Steve Bonspiel

Editor and Publisher at The Eastern Door

Editor/Publisher of Eastern Door newspaper, Mohawk from Kanesatake but in Kahnawake Kanien’kehá:ka Territory. Used to teach Indigenous Journalism at Concordia.

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Articles

When games are more than just games

2 weeks ago | easterndoor.com | Steve Bonspiel

Home Opinion When games are more than just games Opinion Our future leaders, both in sport and in life, are off to the First Nations Education Council Inter-School Games at the Universite Laval in Quebec City this week, and this is one of those times we get to pat them on the back and cheer them on! Regardless of which school you cheer for, this event is a winner for all the communities that participate because, at their best, these games instill leadership skills, teamwork, camaraderie, and...
The meaning of the Two Row

3 weeks ago | easterndoor.com | Steve Bonspiel

Opinion A number of Indigenous Members of Parliament (MPs) have been named to the federal cabinet this week, not the least of which was Mandy Gull-Masty, the former grand chief of the Grand Council of the Crees, who becomes the first Native person to lead Indigenous Services Canada.
Sometimes you just have to fight

1 month ago | easterndoor.com | Steve Bonspiel

Home Opinion Sometimes you just have to fight Opinion When your child is in crisis, you do what you must to keep them calm. That should be the mantra of every parent, and for the ones who are trying hard to be better and stand up for their kids, it is, but it isn’t always met with compassion and empathy from others.
Peltier and Trump in the news

Jan 24, 2025 | easterndoor.com | Steve Bonspiel

Editorial Journalism generally takes on two approaches: opinions in the form of editorials and columns, and written articles. When sitting down to write an editorial, you must take a pretty strong stance on an issue important to all. State your case. Fight for it. Tell readers what is wrong and how to fix it. End it and move on.
Trudeau’s exit means little for us

Jan 17, 2025 | easterndoor.com | Steve Bonspiel

The author of this editorial penned an op-ed for the Toronto Star many years ago along with Onawa K. Jacobs when Justin Trudeau was elected prime minister. Although there was a lot of cautious hope, almost nothing came to fruition concerning the advancement of our rights, land and culture, not to mention sovereignty and profit-sharing or back rent, so to speak, and now, nothing further will come as he announced he’s stepping down.
Kanesatake’s year that was

Jan 10, 2025 | easterndoor.com | Steve Bonspiel

A divided Mohawk Council of Kanesatake is the norm these days, and sadly not the exception, but one chief separated himself from the pack and went too far this year, in attacking The Eastern Door to try to silence us. And it happened to be the grand chief.
The year that was in Kahnawake

Jan 7, 2025 | easterndoor.com | Steve Bonspiel

Transparency was a four-letter word for the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake in 2025, and it wasn’t because they were good at being transparent. And let’s be clear: every politician has things they keep close to their chest, but the MCK really outdid itself this past year. With so many important issues buried, you’d need a hell of a shovel to dig them all out.
Taking a break this holiday season

Dec 19, 2024 | easterndoor.com | Steve Bonspiel

The good news is 2024 is almost over, and whether it was a pretty good one or a pretty rough one – or somewhere in between – 2025 is definitely exciting to think about, plan, and, most importantly, get done!Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, this season reminds us of the importance of our families and our health. We lost many people this year, including first-language speakers who took their stories and rich Kanien’kéha talent with them, and they must be remembered.
Our Top 5 wish list

Dec 13, 2024 | easterndoor.com | Steve Bonspiel

It can be fun to make a Top 5 Christmas wish list for the entire community, but this one isn’t about chocolate and a train set, although Kahnawake should be getting money for the actual train tracks that litter the community, but we digress on that, at least for now. Instead, we will focus on tangible things that can change our lives for the better, and pull our community, sometimes kicking and screaming, into a better place.
The elephant in the room

Dec 6, 2024 | easterndoor.com | Steve Bonspiel

We couldn’t jump right into the holidays with cheer and goodwill just yet, as the important issue of housing has popped back into the news. This time, at least, it isn’t a huge fiasco with hundreds of thousands of dollars missing, but we can’t talk about new projects without reminding people what happened – and the fact no one was ever held accountable for that massive theft.