TWO ROW TIMES
December 1, 2021
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Masters Indigenous Games set for 2023 By TRT Staff ONTARIO — The Masters Indigenous Games (MIG) have been postponed since 2018, but a recent announcement brings the promise of the event to return in 2023 and 2025. The official dates are set to be announced next year. The last inaugural MIG took place in Toronto, Ontario from July 12-15, 2018, providing an opportunity for Indigenous adults from around the world to engage in sport competition with their peers. The Games encourage mature individuals to be active, with the awareness that competitive sport can continue throughout life, contributing to increased health and wellness. In 2020, organizers of the proposed 2021 Masters Indigenous Games (MIG), in partnership with the City of Ottawa and Ottawa Tourism, announced the postponement of the event given the continued
The Masters Indigenous Games (MIG) have been postponed since 2018, but a recent announcement brings the promise of the event to return in 2023 and 2025. MCMASTER
impact of COVID-19 cases, and restrictions regarding international travel and in-person sport competitions. In consideration for the health and wellness of participants and communities, and to maintain the spirit of the event, which is focused on bringing communities together
through the celebration of sport and culture, Indigenous Sport & Wellness Ontario made the difficult decision to postpone the 2021 Games. Hosted and developed by Indigenous Sport & Wellness Ontario,, the MIG provides Indigenous adults aged 20 years and
mond Hill, Ontario. This initiative was a continuation of a yearly hockey equipment drive organized by McWaters who started the initial drive for hockey equipment after speaking with families from Beausoleil First Nation at a hockey tournament in Midland, Ontario in 2015. Some Beausoleil families expressed need for better equipment and he felt inspired to do something. In the first year of the equipment accumulation, he reached out to his son’s Richmond Hill team for equipment donations. The team helped raise eight bags of equipment and numerous hockey sticks. On Saturday, October 23, 2021, ISWO was joined by McWaters’ experienced group of volunteers, and
over 30 volunteers from the Their Opportunity organization, Trucks for Change, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and a number of local service and hockey organizations in collecting, sorting and shipping the donated new and used hockey equipment and hand sanitizer. The hockey equipment and hand sanitizer were shipped to ISWO’s Thunder Bay warehouse the next day. While Canadian Tire generously supplied about 85 of the new hockey bags, the vast majority of the high-quality, used equipment was secured through public donations organized by McWaters and his group and their network of service organizations. Their Opportunity assisted with planning, logistics, social media, and
older, the opportunity to compete against their peers in a variety of contemporary and traditional sporting activities. T The Games will bring together thousands of Indigenous athletes from around the world to compete in sport competitions, celebrate Indigenous wellness, and showcase the rich diversity of cultures and traditions of the world’s Indigenous Peoples, and their return have been highly anticipated. Throughout the pandemic, the sport body provided a variety of virtual and online challenges, competitions and events that individuals can participate in from the comfort of their own homes. The emphasis remained on staying active, building skills and focusing on training, until the day that Indigenous athletes and communities are able to come together again.
ISWO delivers hockey equipment that will reach Indigenous Youth in the North
By TRT Staff, with notes from iswo.ca release MISSISSAUGA, ON – On November 2, the Indigenous Sport & Wellness Ontario (“ISWO”) announced that in collaboration with a number of volunteer stakeholders, 350 hockey bags of hockey equipment, dozens of boxes of new equipment, 100s of hockey sticks, and approximately 150 cases of hand sanitizer were shipped to ISWO’s storage facility in Thunder Bay. The items will ultimately be distributed to urban and isolated Indigenous communities, organizations, and families in the North. “The plan for this year is to distribute the equipment to 40 First Nations youth and families from our storage facilities in Barrie, Whitby, Burlington, and Thunder Bay. On the weekend of October 23, 2021, 350 bags were shipped to Thunder Bay with the assistance of ISWO, for distribution to northern First Nation communities,” explained Graham McWaters, a hockey dad from Rich-
the online presence for the cash donations to buy new helmets and to support the transportation costs. Unilever donated the hand sanitizer. This collaborative effort will be an ongoing initiative. The final distribution of the equipment and hand sanitizer is now being planned for Thunder Bay and other Northern communities. “It is community-driven efforts like this that ISWO is happy to support. The hockey equipment will benefit so many youth who might not have had a chance to play hockey without the proper equipment,” said Marc Laliberte, President of ISWO.
Hometown Hockey will broadcast from Ohsweken at the Gaylord Powless Arena at Nu-Yah. PHOTO BY X
Six Nations to Host Rogers Hometown Hockey in January 2022
By TRT Staff from Six Nations of the Grand River release
SIX NATIONS — Six Nations of the Grand River Elected Council announced on Monday, November 29 that Six Nations will host Rogers Hometown Hockey in early January 2022. “We are so excited to bring Rogers Hometown Hockey to Six Nations,” said Elected Chief Mark Hill. “Our community has had such a tough year with COVID and the searches of former residential school sites; our people really need some joy right now. We look forward to celebrating safely as a community and welcoming Rogers Hometown Hockey to Six Nations.” Since 2014, Rogers Hometown Hockey has been a celebration of hockey and community visiting over 130 towns across Canada. The organization is proud to bring
the magic of the NHL to communities across Canada with a 2-day weekend festival and a live NHL broadcast on Sportsnet from the chosen community. Headlined by a national Sportsnet broadcast hosted by Ron MacLean and Tara Slone on Monday, January 3, 2022, Rogers Hometown Hockey is set to showcase the athleticism that Six Nations has to offer, including sports programs, local talent, and youth. The broadcast event will take place at the Six Nations Sports and Cultural Memorial Centre, with full details to be announced at a later date. Strict COVID-19 protocols will be in place to ensure the safety of all. Those wishing to view the announcement can tune into Sportsnet at 7 p.m. tonight. Six Nations looks forward to kicking off 2022 by hosting Rogers Hometown Hockey and celebrating what hockey means to the community.