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Organized by Quebec Native Women (QNW) and the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal (NWSM) a vigil and march was held in downtown Montreal Monday evening to honour Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG).

“There’s many provinces across Canada that do a vigil or a march on this particular day,” Nakuset, the Executive director of the NWSM told K1037 News. “We hadn’t had one in Montreal for probably about four years, so we felt it was time to do one. We really wanted to give a message of awareness, the work that’s being done and what is needed to happen.”

Nakuset says hundreds of people braved the freezing temperatures as they listened to speakers and marched from Parc Emilie Gamelin down Ste Catherine street. The evening began at 6 pm and wrapped up before 8 pm. Nakuset says it’s about implementing the 231 calls to justice that came from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

“We haven’t really seen the government implement anything. I know they had a plan of action, so like a strategy. but I don’t know if it was ever implemented. So it’s really important that initiatives like Ishkwe, that the Native Women’s Shelter runs. Basically it’s a program where as soon as a woman goes missing we’re working with the families. We’re working with the police. We’re working with lawyers. We’re working with everyone to find that woman,” she said.

K1037 posts a photo and story  of a Missing or Murdered indigenous woman each day on our Facebook page.

The Covid-19 Task Force held a Facebook live update on Kahnàwake 911 Thursday, that was broadcast on your community radio station, K1037. Lloyd Phillips Commissioner of Public Safety was at the podium with news on the continued staggered easing of measures in the community. Phillips saying that there you can expect significant changes in progress for Kahnawake with the return to full capacity for bars and restaurants, cigar lounges and social clubs:

“Effective Monday, the 14th, these areas will be permitted to operate at full capacity, once again, very similar to the way it was pre-the Omicron wave or the 5th wave. So, that’s some very positive news that they can get the economics of their business up and running as quickly as possible, get people back to work as quickly as possible. So, as of Monday that will be able to be at 100% capacity.”

Phillips saying the State of emergency was on the task force meeting agenda meeting this week:

“The current state of emergency which is set to expire on February 20th, will come to an end on that date. Part of my role as the Public Safety Commissioner is to make recommendations to Chief and Council on a state of emergency and at this point of time there is no intention of requesting or recommending an extension. Again, all positive news, and we will move into a recovery phase.”

Although masking and vaccine passports will still be in place for the time being.

Ohén:ton Í:iente ne Ietsénhaienhs Kahsennenhawe Sky-Deer talked about protecting the community and thanked Kahnawa’kehró:non for all the sacrifice made during these difficult days with the reopening on the horizon, things are looking up:

“I think the words that Lloyd shared today is definitely something the community has been looking forward to hearing in terms of moving towards opening at a 100% capacity starting on Valentine’s day. Talking about the work ahead and what the state of recovery is going to look like. We had been there before, before the whole Omicron variant hit the community in December around the holidays. But, this time around, we’re looking at the collaboration, because obviously there is still a role for Public Health and Public Safety to play as we move forward into the state of recovery as well as that of the Mohawk Council of Kahnàwake.”

The Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke passed the drafted ‘Terms of Reference’ documents by consensus at yesterday’s duly-convened Council meeting. These ‘Terms of Reference’ (for the Grand Chief and Council Chiefs) were developed in response to the direction given by the community during the MCK’s Governance Project consultation.  These consultations identified a need for a document that would serve as the basis of accountability for the Kahnawa’kehró:non Ratitsénhaienhs. The document, seen as an essential text, would also serve to govern their professional and personal behavior in their duties as Ratitsénhaienhs.

This document marks the first time that the Kanien’kéha terms for ‘Chiefs’ and ‘Grand Chief’ are being used in formal policy.

The documents were developed by Taiaiake Gerald Alfred, who served as the Kahnawà:ke Governance Project Manager, in accordance with community direction from Phase I of the project, along with input from the MCK Governance Portfolio Team.

The Terms of Reference are effective immediately and can be found online on the documents page of: www.kgov.ca.

Starting the week of February 21^st, the Kateri Memorial Hospital Center will be giving Covid-19 vaccines at the hospital by appointment only. This measure was taken due to limited space and based on current safety measures in place. The KMHC will be taking names and planning the clinic dates based on need, types of vaccines and recommended dates for patient’s next doses. For more information you can contact the hospital at: 450-638-3930 extension, 2243.

There will be two Community Feedback session for the Kahnawà:ke Residency Law and Kanien’kehá:ka of Kahnawà:ke Law. With 4 total regulations drafted under both laws, they will be reviewed for community feedback via online Zoom sessions taking place: tonight (Tuesday) from 6:30 to 8:00 pm and again on Thursday, February 10^th, from 10:30 am until 12 noon. An additional feedback period for those not able to attend the online sessions will be held on Friday, February 11^th until Thursday, February 24^th at 4pm, at which time feedback on the Regulations can be mailed to the MCK, emailed to: feedback@mck.ca or by telephone at (450) 638-0500. The Regulations will be made available at that time. Comments will be compiled and posted for community input for 30 days, launching on Monday, February 28^th, until Wednesday, March 30^th at 4pm. After the 30-day review period of the feedback, all recommendations received will be compiled for review and acceptance by Chief and Council.

Reaction from the Kahnawake COVID-19 Task Force after reports that Quebec will be loosening some of the COVID restrictions with an announcement this afternoon at 1 pm from Premier Francois Legault.

“All the things we’ve been moving forward thus far, some are in line with what Quebec is doing. Some other areas we are definitely ahead of them. For example: the gaming as well as bars were allowed to open as last week,” said Lloyd Phillips, the Commissioner of Public Safety. “We do have a meeting for tomorrow (Wednesday). We already have household gatherings that is on the agenda, as well as return to work plans for large organizations. And looking at the whole landscape. And looking at where the next steps could kick in as of next week.”

According to a Journal de Montreal report, Legault will also announce that 10 people can sit at the same table at a restaurant. Sports games can resume as of Valentine’s Day Monday Feb 14^th. Then on the 28^th – bars will be permitted to reopen.

Even though Kahnawake is not keeping official numbers any longer, Phillips says things have stabilized in the community.

“We continue to see what’s happening around us in terms of public health measures,” Phillips said.  “Hospitalizations has been a key area to continue to watch. But we also have a good sample section. We use all of the community organizations and the number of employees that are affiliated with them we are probably looking at close to one-thousand people. That’s a good sampling size of our community. So, knowing what’s happening inside of the organizations gives us a good snapshot overall of what’s happening in the community. Knowing the rates are down drastically down from a month ago, we know we are in a much better place.”

The Nisoonag Partnership representing Serpent River, Sagamok-Anishnawbek and Mississauga First Nation plans to begin searching the former Spanish residential schools for possible human remains. Josie McGregor of Kahnawake attended the Spanish residential school for girls from 1940-51 beginning when she was just five years old. Now 88 years old She still has a difficult time talking about it.

“I just wish they would leave well enough alone,” McGregor said. “I don’t even like to talk about it. What are they going too do when they find remains? I don’t know. When I was there I never heard of anybody dying or missing.”

Serpent River Chief Brent Bissaillion says the partnership has received nearly $700,000 from the federal government for 2021-2022 in initial funding with a further commitment for 2023-24 to follow while Ontario has committed $900,000 for 2021- 2024.

The Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke (MCK) held meetings today with both the Federal and Provincial Ministers who hold the offices relating to Indigenous relations.

Ohén:ton Í:iente ne Ratitsénhaienhs (Grand Chief) Kahsennenhawe Sky-Deer, Ratsénhaienhs Michael Delisle and Ratsénhaienhs Ross Montour meeting this morning with Canada’s Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Marc Miller. On the Kahnawà:ke-Canada Relations discussion and The Seigneury – with the goal of reinvigorating both processes; Sky-Deer says there was some commitment:

“Well what we asked for in those 2 areas being the overall relationship as well as the Seigneury was the appointment of what we call ‘SMR’ or a Special Minister’s Representative. There was definitely a commitment I would say on the part of the Minister to really look into this, we actually provided a short list of some names for consideration and he also expressed his commitment to be more involved with the relationship with Kahnàwake which, to me, I’ve never really heard out of a Minister’s mouth so it’s promising.”

As for the 2^nd rendez-vous, Mike Delisle met in-person with Quebec’s Minister Responsible for Aboriginal Affairs Ian Lafrenière and Geoff Kelly at 2:30 this afternoon to discuss: the Statement of Understanding and Mutual Respect; the Mercier Bridge; and cannabis matters. Delisle is less expectant with the provincial discussions. According to the MCK this is the first-time meetings are taking place on the same day with both ministers.

Kahnawake’s Public Works answered the call at 3 am Friday to work at full capacity to keep up with the latest winter storm.

Terry Diabo Jr is the Roads and Highway Manager at the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake.

“We’re dealing with it pretty well,” Diabo Jr told K1037 News. “We’ve got everybody out there as we normally do. We had people out there all night and then at 3 o’clock in the morning we got the whole crew out there to clean all the town roads, all the village roads.”

But the snow clearing is being complicated by the continued snow and especially the blowing snow as winds gust up to 50 km/h.

“It makes it very difficult and we’ll have a lot of issues with drifting especially down by the river and open areas around certain parts of the road where things will pick up and get windy. That is problematic for drifting,” Diabo Jr. said.

The MCK’s Political Priorities and Principles for the 2021-2024 Council term have been announced, with the Shared Kahnawà:ke Vision Statement taken into consideration. The Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke has set 3 priorities as was done in the previous term, including: Language & Cultural Revitalization with the support and realization of the new Cultural Center/Museum/Theatre; and the advancement and support of Language & Cultural Revitalization initiatives and actions. Social Supports & Wellbeing: with the establishment of a Housing Strategy to adequately address community needs and strengthen family units; the establishment and implementation of a holistic and comprehensive approach for Social Development & Wellbeing; and the implementation and support of a comprehensive COVID-19 response and Mental Health & Wellness Plan. Lastly, External Government Relations: with a reset and restructure in the relationships with Quebec and Canada and to reset and restructure the negotiation mandates for the Seigneury of Sault St. Louis.