North American Indigenous Games Council conditionally awards its next Games
By Sam Laskaris, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Windspeaker.com The next North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) are now expected to be held in Manitoba. That’s because the NAIG Council has conditionally awarded the 2028 Games to Norway House Cree Nation (NHCN), located in northern Manitoba, as well as the Southern Chiefs’ Organization (SCO), which represents 33 First Nations in southern Manitoba. The majority of the activities in the multi-sport competition, expected to attract more than 5,000 participants from across Canada and the United States, will be held in Winnipeg. There is a chance that some other communities in Manitoba, including NHCN, will also host some of the action. The last NAIG were held in 2023, primarily in Halifax. And it had been announced that Calgary would then host the 2027 Games....
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Putting Down Stakes – Washaw Sibi moves closer to building its home
By Patrick Quinn, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Nation Following moving presentations at the Cree annual general assembly in August, momentum is building to finally establish a village for the Washaw Sibi community. As the long-displaced people secure Category 1A lands transferred from other Cree communities, construction may soon begin on a site near Matagami. Historically occupying lands south of Waskaganish – between La Sarre and the mouth of the Harricana River – Washaw Sibi members were divided between Hudson Bay posts on both sides of the Quebec-Ontario border when the Canadian government pushed them onto existing reserves in the 1960s. Many were forced to join the Algonquin reserve of Pikogan near Amos. While living under a different First Nation resulted in culture loss and incidents of racism over the...
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As parts of the Nicola River run dry, a father fears what his children will inherit
By Aaron Hemens, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, IndigiNews On this stretch of the Nicola River, Brian Holmes misses the sound of water. “This is heartbreaking,” he quietly says to himself as he prepares to park above a kilometre-long stretch where no surface water remains. In the absence of the river’s flow, birds can be heard in the thick vegetation, their calls occasionally joined by a horse neighing in the distance or a car passing along Douglas Lake Road above. The 44-year-old Upper Nicola Band (UNB) member and father of two leaves his vehicle and disappears into the bush separating the river from a small ranch below the road, a few minutes downstream from his community of spaxmn (Douglas Lake) in the Nicola Valley, in B.C.’s southern interior. He re-emerges from...
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Kahnawake creates Local Surveillance Team to deter suspicious behaviour
By Marcus Bankuti, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eastern Door The Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) approved a $1 million pilot project this week to establish a 12-member Community Surveillance Team designed to observe, report – and deter – suspicious behaviour in Kahnawake. The team will receive training, wear uniforms, and patrol the community in marked vehicles, bolstering the visual presence of Kahnawake’s security apparatus in hopes of scaring off those who may have ill intentions, and to ensure the Peacekeepers are alerted if anything seems amiss. “This was a priority for the community,” said MCK grand chief Cody Diabo. “They wanted to feel safe in their homes, in their community, so this was a way to try to fill that gap.” Diabo said the team is intended to complement,...
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‘Neighbours helping neighbours’: Wasauksing First Nation rising from the ashes of a wildland fire
By Shania Tabobondung ParrySound.com/ Local Journalism Initiative reporter The forest around Three Mile Lake on Wasauksing First Nation (WFN) had not burned in years. Dead trees stood in waterlogged swamps, pine needles thick on the ground. On the evening of Oct. 8, all of it became fuel — and a small community had less than half an hour of daylight to reach it. The wildland fire was reported to the Wasauksing Fire Department at 6 p.m. Eleven responders from the community mobilized to the location of the fire at Three Mile Lake as soon as they got the page. Will McPherson, WFN fire chief and community emergency management co-ordinator (CEMC) said the blaze was located across from Three Mile Beach and pushing toward Five Mile Bay. Access required a gruelling...
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Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, whose wife was NDP MLA, endorses BC Green Leader Lowan
Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, a longtime BC NDP ally whose late wife was a legislator for the party, has endorsed Green Party Leader Emily Lowan. Lowan has posted the endorsement from the president of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs on social media, with Phillip saying he is “totally honoured” to endorse the candidate for Saanich North and the Islands. Phillip had been a strong supporter of the NDP, with his wife Joan elected as a New Democrat MLA in 2024 before she died this summer. Stewart Phillip had backed the NDP in 2024, standing alongside Leader David Eby and telling an audience in Victoria that a vote for the Greens was a vote for the B.C. Conservatives. The B.C. provincial election campaign is entering its final weekend before voters...
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Electoral officer found for Kanesatake’s December election
By Marcus Bankuti, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eastern Door An electoral officer has been selected, The Pines Reporter has learned, with the contract being finalized at press-time and an announcement expected sometime today (Friday), keeping the compressed timeline ordered by the Federal Court on track. An electoral officer has been selected, The Pines Reporter has learned, with the contract being finalized at press-time and an announcement expected sometime today (Friday), keeping the compressed timeline ordered by the Federal Court on track. The electoral officer that has been selected is lawyer Loretta Pete Lambert, according to members of the Mohawk Council of Kanesatake (MCK) caretaker council, who deliberated between three bids that were submitted. Pete Lambert is from Little Pine Cree Nation. “It’s a huge, huge relief. It’s finally going...
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Fierce and determined novel Ladybug schemes to transform her First Nation to reap the rewards
By Shari Narine, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Windspeaker.com For Drew Hayden Taylor, Ojibway author from the Curve Lake First Nation in Ontario, Ladybug LaFlesche “is one of my most favourite characters ever created.” Ladybug drives the narrative in Taylor’s newest novel Sucker Falls. Ladybug is a survivor. She builds Casino N’Gataage — “a shining example of Indigenous sovereignty” — on her home, Sucker Falls First Nation, that has yet to be granted reserve status by the Canadian government. She plans to bulldoze Chief Nick Best’s hereditary home so she can build an airport. She signs an agreement with the Diamond Boys for royalties for minerals that go deeper than the ‘six inches below the ground rule’ as a failsafe to her initial monetary plans. She uses fear to rule her...
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Feud over comment by town staffer spills into Marathon mayoral campaign
By Carl Clutchey, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Chronicle-Journal A lingering impasse between the Town of Marathon and its closest First Nations neighbour dominated the municipal election campaign this week, perhaps shedding light on differing leadership approaches as the vote looms. The stalemate dates back to a January council meeting in which a senior town staffer mused aloud that the town’s difficulty in securing funding for infrastructure projects was due to the municipality being the “wrong colour.” Nearby Biigtigong Nishnaabeg said it was stung by the remark which clearly, it said, contained racial overtones. Biigtigong has recently secured significant funding for new waterworks, a school and other projects. Marathon Mayor Rick Dumas, who is seeking re-election in the Oct. 26 vote, has insisted the remark contained a political reference and...
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Experts say Indigenous communities deserve say in sale of John Risley’s collection
By Sarah Smellie Indigenous communities should have a say in what happens to cultural objects linked to a debt-laden investment company in Atlantic Canada that is trying to appease its creditors, say several experts in repatriation. A cache of about 30 items described as Indigenous “cultural objects” are among a list of nearly 670 artworks, antiques and other artifacts identified through recent court proceedings involving seafood tycoon John Risley. The businessman had asked a Nova Scotia court to approve the sale of his company’s assets to a private equity firm in New York. His company, CFFI Ventures, was placed under creditor protection in March after it collapsed under nearly US$1 billion in debt. The cultural items include baskets, bone carvings, textiles and moccasins. Some are attributed to an Indigenous group...
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Robinson Huron Treaty fund set for one percent who are no longer on membership list
By Jacqueline St.Pierre, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Manitoulin Expositor MANITOULIN—A provision quietly built into the historic Robinson Huron Treaty annuities settlement is beginning to answer a difficult question for some Manitoulin families: what happens when someone is a treaty beneficiary, but is no longer a member of the Robinson Huron Treaty First Nation to which they once belonged? The Robinson Huron Treaty Litigation Fund (RHTLF) has established what is known as the 1% Fund, intended for certain living beneficiaries who fall outside the current membership lists of the 21 Robinson Huron Treaty First Nations. For Manitoulin, where family, treaty and community relationships do not always fit neatly within the administrative boundaries of a contemporary band list, the distinction could be significant. RHT fund set for one percent The Island...
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Supreme Court hears challenge of law clearing path for Ontario Place redevelopment
By Jim Bronskill The Supreme Court of Canada heard arguments Thursday from a coalition challenging the constitutionality of legislation that clears the way for major changes at Ontario Place. Judges on the top court peppered counsel for the coalition and the Crown with questions and comments about their respective legal positions before reserving the court’s decision until a later date. The case unfolding in the Supreme Court could reverberate far beyond the Toronto waterfront park that opened in 1971. Over the years, Ontario Place has featured a spherical theatre that showed movies on a huge screen, children’s play areas, a revolving concert stage and several pavilions suspended above the water. The provincial government wants to redevelop the theme park to include an elaborate spa operated by a private company, a...
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B.C.’s Eby says proposed Indigenous land transfer legislation is about saving money
By Wolfgang Depner A forest industry leader would like to cut down a plan by the previous government to limit the compensation of forest companies when land is transferred to First Nations, but British Columbia NDP Leader David Eby has defended the proposal. Kim Haakstad, president of the Council of Forest Industries, said it was unfair for government to ask businesses to absorb the costs. “But particularly right now, this is one more way that the government is making it hard for forest products manufacturing companies to continue to operate in British Columbia,” Haakstad said. The province compensated companies in 2003, when it took about 20 per cent of tenures to create BC Timber Sales. “I believe the same principle should apply,” she said. Confidential documents published in the Northern...
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What Albertans need to know about voting in the referendum
Referendum day in Alberta is on Monday. The provincial referendum has 10 questions about immigration policy, constitutional reform, and whether Alberta should remain in Canada or hold a binding, second referendum on quitting the country. Advance voting locations opened Tuesday and close Saturday night. Over 1,400 polling stations will be open Monday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Here’s what to expect when you go to vote: How long will it take? Get familiar with the ballot questions ahead of time, which are on the Elections Alberta website. Officials say it will help avoid confusion and delays. They say they’re expecting a record turnout of between 80 and 85 per cent of Alberta’s nearly three million electors. You have as much time as you want to fill in the 10...
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Students walk out over social media comments
By Chris Zwick, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Town & Country News A Grande Prairie teacher’s social media comments about residential schools compelled students to walk out of class Tuesday, saying they shouldn’t be taught by someone who “demonstrates such a lack of education.” Students from St. John Paul II Catholic School walked out of class Tuesday afternoon as a form of protest, calling for some kind of accountability, if not the teacher’s job. Roughly 150 students gathered near the Arbour Hills neighbourhood close to the school along with a handful of parents. One of the student organizers, Ray Mapaye said, it’s time to stop the ignorance surrounding the subject and recognize that the effects of the residential school system are everywhere. “It’s baffling that people think this way and that...
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Ambitious canoers near end of Canada-long trip raising funds for Indigenous charity
By Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Energeticcity.ca FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — With their end goal in sight, a pair of canoers with a lofty goal of going across Canada made a stop in the peace region this week. Will Vyse and Nolan Aziz began the Canada by Canoe initiative in April in Quebec and are taking a northern route across Canada. A third canoer, Georges Kirijian, began the trek with Vyse and Aziz before injuring his shoulder early on, but may join the two in the home stretch of their trip. The pair trekked through the Peace River, speaking to Energeticcity.ca on Oct. 13. The pair hopes to finish their 8,000-kilometre cross-country journey by the end of November, with their final destination being Vancouver’s Wreck Beach. While the idea of...
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Winnipeg police back youth training but resist other changes at Eishia Hudson inquest
By Brittany Hobson A fatality inquest into the case of a 16-year-old First Nations girl who was shot to death by Winnipeg police has wrapped up. On the final day, the inquest heard from a lawyer for the police service who opposed many of the recommendations made by inquest counsel and the lawyer for Eishia Hudson’s family. Eishia was shot in April 2020 after officers, responding to reports of a liquor store robbery, chased a stolen Jeep she was driving and fired two shots after she crashed into another vehicle. Kimberly Carswell, lawyer for Winnipeg Police Service, pushed back on some of the recommendations relating to police training, arguing many of the suggestions presented are already being implemented. She says the force does support implementing youth-specific training and the development...
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Student-led study asking for Indigenous voices to talk relationships with water
By Jacqueline St.Pierre, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Manitoulin Expositor MANITOULIN—On the world’s largest freshwater island, the question sounds almost contradictory: what does it mean to be water insecure when water is everywhere? A group of student researchers working with Bridging Futures Canada Society (BFCS) is putting out an open call for Indigenous people on Manitoulin Island to share their experiences and knowledge through a survey examining water security, health and the relationship between water, culture, land and community. The project, Surrounded by Water, Yet Water-Insecure: A Student-Led Indigenous Environmental Health and Equity Study on Manitoulin Island, Canada, researchers are inviting Indigenous community members, including Elders and older adults, to voluntarily contribute their perspectives. The distinction is an important one on an Island where research involving Indigenous peoples carries its...
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Supreme Court of Canada to hear appeal of First Nation’s Nootka Island claim
The Supreme Court of Canada will hear a case about a First Nation’s claim to title over a swath of Nootka Island. The Nuchatlaht First Nation brought a claim for Aboriginal title to about 200 square kilometres of the island, which lies off the west coast of Vancouver Island. The trial judge found the Nuchatlaht had established title over only portions of the claimed area. The First Nation challenged the decision in the British Columbia Court of Appeal. In April, the Court of Appeal found the trial judge used an “arbitrary boundary” to determine title. A three-judge panel of the Appeal Court said the Nuchatlaht identified territory it exclusively occupied and used for hunting, fishing and gathering activities, and presented other evidence that established its “strong presence on or over...
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Haahuupayak School students sparkle at 50th year milestone
By Nora O’Malley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Ha-Shilth-Sa Port Alberni, B.C. – Wearing little light-up sneakers and shawls trimmed with silver and gold sequins, Haahuupayak Elementary School students sparkled with the spirits of their Ancestors as they performed the War Song on Oct. 8 for the 50th anniversary celebrations. Event co-emcee and cultural educator Trevor Little told the audience that nowadays, the War Song is preparing the children for another battlefield. “It’s for your education; it’s for your life,” said Little. “And we want to acknowledge the battles that got us to where we are today.” Founded in 1976, Haahuupayak, of the root haahuupa, which means “teaching with love” is a Nuu-chah-nulth school located in the Alberni Valley on Tseshaht First Nation reserve land. Today, the independent school has an...
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