Six Nations man facing a series of charges including having firearms in a vehicle.
SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND RIVER-A 27-year-old Six Nations man is facing a series of charges including having firearms in a vehicle police found parked in the middle of Third Line Road with the occupants asleep inside Monday, Jan. 1, 2024. Police said while on patrol at about 3:10 a.m., they spotted a vehicle in the middle of the road that was still running with a male driver and female passenger both found asleep in the vehicle. Police woke both people up and ordered the driver to shut off the vehicle that was slowly moving forward. Police said they issued demands for the driver to put the vehicle in park and the driver complied and gave the keys to police. Police said the driver was displaying signs of impairment and...
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Metis player proud to hit the ice as part of new women’s pro hockey league
By Sam Laskaris Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Though her club was unable to register a victory, elite hockey player Jocelyne Larocque, was thrilled to be on the ice as part of a pro squad. Larocque made history in 2014, becoming the first Indigenous player to suit up for the Canadian Olympic women’s team, which captured the gold medal at the Sochi Games in Russia. Larocque, who is Metis and 35, plays defence, and is now a member of the Toronto squad in the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL). The six-team league held its first ever match on Jan. 1 at Toronto’s Mattamy Athletic Centre, the facility that is the old Maple Leaf Gardens. Larocque and her Toronto teammates were blanked 4-0 by the visiting New York team in the New...
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Six Nations Elected Council orders review of Iroquois Lodge policies and process after Turtle Island News reveals allegations of sexual abuse and questionable care
By Lynda Powless Editor Six Nations Elected Band Council will be conducting a “thorough review” of all existing policies, clinical processes and procedures at the Iroquois Lodge,” after a Turtle Island News article detailed issues found by a Ministry of Long-Term Care inspection including allegations a patient had been sexually assaulted. In November. 2023, a Turtle Island News exclusive article detailed an Ontario Ministry of Long-Term Care report that surfaced with allegations not only of a staff member sexually abusing a resident at the Iroquois Lodge and Nursing Home (ILNH) but Six Nations Police were never notified. The report also says the lodge had failed to provide proper care to at least two other residents resulting in infectious wounds and hospitalization in one case. Turtle Island News had reached out...
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Anti Indigenous sign: P.E.I. councillor given more time to apologize and pay fine
By Michael Tutton Canadian Press CHARLOTTETOWN- A village councillor in Prince Edward Island is being given a bit more time to pay a $500 fine and apologize for displaying a sign on his property denying the existence of residential school graves. Communities Minister Rob Lantz says he’s allowing Murray Harbour Coun. John Robertson to either take these steps “within a week” or be dismissed from the elected role. Lantz had said Robertson had until Dec. 31 to comply with the sanctions placed on him by council. However, the provincial cabinet minister says he received an email from Robertson on New Year’s Eve indicating he had been out of the country and had only just seen the ultimatum. The councillor had displayed a sign in October with the message, “Truth: mass grave...
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Ontario Regional Chief Glen Hare makes statement on children affected by family loss due to factors including the opioid drug
By Jacqueline St. Pierre Local Journalism Initiative Reporter TORONTO- December 18, 2023, Ontario Regional Chief Glen Hare released a statement addressing the profound impact of the opioid drug crisis and other factors affecting the loss experienced by First Nations children. In his message, Chief Hare reaches out to the children of First Nations communities who have lost parents, caregivers or loved ones, assuring them that they are remembered and cherished during this holiday season. He emphasizes that they remain in our thoughts and hearts, offering them solace and support. “The impact of addiction and overdose continues to have devastating consequences on the well-being and future of our communities, particularly our youth, who are experiencing loss at accelerating rates,” said Ontario Regional Chief Glen Hare. “Factors relating to the loss of...
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Senior military leader: Canadians ‘overly comfortable’ as global security shifts
By Sarah Ritchie THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA- It’s Bob Auchterlonie’s job to be ready for the next crisis, whether that’s a wildfire, a flood, a hurricane or war on another continent. As the commander of the Canadian Joint Operations Command, the vice admiral has had an extraordinary year that included co-ordinating airlifts of Canadians from Sudan and Israel, planning possible evacuations from Lebanon and Haiti, and managing the growing demands for help at home. Looking ahead to 2024, Auchterlonie said he thinks the pressure will continue to mount, and Canadians are “overly comfortable” about their safety as the world changes. In a recent year-end interview, he rattled off a list of international issues he’s keeping a close eye on, from the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine and Israel’s war on...
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Iqaluit man finally moves from tent to home
By Kira Wronska Dorward Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Daniel Hillman has been a community fixture in Iqaluit for the last 25 years. He began his life in Nunavut with what was intended to be a four-month contract working in a restaurant, his “first love” being cooking. But “I was really in love with the city and population,” so the former Quebec City resident remained in the North and took on various other jobs over the years in restaurants and as a taxi driver. In addition, Hillman became intimately involved with giving his time to the local community, and in particular the francophone population in various capacities. From administrator of the local French association, to working for the GN and the French school board, where a plaque recognizing his contribution was...
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Israel says it will defend itself against genocide accusations at world court filed by South Africa
By Wafaa Shurafa Samy Magdy And Melanie Lidman THE ASSOCIATED PRESS DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP)- An Israeli official says Israel will defend itself against genocide accusations filed by South Africa with the world court. Eylon Levy, an official in the Israeli prime minister’s office, on Tuesday accused South Africa of “giving political and legal cover” to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that triggered Israel’s war against the militant group. “The state of Israel will appear before the International Court of Justice at the Hague to dispel South Africa’s absurd blood libel,” Levy said. South Africa launched the case Friday at the U.N.’s top court, accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and asking the court to order Israel to halt its attacks. Israel dismisses international cases against it as...
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The Feather Report – What makes sparrows unique?
By Rachel A. Powless Feather Reporter Photos by Carl Pascoe & Rachel A. Powless What makes sparrows so difficult to ID? Years ago, an irritated, exasperated and very exhausted birder or was it a Professor of Ornithology drained from frustration more so than surrender, emphatically stated, “Let’s call all of them an LBJ; Little Brown Jobs and leave it at that!” I wish it were so, but I’m afraid not. There are approximately fifteen species of sparrow that will migrate through our province and many of them will stay to breed while others will move farther north. There are twenty-five species of sparrow in all of the US and Canada. We cannot forget the 8-10 other species of birds which can confuse the birder again. Yes, they may look like...
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The Feather Report – Black & White and Red All Over
Black & White and Red All Over Photos by Carl Pascoe & Rachel A. Powless By Rachel A. Powless Feather Reporter When Carl & I began our journey to become bird banders we studied, absorbed, and shared our knowledge as much as we could about our feathered friends. We were quickly informed about three birds that could slice through our skin with razor-like swiftness. The Northern Cardinal is a year-round local bird. The Common Grackle is considered a partial migrator spending winter throughout the southern US then migrates north as early as March. Enter the Rose-breasted Grosbeak. This songbird is a Neo-tropical species who spends winters in southern Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America & parts of northern South America. He has a voice like a Vienna Choir School Boy. Ornithologists...
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National Indigenous Day
NIPD celebrations – Six Nations, Toronto and Mississaugas of Credit First Nation Six Nations marks National Indigenous Peoples’ Day with family fun By Lisa Iesse Writer SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND -National Indigenous Peoples’ Day was a day to celebrate, but it was also a day to remember a long and shared history for land and social justice for Six Nations. On Wednesday (June 21), Six Nations marked NIPD also known as Indigenous Solidarity Day, with a day of fun, venders booths, artwork, rides and activities at the community hall at 1738 Fourth Line. Six Nations lands director Lonny Bomberry told Turtle Island News what Indigenous Solidarity Day means to him. “It means recognition for all Indigenous people across Canada,” Bomberry said. “We’re here, we were here before, we’re still...
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The Feather Report Summer Blues
“The bluebird carries the sky on his back.” – Henry David Thoreau By Rachel A. Powless Feather Reporter Bird behavior is a curious thing. Field guides tend to mirror each other in their explanation of known behavior. What they don’t tell you is anything is possible within reason. So much so, that these birder field guides become standard and when something out of the ordinary happens, all bets are off! One such behavior stands out to Carl & I and it’s a big one, even huge. Here is our story: Four years ago, I purchased a wooden nesting box because I got a great price on it. Carl put it up and we waited, not sure what to expect. The wooden box was the type meant for larger birds but...
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The Feather Report – Spring Serenade
Photos by Carl Pascoe & Rachel A. Powless Native Territories Avian Research Project Big Dreams Small Wonders By Carl Pascoe Feather Reporter Warming weather invites you to go outside, offering opportunities to appreciate the annual spring serenade of bird songs surrounding you. It has the power to expand your awareness far beyond the thoughts and mental clutter constantly overwhelming us. The simple act of closing your eyes and hearing the constantly changing sounds saturating the air can closely connect you to the natural world. Many songbirds sing starting before sunrise so if you are early to awaken you can be treated to what we call the “Dawn Song” filling the air. Others may sing at any time during breeding season. You can recognize someone close to you by the sound...
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NEWS ALERT: Mississaugas of Credit First Nations claiming Six Nations’1784 Haldimand Proclamation not a treaty
TORONTO- In seeking intervenor status in Six Nations of the Grand River’s massive land rights lawsuit, the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation (MCFN) are challenging whether the 1784 Haldimand Proclamation, that sets out Six Nations lands, is a treaty and arguing they did not receive proper compensation for lands they sold. Nuri G. Frame, MCFN lawyer, told the court this morning, in the third day of an intervenor hearing into Six Nations land rights case, the MCFN needs to be part of Six Nations’ massive land rights case in order to provide their historical intrepretation of events that occurred over 200 years ago. Frame told the court MCFN disagrees with claims the Haldimand Proclamation is a treaty. He said MCFN thought instead Six Nations massive court case was a “narrow...
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Turtle Island News marking 25 years of helping you help Mother Earth with our annual tree give-aways!
For 25 years Turtle Island News has been handing out free trees to the community and we will be doing it again this Friday, April 21 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. or until they run out! Publisher Lynda Powless and salesman Darren Doxtater are ready to hand out cedars, white pines, apple and maple trees, blueberry and blackberry bushes. So come over to Turtle Island News to help us celebrate 25 years of helping Mother Earth!!!...
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“On Native land” anthem lyrics nothing new for some First Nations people
Jason Bird chuckles when he talks about the fuss that singer Jully Black has raised by changing a line in Canada’s national anthem to “on native land.” The professor of governance at the First Nations University of Canada says he and his friends used to sing the opening lines to O Canada that way all the time when he was in school. Black’s version of the song at the NBA all-star game has raised plenty of dissonance on social media. But Bird says he doesn’t find changing a syllable of the national anthem to be that big a deal. He says he’d rather Canadians were talking about real economic and political reconciliation. Still, he acknowledges it might be a way to open a dialogue, and have a laugh or two...
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Column: Sam Laskaris – BEHIND THE ACTION
By Sam Laskaris Writer While growing up Mekwan Tulpin participated in her share of sports. She represented her school on various basketball, volleyball, rugby, badminton and competitive cheerleading teams. Heck, she even played tackle football on a high school boys’ squad. But it’s lacrosse – a sport she only took up when she was 21 – where Tulpin has really been making her mark. And now Tulpin, who is 32 and has lived in Ohsweken for the past 13 years, will have an opportunity to further educate plenty of others on the sport that she is most passionate about now. It was announced this past week that Tulpin has been selected as one of the Lead Ambassadors for the Women’s Box Lacrosse Global Network (WBLGN). The newly created WBLGN is...
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EXPLAINER: What you need to know about Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
By Joyce Jonathan Crone Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Violence against Indigenous women and girls is on the rise. Indigenous women and girls in Canada are 16 times more likely than non-Indigenous women to be targeted and killed, and 12 times more likely to be murdered or go missing. A Canadian Women’s Foundation report states that in 2020, one in five women killed in Canada were Indigenous. Indigenous leaders and advocates in Winnipeg are saying the missing women and girls crisis is at a national state of emergency. Families of lost women face an uphill battle to find their loved ones. On June 21, 2022, human remains were found at the Brady landfill in Winnipeg. Protesters have been blocking access to the waste management facility and have called on all levels...
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Column: Sam Laskaris – BEHIND THE ACTION
By Sam Laskaris A lifelong passion for sports has paid off for Kevin Sandy. The Six Nations member received the news last week that he is being inducted into the North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame. Sandy is certainly a worthy inductee. In fact, it was difficult to pinpoint just one hall of fame category to recognize Sandy’s accomplishments. As a result, he was inducted via the athlete AND coach AND builder categories. That’s a trifecta. Not too shabby for the 58-year-old who never envisioned himself becoming any sort of Hall of Famer one day. Growing up Sandy played for various Six Nations youth box and field lacrosse teams. His hardware collection included winning gold, silver and bronze medals at national championships. In later years he had some success...
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Six Nations Original Traders Energy sues former CEO allege stole millions
SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND-Two Six Nations business owners have launched a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against the former CEO of their company and his wife, who they claim stole from them to launch their own chain of gas stations, accused the non-Indigenous couple of engaging in “disgraceful misconduct,” and say they were negligent, stole from the business and it’s left the company’s finances in dire straits. Scott and Miles Hill, brothers and co-founders of Original Traders Energy (OTE), which has its headquarters at Six Nations of the Grand River allege in a statement of claim filed at the Superior Court of Justice in Toronto, that a non-Indigenous couple who worked for their company conspired with others to build the Gen7 brand using stolen funds from OTE. The 44-page statement of claim...
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