Presidents rarely visit Indian Country. Trump’s planned Choctaw Nation rally will be the latest
By Savannah Peters ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — President Donald Trump is holding a campaign rally on the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma on Thursday, putting him in the company of just a handful of U.S. presidents who have visited tribal nations while in office. The rally is part of Trump’s recent campaign push through deep red states, where he has been stumping for Republican candidates and promoting his agenda ahead of November’s midterm elections. The Choctaw Nation is renting its venue for the rally but not sponsoring the event, it said. “We hope his visit provides an opportunity to learn more about what we do as a sovereign nation for our members and for all people in southeast Oklahoma,” Choctaw Nation Principal Chief Gary Batton said in a statement. It’s not...
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Fact File: Masked agitators at First Nation in B.C. not a false flag action
By Timon Johnson Claims have spread online this week that a white nationalist group’s demonstration at a First Nation in British Columbia, which has been denounced by authorities as “disgusting” and “cowardly,” was in fact a false flag operation. The claims say the action was the work of government agents with purported goals ranging from stifling free speech to influencing the upcoming provincial election. But a number of elements, including statements by prominent members of the organization, point to the action being carried out by white nationalists. THE CLAIM On Sunday, a group of masked individuals dropped a banner from an overpass in Kamloops, B.C., with a message mocking reports of unmarked graves at the nearby site of the former residential school on Tkemlups te Secwepemc First Nation. As photos...
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Two First Nations elders killed in B.C. mall crash, Prime Minister Carney says
By Darryl Greer Prime Minister Mark Carney says the Tsawwassen First Nation in Delta, B.C., has lost two beloved elders in a crash at a shopping centre, which police have said appears to have been set off by a medical emergency. Carney said it was “devastating” to lose the members in an accident on a day already so heavy with grief. “My thoughts are with the loved ones of those who died, those who were injured, and the entire community who are in grief and shock,” he said on social media. The crash, which also injured two others, happened Wednesday at the Tsawwassen Mills shopping centre on the reserve, about 30 kilometres south of Vancouver. Police in Delta, B.C., say two people have been killed in a crash at the...
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Two elders of First Nation killed in Delta, B.C., mall crash, two more hurt
By Darryl Greer First Nations members sang and drummed near the bodies of two elders who were killed outside a shopping centre south of Vancouver on Wednesday. The lament was heard from behind large white sheets that officers held up to give them privacy. The Tsawwassen First Nation said the crash occurred during its walk to mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Two others were also hurt in what police said was believed to have been set off by a medical emergency involving the driver of a pickup outside the Tsawwassen Mills shopping centre. Later, community members, many of them dressed in orange, linked arms or held their hands to the sky as the bodies were loaded into a coroner’s vehicle. Prime Minister Mark Carney said on social...
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Quebec parties make final pitches with election days away
Quebec’s political parties are making their final pitches to voters with just days to go before the provincial election. Indigenous issues, immigration and Quebec’s relationship with the monarchy were among the topics on the campaign trail Wednesday. Several parties made commitments aimed at improving relations with First Nations and Inuit as Canada marked the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon also defended his proposal to abolish the office of lieutenant-governor. His political rivals also weighed in on the proposal. Quebecers go to the polls on Oct. 5. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 1, 2026....
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Police seek answers in crash that killed 2 elders, hurt 2 others on B.C. First Nation
Community members on the Tsawwassen First Nation lined the road, drummed and chanted as the bodies of two elders were loaded into coroners’ vehicles outside a shopping centre near the nation’s reserve south of Vancouver. They were killed and two others were injured by a vehicle outside the Tsawwassen Mills shopping centre Wednesday while taking part in a walk to mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Police in Delta, B.C., said it’s believed the driver of a pickup had a medical emergency near one of the mall’s entrances and drove into a group. Prime Minister Mark Carney expressed his condolences on social media to those who lost loved ones or who were injured, saying the accident happened on a day already heavy with grief. The Provincial Health Services...
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2 killed, 2 hurt in crash involving medical emergency at B.C. mall
Two people were killed in a crash at the Tsawwassen Mills mall in Delta, B.C., on Wednesday, while two other pedestrians were injured. Police said early information indicates the driver of the vehicle may have experienced a medical emergency before the collision. They said the injured were treated at the scene by ambulance teams and transported to hospital. There was no ongoing public safety risk, and police said the crash was not related to a community walk to mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation that was taking place nearby. The incident prompted Tsawwassen First Nation to end the event. “Tsawwassen First Nation is deeply saddened to confirm that an incident occurred during today’s Truth and Reconciliation Walk,” it said in a statement. “We ask members of the public...
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‘We are better than that’: Canadians mark National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
By Alessia Passafiume Indigenous leaders struck a resolute tone Wednesday as the country marked the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation following reports of a white supremacist demonstration in a First Nations community in the B.C. interior. “Survivors have fought for decades to defend their truths and confront the distortion of history, while our legal system still fails to recognize denialism for what it is — hatred disguised as free speech,” Stephanie Scott, executive director of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, told a gathering on Parliament Hill. “All of you hold the power to honour survivors and demand accountability, not only from our leaders but from one another. Truth and reconciliation is an ongoing responsibility, a human rights obligation and a sacred commitment.” Roseanne Casimir, chief of Tk̓emlúps...
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Human rights panel condemns Canada’s inaction regarding Indigenous people
By Pierre Saint-Arnaud Canada is failing to meet international legal obligations by refusing to hold thorough investigations into the crimes committed in its residential school system, says a global human rights organization. The Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal issued its final report Wednesday, saying that the residential schools posed “widespread, systematic and most serious human rights violations.” Released to coincide with the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the 78-page report urged the Canada to investigate, prosecute and punish the perpetrators of these violations, and to provide reparations. The tribunal accused the country of doing “very little” to prevent the continuation of discrimination against Indigenous Peoples. The judgment also condemned Canada for showing “deliberate … contempt” before the international community. It said the country refused to sign certain international conventions and modify...
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Native-plant project wins B.C. award
By Nicholas L.M. Allen, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Crowsnest Pass Herald A native-plant restoration program at coal mines west of Crowsnest Pass has received provincial recognition for its approach to reclaiming disturbed land. Elk Valley Resources and Nupqu Resource Limited Partnership received the Steelmaking Coal Mine Reclamation Award during the 49th annual B.C. Mine Reclamation Symposium in Fort St. John on Sept. 23. The award recognized a partnership that uses plants grown from wild seed collected throughout the Elk Valley to restore areas affected by mining. Nupqu collects the seed and maintains a growing seedbank supporting EVR’s reclamation work. Plant species are selected to match the conditions at individual reclamation sites, with the goal of returning native vegetation and supporting biodiversity. More than 60 different plant species are collected each...
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Mattagami First Nation chief receives leadership award
By Marissa Lentz-McGrath, Local Journalism Initiative, TimminsToday.com MATTAGAMI FIRST NATION — For Jennifer Constant, leadership is less about holding a title and more about showing up for the people who have entrusted her to represent them. That work was recently recognized when the Mattagami First Nation chief received the Emile Nakogee Award for Outstanding Leadership during the 44th annual Nishnawbe Aski Nation Keewaywin Conference. The award recognizes Constant’s leadership and service to her community, something she said she accepts with both gratitude and humility. “Nishnawbe Aski Nation is a vast territory,” Constant told TimminsToday. “Just knowing that and the number of people who likely get nominated, it’s really an honour.” The award is named after the late Emile Nakogee, an influential Elder and leader who advocated for the interests and...
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Treaty 6 Confederacy Stands With Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc Against Hate
By Chevi Rabbit, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Alberta Native News The Confederacy of Treaty No. 6 First Nations is standing with Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc, residential school Survivors and Indigenous families following what it describes as racist and hateful actions near the former Kamloops Indian Residential School this weekend. In a statement issued September 28, the Confederacy condemned the gathering and the subsequent display of a banner that mocked the search for children who never returned home from the residential school. “There is no justification for targeting Survivors, families and Indigenous peoples with white supremacist hatred and the mockery of children who never returned home,” the Confederacy stated. The organization said the decision to gather near the former residential school and later display the banner was deliberate and deeply disturbing, particularly...
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Ontario ministers defend secret payout to Elon Musk’s SpaceX over nixed Starlink deal
By Liam Casey Ontario ministers defended keeping secret the province’s payout to Elon Musk’s SpaceX over a cancelled Starlink contract, as critics accused the government of obfuscation during the recent release of its latest financial statements. Several of Premier Doug Ford’s cabinet members said the government had the public’s backing to kill the $100-million satellite broadband internet deal last year, and revealing the kill fee would give away the province’s competitive advantage. In late 2024, then-infrastructure minister Kinga Surma announced the deal with SpaceX to deliver Starlink internet to 15,000 customers, largely in remote First Nations and rural Ontario. The deal, hailed by Ford and Musk himself, was set to go live in June 2025. But not long after the announcement, Donald Trump won the U.S. presidency and soon started...
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Treaty 6 at 150: A Living Relationship Beyond the Written Words
By Chevi Rabbit, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Alberta Native News For four days in August, Fort Carlton Provincial Historic Park became a place of ceremony, culture, dialogue and gathering as Treaty 6 Nations and their citizens marked 150 years since the historic agreement was first made. Held August 20 to 23, 2026, the Treaty 6 150th Commemoration brought together First Nations leaders, Elders, youth, families, governments and visitors on the same land where Treaty 6 was first signed on August 23, 1876. The organizers described it not simply as an anniversary, but as an opportunity to honour the Spirit and Intent of Treaty and consider its continuing responsibilities. For Dr. Kathy Walker, Treaty Commissioner of Saskatchewan, the gathering represented the affirmation and strengthening of the Treaty relationship. “It was so...
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UPDATE NewsAlert: Delta, B.C., police say two of four people hurt in crash on Tsawwassen First Nation have died
DELTA B.C.-Police in Delta, B.C., say two of the four pedestrians have been struck by a vehicle in what appears to have been a medical incident have died. They say it happened on Tsawwassen First Nation land, where the incident has prompted the nation to end its event marking the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The nation says people are asked to stay away from the area. ..MORE TO COME More coming....
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Carney reflects on ‘dark chapter’ at Truth and Reconciliation ceremony in Edmonton
By Daniela Germano Prime Minister Mark Carney says it’s important to reflect on a “dark chapter” in Canada’s history and honour the children who survived residential schools and those who never made it home. He made the comment Wednesday on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation at a ceremony featuring drumming and traditional dancers at Fort Edmonton Park. In a speech, Carney acknowledged the dignitaries gathered but focused his attention on the children. “Today is about all the truth,” Carney said. “And it’s for the children. Those children. Those survivors. Those who didn’t survive.” “Today’s ceremony calls on us to hear your stories and to reflect on a dark chapter in Canada’s past and to commit to move forward together.” Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre was also at the...
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Kinew sits with First Nations leaders to honour children at school burial site
By Brittany Hobson Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew took part in a ceremony with Indigenous groups this morning at a campground located on a burial site for children who died at a residential school. Kinew sat with First Nations leaders and elders in a teepee erected at the Turtle Crossing Campground, south of the former Brandon Indian Residential School in western Manitoba. The ceremony comes on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, and the day after the provincial government announced it partnered with the City of Brandon to purchase the private campground. The Sioux Valley Dakota Nation says more than 50 children are buried at the site. A person walks past a cemetery before a ceremony to hand over campground land to Sioux Valley Dakota Nation in Brandon, Manitoba, on...
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Kent Monkman debuts beaver sculpture in Toronto’s ambitious new waterfront park
By Alex Nino Gheciu Kent Monkman’s first-ever public art installation is dam good. The celebrated Cree artist’s new permanent sculpture, dubbed “The Colony,” debuts Wednesday in Toronto’s east end. The 15-foot-high bronze structure features beavers dancing, feasting and celebrating, evoking Indigenous ceremonies. It highlights the vital role of beavers in the natural, Indigenous and colonial histories of Turtle Island, says a release. The public artwork is located in Toronto’s Biidsaasige Park along the Lassonde Art Trail, an ambitious open-air museum. Monkman says its site, where the Don River meets Lake Ontario, is especially meaningful, as it’s been an important waterway for several First Nations for thousands of years. “I can’t think of a better place for these beavers, inspired by the fanciful beavers of Veremondo Rossi’s 18th-century engraving, to gather...
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Behind the Bricks: Rick Hill on the History and Legacy of the Mohawk Institute
By Maisha Hasan, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Burlington Local-News.ca As part of the Burlington Public Library’s Culture Days events, author Rick W. Hill Sr. will be speaking about the collection of essays in Behind the Bricks, an exploration of the history of the Mohawk Institute, a former residential school in Brantford and the longest-running residential school in Canada. Hill, a historian and museum curator, co-edited the collection alongside Alison Norman, Thomas Peace, and Jennifer Pettit. Hill, a member of the Beaver Clan of the Tuscarora Nation of the Haudenosaunee at Grand River, has a personal connection to that history: his great-grandfather attended the Mohawk Institute in the 1870s, and one of his aunts later attended the school. Ahead of his appearance in Burlington on Sept. 30, 2026, Hill spoke with...
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In unusual move, province opens court facility to serve First Nation
By John Chilibeck, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Daily Gleaner A First Nation in northwestern New Brunswick is celebrating the creation of a new court facility to serve its Indigenous members, eliminating a barrier to justice, says the community’s chief. In an unusual move, the Holt Liberal government agreed to set up the court facility for members of Neqotkuk, or Tobique First Nation, in the nearby settlement of Carlingford, only about a 14-minute drive away. Neqotkuk’s chief and council, elders and other community members joined with Chief Judge Brian McLean of the provincial court, former lieutenant-governor Graydon Nicholas (who is from Neqotkuk) and Social Development Minister Cindy Miles to officially open the new court facility this past Thursday. “This has been a long-time coming,” Chief Ross Perley said in a...
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