Elections Canada says 40% of people in Indigenous communities voted federally in 2025
By Alessia Passafiume More than 40 per cent of registered electors living in Indigenous communities voted in the federal election last year, a new Elections Canada report shows. The highest level of voter participation in Indigenous communities was recorded in the Yukon at 61.9 per cent, while the lowest level was recorded in Quebec at 21.1 per cent. Across Canada, nearly 70 per cent of registered electors cast ballots in the 2025 election. Indigenous people in Canada tend to be less likely than others to vote in federal elections — a legacy of decades of mistrust and tensions between their communities and Ottawa. Before 1960, First Nations people generally had to forfeit their Indian status in order to vote in an election. Memories of those days linger, making some Indigenous...
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Alberta to do long-term water security study to support population, industry growth
By Jack Farrell Alberta’s government says it’s looking to do a study on the long-term security of the province’s water supply as it stares down a challenge with a water-rich north and a demand-heavy south. Environment Minister Grant Hunter, in a news release, said Alberta’s population, industry and farming sector are all growing and reliable access to water is needed to sustain the growth. “Water is the foundation of Alberta’s future,” Hunter said in the release on Thursday. “We’re looking 100 years ahead and asking what Alberta needs to build, invest in and do differently today to secure our water supply for generations to come.” The request for proposals says much of the available water supply in Alberta is in the north, while a number of southern river basins, including...
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In Penticton, B.C., an outpouring of support for Summerland fire evacuees
By Darryl Greer Wildfire evacuees in Penticton, B.C., have been receiving an outpouring of support from the community, including at the local Sikh Temple where the president says hundreds have received free food and other items. Ravinder Bains says donations have been flowing in from all over the Okanagan Valley, and tables at the temple are stacked with the fruit the region is famous for, vegetables, clothing and diapers. Jarnail Gill, an organizer at the temple, says they started communicating with aid agencies on the first day of the emergency that forced thousands to flee the community of Summerland and they started feeding people within a few hours. Premier David Eby and local MLA Amelia Boultbee visited the temple on Wednesday evening, and Boultbee says the evacuations have been “incredibly...
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Carrot River grant to make sidewalks safer, more accessible
By Nicole Goldsworthy, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, SaskToday.ca, SASKTODAY.ca CARROT RIVER — The Town of Carrot River will use a $42,603 Provincial Traffic Safety Fund grant to improve pedestrian accessibility and safety through a series of sidewalk upgrades aimed at making travel easier for residents, particularly students and people who use mobility aids. The funding is part of more than $1.6 million distributed to 66 Saskatchewan communities and First Nations through the latest round of the Provincial Traffic Safety Fund, which supports projects focused on improving road and pedestrian safety. Miranda Blaber, community development manager for the Town of Carrot River, told SaskToday the grant will fund the installation of curb cuts, repairs to deteriorated sidewalks and the construction of new sidewalk sections. “The project was prompted by a local...
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Feds issue Line 5 tunnel permit, call it ‘not contrary to the public interest’
By Laura Herberg, Justin A. Hinkley And Kelly House/bridge Michigan The US Army Corps of Engineers has permitted construction of the controversial Line 5 tunnel project in the Straits of Mackinac. The project, which would divert a section of the Line 5 petroleum pipeline from the open waters of the Straits into a concrete tunnel beneath the lakebed, is “not contrary to the public interest” and would not harm tribal treaty rights, the Army Corps said in announcing its permit. Nonetheless, the Corps noted the project would have adverse effects on endangered species and archaeological sites, that it would contribute to “long-term impacts of habitat loss” and have “long-term detrimental impacts on land use.” While the federal approval clears a big hurdle for the nearly decade-old proposal, don’t expect shovels...
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RCMP investigating after two toddlers drown in lake in remote Manitoba community
GARDEN HILL ANISININ EW NATION-Manitoba RCMP say it is believed two toddlers have drowned in a remote northern First Nation after being found in a lake in the community. Police say the two boys, ages one and two, were brought to the nursing station in Garden Hill Anisininew Nation, about 610 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg, on Wednesday afternoon. A family member found the two boys in the lake and they were brought to the nursing station by First Nation Safety Officers, where they were pronounced dead. Police say it is believed the boys were able to leave their home and enter the nearby lake. They say foul play is not suspected but continue to investigate. Sgt. Chris Hipolito, with the Island Lake detachment, says the drownings have been devastating for...
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Loss of Cape Breton Mi’kmaw fashion icon felt deeply by community
By Rosemary Godin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cape Breton Post The Mi’kmaw community is remembering an influential knowledge keeper, language warrior and proud great-grandmother from Membertou First Nation. Audrey (Heidi) Marshall, who most recently organized the fourth annual Finding our Identity fashion show at the Joan Harriss Cruise Pavilion in May that drew hundreds of people, died on August 5 at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital. As word of the active 65-year-old’s death spread over social media, dozens of people honoured Marshall with words about her support, encouragement and advocacy for Mi’kmaw law and culture. Remarkably, one of her own quotes last year after she was named one of Atlantic Canada’s most successful businesswomen by Atlantic Business Magazine in 2025 sums up what she would have thought of all the...
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Investment in Indigenous Women and Girls in Sport gets a boost
By Rosemary Godin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cape Breton Post Three years after thousands of people gathered in Kjipukuk (Halifax), Dartmouth, and Millbrook First Nation for the 2023 North American Indigenous Games, the spirit and legacy of the Games continue. Last month, the Genevieve Francis Memorial Fund was honoured to receive a legacy gift of $250,000 from the 2023 North American Indigenous Games Host Society. An additional contribution will be made for a similar amount at a later date. The investment will support the continued growth of the Fund’s flagship program, the Nikanus (nig-ah-noos) Red Dress Leadership Award, while strengthening the Fund’s capacity to create meaningful sport, recreation, and physical activity opportunities for Indigenous women and girls in Atlantic Canada. Attending the cheque presentation was Erin Denny of Eskasoni First...
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Métis Nation of Saskatchewan mourns death of former leader Louis Gardiner
By Aaron Sousa The Métis Nation of Saskatchewan says one of its former leaders died over the weekend. A social media post says Louis Gardiner served as a provincial treasurer, Northern Region 3 regional representative and local president for the Métis Nation of Saskatchewan. It says he was also a survivor of a boarding school for Métis and First Nations children. The Île-à-la-Crosse Boarding School, northwest of Saskatoon, operated from the 1820s until it burned down in the 1970s. Survivors said they were banned from speaking their language and were frequently beaten if they did, resulting in the loss of their culture and identity. Gardiner said last year that he was not allowed to use his name and was instead called by a number — something he equated to life...
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Speed of ‘horrific’ wildfire in B.C.’s Okanagan outran modelling: Premier David Eby
By Brieanna Charlebois Premier David Eby says a “horrific” wildfire that has forced some 20,000 people out of their homes in British Columbia’s south Okanagan region moved at a dizzying speed, forcing wildfire crews to pivot from fighting flames to helping residents flee. The blaze that surged last Friday may represent a “new normal” when it comes to the speed of wildfires, Eby told a briefing in Penticton, B.C., where many evacuees have gathered. Eby visited the reception centre set up for evacuees in Penticton earlier Wednesday and said he saw people devastated by the loss of their homes. “A lot of emotions in there, obviously,” he told reporters as he left the building. Eby said the death of an 80-year-old woman trying to flee the fire is a “tragic...
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Chief calls for co-operation to prevent fires as world changes at a ‘rapid pace’
The chief of the Penticton Indian Band in British Columbia says events such as the wildfire that forced thousands of people from their homes in the Okanagan aren’t natural occurrences and more needs to be done to fix the problem. Chief Greg Gabriel, whose members are among the evacuees, says that could mean looking at logging practices and addressing drought conditions. Gabriel has asked the province to address the need for an alternative emergency route out of communities during a crisis, as Highway 97 has been cut off by the wildfire. B.C. Premier David Eby says there is a significant demand for secondary egress roads and that the Transportation Ministry will work on which routes to prioritize. Roughly 20,000 people were forced from their homes last Friday in Summerland and...
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Australian jury convicts former Catholic bishop of sexually abusing 2 men
PERTH, Australia (AP) — An Australian jury on Thursday convicted a former Catholic bishop renowned for hosting alcohol-fueled house parties of sexually abusing two young Indigenous men. The District Court of Western Australia jury convicted Christopher Saunders, 76, of 13 out of 19 charges of sexual abuse that allegedly occurred between 2008 and 2019 in his sprawling diocese on the country’s tropical northwest coast. Prosecutors alleged he lured young Indigenous men to his church-owned house in the tourist town of Broome with free alcohol and cigarettes paid for with church funds. House rules included that the male-only guests had to remove their shirts. “The accused had a sexual interest in young Aboriginal men and a tendency to act on that interest when the opportunity presented itself,” Prosecutor Adam Ebell had...
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Aqpik Jam kicks off 30th anniversary with music, culture and community
By Dominique Gené, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunatsiaq News Kuujjuaq came alive Tuesday evening with music, cheers and laughter as hundreds filled Katittavik Townhall to kick off Aqpik Jam’s 30th year. Led by instructors Janice Parsons Gordon and Sandy Emudluk, the Kuujjuaq Youth Group opened the festival with throat singing and drumming. Applause rose from the arena floor to the upper level bleachers as the 11 boys and girls showed off their skills. Clusters of golden cloudberries decorated the stage, a nod to the northern berry harvest that gives the festival its name. The next act was Johnny Saunders, under the artist name Yaa, and his band. They performed songs in Inuktitut from his latest self-titled EP, including Lily-Anna, which is dedicated to his granddaughter. Saunders also covered Maybe It’s...
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U.S.-based companies lobby police departments across Canada about body cameras and public safety solutions
By Ghazal Azizi Kashi, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Investigative Journalism Foundation After signing a non-competitive contract with the City of Toronto in late 2025, Arizona-based security technologies firm Axon Enterprise Inc. is eyeing potential contracts in Quebec, even before the mayor of Canada’s second largest city announced plans to spend tens of millions on body cameras for its officers. Axon, formerly known as Taser over its namesake devices, also sells body-worn cameras, drones and evidence management software. The company has been actively lobbying about body-worn cameras with the federal government, as well as in Quebec, Ontario, B.C., and as of this May, PEI. In January, Charlottetown police requested a budget increase to expand their body camera pilot to 20 cameras. As police departments around Canada experiment with body-worn cameras, the...
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M.D. of Opportunity overhauls Bigstone water deal to ensure fair costs
By Armaan Khanna, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Lakeside Leader The Municipal District of Opportunity is putting an end to outdated flat rates by writing a new, highly detailed water service agreement with the Bigstone Cree Nation. During the regular council meeting on July 27 in Sandy Lake, municipal administration brought forward an early draft of the updated utility contract. This new agreement aims to make sure that both governments share the heavy financial costs of the region’s water and sewer systems fairly and transparently. In the past, the local government used simple flat rates to charge for water services. However, keeping a modern water treatment and distribution network running in northern Alberta costs a lot of money. According to the meeting, daily operating prices naturally go up and down because...
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Rapid damage assessments underway following inferno outside Summerland, B.C.
The heavy blanket of smoke that covered much of British Columbia’s Okanagan region for days has thinned, revealing blue skies in Penticton, B.C., where many evacuees have gathered after fleeing an explosive wildfire last Friday. The Bald Range wildfire, which has forced more than 20,000 people out of their homes in Summerland, B.C., and surrounding areas, spanned about 184 square kilometres on Wednesday, up by about six square kilometres from the day before. Official details of the losses inflicted by the Bald Range fire have been scant, while videos circulating online show homes reduced to blackened foundations in the community of Faulder, home to about 215 residents, west of Summerland. An update from Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen said rapid damage assessments started Tuesday in areas north and south of Summerland....
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Trip gives UCN law enforcement students firsthand experience
By Steven Sukkau, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Winnipeg Sun Students in the University College of the North’s Law Enforcement Certificate program met Premier Wab Kinew and toured policing, corrections and public service facilities during an annual career exploration trip to southern Manitoba. The trip gave students an opportunity to learn about careers in law enforcement through visits to police agencies and correctional centres in Winnipeg and Brandon, the Manitoba First Nations Police Service training facility in Portage la Prairie, the Manitoba Legislature and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Students attended question period at the legislature, where they also met Kinew. UCN said the annual trip is intended to connect classroom learning with real-world environments while allowing students to build professional networks and explore career opportunities in policing, corrections and...
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‘This is a resurrection’: Kivalliq Summer Games returns after 12-year hiatus
By Daron Letts, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunatsiaq News The first Kivalliq Summer Games to be held in 12 years is expected to draw more than two dozen athletes from the region to Chesterfield Inlet this week. “This is a resurrection of the Games,” said hamlet recreation co-ordinator Russell Mullins, who is organizing the event. From Thursday to Sunday, 26 athletes from Arviat, Baker Lake, Rankin Inlet and Chesterfield Inlet are set to compete in Arctic sports ranging from the four-man carry to the knuckle hop. Athletes are categorized as under-18 juniors or over-18 seniors. There are 17 males and nine females taking part, ranging from age 12 to 34. Six of the 10 Chesterfield Inlet athletes are competing for the first time. The idea to bring the Games back...
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Pete’s Dam hydro proposal progressing
By Joe O’Grady, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Temiskaming Speaker TEMISKAMING SHORES – Efforts continue to create a demonstration site at Pete’s Dam for small-scale hydro-electric generation, with proponents getting ready to proceed to the next step. Tony Hamilton of Thordon Energy provided an update on the project – a joint initiative with Timiskaming First Nation – at Temiskaming Shores’ July council meeting. “We’ve done the engineering analysis,” he said. “It’s probably around 67 per cent complete. (This is) fairly significant for us to know what we’re dealing with and if we should go ahead. The flow analysis is complete, but we will continue to monitor. The environment assessment and permitting plan and the estimate to complete that plan is also complete.” Thordon Energy has been using a “very, very small...
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Wotstak man awaits sentencing for arson
By Judy Cole, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, River Valley Sun A Wotstak man remains in custody to await his sentence after setting a house on fire and threatening to throw gasoline on police officers. Greg Paul McCormick, 36, of Wotstak (Woodstock First Nation), appeared in provincial court in custody for sentencing on Aug. 11 after changing his plea to guilty on several charges laid by the RCMP. After hearing submissions from both the Crown and defence, Judge Rose Campbell reserved her decision on sentence until Aug. 21 at 1:30 p.m, Crown Prosecutor Sean Corscadden recommended McCormick serve 54 months in federal prison, minus time served, and be placed on three years of probation following his release. McCormick was arrested in June 2025 and was denied bail when he appeared in...
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