Mann Cup gets ugly after violence erupts among fans
NEW WESTMINISTER B.C.- The Mann Cup has released a statement condemning violence and warning it is installing security checks after a fight erupted in the stands at the Queen’s Park Arena in New Westminister B.C. Monday night. The Six Nations Chiefs, who looked the two times Mann Cup champs they are known to be, took the game 19-9 in a slick winning Chiefs’ style and are out for more with a game Tuesday night. But things got touchy in the stands when a brawl broke out that soon saw The 19 goals saw eight in the first period alone with 60 shots on goal before the buzzer sounded. With Dhane Smith taking four goals and six assists, Lyle Thompson hitting three goals and six assists and Ryan Smith and Randy...
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Battle that led to Haiti’s independence among names of new Montreal metro stations
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante has unveiled the names of five new stations that will extend the subway system into the city’s east end. Plante says the names were chosen to celebrate women and communities that have made important contributions to Montreal’s history. Vertières station is a nod to Montreal’s Haitian community, named after the 1803 battle that led to the independence of Haiti. Mary Two-Axe-Earley station bears the name of an Indigenous women’s rights activist from the Montreal-area Mohawk community of Kahnawake. Césira-Parisotto station is named after a nun from Montreal’s Italian community who founded schools and a hospital, while Madeleine-Parent station honours a trade unionist and feminist activist. The final station along the planned extension of the Montreal subway system’s “blue line” will be named for the eastern borough...
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Ford, transport minister make string of misleading claims as Highway 413 construction ‘begins’
By Anushka Yadav, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Pointer Any mention of Highway 413, first proposed almost a quarter-century ago as a massive transportation corridor immediately below and through parts of Ontario’s protected Greenbelt, has always been accompanied by a giant question mark. Claimed by supporters to be a solution to congestion in the Greater Toronto Area, the project has been mired in political wrangling between successive Liberal and PC governments. That did not stop some of Ontario’s most powerful developers from buying up huge tracts of farmland along the highway’s proposed route in and around the Greenbelt, in hopes of a ten-fold increase in value if (or when) the project was approved. After PC supporters and Party leaders first floated the idea in the ‘90s, with the encouragement of...
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Pickleball peacekeeping project comes to Caledonia
By J.P. Antonacci, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Hamilton Spectator Leave it to the legion to stop a war — or at least, a skirmish over court time between Caledonia’s tennis and pickleball players. “They were having some trouble at Kin Park,” said Ron Winegard from the Royal Canadian Legion Caledonia Branch 154. “The pickleball players and the tennis players were having some arguments.” As racquet-toting residents jostled for space on the two tennis courts in Kinsmen Park, the need for more pickleball courts in Caledonia came up at seemingly every community meeting. Winegard, a Caledonia businessperson with a long track record of fundraising for recreational facilities, approached legion past president Brian Haggith in the spring of 2024 about collecting donations to build a four-court pickleball complex in McKinnon Park...
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Liberal MPs meet in Edmonton to prepare for fall sitting, major projects agenda
By Alessia Passafiume Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal caucus is meeting in Edmonton this week ahead of the fall sitting of Parliament. It’s the first time the caucus has met since June, and the first caucus retreat held outside Ottawa since Carney took over the party’s leadership last March. It comes as Carney has a lofty fall agenda to move on his major projects legislation that was passed in a hurry in June. Carney has been promising for weeks to unveil his short list of initial projects he wants to fast track using the bill, and has hinted in recent days about big announcements coming on ports and housing. The retreat began Monday with a meeting of the women’s caucus, with rural, Indigenous, economic and regional meetings scheduled for today....
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Over 350 Greenlandic women and girls forcibly given contraception by Danish officials, report says
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — More than 350 Greenlandic Indigenous women and girls, including some 12 years old and younger, reported that they were forcibly given contraception by Danish health authorities in cases that date back to the 1960s, according to an independent investigation’s findings released Tuesday. The Inuit victims, many of them teenagers at the time, were either fitted with intrauterine contraceptive devices, known as IUDs or coils, or given a hormonal birth control injection. They were not told details about the procedure, or did not give their consent. The victims described traumatic experiences that left some with physical side effects, ranging from pain and bleeding to serious infections. The governments of Denmark and Greenland officially apologized last month for their roles in the historic mistreatment in an apparent attempt...
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At Assembly of First Nations, one chief feels ‘sidelined’ by Manitoba’s approach to development
By Jon Thompson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Ricochet When Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew spoke to the Assembly of First Nations last week, he positioned his NDP government as taking the unique approach of engaging Indigenous communities in major project development. But one chief in the crowd who claims his First Nation has been sidelined on a highway project says the way the Kinew government behaves has only proven to be more of the same, despite the premier’s personal popularity among First Nations people. Kinew told the assembly that while many jurisdictions are rushing toward infrastructure and resource projects, his government stands apart by applying the constitutional and respectful approach to ensuring Indigenous relationships and foresees it will be both effective and efficient.“We kind of have an idea lab, a test...
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B.C. orders forage farmers to stop using water to protect endangered chinook salmon
By Wolfgang Depner The British Columbia government has ordered forage-crop farmers in the province’s south to turn off their irrigation taps, because “severe low flows” are threatening endangered chinook salmon. Randene Neill, B.C.’s minster of water, land and resource stewardship, said “when stream flows drop to critical levels, and vulnerable species are at risk,” government must take regulatory action. “Temporary protection measures are always issued as a very, very last resort after voluntary measures, because we recognize the huge impact it has on water users, including farmers and their businesses,” Neill said. She added that protection orders like the ones issued Monday are “guided by science, Indigenous knowledge and local knowledge, and economic analysis as well,” she said. “They are targeted and they are short-term, to restore flows as quickly...
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Manitoba grand chief calls for better cell service after mass stabbings
By Steve Lambert Ensuring First Nations communities have cellular coverage would help responses to emergencies such as the mass stabbing on Hollow Water First Nation, a Manitoba grand chief said Monday. “That should just be a no-brainer. We have to have connection to emergency services,” Grand Chief Jerry Daniels said in an interview. An 18-year-old woman was killed and several others were hospitalized last Thursday after a series of stabbings on the reserve. The suspect — Tyrone Simard, 26 — fatally stabbed his 18-year-old sister, wounded seven others, and later died after driving a stolen vehicle and colliding with an RCMP officer responding to the tragedy, RCMP have said. Hollow Water is not a remote community. It is about 200 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg and connected by road. But it...
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DFO ‘legacy of neglect’ leaves North Coast salmon to flounder
By Rochelle Baker Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer –Fisheries and Oceans Canada cut the monitoring of salmon streams along BC’s North and Central Coast, leaving critical stocks uncounted at the height of spawning season. Seasonal “creek walkers” — contractors for the fisheries department (DFO) who trek along streams to record salmon returns — haven’t been hired as stocks return along the coast from Bella Bella to the Alaskan border, including major watersheds like the Skeena, Nass and Kitimat systems, says a coalition of conservation groups. Assessing returns to key streams is critical for estimating stocks, managing fisheries and conservation, said Misty MacDuffee, wild salmon program director at Raincoast Conservation Foundation. “Not having contracts in place as salmon are returning to rivers is unprecedented,” she said. “Budget cuts have...
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Federal Court rules for BZA chief
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Thunder Bay Source ROCKY BAY — A Federal Court judge has granted Chief Gladys Thompson an injunction to resume work as the top elected official of Biinjitiwaabik Zaaging Anishinaabek (BZA). The decision came two days after Thompson and her legal counsel appeared before the court via Zoom to make their case for her reinstatement. Band councillors in BZA, formerly Rocky Bay First Nation, had suspended her without pay in July pending an investigation into her conduct as chief. Justice Patrick Gleeson granted an injunction on Sept. 5 for Thompson to continue as chief “pending final disposition” of her application for a judicial review of the suspension. A July 14 band council resolution to suspend her and appoint Coun. Myles Becker as acting chief...
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NCC Development lacked ‘full team’ to deliver on Nunavut 3000 agreement: CE
By Jeff Pelletier, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunatsiaq News When NCC Development Ltd. signed on to build 2,000 homes as part of the Nunavut 3000 initiative, it lacked a “full team,” CEO Clarence Synard said. Synard made the remarks before the Nunavut legislature’s government oversight committee Friday, where MLAs have been reviewing the auditor general’s 2025 report on public housing in Nunavut. Part of that report noted that Nunavut Housing Corp. is facing “challenges to meet its public housing targets under the Nunavut 3000 Strategy by 2030.” While committee members were examining that issue, Netsilik MLA Joseph Quqqiaq asked Synard if NCC had the “resources, personnel, equipment, corporate structure to deliver” on Nunavut 3000. “At the time of the signing of the agreement, we did not have a full team...
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Kanesatake comes together at the powwow
By Olivier Cadotte, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eastern Door This year’s Kanehsatà:ke Traditional Powwow was a time for Kanehsata’kehró:non and non-locals to come to town and spend a positive weekend of dancing, drumming, crafts, and good food – all the good things you’d expect in a powwow. Shirley Bonspille, one of four members of the organizational committee, said that apart from the stress of putting together a powwow with a small team and a couple small incidents, it was a good time to be at the powwow grounds on August 30-31. She said the big reason why was all the people who participated: volunteers, dancers, vendors, and the event emcee Lance Delisle, among many others. “It was just absolutely amazing. Everybody loved it. We had good feedback from the...
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New agreement for former offenders
By Eve Cable, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eastern Door A memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) and the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) will see nearly $200,000 flow into the community over the next two years, in an agreement that could serve as a model for other First Nations across Turtle Island. “A non-Native parole officer has no idea what it’s like to be a Mohawk, to be Kahnawa’kehró:non,” said Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) chief Ryan Montour, who is the lead portfolio chief on community safety. “They have no idea, they don’t know the cultural aspect to it, they just have no idea what it means.” Montour said that Kahnawake has been developing a program focused on social reintegration for offenders since...
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Spel’kúmtn Community Forest distributes $339K to shareholders
By Luke Faulks, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Pique Newsmagazine The Spel’kúmtn Community Forest (SCF) has distributed more than $339,000 from its 2024 harvest, with the Líl’wat Nation and the Village of Pemberton each receiving $169,515. The distribution, announced Aug. 31, reflects earnings from the harvest and sale of timber from the community forest’s 17,727-hectare tenure. The area covers lands around Pemberton and Mount Currie, within the unceded and traditional territory of the Líl’wat Nation. SCF executive director Andrea Blaikie said in a release she was “pleased to announce this distribution of funds, reflecting a productive 2024 harvest. The intention of the Spel’kúmtn Community Forest was always to create direct benefit for the local communities.” Blaikie said the results came from a successful standing single stem harvest program carried out on...
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Coquihalla Highway reopens after wildfire closure but truck fire causes delays
By Brenna Owen A semi-truck on fire closed the Coquihalla Highway between Hope and Merritt on Friday, just hours after the key route to and from British Columbia’s Lower Mainland reopened following a two-day closure due to a wind-fuelled wildfire. The truck fire temporarily closed the route in both directions, but the Coquihalla has since been fully reopened, the province’s driver information service said. The route had just reopened after towering flames forced its closure for several days, and with the wildfire still burning, the Transportation Ministry said drivers could expect the status of the highway to change again on short notice. It said drivers were advised not to stop in the fire zone, and there would be intermittent lane closures as crews assessed and repaired roadside damage. Cellphone coverage...
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Salmonbellies down visiting Chiefs in first two Mann Cup matches
The New Westminster Salmonbellies (white jerseys) have been shutting down the potent Six Nations Chiefs’ offence and lead the best-of-seven Mann Cup series 2-0. (Photo by Darryl Smart0. By Sam Laskaris Writer The Six Nations Chiefs are still hoping to win their third consecutive Mann Cup championship. But in order to keep their dreams of capturing another national Senior A lacrosse title alive, the Chiefs need to quickly start registering some victories. That’s because the Six Nations squad is now trailing the host New Westminster Salmonbellies 2-0 in its best-of-seven Mann Cup series. Game 3 in the series is scheduled for Monday night. And then Game 4 will follow on Tuesday. The Salmonbellies, who earned the right to host this year’s national final by winning the British Columbia-based Western...
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First Nation development corporation opens new Trans-Canada Highway gas station
By Matt Prokopchuk, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, TBnewswatch.com NETMIZAAGGAMIG NISHNAABEG — Travellers along the Highway 17 North Shore corridor have a new option for where they can fill up. The White Lake Limited Partnership, the economic development corporation of Netmizaaggamig Nishnaabeg (also known as Pic Mobert First Nation), officially opened its latest venture, Johnny K’s Gas and Convenience Store, on Aug. 29 along the Trans-Canada Highway. Between Marathon and White River, it sits next to Netmizaaggamig’s powwow grounds. Crystal Finlayson Pirie, White Lake’s chief executive officer, said when additional highway-side reserve lands were added to Netmizaaggamig several years ago, the community’s chief and council made it a priority to use them for such a project. She said the corporation is always looking at ways to diversify its interests. “It’s allowed...
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OPP believe swatting calls coming from outside of Canada after third call hits
HALDIMAND COUNTY, ON – Haldimand County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have found themselves investigating a third incident of an Emergency Fraud Call (swatting) . Just days after investiging two fraud calls, one involving a local high school, Haldimand County OPP responded to a residence on Haldimand Road 53 near Jarvis Thursday September 4, 2025, at about 8:20 p.m.after receiving a report of a family dispute. The investigation determined that there was no emergency and no threat to public safety. Investigators believe all three calls are connected to the same individual or individuals. Haldimand County Major Crime Unit members have been called in and are assisting with the sequence of incidents and have reason to believe that these calls are being generated from a remote location outside of Canada using Voice...
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Peru rejects creation of Amazon reserve to protect uncontacted tribes, drawing Indigenous outcry
By Steven Grattan BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Peru’s Congress rejected Friday a proposal to create a long-delayed Amazon reserve meant to protect uncontacted Indigenous tribes living in voluntary isolation along the border with Brazil. Advocates for the reserve say the decision leaves the remote forest vulnerable to logging, mining and other incursions, and deals a setback to a plan that has languished for more than two decades despite legal obligations to establish it. Francisco Hernández Cayetano, president of the Federation of Ticuna and Yagua Communities of the Lower Amazon, said the commission’s rejection “shows its anti-Indigenous face in the 21st century” and signals it does not care about “the environment, the water, the culture and everything as a whole.” He told The Associated Press that without Indigenous peoples, the Amazon...
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