Why Greenland is strategically important to Arctic security
By Danica Kirka And Stefanie Dazio Location, location, location: Greenland’s position above the Arctic Circle makes the world’s largest island a key part of security strategy. Increasing international tensions, global warming and the changing world economy have put Greenland at the heart of the debate over global trade and security, and U.S. President Donald Trump wants to make sure his country controls the mineral-rich island that guards the Arctic and North Atlantic approaches to North America. Greenland is a self-governing territory of Denmark, a longtime U.S. ally that has rejected Trump’s overtures. Greenland’s own government also opposes U.S. designs on the island, saying the people of Greenland will decide their own future. The island, 80% of which lies above the Arctic Circle, is home to about 56,000 mostly Inuit people...
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Fulmer says B.C. Conservatives must be a grand coalition as he enters leadership race
By Wolfgang Depner Yuri Fulmer said the Conservative Party of B.C. needs to be a “grand coalition” that refrains from “undisciplined” behaviour if it wants to govern, as he becomes the first high-profile candidate to run for the party’s leadership. Fulmer, the chancellor of Capilano University who made his fortune with fast food franchises, said that means that the Conservatives have to “welcome a lot of people” into the party who don’t feel comfortable there now — including former B.C. Liberals. “Let me be very clear,” he said in an interview. “I’m running to be the leader of the B.C. Conservatives. I am a Conservative. What I will do, though, is welcome into the Conservative tent people who are conservatively minded, and they may have called themselves B.C. Liberals in...
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Federal, provincial leaders visit First Nation in Manitoba hit by power outage
By Brittany Hobson Federal, provincial and Indigenous leaders are meeting with the chief of a beleaguered First Nation crippled by a frozen water system due to a days-long power outage. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew, Northern and Arctic Affairs Minister Rebecca Chartrand and Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak are part of the delegation visiting Pimicikamak Cree Nation today to survey damage that has prompted the community to declare a state of emergency. Damage to critical infrastructure has forced thousands out from the nation, about 530 kilometres north of Winnipeg, with no timeline on when they can return. Chief David Monias has said it’s unclear how many of the more than 1,300 homes in the community have been affected by pipes bursting and sewage seeping in because there...
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‘Bombarded’: Number of large projects worries First Nations group chair
By Matt Prokopchuk, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, TBnewswatch.com GRASSY NARROWS — The chair of a group of six First Nations says the latest step for a proposed nuclear waste site is yet another cause for concern. Rudy Turtle, with the Land Defence Alliance, says it’s the newest bit of news that’s worrying Indigenous communities concerned about the environment and the long-term future of the lands and water in northern Ontario. “We’re just surrounded by resource development and this is a difficult fight we’re facing,” he told Newswatch in a phone interview. “There’s mining north of us here in Red Lake, and there’s more mining coming in.” “It won’t be long.” The alliance consists of representatives from Grassy Narrows, Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug, Muskrat Dam, Neskantaga, Onigaming and Wapekeka. Turtle is a former...
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First Nations chiefs alarmed by feds’ lack of commitment to protecting source water
By Alessia Passafiume Some First Nations chiefs say Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty’s recent refusal to commit to source water protections in a promised clean water bill shows the government is sidelining the health of Indigenous communities in its push to build up the economy. Two provinces — Alberta and Ontario — objected to clean water legislation introduced by former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s government that failed to pass before Parliament was prorogued last year. Gull-Masty said last summer she was committed to reintroducing the bill. The minister vowed at the time the legislation would affirm First Nations’ human right to clean drinking water. She did not explain how that might work after the passage of legislation in June that speeds up the approval timeline for major infrastructure projects and...
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‘We were kind of duped’ on New Brunswick mine, says Indigenous leader
By John Chilibeck, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Daily Gleaner The deal is so old, the references to “Maliseet Nation” seem from a different era. In January 2017, New Brunswick’s provincial government and the six chiefs of what is now called the Wolastoqey Nation signed an accommodation agreement for the proposed Sisson Mine — a project that has barely inched ahead over the last nine years. Two of those chiefs have been replaced, and New Brunswick has had its third premier since then. On top of that, Wolastoqiyik people no longer accept the term Maliseet, a word from the neighbouring Mi’kmaq people that pokes fun of the way they speak. Nevertheless, the eight-page agreement is being dusted off. Prime Minister Mark Carney has cited the Sisson Mine about 100 kilometres...
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Meet Six Nations’ first baby of 2026!
Six Nations’ First Baby of the year is a girl! By Lynda Powless Editor Meet Six Nations’ first citizen of 2026… little Georgia Thomas! Georgia is the daughter of Rory Thomas and Eilaya General and was born at Brantford General Hospital Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026 at 9:08 a.m. Eilaya says while everything went well with the birth it was both an exciting and nervous time for the young couple. “I woke up at 3 a.m. with contractions,” she said from her hospital bed at Brantford General. “I didn’t know at first that I was even having contractions,” she says laughing. Eilaya, and a very nervous Rory, went to the hospital at about 8 a.m. Dec 31st and despite the nerves said everything went well. “I was pretty nervous,” Rory said....
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Gull-Masty reflects on first months of job Indigenous leaders were wary of her taking
By Alessia Passafiume When Mandy Gull-Masty took up the role of Indigenous services minister last spring, one question loomed over her appointment: why would a Cree woman want to administer the Indian Act, when another First Nations woman before her turned down the role? Gull-Masty was named to the cabinet job in May after being elected as a member of Parliament for the first time in April. She told The Canadian Press she was willing “to take the risk” even as some said the government was “setting (her) up for failure.” Others, she said, pointed to a pathway she can help create for the people she once worked alongside, and make progress on the files she knows intimately: clean drinking water, housing and child welfare. “I’ve had the opportunity to...
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A Year-End look at Six Nations 2025
January 1 Gilbert Seth, a retiree, and Christopher Seth won $900,000 in The Bigger Spin Instant game. January 6 KPMG Auditors said the 2024 Six Nations audit was late in the year. because of staff turnover and a lack of resources at Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) January 13 Black mould continued to plague Six Nations’s buildings and homes.SNEC passed a motion to host a public meeting to address issues with the community. January 27 Six Nations Police and fire fighters began investigating the cause of a fire that gutted the Burger Barn, a popular local restaurant. The Office of the Ontario Fire Marshal called it a “suspicious” blaze. The fire came just days after shots were fired into the building. February 5 A measles outbreak near Six Nations promptedhealth...
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2026 has begun..with a closed meeting
A new year is underway with a Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) that spent an entire five minutes in an open session dealing with the community’s business. Five minutes. We counted! After a five- minute open finance community session Monday, Jan. 5th, to approve an Indigenous Services Canada funding item they shut down, going into a closed session. A move that has become almost a hallmark of the current council and an expensive one for the community. SNEC’s 2024-2025 year alone saw the council earning a total of $934,939 of the community’s money on their various expenses from travel to Life and Health insurance costs and honoraria for attending meetings…some only five minutes long, before closing shop and going into a what amounts to a private session to deal with...
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Today in History
January 4 In 2007, the Anglican Church of Canada introduced Mark MacDonald as its first indigenous bishop. In 2022, Ottawa officially announced it had reached an agreement in principle with First Nations partners to compensate children harmed by its underfunding of child welfare. The federal Liberal government said that of the $40 billion earmarked to resolve the matter, $20 billion would be designated for compensation and the rest would be spent on reforming the system over five years. In 2023, Canada marked the first National Ribbon Skirt Day, after a bill to recognize the event every Jan. 4 passed in Parliament late the previous year. It was inspired by a 10-year-old girl who wore a ribbon skirt to her rural Saskatchewan school in December 2020. Isabella Kulak wore the colourful...
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UNDER THE NORTHERN SKY: Mike Was A Beacon Of Love And Friendship
By Xavier Kataquapit www.underthenorthernsky.com I lost the love of my life Michael McGrath this past Sunday December 28, 2025. He was a bright light that shone for so many people in our families but also in a circle of friends that seemed to span the world. Mike was born and raised in Iroquois Falls into a grand Irish Canadian family that originated from the Ottawa valley. His mother Emily McGrath imparted in him her kind and gentle spirit and his grandmother Margaret Dunn, whom everyone knew as Granny, guided and influenced his life. Their home was centred around the family piano where Mike and his sister Patty were serenaded from birth by their aunts Celia, Rita, Sara and Tessie. Their family then grew to include Celia’s husband Johnny Mercier; Rita’s...
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Animal Nation series premieres on January 8 on APTN
By Sam Laskaris Writer Jesse Bochner continues to have a passion for nature documentaries. But instead of just watching them now, Bochner, a member of Roseau River Anishinabe First Nation in Manitoba, has helped create what he hopes will become a hit series. Bochner is a writer, director and producer of Animal Nation, a seven-part series that will be aired weekly on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN), starting on Jan. 8. “I’ve always loved documentaries,” said Bochner, who is 54 and lives in Montreal. “And as a kid, nature documentaries were definitely one of my favourite things. So, I’ve always been interested and eager to work on an animal nature documentary.” Each episode of Animal Nation is titled after a keynote species. The inaugural episode is titled Bear. Following...
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Local coaches named assistants for Haudenosaunee Nationals men’s field lacrosse program
By Sam Laskaris Writer Vince Longboat has been given another opportunity to win some more hardware at an international men’s field lacrosse tournament. Longboat had served as an assistant coach for the Haudenosaunee Nationals who captured the bronze medal at the 2023 world tourney, held in the California city of San Diego. It was announced in late December that Longboat has also been named as a coach for the Haudenosaunee club, expected to participate at the 2027 world championships in the Japanese capital of Tokyo. Another Six Nations member, Jason Johnson, has also been named as an assistant coach for the squad. A total of six individuals were chosen to be part of the Haudenosaunee coaching staff. “I think it’s going to be a good thing,” Longboat said. “We’ve got...
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Sports headline makers from 2025
By Sam Laskaris Writer Six Nations athletes and teams had their share of success during the past 12 months. And no doubt there will be plenty of local sporting achievements that will be heralded this year. Until then, it’s worth taking a look back at some of those athletic headline makers in The Turtle Island News from 2025. A closer look at five of these headline makers is below. Five others will be profiled in the Jan. 14 edition. In no particular order, the first five headline makers from the past year are: JOHN MONTURE JR. The Six Nations member captured the men’s title at the Indigenous Ontario Golf Championship. The tournament, held in August, was staged at the MontHill Golf & Country Club in Caledonia. For Monture Jr., it...
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Six Nations Skating Club raises $18,000 in sales in 50/50 draw
A $9,000 winning smile! The Six Nations Skating club was the big winner in their 50-50 draw held over the holidays raising over $18,000. But the largest smiles came when club president Rhonda Skye gave the biggest ticket seller Artie Martin and his wife Shyla (pictured) a nice $9.067.57 holiday prize! His wife Shyla accepted the prize. (Photo by Jim C. Powless)...
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RCMP break into Chief Allan Adam’s home on Christmas
By Jeremy Appel, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Alberta Native News (ANNews) – Chief Allan Adam of Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation was in Fort Chipewyan celebrating Christmas with his family when he learned the Wood Buffalo RCMP had broken into his home. Adam told Alberta Native News that on Christmas Day, the Mounties broke down the front door of his house, tore into a ceremonial drum that was gifted to him from the Athabasca Tribal Council, damaged the doors to his wife’s and grandson’s bedrooms, and took three pairs of his wife’s boots. “I can’t call the RCMP, because it was the RCMP that broke into my house,” Chief Adam said in a Facebook live stream recorded when he arrived at his Fort McMurray home in the early hours of Dec....
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Eby pitches ‘pivot’ from oil pipeline to refinery talks after Maduro capture
British Columbia Premier David Eby said Canada needs to “pivot” from talk of a potential new pipeline carrying oil bound for Asia and instead think about building a new refinery. Eby said Tuesday that if tax dollars are being considered to build a pipeline to B.C.’s northern coast, the money would be better spent supporting oil and gas products made in Canada rather than being relying on American and Chinese refineries. The premier’s comments come after Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was captured by the United States and U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to take over the oil industry in the country. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said the situation underlines the urgency to build a new pipeline to B.C.’s coast. Alberta and the federal government signed a memorandum of understanding...
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City staff recommend giving $450K to new community food hub
By Clint Fleury, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, TBnewswatch.com THUNDER BAY – Our Kids Count could be getting $450,000 from the city to help establish a new community food hub. City administration is supporting the funding request, which would go towards buying the former Circle K building at the corner of Simpson and McKenzie Streets. Jackie Knough, executive director of Our Kids Count, told Newswatch the facility would be a home for its food security program. “We’ve been doing a lot around food security, and we’re just noticing more and more the need is continuing to increase. We haven’t been able to meet everyone’s needs. When we do a community breakfast, the lineups are throughout the door. We have over 200 people, and so this new space will allow people to...
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Alberta launches website for potential new West Coast oil pipeline
By Lauren Krugel The Alberta government has launched a website for the bitumen pipeline it wants to see built to the northwest B.C. coast. It says the page will act as a central hub for project information and updates to ensure transparency and open dialogue. It includes a section dedicated to debunking myths, such as that construction has begun, the province is paying for the project and that a route has been decided. In October, the province announced it would spend $14 million on early planning work, but the aim is for the private sector to eventually take the lead and for Indigenous partners to come on board. Support for the idea was a centrepiece of a sweeping energy accord signed between Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Prime Minister Mark...
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