‘We need to get them out’: Beluga trainer fired by Marineland speaks out
By Liam Casey Marineland’s crumbling infrastructure, staffing shortage and lack of resources have created dangerous conditions for its belugas and they should be moved immediately, a fired beluga trainer says. Kristy Burgess, who worked at the Niagara Falls, Ont., park when a young beluga was put down in February, said Marineland’s threat to euthanize all 30 of its remaining belugas if it doesn’t receive emergency funding is a “repulsive” tactic that uses the whales as leverage. “We need to get them out,” Burgess said of the last captive whales in Canada. “Immediately.” Burgess is speaking out for the first time about her experience at Marineland as the very whales she loved now face possible death. Nineteen belugas, one dolphin and one killer whale have died at the park since 2019,...
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Displaced Iroquois Lodge residents could find temporary home in Brantford
By Carly McHugh Writer Six Nations elders evacuated from the Iroquois Lodge after a June rainstorm caused community-wide flooding may soon return to their own land. Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) is in the process of securing a lease at the Fox Ridge Community in Brantford, a long-term care home the city has put a bid in to purchase from Sienna Living. The three-year lease will allow the approximately 50 displaced residents to live closer to home, while a new facility is built on Six Nations. At their social services committee meeting on Wednesday, the City of Brantford detailed tentative plans to begin moving the residents to Fox Ridge once the sale closes on Oct. 30. The current arrangement is to house them on one side of the building, while...
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Natuashish band council office, cultural stage burn down hours after election
The Mushuau Innu First Nation band council office in Nautashish was destroyed by fire early Friday morning. Aaron Poker. By Heidi Atter, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Independent RCMP are investigating after the Mushuau Innu First Nation Band Council Office and a cultural stage burned down early Friday morning. Police say at approximately 3:09 a.m. on Friday morning they spotted smoke coming from the band council office and local fire crew arrived on scene shortly thereafter. No one was injured but the building sustained “significant damage,” RCMP say. The cause is under investigation. In a statement on Facebook, newly-elected Chief Patricia Andrew said “what happened last night was wrong, and not the kind of news anyone wants to start their day with.” “Our community has been through enough, and violence...
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Some Indigenous Peoples Day events strike conciliatory tone amid Trump’s focus on Columbus
By Terry Tang From Seattle to Baltimore, many Americans were celebrating Monday as Indigenous Peoples Day, determined to see it as a triumph of perseverance over centuries marked by trauma. Tribal nations and communities gathered at powwows, markets and musical performances among other joyful events to honor their culture and their history. Some states and cities have for decades now made the second Monday in October about honoring Native Americans alongside the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus, for whom the federal holiday was declared in 1937. And President Joe Biden signed a declaration recognizing both days. President Donald Trump, keeping a vow he made in April, reversed that last week, pledging “to reclaim his extraordinary legacy of faith, courage, perseverance, and virtue from the left-wing arsonists who have sought to destroy...
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Labrador priorities in the 2025 N.L. election
By Frey Blake-Pijogge, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Independent Labrador has four seats in the House of Assembly, representing 10 per cent of the legislature. While the mainland part of the province has just six per cent of the province’s population, it also accounts for around 72 per cent of Newfoundland and Labrador’s total land mass, much of which is Innu or Inuit territory and home to natural resources the province wants to develop, like minerals and hydroelectric power. As Labradorians head to the polls on Tuesday, here’s what the parties and some of their Labrador candidates are saying on issues impacting communities across Labrador. Indigenous Rights When the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) released its final report 10 years ago, the federal and most provincial and territorial governments committed...
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Łútsël K’é dev corp moves on from Barlas saga with new deal
By Claire McFarlane, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cabin Radio Łútsël K’é Dene First Nation’s economic development corporation has acquired a Yellowknife-based company, Unico Contractors. Leigh-Anne Palter, the chief executive officer for the T’sa Group of Companies, said the move marks a turning point for the corporation. “The last 10 years have been very difficult,” said Palter. “The corporation and as a result the community, because of prior leadership, haven’t been able to realize the benefits of the growing economy in Yellowknife.” In August, Ron Barlas – the former head of the Denesoline Corporation, which is owned by T’sa – lost his appeal after a Northwest Territories Supreme Court judge earlier ruled he had engaged in “egregious conduct” related to the misappropriation of millions of dollars. The Barlas scandal illuminated a...
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Brant County facing budget pressures ahead of 2026 property tax discussions
By Celeste Percy-Beauregard, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Hamilton Spectator It’s too early to know what Brant County’s tax hike will be next year, but a long-term property tax forecast shows some of the 2026 budget pressures. The plan looks at the county’s anticipated capital projects, operating expenses, and revenue across the next 10 years, and the impact those projects could have on property taxes each year. The 2026 forecast is 13.6 per cent — the highest anticipated across the decade. But a consultant from Watson & Associates, which put together the forecast, was quick to point out it’s not the final property tax levy. It’s “a raw set of data based on the expenditures and revenues in a particular year,” Byron Tan told council at a meeting at the...
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New Brunswick at risk of electricity shortage in 3 years: exec
By John Chilibeck, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Daily Gleaner NB Power has asked an American firm to build a controversial natural gas-diesel plant at a cost of more than $1 billion because without it, New Brunswick risks running out of electricity within three years, says an executive. Brad Coady, the vice president of business development at NB Power, laid out the possibility of a bleak future to a group of politicians who represent a province where three-quarters of people still depend on electricity for heat in the bone-chilling winter. On Friday, he told the standing committee on public accounts at the legislature that he discovered the problem during an NB Power executive meeting in the fall of 2023, when he learned the public utility had already blown through its...
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Province at risk of electricity shortage in 3 years: exec
By John Chilibeck, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Daily Gleaner NB Power has asked an American firm to build a controversial natural gas-diesel plant at a cost of more than $1 billion because without it, New Brunswick risks running out of electricity within three years, says an executive. Brad Coady, the vice president of business development at NB Power, laid out the possibility of a bleak future to a group of politicians who represent a province where three-quarters of people still depend on electricity for heat in the bone-chilling winter. On Friday, he told the standing committee on public accounts at the legislature that he discovered the problem during an NB Power executive meeting in the fall of 2023, when he learned the public utility had already blown through its...
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No response from Inuit organizations over Marineland belugas
By Dominique Gené, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunatsiaq News Inuit organizations have not responded to a suggestion to take in 30 beluga whales from Marineland that have been at risk of being euthanized after the Niagara Falls amusement park said it can no longer afford their care. Marineland had asked the federal government for financial support, warning it would have to euthanize the whales if help didn’t come by Oct. 7. Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson rejected the park’s request to export the whales to China. The Canadian Press reported Thursday that the whales are alive, after the Tuesday deadline has passed. Jason Etok, who grew up in Nunavik, urged Inuit leaders to step in and help provide habitat for the belugas, suggesting they could be released in Hudson Bay, Ungava...
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AFN National Chief reminds First Nations leaders their decisions change lives
Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak delivered the opening address at a Markham conference. (Photo by Sam Laskaris.) By Sam Laskaris Writer TORONTO-Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak reminded leaders at a two-day conference in Toronto to remember their decisions and deeds change the lives of thier people. Woodhouse Nepinak delivered the opening address at the First Nations Leading The Way Conference on Oct. 8. The two-day event, held at the Hilton Toronto/Markham Suites Conference Centre, featured First Nations leaders from across the country who were on panels and workshops, which provided details on fiscal independence, financial management, access to financing and sound land governance. Early on in her address Woodhouse Nepinak reminded the assembled leaders of various First Nations institutions “through your deeds...
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Northwest MPPs support NAN’s call for change after Ginoogaming tragedy
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Thunder Bay Source GINOOGAMING — The band office for Ginoogaming First Nation reopened Friday, the day after the arrest of two suspects in the shooting death of a man in the community on Long Lake’s east shore. A shelter-in-place advisory for the Ginoogaming-Longlac area was lifted Thursday afternoon, more than a day after police issued it following a shooting incident that took the life of Sebastian Towegishig and injured another person. Meanwhile, Indigenous leaders and Northwestern Ontario MPPs say the situation that unfolded in Ginoogaming this week illustrates an urgent need for change. “I empathize with other First Nations within the municipality of Greenstone who also are struggling with having their hands tied when they want to deal with members who are harbouring...
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‘Increasing our visibility’: Oshki Wenjack says accreditation could open new doors
By Matt Prokopchuk, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, TBnewswatch.com THUNDER BAY — Officials with an Indigenous education institute that serves dozens of northern Ontario First Nations say obtaining provincial accreditation is the start of bigger things. A celebratory media conference was held at the Oshki-Pimache-O-Win: The Wenjack Education Institute’s main facility in Thunder Bay on Thursday. It was to officially announce that the not-for-profit received its full accreditation, which now allows it to create its own programs and confer its own credentials, under provincial oversight. “This isn’t a one-day event by one small group, this is a community event,” Kim Falcigno, the institute’s senior vice president of academics, said at Tuesday’s announcement, adding that it’s a celebration of everyone who played a role in the years-long process. “We’re now kind of...
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Activists from Gaza-bound flotilla expected to return to Canada this weekend
By Miriam Lafontaine The first of six Canadian activists aboard a flotilla that was detained by Israeli forces while attempting to bring humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip has returned home. Indigenous rights activist Mskwaasin Agnew landed at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport on Saturday afternoon, greeted by a group of family, friends and supporters. “Israel kidnaped me in international waters,” she told a group of reporters through tears. “They held me illegally. I did nothing wrong.” The Israeli military interception earlier this week involved a flotilla of nine boats in the Mediterranean Sea. The activists aboard them had been attempting to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza. According to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, a total of 145 activists were brough to shore for processing and deportation in Israel following the...
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‘We’re losing control of our communities’: First Nations in states of emergency as Doug Ford pushes to mine the north
By Jon Thompson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Ricochet Ontario Provincial Police arrested two suspects on Thursday following a two-day, shelter-in-place order in Ginoogaming First Nation and the neighbouring town of Longlac. OPP charged them with second degree murder in the shooting death of Ginoogaming man Sebastian Towegishig. Another victim has been transported 300 kilometres west to Thunder Bay to receive intensive care for gunshot wounds. First Nations across far northern Ontario are now calling on Canada and Ontario’s governments to make a priority of ridding their communities of illicit drugs, some making public safety a prerequisite to conversations about mining. Ginoogaming has been under a state of emergency since May 2024, when Chief Sheri Taylor and her council called for a full-time police presence to contend with drugs and gangs....
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Two teenagers charged with murder in shooting at Ginoogaming First Nation: OPP
Provincial police say two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder after a shooting in a northern Ontario First Nation on Wednesday left one person dead and another injured. Police say they were called to the scene at Echum Drive in Ginoogaming First Nation around 2:15 a.m. for a report of shots fired, and officers found one person dead and another hurt. OPP issued a two-day shelter-in-place order as officers searched for two armed suspects, with all schools in the area closed and residents advised to stay indoors. Police now say two teenagers from Brampton, Ont., aged 15 and 18, have been arrested and charged with second-degree murder and attempting to commit murder using a firearm. Nishnawbe Aski Nation, which represents 51 First Nation communities across northern Ontario, alleged Thursday...
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Former residential school demolished on Meares Island
By Nora O’Malley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor’s note: The following story contains strong language from former students of the Christie Indian Residential School and references that may be upsetting to some readers. Meares Island, B.C. – Shattered glass. Wailing cries soothed by traditional drums. Wood cracked as the digger excavator tore into the roof of the old Christie Indian Residential School, releasing decades of bridled sorrow and anger. “They gave me a sledgehammer. I went to town,” laughed Hesquiaht First Nation’s Cecil Sabbas, 74, who went to the Christie Indian Residential School for eight years. “As I was hitting it I said, and pardon my language, ‘Take that you mother fucker!’ Every hit I did. Take that. When I finally finished and demolished it, I said, ‘Fuck you!’...
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B.C. tables new law on closed meetings between First Nations and municipalities
By Wolfgang Depner The president of the group representing local governments in British Columbia says she welcomes proposed changes that would make it easier for First Nations and municipalities to meet behind closed doors. Cori Ramsay, president of the Union of British Columbia Municipalities, said her group and First Nations requested the changes, saying they give nations “the same level of confidentiality” that other levels of government receive. “This is really about building strong relationships with our First Nations partners,” Ramsay said. Ramsay said the proposed changes close gaps in current legislation, but do not change existing processes around final decisions being made in public. Government house leader Mike Farnworth said the proposed amendments “allow or require” local governments to hold closed meetings when discussing “culturally sensitive and confidential information”...
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Indigenous communities want major role in Ottawa’s new housing plan
By Sonal Gupta, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer The new federal Build Canada Homes program could help solve the housing crisis — but only if the government delivers promised funding and ensures Indigenous communities lead the effort, housing advocates say. On Sept. 14, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the creation of Build Canada Homes, a federal housing agency tasked with deploying $13 billion to build 4,000 modular homes in its initial phase. The first wave will focus on transitional and supportive housing for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Six cities, including Winnipeg, Edmonton, Toronto, Ottawa, Longueuil and Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, will launch the program. In Winnipeg, the announcement is welcome because local housing pressure is especially acute, said Jackie Hunt, senior director of strategy...
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Senator says she was never told her 2005 surgery would leave her sterile
By Dylan Robertson A Quebec senator says she was never told by her doctor that a surgical procedure she went through in 2005 would render her unable to have children, and hopes her story can advance a broader reckoning on systemic racism in Canada. Sen. Amina Gerba told her story to her colleagues on the floor of the Senate earlier this month. She said she went public to support legislation before the Senate to criminalize forced or coerced sterilizations. “I never wanted to be seen as someone who played the victim. I always fought to move forward,” Sen. Amina Gerba told The Canadian Press in an emotional French-language interview this week. “I didn’t want to talk about it at all. But it was too hard to keep quiet.” Gerba said...
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