Latest news with #MCK
Hamilton Spectator
a day ago
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Insufficient turnout for ratification vote in Kanesatake
An attempt to use the courts to thwart Saturday's ratification vote for four community laws failed, but with only six percent of eligible voters casting a ballot, the vote was nevertheless nullified. The referendum on each proposed law received only 174 votes. With 2,724 eligible voters identified, that's a voter turnout of just over six percent, far fewer than the 20 percent threshold required for the vote to be considered valid. Had that threshold been met, a simple 50 percent plus one would have been the metric for a decision. The State of Emergency and Emergency Measures Law yielded 35 yes to 139 no votes; the Land Protection Law went 44-130; the Trespass Law 37-137; and the Code of Ethics 46-128. 'I'm disappointed but not surprised,' said MCK chief Brant Etienne, who has consistently been one of the strongest advocates for the laws. The timing of the vote was controversial, coming just two weeks before the MCK general election. In fact, the timing didn't help matters, Etienne said, because of limitations on campaigning during the election period. Ratification votes are not necessary to pass laws under the new Kanesatake Law-Making Process (KLMP), which is so far the only community law on the books. The community approval process requires only one method, which can be a secret ballot vote, but can also be at least three community meetings or a minimum of two workshops held in person or virtually. Etienne said because these are the first laws, Council opted to use a multipronged approach. 'The KLMP states that one of three consultation methods have to be used. We chose to use all three. The last one bit us in the butt, obviously,' he said. It will now be up to the next Council, he said, but he is concerned the next cohort of MCK chiefs may instead work to remove the KLMP itself. Since the vote on the four laws failed to meet the threshold, he argued, they were neither affirmed nor rejected. Etienne, who is a candidate for grand chief in the upcoming election, said he is in favour of passing the laws now anyways, but that there is insufficient support on Council to do so. 'I think 94 percent of the population not saying anything doesn't mean they don't want it. We hear from people every day saying they're unhappy with the lawlessness in the community, the lawlessness in the roads, they're unhappy with the environmental condition of the community, they're saying they don't like the way Council runs, they wish they had ethics,' he said, adding that these things have long been said and portraying these laws as the solution. Kanehsata'kehró:non had the opportunity to vote online using OneFeather or in person, and while there were more who voted in person, more than a third used the digital tool, according to Etienne. While the Custom Electoral Code, which governs Kanesatake elections, does not refer to online voting, the document is not the basis for ratification votes. These are outlined in the new Kanesatake Law-Making Process, which itself draws on several legal bases, including the Kanesatake Interim Land Governance Act (KILGA). Online voting was cited in legal actions launched in Federal Court against the Mohawk Council of Kanesatake recently. Most notably, MCK chief candidate Valerie Bonspille launched an application dated July 19, the same day of the in-person ratification vote, seeking an urgent injunction to halt it. Online voting had been open since July 5, two weeks earlier. Bonspille did not reply to a request for comment on the action. The first documents for the urgent motion, submitted at 4:08 p.m. on July 18, were submitted under the file number of a previous action launched by MCK chief candidate Amanda Simon, which was filed June 27 and targeted online voting in the general election, which was subsequently cancelled, but which also invoked the KLMP. Simon's name thus appears in the rationale cited in Justice Nicholas McHaffie's order denying Bonspille's motion, as well as email correspondence filed at Federal Court in which MCK's lawyer Nicholas Dodd, representing Dionne Schulze, accused rival counsel of sewing procedural confusion with the last-minute filing with the urgent request launched under Simon's file number. Asked by The Eastern Door about this, since on June 20 Simon had publicly demanded a retraction of the suggestion by Etienne that she had anything to do with the injunction request, Simon provided an email to Dodd dated July 23 from an articling student for law firm Pepper, Villeneuve-Gagné, which represented both Bonspille and Simon. The articling student said they were writing to clarify that the documents filed by the firm under Simon's file should have been issued in Bonspille's name with a new file number. 'Furthermore, we wish to confirm that Amanda Simon's name should not have appeared in the proceedings,' the articling student wrote. In responding to Bonspille's application on the ratification vote, which also asserted that the KLMP was illegally adopted, McHaffie noted that the motion was brought with less than 24 hours' notice and wrote that the 'applicant has provided no material or persuasive evidence regarding the urgency of this matter' to justify it. 'The applicant concedes that the process currently being followed complies with the Kanesatake Law-Making Process,' McHaffie wrote. 'The foundation for her motion is therefore the lawfulness of the Kanesatake Law-Making Process itself. However, the Kanesatake Law-Making Process was adopted five months ago, in February 2025.' He also noted that the notice of the ratification vote was distributed in June. According to McHaffie, counsel for Bonspille argued that she did not learn of the ratification vote until the MCK's statement of defence was filed on July 14 in the Simon action, which the justice found implausible and unsupported. He also wrote that the question of urgency aside, the application presented did not satisfy the requirements for an injunction. 'Given the limited nature of the evidence put forward by the applicant and the responding evidence filed, I cannot conclude that the applicant has demonstrated on the record before me a serious issue in respect of the legality of the Kanesatake Law-Making Process, based on the process leading to its adoption,' wrote McHaffie. Bonspille's application also presented online voting as unlawful based on KILGA, but McHaffie also dismissed this claim based on what was presented. 'Again, on the evidence before me, the applicant has raised no serious issue,' he wrote. McHaffie wrote that the decision should not be interpreted as weighing in on whether the Federal Court is the proper jurisdictional forum in regard to the KLMP, given the justice's conclusion that the injunction should not be granted. Finally, the justice ruled that Bonspille is responsible for paying for MCK's costs in the amount of $1,000. 'I agree entirely with the respondent,' wrote McHaffie, that the applicant should be responsible for the costs given the urgency and 'lack of merit of the motion.' marcus@ Marcus Bankuti, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Hamilton Spectator
a day ago
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Kahnawake council grand chief walks out of Carney meeting
Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) grand chief Cody Diabo was one of multiple attendees to walk out of a meeting with Canadian prime minister Mark Carney last week, in an event that Diabo characterized as more of a PR stunt than a meaningful consultation. 'I refuse to be a photo op or have Kahnawake be a campaign tool for any foreign governments,' Diabo said. 'I was very, very disappointed with the event overall.' Diabo was one of over 600 members of Indigenous leadership who were in Gatineau last week for a summit concerning Bill C-5, now known as The Building Canada Act. The Act is supposed to facilitate the fast-tracking of certain major infrastructure projects with the intention of strengthening Canada's economy, but many First Nations leaderships have expressed concern that it could come at the expense of Indigenous communities' rights. A lack of meaningful consultation was a major topic before the passing of the Bill, with many Indigenous groups, including the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) arguing that the legislation was being rushed through with little regard for Indigenous input. The summit in Gatineau was pitched as a way for community leaders to have facetime with Carney and voice their concerns, Diabo said, but instead felt like a slap in the face. He waited six-and-a-half hours before an opportunity arose to say anything at the meeting. 'I had got on the mic, stated my displeasure, said that I didn't want my name or Kahnawake's name attached to whatever this was, and I blatantly told him I had better training session engagements than whatever this was,' Diabo said. The structure of the meeting wasn't conducive to meaningful engagement, Diabo said. Attendees sat at large tables with other leadership from similar regions, leading to an environment where it felt like participants talked more amongst themselves than directly to Carney and his cabinet. Tables were to discuss guiding questions in their groups, and then each table was asked to answer just one question per session, for a total of four questions throughout the event. 'We were engaging ourselves and Canadian officials would just hear what we had to say, rather than just dialogue directly with them about it,' Diabo said. It was a completely different structure than he's seen before for these kind of meetings, Diabo said, and he added that it felt insulting. 'It almost felt like we were in some kind of high school thing, where it's like, 'You sit down, you answer these questions, and you answer only when you're called upon, when you're picked, and if you're not picked, you don't have an ability to speak,'' he said. 'It was very disheartening. I'm very disappointed.' While topics like meaningful consultation and economic partnerships were brought up at the summit, Diabo ultimately felt like the prime minister's thoughts on the issues read as performative. 'The consultation stuff they know. We've sent many of these responses to them already with our concerns about how consultation normally is. They're just asking for the same information that I know Kahnawake has already sent numerous times in correspondence with federal entities,' he said. Diabo said that the event featured panellists, including Indigenous panellists, but that all of those panellists seemed to be in favour of the legislation. It felt at odds with the reality of the situation, Diabo said, because while the Indigenous people on the panel looked favourably on the Act, most of the Indigenous people in the room felt strongly opposed to it. 'I don't know if it was a way for them to have their 'token Indians' or whatnot, but I felt kind of speechless about it,' Diabo said. He felt particularly disappointed to see the amount of airtime given to the AFN who were granted time for opening remarks. It's another move that Diabo feels demonstrates how the Canadian government views the AFN as a government, instead of an advocacy organization. He had a particular issue with the AFN national chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, who he felt gave Carney too much praise for simply hosting the meeting. 'She said, 'We're all glad that you're our prime minister,' and I had to correct that and say that he's not our prime minister, we're individual sovereign nations, and we don't look at Canada as being our leaders,' he said. 'A lot of the speaking points from AFN were about that.' Diabo was one of several chiefs to walk out of the summit, and Diabo said he's prepared to collaborate with other First Nations leadership in fighting against the legislation. He's already been speaking with leaders from the Oneida Nation of the Thames, who are one of nine First Nations in Ontario launching legal action against the Act, and the MCK will be reviewing their submissions in the filings. 'Who knows, maybe we'll partake in it, or we'll launch our own, those are things we're going to start exploring,' Diabo said. In a written statement to The Eastern Door, Anispiragas Piragasanathara, a spokesperson for Indigenous Services Canada (ISC), said that meetings will continue between the prime minister and his cabinet as well as Indigenous communities about the Act to ensure its implementation 'proceeds in the spirit of collaboration grounded in meaningful engagement.' They did not address questions concerning the views expressed about the event and the chiefs who walked out of the meeting. eve@ Eve Cable, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Hamilton Spectator
a day ago
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Kahnawake's cannabis moratorium ends with little progress
Though the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK)'s 45-day moratorium on retail cannabis sales lifts today, nothing is set to change in the community, with progress on the cannabis file and a decision about its future at a standstill without any Kahnawake Cannabis Control Board (KCCB) members. The MCK had implemented the moratorium on June 11, after tensions had grown in the community concerning the cannabis file. In late April, hundreds of Kahnawa'kehró:non organized a protest in town demanding that Council chiefs halt the process of issuing dispensary licenses, and by the end of June, the KCCB had no board members remaining, after board member Darlene Alfred and alternate board member Kary Robertson tendered their resignations alongside the departure of chairperson Tara Jacobs. Before the moratorium, the KCCB had been conducting consultations with community members who live close to proposed dispensary locations, paring down a list of potential dispensary owners who had applied for a license. The KCCB was planning to award three licenses, decided via a lottery system, following guidelines to ensure that dispensaries must not be located in close proximity to buildings such as schools. Many in the community continue to feel that opening dispensaries in Kahnawake could cause irreversible damage to the community, however regulated the industry might be. The issue brought together both the 207 Longhouse and the Mohawk Trail Longhouse, who have presented a united front in opposition to the plans. At the close of the moratorium period, the MCK released an open letter regarding the sale of cannabis in the community, also distributed by mail to community members. The letter thanks various groups, including the Longhouses, for engaging on the issue, and outlines a number of safeguards that are already in place for the proposed future of cannabis sale in Kahnawake. It outlines the requirements for dispensaries, including the geographical requirement to be at least 300 metres from residential areas, and outlines what measures would be taken to keep the industry regulated, such as prohibiting promotional advertising or enticements. It also details the vetting process and background checks that dispensary owners and their employees will be subject to and describes the intended positive financial effect that cannabis sales would have on the local economy. Joe Deom, a spokesperson for the Mohawk Nation at Kahnawake (207 Longhouse), said he remains unimpressed by the MCK's response. 'I don't think the community should stand for it,' he said. 'A large part of the community is totally against the sale of cannabis no matter how it is, no matter what form. The Longhouse hasn't changed our point of view either.' He said that there's been no meetings with the MCK during the moratorium, and said that while the letter describes the nuances of Council's cannabis legislation, it doesn't acknowledge the simple fact that a large proportion of the community doesn't want cannabis in Kahnawake. 'We've stated our position, and no means no, period,' he said. 'Our position hasn't changed.' MCK grand chief Cody Diabo said that he had hoped to get the open letter out 'a few weeks back,' but that there had been delays publishing the communication following the departure of some staff. 'We know it's kind of close coming out, but we didn't want to not post it, because there's information out there, and we wanted to just make people aware of what's been going on,' Diabo said. Diabo said that throughout the moratorium, he and other MCK chiefs had conducted engagements with community members to hear their thoughts about a regulated industry. 'The sentiments that we've heard are that it's either no to cannabis, or people are open to a community-owned (industry),' he said. 'We have to go back and engage the community, because currently there's no board members, so going forward not much can get moving until that's resolved.' He added that while there's no community meeting scheduled this month, he's looking at scheduling a special community meeting to discuss the issue at greater length. 'I would like to do a little bit more with info on our end that we can present to community members too, to say 'Okay, this is what we're hearing, if we were to move in this direction, this is what the cost would be, this is what we would have to look at,' and just see what the community has to say on it,' he said. He reiterated that nothing can progress without the KCCB. 'The board has to be there, so things are just on pause now,' he said. eve@ Eve Cable, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Hamilton Spectator
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Minister meets with Kahnawake Council
Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) grand chief Cody Diabo said he feels hopeful about the future relationship between the community and Rebecca Alty, the federal minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, after a successful introductory meeting this week. 'I think overall the meeting went really well, the minister was really engaged, she had a lot of questions and was wanting to really figure it out, and echoed the same things as us,' Diabo said. Alty is non-Indigenous but hails from the Northwest Territories and served as the 15th mayor of Yellowknife until this year. She was appointed to the office of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs in May, taking over from minister Gary Anandasangaree, who had held the office after Marc Miller under Justin Trudeau's leadership as prime minister. Mark Carney, who was elected to the office of prime minister in March, shuffled Anandasangaree to Public Safety, making Alty the first-ever full cabinet minister with a named portfolio to be from the Northwest Territories. Alec Wilson, a representative for Alty's office, said that the minister was 'grateful' to participate in the meeting. 'The minister looks forward to staying engaged and working together as partners in the weeks and months to come,' Wilson said. Diabo said several topics were discussed, including the topic of negotiations for the Seigneury of Sault St. Louis, and the need for better communication between the federal government and the MCK. 'I really liked the sense that with fresh eyes, maybe she can see something that the others didn't. So there's a lot of hopes right now, it was a really great meeting,' he said. He said that he also took the opportunity to express his discontentment with the recently passed Bill C-5, now known as The Building Canada Act. The Act seeks to fast-track major infrastructure projects, but several communities across Turtle Island, including Kahnawake, have expressed concern that rushing through projects might come at the expense of Indigenous rights. Diabo was in Ottawa on Thursday to meet with federal leadership to discuss the bill further, including Mandy Gull-Masty, who is the first-ever Indigenous person to lead Indigenous Services Canada (ISC). This week, it was also announced that nine First Nations in Ontario have filed a legal challenge against the law, in tandem with a challenge against Ontario's Bill 5, which is similar in nature. 'I told her that in Kahnawake we're very vocal. We say what we need to say, we say what's on our mind, and we'll definitely be reaching out when there's concerns and things like that. It's not personal against her, but it's about the machine that she represents,' he said. eve@ Eve Cable, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Business Insider
15-07-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
McKesson CEO sells $13.7M in common stock
In a regulatory filing, McKesson (MCK) disclosed that its CEO Brian Tyler sold 19.4K shares of common stock on July 11th in a total transaction size of $13.7M. Elevate Your Investing Strategy: Take advantage of TipRanks Premium at 50% off! Unlock powerful investing tools, advanced data, and expert analyst insights to help you invest with confidence. Make smarter investment decisions with TipRanks' Smart Investor Picks, delivered to your inbox every week.
