News stories tagged with "first-nations"

(07/09/09) Mohawk leaders and Canadian officials came close this week to an agreement Mohawks say would have opened the international bridge near Massena. The bridge is on Cornwall Island, which is Mohawk territory. It's been closed since June 1, stopping cross border traffic between Massena and Cornwall Ontario.

Mohawks continue a peaceful protest against Canada's plan to arm guards at the border crossing there. In a press release late yesterday, Mohawk Council Grand Chief Mike Mitchell detailed how the plan would have opened the bridge provisionally, while a long-term settlement is worked out.

Under the temporary deal, unarmed border guards would work with other police agencies, including Mohawk police and possibly the RCMP. But the agreement quickly fell apart when the union representing the border guards said they will not go back to Cornwall Island, with or without guns.

According to the Watertown Daily Times, union President Ron Moran wants Canadian Minister of Public Safety Peter Van Loan, who oversees the border agency, to keep the Cornwall-Massena crossing closed until the situation is completely resolved.

(06/19/08) Last November, Brian Mann reported on plans to dam and divert the massive Rupert River in northern Quebec. The project, developed by the provincial utility, Hydro-Quebec, will provide hydroelectricity to consumers in New York and Vermont. His story was recognized with an Edward R. Murrow Award. Last week, Brian returned to paddle the Rupert again. He made the trip as part of a documentary project called "Encounters." Here's his reporter's notebook.

(04/17/02) For more than 20 years, students on the Akwesasne Mohawk reservation have had a choice. Lots of kids go to a regular English language elementary school. But some students attend a traditional private school, where instruction is in Mohawk. Brian Mann met with students from the Akwesasne Freedom School this week and has our story.