AFN-Chiefs call on feds to criminalize residential school denialism as hate speech
By Alessia Passafiume First Nations chiefs say the federal government is enabling residential school denialism by failing to make it a crime. The chiefs passed an emergency resolution at the Assembly of First Nations meeting in Ottawa this week calling on the feds to criminalize residential school denialism as hate speech. Chief David Monias of Pimicikamak Cree Nation says the truth is not optional and that reconciliation cannot exist without it. He says there is extensive documentation of the abuse those institutions perpetrated on First Nations children and efforts to downplay that history distort the truth. More than 150,000 Indigenous children were forced to attend residential schools, the last of which closed in 1996. An estimated 6,000 children died in the schools, though experts say the actual number could be...
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New gathering space marks major milestone for Cold Lake FirstNations
By Chantel Downes, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Lakeland This Week The nation officially broke ground on the new Community Gathering Space on June 19. The facility will be located between Hotel Dene and Casino Dene along Highway 28 and is expected to accommodate up to 750 guests. Once complete, the space will be used for community celebrations, cultural gatherings, conferences, trade shows, markets, meetings, weddings, and other special events. It will also directly connect Hotel Dene and Casino Dene, strengthening the nation’s hospitality and tourism offerings. Shawna Janvier, CEO of Hotel Dene & Conference Centre and Casino Dene, said the Community Gathering Space has been years in the making. “It’s been in the planning stages for about five years or so, most of that being in the last three years....
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Wildfire smoke turns Toronto sky orange
(CP) Smoke from wildfires in northwestern Ontario drifted south and choked the skies over Toronto and other regions on Wednesday. Environment Canada’s air quality warnings are active from Thunder Bay to Kingston and down to London as several First Nations communities in northwestern Ontario are under mandatory evacuation orders due to forest fires....
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Feds announce new members of reformed Senate advisory board
By Catherine Morrison A week after Prime Minister Mark Carney announced his first picks for the Red Chamber, the federal government has named almost a dozen people to its Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments. In 2016, the previous Liberal government created the independent advisory board to provide non-binding recommendations on Senate appointments to the prime minister. Under the Carney government, the board will continue to have three federal members, including a chair, and two additional members from each province or territory where a Senate vacancy is to be filled — the same as it was under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. A news release today says the board will be chaired by François Rolland, who has served as a federal member of the board since 2018. Others named to the...
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Impending closure of Ekati diamond mine a ‘deeply disappointing outcome’: owner
The impending closure of the insolvent Ekati diamond mine is a “deeply disappointing outcome” for workers, shareholders and communities in the Northwest Territories, said the chief executive of Australia-based Burgundy Diamond Mines. “Ekati has made an extraordinary contribution to the territory for more than 25 years as a major private-sector employer and through its long-standing relationships with Indigenous communities and local businesses,” Jeremy King said in an announcement posted to the Australian Stock Exchange. The Supreme Court of British Columbia granted the Canadian arm of Burgundy, Arctic Canadian Diamond Company Ltd., protection from creditors in May. Since then, Burgundy said it reached out to a broad range of potential investors and counterparties. “Despite an extensive process to identify new investment or a transaction, no viable proposal was received,” King said....
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Ogwadeni:deo Celebrates End of School Year At Annual Foam Party
By Alex Murray Writer School’s not truly out at Six Nations of the Grand River until the youngsters get to frolic around Ogwadeni:deo’s annual end of school year Foam Party. Hosted in the parking lot in front of Ogwadeni:deo for the second year running, over 100 community members and Six Nations youth came out for the event on a scorching hot Friday evening on July 10. Ogwadeni:deo community development worker and lead organizer for the Foam Party Brianne Cavan said it’s an opportunity for the kids to “let loose” after a long school year. “It’s an end of school party, so it’s for the kids to let loose after getting out of school,” Cavan told Turtle Island News as youngsters zipped around her carrying big smiles and lacrosse sticks and...
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Ministry of Finance wants meeting on “contraband” tobacco….RBC asks GRE partners to move accounts…too much money for bank?
By Lynda Powless Editor Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) held a closed-door meeting with the Ministry of Finance (MOF )just two weeks before the community’s largest tobacco company executives were ejected from a local bank. Turtle Island News has learned Elected Chief Sherri-Lyn Hill and CEO Debra Jonathan met with the MOF officials about what the ministry described as Six Nations’ “contraband tobacco” industry. The ministry said it had six questions it wanted to discuss with SNEC and ask the community. Turtle Island News has learned Elected Chief Sherri-Lyn Hill brought the meeting request to SNEC saying she thought the meeting was a “good idea” because non-Six Nations people were now coming to Six Nations and opening tobacco manufacturing plants. Elected Chief Hill was referring to a June raid that...
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Six Nations agrees to consolidated funding agreement with MOH
Six Nations approved moving forward with a new consolidated funding agreement with Ontario’s Ministry of Health that officials say will significantly reduce administrative reporting requirements while giving the community greater flexibility over how provincial health dollars are used. The agreement, approved by SNEC in a recorded vote with one opposition from Councillor Helen Miller, marks the first phase of a multi-year effort to consolidate numerous provincial health funding agreements into a single transfer payment agreement. Bryan Herechuk, director of Well-Being, said the change will reduce administrative workload, increase local decision-making and allow funding to be shared across programs when needed, while maintaining existing funding levels. Herechuk told council the Department of Well-being currently manages numerous separate agreements with both the Ministry of Health and Ontario Health, each carrying its own...
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Six Nations Farmers get $75,000 for white corn project
Six Nations approved $75,000 for the Six Nations Farmers Association’s 2026 White Corn Project following an emotional debate over new funding policies, accountability measures and the future of one of the community’s longest-running food initiatives. Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) voted 10-2 to allocate the funding from Ontario First Nations Limited Partnership (OFNLP) funds at the General Finance Committee meeting on July 6 after Art and Jesse Porter from the Six Nations Farmers Association raised concerns that delays in the approval process left them planting this year’s crop without knowing whether financial support would be available. The discussion highlighted growing tensions between council’s push for stronger financial accountability and concerns that new funding requirements are being applied to long-standing community programs that have operated for decades. Art Porter told SNEC...
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Artist Corrie Hill Hopes to Inspire the Next Generation of Six Nations Artists With Indigenous GO Bus Design
By Alex Murray Writer It was near the shores of Lake Erie at the now-closed Ridgeway-Crystal Beach High School that Six Nations artist Corrie Hill discovered her love of art. Hill, who was tapped by Metrolinx to do their National Indigenous History Month (NIHM) GO Bus wraparound design this year, always knew she wanted to create “beautiful things.” She just didn’t know what exactly those things would be. It was only when she connected her Haudenosaunee heritage with her love of art that she finally “put two and two together.” “As I got older, I kind of made the choice to start my healing journey, start feeling my mental wellness and kind of rebuild that connection to my Haudenosaunee heritage and that’s kind of where I put two and two...
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Editorial: Six Nations sovereignty versus Ontario
There’s nothing complicated about what Ontario’s Ministry of Finance (MOF) does. For First Nations communities it’s clear. It enforces the Tobacco Tax Act. It sends the Ontario Provincial Police to hide in plain sight around First Nation communities to arrest unsuspecting consumers of egregious behaviour! The behaviour? Along with buying a local craft they dared to buy a tobacco product in a First Nation community. Their crime! They didn’t pay taxes. The reason for the push? Politics. Off reserve convenience stores (voters) complain the sale of their tobacco products has fallen due to sales in First Nation communities. Not a fact they’ve actually been able to prove since tobacco sales began falling for various health reasons years ago. The real reason. Ontario doesn’t like not collecting the taxes. So now,...
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Kashechewan: Ottawa “dragging their feet” as First Nations faces evacuations
By Alex Murray Writer NIAGARA FALLS, ONT- For Kashechewan First Nation it’s been six months…and counting. The First Nation has been evacuated at least once in each of the last 18 years, but the latest now means they are being separated from their land for six months. It’s the longest evacuation Tyson Wesley can remember. “It’s not the situation that we would like to be in. I think our people ultimately want to just be home,” Wesley, Kashechewan’s Executive Director, told Turtle Island News. “It’s not a vacation for us when we’re in Niagara Falls. It’s not a six-month vacation where we’re in a hotel.” A state of emergency was declared by the First Nation on January 3, 2026, when cryptosporidium was found to be infecting the water supply. Most...
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Rivermen finish atop OSL standings and receive bye for first playoff round
By Sam Laskaris Writer The Six Nations Rivermen had a major victory on Sunday despite not even playing a game themselves. The Rivermen concluded their own regular season on Saturday with a convincing 17-10 win over the host Collingwood Cruise. The local Six Nations club ended up with a 10-2 record in the regular season standings of the seven-team Ontario Series Lacrosse (OSL). The Rivermen then found out on Sunday night that they would be awarded top spot in the league standings when the Hamilton Bengals upset the Brooklin Merchants 10-5. Like the Six Nations squad, the Whitby-based Merchants also ended up with a 10-2 mark. But the Rivermen were awarded first places because one of their losses was in overtime. Both the Rivermen and Merchants receive opening-round playoff byes....
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Warriors advance to Can-Am semi-finals after sweeping Redhawks
By Sam Laskaris Writer Following an opening-round playoff sweep, the Grand River Warriors are now gearing up for their next post-season series. But the local Senior B men’s lacrosse squad will have a formidable task in its upcoming games. That’s because the Six Nations-based Warriors will be squaring off against the top-ranked Newton Golden Eagles in a best-of-five Can-Am Lacrosse League semi-final series, which begins Friday. The Warriors, who had placed fourth in the six-team Can-Am circuit with a 10-10 regular season record, defeated the Onondaga Redhawks 2-0 in their best-of-three, opening-round post-season series. The Warriors, who play their home contests at the Brantford Civic Centre, downed the Redhawks 16-10 in the series opener last Thursday. The Grand River squad also captured Game 2, on the road, with a 12-8...
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Hill named MVP of provincial Senior B lacrosse circuit for second straight year
By Sam Laskaris Writer For the second straight year Six Nations Rivermen offensive star Thunder Hill has been selected as the most valuable player of the Ontario Series Lacrosse (OSL). This year’s OSL award winners were announced on Sunday night, the last day of the league’s regular season schedule. Hill was the only Six Nations player to win a league-wide award this year. And he also captured the league’s top scorer award. Hill played in 11 of the 12 Rivermen regular season matches and racked up 56 points, including 22 goals. He was the only player in the seven-team OSL to average more than five points per game. A year ago Hill had earned 75 points (41 goals and 34 assists) in 16 regular season matches. League officials decided to...
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First Nations chiefs gather in Ottawa for second day of AFN general assembly
By Alessia Passafiume First Nations leaders attending the Assembly of First Nations annual general meeting in Ottawa today are expected to debate the terms of an upcoming meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney and the premiers and territorial leaders. In her opening remarks to the gathering Tuesday, Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak said a planned meeting this fall between first ministers and chiefs from across the country was hard to secure and must not be the last of its kind. Woodhouse Nepinak told chiefs the Prime Minister’s Office has confirmed the meeting will take place in October. Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty is also expected to attend the Assembly of First Nations gathering to talk about the federal housing and infrastructure strategy. The Assembly of First...
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Chiefs tell AFN meeting new federal clean water bill walks back hard-won rights
By Alessia Passafiume First Nations leaders and two opposition MPs are denouncing the Carney government’s new proposed clean water legislation, which drops wording in a previous version that would have explicitly recognized First Nations’ right to clean drinking water. Speaking on a panel at the Assembly of First Nations annual general assembly in Ottawa, NDP MP Leah Gazan and Conservative MP Billy Morin picked the bill apart alongside Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief Linda Debassige and Newfoundland Regional Chief Brendan Mitchell. Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty reintroduced legislation this summer that seeks to ensure First Nations have reliable access to clean drinking water in their communities. While the legislation is largely in line with a bill that failed to pass under the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, it leaves...
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Assets of Alberta separatist leader frozen in dispute with FirstNation
By Lisa Johnson An Alberta court has temporarily frozen up to $8.5 million in assets held by one of the province’s most recognizable separatist leaders. Justice Michael Marion granted an interim injunction last week preventing Jeffrey Rath and his law firm from transferring the assets until a Wednesday hearing. It’s part of an ongoing legal battle between the Tallcree First Nation and Rath, the First Nation’s former lawyer, over control of a multimillion-dollar trust fund established in 2017. Chief Rupert Meneen alleges in a legal brief that Rath misappropriated approximately $6.4 million from the trust in excessive and improper fees. Justice Marion says in the order that there are reasonable grounds to believe the assets would be “dissipated or removed” before the case is decided in court. In a June...
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La Ronge area fire ban takes effect amid wildfire, smoke concerns
By Nicole Goldsworthy, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, SaskToday.ca, SASKTODAY.ca LA RONGE — Residents across the La Ronge area are being urged to avoid all open fires after the Lac La Ronge Indian Band (LLRIB) and La Ronge Emergency Management imposed a local fire ban amid extreme wildfire conditions and deteriorating air quality. The fire ban took effect at noon Tuesday, July 14, and applies to the LLRIB communities of Sucker River, Stanley Mission, Grandmother’s Bay, Hall Lake, Kitsaki Reserve 156 and 156B, and Little Red. The ban will remain in place until significant precipitation is received. All open fires are prohibited under the order. However, traditional smokers, propane barbecues, propane-fuelled fire pits and briquettes are still permitted. Existing burn permits have been suspended until the ban is lifted. The LLRIB...
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Assembly of First Nations passes Residential School Denialism resolution on opening day
By Alex Murray Writer The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) passed an emergency resolution on the first day of their Annual General Assembly in Ottawa on Tuesday aimed at curbing the rising tide of Residential School denialism in Canada. Pimicikamak Chief David Monias, who was the mover on the resolution, said the resolution calls on Canada to work with First Nations to address residential school denialism, educate the public, and protect sacred burial and memorial sites. “When people deny or minimize this history, they do more than deny the past, they reopen the wounds of survivors, they dishonor the children, they fuel anti-First Nations racism. Reconciliation cannot exist if truth is questioned or erased,” Monias said. The resolution, which was carried by consensus, specifically calls for an amendment to the...
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