Category: Featured

The Kahnawà:ke Environment Protect Office is dismantling the underflow dam at the boundary line between Kahnawà:ke and Chateauguay. In a statement KEPO says they made the decision after several rounds of sampling have shown no additional fuel entering Kahnawà:ke over the past month. Benjamin Green-Stacey, Director of KEPO says that following testing results, there will also be a gradual removal of booms along the Suzanne River in Kahnawake:

“This is taking place at the boundary right between Chateauguay and Kahnawà:ke. We are going to be removing all of the materials that were placed, all the sandbags that were placed, the underflow piping – the PVC piping – all of the absorbent materials that were used in the construction of the underflow dam are going to be removed and properly disposed of. They are obviously saturated at this point with water and with fuel contaminant and so they have to be disposed of properly and carefully and we’re going to be doing that, taking every necessary step to make sure it’s done the right way.” 

Green-Stacey on if residents should be concerned that the dam is being removed:

“At this point we’ve been doing continual testing of the water that’s coming into the territory and we have for the past month not seen any new fuel that’s coming from this fuel site in Chateauguay and so  we are confident now that there’s no more residuals coming into the territory and that at this time we can begin the removal of the dam and other protective barriers that were put in place and this is going to be a ‘net-positive’ for fish and fish migration that’s supposed to be happening this time of year.”

The underflow dam, along with other protective devices were installed in February, following complaints and concerns of a diesel fuel smell from Kahnawakehró:non as a result of an oil spill in the city of Chateauguay’s Industrial Park. The source of the spill was traced to a business on Ford Boulevard.

Kahnawake Public Works says that street cleaning operations will begin on Monday. A street sweeper will be making its way around town between 7am and 2:30pm, Monday to Friday. The work should last approximately 2 weeks. They are asking residents to park in their driveways to help facilitate the cleaning.

The Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke and Hydro-Québec formalized an historic joint ownership agreement when they signed the Hertel-New York Interconnection Transmission Line (“Hertel Line”) agreement today. The ceremony was held on the Mohawk Territory of Kahnawà:ke. Ohén:ton Í:iente ne Ratitsénhaienhs Kahsennenhawe Sky-Deer on the benefits for Kahnawakero:non:

“Like any other ‘own-source’ revenue that we generate for the community it gets deployed into services into the community. Obviously, areas where we don’t receive funding from either government, language and culture, sports, infrastructure, we have a lot of buildings in our community that are dilapidated, housing needs, there are just so many needs in our community, so it will just be a matter of the council of the day, this is an agreement that will last 40 years, and what will be the issues at the time that needs attention to, so I’m sure it will be deployed where it’s necessary.”

Upon commissioning in 2026, the Hertel Line will be a 58 km, 400 kV underground transmission line that will run from the Hertel substation in La Prairie to the Richelieu River, where it will cross into New York State. The Hertel Line will carry 1,250 MW of renewable electricity to New York City, enough to power 1 million homes.

Hydro-Québec Chief Executive Officer Michael Sabia on the challenges of energy:

“To celebrate the signing of an historic and innovative agreement, I want to put emphasis on that last word: innovation. Because, when I look to the future, one thing is crystal clear, that is the immense challenge of the energy transition and that challenge is only going to be met with creativity and with open mind and that is essentially what has inspired the agreement that we are recognizing and celebrating today. That spirit of innovation is important here and it is going to be important as we address the magnitude of the challenge we face on the climate transition.”

Québec Minister responsible for Relations with the First Nations and the Inuit, Ian Lafrenière, officially designate the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke and Hydro-Québec as co-owners of the Hertel Line, once in-service, via the Horizon Kahnawà:ke Hydro-Québec Limited Partnership:

“This is just a wonderful announcement and I’m happy to be here on behalf of the government of Quebec, because the Hertel New York agreement signed today by The Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke with Hydro-Quebec is simply historic. This is historic today. Co-ownership of transport assets such as this one between a First Nations in Quebec and Hydro-Quebec is a first.”

As part of the project agreements, Hydro-Québec is pledging a $10M donation to the new Kahnawà:ke Cultural Arts Center, to become the leading donor on the project.

The Kahnawà:ke Environment Protection Office (KEPO) No Mow May for the month of May is ready to launch! This year’s challenge is asking for community members to refrain from cutting their lawns for the entire month of May with the goal of supporting biodiversity and pollinators. KEPO saying that by waiting until June to cut our lawns, we:  allow pollinator insects, like endangered bees, and their food supplies the opportunity to undergo a critical part of their life cycle; encourage native plant species to grow and thrive; and conserve resources, time, and money by not using lawn care equipment. Those participating will be asked to send weekly progress photos to: environmentprotection@mck.ca. (11am)

Ratsénhaienhs Arnold Boyer of the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke will be in attendance at the Assembly of First Nations 7^th Annual Water Symposium & Trade Show in Gatineau, Quebec, this week.  The event is taking place from April 16^th through the 18^th, the theme of this year’s symposium is entitled: Bridging the Gap: First Nations Water and Wastewater Equity. The event will include three days of workshops on drinking water, wastewater, and groundwater through the lens of water safety and security for First Nations Communities and cultural connections to water.

The Kahnawà:ke Youth Center has been selected by the Board of Directors of Tewatohnhi’saktha to be the sole beneficiary of the funds raised from the upcoming 2024 Business Golf Challenge. The funds will be primarily directed towards the Kahnawà:ke Youth Center’s Travel & Exchanges program, designed to broaden the horizons of Kahnawà:ke’s youth. The program aims to introduce the participants to diverse cultures and perspectives by providing travel opportunities beyond their immediate environment. In the summer of 2025, the program will facilitate an educational and cultural journey for 25 local youths to the Capitals of Scandinavia, including Oslo, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki, and Tallinn. To reach their financial targets the Kahnawà:ke Youth Center is engaging in various fundraising activities, with the Business Golf Challenge being a significant contributor to their efforts. The Tewatohnhi’saktha Business Golf Tournament is scheduled to take place at the Lafleur Golf Club on Friday, August 23^rd.

Kahnawake Shakotiia’takehnhas Community Services (KSCS) has pledged $1M to help build the Kahnawà:ke Cultural Arts Center and Museum (KCAC). Ground has already been broken in Kahnawake for the 4170 square meter facility that will serve as the permanent home for the Kanien’kéha:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center (KORLCC), and the Turtle Island Theatre. Derek Montour, Executive Director of KSCS on investing in the future:

“At the end of the the KORLCC and the ‘drama, arts center’ arts and museum we think is a critical component to our wellness and our identity and our culture, we whole-heartedly think that’s in the best interests of our children for generations to come, therefore, we went with this large donation to try and help.”

The total cost for construction is projected to pegged to be at the $56 million dollar mark.

A survey is under way to gather feedback as part of its mandate to meet the community’s housing needs. The survey, launched by The Housing Unit of the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke (MCK), began on Monday, April 8^th, concluding  on Friday, April 19^th, at 4pm. The survey should take approximately 5 to ten minutes, will gather information on creating a new or improved MCK Housing service. All survey submissions are confidential. Additionally, community members can participate in a focus group on Thursday, April 25^th where they can share more detailed, personal feedback. Interested participants can register for the focus group through the survey or by contacting the Housing Client Experience Manager, Shyann White at the Housing Unit at: 450-638-2672. The deadline to register is Friday, April 19^th, at 4pm.

Montreal’s 1^st Native Family Health Clinic has been announced. An announcement was made today. Executive Director of Native Montreal, Philippe Meilleur was Herb Rice’s guest on Tetawathartha, the Party Line talk show on K1037 today:

“We have created the 1st Indigenous governed family clinic here in Montreal. Native Montreal already offers intervention services, youth mobilization services, cultural services and of course we knew that our membership needed more support to access 1st line health care services. What we have created is essentially access to a family doctor, nurses, elders knowledge keepers and our case workers, as well as health navigators that can help when people have to leave our clinic and go into the other institutions.”

Meilleur on the intent of the initiative:

“The goal being that we can finally offer a full spectrum of wrap-around holistic help. As we’ve all heard our health has to be holistic and making that a reality is the challenge that we have started to take on.”

The clinic is located at 3187 Saint-Jacques, suite 101, with today’s event held at the Native Friendship Centre.

An update on the Oil Spill in Kahnawake. Chief Cody Diabo of the Mohawk Council (MCK) on Kahnawake 911 live this morning. The Kahnawake Environment Protection Office (KEPO) and Environmental Health Services (EHS) maintain that there is not a second spill site and that all of the oil in the Suzanne River that has settled in the area off Zachary Road has come from the Ford Boulevard site in Chateauguay. That spill first reported February 1^st to the Fire department but only discovered in Kahnawake on February 9th. Diabo says there is only 1 source:

“We had mentioned that we were doing the ground-penetrating radar this week, which didn’t show any anomalies, which for us proves, or further proves our point which Quebec and Canada are taking the opposite effect, saying that there is a 2nd source site internally in the community. All of the tests that we have done to date have been proven in showing that that is not the case, That is a conversation that we are going to be having and that I’m trying to have at the higher levels of spinning this narrative that the site in Chateauguay and the issue in Kahnawa:ke are not linked.”