Carney takes victory lap after meeting NATO target: ‘We’re just getting started’
By Kyle Duggan For the first time since the end of the Cold War, Canada is spending roughly two per cent of its GDP on national defence — a key NATO alliance benchmark Ottawa previously failed to meet. NATO’s annual report, released Thursday, contains estimates stating Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government met the key spending benchmark for 2025 by shelling out just over $63 billion. Canada has come under heavy pressure in recent years from its allies — and especially from the U.S. — to dramatically ramp up its military spending. “For the last ten months, Canada’s new government has been working with unprecedented speed and scale,” Carney told a press conference in Halifax on Thursday. “We’re just getting started.” Carney said his party ran for office “recognizing the world...
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Six Nations cannabis entrepreneur wants to see Indigenous market do more
By Sam Laskaris Writer LAS VEGAS, USA -Whenever Isaiah Kicknosway gets a chance to educate others about cannabis he jumps at the opportunity. That’s why Kicknosway, a Six Nations resident, travelled to Las Vegas this week to participate in the Resolution Economic Summit. The four-day event, which concludes on Thursday, is the largest Native American economic development summit in North America. It is held annually in Las Vegas. This year’s event attracted more than 5,000 delegates from across the United States and Canada. Kicknosway was one of the speakers of a Wednesday session titled Growing an International Cannabis Brand. He is the vice-president of Kemosabi, a local cannabis company and licensed cultivation and manufacturing operator under the Six Nations Cannabis Commission. Kicknosway has been Kemosabi’s vice-president since the company’s inception...
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Siksika Off-Reserve Affordable Housing to take part in Calgary housing project
By John Watson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Strathmore Times Siksika Off-Reserve Affordable Housing (SORAH) is among several First Nations organizations set to benefit from the City of Calgary’s Indigenous Housing Program. The city has awarded $33 million to 16 Indigenous nations and Indigenous-led non-profit organizations, which, overall will create up to 379 new non-market homes. “SORAH, through a process called the non-market land sale, will be developing a parcel in the southeast area of Calgary right beside the Erin Woods twin arena. That will see the development of 30 stacked townhomes,” said Max Lloyd, general manager of SORAH. “It will be 60 total, so 30 upper, and 30 lower (units) and a small welcome centre on the property as well.” The total $33 million dedicated to the program is being...
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Indigenous services minister to announce $738M for health, emergency management
By Alessia Passafiume Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty is expected to announce today a $738.9-million funding package for First Nations health care, governance and emergency management. A draft news release shared with The Canadian Press says Gull-Masty is earmarking $55.6 million to build up community preparedness and emergency management co-ordination, which is not directly related to fire management but could help with operations such as wildfire support. The news comes as her department is under increased pressure from First Nations leaders in northern Ontario who say her department is underfunding on-reserve fire services, resulting in unnecessary deaths. On Monday, a house fire in a northwestern Ontario community took the life of Chief Donny Morris’s three-year-old grandson and left two others with serious injuries. The Independent First Nations Alliance, a group...
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First Nations Child and Family Services Settlement Agreement hits first year
By Lucas-Matthew Marsh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Iori:wase The First Nations Child and Family Services Settlement Agreement has reached its one-year anniversary, with claims accepted from across the country. Louise Mayo, First Nations Child and Family Services liaison officer in Kahnawake, has spent the past year informing residents about the settlement. As an independent contractor, she visits the community to ensure that eligible individuals know they can apply. “Our goal is to try to get as much as 100 percent coverage as possible so that by the year 2028, everyone in the community is aware of this settlement agreement and has the choice to apply or not,” Mayo said. Two claim categories are currently open. The first is for individuals who were children removed from their homes by an organization...
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The crisis of youth aging out of care is why Canada needs a children and youth commissioner
By Jacquie Gahagan, Dale Kirby, Mary Rita Holland, and Melanie M. Doucet Youth in Canada’s child welfare system need stronger government leadership to improve educational outcomes. Fewer than half of youth who have spent time in foster care — known as care-experienced youth — complete high school and even fewer attend or complete post-secondary education. These educational gaps can have lasting consequences for the life chances of care-experienced youth, including higher rates of unemployment, poverty, homelessness, criminalization and other longstanding disparities. Education falls under the provincial and territorial jurisdiction. However, the absence of strong federal oversight — including the lack of a co-ordinated national data collection and reporting process — contributes to the current patchwork of data that exists. As a result, we lack a clear understanding of which publicly...
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Procurement ombud slams Indigenous procurement strategy outcomes in ‘shocking’ report
By Alessia Passafiume Indigenous Services Canada and other departments are failing to uphold their own Indigenous procurement strategy and may be allowing contractors to use shell companies to access contracts reserved for Indigenous businesses, says the federal procurement ombudsman. In a scathing new report released Thursday, Alexander Jeglic says Indigenous Services Canada failed to provide timely answers to procurement officers’ questions in some cases and allowed some contracts to go out to companies not listed in the Indigenous Business Directory. The report also cites a lack of oversight on contracts to ensure 33 per cent of the value of the work is done by an Indigenous contractor. “Non-Indigenous businesses may use Indigenous businesses as shell companies — entities that meet the minimum ownership requirement on paper but do not actually...
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ROPE Squad Locates Federal Offender
Kingston, ON – The Repeat Offender Parole Enforcement (R.O.P.E.) Squad would like to advise the public that a Federal Offender who went unlawfully at large on March 2, 2026, has been apprehended in Kingston, ON. Wesley Hall was located and arrested by the ROPE Squad with the assistance of the Kingston Police Service. Hall is serving a 2-year sentence for; Possession of Weapons for Dangerous Purpose Utter Threats to Cause Death Theft Under $5000 (x3) Public Mischief Fail to Comply with Order – At Large (X2) The Provincial R.O.P.E. Squad would like to thank the public and the media for their assistance in this investigation. ...
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Ottawa’s response to crisis won’t save Atlantic salmon, warn FirstNations
By John Chilibeck, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Daily Gleaner An Indigenous people whose history and culture are woven with wild Atlantic salmon is criticizing Ottawa for doing more to save Pacific salmon than their own east coast variety. The North Shore Mi’kmaq Tribal Council has slammed the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans, or DFO, for recently announcing only $1.2 million for four projects to help recover wild Atlantic salmon. By comparison, the feds dedicated $647 million over five years to the Pacific salmon strategy initiative in 2021. The Mi’kmaq group, along with other conservation partners, presented a robust recovery plan to the federal fisheries minister in April of last year that called for $38 million in spending over five years. “Atlantic salmon in the Miramichi watershed are in...
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Nunavut Inuit association establishes chair of Circumpolar Council in Canada
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI) is spending $100,000 to establish the role of chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Council in Canada, the organization announced on March 25. The position will be held by an Inuk from Canada and chosen following NTI’s general assembly in Iqaluit in July. “Hosting the Office of the Chair in Canada presents a significant leadership opportunity for Canadian Inuit during a period of major global and Arctic policy shifts,” said NTI acting vice-president Adamee Itorcheak. The decision was made following a board of directors meeting in Nuuk, Greenland. The board also approved an increase to the harvesters’ support program and passed an expansion of pension benefits. The budget for the Nunavut Harvesters Support Program is increasing by...
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Local Métis organization to host Indigenous awareness event
By Ed Hitchins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Energeticcity.ca FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — A local organization dedicated to the Métis community will host an upcoming event focused on cultural awareness of Indigenous peoples. Hosted by the Peace Region Métis Community Association (PRMCA), an Indigenous awareness session will take place on Tuesday, May 5th in Fort St. John. The PRMCA was founded in 2023, and organizes several Métis events throughout the year, including the Métis Family Jamboree. According to Jocelyn Eisert, the PRMCA’s volunteer director, the session is designed to educate not only the Indigenous, but newcomers to Canada as well. “We designed a program for people moving to Canada to just be aware of the foundations of how the country came to light 155 years ago,” Eisert told Energeticcity.ca. “From...
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First Nations call for audit of Human Rights Commission following death of 3-year-old
By Alessia Passafiume A First Nations group is calling on the federal auditor general to investigate the Canadian Human Rights Commission, arguing its delay in hearing a case about funding for on-reserve fire services is resulting in unnecessary death. On Monday, a house fire in a northwestern Ontario community took the life of Chief Donny Morris’s three-year-old grandson and left two others with serious injuries. The federal minister responsible for funding on-reserve fire services is expected to address those chiefs during a public Nishnawbe Aski Nation meeting in Toronto on Thursday. The Independent First Nations Alliance, a group of five First Nations that includes Morris’s own community of Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug, filed a Canadian Human Rights Commission complaint in August 2025 alleging Indigenous Services Canada was systemically discriminating against their communities...
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Alberta town passes bylaw to ban decorative flags, crosswalks from government land
By Aaron Sousa Councillors in an Alberta town have become the latest community in the province to ban decorative flags and crosswalks from public land, a move that effectively forbids symbolic artistic statements, such as rainbow-hued Pride crosswalks. It’s a decision opponents say is a step toward erasing the voices of marginalized communities. On Tuesday, Didsbury councillors passed the “public spaces neutrality bylaw.” It restricts the town north of Calgary to only flying government flags and maintaining standardized road and crosswalk markings. Didsbury, a town of 5,200, does not currently have special flags or crosswalks, such as those recognizing the LGBTQ+ community, First Nations or veterans. The bylaw, introduced March 10, was the result of feedback gathered from residents during the election campaign. The decision was close. Mayor Chris Little...
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New leaders excited to chart path for MMF Portage Local
By Renee Lilley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Portage Graphic Leader The Portage Local of the Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF) has elected a new leadership team, marking the first time the local has implemented a strictly modernized verification process for its grassroots governance. During the election held March 23 at the Herman Prior Activity Centre, 122 citizens cast ballots under new security protocols. For the first time at the local level, citizens were required to present valid MMF citizenship cards, which were scanned into a digital system upon entry and verified again before a ballot was issued for contested positions. Kim Chipman, a 20-year veteran of the local and a retired 40-year provincial government employee, was elected as the new chairperson after defeating candidate Dean Calder in a contested vote. “I...
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Gun control group criticizes Ottawa over ‘poor participation’ in firearm buyback
The Liberal government says it is carrying out a broad review of Canada’s firearms classification regime that will include consultations with Indigenous communities on the SKS rifle . By Jim Bronskill Gun control advocacy group PolySeSouvient blames “weak political leadership” for what it calls “poor participation” in a federal compensation program for banned firearms. Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said Tuesday that gun owners had reported more than 52,000 firearms to the government with one week left to go in the program to provide compensation for banned guns. That figure is well short of the 136,000 firearms for which the Liberal government set aside compensation money when the buyback for individual owners opened in January. In a media statement issued Wednesday, PolySeSouvient said weak messaging about the program has failed...
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Enbridge’s plan to fund policing costs of pipeline reroute in U.S. raises concerns
By Jordan Omstead Enbridge has agreed to funnel money to U.S. law enforcement in anticipation of protests against its Line 5 pipeline reroute project, a move that has raised concerns about the depth of the company’s influence in policing issues. The Calgary-based company says it volunteered the public safety fund to help governments in Wisconsin cover the extra costs related to the rerouting of the pipeline opposed by Indigenous communities. The proposed deal has alarmed some local residents and observers in Canada who say it smacks of a conflict of interest and fear it could incentivize police to act as the company’s hired security. “It’s hard to think that there’s not some kind of transactional benefit to paying the bills,” said Jeffrey Monaghan, a Carleton University sociologist who’s written extensively...
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Small population, big infrastructure needs: Northern Canada facing power struggles
By Ashley Joannou Representatives from all three Canadian territories say the need to improve their aging electricity grids has reached a critical level requiring billions of dollars from the federal government to update, and in some cases, keep the lights on. Yukon’s energy minister says the need is “no longer theoretical” after a frigid week in December nearly required rolling blackouts in Whitehorse. Temperatures nearing -50 C saw demand hit 90 per cent of what could be generated, at a time outside of peak hours, Ted Laking said. Industrial consumers like mines were already disconnected and officials with the city and the territory were trying to decide what could go next. In the end, the blackouts weren’t required, but Laking said the experience was a sign of problems on the...
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N.S. legislature closed to the public after singing protesters delay budget vote
By Lyndsay Armstrong The Nova Scotia legislature has been closed to the public after singing protesters disrupted a budget vote Tuesday night. Saf Haq says she and about 40 others broke into song before midnight Tuesday when the legislature moved to vote on a budget-related bill that would result in a series of cuts to government programs, delaying the vote. Instead, it was voted on Wednesday afternoon, without members of the public in the gallery. The Progressive Conservatives used their dominant majority to pass the appropriations act, which authorizes government spending included in the new budget. Haq said she protested Tuesday because the cuts approved in this budget will hurt vulnerable Nova Scotians and the province’s vibrant arts and culture scene. “I’m concerned for the future of Nova Scotia …...
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Portage la Prairie plans combined city-school 2026 vote
By Renee Lilley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Portage Graphic Leader The City of Portage la Prairie will once again “combine forces” with the local school division to conduct their upcoming 2026 elections, a move officials say will streamline the voting process and potentially cut costs for taxpayers. City council approved a resolution Monday to hold the municipal and school board elections jointly. Under the agreement, the two entities will split the estimated $32,000 in election expenses 50/50, with each contributing approximately $16,000. Joe Masi, the city’s finance chair, noted the collaboration has been a long-standing practice in Portage la Prairie. “People vote for the city and the school board at the same time,” Masi said. “It’s a great potential to save costs for both of us because we’re each paying...
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First Nations call for audit of Human Rights Commission following death of 3 year old
By Alessia Passafiume A First Nations group is calling on the federal auditor general to investigate the Canadian Human Rights Commission, arguing its delay in hearing a case about funding for on-reserve fire services is resulting in unnecessary deaths. On Monday, a house fire in a northwestern Ontario community took the life of Chief Donny Morris’ three-year-old grandson and left two others with serious injuries. The Independent First Nations Alliance, a group of five First Nations which includes Morris’ own community, filed a Canadian Human Rights Commission complaint in August 2025, alleging Indigenous Services Canada was systemically discriminating against their communities by underfunding on-reserve fire services. The First Nations say that case has been languishing ever since and they have not received communications from the commission since October. The Canadian...
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