First Nations reject premier’s speedy shale gas timeline
By John Chilibeck, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Daily Gleaner One of New Brunswick’s biggest Indigenous groups is throwing cold water on the idea of lifting the moratorium on shale gas development, arguing the Holt government has rushed ahead without proper consultations. The Wolastoqey Nation in New Brunswick, which represents six St. John River Valley communities, issued a news release on Thursday stating the Liberal government had prioritized its own timelines over “thoughtful consideration and genuine Wolastoqey involvement” on the controversial decision. At issue is whether the provincial government should lift the 12-year moratorium and allow companies to frack for gas again in southern New Brunswick, what the Wolastoqey and the Mi’kmaq consider their traditional territory. Fracking gas could create scores of jobs and millions of dollars in wealth, but...
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Alberta First Nation claims B.C. hydroelectric projects violate treaty rights
The Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation in Alberta is suing the British Columbia and federal governments and BC Hydro, alleging that provincial dam projects were built without regard for their rights, culture and way of life. Chief Allan Adam filed a notice of civil claim on behalf of the First Nation in B.C. Supreme Court last week, claiming the projects have unlawfully interfered with the Athabasca Chipewyan’s treaty rights, dating from the 1960s when the W.A.C. Bennett Dam was built to the recent completion of the John Horgan Dam, formerly referred to as Site C. The lawsuit says the Bennett dam’s “potential downstream impacts in Alberta” were never communicated to the First Nation at the time. The lawsuit also says the John Horgan Dam had “measurable impacts” on the waterflows in...
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For nearly 1,000 years, the mesa in all its forms has been an American icon
By Dario López-mills PHOENIX (AP) — Spanish explorers named them mesas, meaning tables, when they came upon them. But in geological terms, a mesa is simply a flat-topped mountain or hill. Millions of years of constant erosion — from the eternal forces of gravity and wind — have created the iconic mesas of the American Southwest. For Native Americans, the original inhabitants of these lands, the elevation of the mesas formed natural fortifications that provided vantage points and tall sides that were supposed to protect them from outside threats. They remain sacred landmarks with a deep spiritual connection. Old Oraibi, a Hopi village in Northern Arizona located on a mesa, is the oldest continuously inhabited community in the United States dating to 1150. ___ LIKE SO MUCH American imagery, mesas...
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Exhibit at Lakehead honours Indigenous veterans of Treaty 3
By Clint Fleury, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, TBnewswatch.com THUNDER BAY — A nearly week-long exhibit at Lakehead University’s Agora continues to shine a light on the experiences of First Nations, Métis and Inuit soldiers from the Northwest. Lakehead University and the Native Veterans Association of Northwestern Ontario are hosting the annual commemorative exhibits during Veterans’ Week and in honour of National Indigenous Veterans Day. The latter was on Sunday Nov. 8. “To have reconciliation between First Nations and the settler population across this country, we have to speak our truth of what we’ve endured and experienced,” says David Thompson, researcher and volunteer with the Native Veterans Association of Northwestern Ontario. The organization was founded by the late Second World War veteran Charles “Willy” John of the Red Rock Indian Band...
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Fracking controversy flares at public meeting
By John Chilibeck, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Daily Gleaner The two farmers, both neighbours, didn’t see eye to eye on shale gas fracking. One, Stephen Moffett, once ran the biggest pig farm in the country east of Quebec. The other, Beth Nixon, is proud to say her family has owned its rolling hayfields in Penobsquis, a short drive from Sussex, for more than a century. Both have had production gas wells on their land for about 25 years, and both wanted to give their opinion at New Brunswick’s inaugural public meeting last week about possibly lifting the 12-year moratorium on further natural gas development. Nixon was one of more than a dozen people who lined up at the microphone Nov. 3 during the question-and-answer portion of the two-hour meeting...
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Chiefs question motive behind Indian Act talks after meeting with Carney, premiers
By Alessia Passafiume First Nations chiefs who attended a closed-door meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney and premiers last month say their concerns were overshadowed by Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew’s call for the abolition of the Indian Act. One chief also criticized Carney’s tone as he responded to a comment about how the United States works with Indigenous people. “We have to ask ourselves if this was a co-ordinated effort between Wab Kinew and the prime minister,” Treaty 8 First Nations Grand Chief Mercredi said of the talk about abolishing the Indian Act. Chief Sheila North of Bunibonibee Cree Nation in northern Manitoba said it’s beginning to appear that way to her. “I hope that wasn’t the case because that would mean they were disingenuous in what they wanted the...
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2,000 job vacancies to fill as Government of Nunavut keeps striving for 85 per cent Inuit employment
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News The Government of Nunavut had 2,032 vacant positions as of June 30, and filling many of those roles with Inuit employees is part of the territorial government’s responsibility, says Cambridge Bay MLA Fred Pedersen. Currently, the GN has a 52 per cent Inuit employment rate with a goal of reaching 85 per cent. Pedersen suggested reserving some jobs for Inuit, regional-based targets through relocation offers, recruiting urban Inuit back to Nunavut and hiring Inuit from outside of Nunavut as ways the GN could reach its target. “Having Inuit-only competitions to fill those vacancies, and this would include both Inuit who already live in Nunavut and also our urban Inuit that may want to move back to Nunavut to work for...
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Ottawa outlines details of $600M for CanCon in latest budget
By Anja Karadeglija The federal government has released details on how its promised $600 million for Canadian content will be spent, and the Canada Media Fund is getting the largest chunk. The fund will receive $213.4 million that the government says will support the industry in a variety of ways, including through production and promotion of content. Various independent production funds will receive $185.1 million and the independent local news fund is getting $80 million of that sum. Other allocations include $67 million for the Canada Music Fund, $51 million for the Indigenous Screen Office and $68.5 million for Telefilm Canada. While the government promised the industry $600 million in annual funding last June, last week’s federal budget only allocated funding for this fiscal year. The direct funding is meant...
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Six candidates running in regional Nunavut Inuit association presidential election
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News The Kitikmeot Inuit Association election campaign is underway, with six candidates throwing their hats in the ring. Jeannie Ehaloak, Rosabelle Klengenberg, Lawrence Otokiak, Simon Komangat, Raymond Quqshuun Sr. and David Audlatak Nivingalok all registered before the Nov. 6 deadline. Ehaloak is from Cambridge Bay, where she was a mayor from 2011 to 2017 and an MLA for the community from 2017 to 2021. Klengenberg, also from Cambridge Bay, is on the board with Ilitaqsiniq, a culture-based, non-profit organization. She also served with the Nunavut Literacy Council. Otokiak is the director of the Red Fish Arts Society, the Kitikmeot Inuit Association’s social and cultural vice-president, and is also a resident of Cambridge Bay. Komangat, from Gjoa Haven, is a sculptor and...
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Q&A: Meet the new Kanesatake electoral officer
By Marcus Bankuti, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eastern Door It’s been a long road, but Kanesatake should be heading into the new year having finally elected a new Council. The person responsible for making sure it goes as planned this time around is recently selected chief electoral officer Loretta J. Pete Lambert, a lawyer from Little Pine Cree Nation. The election is set for December 19, more than 16 months after previous chief electoral officer Graeme Drew shocked the community by cancelling the August 2, 2025, contest on the eve of election day, shocking the community and pushing Kanesatake into a full-blown governance crisis. In making his decision to suspend the poll – and in effect cancel the election – Drew cited his belief that there were several ineligible...
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Pacific Link Pipeline: Indigenous leaders challenge Ottawa’s Fast-Tracked Consultation timeline
By John Wirth, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Alberta Native News As the Prime Minister’s office fast-tracks the Pacific Link oil pipeline under new major projects legislation, First Nations leaders warn that a two-month consultation window compromises free, prior, and informed consent. In a bid to distance Canadian energy interests from the USA, PM Carney and Premier Danielle Smith announced that through the “Pacific Link oil pipeline,” Canada will have its first “National designation” from its major projects office. But not everyone embraces the news. The weight of it haunts the future of Indigenous communities’ access to clean drinking water and should not be rushed. Prime Minister Mark Carney eagerly pledged that his major projects agenda would not compromise Canada’s obligations under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous...
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Native American women made history in tribal, state and federal elections
By Savannah Peters ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A third-grade field trip to the Navajo Nation Council sparked Crystalyne Curley’s political ambition when she witnessed a fiery debate erupt between two tribal lawmakers. “I thought to myself at a very young age, that’s where I want to be,” Curley said. On Election Day, Curley surpassed that childhood dream and broke a barrier she says she never imagined as a nine-year-old: She was elected the first woman president of the Navajo Nation. This week’s elections brought a wave of milestone victories, from the nation’s first Black female governor to the first openly gay man and first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate. It also marked a turning point for Native American women, whose leadership in their families and communities has rarely translated...
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Attending the Arctic Circle Gathering as an Inuk Youth was transformative and inspiring Slugline: LJI-NL-arctic-circle-assembly-indigenous
By Frey Blake-Pijogge, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, IndigiNews The shaking of hands and small smiles welcome me to Reykjavík, Iceland. So does the rain. I meet the rest of the Arctic Indigenous Youth Cohort the evening before the annual Arctic Circle Assembly starts, all of us tired after journeying from our many time zones that tightly span the planet’s North. On the streets downtown, people are buzzing. Reykjavík feels alive. And everywhere in the city of nearly 150,000, I see signs about the global assembly, held from Oct. 8-10. Every October, the world’s northernmost capital city hosts the event, the largest annual gathering of its kind. Organizers say more than 2,500 people from 75 countries attended this year. Over three days, participants take in the event’s more-than-200 sessions — including...
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Mohawk Council of Kahnawake brings concerns to Carney
By Marcus Bankuti, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eastern Door The Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) has sent an open letter to prime minister Mark Carney objecting to its exclusion from an international meeting in Tiohtià:ke and a failure to acknowledge the meeting took place on unceded Kanien’kehá:ka territory. The summit between Canada and representatives of the European Union (EU) came as part of Carney’s push to strengthen and diversify the country’s international partnerships in the face of an increasingly unpredictable United States and a damaging trade war. The letter highlights Council’s belief that Kahnawake was deprived of the opportunity to take part in discussions affecting its own interests and that a land acknowledgment should have been recited at a minimum. “I mean, you’re in the traditional territory of the...
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Kanesatake addresses still listed as Oka
By Fern Marmont, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eastern Door In recent years, Kanesatake residents have noticed their addresses being listed as Oka by online retailers and other organizations, yet the issue remains unresolved, with Canada Post saying discussions with the Mohawk Council of Kanesatake (MCK) are still in the preliminary stages. The problem has left some community members frustrated that Kanesatake continues to be excluded from address databases, despite previous assurances that steps would be taken to correct the issue. John Harding, who first noticed the issue two years ago and brought it to the MCK’s attention, said his address is still automatically changed to Oka on various delivery platforms. “Nobody’s taken responsibility for it, and everybody said, ‘Well, we’re sorry, we’re going to fix it,’ but nothing’s been...
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Why Indigenous stewards are bringing ‘good fire’ back to Canada’s forests
By Jordan Omstead Spring comes to Leona Antoine’s field in patches. The snow retreats from the Nicola River valley, leaving islands of wet grass scattered across her family’s land. It’s an invitation to carry on a practice she first learned from her grandfather. Antoine, who is Syilx and Nlaka’pamux, remembers her grandfather’s joy when he would drop a match and watch a low, patchy fire creep across the field. The fire would clear away dead brush, allowing sunlight to reach the ground. Nutrients would get recycled back to the soil. Within weeks, fresh green grass would shoot up alongside huckleberries and other traditional medicines, she said. Antoine, a former forest firefighter and forestry consultant living in Merritt, B.C., calls it “good fire.” Her grandfather came of age when Indigenous communities...
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Dialogue about Inuit-specific housing funding underway, says Indigenous Services Minister
By Daron Letts, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunatsiaq News Inuit-Nunangat’s share of billions of dollars in federal housing and infrastructure funding announced in Thursday‘s budget remains undetermined, but that could change soon, Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty said Saturday in Iqaluit. “I think that we’ll have greater clarity in the next few days,” Gull-Masty said during a news conference at the Inuusirvik Community Wellness Hub. It marked the start of a two-day visit to the territory, her first trip to the eastern Arctic. In addition to her role as Indigenous Services minister, Gull-Masty is the Liberal MP for Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, the sprawling Quebec riding that includes Nunavik. The Liberal government’s budget allocated $30 billion for First Nations housing and infrastructure as part of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s new commitment to eliminate...
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No changes for Fort Frances residents following hydro dam operator rebrand
By Liam Oliver Neilson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Fort Frances Times The owner of the Fort Frances Generating Station has sold off its U.S. power assets and rebranded Canadian assets from FirstLight to Caelo Energy. Despite this change, Fort Francians can expect the same services with no difference in costs. The Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP Investments), Caelo Energy’s parent company, announced Tuesday that it had completed the sale of its U.S. operations, including the FirstLight brand under which the Fort Frances plant had been held, to private equity firm Hull Street Energy. “We’ve gone through several name changes of whoever owns and operates that generating station, and there really should be no impact other than people’s email domain changing,” said Joerg Ruppenstein, president and CEO of Fort Frances...
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Experts decry Nunavut’s ‘Band-Aid’ approach to foster care
By Daron Letts, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunatsiaq News The broken child welfare system in Nunavut is rooted in the territorial government’s colonial approach to the problem, say some with years of experience with the system. “The taking of Indigenous children never stopped at residential school,” said Jeremy Young, who was separated from his mother as a child. “It only continued with foster care.” Young spoke to Nunatsiaq News about his experience in Nunavut’s foster care system Thursday in response to the latest report by the federal auditor general into the territorial government’s handling of youth in its care. Tuesday’s report, the fifth over 15 years, shows little has changed. The Nunavut government is failing to account for the number of children in its care, failing to do consistent check-ins...
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Manitoba Métis Federation ‘appalled’ at lack of Métis funding in federal budget
By Alessia Passafiume The Manitoba Métis Federation says it’s appalled by the lack of Métis-specific funding in Prime Minister Mark Carney’s new budget. While First Nations and Inuit have targeted funding measures in the budget, Métis do not, despite having pressed the government for supports in areas like housing and health care. The only mention of Métis in the budget is in association with $806 million set aside over five years to implement a Trudeau-era Indigenous child welfare law. Manitoba Métis Federation president David Chartrand says there is “no doubt” Red River Métis citizens will be angered by the fact that their needs were dismissed in the budget. He says the MMF met with ministers and the prime minister ahead of the budget and he’s disheartened his requests were not...
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