Court sides with Guardians Network in $6.2-million civil suit
By Claire McFarlane, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cabin Radio A Manitoba judge has ordered a former employee of the First Nations National Guardians Network to repay more than $6.2 million to the organization, funds which it says were misappropriated. In March, the non-profit launched a civil lawsuit against Melanie Desjarlais, the organization’s former director of finance, claiming she used funds earmarked for Indigenous Guardians programs for personal transactions, including flights, tickets to hockey games and purchases on Tiktok, PayPal and Apple. The First Nations National Guardians Network, or NGN, administered funds from the federal Department of Environment and Climate Change that paid for Indigenous Guardians programs across Canada, including in the Northwest Territories’ Sahtu region. In a statement of claim filed by NGN, the organization accused Desjarlais of falsifying at...
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‘Then, now and always’: Carney says it will always be Lake Ontario after Trump order
Lake Oniatari:io, the Haudenosaunee word for Lake Ontario By Kelly Geraldine Malone Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canadians know Lake Ontario will always be known by its original name, after U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order to change it to Lake America. In a post on social media, Carney said “we know that America is changing.” “Their trading relationships, their foreign policies, their national monuments, their hydronyms,” Carney posted. “Canadians also know that naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario — then, now and always.” Tensions between the two countries have escalated since trade negotiations fell apart on Friday. Both countries have accused each other of implementing eleventh-hour changes. Carney has said the agreement became untenable. The federal government unveiled its retaliatory measures, set to go...
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Jordin Tootoo and Attima Hadlari being inducted into new Nunavut Sport and Recreation Hall of Fame
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News Rankin Inlet’s Jordin Tootoo and Attima Hadlari, who was born on the land between Taloyoak and Kugaaruk, will become the first two inductees into the Nunavut Sport and Recreation Hall of Fame on Oct. 3. A ceremony honouring the two contributors to territorial sports is being held at the Nunavut Sport and Recreation Awards Gala at the Aqsarniit Hotel in Iqaluit. “The hall of fame will provide a lasting opportunity to recognize the athletes, coaches, officials, builders, volunteers, and community leaders who have shaped Nunavut’s sporting history and strengthened recreation throughout the territory,” said Scott Schutz, operations manager at the Nunavut Sport Federation. Jordin Tootoo became the NHL’s first Inuk player in 2003, suiting up for four teams until 2017....
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First wind turbine in Nunavut expected to get installed this September
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News Nunavut’s first windmill is nearing completion. A wind turbine in Sanikiluaq, Nunavut is scheduled to get installed in September, completing a construction project that began in 2023, according to Clara Phillips, development project manager for Nunavut Nukkiksautiit Corporation. Called the Anuriqjuak Nukkiksautiit Project, wind-powered electricity could start flowing to the community 2027. “We are targeting the end the calendar year for commercial date of operation, but this depends on many factors,” Phillips said. Rock anchors for the wind turbine have already been installed, according to Phillips. The turbine is expected to replace between 50 and 70 per cent of the diesel electricity Sanikiluaq currently relies on. Sanikiluaq’s one-megawatt turbine and battery storage system were put in place with $11.3-million in...
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‘Every single child:’ Manitoba making in-person gym mandatory for high-schoolers
By Brittany Hobson The Manitoba government is making it mandatory for students in grades 11 and 12 to take in-person gym class. A pilot program is to start this fall that would see schools implement the change on a voluntary basis. About 25 schools have signed up so far. The compulsory rollout of health curriculum changes for all schools would start in the 2027-28 school year. “The message of this curriculum is that physical activity and healthy living are for everyone, for every single child,” Education Minister Tracy Schmidt said Thursday. “The curriculum helps kids find movement activities that make them happy and healthy,” she said, “whether that be sports and weightlifting, whether that be yoga or walking, or many of the other creative solutions that we know that our...
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Treaty 6 at 150: Communities reflect on promises and future
By Nicole Goldsworthy, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, SaskToday.ca, SASKTODAY.ca FORT CARLTON, Sask. — First Nations leaders, government officials, Elders and community members gathered across Treaty 6 Territory this month to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Treaty 6, reflecting on its historic significance and the continuing responsibilities tied to the agreement signed Aug. 23, 1876. Commemorative events at Fort Carlton and cultural celebrations throughout the region highlighted both the history of Treaty 6 and its ongoing relevance to First Nations and non-Indigenous communities. The Prince Albert Grand Council’s (PAGC) 2026 Gathering of Nations, being held Aug. 25-28, features traditional foods, powwow dancing, drumming, hand games, arts and crafts, cultural workshops, youth activities and musical performances. Grand Chief Brian Hardlotte said the anniversary of Treaty 6 is central to this year’s gathering....
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‘It’s an Indigenous, Iroquoian word’
Canadian, Native voices rise against Trump’s proposal to rename Lake Ontario as ‘Lake America’ by Amelia Schafer ICT Amid an escalating trade war with Canada, President Donald Trump signed a declaration Thursday to rename Lake Ontario to “Lake America.” Canadian leaders and Indigenous voices spoke out against the idea. The declaration ignores the Indigenous history crucial to the region and Lake Ontario name’s roots in the Haudenosaunee language family. “It’s sufficient to say it’s an Indigenous Iroquoian word,” Scott Stevens Manning, who is Akwesasne Mohawk and associate professor of Native American and Indigenous studies at Syracuse University, told ICT. Sources vary on exactly what sub-language of the larger Haudenosaunee family the word comes from, but agree that the word Ontario is derived from an anglicized version of a word from the Haudenosaunee language family....
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Kids Help Phone launches new service for Indigenous Mental Health
By Brock Weir, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Auroran The Kids Help Phone is aiming to “End the Silence” on the Indigenous mental health crisis in Canada. The organization kick-started the conversation on August 18 with the launch of their End the Silence Movement, the first-ever recognition day shining a light on the mental health of Indigenous boys and men, an issue that is often shrouded by silence and stigma alike. End the Silence is designed to “confront a long-standing and urgent crisis – joining the ranks of established awareness days like Bell Let’s Talk and Have a Heart Day.” “Indigenous men and boys in Canada face profound mental health challenges and remain significantly underrepresented in both research and programming,” said the Kids Help Phone. “Data from Statistics Canada underscores...
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Arctic Talent: Finding beauty in diversity
By Daron Letts, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunatsiaq News Dawny Tanuyak finds beauty in the qualities that make each human face unique. “I just really like to look at people. I like analyzing their features, seeing how different we are,” said the 16-year-old Chesterfield Inlet portrait artist. “It’s hard for me to find someone ugly.” Tanuyak creates portraits of family, friends and neighbours. She works in graphite pencils, oil paint and gouache, a water-based pigment that is more opaque than watercolours. She has sold art commissioned by the local Co-op — a portrait of Sedna in profile, with the Inuit sea goddess’ hair churning like ocean waves in her wake. Her work is beginning to attract attention beyond the hamlet as well. Researchers with the University of Manitoba tapped Tanuyak...
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Bruce County, SON hold memorable third annual joint meeting
By Pauline Kerr, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Walkerton Herald Times WALKERTON – The third annual joint meeting between the council of the County of Bruce, and the councils of the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation (Neyaashiinigmiing) and the Chippewas of Saugeen First Nation who, together, make up Saugeen Ojibway Nation (SON), took place on July 31. At the Aug. 6 county council meeting, CAO Christine MacDonald provided an update on the Saugeen Anishnaabek Reconciliation Pathway and Action Plan, including a brief description of the meeting hosted this year at Nawash, by the community of Neyaashiinigmiing. MacDonald said that in addition to providing an update on the work that’s been done on the Reconciliation Action Plan, “we also watched together the new Land Acknowledgment video and spent some time...
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Trump administration starts building border wall project in Arizona over tribe’s objections
By Mikella Schuettler PHOENIX (AP) — The Trump administration has begun work on a project to build a stretch of border wall in southern Arizona along part of a Native American tribe’s reservation, pushing ahead with one of its signature projects despite protests from the tribe. U.S. Customs and Border Protection says the area is a dangerous smuggling route and that building the wall will close a longstanding security gap. But members of the Tohono O’odham Nation, whose membership spans both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, have accused the administration of trespassing and say the construction will damage land sacred to the tribe. The wall segment is part of a $46 billion dollar effort by the Trump administration to fill the border with 30-foot (9-meter) steel bollard walls, vehicle barriers,...
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Elections BC allows petition seeking Indigenous law’s repeal to proceed
By Chuck Chiang Elections BC has granted in-principle approval for a petition to proceed seeking the repeal of British Columbia’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. The petition proponent is Harman Bhangu, transportation critic for the Opposition B.C. Conservatives, who said in a brief statement that the legislation posed a threat to private property rights and was a “disaster.” But even if the petition succeeds by getting the signatures of 10 per cent of voters in all 93 electoral districts across B.C. by Jan. 25, 2027, it is not binding. Instead, success would result in referral to the legislature to decide what to do next. The law, known as DRIPA, is designed to affirm the application of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in...
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Elections BC allows petition seeking Indigenous law’s repeal to proceed
By Chuck Chiang Elections BC has granted in-principle approval for a petition to proceed seeking the repeal of British Columbia’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. The petition proponent is Harman Bhangu, transportation critic for the Opposition B.C. Conservatives, who said the legislation posed a threat to private property rights and was a “disaster,” while Opposition Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay called the legislation “madness.” But even if the petition succeeds by getting the signatures of 10 per cent of voters in all 93 electoral districts across B.C. by Jan. 25, 2027, it is not binding. Instead, success would result in referral to the legislature to decide what to do next. The law, known as DRIPA, is designed to affirm the application of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights...
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Trump administration starts building border wall project in Arizona over tribe’s objections
By Mikella Schuettler PHOENIX (AP) — The Trump administration has begun work on a project to build a stretch of border wall in southern Arizona along part of a Native American tribe’s reservation, pushing ahead with one of its signature projects despite protests from the tribe. U.S. Customs and Border Protection says the area is a dangerous smuggling route and that building the wall will close a longstanding security gap. But members of the Tohono O’odham Nation, whose membership spans both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, have accused the administration of trespassing and say the construction will damage land sacred to the tribe. The wall segment is part of a $46 billion effort by the Trump administration to fill the border with 30-foot (9-meter) steel bollard walls, vehicle barriers, and...
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Brantford Police seek public’s help in finding missing Chyaene
BRANTFORD, ONT- The Brantford Police Service are seeking the public’s assistance in locating a 25-missing -year-old, Chyaene. Chyaene is described as: female, indigenous, approximately 5’3” in height, dark hair, brown eyes, medium build. Last observed wearing a black sweatshirt, black shorts, and white slides. Chyaene was last seen on North Park Street on August 25, 2026. The Brantford Police Service are concerned for Chyaene’s well-being and are seeking assistance from anyone who may have information which may assist in locating the missing person. Anyone with knowledge of Chyaene’s whereabouts is asked to please contact the Brantford Police Service at 519-756-0113. Individuals who wish to provide information anonymously are asked to contact Brant-Brantford Crime Stoppers at 519-750-8477 or 1-800-222-8477. Alternatively, a web tip may be submitted at: https://www.crimestoppersbb.com/submit-a-tip/...
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Bank CEOs see latest tariff dispute as manageable for Canadian economy
By Daniel Johnson Canada’s big banks say the economy is proving resilient amid renewed trade tensions, with most seeing the challenge as manageable. While executives expressed optimism that the evolving trade situation could be dealt with, they largely acknowledged the uncertain environment as a headwind to certain sectors and Canadian consumers. “While Canada and the U.S. have yet to come to a longer-term solution, we note the average effective tariff rate remains low at approximately six per cent, with over 80 per cent of exports remaining duty-free,” RBC CEO Dave McKay said during his company’s earnings call. Executives at Scotiabank also characterized the latest flare-up in tensions as “manageable” for the domestic economy. “The fundamentals in Canada are pretty good, if you look at the job growth numbers, if you...
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Nunavik police relaunch cadet program to build Inuit workforce
By Dominique Gené, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunatsiaq News Nunavik Police Service has relaunched its cadet program with the goal of increasing its Inuit staff and providing learning opportunities for young people. The eight-month program will recruit youth from ages 12 to 20 in Kuujjuaq to participate in various activities related to policing, survival skills, first-aid, and fitness training, said program co-ordinator Jessica Ashcroft in a French interview. Former police chief Jean-Pierre Larose announced in March 2025 that the program would return after its last run, launched in 2018, was abandoned. The program didn’t return last summer as anticipated, according to Ashcroft, who was hired in October, and said the delay might have been due to change in police leadership and a desire to develop a strong program. Jean-François Bernier...
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Saskatchewan says new data centres must be Canadian and supply own power
By Jeremy Simes New data centres in Saskatchewan must be Canadian-owned and are also required to supply their own electricity, the province announced Thursday. The measures are part of a new framework that Saskatchewan’s government says ensures Canadian data is protected while also keeping utility services reliable. “We felt from the very, very beginning that it was important for Canadian companies to be the proponent companies for data and AI infrastructure,” Jeremy Harrison, the province’s Crown Investments Corporation minister, told reporters. “I think a lot of the reasons have been made even more apparent over the course of the last number of weeks. In the long-term, data and AI security is going to be as important for nation states as energy security is.” Applicants proposing to build data centres must...
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New Credit Valley Trail bridge connects community
By Joshua Drakes, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Orangeville Citizen A new 40-metre pedestrian bridge spanning the Credit River is being celebrated as a major milestone in the development of the Credit Valley Trail, bringing the vision of a continuous 100-kilometre route through the Credit River Valley one step closer to reality. Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) officially opened the bridge on Aug. 20 at its Tranmer property, part of the Upper Credit Conservation Area north of the Dufferin County Road 109 bridge. The crossing connects the east and west sides of the property and is a key link between Island Lake Conservation Area in Orangeville and communities farther south in Caledon. CVC CAO Terri Hamilton welcomed guests to the bridge’s grand opening. “We’re marking a really incredible milestone along the Credit...
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New Brunswick natural gas review sparks environmental opposition
By Paige Morgan, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, River Valley Sun Conservation council rejects move, calls province’s moratorium reassessment step in wrong direction The government is launching a public review to examine whether the conditions associated with the province’s moratorium on natural gas development still reflect today’s science, technology, market and regulatory best practices. The review is part of the government’s broader work to explore all options for strengthening New Brunswick’s economy and creating new opportunities in a changing global economic and geopolitical environment. The government is pursuing opportunities in areas such as critical minerals, defence, strategic infrastructure and ports, while also examining the province’s natural resources and energy potential. “New Brunswickers and our province are facing significant economic pressures, and we have a responsibility to leave no stone unturned as...
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