Wiikwemkoong’s new drug strategy sparks debate on safety, healing and community
By Jacqueline St. Pierre, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Manitoulin Expositor WIIKWEMKOONG—The sound that echoed through Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory last week was more than gunfire. It was the sound of a community reaching a breaking point. Following a recent shooting and amid what leadership described as escalating drug-related violence, Ogimaa Tim Ominika announced a sweeping new approach aimed at people involved in serious drug trafficking, weapons offences, intimidation and violence within the community—one that includes the conditional removal of offenders from Wiikwemkoong for a minimum period of two years. Standing alongside members of council and Wikwemikong Tribal Police Service Chief of Police Ron Gignac, Ogimaa Ominika spoke with the bluntness of a leader staring directly into a crisis that has already hollowed out too many Northern communities. “We cannot treat...
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B.C. allowed logging in caribou habitat despite its own ministry’s recommendation
By Wolfgang Depner Mike James doesn’t know yet whether his first grandchild will be a boy or girl, but he hopes they will have a chance to see threatened southern mountain caribou during a future visit to his family’s cabin near Quesnel Lake. The snowshoe-like hoofs of southern mountain caribou, also called deep snow caribou, allow them to feed on lichens that grow in high-altitude parts of old-growth forest. The habitat range of the caribou lies mainly in eastern B.C. stretching from the north-central regions of the province southwards, with some pockets in western B.C. and along the U.S. border. But decades of logging have destroyed their habitat, reducing their overall numbers to fewer than 1,400 spread across 18 herds, according to government figures from 2023. There are said to...
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Tseshaht prohibits all fires on reserve and Broken Group Islands
By Nora O’Malley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Ha-Shilth-Sa Port Alberni, B.C. – BC Wildfire Service may have flip-flopped on a May 7 campfire ban in the Coastal Fire Centre, but Tseshaht First Nation in Port Alberni is holding the proverbial burn line. The nation is prohibiting all fires on reserve lands and the Broken Group Islands until further notice. Their decision is supported by Hupačasath First Nation and the City of Port Alberni, who are also maintaining a complete fire ban. BC Wildfire rescinded the open fire prohibition on campfires throughout the Coastal Fire Centre within a week of announcing the ban. Citing a shift in weather conditions and “cooler temperatures”, campfires are permitted in the Coastal Fire Centre starting May 15 at noon. “I was surprised by BC Wildfire,...
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Man loses bid to stay off sex offender registry
By Bob Mackin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Prince George Citizen A man convicted of sexual assault in 2024 lost his constitutional challenge against a judge’s order requiring him to register as a sex offender and report his whereabouts to police for life. A jury found Wayne Michael James Dick guilty, and BC Supreme Court Justice Andrew Majawa sentenced him last July to three and a half years in jail. Majawa also ordered him to comply with the Sex Offender Information Registration Act for life. Dick, who travels throughout BC for construction work, fishing and hunting, argued the requirements violated his rights under the life, liberty and security of the person section of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. In a May 1 ruling, Majawa found Dick failed to meet the...
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Families of MMIWG2S+ victims pen letter to PM, including late Sonya Cywink’s story
By Jacqueline St. Pierre, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Manitoulin Expositor CANADA—There is a moment in conversation with Meggie Cywink where her voice changes. Not louder. Not angrier. Just tired in the way granite is tired after carrying winter for centuries. “Families are no longer asking to be consulted as an afterthought,” she said quietly. “Families are asking to lead.” For more than three decades, Ms. Cywink has carried the unresolved murder of her sister, Sonya Nadine Mae Cywink, like a stone in her chest. In August of 1994, Sonya Cywink, a 31-year-old pregnant mother from Whitefish River First Nation, disappeared from London. Days later, her body was discovered near the Southwold Earthworks in Elgin County. Her murder remains unsolved. Thirty-one years later, Meggie Cywink is still searching. Not only...
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Nunavut mining company can’t pay back its debts, but iron mine will continue operating for now
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News Baffinland Iron Mines, the company responsible for the Mary River iron ore mine south of Pond Inlet, is unable to pay its debts, the company announced on May 15. The mine’s operations will continue as normal for now and the Steensby component expansion project is expected to continue, the company said. A sale of the company is being considered, however. The company cannot pay back its loans and is seeking protection from its lenders through the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. Baffinland expects no disruptions to its operations at the Mary River mine or Milne port and intends to continue advancing the Steensby railway and port project. “The upcoming 2026 shipping season will commence as planned with all customer deliveries...
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Drone soccer program aims to steer Nunavik youth toward aviation careers
By Dominique Gené, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunatsiaq News Young Nunavimmiut could soon learn to pilot drones through a newly funded initiative. The Arctic Drone Soccer program proposal received $100,000 from this year’s Arctic Inspiration Prize. The ceremony was held May 5 in Whitehorse. “The drone soccer program will streamline opportunities towards STEM and aviation careers,” said Felix Aupalu, founder and program director of Nunavik-based All Arctic, the non-profit that will run the initiative, in an interview. Drone soccer is a team sport where players manoeuvre drones through a hanging goal in an enclosed arena while avoiding other drones. Players learn to build, fix and control their drones while learning about technology and coding. The project was pitched as an addition to Qaulirmat, All Arctic’s youth leadership program in Nunavik....
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Indigenous cellist and composer Cris Derksen dead after car crash, returning from father’s funeral
Juno-nominated Indigenous cellist and composer Cris Derksen has died. AIM Booking Agency, which represents Derksen, says in a social media post she died in a car accident but no further information about the crash was included. A biography of Derksen on the National Arts Centre website says she hailed from northern Alberta and that her music weaved “her classical background and Indigenous ancestry with new school electronics to create genre-defying music.” Derksen told the Penticton Herald in an interview earlier this month that she was living in Ontario. Kathleen Allan, artistic director of the Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto and Chorus Niagara, says she recently worked with Derksen and her death has left many devasted. Allan says Derken’s music challenged audiences to listen more deeply to one another, and to...
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Toronto Rock win NLL Cup with series-clinching 12-7 win over Halifax Thunderbirds
Owen Hiltz and Chris Boushy each had three goals and an assist, Mark Matthews had a goal and three assists, and Nick Rose made 34 saves as the Toronto Rock defeated the Halifax Thunderbirds 12-7 to win the National Lacrosse League championship on Sunday at Scotiabank Centre. Toronto, which won Friday’s opener in the best-of-three series 13-11, claimed its first championship title since 2011 — when they beat the Washington Stealth 8-7 — and seventh overall. The Buffalo Bandits, who won the NLL Cup in 2023, 2024 and last year, also have seven championships. Sam English, Hugh Kelleher, Lucas Hugal, C.J. Kirst and Latrell Harris also scored for the Rock, who led 8-6 at halftime and 9-7 entering the final quarter of Sunday’s game. Clarke Petterson led the Thunderbirds with...
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RCMP in Manitoba say girl dead after dad woke to find door open and daughter gone
A young girl in Manitoba has been found dead after she was reported missing early Saturday. RCMP in Poplar River say in a news release that the six-year-old’s father woke up and noticed the front door was wide open, and the girl was gone. A search by police, the fire department, family and other community members began immediately, the release says. Boats were also launched in the water, and the First Nation deployed its drone. A few hours after she was reported missing, the girl was located dead on the south side of the Nanowin River. RCMP continue to investigate. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 17, 2026. ...
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Carney, Smith sign carbon price deal, suggest fall 2027 pipeline approval
By Jack Farrell and Bill Graveland Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Friday they’re eyeing a fall 2027 start date for construction of a new bitumen pipeline to the West Coast. It’s part of a plan to accomplish the remaining steps of the landmark energy deal they signed last fall. There is to be a new scheme for carbon emissions pricing in Alberta, and a commitment from Carney to declare the pipeline as being in the national interest by October of this year. Alberta’s effective industrial carbon emission price is to rise to $130 per tonne by 2040. And its headline price would rise to $140 per tonne also by 2040 from the current $95 per tonne. The effective price refers to how much carbon credits...
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‘Wait times are a canary in the coal mine’: Report says hospital deficits are worsening patient care across Ontario
By Bethan Bates, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, KawarthaNOW Hospital deficits are damaging patient care due to increased wait times, reduced staffing capacity, and a devaluing of healthcare in Ontario, says a new report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) commissioned by the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions. “Wait times are a canary in the coal mine,” said Andrew Longhurst, senior researcher and political economist for the CCPA, at a media conference at the Peterborough Public Library on Thursday (May 14). This new data shows that emergency room and admission wait times at Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) have both increased significantly over the past five years, with patients waiting up to 110 per cent longer for admission to an inpatient bed. Report examines deficits at 136 Ontario hospitals...
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AFN chief warns against changes to major projects development rules, calls for debate
By Alessia Passafiume The national chief of the Assembly of First Nations says proposed changes to major project development rules “are not acceptable” and risk trampling on the rights of First Nations. The federal government is proposing giving authority to review interprovincial pipelines and transmission lines, and offshore renewable energy projects, to the Canada Energy Regulator instead of the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada. The proposal, which will undergo a 30-day consultation process, would undo the move the Liberals made eight years ago to create the Impact Assessment Agency as a one-stop shop for all national project reviews. Ottawa is also planning on creating a Crown consultation hub within the Impact Assessment Agency to better co-ordinate efforts with Indigenous communities and provinces to reduce what it calls “consultation fatigue.” National...
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OPP investigate after high school ‘game’ targets vulnerable man
By Maya Ekman, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, NWOnewswatch.com KENORA – “Its all fun and games when everyone involved is actually part of the game” said the OPP’s Theresa Wabason, regarding a recent senior assassin “prank” on a First Nations man. The trend is growing in popularity amongst high school seniors and is a game in which students use water guns to eliminate each other from the game. A video recently circulated of a student targeting a non-participating man sitting on the steps of a building, rather than targeting participating students. Wabason confirmed an investigation is ongoing and charges have not yet been laid. “If you are targeting people who are outside of the game, it can be construed as assault and charges could be laid if it’s determined under the...
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Day parole revoked for Manitoba killer who fabricated Métis ancestry
By Brittany Hobson A man who spent decades behind bars for an axe murder in Manitoba has had his day parole revoked because he lied about being Métis. Jack Wayne Bender, 74, was granted day parole last month. He had been incarcerated since June 1974. In a decision released this week, the Parole Board of Canada said it cancelled the day parole May 5 after Bender admitted he had lied about his ancestry. “You have maintained this deception for several years. You also disclosed that you never wished to be released on day parole. This disclosure has led to an increase in your level of needs and a decrease in your motivation,” the board said in its decision. “The fact that you lack transparency and are reluctant to engage in...
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U.S. law enforcement charges 13 in connection with gun trafficking into Canada
Several recovered at crime scenes in Canada — including one kidnapping and one attempted murder. By Kelly Geraldine Malone The United States has charged 13 people for trafficking firearms from New Hampshire into Canada in a law enforcement operation that traced guns to Canadian crime scenes. “This tracking network allegedly exploited border geography and reservation corridors to move firearms into Canada while attempting to avoid law enforcement detection,” said U.S. Attorney for New Hampshire Erin Creegan at a news conference in Concord, N.H. on Thursday. Court documents said members of the Akwesasne reservation in New York travelled to Vermont, where they enlisted Justin Jackson to purchase firearms on their behalf. The documents allege that since Jackson was prohibited from purchasing firearms, he got Melissa Longe, Dustin Tuttle, Caleb Wilcott and...
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First Nations join forces to combat escalating drug crisis
By Carrie Ivardi, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, SNnewswatch.com LONG LAKE — Two neighbouring First Nations are asking the government for enhanced policing and mental health supports to combat the rising crime and violent trespassing into their communities. “The root cause of the community instability is a devastating mental health and addiction crisis that has gone under-resourced and unaddressed for far too long,” according to a join press release issued by Long Lake #58 First Nation and Ginoogaming First Nation. Adding that violence leading to death has also been a serious issue The release says the two First Nations have taken action “out of pocket within their own limited resources and are now faced with increasing demands to take the next steps required to enforce the policing and security bylaws on...
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Tories question CBC funding of spoof-style Indigenous show on residential schools
By Alessia Passafiume Conservatives are questioning why CBC is funding a spoof program that used false pretences to lure high-profile people accused of downplaying the damage caused by residential schools into sitting for interviews. Several current and former Conservative politicians have gone on social media to denounce the production “Northland Tales.” The show is being produced for CBC and APTN. The show is described by the Indigenous Screen Office — which works to increase Indigenous media representation using federal funding — as a satire program meant to “flip the script” on modern and historical injustices against Indigenous Peoples. Frances Widdowson, who has described herself as a “known controversial figure” and has publicly questioned the history of residential schools and unmarked graves of children at the site of a former school...
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Manitoba nursing college vows reconciliation action plan after public apology
By Steven Sukkau, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Winnipeg Sun The College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba issued a formal public apology Tuesday to First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples for what it described as systemic discrimination and generational harms within Manitoba’s health-care system. The apology was delivered during a ceremony attended by Elders, Knowledge Keepers, nurses and community members. “It is that spirit of reconciliation and collaboration that has brought us together here today,” said Deb Elias, Chief Executive Officer and Registrar of the college. Elias said the organization recognized it had “a great deal of learning to do” as it examined its role in reconciliation within its regulatory mandate. “As the largest health-care profession in Manitoba, registered nurses have been part of the problem and must be part of...
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Experts call for ‘Indigenous lens’ on hiring and workplace policies
By Clint Fleury, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, TBnewswatch.com THUNDER BAY – “You are working on Indigenous territory on First Nations land in this area. No matter if you’re talking about a mine or you’re talking about any kind of business, know the area, know the history and know what you can do. It’s all the responsibility of all Canadians to participate in reconciliation,” says Wendy Landry. The vice president of Indigenous leadership, partnerships and strategies at Confederation College, was one of three expert panellists at the Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce leaders’ luncheon on Wednesday. The panellists encouraged business leaders to strengthen ties with Indigenous communities and fielded questions regarding labour shortages, building Indigenous partnerships and advancing regional economic opportunity. Landry recommended investing in “the Indigenous lens in your company,...
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