRAS) Cultural Heritage Festival. “It took...
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Ottawa asks court to overturn tribunal order on First Nations child welfare
By Alessia Passafiume Ottawa is asking the Federal Court to overturn a Canadian Human Rights Tribunal order directing it to work with First Nations to reform the child welfare system, and for a new panel to be struck to decide on next steps in a nearly two-decade-long legal battle. In its application, the federal government called the tribunal’s actions “unreasonable,” accused it of failing to consider evidence and submissions and said it “breached natural justice and the duty of fairness.” The tribunal order, released in August, came nine years after the tribunal concluded that the federal government had discriminated against First Nations children by underfunding the on-reserve child welfare system, following a joint 2007 human rights complaint filed by the Assembly of First Nations and the Caring Society. Progress on...
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Northern turbulence – Air Creebec and passengers struggle with aviation industry challenges
By Patrick Quinn, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Nation With Air Creebec’s summer schedule causing frustration among many Cree travellers, the airline’s leadership is opening up about the challenges that they and other northern operators are facing. After Air Creebec’s new schedule was implemented June 30, Whapmagoostui resident Ruth Masty launched a petition demanding it be reconsidered. The petition had garnered over 500 signatures at press time. Masty said people from the only Cree community not accessible by road are often stranded away from home or miss important appointments and events. “We need to really plan in advance and be prepared to get stuck somewhere,” Masty said. “That means being away from our jobs and family. Some have just cancelled their trips. It’s really inconvenient.” With near-daily flight departures reduced...
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Former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations accused of sexually assaulting student: lawsuit
By Milan Lukes WINNIPEG MANITOBA- A lawsuit filed in Manitoba’s Court of King’s Bench is alledging former Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief Phil Fontaine, sexually assaulted a high school student in the 1970s. Fontaine was named a co-defendant in a sexual assault civil lawsuit The suit claims Fontaine sexually assaulted the plaintiff during a school trip that he “arranged and led” in coordination with the Sagkeeng Education Authority. Fontaine would have been in his 20’s at the time. The suit is one of 27 suits filed against the education authority. The education authority has filed for the claim to be dropped stating the alledged perpetrator was not an employee with the board at that time. The suit says “In or about 1970, when the plaintiff was a child,...
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