Protestors rally at Manitoba Legislature over Peguis CFS
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By Trevor Greyeyes
WINNIPEG, Nov. 14, 2025 - A small group of Peguis First Nation members gathered on the steps of the Manitoba Legislature at noon today, calling for accountability, transparency, and an immediate meeting with the leadership of Peguis Child and Family Services (CFS).
In a handout, the group outlined a series of concerns they say have gone unanswered for months.
The protesters, many of them parents and caregivers, allege that Peguis CFS has drifted away from serving the community and is instead operating with little oversight, limited transparency, and questionable spending priorities.
Several held posters naming conflict-of-interest concerns, budget issues, and the lack of community consultation.
The handout distributed at the rally listed ten key allegations.
Among them is the claim that Peguis First Nation did not hold the required community vote to adopt Bill C-92 the federal "Honouring Our Children, Families and Nation Act" and that was before transferring child-welfare authority from provincial jurisdiction to a community-based system.
According to the document, no community ratification occurred, leaving many members feeling excluded from a decision that directly affects families on and off reserve.
Read more: Protestors rally at Manitoba Legislature over Peguis CFS
Aboriginal Veteran's Day observed in Peguis
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WE WILL REMEMBER THEM
"Greater Love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends and country".
As we approach November 11, Remembrance Day, we will remember and celebrate our veterans from Peguis and St. Peters. These brave men who fought and died must be remembered for their sacrifice and bringing victory to our shores. We owe them our freedom and love.
In the two World Wars, our boys volunteered in large numbers, setting examples to all of Canada to unite and defeat the Nazi regime; Victory was theirs.
Many of us had relatives in the war. I had three uncles in the first World War, two who gave up their lives in France, fighting Germany. I heard many of the veterans' stories about the battles they fought to win the war. They even said the Germans were afraid of them.
We are approaching the times where all our second World War veterans are gone now: a few remain around the country and a few widows of these brave soldiers. We still have one widow of WWII, Isabel Bear, her first husband Wallace Sinclair fought and survived WW1 1 .
We had about 98 men and women who were in VVW1 and WWII: these are our veterans who we must never forget. It's our rich heritage and history, and our elders, parents and children must remember them. This history must be shared in school and other gatherings in the future. God be with our boys.
"They shall not grow old as we that are left behind grow old". LEST WE FORGET
The $558,616 line item Peguis CFS won’t explain
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By James Wastasecoot
The Peguis CFS CFO told the AGM 2025 meeting that their board of directors is a “working board” and that its expense of $558,616 for travel and honoraria last year is a legitimate expenditure, honoraria payments are confidential, and detailed explanations are not forthcoming. The Peguis CFS Annual General Meeting was held at the Maamawibiway (former Shergold farm) east of Hodson on Thursday Sept. 25. The meeting was held under the recently constructed dome on artificial turf thoughout, an opulent setting where less than 50 band members were seated at the opening to hear reports and ask questions about the agency.
Days before the meeting, Peguis CFS posted a notice on their website asking people to pre-register because of “limited seating.” In reality, there was plenty of room. For many who were already uneasy with the agency, that message read like a barrier, not an invitation. It likely kept people away. That matters because confidence in Peguis CFS has been shaky. There was a protest at the CFS building just a few months ago. Many band members are hesitant to speak in public meetings at the best of times, let alone stand up to question a service provider about money and governance. If the goal is participation, you don’t start by narrowing the door.
Following the presentation of the 2024-25 financial statements by MNP, I asked a question about the Board travel and honoraria expense of $558,616 which is up from $391,444 last year. A rough calculation reveals this to be $111,723 per board member. Peguis CFS Chief Financial Officer Bev Stranger explained that the CFS Board of directors is a “working board” who meets more than once a month, and that “other costs that have to be allocated into that category. It's not paid to them directly.” She said this includes items such as meeting rooms which are at times not available in Peguis and must be rented elsewhere like Winnipeg, Selkirk, Fisher Branch.
Forging History: Stranger Bronzeworks’ Monument to Chief Peguis Takes Shape in Peguis
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By James Wastasecoot
Wayne Stranger’s ambitious commissioned project to honour Chief Peguis is steadily taking shape in his studio in Peguis. The 18‑foot bronze statue—designed and crafted by Stranger and his team at Stranger Bronzeworks—will be the tallest public monument to any Indigenous leader in Manitoba’s history.
Read more: Forging History: Stranger Bronzeworks’ Monument to Chief Peguis Takes Shape in Peguis
UN Ambassador Bob Rae Visits Peguis to Address Ongoing Flood Crisis
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By James Wastasecoot
PEGUIS, June 5, 2025 — United Nations Ambassador Bob Rae visited Peguis First Nation today to discuss the persistent flooding that has repeatedly devastated the community. The meeting with Peguis leadership highlighted concerns over alleged human rights violations linked to the flood crisis.
In a powerful presentation, Chief Operating Officer Cindy Spence invoked the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), declaring, “The ongoing failure to address the flood crisis in Peguis is more than a matter of poor policy – it is a violation of human rights.”
Chief Dr. Stan Bird urged Ambassador Rae to take action, saying, “Peguis First Nation is formally calling on Mr. Bob Rae to investigate potential human rights violations against Indigenous peoples. We ask that he engage the Human Rights Commission and the Government of Canada to address breaches of UNDRIP.”
Rae, a seasoned lawyer and former Ontario premier who has worked closely with northern First Nations, acknowledged the severity of the issue. “Let’s be clear. I’m the president of the Economic and Social Council, but I’m also a public servant of the government of Canada,” he said. “I will use every opportunity to raise awareness of these injustices.”
The Economic and Social Council collaborates with the UN Special Rapporteur on Indigenous Peoples, whose mandate includes recommending measures to prevent and remedy violations of Indigenous rights.
Peguis First Nation filed a $1-billion lawsuit in April 2024 against the federal and provincial governments, as well as the upstream municipalities of Fisher and Bifrost. The claim accuses the municipalities of constructing drainage works—supported by the province—that exacerbate flooding downstream in Peguis. The federal government has yet to file a statement of defense. In addition to the main lawsuit, Peguis has filed a class action on behalf of individual residents seeking compensation for personal property losses and damages caused by flooding.
For over two decades, Peguis has faced flooding every two to three years. The 2022 flood was the worst in recent memory, leaving more than 700 residents displaced and living as evacuees in Winnipeg. “They want to come home, but there is no home to come home to,” Spence said.
Lawyer Brian Meronek underscored the long history of inaction. “Since 1984, there have been at least a dozen engineering studies—it’s been studied to death. One study even listed ‘do nothing’ as an option. The government said that was not acceptable, yet decades later, that is effectively what’s happened.”
Meronek added that flood mitigation funds, tied to provincial flood forecasts, were often inaccessible when the forecasts were incorrect, leaving Peguis vulnerable year after year.
The community is currently producing a documentary to document how repeated flooding has devastated Peguis’s infrastructure and eroded the social and health well-being of its residents.
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