Black Balloon Day Event Brings Six Nations Community Together
By Alex Murray Writer For those struggling with substance use disorder or with a loved one dealing with addiction, there is a place to come together to remember and heal: the Black Balloon Day event. Now observed worldwide, Six Nations held their own in early March at Six Nations Community Hall. Black Balloon Day is a time for those that have lost someone to overdose to remember their loved ones. It’s also a day to raise awareness for harm prevention and support those impacted by substance use disorder. Eve Kahama, who was part of the team that organized the Six Nations Black Balloon Day event, explained the focus: a unique format called a “Living Library.” “What the Living Library is is a person who volunteers to tell their story in...
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Six Nations skating club marking 50th anniversary with showcase
By Alex Murray Writer Sitting in her home away from home at the Six Nations Figure Skating Club (SNSC), President Rhonda “Bush” Skye is working on designing the program for the year-end SNSC Skating Showcase and 50th anniversary celebration. The showcase is being held March 28 at the Six Nations Sports & Cultural Memorial Centre. Bush, as she is largely known, is a volunteer. But she and other volunteers, like treasurer and fundraising chair John General, are putting in so much work on the event that they say it’s like a second full-time job. Bush says she’s been so busy that she hasn’t even been on the ice since Christmas time. The day before she spoke with Turtle Island News, Bush says she and General spent 12 hours on the...
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When is a conflict a conflict….?
Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) is facing a major conflict of interest debacle created after the hiring of the daughter of an elected councillor. While the new CEO is certainly qualified for her new job and will no doubt do it well, as she has in other positions and we congratulate her for that, But it has put Six Nations Elected councillor Hazel Johnson in a quandary. There is no question she is in a conflict of interest when it comes to voting on matters brought to council by her daughter/CEO, especially issues that would directly affect the CEO. Including any issues that could affect the CEO’s employment, compensation, or performance. But it doesn’t stop there. Governing bodies from municipal to federal enact legislation that protects both the employee and...
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Today in History
March 18 In 2019, the country’s top bureaucrat announced he would retire as clerk of the Privy Council. Michael Wernick said in a statement there was no path for a “relationship of mutual trust’’ if the Conservatives or N-D-P form the next government. Former justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould accused Wernick of pressuring her to help Quebec-based engineering giant S-N-C-Lavalin avoid a criminal prosecution. March 19 In 2019, the Liberal-dominated justice committee pulled the plug on its probe of the SNC-Lavalin affair, prompting fresh howls of outrage from the Conservatives and NDP. Conservative and New Democrat MPs unsuccessfully pressed the House of Commons justice committee to recall former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould so she could shed more light on the simmering controversy. The Liberal members tabled a motion calling for the...
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UNDER THE NORTHERN SKY: First Nation Youth Fighting For The Land
By Xavier Kataquapit I was happy to see our First Nation youth continue to speak out against proposed mining development in the far north in the so-called Ring of Fire region. These past few weeks, it was good to see Jeronimo Kataquapit, the founder of the ‘Here We Stand – Call To Action’, continue his fight against proposed mining developments near the Attawapiskat River in the Ring of Fire mining region. I was proud to see him stand with his cousin Ramon Kataquapit, co-founder of Okiniwak, a national youth-led movement uniting First Nations youth to advocate for equity and equality. It was encouraging to watch and listen to the events they held this past week, which showed that they are present and want to be heard. They made an appearance...
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Ironmen brass win awards
By Sam Laskaris Writer Two members of the Six Nations Ironmen brass have been singled out for their club’s regular season successes. The Northern Premier Hockey League announced various award winners this past Friday for both its Metropolitan and Capital conferences. Ironmen bench boss Ryan Davis was selected as Coach of the Year in the Metropolitan Conference. The NPHL release said “Davis demonstrated exceptional leadership behind the bench, building a structured and competitive team environment.” Also, Ironmen president and general manager Darrell Anderson was selected as the Executive of the Year for the Metropolitan Conference. “Anderson’s leadership and organizational vision played a key role in the Ironmen’s success this season,” the league release said. The Ironmen had strictly been a tournament team in recent years. Their main focus was the...
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‘Horrific loss’: Man guilty of killing five gets life sentence
By Carrie Ivardi, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, NWOnewswatch.com Warning: This story contains details that may be disturbing to read KENORA — Archie McKay has been sentenced to imprisonment for life. The Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug man was convicted last May on five counts of second-degree murder for setting the fire that killed his partner, Geraldine Chapman, their daughter, Shyra Chapman, and three children in Geraldine’s care, Angel McKay, Karl Cutfeet and Hailey Chapman. Justice J.S. Fregeau handed down the sentence in a Kenora courtroom on Monday. Fregeau imposed concurrent sentences for each of the five murders. McKay will serve 25 years of imprisonment before being eligible for parole. “He imposed the highest sentence possible in Canadian law on Archie,” said Assistant Crown Attorney James Cavanagh, who worked on this case with colleagues...
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Pictou ponders proposed police board
By Sam McBain, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter – The Advocate Pictou council discussed the possibility of creating a joint Police Advisory Board (PAB) with Trenton and possibly Pictou County, after Trenton approached Pictou with the offer, according to Pictou CAO Kyle Slaunwhite. “To do that, essentially we just need an agreement from council, and at that point I can write a letter to the minister and request approval if council decides to go forward with a joint Police Advisory Board with Trenton,” he said. “I think there’s positives associated with working with our neighbouring communities on this,” Mayor Jim Ryan said. “I do have concerns . . . Will our concerns around policing be consistent with the other municipalities?” The question was directed toward councillors on the current PAB, Coun....
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B.C. mulls plan to weaken DRIPA, in secret document shared with First Nations leaders
By Alessia Passafiume British Columbia Premier David Eby is considering amendments that would weaken the province’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, after two recent court decisions siding with First Nations under the law’s current wording. Amendments proposed in a confidential letter and document sent to some First Nations leaders in B.C. on Monday say the government is looking to change the wording to promise “ongoing processes” to align “select” legislation with the bill, known as DRIPA. The current wording of the “Purpose of the Act” section says it is “to affirm the application of the Declaration to the laws of British Columbia.” First Nations leaders, along with more than 130 civil society organizations including the B.C. Federation of Labour, have called on Eby to leave the bill...
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Nuclear waste proposal sent to independent review panel
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, SNnewswatch.com IGNACE — Having decided the proposal to store nuclear waste northwest of Ignace needs further review, the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC) has referred the project to an independent review panel. That’s good news for people who don’t want to see the deep geological repository built, We the Nuclear Free North’s Charles Faust said Tuesday. “This is a good development for us,” he told Newswatch. “This is a win.” The IAAC is “a shell of what it used to be, but it’s still all we have to review projects,” he said. The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) wants to construct a deep-underground facility for the long-term storage of used nuclear fuel at a site just south of Highway 11 and 43...
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Ottawa floats new rule to keep vessels one kilometre from southern resident orcas
By Wolfgang Depner Vessels will have to steer one kilometre clear of endangered southern resident orcas under newly proposed federal regulations that are being applauded by commercial whale watchers. Erin Gless, executive director of the Pacific Whale Watch Association that represents 28 companies in Canada and the United States, says the organization “strongly supports” the proposed changes. The move would increase minimum distances from the whales from the current 200 metres. But Gless says that would make no difference to the association’s 0perators, which have not actively viewed southern residents from any distance in B.C. waters since 2019. The approach distance for other killer whales would remain at 200 metres. The Washington-state based Center for Whale Research says its census put the population of southern residents at 74, as of...
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‘Mainstream Canadians need to listen,’ to the truth behind Indigenous food sovereignty, says Indigenous farmer
By Ina Pace, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Squamish Chief Indigenous agriculture documentary Tea Creek screened at Squamish’s Totem Hall, revealing the cracks in a lesser-known oppressive system, according to its protagonist. Truth and reconciliation are merely words without action, redundant even, if they are not believed. When federal law usurps what existed before it, truths can get buried and ultimately misinformed, according to farmer Dzap’l Gye’a̱win Skiik Jacob Beaton. These include truths about the workings of everyday business; your shopping at the grocery store, for example. Indigenous food sovereignty (Indigenous people having control over their own food sources) is one of these buried truths, he said. Beaton is the co-owner of farm turned Indigenous agricultural training institute Tea Creek, which he founded in 2020 with his family. Tea Creek...
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B.C. mulls changes to weaken DRIPA, shares secret document with First Nations leaders
By Alessia Passafiume Following two recent court decisions siding with First Nations under British Columbia’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, Premier David Eby is considering amendments that would weaken the legislation. First Nations leaders have called on Eby to leave the bill alone. The bill, known as DRIPA, requires B.C. to take “all measures” to align the rights of Indigenous Peoples with existing provincial legislation. Amendments proposed in a confidential letter sent to some First Nations leaders in B.C. on Monday say the government is looking to amend the bill to promise “ongoing processes” to align select legislation with DRIPA. The provincial Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, or DRIPA, was passed in 2019. It’s based on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of...
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Sarnia council demands Dennis apologies after rant over Indigenous mural
By Petrolia Lambton Independent Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Sarnia City councillors did their best to make amends for divisive and disrespectful comments directed to Indigenous people by Councillor Bill Dennis. But the damage is done and the council does not have the tools to go father than demanding an apology, say several members of council. March 18, a mural by Indigenous artist Kennday Osborne was unveiled at city hall. It is part of Sarnia’s actions under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. It’s federal legislation which sets a national standard for reconciliation, and according to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities “fundamentally shifts how (municipalities) engage with Indigenous people, manage land use and deliver services.” The mural highlights the relationship between Sarnia-Lambton and The Council of...
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First Nation engineer named new president of national mining organization
By Sam Laskaris, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Windspeaker.com Kaella-Marie Earle, a member of Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory on Manitoulin Island, has been named president of the Canadian Aboriginal Minerals Association (CAMA), a group founded in 1992 but one that had been on hiatus since the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020. Hans Matthews, a member of Wahnapitae First Nation in northern Ontario, founded CAMA and served as its only previous president. He stepped back from his position for personal reasons roughly the same time the pandemic was happening. “Last year, with the national landscape changing regarding major projects and the increase in mining development in Canada, Hans actually got people from across the country reaching out to him,” to relaunch the organization, Earle said. “They felt that they needed the kind of...
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Ontario Ombudsman’s final act: A new Indigenous plan to confront systemic failures
By Jon Thompson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Ricochet In the final two weeks of Paul Dubé’s decade-long tenure as Ontario’s ombudsman, he delivered its first Indigenous Services Plan — a promise to improve cultural competency and transform how complaints create systemic change. Those he consulted to write the plan are cautiously optimistic. “When we have the privilege to occupy these positions for however long we have them, we have a moral duty, we have a moral imperative to address some of these issues,” Dubé said of the five-year “herculean” process. “And as I look over the landscape of Ontario, I saw no more pressing issue than to contribute to reconciliation and get things moving, in whatever way we can.” His plan proposes “proactive ombudsmanship,” a commitment to take complaints and...
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Canadian sport system ‘broken, unsustainable,’ federal commission finds
By Donna Spencer Canadian sport needs an overhaul. That’s the conclusion of the Future of Sport in Canada Commission’s final report released Tuesday. “The work must begin now,” said Lise Maisonneuve, a former chief justice of the Ontario court of justice, who headed the commission. “Our review has revealed the Canadian sport system is broken, fragmented and in its present form, unsustainable. “In many settings, and for far too many people, it has caused and continues to cause real lasting harm.” The commission’s mandate was to make the Canadian sport system better and safer. “As we discovered in our work, these two matters are deeply interconnected,” Maisonneuve said. Announced in December 2023 by former federal sports minister Carla Qualtrough, the commission was among various federal government remedies in response to...
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‘Muzzling the process’: Ontario didn’t contribute to Ring of Fire assessment
By Fatima Syed and Carl Meyer Ontario has not been involved in the federal government’s regional assessment of the Ring of Fire, withholding scientific data and funding needed to understand the impact of mining development, even as the province ushers it through. The province is absent in the regional assessment working group’s interim report, released Feb. 23. In multiple instances, the group, made up of representatives from 15 First Nations and the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada, makes clear Ontario has yet to sign on. There is still an “opportunity for collaboration with the province of Ontario in the regional assessment,” the group wrote in the report. The group said it’s preparing what “specific information” it will need to request from the province. Ontario’s absence is notable as the Doug...
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ATCO investing $10 million in company building Nunavut port-and-road project
ATCO Ltd. is taking on a 40 per cent ownership stake in an Inuit-led road-and-port project in Nunavut. The Calgary-based company says it will provide about $10 million in a staged investment to West Kitikmeot Resources Corp. WKR is developing the Grays Bay Road and Port Project, which has been referred to the newly established federal major projects office. The office was set up last year to speed infrastructure developments deemed to be in the national interest. The WKR project includes a new deepwater port on the Northwest Passage, a 230-kilometre all-season road connecting to the Northwest Territories boundary and a more than 1,800-metre airstrip. The companies say the Grays Bay Road and Port project could have military and civilian uses, and would help create the first overland connection between...
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Canada’s migratory caribou are under threat. Will we act before it’s too late?
By Benjamin Larue, Allen Niptanatiak and Amanda Dumond Delegates are gathering in Campo Grande, Brazil, for the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) on the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals. The meeting aims to address growing threats to migratory animals — from birds and whales to large land mammals. The outcome could matter for caribou — one of Canada’s most recognizable wildlife species, immortalized on the country’s 25-cent quarters. Canada has not ratified the convention, but COP15 still matters here: it sets global norms and shines an international spotlight on a crisis unfolding in Canada’s North. Every year, migratory tundra caribou travel hundreds — sometimes thousands — of kilometres across the Arctic and subarctic. These journeys are the longest known terrestrial migrations on Earth. As...
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