Category: Featured

Public Safety through Kahnawake 911 issuing a warning to the community concerning today’s dangerous storm systems predicted to hit the region. Environment Canada has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Watch for this area, as conditions favourable for these storm developments that capable of producing strong wind gusts, large hail and heavy rain late this afternoon and this evening. Heavy downpours can cause flash floods and water pooling on roads. Water-related activities may be unsafe due to violent and sudden gusts of wind over bodies of water. Residents are advised to monitor local media outlets such a K1037 (K1037.com) for updates and weather conditions.

Schools are back in session tomorrow, Thursday. The Kahnawake Education Center making that announcing the return of classes with an expected break in this latest heat wave. The KEC reminding parents to have student’s coming into the classrooms prepared with a reusable water bottle, wide brimmed hat, sunscreen and appropriate clothing for this type of weather condition. The KYC and Kateri hall will be available on a rotating basis so that both students and staff can enjoy a fully air-conditioned space to cool down during the day.

All Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke administrative offices will be closed for the Labor Day holiday on Monday, September 4^th. Regular household Recycling pickup service and Compost collection will continue as usual. Please have your bin curbside by 7am. As the Town Garage will be closed, all cardboard drop-offs will be postponed to Tuesday, September 5^th. The Transfer Depot will be closed on Saturday, September 2, and open on Monday, September 4^th, from 9am to 2pm.  All essential services will remain in operation. Regular business hours will resume on Tuesday, September 5^th, at 8:30am.
A reminder that all KEC schools start in full on September 5^th

Herb Rice has been appointed as the Electoral Officer for the 2023 Tewatohnhi’saktha Board of Directors (BOD) Elections. Rice has experience as an Electoral Officer having run the previous election for TEWA. The election is for 2 seats on the Board and will take place on Saturday, September 30^th at the Kahnawà:ke Business Complex (Tewatohnhi’saktha building) from 10am until 12pm. Nominations will be accepted on Saturday, September 9^th also at the complex between 10am until 12pm. All nominees and nominators must be on the Kahnawà:ke Kanien’kehaka Registry and must be at least 21 years of age. The nomination will require a nominator and must be seconded by another Kahnawa’kehró:non. The nominee must own a business that is recognized by the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke and have been in business for at least three years prior to their nomination.

School season is upon us again and on schedule, the 2023-2024 School Bus Schedule is now available through The Public Works Daily Transportation Department of the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke. The documents can be found at the Town Garage and online at: kahnawake.com/bus. The Transportation Department noting that minor changes to the schedule may occur over the first few weeks of school, principally for nursery and kindergarten level students where front-door drop-off is required for those younger children.

You can reach out and contact the Daily Transportation Department if you have any questions or concerns by calling: 450-632-5825 between 7am and 3:30pm.

The Kahnawà:ke Environment Protection Office (KEPO) staff is conducting Fish and Fish Habitat Monitoring as a part of the Aquatic Stewardship Program (ASP), which studies the water quality and fish health and biodiversity in our community’s creeks. Information from these studies will contribute to the North Creek Community Visioning Project, with the ultimate goal of completing a community-driven, community-evaluated restoration of the North Creek, also known as Whákeras Creek. Data collection is on as of today, lasting until Friday, September 8^th using non-lethal sampling methods including minnow traps, seine nets, hoop nets, electrofishing, and collection of water samples for eDNA analysis.

All healthy native fish will be released quickly after identification and measurement. The Recreation Bay, North Creek and Delormier Creek are the subject of this year’s surveys.

The road surface replacement in the Alwyn Park area previously scheduled to begin today will now start with final grading tomorrow, Tuesday August 22^nd with the installation of asphalt on Wednesday, August 23rd,  weather permitting. The Capital Unit of the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke will have proper signalization be in place to delimit the work zone, while access to homes in the work area will be limited during the paving process.

The Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service has identified the body of a man that was found in the St. Lawrence River on July 3^rd in the area of Ross Island, Akwesasne. From the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne, the coroner’s office has provided confirmation that the individual is 30-year-old Casey Oakes, of Akwesasne, who went missing in March. No further information will be released at this time by the Police Service.

The investigation into Oakes’s death and the deaths of eight foreign nationals who were crossing the river by boat in March remains ongoing. Police are urging that community members with information regarding these deaths, to contact the Akwesasne Mohawk Police at: 613-575-2340 or submit a secure tip by email at: tips@akwesasne.ca

Only one lane in either direction on the Mercier Bridge this weekend will be available. The closures are necessary for work to repair the concrete slab that will require the closure of the Kahnawà:ke-bound Mercier from Friday at 10pm until Monday at 5am. One (1) lane will be available in either direction on the Montreal-bound side of the span.

The Airlie entrance from Lasalle towards R-138 West/Kahnawà:ke will be closed during the same time frame.

The Kateri Memorial Hospital Centre (KMHC) has now dropped any and all masking requirements. Several remained in place in certain sections of the building, including in the Main lobby, clinical areas, and short-term care. As of Monday July 31^st, masks will no longer be required in those zones or anywhere at the KMHC. Juanita Belanger is the Nursing Advisor for Infection Prevention and Control at the KMHC:

“We have changed our masking mandate that has been in-place for over 3 years at this point, related to wear masks in the public spaces and the clinical areas of the KMHC. So, as of Monday morning, this will no longer be a mandated requirement, it will however still be optional for those people who are more comfortable wearing masks.” 

Valerie Diabo is the executive director at the KMHC saying it’s a very good thing to have happen:

“We’ve been wearing masks for the last 3 years and  know being able to remove them in all areas of the hospital, it’s wonderful news. At KMHC we take the extra steps to review the epidemiology around that and our experience and then we make a decision on the best decision for our community.”

Back on May 1 it was announced that people could go mask-free to visit to KMHC’s long-term patient care area, as well as non-clinical areas of the hospital. The final and formal decision was made by the KMHC’s senior management team following the directive from the INSPQ (Quebec’s Public Health body,  that on July 18th) indicating the end of the provincial masking mandate.