Tax exemption of Kahnawa’kehró:non not being respected
By Marcus Bankuti, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eastern Door Last spring, Ioronhiateka Delisle’s stepson needed a new pair of skates, so they went to Play It Again Sports in Kirkland, part of the area covered by Kahnawake’s agreement with the province to exempt Kahnawa’kehró:non from Quebec Sales Tax (QST) at the point of sale. As they went to pay, the skates already molded to the 14-year-old’s feet, staff presented a laminated sheet of paper with the store’s tax exemption policy – one that happened to be at odds with Kahnawake’s tax exemption rights. “I said ‘sorry, if you don’t accept the card, I’ll have to go somewhere else,’” said Delisle. “The employee that was helping us understood and said no problem. I’m sure management wasn’t impressed that the skates...
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‘Wouldn’t it be cool to hear a hockey game done in Inuktitut?’
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News Pujjuut Kusugak and Robert Kabvitok say they’re feeling more confident going into their second year of Hockey Night in Canada’s Inuktitut broadcast. The pair will join David Ningeongan on Jan. 10 at 7 p.m. to call the Vancouver Canucks versus Toronto Maple Leafs game, then again on Jan. 31 for the New Jersey Devils versus Ottawa Senators, and finally on Feb. 28 as the Calgary Flames take on the Los Angeles Kings. The broadcasts are courtesy of APTN’s partnership with the CBC show, which will also feature Plains Cree broadcasts in March and April. “We know what to expect with these broadcasts coming up now. So it’s very exciting knowing that it’s not a huge learning curve for the three...
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Canada has too few professional archeologists, and that has economic consequences
By Lindsay Amundsen-Meyer, Kenneth Roy and Matthew Munro Canadian cultural resource management archeologists — professional consultants involved in environmental assessment and compliance processes — are increasingly finding themselves in the public eye when their work intersects with the development or disaster response related infrastructure projects. Public or media discussions often arise when delays in construction result from archeological assessments or Indigenous opposition. Yet, many more developments proceed without issue. Today, these concerns are part of a variety of challenges including labour shortages, meaningful Indigenous engagement and recent legislative changes that guide how development occurs. These challenges must be addressed to ensure timely assessment and approval of development projects through legally binding processes, without comprising the assessment and preservation of archeological sites — the overwhelming majority of which are Indigenous ancestral...
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Kashechewan First Nation evacuation plans will prioritize 500 vulnerable people: feds
By Sharif Hassan Indigenous Services Canada says the evacuation of 500 vulnerable people from a remote First Nation in northern Ontario will happen “as early as possible,” as the community deals with failures in its water supply and sewage systems. The federal department says the priority evacuees from Kashechewan First Nation will be taken to Timmins and Kapuskasing as plans to relocate the rest of the community are still being worked out. The fly-in community of around 2,200 people on the western shore of James Bay says the situation has created an urgent public health and safety issue, as sewage is creeping into people’s homes and contaminating fresh water systems. Indigenous Services Canada says it has enlisted a company that specializes in water and wastewater management to resolve the issues...
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Safety isn’t too much to ask for
Not since the tobacco industry started taking off has the scale of economic opportunities hitting Indigenous communities reached the heights some are now seeing with the controversial cannabis industry. Six Nations has always had a historical involvement with tobacco from both traditional to contemporary use but, like other Indigenous communities, it can’t claim the same historical record with cannabis use and that unfamiliarity with the product is causing concern as outside interests once again move to take hold. Massive cannabis fields are taking over whole sections of what was once farm lands and in-some-cases close to schools. Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) moved to try to control the industry while at the same time giving it, its stamp of approval, when it launched its cannabis bylaw and installed a commission....
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Today in History
January 8 In 1966, The Drum, the first newspaper of its kind in the Arctic, began publishing in English, Inuit and Kutchin January 9 In 1949, marathon runner Tom Longboat died on the Ohsweken reserve near Brantford, Ont. He was 61. Longboat won the 1907 Boston Marathon and went on to a successful professional running career. During the First World War, he served as a dispatch runner in France. January 10 In 2002, James Bartleman, a member of the Minjikanig First Nation, became the first native lieutenant-governor of Ontario. In 2012, four of five people aboard a Keystone Air Service plane were killed in a fiery landing at the North Spirit Lake First Nation, around 400 kilometres north of Dryden, Ont. January 11 In 2022, a 101-year-old Metis war veteran...
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What are some Secwépemc traditions celebrated in the winter?
By Macarena Mantilla, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Wren Hoodoos in the winter at the Tkʼemlúps te Secwépemc reserve. Photo by Macarena Mantilla/The Wren News Winter is quite a popular season amongst those who celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzza and more. However there are other traditions for the winter, which spans from Dec. 21 to March 20. A popular winter holiday in North America, Christmas started originally as a Christian tradition, and before colonization many Indigenous communities around the world honoured this time of the year differently. Ted Gottfriedson discussing truth and reconciliation in a video. Photo via Youtube The relationship Indigenous people have with non-Indigenous winter holidays varies from person to person, Ted Gottfriedson, Secwépemc cultural advisor at the Office of Indigenous Education at Thompson Rivers University shares. “I have...
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MCFN Chief delivers welcome at Maple Leafs’ Indigenous Celebration Game
By Sam Laskaris Writer It’s not unusual to see Margaret Sault hanging out in a hockey arena. But the recently elected chief of Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation (MCFN) does not have much time to attend National Hockey League (NHL) contests. This past Saturday, however, was an exception. Sault was in the spotlight as she delivered the opening welcome during the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Indigenous Celebration Game. The Leafs blanked the visiting Vancouver Canucks 5-0 in the match, which was held at Scotiabank Arena in front of more than 19,000 fans. Sault said it is a rarity for her to attend a Leafs’ game or any NHL contests. “I’m travelling too much and doing other things,” she said. “I have three sons that played hockey. Now I have four...
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SPORTS BRIEFS: Ironmen return to action
By Sam Laskaris Writer Ironmen return to action The Six Nations Ironmen will finally return to action this Sunday following a lengthy 16-day break. The Ironmen, who are in their inaugural season of the Northern Premier Hockey League (NPHL), are on a four-game winning streak. But the Six Nations club has not played a match since it registered a 9-5 victory over the host Woodstock Lakers on Jan. 2. The Lakers will host the same Lakers this Sunday (Jan. 18) in a contest that will be held at the Six Nations Sports & Cultural Memorial Centre. The opening faceoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Thanks to their recent winning streak, the Ironmen have jumped into top spot in the North Division of the NPHL’s Metropolitan Conference. Six Nations is sporting...
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2025 Six Nations sporting headline makers
By Sam Laskaris Writer The three-time national Mann Cup champion Six Nations Chiefs were among those profiled in the first half of The Turtle Island News’ 2025 sports headline makers last week. That list also included championship golfer John Monture Jr., former Six Nation chief Ava Hill who has been named to Hockey Canada’s Indigenous Advisory Circle, Cory Bomberry who was inducted into Canada’s lacrosse hall of fame and the Six Nations Ironmen hockey squad. Several other local athletes also had their share of accomplishments during the past 12 months. A closer look at five others who made headlines follows. RATO’RATSERIIO HILL The Six Nations youngster was a member of the silver-medal winning squad in the ball hockey competition at an international event. Hill suited up for the Canadian boys’...
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Photojournalist Amber Bracken takes the stand in press freedom trial
By Natasha Bulowski, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer A succession of loud bangs and the sounds of a chainsaw and barking dogs filled the courtroom, punctuated by calls of “get your gun off of me,” as photojournalist Amber Bracken took the witness stand in her Supreme Court trial against the RCMP on Tuesday. Bracken and The Narwhal are suing the RCMP for wrongfully arresting and detaining her while on assignment and violating both her and the publication’s Charter rights in a high-stakes press freedom case set to unfold over the course of five weeks. To kick off Bracken’s testimony, The Narwhal’s lawyer, Sean Hern, played a video captured by CBC documentarian Michael Toledano showing the moments during and leading up to the arrest of Bracken, Toledano and four...
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2025 was the third warmest year on record. What does that mean in Canada?
By Jordan Omstead This past year was the third warmest on record and stood on the cusp of surpassing a major climate threshold globally, according to new data from the European climate agency. The Copernicus data indicates 2025 was about 1.47 degrees warmer than pre-industrial levels, following the previous year’s record-setting 1.6 degrees. When 2023 is added to the mix, it’s the first three-year period on record to exceed 1.5 degrees, the data suggests. At the current rate, the 2015 Paris Agreement’s long-term global warming limit of 1.5 degrees could be reached by the end of this decade, about a decade earlier than predicted when the climate pact was signed, the agency said in a press release. Canada is warming even faster than the global average. The loss of snow...
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No date set as judge reserves decision in RCMP officer’s sentencing
By Bob Mackin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Prince George Citizen The Provincial Court judge who will sentence an RCMP officer found guilty of obstruction of justice reserved decision on Tuesday, Jan. 13 but did not set a date. “I’ll need about an hour,” Judge Michael Fortino said. “I can be personally ready within the next two weeks to deliver a decision.” The Crown wants Fortino to send Arthur Dalman, 33, to jail for six months. But Dalman’s defence lawyer proposed a conditional discharge. Lawyers for both sides will go to court schedulers on Jan. 16. “I know that this matter has been extant for some time, and there’s a high interest in seeing a conclusion on all parts, and so I’d like to be able to give a decision in...
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Oglala Sioux Tribe says three tribal members arrested in Minneapolis are in ICE detention
By Graham Lee Brewer The president of Oglala Sioux Tribe in South Dakota on Tuesday called for the immediate release of tribal members who were detained at a homeless encampment by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minnesota last week. Three of the four Oglala Sioux Tribe members who were arrested in Minneapolis on Friday have been transferred to an ICE facility at Fort Snelling, President Frank Star Comes Out said in a statement released with a memorandum sent to federal immigration authorities. “The Oglala Sioux Tribe’s memorandum makes clear that ‘tribal citizens are not aliens’ and are ‘categorically outside immigration jurisdiction,’” Star Comes Out said. “Enrolled tribal members are citizens of the United States by statute and citizens of the Oglala Sioux Nation by treaty.” Details about the circumstances...
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‘Regrettable’: Winnipeg officer apologizes for taking photo of body, selling drugs
By Brittany Hobson A former Winnipeg police officer who sold drugs to friends and colleagues and took a photo of a dead woman while on duty apologized for “tarnishing” the reputation of the service at his sentencing hearing Tuesday. Elston Bostock, 49, earlier pleaded guilty to charges including breach of trust, attempting to obstruct justice, drug trafficking and offering an indignity to human remains. Court heard he was responding to a call when he took a photo of the partially clothed woman of Indigenous ancestry, who had died from an overdose, and sent it to two other officers with comments that sexualized and degraded her. “I’d like to deeply apologize to the family and the victim for the hurt and pain I have caused with my most regrettable action,” Bostock...
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First Nations leaders discuss stalled child welfare agreement
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Thunder Bay Source THUNDER BAY — About 200 delegates from First Nations across northern Ontario gathered in a local hotel Tuesday for three days of discussion on an agreement with the federal government to reform First Nations child and family services in the province. “We haven’t been able to get across the finish line on that agreement,” Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler said in his opening remarks. The First Nations Child and Family Caring Society is still “standing in the way” but its appeal to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal could be resolved soon, he said. Representatives of NAN member nations are in Thunder Bay “to talk about the implementation of the Ontario Final Agreement,” he told Newswatch after his...
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‘Spicy’ times call for big increase in Arctic investments, Obed says
By Jeff Pelletier, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunatsiaq News “Spicy” times in the world call for “generational” investments in Canada’s Arctic, says Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami president Natan Obed. Obed made the remarks while attending the Ingiulik Nunavut Shipping Summit at the Aqsarniit hotel in Iqaluit Tuesday. The ITK president was keynote speaker on the second day of the four-day Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.-led event, which attracted delegates from across the Canadian Arctic, Alaska and Greenland. “It is an unacceptable reality that our 51 [Inuit Nunangat] communities are so underserviced from a marine infrastructure end,” Obed said in his speech, noting Canadian Rangers require facilities to launch their patrols and sealift companies need better options to unload cargo. “We need to do better, and hopefully, we can work with the Government of...
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Pimicikamak faces long road to repair after havoc-wreaking power outage
By Crystal Greene, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, IndigiNews Paige Paupanekis, a Pimicikamak Cree Nation member and community volunteer, has been working non-stop since a power outage happened in her community over the holidays. One of the 21-year-old’s first tasks was rounding up pizza donations to send to her Cree community — located about 530 kilometres north of “Winnipeg” — to feed people. It was during frigid -20 C temperatures on Dec. 28 that a Manitoba Hydro powerline broke, along a 300-metre crossing between two islands on the Nelson River. It caused a power outage that lasted four days, until electricity was restored. But the outage caused lasting infrastructure damage, such as frozen pipes, backed up sewers, and other problems. On Thursday, about 70 people gathered to drum and round-dance outside...
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N.S. RCMP kill man from First Nation after he allegedly threatened people: watchdog
Nova Scotia’s police watchdog is investigating after the RCMP shot and killed a man from a First Nation along Highway 202 north of Halifax. The Serious Incident Response Team says the RCMP responded to a call Tuesday morning at the Sipekne’katik First Nation about a man with a firearm who had allegedly threatened others before driving off. Police warned residents of Hants and Colchester counties to seek shelter and lock doors and windows because of a man with a firearm driving a blue Honda Civic in the area. The watchdog says officers located the man later in the day and deflated his tires using a spike belt, causing his car to leave the highway. It says police tried non-lethal options before firing multiple shots. The watchdog says the man was...
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Sydney, N.S., selected as the preferred base for new Arctic icebreakers
By Devin Stevens Federal officials say Sydney, N.S., has the inside track on becoming the base for the Canadian Coast Guard’s upcoming polar icebreakers as the country continues the push to assert its sovereignty in the Arctic. The government announced Tuesday that the Cape Breton port is the preferred location as the maintenance base for the two new vessels. Ottawa cited the deep, ice-free harbour, proximity to Sydney’s Canadian Coast Guard Academy and the fact the port has one of the shortest routes to the Arctic from Eastern Canada. It’s also near Halifax, headquarters of the Royal Canadian Navy’s Atlantic fleet. Mike Kelloway, the local member of Parliament and parliamentary secretary to the minister of transport, said Sydney has access to specialized marine trades, year-round transportation links and a harbour...
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