Yukon First Nations investigate orange rivers and wildlife impacts
By Patrick Quinn, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Windspeaker.com Facing devastating climate-fuelled impacts to their rivers and wildlife, Yukon First Nations are increasingly mobilizing to intensify monitoring research. The territory’s water chemistry has been changing over the last 20 years, with drastic shifts in the past few years that have been causing greater alarm. Growing evidence indicates that thawing permafrost is turning rivers and streams to a milky or bright orange colour with an acidic slime that appears to significantly alter the aquatic habitat. “Streams we were monitoring north of Dawson City totally turned on us as we were sampling them,” said Elliott Skierszkan, lead author of a recently published study on the phenomenon. “It’s been a rapid unwinding in the last two or three years that local people have also...
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N.S. authorities investigating after report of fentanyl in cannabis
By Eli Ridder Nova Scotia officials say they are investigating after a report that fentanyl was detected in cannabis on a First Nation community. Membertou First Nation’s health centre says it has issued a drug alert after receiving a report from a community member. The Nova Scotia government said late Saturday its health department and Cape Breton Regional Police have launched an investigation into the alert. The province, in its statement, notes that cannabis can only be purchased legally through Nova Scotia Liquor Corp. outlets. However, the health centre did not say where the cannabis was purchased in its notice posted Saturday afternoon. It did not respond to a request for comment Sunday. The probe comes amid heightened tensions between Nova Scotia’s Progressive Conservative government and Mi’kmaq communities over the...
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Community mourns Joan Phillip, Amshen, who fought for justice and ‘loved very hard’
By Aaron Hemens, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, IndigiNews Fearless. Fierce. Wise. Courageous. Cherished. Those were just a few of the words that colleagues and loved ones used to describe the late Joan Phillip, Amshen, at her funeral service in snpink’tn (Penticton, B.C.) on Wednesday. Before Amshen was laid to rest in the community cemetery in syilx Okanagan homelands, leaders, dignitaries, and people from near and far packed the Outma Sqilx’W Cultural School’s gym — with hundreds more watching a livestream online — to remember the beloved leader. “It was one of the dreams and hopes of our people for years to have our own school in our community to teach our children. Joan helped get this here,” said caxasket Joseph Pierre of the Penticton Indian Band (PIB), who moderated the...
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Resurrecting the Port of Churchill
By Carol Baldwin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Wakaw Recorder A ship left the Port of Churchill this week loaded with about 30,000 tonnes of Canadian wheat, the northern Manitoba town’s first grain shipment in over half a decade. In what government officials say is a significant milestone that was years in the making, this week’s grain shipment bound for Antwerp, Belgium, is one of three leaving the port this season in partnership with Saskatchewan-based pulse producer AGT Foods. Two more ships are being readied to leave the port: one with durum wheat bound for Italy, and another with zinc. The port is also loading a northern resupply vessel bound for Nunavut, says the Arctic Gateway Group. Arctic Gateway Group is owned by a partnership of 41 Indigenous and Bayside communities,...
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Innu Nation grand chief calls for Indigenous police force after violent N.L. arrest
The grand chief of the Innu Nation says the violent arrest of an Indigenous man in Labrador caught on camera highlights the need for a First Nation-led police force in the region. Jodie Ashini said a video posted on social media on Wednesday of three RCMP officers arresting the man in the Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation, a community of 1,300 about 30 kilometres north of Happy Valley-Goose Bay, was difficult to watch. It appears to show one officer repeatedly punching the man in the head before triggering a stun gun several times. She said the video shows officers using excessive force. “He had three people on him,” Ashini said in an interview Thursday. “He was getting punched repeatedly.” The video, which has been shared online thousands of times, appears to...
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Construction begins on major B.C. transmission line aimed at powering northwest
By Lauren Krugel Construction is underway on a major electricity transmission project in northern British Columbia that the federal and provincial governments say will inject billions into the provincial economy, drive new industrial development and assert Canada’s sovereignty in the face of U.S. threats. The North Coast Transmission Line expansion will link Prince George to Terrace near the North Coast, and is expected to more than double electricity supply to that region. The transmission line, which was referred to the federal major projects office in November 2025 for possible fast-tracking, is expected to power big initiatives in the works such as the Ksi Lisims liquefied natural gas facility and mines in B.C.’s Golden Triangle near the Alaskan border. “This has gone from a concept to shovels in the ground in...
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Eby says NDP won’t be courting B.C. Conservative defectors
By Ashley Joannou British Columbia New Democrats won’t court B.C. Conservative defectors, after nine legislators left the official Opposition caucus in the past three weeks, Premier David Eby said. Eby told an unrelated news conference Thursday that there was a “fairly significant gap” between the positions of his party and the defectors from Conservative Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay’s caucus. He said these ranged from Canada’s relationship with the United States and the Trump administration to positions on First Nations and the importance of the Human Rights Act. In July, Independent MLA Amelia Boultbee joined the NDP more than eight months after she left the Conservative caucus, but Eby said her values aligned with the NDP and the party got to know her over time. Findlay’s caucus numbers have been in freefall...
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Jann Arden to appear at pro-Canada concert ahead of Alberta separation vote
Jann Arden is set to join a cohort of Alberta performers for a free concert promoting national unity ahead of the province’s fall referendum on quitting Canada. The Forever Canadian campaign says its “Calgary Concert for Unity” is to be held Sept. 20 at The Confluence Historic Site, also known as Fort Calgary. Folk musicians Celeigh Cardinal, Reuben Bullock and John Wort Hannam, and jazz singer Caity Gyorgy are also set to perform. A campaign news release says Alberta’s place is within Confederation and encourages people to gather as “loud and proud Canadians.” The referendum on Oct. 19 is to ask Albertans, among other things, whether they wish to remain part of Canada or hold a second, binding vote on separating. Those in favour of separation say Alberta doesn’t need...
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Climate groups launch ad blitz, warn of threat to whales from major projects push
By Nick Murray Some of Canada’s leading environmental groups are pushing the federal government to change aspects of proposed legislation to speed up development of major projects before it’s tabled this fall. Environmental Defence has launched an ad campaign to draw attention to the potential fate of the Southern Resident Orcas. The group says the whales are at risk if Ottawa moves ahead with a bill changing how major projects are reviewed. The group says it’s concerned about Ottawa’s plan to establish “economic zones” for transportation corridors, telecommunications networks, and energy production and transmission. Those zones would allow the federal cabinet to decide which activities would be allowed in them, and give ministers the power to pre-approve projects. “We’ve heard from MPs that changes are being considered from what was...
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Province seeks public input on creation of data centre policy
By Paige Morgan, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, River Valley Sun The government is seeking public feedback from New Brunswickers on a developed policy framework to guide the responsible development of data centres in the province. The framework is meant to protect electricity ratepayers; support the responsible use of energy, water, land and other resources; generate measurable economic and community benefits; promote environmental sustainability; and support national data sovereignty and artificial intelligence objectives. “This policy will guide the responsible development of any proposed data centre in New Brunswick and support national efforts to build the foundations of sovereign Canadian artificial intelligence,” said Post-Secondary Education and Training Minister Jean-Claude D’Amours. The five focus areas: Protecting ratepayers: Any new data centre project must pay for the costs it creates and cannot lead to...
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Violent Labrador arrest caught on video, referred to police watchdog
Newfoundland and Labrador’s police watchdog is conducting a review after a violent RCMP arrest in a Labrador Indigenous community was caught on camera. A video of the incident in Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation has been shared on Facebook. The footage appears to show three RCMP officers in the process of arresting a man inside a home. When the man appears to pull his hand back from police, one of the officers punches him in the face. The video also appears to show the man being thrown against a wall, punched again, taken to the ground, and punched several more times before an officer appears to hit him multiple times with a stun gun. The RCMP said in a statement it has met with community leaders and have referred the matter...
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Climate groups launch ad blitz, warn of threat to whales from major projects push
By Nick Murray Some of Canada’s leading environmental groups are pushing the federal government to change aspects of proposed legislation to speed up development of major projects before it’s tabled this fall. Environmental Defence has launched an ad campaign to draw attention to the potential fate of the Southern Resident Orcas. The group says the whales are at risk if Ottawa moves ahead with a bill changing how major projects are reviewed. The group says it’s concerned about Ottawa’s plan to establish “economic zones” for transportation corridors, telecommunications networks, and energy production and transmission. Those zones would allow the federal cabinet to decide which activities would be allowed in them, and give ministers the power to pre-approve projects. “We’ve heard from MPs that changes are being considered from what was...
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Élections Québec says it’s too late to print voter documents in English
By Erika Morris Élections Québec says it is too late to make changes to the unilingual French documents it is mailing to voters ahead of the Oct. 5 election despite facing backlash from the anglophone community. The provincial elections authority was reacting to comments made by Coalition Avenir Québec Leader Christine Fréchette, who said she is in discussions with Élections Québec to determine the next steps. “We will see what our obligations are,” Fréchette said. The unilingual documents have prompted an outcry from advocacy groups representing anglophones in Quebec, who say they are creating an unnecessary barrier for voters. Élections Québec said on Tuesday it could not print the documents in both French and English, as it has done in the past, to comply with language legislation that makes French...
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Schools back, but Blood Tribe buses aren’t
By Alexandra Noad, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Lethbridge Herald While back to school should be an exciting time for both parents and kids, many parents on the Blood Reserve are still experiencing busing issues, which have been persistent since March. The Blood Reserve Bus Co-op was for decades the organization behind getting kids from the Blood Reserve to their various schools on time, whether it be on or off the reserve. In March, the Student Transportation Services Delegation Agreement was terminated by the Blood Tribe without warning to the bus co-op or to parents. Kainai Board of Education has since taken over busing for the 2026-2027 school year, and in a news release dated Aug. 24 promised a smooth transition and that parents would receive updates from the transportation co-ordinator...
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Treaty 8 criticizes province for removing reference to Indigenous Peoples from Alberta Day statement
By Jeremy Appel, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Alberta Native News Alberta’s government is facing pushback from Treaty 8 Sovereign Nations after updating its Alberta Day statement to remove reference to Indigenous Peoples. “The removal is deeply troubling,” said Grand Chief Trevor Mercredi in a Sept. 1 statement. “Treaty 8 Sovereign Nations and all First Nations across Alberta have always been part of the history, present and future of this province. Our Nations are not a footnote to Alberta’s story.” At 10 a.m. that morning, Alberta’s government sent out a news release in English and French for Alberta Day, an unofficial holiday which celebrates the province’s founding in 1905. “We recognize the Indigenous Peoples whose enduring connection to and stewardship of this land continues to shape Alberta. Over generations, people from...
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Fort Nelson-based artist empowers Indigenous youth with mural mentorship program
By Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Energeticcity.ca FORT NELSON, B.C. — A local artist is empowering young members of the Fort Nelson Indigenous community through the Mural Mentorship program. The young artists will collaborate, converging on a wall at the Northwestel offices in Fort Nelson, to create a mural incorporating themes of reconciliation and technology. Francine Freeman is the executive director of the Northern Rockies Arts Council (NRAC) and has had a career which has spanned the globe. Freeman started out in eastern Canada, ventured to Australia, and eventually to northeast B.C., where she still works as an art teacher. “I started in hyper-realism [artwork],” Freeman explained to Energeticcity.ca. “Which is creating really realistic paintings.” “Then I just wanted to go big. I wanted to start doing really massive murals and...
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Mackenzie Valley Highway now includes bridges to Fort Simpson, Wrigley
By Natasha Bulowski, Cabin Radio, Cabin Radio The latest Mackenzie Valley Highway proposal includes new bridges connecting Fort Simpson and Wrigley, the Northwest Territories government confirmed after they appeared in federal documents. The bridges were referenced in a Canada Gazette notice published on Friday, August 28 that moved the highway one step closer to being fast-tracked as a project of national interest. The GNWT told Cabin Radio it is planning feasibility and conceptual design studies for the Liard and Mackenzie River crossings, but detailed bridge designs have not been finalized. To cross the Liard River into Fort Simpson or Mackenzie River en route to Wrigley currently requires a ferry in summer or ice road in winter. During fall freeze and spring break-up there are periods with no road connection. Bridges...
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Ucluelet’s new Japanese pavilion celebrates cross-cultural relationships
By Nora O’Malley Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Ucluelet, BC –The Ucluelet Japanese Canadian History Pavilion officially opened on a sun-soaked Aug. 29 when 103-year-old Frances Nakagawa cut the red ribbon alongside four women who were also held in internment camps during the Second World War. Nakagawa’s son Keith shared that his mom kept saying it was all “like a dream”. Located on the corner of Matterson Drive and Imperial Lane, the new interpretive site overlooks the Ucluelet Harbour; the very place where one of British Columbia’s most significant Japanese Canadian fishing communities once flourished. “During the 1930s, Japanese Canadian families made up half of Ucluelet’s population, living close to Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ (Ucluelet First Nation) families and European settlers in a community connected by work, friendship and a shared dependence on the...
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Nunavut MP broke conflict of interest rules but made ‘errors of judgement made in good faith’: ethics commissioner
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News Nunavut MP Lori Idlout broke conflict of interest rules when she expensed five gifts from a business she owns and rented her husband’s bed and breakfast using taxpayer money between 2024 and 2025. The House of Commons Ethics Commissioner released its findings on Sept 2. However, Idlout acted in “good faith” and the ethics commissioner recommended Idlout not be punished by Parliament. “She did not realize that making purchases from two businesses would further her or her spouse’s private interests,” said ethics commissioner Konrad von Finckenstein. “She also repaid the House of Commons as soon as the errors were brought to her attention. In my view, this shows a true desire to fully remedy each instance of non-compliance.” Idlout purchased...
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First Nations look to traditional foods to improve health outcomes
By Maya Ekman, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, NWOnewswatch.com THUNDER BAY – A First Nations health agency is teaching traditional food skills in order to combat the negative impact of colonial food systems. Market-based food systems in place now don’t support the health and well-being of First Nation communities, explained Lloyd Douglas, a public health physician with Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority (SLFNHA). In fact, Douglas said that half of the items in the national nutritious food basket can’t even be found on-reserve, and the ones that are have a significantly higher cost. Indigenous peoples “have been here for thousands and thousands of years and have relied on their food systems, but now we’re seeing poorer health outcomes, and that’s via design,” he said. “First Nations’ food sovereignty is all...
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