Ontario First Nations Raise Alarm Over Legislation Threatening Rights Amid Mining Boom
By Joshua Santos Writer Ontario First Nations leaders are sounding the alarm over a proposed provincial law concerned that it could undermine their inherent and Treaty rights in the rush to fuel a mining and infrastructure boom. The Chiefs of Ontario are urging the provincial government to prioritize meaningful consultation and respect for Indigenous sovereignty as they push forward with ambitious economic development plans. Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act, 2025, introduced by Premier Doug Ford’s government aims to accelerate development by creating “special economic zones” designed to boost Ontario’s economy and enhance provincial security through streamlined project approvals and reduced regulatory hurdles. “Any development or legislation that affects First Nations’ inherent or Treaty rights must have their free, prior and informed consent,” said Ontario Regional...
Register
Red Dress Day marks 15 years
Red Dress Day is marking an anniversary no one really ever wanted to come to see. A day no one ever thought they would mark but one that brought with it a message not of celebration but of being safe! Six Nations joined other First Nation communities’ towns and cities to mark Red Dress Day, also known as the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQIA+ People on Monday, May 5. A day that saw events from walks to workshops take place across the country and all with one aim…safety! It’s a day Indigenous women mark with trepidation knowing the message behind it is about their life. Red Dress Day started in 2010 when Métis artist Jamie Black hung hundreds of red dresses to...
Register
Weekly Cartoon
...
Register
Hudson’s Bay facing more pressure to keep Indigenous items off auction block
By Tara Deschamps The Congress of Aboriginal Peoples is joining Indigenous organizations in calling for Hudson’s Bay to keep artifacts and sacred items off the auction block. The group said Friday that any effort from the faltering department store chain to resolve its financial situation through creditor protection must not come at “the expense of Indigenous heritage and dignity.” “The Congress of Aboriginal Peoples believes that any effort to liquidate or commodify Indigenous cultural property without the free, prior, and informed consent of Indigenous communities is a violation of both Indigenous rights and ethical responsibility,” said the group’s national chief Brendan Moore. “We join the call for immediate transparency, dialogue, and a respectful process of repatriation.” Moore’s push for an immediate halt to the sale of any Indigenous items echo...
Register
Seven people facing drug charges
Six Nations Police have charged seven people in connection with a cocaine trafficking operation at Six Nations. Six Nations Police’ Drug Enforcement Unit raided two residences and a motor vehicle on Chiefswood Road and Fifth Line Road April 9, 2025. Police executed the Section 11 Controlled Drugs & Substances Act Search Warrants seizing suspected cocaine, fentanyl, currency, scales, drug packaging along with a handgun with ammunition. Diamond Butler, 20 and Keara Lickers, 19, both of Ohsweken, ON have been charged with – Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking – Cocaine – Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking – Fentanyl – Unauthorized Possession- Possession Over $5,000 – Weapon: Knowledge of Unauthorized Possession Daniel Butler, 27, of Ohsweken has been charged with – Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking: Cocaine – Possession...
Register
Montour to represent Canada at world championship
By Sam Laskaris Writer Six Nations member Brandon Montour will have an opportunity to win another prestigious hockey title this spring. A year ago Montour was a key performer for the Florida Panthers, who captured the Stanley Cup, the ultimate prize in professional hockey. As for this season, Montour was a star defenceman with the NHL’s Seattle Kraken. He signed a seven-year, $50 million (U.S.) contract with the Kraken last July, mere days after winning the Cup with the Panthers. Though the Seattle squad did not qualify for this year’s NHL playoffs, Montour will still be playing some hockey this month. That’s because he was one of the first 15 players named to the Canadian roster this past Thursday for the club that will compete at this year’s world championship....
Register
Rivermen beat Cruise in home opener
By Sam Laskaris Writer Thanks to a seven-goal performance from rookie Thunder Hill, the Six Nations Rivermen were able to register a convincing victory in their home opener. The Rivermen, the local Senior B squad, thumped the Collingwood Cruise 15-7 in their Ontario Series Lacrosse (OSL) match held on Saturday at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena (ILA). Hill now has 10 points in his first two outings this season. He had scored once and added a pair of assists in Six Nations’ 11-9 road victory against the Owen Sound North Stars in their 2025 season opener one week earlier. Rivermen veteran forward Tyler Brown, who had a five-point (three goals and two assists) game himself versus Collingwood, praised Hill’s efforts. “The kid is a stud,” Brown said of his 21-year-old teammate....
Register
SPORTS BRIEFS: Powless nabs award for final collegiate season
By Sam Laskaris Writer Six Nations member Dougie Powless finished off his lacrosse collegiate eligibility with another conference award. Last year Powless, a member of the Clarke University Pride men’s field lacrosse team, had captured the Newcomer of the Year award in the Heart of America Athletic Conference. As for this year, Powless capped off his final university season with the Iowa-based Pride by being named to the conference’s All-Heart Second Team. Powless led the Clarke squad this season in caused turnovers (39) and was as in the number of ground balls scooped up (51). Powless also established a school record of eight caused turnovers in one game, during Clarke’s 12-5 victory against Nebraska’s Midland University on Mar. 22. Powless and his Pride teammates finished with an over-all record of...
Register
Critics slam Ontario for proposal to create zones where projects are exempt from laws
By Liam Casey Proposed Ontario legislation that would give cabinet power to create “special economic zones” and allow the government to exempt itself from following laws on certain projects is little more than a power grab, First Nations, civil liberty groups and environmentalists say. Critics say the bill, known as the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, is designed to ensure projects such as Premier Doug Ford’s proposed tunnel under Highway 401 and critical mineral mining in northern Ontario get done with little resistance. Ford pointed to both projects as examples of regions that could be designated as special economic zones once the law is passed. Ford has long envisioned mining the Ring of Fire, an area that is said to be rich with critical minerals, then refining and...
Register
Crazy8s film fest finalist ‘W7éyle (Moon’s Wife)’ explores science fiction from a Secwépemc perspective
By Lyssa Martin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Wren If you could choose to live forever, would you? This is the question at the centre of the short film W7éyle (Moon’s Wife) — a top-six finisher in this year’s Crazy8s film festival. Written and directed by Secwépemc filmmaker Amanda Wandler, the 15-minute film weaves together science fiction with an ancient story in Secwépemc culture. In an interview with The Wren, Wandler describes herself as a “huge fan” of the science fiction genre. The implications of immortality is one of those classic sci-fi ethical dilemmas. After watching another movie about the concept of living forever, Wandler pondered how — if everyone made the choice to be immortal — the population would explode at an even more unsustainable rate. But she also...
Register
Homeland Security chief says travelers with no REAL ID can fly for now, but with likely extra steps
By Rebecca Santana And Olga R. Rodriguez WASHINGTON (AP) — Travelers who haven’t obtained a REAL ID by this week’s deadline received assurances from the head of Homeland Security that they will be able to fly after additional identity checks. Her comments came Tuesday as people were waiting in long lines outside of government buildings from California to Chicago trying to update their IDs before the long-delayed deadline. Kristi Noem told a congressional panel that 81% of travelers already have IDs that comply with the REAL ID requirements. She said security checkpoints will also be accepting passports and tribal identification when the deadline hits Wednesday. Those who still lack an identification that complies with the REAL ID law “may be diverted to a different line, have an extra step,” Noem...
Register
Danielle Smith dismisses Doug Ford’s warning against separatist threats from Alberta
By Lisa Johnson Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is urging her Ontario counterpart Doug Ford to mind his own business when it comes to talk of separating from Canada. Smith announced this week that she doesn’t want Alberta to leave Canada but, if enough residents sign a petition asking for a referendum on it, she’ll make sure it’s put to a vote in 2026. Ford, without mentioning Smith by name, said Tuesday that Canadian unity is critical as the country engages in a tariff fight with the United States. “This is a time to unite the country, not people saying, ‘Oh, I’m leaving the country,’” Ford said. Asked about his remarks, Smith said she has a great friendship with Ford but that they have different jurisdictions to govern. “I don’t tell...
Register
Spring flooding reignites First Nation’s calls for relocation
By Natasha Bulowski, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer Spring flooding is putting First Nations in northern Ontario at risk and reigniting calls for relocation. Kashechewan First Nation and Fort Albany First Nation — located on the shores of James Bay — both declared states of emergency last week and have been evacuating community members. People are forced to face this trauma each spring despite the Canadian government’s repeated promises to move the community to higher ground safe from flooding, Kashechewan Chief Hosea Wesley said in a May 2 press release. “It is unacceptable that the lives of our people continue to be put at risk every spring,” Chief Wesley’s statement read. “We have enough studies, we have enough promises, now is the time for action.” Kashechewan First Nation...
Register
Planned burn could have killed trapped firefighters, says B.C. safety report
By Brenna Owen British Columbia’s worker protection agency says a planned burn by the province’s wildfire service during the devastating 2023 fire season could have killed or injured multiple firefighters who became “trapped by extreme fire behaviour” that cut off their escape. Inspection reports by WorkSafeBC say the BC Wildfire Service didn’t adequately ensure safety during the burn in the Shuswap region on Aug. 17 that year, and a group of trapped Brazilian firefighters had to retreat to a “safe zone.” WorkSafeBC says they had to burn off fuel around their truck and spend the night because of low visibility, smoke, fire activity and falling trees. They were picked up the next day by another crew that “cut their way into the site.” “Other crews reportedly had to navigate off-road...
Register
Six Nations Police and OPP Tactical Unit shut down non Six Nations owned tobacco/pot operation
SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND RIVER-Six Nations Police with the assistance of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) began shutting down a tobacco and cannabis operation being run by non-natives in a Chiefswood Road warehouse at about 7:45 a.m. today. Chiefswood Road from Fourth Line to Third Line was closed during the operation. The OPP Tactical Unit is also on scene. Police Chief Darren Montour stressed the operation is NOT a Six Nations operation but being being operated by non-Six Nations community people. MORE TO COME…...
Register
US stocks sink again as more companies detail damage they’re taking because of Trump’s trade war
By Stan Choe NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are sinking Tuesday as AI mania on Wall Street loses more steam and as more companies scrub their forecasts for upcoming profits because of uncertainty created by President Donald Trump’s tariffs. The S&P 500 was down 0.6% in afternoon trading and on track for a second drop after breaking a nine-day winning streak, its longest such run in more than 20 years. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 310 points, or 0.8%, as of 1:29 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.8% lower. Palantir Technologies was one of the heaviest weights on the market after falling 13.3%. The company, which offers an AI platform for customers, dropped even though it reported a profit for the latest quarter that...
Register
Critics slam Ontario for proposal to create zones where projects are exempt from laws
First Nations, civil liberty groups and environmentalists are slamming Ontario for a proposed bill that would give cabinet the power to create “special economic zones” and allow the government to exempt itself from following laws on certain projects. Critics say it’s a power grab designed to ensure projects like Premier Doug Ford’s proposed tunnel under Highway 401 and mining critical minerals in northern Ontario get done with little resistance. Several First Nation leaders from the Ring of Fire region visited Queen’s Park Monday and said they have yet to be consulted on the bill, despite pledges from the province it would fulfil its duty to consult. The Canadian Civil Liberties Association says the bill is alarming and such power should only be used in emergency situations such as a pandemic,...
Register
News Alert: Canada is not for sale Prime Minister Mark Carney tells U.S. President Trump
WASHINGTON D.C.- Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney told U.S. President Donald Trump in their first sit down face-to-face meeting “Canada is not for sale. It will never be for sale.” Prime Minister Carney told President Trump “You’re a transformational leader with a focus on American workers… I have been elected with the help of my collegues here, to transform Canada with a similar focus on Canada.” Prime Minister Carney said “we are the largest client of the United States.” He said “this is a bigger discussion,” and that it will take “some time and some discussions,” to resolve the trade dispute. “Some things about it are going to have to change,” Carney says. “And part of the way, you’ve conducted these tariffs, has taken advantage of existing aspects of USMCA,...
Register
The Latest: Canada’s prime minister in Washington for high-stakes meeting with President Trump
Canada’s new prime minister, Mark Carney, who won with a promise to confront U.S. President Donald Trump’s aggression, has the opportunity to do that in Tuesday’s face-to-face Oval Office meeting. The Trump administration sided with the Biden administration in asking a judge to toss out a lawsuitagainst telehealth access to the abortion medication mifepristone, effectively kicking the issue down the road. Another judge has ordered the Trump administration to admit some 12,000 refugees. And the White House says Harvard University will receive no new grants. The letter to Harvard’s president escalates Trump’s targeting of the Ivy League school. His administration also is pushing to strip the school of its tax-exempt status. The Latest: Canada’s new prime minister arrives at the White House for Trump meeting Carney received a handshake and...
Register
Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation’s Maria Clark named Tofino’s Business Leader of the Year
By Nora O’Malley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Ha-Shilth-Sa Tofino, B.C. – Maria Clark opened the door to her home in the First Nations community of Ty-Histanis with a warm smile. Caught on a day off as Tin Wis Resort’s assistant general manager, Clark was spending the day with her grandkids, family time she cherishes deeply. “Fortunately, a lot of young Indigenous women have come to me and said, ‘I like to see you speaking. I like to hear you speaking. I look up to you’,” says Clark. “I feel like I am breaking barriers and creating space for Indigenous People. That is a good feeling,” she continues. Clark was named the 2024 Business Leader of Year at the recent Tofino Business Excellence Awards gala hosted by the Tofino Beach Chamber...
Register
