RHT Litigation Fund files court application to challenge lawyer fees review
By Kyle Darbyson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The Robinson Huron Treaty Litigation Fund (RHTLF) has filed a court application in response to two chiefs who are opposing compensation funds being set aside for the lawyers who helped them secure a historic $10-billion settlement. On June 10, chiefs Craig Nootchtai (Atikameksheng Anishnawbek) and Karen Bell (Garden River First Nation) announced they are pursuing a judicial review over the $510 million that was earmarked for the legal team in this case, arguing that such an amount is not “fair or reasonable.” “Money spent to pay legal fees is money that cannot be distributed to beneficiaries of the Robinson-Huron Treaty,” an Atikameksheng Anishnawbek official stated in a corresponding news release. According to a Monday news release from the RHTLF, this action from Nootchtai...
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Brandon Montour shares his Stanley Cup win with hometown Six Nations of the Grand
Six Nations own NHLer Brandon Montour holds the Stanley Cup high as he makes his way in a parade in his honour through Ohsweken, on the Six Nations of the Grand River. (Photo by Jim C. Powless) By Lynda Powless Editor SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND RIVER- Brandon is home…and he brought the Stanley Cup with him. The rains may have kept thousand of expected off reserve visitors from hitting Six Nations streets today ( Wednesday July 24) but when the sun came out local residents had lined the streets to welcome home one of their own NHL hero Brandon Montour who brought the Stanley Cup along with him. Montour’s Florida Panthers’ took the championship beating the Edmonton Oilers 2-1 in Game 7 on June 24 in Florida. Part of...
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Halfway River First Nation and Province launch landscape planning pilot
By Ed Hitchins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter FORT ST. JOHN, B.C — The provincial government and Halfway River First Nation (HRFN) have announced a partnership to balance the Treaty 8 First Nation’s land and industrial interests. According to a press release on July 22nd, HRFN and the province will move forward on a landscape planning pilot to protect Treaty 8’s rights and support restoration and sustainable development in northeastern B.C. The province also announced an agreement with HRFN to award the nation a petroleum and gas tenure. HRFN Chief Darlene Hunter says the agreement will ensure that oil and gas development is sustainable and managed with the values of her Nation in mind. “We look forward to our continued collaboration with industry and government on development activities within Halfway River...
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Reg Niganobe seeking office as Liberal MPP
By Kyle Darbyson local Journalism Initiative Reporter The former chief of Mississauga First Nation and the Anishinabek Nation is hoping to become the Ontario Liberal Party nominee for the Algoma-Manitoulin riding. Reg Niganobe made this announcement last Friday through his personal Facebook page, revealing that he decided to seek this nomination after “much thought, consideration, and conversation with family, friends, colleagues, mentors and other trusted leaders.” “For those who have supported me in the past, I seek your continued support and confidence,” Niganobe wrote. “As I seek the nomination bid and complete the required paperwork and processes, I will update everyone on the outcome of my application later. Thank you all for your time, and wish me luck!” Niganobe is no stranger to campaigning for public office, first becoming a...
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Jordan’s Principle controversy in Naujaat
By Darrell Greer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Naujaat hamlet council’s decision to turn down $6.8 million allotted to the community by Jordan’s Principle – a program aimed at ensuring all First Nations and Inuit children in Canada have access to the health and educational supports they need – is viewed as a huge mistake in some corners. Tagak Curley, a former Nunavut MLA and a founding father of Nunavut, said he thinks it’s terrible that Naujaat has still not signed on for the Jordan’s Principle initiative, which provides children up to the age of 18 with food, baby formula, diapers and other essential items. A food voucher proposal to support 710 children in Naujaat had been approved last December before Naujaat hamlet council decided it could no longer take on...
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Brandon Montour brings Stanley Cup home today!
By Austin Evans Writer Today’s the day: Brandon Montour is bringing the Stanley Cup to Six Nations! The celebrations will start at 1 pm at Ohsweken Speedway, with the parade carrying Montour and the Stanley Cup to the Six Nations Sports and Culture Memorial Arena. Before and during the event, roads will be closed from 5th Line to the intersection of 4th Line and Chiefswood Road, and to Lawrence Jonathan Lane. A lane will be open for emergency services. Upon arrival at the arena, Montour will be awarded the Six Nations Honourary Ronateríhonte (Leader) Award. Darryl Smart from Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) Communications said this is a new award and that Montour will be its first recipient. Montour has just completed his tenth year in the NHL and his...
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IDLA marks Jay Treaty Border Crossing “Fight for the Line” anniversary
Photos by January Rogers NIAGARA FALLS – Soaring temperatures and spurts of rain didn’t stop Haudenosaunee from practicing Indigenous rights to free passage across the invisible US-Canada border. The annual Jay Treaty celebration Saturday ( July 20th) marks the hard work of generations of Indian Defence League of America (IDLA) supporters who have been drawing attention to and protecting Indigenous border crossing rights with the march since 1927. The event sees Indigenous people walk across the international Rainbow Bridge from one country to the other to mark invisible barriers created when both Canada and the U.S. formed a border with the imposition of the Jay Treaty in 1794. The move, without Indigenous involvement, resulted in dividing not just Indigenous territories but families from each other. For the Haudenosaunee and Ongwehonwe...
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Six Nations Elected council allocates ISC funds
Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) approved a motion from the Built Environment and Climate Adaptation Committee to allocate funding from Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) to SNEC departments at the July General Finance meeting of more than $1.2 million. ISC provides SNEC with annual funding for Six Nations assets and education based on a formula that uses nominal roll (number of people enrolled in school on reserve) and adjusts the population by about 60 per cent. Departments were asked to put their priorities forward after the federal school’s were allocated $96,367 for school maintenance, to address the priorities of the schools’ principals and to replace equipment. SNEC’s department’s were given the remainder for priorities that were not discussed. Administration received just over $100,000; Public Works was allocated a little more than...
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Funding the root of problems in First Nation policing, clean water and claims
By Austin Evans Writer First Nations Policing, clean water and specific claims continue to top the agendas and discussions at the Assembly of First Nations’ (AFN) Annual General Assemblies. Policing During the plenary on First Nations Policing on July 10, the Indigenous Police Chiefs of Ontario (IPCO) described the two legal cases they filed against the federal government last year. IPCO went to court to force Canada to change the terms and conditions that prevented First Nations police services from having specialized units and also launched a human rights complaint for decades of underfunding. James Killeen, police chief of UCCM Anishnaabe Police, said the complaint led to the federal government threatening to withhold funding. “I can tell you that my entire time in municipal services, I never felt threatened that...
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Indigenous Police funding shortages hitting Six Nations
By Austin Evans Writer Six Nations’ Chief of Police says they only have enough funding to hire two-thirds of the officers they need to police the most populated First Nation in Canada. That shortage coupled with officer injuries or illness is forcing Police Chief Darren Montour, a strong advocate of Indigenous Policing, to bring in the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) to fill the vacuum. In an interview with Turtle Island News, upon returning from the Assembly of First Nations, he said First Nation policing is getting hit nationwide and no one feels it more than the Six Nations’ police force members. “Most of them have grown up here on the territory itself, so they have an invested interest coming into the job. But that weighs on them mentally, like they...
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Group says photos of reclusive tribe on Peru beach show logging concessions are ‘dangerously close’
The Associated Press An advocacy group for Indigenous peoples has released photographs of a reclusive tribe’s members searching for food on a beach in the Peruvian Amazon, calling it evidence that logging concessions are “dangerously close” to the tribe’s territory. Survival International said the photos and video it posted this week show members of the Mashco Piro looking for plantains and cassava near the community of Monte Salvado, on the Las Piedras River in Madre de Dios province. Several logging companies hold timber concessions inside territory inhabited by the tribe, according to Survival International, which has long sought to protect what it says is the largest “uncontacted” tribe in the world. The proximity raises fears of conflict between logging workers and tribal members, as well as the possibility that loggers...
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Ganohkwasra breaking ground for new housing
By Austin Evans Writer Ganohkwasra will be holding a Groundbreaking Ceremony to kick off the construction of seven more housing units to the Gayenawahsra Transitional Housing Program. Gayenawahsra was established in 1994 to aid Haudenosanee families impacted by relationship violence. Currently, their courtyard at 36 Sunrise Court has eight attached townhouse units with a total of 19 bedrooms. Ganohkwasra has been approved to build seven more units with 14 additional bedrooms, as well as a wellness centre to hold meetings for the Gayenawahsra program. Construction will officially begin on July 30 following the groundbreaking at 1 pm. The property will not be expanding to fit these new buildings. The housing will replace the playground and the wellness centre will replace the firepit. Housing supervisor Shelby Johnson said there is a...
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Brandon is bringing the Stanley Cup
The cup is coming and Brandon Montour is bringing it. While the Stanley Cup playoffs may electrify crowds, that’s nothing compares to its visit. There’s always community excitement at seeing the Stanley Cup, but with all due respect to it, everyone wants to congratulate Six Nations own’ Brandon Montour who has graciously brought it home . The cup will be on display after a short parade down Chiefswood Road to the Six Nations arena along with all the security needed to keep both the cup and Brandon from getting swamped. Once there Six Nations community members lined up to see it will get a chance to take a quick photo congratulate Brandon and move on quickly to accomodate the crowd. And then it will be on its way to another...
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Six months after car abduction local man charged
By Austin Evans Writer Six months after a car theft and abduction, Six Nations Police helped Niagara police catch their suspect. Police officers from Niagara and Niagara-on-the-Lake responded to a reported abduction and motor vehicle theft at the Embassy Suites in Niagara Falls at 11:30 pm on January 14, 2024. The officers said an adult male had exited a grey Dodge Durango to check into the Embassy Suites hotel when an unknown man jumped into the vehicle and drove away. At the time, a woman and a young child were in the vehicle when the man took off with the car. The man returned to the hotel parking lot and forced them out before fleeing the area again. The victims did not sustain any physical injuries as a result of...
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Six Nations man facing impaired driving charges
OHSWEKEN-A 44-year-old Six Nations man is facing impaired driving charges after police spotted a person driving erratically. Six Nations Police said they arrested and charged the man after a traffic stop in Haldimand County. On Saturday, July 20th, 2024, at approximately 1:00 a.m. while on general patrol, the Six Nations Police officers noticed a vehicle making erratic driving maneuvers. Officers conducted a traffic stop to check the sobriety of the driver. Police approached the vehicle and spoke with the male driver and detected signs of impairment on the driver. As a result of the investigation, police have arrested and charged Michael Porter, 44, of Caledonia, ON with the following criminal offences: – Impaired Operation – Alcohol per se Offence “80 plus” The vehicle was impounded for 7 days, and the...
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Six Nations Marathoner runs, swims and bikes the Ironman
By Austin Evans Writer Boston marathon qualifier and Tom Longboat descendant Kristian Jamieson completed his first ever triathlon at Muskoka Ironman in less than six hours. Not even a full month after his sub-3 hour finish at the Niagara Ultra marathon, Jamieson completed his first ever triathlon on July 7th with a final time of 5 hours and 10 minutes. “This triathlon experience was unlike anything I had encountered before,” he said. “I was a rookie, competing against seasoned racers with a lot more experience than myself.” While Huntsville’s Muskoka Ironman triathlon only had half of the running of the Niagara Ultra marathon, it came after a 1.9 kilometre swim and a 90 kilometre bike ride, for a total distance of 112 kilometres. Jamieson has trained as a runner for...
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Anderson to continue hockey career in university ranks with Laurier Golden Hawks
By Sam Laskaris Writer His junior hockey career came to an end a few months ago. But 21-year-old Six Nations member Brenden Anderson is now preparing to further his career at the university level. Anderson has agreed to join the Waterloo-based Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks squad for the coming season. Anderson had visited the university this past February. Golden Hawks’ head coach Kevin Forrest had invited him for a school visit after watching him in action with the St. Catharines Falcons, members of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. Anderson had begun the 2023-24 season with the Toronto Jr. Canadiens, members of the Ontario Junior Hockey League. But after playing 10 games with the Jr. Canadiens he joined the Falcons’ organization. A couple of other Ontario university clubs had...
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As N.S. jail death toll mounts, father grieves son and calls for corrections reform
The Canadian Press 24/07/2024 A memorial plaque with a laser-etched image of Christopher Young wearing a Santa hat sits on a shelf at his father’s Halifax home. “That’s how I’ll always remember my son, as a happy guy,” said Gerry Young, 61. However, the grieving parent said his 33-year-old son’s suicide on April 26 — the fifth of six deaths in Nova Scotia jails in the past 18 months — should be remembered as an example of how the provincial corrections system is failing to protect inmates’ lives. “I guarantee you this could have been prevented,” he said during a recent interview in his home. Young said his son had tried and failed to kill himself years ago at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility — commonly known as Burnside...
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Physicality and endurance win the World Series of perhaps the oldest game in North America Slugline: US-Stickball-America’s-Oldest-Game
The Associated Press 24/07/2024 00:10 CHOCTAW, Miss. (AP) — As the drummers walk onto the field, the players behind them smack their hickory sticks to the beat. The rhythm envelops the stands and a palpable sense of anticipation flows through the crowd. Indigenous peoples have been playing stickball for hundreds of years, and every summer since 1975, teams have competed in Mississippi to become champion of perhaps the oldest game in North America. A game of physicality and endurance, stickball is often referred to as the grandfather of field sports and the annual tournament in Mississippi is the game’s premier event. The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians has been producing some of the country’s best players for generations. A team from Mississippi will almost certainly be the one to beat...
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