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Six Nations own Brandon Montour $50 million man is moving on!
By Sam Laskaris Writer Six Nations’ hockey hero is on the move. Exactly one week after winning the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers, local hockey product Brandon Montour inked a contract with the Seattle Kraken. Montour, a 30-year-old defenceman, signed a seven-year deal with the Kraken worth $50 million (U.S.). Montour was an unrestricted free agent and was thus eligible to sign with any National Hockey League squad of his choosing. Seattle general manager Ron Francis was rather pleased the Kraken was able to land Montour, who was one of the most appealing free agents available this off-season. “Brandon is a proven winner,” Francis said. “We are thrilled to have him joining our organization. We’re looking forward to him making his Kraken debut in front of the best fans...
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Indigenous players drafted by NHL squads
By Sam Laskaris Writer An Indigenous player has won the Stanley Cup in each of the past two years. And there’s a chance that trend might continue in the coming season. That’s because four Indigenous players were selected in the 2024 National Hockey League’s Entry Draft, held this past Friday and Saturday in Las Vegas. Vegas Golden Knights’ defenceman Zach Whitecloud hoisted the Stanley Cup last year. And Six Nations member Brandon Montour and his Florida Panthers’ teammates captured the Cup this year. As for this year’s draft, Cayden Lindstrom, a member of Driftpile Cree Nation in Alberta, was selected in the first round, fourth over-all, by the Columbus Blue Jackets. Lindstrom spent the past two seasons with the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The second...
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Former NAIG president to be inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame
One of the pioneers of the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) is part of the 2024 class for Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame. Alex Nelson, a member of Musgamaqw-Dzawada’enuxw First Nation in British Columbia, will enter the hall via the Builder category. Induction ceremonies will be held on Oct. 23 in Gatineau, Que.Nelson, who is now 77 and lives in Victoria, was the first chairperson for the NAIG, which were first held in 1990 in Edmonton. He served three terms as the NAIG president. And he was also the executive director of the 1997 Games, which were staged in Victoria, where he has lived for the past 50 years. Nelson also served as the Team BC chef de mission at the NAIG twice. “I thank the Creator for this nomination,”...
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Six Nations members included in list of Indigenous coaching grant recipients
By Sam Laskaris Writer More than 50 individuals, including a half dozen who were bench bosses for Six Nations teams, are among the latest recipients of the Indigenous Hockey Coaching Grant. Hydro One and the Coaches Association of Ontario (CAO) have once again joined forces to provide the funding for the grants. This marked the second year of the funding program. A total of 51 recipients from across the province were recently announced as 2024 grant recipients. They received up to a maximum of $1,500 each in funding this year to help cover their expenses for things including equipment, travel and training. This year’s grant recipients are from 34 different Indigenous communities throughout the province. The grants help to promote inclusivity in sports. And they also help to break diversity...
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Final board meeting for rural Manitoba school division results in more chaos, dysfunction
By Dave Baxter Local Journalism Initiative reporter The final board meeting of the school year saw a continuation of the chaos and dysfunction that has embroiled one rural Manitoba school division since a trustee presentation earlier this year set off alarm bells, and prompted the province to step in with a full governance review. During the Dauphin-based Mountain View School Division (MVSD) board meeting last Monday, a resolution was brought forward by trustee John Taylor, and seconded by trustee Paul Coffey to make changes to the agenda that would allow deputy education minister Brian O’Leary to address the board at the meeting and take questions from trustees, regarding an ongoing provincial review of the board. But it took almost 15 minutes to get the four votes needed from the division’s...
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Tapping into a legacy
By Darrell Greer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The Kivalliq Inuit Association (KIA) is taking its show on the road to take the next step in loosening the purse strings to the regional Inuit association’s $116-million Legacy Fund. The Legacy Fund is an account that was set up from revenue the KIA receives from resource extractions that would go towards programming throughout the Kivalliq region. The fund receives royalties from Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM), as well as monetary boosts from Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., Ukkusiksalik National Park near Naujaat, any dividends Sakku Investments may have and a certain fund amount from any penalties AEM may incur from not meeting its Inuit employment targets. KIA chief operating officer Gabe Karlik said the bylaw governing the fund has to be adjusted and, in order...
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Blood Tribe looking to identify children who went missing from residential schools
BY ALEXANDRA NOAD LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER The Blood Tribe is asking for assistance from residential school survivors as it embarks on an endeavour to identify children who may have gone missing or died while attending residential school on the reserve as well as at two off-reserve locations. The Blood Tribe says they are collecting information from tribe children who were taken to St. Mary’s Residential School, St. Paul’s Residential School, St. Joseph’s Industrial School and St. Dunstan’s Industrial School. They will record testimonials to not only identify the missing children, but also support ground search efforts for any unmarked burials. The IRS Missing Children and Burial Sites Projects has four components: Archival Research, Community Research, Site Work and Commemoration. The Blood Tribe will host community meetings to provide more...
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Newfoundland and Labrador fishers say commercial cod fishery should not reopen
Exactly 32 years after the federal government imposed a moratorium on Newfoundland and Labrador’s commercial cod fishery, harvesters in the province demanded on Tuesday that Ottawa reinstate it. Greg Pretty, president of the 14,000-member union representing inshore fishers, says the northern cod stocks have not recovered enough to be fished again by what he calls “offshore draggers.” “That’s a disaster, that’s an absolute disaster,” Pretty said during a news conference in St. John’s, N.L., adding: “There will be petitions and there will be demonstrations until we get this thing right.” The federal Fisheries Department announced last week that it would end the moratorium and reinstate a commercial cod fishery, calling the decision “a historic milestone for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.” The 2024 season would have a total allowable Canadian catch of...
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First cohort of community-based education students graduate
By Patrick Quinn Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Teaching the Teachers First cohort of community-based education students graduate by Patrick Quinn Cree graduates of the first full-time in-community teaching program in Eeyou Istchee recently celebrated their convocation at Montreal’s Bell Centre, the result of a fruitful collaboration between the Cree School Board (CSB) and McGill University. While this partnership with McGill’s Office of First Nations and Inuit Education (OFNIE) goes back over 40 years, the first full-time Bachelor of Education program for Kindergarten and Elementary Education was launched in 2020. It’s the same four-year program that is offered on campus except it is entirely community-based, primarily in Chisasibi, Waskaganish and Mistissini. Without having to uproot their families to adapt to the significant challenges of studying in the city, students benefit from...
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Vigil held for man slain in Anicinabe Park
By Mike Stimpson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter KENORA – The City of Kenora sent representation to Tuesday’s vigil for Bruce Frogg at Anicinabe Park, but the city’s Indigenous relations adviser cautioned that now’s not the time to stand on a soapbox. A vigil for the Wawakapewin First Nation man who police fatally shot in the park last week began at 2 p.m. “The reason why I’m attending is because Mr. Bruce Frogg was an individual from a First Nation and the man was seriously in distress,” said Ed Mandamin, the city’s Indigenous relations adviser since June 3. “We want to go and commemorate his passing as a tragedy that shouldn’t have happened,” Mandamin continued. “A lot of people that I’ve been talking to – and that’s Indigenous and non-Indigenous –...
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Four Fort Smith governments commit to collaboration under new deal
By Tom Taylor Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Four Fort Smith local governments have committed to working together to improve the lives of constituents. The governments in question — Salt River First Nation, Smith’s Landing First Nation, Fort Smith Métis Council and the Town of Fort Smith — made it official by signing a memorandum of agreement on June 21. Jay Macdonald, the MLA for Thebacha, also put pen to paper. The deal, called a Collaborative Leadership Initiative (CLI), was facilitated by the Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources (CIER), an organization operating out of Winnipeg. Former Thebacha MLA, GNWT minister, and longtime Fort Smith resident J. Michael Miltenberger, who now works with CIER, served as the lead for the project. “We’ve been working on this for the last three years...
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Indigenous creators tell their stories on TikTok
By Jeremy Appel Local Journalism Initiative Reporter There aren’t many other Inuit people where Braden Kadlun resides. He moved to Calgary a couple years ago looking for a “fresh start” with his partner, whom he met after a stint in rehab on Eskasoni, a Mi’kmaq reserve near Cape Breton, N.S., to address an addiction to alcohol and stimulants. Now he’s able to embrace his Inuit culture and share his recovery journey with a large international audience on TikTok while he completes his undergraduate degree in philosophy at the University of Calgary, joining a growing number of young Indigenous TikTok creators. “I come from a small community of under 3,000 and I grew up in a community of 20,000, so reaching 200,000 [views] is mind boggling. And just having their support...
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Red Fever : Final chapter of film trilogy shows how Indigenous peoples influenced world culture
By Patrick Quinn Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Red Fever, the newest documentary from Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond and co-director Catherine Bainbridge, explores the roots of cultural appropriation to reveal the profound influence of Indigenous cultures on the world’s fashion, sports, arts and even politics. Following the award-winning Reel Injun’s analysis of Hollywood stereotypes and Rumble’s look at Indigenous voices in music, this final act of the trilogy opened in theatres June 14 after a triumphant premiere at Toronto’s Hot Docs festival in May. “The film evolved over a long time,” Diamond told the Nation. “It was going to be about cultural appropriation, then the Covid pandemic hit, and it evolved into the influence of Native Americans on world culture. People have a very distorted view of Native people.”With the Black...
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Manitoba murder conviction deemed likely a miscarriage of justice by federal minister
The Canadian Press 02/07/2024 A Manitoba man convicted of murder 50 years ago is getting another court date and a chance to clear his name. Clarence Woodhouse was found guilty in 1974 of fatally beating and stabbing a restaurant worker in downtown Winnipeg. Woodhouse was granted parole in 1983 and filed last year for a ministerial review of his conviction. His lawyers have said a confession Woodhouse supposedly made was in fluent English, although he primarily spoke Saulteaux. Federal Justice Minister Arif Virani says there are reasonable grounds to conclude that a miscarriage of justice likely occurred. Two other men convicted in the killing, Brian Anderson and Allan Woodhouse, had their convictions quashed last year after a new trial was ordered and the Crown asked for an acquittal. “The minister’s...
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Charles Weaselhead named to Order of Canada
Former University of Lethbridge chancellor Charles Weaselhead has been appointed to the Order of Canada. Weaselhead served as chancellor for fouryears from 2019-2023. He says he was honoured to be appointed to the Order of Canada. “It’s quite an honour to be a recipient and chosen for the membership of the Order of Canada and the work that I do, I really enjoy doing the work,” said Weaselhead. Weaselhead has dedicated his life to help his people heal from the trauma of residential schools, which he is a survivor of himself. “My long standing has been very dedicated to helping improve the quality of life for not only the Indigenous communities that I worked with directly, but throughout the country,” said Weaselhead. Weaselhead has also served as the Blood Tribe...
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Seneca Nation files notice of claim against city of Olean over untreated sewage in Allegany River
ALLEGANY TERRITORY, SALAMANCA, N.Y. – After more than five years of frustration the Seneca Nation has filed a Notice of Suit against the city of Olean saying it was “frustrated by continued dangerous overflows from the City of Olean Wastewater Treatment Plant into the Allegheny River.” The Seneca Nation filed the Notice Monday. “The river, which we call Ohi:yo’, has been under decades of attack in the form of the continued, dangerous, and unlawful discharges from the Olean Wastewater Treatment Plant,” said Seneca Nation President Rickey Armstrong, Sr. “The health and safety of Ohi:yo’ and the many people who utilize and depend upon its waters, including the Seneca people and many of our neighbors, must be prioritized and protected.” The Notice of Claim preserves the Nation’s right to initiate a...
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Senator wants Washington Commanders to pay tribute to an old logo that offends many Indigenous
The Associated Press 02/07/2024 After a half century of activism, many Native Americans thought a bitter debate over the capital’s football mascot was over two years ago when the team became the Washington Commanders. The organization left behind the racist slur “redskins” as its name and retired the logo that was closely tied to that name: the profile of a Native man with long hair and two feathers. Now, a white Republican U.S. senator from Montana is reviving the debate by blocking a bill funding the revitalization of the decrepit RFK Stadium for the Commanders, who have been playing miles away in Maryland. Sen. Steve Daines says he will block the legislation until the NFL and the Commanders honor the former logo in some form. Daines declined Associated Press requests...
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Missing 15-year-old Isaac
BRANTFORD ONT-The Brantford Police Service are seeking the public’s assistance in locating missing 15-year-old, Isaac. Isaac is described as 5’10”, 204 lbs., with black hair, and blue eyes. Isaac was last seen wearing red and grey shoes, grey shorts, and a grey shirt. Isaac was last seen in the area of Diana Street, June 23, 2024, at approximately 11:30 a.m. Isaac is known to frequent the downtown. The Brantford Police Service are concerned for Isaac’s well-being and are seeking assistance from anyone who may have information which may assist in locating the missing person. Anyone with knowledge of Isaac’s whereabouts are asked to please contact the Brantford Police Service at 519-756-7050. Individuals who wish to provide information anonymously are asked to contact Brant-Brantford Crime Stoppers at 519-750-8477 or 1-800-222-8477....
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NEWS ALERT: Parole denied for Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier, who has spent most of his life in prison
The Associated Press 02/07/2024 11:25 Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier, who has spent most of his life in prison since his conviction in the 1975 killings of two FBI agents in South Dakota, has been denied parole. The U.S. Parole Commission said in a statement Tuesday announcing the decision that he won’t be eligible for another parole hearing until June 2026. His attorney, Kevin Sharp, a former federal judge, argued that Peltier was wrongly convicted and said that the health of the 79-year-old was failing. Peltier’s attorney didn’t immediately return a phone message from The Associated Press seeking comment, but after his client was last denied parole, in June, Sharp, said that he argued that the commission was obligated legally to “look forward,” focusing on issues such as whether he is...
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