Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami releases new poverty reduction strategy
By Miriam Bosiljevac and Aastha Sethi, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cabin Radio Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami has released a poverty reduction strategy for Inuit Nunangat and recommended changes to how Nutrition North Canada operates in the region. “The strategy is really grounded in an Inuit-defined whole person approach that considers culture, well-being, family, community, livelihoods, leadership, and self-determination,” said Lauren Goodman from the national Inuit organization, also known as ITK. “We’re hoping that it will be a roadmap for governments, Inuit organizations, industry, and others to partner with us to reduce poverty in Inuit Nunangat.” The strategy identifies three action areas: economic participation, cost of living and income security, and social services and community infrastructure. “With renewed national interest in Arctic development, Canada must invest in Inuit communities and finally bring...
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Elks president says CFL club still recovering from ‘disaster’ of name change
By John Korobanik As the Edmonton Elks prepare for their home opener Saturday, team president Chris Morris says the fallout from the club’s 2021 name change remains one of the biggest obstacles in rebuilding support among fans. Morris, who spent 14 seasons on Edmonton’s offensive line and won three Grey Cups with the club, said the franchise continues to deal with fallout from its 2021 name change. “It was a disaster in so many ways,” Morris said of the transition from the Eskimos to the Elks. The club changed its name after years of criticism from Inuit leaders and organizations who said the former name was offensive and outdated. The move came amid broader pressure on sports teams to abandon names viewed as racist or stereotypical. Morris said the decision...
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CP NewsAlert: Manitoba appoints first associate chief judge for reconciliation
Manitoba provincial court Judge Jerilee Ryle has been appointed the province’s first associate chief judge for reconciliation. The announcement was made by Justice Minister Matt Wiebe. Wiebe calls it a historic step toward building a court system that better reflects Indigenous traditions and values. The role is also to strengthen relations with Indigenous Peoples and ensure their perspectives are better reflected in court. Ryle is a member of Lake St. Martin First Nation. She was appointed to the bench last year after working as a Crown prosecutor and founding the Manitoba Prosecution Service’s Indigenous advisory council. More coming. ...
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Former Nunavut TV star on what National Indigenous History Month means to her
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News Ooleepeeka (Rebecca) Veevee was born in a camp outside Pangnirtung in 1950, but considers Iqaluit her home community. Living in a traditional sod house made of whale bones and animal skins called a qammaq, she didn’t have access to technology growing up. “My grandma, she played music and danced a lot. Then people starting laughing. I want the people to be happy and laughing. That’s why I wanted to be a comedian,” Veevee said in a modern community centre called the Iqaluit Elders Qammaq on June 10. She is well known as ‘The Laughing Chef,’ host of the Inuit Broadcasting Company’s TV show ‘Niqitsiat,’ where she made variations of country foods like caribou pizza, goose soup, char casserole, seal pie,...
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Elder shares what National Indigenous Peoples Day means to her
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News Annie Shappa was born in a camp outside Arctic Bay and says integrating into the community was very difficult. When she lived on the land, it was only with immediate family members. “It was so hard to move to the community because it was kind of prejudice, discrimination. All of that, we have to face it,” Shappa said. She said Elders like her are important because they can provide a bridge between Inuit and non-Indigenous people, who she referred to as “Qablunaat,” a term commonly used for non-Inuit residents. June 21 is National Indigenous Peoples Day, and Shappa said she wants to see investments in Inuit education realized. “I want to see in Nunavut, a university. We need a school...
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Nunavut Law Society unveils resource handbook for Nunavummiut in Yellowknife
By Dylan Follett, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Yellowknifer There’s a new resource handbook for Nunavummiut trying to access support resources while in Yellowknife. The “Access to Justice for Family Violence Yellowknife Resource Handbook,” created by the Law Society of Nunavut (LSN), was unveiled on June 11. About a dozen law professionals from across Alberta, the NWT and Nunavut gathered in the atrium of the NWT legislative assembly in Yellowknife for the release of the handbook, which is part of the LSN’s larger “Access to Justice” initiative. The handbook itself is a three-fold pamphlet which lists contacts and information on organizations that provide legal, health community, basic needs, and family assistance. “Today we honour, love and remember those who have left us and those who are still here with us,” said...
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Wildfire evacuees returning to their homes in northern Ontario First Nation
Residents of a northern Ontario First Nation are returning to their homes as fire crews have declared a wildfire south of Timmins to be under control. Mattagami First Nation Chief Jennifer Constant and council members say residents are retuning to the community this week after being away from their homes for almost two weeks. Community leaders issued a mandatory evacuation order on June 3 based on the advice of the Ministry of Natural Resources. Residents were allowed to go back home this week after Ontario Forest Fires classified the wildfire as “being held” before it was declared to be under control. Ontario Forest Fires says the fire known as Timmins 9 is had reached 3,151 hectares in size as of Thursday. It said the fire is located seven kilometres west...
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A conflict over cattle in Brazil’s Amazon highlights tensions for Indigenous peoples
By Gabriela Sá Pessoa FORMOSO DO ARAGUAIA, Brazil (AP) — On a vast island in northern Brazil, an unusual debate about cattle and conservation is taking place. Federal authorities last year ordered the removal of herds from protected Indigenous territory on the world’s largest river island, Bananal Island. They argued the land was reserved for Indigenous peoples and conservation, and that the herds kept there by outside ranchers were illegal and contributed to habitat degradation. To comply with the order, wranglers drove more than 100,000 cattle from the island when the rivers were low enough. But the removal has created new problems for Indigenous residents who had come to rely on money they earned leasing the land to ranchers. The events underscore the challenge of balancing conservation, Indigenous interests and...
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Five years after a Navajo elder vanished, the man who robbed her was released from prison
By Savannah Peters EDGEWOOD, N.M. (AP) — Five years to the day that Navajo elder Ella Mae Begay disappeared from her home in a remote corner of Arizona, the man who acknowledged beating her, stealing her truck and leaving her on the roadside is free from prison. Preston Tolth pleaded guilty to robbing Begay and was sentenced on May 8 to five years in prison with credit for three years already served. He was released Monday, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Begay’s relatives, who expected Tolth to remain in custody until at least 2028, said they were shocked when they heard Monday. The eldest of her three children, Gerald Begay, learned of Tolth’s release while wrapping up his workday on a construction site and reflecting on the somber...
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MPs head home for summer break after Liberals pass contentious lawful access bill
By Nick Murray and Sarah Ritchie Members of Parliament have wrapped up a spring sitting in the House of Commons that stretched over six months and saw the Liberals use their new majority powers to limit debate and push through contentious legislation. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government began the sitting in late January in a minority position. After courting five opposition members to join the Liberal benches and winning three April byelections, the government was able to take control of House committees and pass bills without the help of opposition parties. Government House leader Steven MacKinnon said Thursday the Liberals have been focused on the economy and “protecting Canadians from crime.” He defended the government’s decision to limit debate this week on its “lawful access” bill, legislation that received widespread...
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Senior aide of Alberta premier urges First Nations chiefs to fix squalid communities
By Lisa Johnson The executive director of Premier Danielle Smith’s office says that instead of criticizing her, First Nations chiefs should fix their own communities, describing them as entrenched in poverty, drugs and violence. Bruce McAllister, in a post on social media Thursday, says the chiefs should focus on their own problems rather than having “the gall” to accuse the premier of treason over Alberta’s looming separation referendum. McAllister accused the chiefs of engaging in “childish nonsense” and said their misaligned priorities make him wonder if they’re taking orders from someone else. “People are sick and tired of hearing unrealistic demands from them,” McAllister writes. “It might be tolerable if their communities were beacons of prosperity, safety, strong families and real accountability, but sadly, they’re anything but.” He said they...
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Grassy Narrows residents demand Carney apologize for comments made about protest
By Alessia Passafiume A Grassy Narrows First Nation woman who suffers from mercury poisoning is insisting that Prime Minister Mark Carney apologize for saying he could “outlast” her during a March protest. At a press conference on Parliament Hill on Thursday, Chrissy Isaacs stood with Grassy Narrows Chief Sherry Ackabee, NDP Leader Avi Lewis and a large delegation of community members carrying photos of their deceased loved ones to demand both an apology and the termination of the paper mill Isaacs said is still poisoning her people. The Dryden Paper Mill released thousands of kilograms of mercury into the community’s river system in northwestern Ontario from the 1960s to 1970s. Community members are still dealing with the fallout today. “When Mark Carney said that he can outlast me, well, I’m...
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Alberta judge concerned about parts of ruling that threw out separatist petition
By Jack Farrell A judge has reserved her decision on whether to set aside a ruling that quashed an Alberta separatist group’s referendum petition, but says she has some concerns with parts of last month’s judgment. The ruling in question found that the Stay Free Alberta petition shouldn’t have been issued under provincial law, and that Premier Danielle Smith’s government neglected its duty to consult First Nations. Alberta Court of Appeal Justice Alice Woolley, hearing arguments Thursday for a potential stay of the ruling, said aspects of her colleague’s decision make her uneasy. Woolley pointed to the other judge’s interpretation of legislative changes made last year to the petition process, which explicitly allowed the separatist group to reapply after its first application was delayed in court. Those provisions led Justice...
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Advocates attack Carney government’s elimination of ombudsperson for forced labour
By Dylan Robertson Human rights advocates say Ottawa is betraying foreigners alleging involvement by Canadian companies abroad in forced labour and environmental degradation by shutting down an office meant to probe those reports. “The government is turning its back on people who are experiencing human rights violations linked to Canadian companies,” said Aidan Gilchrist-Blackwood, head of the Canadian Network on Corporate Accountability. “There is a real absence of any mechanisms with teeth that can hold our companies up to the kind of human rights standards that are required,” he said Thursday, flanked by activists on Parliament Hill. Prime Minister Mark Carney mentioned in passing last week that Ottawa had eliminated the position of Canadian ombudsperson for responsible enterprise, or CORE, months ago. The office reviewed complaints about possible human rights...
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Chetwynd’s Moccasin Flats Métis Society to host Annual General Meeting
CHETWYND, B.C. — Growing membership and bringing the community together will be on the agenda for Chetwynd’s Métis organization at its annual general meeting. Scheduled for Sunday, June 28th, the Moccasin Flats Métis Society will hold the gathering at its offices at 102-4612 North Access Road in the District of Chetwynd. The organization is a wholly recognized charter community by the Métis Nation British Columbia (MNBC) and has existed for at least two decades, according to the society’s vice-president, Betty Deck. Deck says having a membership with the society does allow the organization to provide assistance with documentation toward future citizenship within MNBC. “We have been really busy,” said Deck. “We have held several events for our membership, Métis citizens and the community [throughout 2025 and into 2026].” “We are...
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Retinal cameras to rotate among 27 communities for crucial eye screenings
By Maya Ekman, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, NWOnewswatch.com THUNDER BAY – Twenty-seven Northern communities will now be able to screen residents for diabetic retinopathy, removing barriers that can delay both diagnosis and treatment. Keewaytinook Okimakanak (KO) eHealth held their official launch of the TeleOphthalmology program on Thursday. The program will allow for four portable screening cameras to rotate among the 27 First Nations that KO eHealth serves. “This program combines advanced retinal imaging technology, artificial intelligence-assisted screening, and virtual care pathways to support the early detection of diabetic retinopathy, a complication of diabetes,” said project lead Allison Palmer. A trained community member will administer retinal screening to patients, saving them from having to travel out of the community, lowering costs to the health-care system, and saving time for physicians. “The...
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South Dakota man whose life sentence was commuted by Noem now implicated in his niece’s death
By Mead Gruver And Jacques Billeaud Two men, including one whose life sentence was commuted by then-South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, have been charged in the death of a 14-year-old girl whose body was found in a rural area five days after she went missing in March. McKenna Wendel was reported missing March 13 and last seen alive in her hometown of Sioux Falls early on March 14. Her body was found outside Brookings, an hour’s drive north of Sioux Falls, on March 19. Wendel’s uncle, Mark Milk, 51, also of Sioux Falls, now faces five counts related to her death. Milk was almost three decades into a life term on a manslaughter conviction when Noem commuted his sentence in 2023. Wendel was raised by her grandparents, loved animals and...
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Premier points responsibility for continued mercury poisoning to Ottawa
By Maya Ekman, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, NWOnewswatch.com THUNDER BAY – The call to shut down the Dryden mill over the ongoing impact on mercury contamination downstream is “a big responsibility on the federal government,” said Premier Doug Ford . “We do more for the First Nations than the feds. Ten times more,” he said at a press conference in Thunder Bay June 15. “On reserve, the federal government should be supporting the Indigenous communities.” “Number one priority is to have clean drinking water for everyone in Ontario, but again, where are the feds? Where are they?” he said. “We’re pouring money into First Nations. I’d love to support them any way we can,” said Ford. In the 1960s and 1970s, the then-owners of the Dryden mill dumped nine to...
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Fort Frances sees first mayoral candidate
By Maya Ekman, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, NWOnewswatch.com FORT FRANCES — More than a month after nominations opened, the city received its first filing for a mayoral candidate on Wednesday. Brent Calder of Fort Frances, now retired, was a construction and project manager and a representative on the Métis Nation Council. “I’m a retired person, and I think it’s time for me to give back to Northwestern Ontario, in particular, Fort Frances, for everything that they’ve given me in the past,” he said. “And with my experience on there, I’m sure I could be a benefit to Fort Frances,” said Calder. Candidate nominations opened on May 1 and will close on Aug. 21. The municipal election in Fort Frances, and across the province, is set for Monday, Oct. 26. Maya...
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‘Everybody will benefit’: What the K’ómoks First Nation Treaty Act means for economic development in the Comox Valley
By Dave Flawse, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Discourse At the end of May, the B.C. government gave a third and final reading of the K’ómoks Treaty Act, which will now go to the federal legislature to be ratified, a moment that has been over thirty years in the making. If passed, the treaty will give K’ómoks First Nation the ability to self-govern and bring economic development to newly acquired lands in the Comox Valley. “The economic opportunities are huge,” says K’ómoks First Nation Chief Nicole Rempel in an interview with The Discourse, adding that “it’s all about working together.” What are the potential economic benefits for the First Nation and wider Comox Valley community? And how does the Nation’s economic development plan compare to other nations with treaties in...
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