Latest news with #Greyeyes
Winnipeg Free Press
20-05-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Grand chief, chiefs organization accuse reporter, publication of defamation
The Southern Chiefs' Organization and its grand chief have filed a defamation lawsuit against a reporter and an Indigenous news publication. The suit, filed on behalf of SCO and Grand Chief Jerry Daniels, accuses Trevor Greyeyes and Terra Indigena of defamation over claims that were made in three articles published in March and April. 'The plaintiffs say that the untrue and defamatory statements were made to cause embarrassment and humiliation to them and to generally disparage and cause harm to the plaintiffs' reputation, standing and interests,' the court papers say. The suit alleges written statements made by Greyeyes falsely claim Daniels 'engaged in criminal conduct,' that 'he accepted a bribe or secret commission' … (and) 'he uses his position for personal financial benefit.' The court filing also accuses Greyeyes of making false claims that defamed the Southern Chiefs' Organization in the articles. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS Southern Chiefs' Organization Grand Chief Jerry Daniels MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS Southern Chiefs' Organization Grand Chief Jerry Daniels The articles were published on Terra Indigena's website, where Greyeyes works as a freelancer, as well as on the First Nations Voice website and newsletters, a publication owned and operated by Greyeyes. The court filing alleges Greyeyes first defamed Daniels in an article published in early March. The story refers to the ongoing lawsuit filed by the Southern Chiefs Economic Development Corp. in November 2023 against a private numbered company. It seeks the repayment of a $100,000 deposit related to a deal for the corporation to purchase five parcels of land on Dugald Road, which did not go ahead. Claims made in the court filings were reported by the Free Press and other local media in January. The numbered company, in a countersuit and statement of defence filed in May 2024, accused Daniels of defaulting on a personal loan and then saying he could 'influence the progress' of the $20-million land deal, if the company demanded he repay the personal mortgage loan, which was for a condo purchase. The loan's specific amount wasn't included in the court filings. In a reply filed in August 2024, SCO's development corporation said Daniels had obtained a personal mortgage from a corporation related to the numbered company, but said the grand chief was approached about it first. It denied he had defaulted and said the mortgage was irrelevant to the litigation. The matter remains before the court. In an article in early March, Greyeyes questioned the loan and land deal and claimed a secret commission was involved. The lawsuit claims Greyeyes defamed Daniels by repeating the allegation in two more articles in March and April. In the April story, Greyeyes said a courier had dropped off a letter, written by lawyers representing Daniels, which threatened a defamation lawsuit. He noted he had been barred from SCO media events. On Tuesday, Greyeyes said he hadn't yet received notice of the lawsuit. 'I stand by (the reporting),' Greyeyes, a 60-year-old from Peguis First Nation, told the Free Press. 'I'm an elder and a knowledge keeper. I've been a journalist for over 30 years… I'm not somebody new to this.' He said he plans to raise money to hire a lawyer to defend him in court. He has not yet filed a statement of defence. Wednesdays A weekly dispatch from the head of the Free Press newsroom. The lawsuit asks the court to grant injunctions barring the defendants from further publishing the alleged defamatory statements and to delete the existing statements. It seeks unspecified damages, interest and court costs. Daniels and the SCO are in charge of the massive redevelopment of the former Bay store downtown. The project was pegged at $130 million in 2022, but has since more than doubled to $310 million, with completion expected in 2028. Daniels made headlines after he was involved in an altercation outside a bar in downtown Ottawa on Dec. 3. He later issued a public apology and said he would seek treatment for alcohol use. Chief Cornell McLean of Lake Manitoba First Nation was acting chief until Daniels was reinstated in January. Erik PinderaReporter Erik Pindera is a reporter for the Free Press, mostly focusing on crime and justice. The born-and-bred Winnipegger attended Red River College Polytechnic, wrote for the community newspaper in Kenora, Ont. and reported on television and radio in Winnipeg before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Erik. Every piece of reporting Erik produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Hamilton Spectator
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Tse'K'wa Heritage Society names summer 2025 artist in residence
CHARLIE LAKE, B.C. — With the backdrop of the Tse'K'wa cave behind her, Adrienne Greyeyes works with dedication and intent below a canopy, the carcass of a moose stretched as she scrapes hair from its hide. Greyeyes, who works as an Indian day school coordinator with the Indian Residential School Survivors Society, has for a portion of the summer gone back to an undying passion: art. She has been announced as Tse'k'wa's artist in residence for the summer of 2025. Greyeyes holds a bachelor's degree in fine arts from Vancouver's Emily Carr University of Art and Design. According to a press release, Greyeyes will be incorporating 'combined teachings from Dane-zaa and Nehiyaw Elders to develop her hide-making skills' during eight weeks in May and July. The residency is fully funded by the Canada Council for the Arts. Greyeyes is of Nehiyaw ancestry from Bigstone Cree Nation in what is now Alberta, but was born and grew up in Fort St. John. 'Moose hide holds nostalgia and safety to a lot of people,' said Greyeyes during a break. '[It] brings so many people back to when they were younger. 'This is such a meditative practice where I find myself re-visiting a lot of those things and it just puts me in that kind of head space.' In traditional Indigenous cultures, preparing animal hides for purposes such as clothing, shelter and art requires a labour-intensive process. This involves hide cleaning; soaking; fleshing; scraping; softening using the animal's brains, known as 'braining'; and smoking to give it a tanned appearance. The finished hides will be utilized in Greyeyes' printmaking, artwork which she says will display 'the reciprocal relationship that we have with the land we grew on through using hides that were grown on the same territory that my body has also been nourished from,' and acknowledge 'our relationship is ever-changing and challenged due to colonial lifestyle impositions.' 'Not only is it sustaining us in being in clothing and being part of our ceremonies,' said Greyeyes. 'But it also teaches. You're really close to this animal the whole time you're working with [it] and you're really close to that spirit.' Greyeyes will hold open-studio hours at Tse'K'wa in Charlie Lake, where the public can view her work and ask questions. Greyeyes will be at the Tse'K'wa cave on May 14th, 15th, and 20th. The second half of her residency will be on July 7th, 9th, 10th, 14th, 16th and 17th, when people can learn more about her. The time for all days is between 11 a.m. and 12 noon, and admission is free. The Tse'K'wa cave is an Indigenous-owned national heritage site , owned by Doig River First Nation, West Moberly First Nations and Prophet River First Nation. Tse'K'wa, translating to 'Rock House,' is a cave with history tracing back some 12,000 years, and was used by Dane-zaa ancestors since the Ice Age. More information about Greyeyes' residency is available on the Tse'K'wa website .
CBC
20-02-2025
- Politics
- CBC
B.C. minister, mayor denounce racist graffiti on Treaty 8 building in Fort St. John
Social Sharing WARNING: This story contains profanity and details and images of swastikas. Marlene Greyeyes had just wrapped up meetings at her office on Sunday in Fort St. John when she was sent pictures of swastikas and profanities spray painted onto the building. Seeing those images, she said, was "horrifying." Greyeyes is executive director of the Treaty 8 Tribal Association, which provides advisory services to six First Nations in northeastern B.C. "It's upsetting that there's still that kind of mindset around," she said. To make matters worse, she said that as staff were working to clean the graffiti, someone drove by and yelled, "Heil Hitler." CBC News has contacted the RCMP about the incident. The graffiti is being condemned provincially, with British Columbia's Indigenous relations minister, Christine Boyle, calling the spray paint "racist vandalism." Boyle says it is important to stand against acts of hate, adding that Treaty 8 is a "critical part of B.C.'s work to advance reconciliation." Fort St. John Mayor Lilia Hansen called the vandalism "unacceptable" in an open statement, saying it goes against the values upheld in the community. Jewish human rights group B'nai Brith Canada says it showcases how the swastika is being used against a variety of racialized groups, and it calls for a national ban on the public display of the emblem of the Nazi Party. That group says that when Nazi swastikas appear on streets, buildings and in our communities, they send a message that runs counter to everything Canada stands for. "The recent use of the Nazi swastika to deface the Treaty 8 Tribal Association building in Fort St. John, B.C., is yet another stark reminder that the Nazi swastika represents the worst of society," the group said in a post to X. Greyeyes said that, unfortunately, she is familiar with racist sentiments in the form of anti-Indigenous language in her community. The solution, she said, is speaking out against it and educating others about different cultures and history. She is heartened by the support she's been receiving, saying several people have called with words of solidarity and offers to paint murals on the wall to try to prevent future incidents.
