New HIV prevention guidelines say doctors should not be ‘gatekeeping’ PrEP Slugline: HIV-Prevention-Guidelines
By Hannah Alberga A coalition of doctors across Canada is releasing a new guideline for prescribing medications that can prevent HIV infection, with a strong focus on increasing the promotion and awareness of the expanding class of drugs. The clinical guideline published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal provides 31 recommendations and 10 good practices for prescribing antiretroviral medication before and after a potential HIV exposure to prevent infection. Lead author Dr. Darrell Tan said 19 physicians volunteered their time over the last three years to review the latest research and write the new guidelines, as the range of available pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) options has expanded since the last guidance was released in 2017. The recommendations are aimed at reducing the rise of HIV infections...
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As the Similkameen River runs ‘black,’ regional leaders plan future of watershed protection
By Aaron Hemens, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, IndigiNews y̓ilmixʷm (Chief) kalʔlùpaɋʹn Keith Crow says the Similkameen River is being failed by those tasked to care for it, and more must be done to protect the waterway for future generations. The river “has been black for the last month,” he told a room full of regional officials in smǝlqmíx and syilx homelands on Nov. 21. “(The Similkameen River) is where our name comes from. It’s who we are,” Crow added. “And we’re failing it.” Crow — the chief of the Lower Similkameen Indian Band (LSIB) — made the comments during a meeting of the Okanagan Similkameen Collaborative Leadership Table. The group consists of more than 20 elected syilx leaders, mayors and other regional government officials from throughout the region. It was...
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BC Coastal First Nations vow to fight pipeline pact
By Sonal Gupta, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer Coastal First Nations are vowing to use every legal tool to stop the proposed Alberta-to-BC pipeline deal and tanker ban changes. Marilyn Slett, president of the Coastal First Nations-Great Bear Initiative and elected chief of the Heiltsuk Nation, said in a news conference that her nations “cannot support and will not support” the pipeline agreement signed by Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith that would see bitumen shipped from Alberta’s oilsands to BC’s northwest coast. In a memorandum of understanding (MOU), the federal government has agreed to pause its oil and gas emissions cap and loosen clean-energy rules in Alberta. It might even consider restructuring the federal tanker ban to allow bitumen tankers off BC’s coast —...
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Former Chief files judicial review over Blueberry River First Nations election
By Ed Hitchins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Energeticcity.ca FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The saga surrounding Blueberry River First Nations (BRFN) had another wrinkle this week. Former Chief Judy Desjarlais filed another judicial review regarding the four councillors recently the subject of a separate review by BRFN Elders Clarence and Joe Apsassin. Desjarlais latest judicial review, filed on Wednesday, November 26th, concerns the date of an election – which councillors Wayne Yahey, Troy Wolf, Shelley Gauthier, and Sherry Dominic had previously announced as taking place in January. A legal document alleges the decision to push forth for an election date was contrary to BRFN election bylaws, and “without jurisdiction, unreasonable, unfair, through a closed mind, in bad faith, for an improper purpose and/or otherwise unlawful.” Desjarlais claims in the filing...
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First Nations call for protected area as Doug Ford signs Ring of Fire deal
By Fatima Syed Ontario Premier Doug Ford signed an agreement with the last of three First Nations along Ontario’s proposed road to the Ring of Fire last week, promising it would “change lives.” But the announcement comes as neighbouring nations urge the premier to balance his priorities with environmental protection and addressing long-standing issues in their communities. Marten Falls First Nation — a small fly-in Anishinaabe community approximately 400 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay — signed the agreement with the Ontario government on Nov. 27 to help manifest a more prosperous future, the chief said. Ford’s Progressive Conservatives will give the nation $39.5 million to address local infrastructure issues in exchange for Marten Falls submitting its environmental assessment for the 184-kilometre road to the Ring of Fire by Feb. 20....
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Search of Winnipeg landfill for woman killed by serial killer starts: Kinew
A search of a Winnipeg landfill for the remains of a woman killed by a convicted serial killer began this morning. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew says the first truckload of debris at the Brady Road landfill was transferred to a search facility where workers will comb through it for the remains of Ashlee Shingoose. The woman, originally from St. Theresa Point Anisininew Nation in northern Manitoba, was one of four First Nations women killed by Jeremy Skibicki in 2022. Kinew says he took part in a ceremony at the site with Shingoose’s parents and her sister to mark the start of the search, as well as offer support to the staff who will be leading the recovery. A search of another landfill for the remains of Morgan Harris and Marcedes...
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Activists, politicians mark World AIDS Day urging criminal reform, prevention funding
By Dylan Robertson AIDS activists are calling on the Liberals to stick with a Trudeau government promise to reform the laws on HIV disclosure, and to get Canada’s efforts to end the pandemic back on track. The HIV Network Legal Network says Canada’s stalled progress on preventing new HIV cases — especially among Indigenous people in the Prairies — is ramping up government spending by millions of dollars. The group is calling on Justice Minister Sean Fraser to take up the Trudeau government’s stalled plan to reform laws used to prosecute people with HIV who don’t disclose their status to sexual partners — even when it’s impossible for them to transmit the virus. To mark World AIDS Day, MPs and senators who are part of the Global Equality Caucus are...
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New HIV prevention guidelines say doctors should not be ‘gatekeeping’ PrEP
By Hannah Alberga A coalition of doctors across Canada is releasing a new guideline for prescribing medications that can prevent HIV infection, with a strong focus on increasing the promotion and awareness of the expanding class of drugs. The clinical guideline published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal provides 31 recommendations and 10 good practices for prescribing antiretroviral medication before and after a potential HIV exposure to prevent infection. Lead author Dr. Darrell Tan said 19 physicians volunteered their time over the last three years to review the latest research and write the new guidelines, as the range of available pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) options has expanded since the last guidance was released in 2017. The recommendations are aimed at reducing the rise of HIV infections...
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Tuberculosis outbreak hits Labrador weeks after Inuit group decried funding loss
By Sarah Smellie Health officials in Newfoundland and Labrador have declared an outbreak of tuberculosis within the Inuit region of Labrador, just weeks after a national Inuit group had warned that funding was needed to eradicate the disease. The region is home to several small communities, and officials are not revealing the number of confirmed cases in order to protect peoples’ privacy, Dr. Janice Fitzgerald, the province’s chief medical officer of health, said Friday. However, she said the number of cases is small. An outbreak is declared when the number of cases is higher than expected and there is transmission of the disease, Fitzgerald said. “We’re always concerned when we see cases of (tuberculosis). It can be a pretty significant infection for the individual,” she said in an interview. An...
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Baby eel businesswoman ‘the most courageous person I know’: lawyer
By John Chilibeck, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Daily Gleaner A lawyer representing a New Brunswick businesswoman whose family has caught baby eels for 37 years says Ottawa is maliciously out to destroy her commercial enterprise and give it to First Nations. Solicitor Barry Morrison was in the Court of King’s Bench in Burton last week to argue against the federal government’s motion to toss out Mary Ann Holland’s latest lawsuit. “She’s a senior citizen and the most courageous person I know,” Morrison declared to Justice Thomas Christie. “In the dark, in the freezing rain, she approached masked men and pleaded with them to stop illegally fishing.” The legal gambit by the federal Justice Department is the latest salvo in a long-running battle between Holland, who owns Alder Seafood and...
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First Nations could win an ownership stake in ‘nation-building’ mine
By John Chilibeck, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Daily Gleaner The company that wants to develop the “nation-building” Sisson mine in central New Brunswick is sweetening the pot from the original deal by offering First Nations an ownership stake in the project, says the province’s Indigenous Affairs minister. Keith Chiasson told reporters at the legislature recently that the original 2017 deal between the provincial government and the six Indigenous communities dotting the St. John River and its tributaries was mostly about royalties, years before the Wolastoqey filed a massive title claim for more than half of New Brunswick, including the Sisson Brook area about 100 kilometres northwest of Fredericton. Northcliff Resources, based out of Vancouver, has considered offering a more lucrative equity stake, the minister said. “We did have a...
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Hans McCarthy wins landmark Forensic Audit, setting new standards for First Nations governanc
By Chevi Rabbit, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Alberta Native News Hans McCarthy, grandson of the late Frog Lake Chief Lawrence Francis Quinney, has achieved a landmark court victory in a forensic audit, establishing a new standard for financial transparency and accountability for First Nations across Canada. McCarthy, who currently lives in Pigeon Lake, Alberta says, “I grew up in Frog Lake First Nation. My family was heavily involved in politics – chiefs and councillors – and I come from a line of activists.” The Case That Sparked Action McCarthy’s journey began in 2015 when he discovered mismanagement of funds while working for Frog Lake First Nation. “People encouraged me to speak up, so I did. I tried talking to Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) and Chief and Council, but they didn’t...
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Price vs. patriotism: Holiday season a test for buy Canadian sentiment
By Tara Deschamps When customers visited Lisa Pozin’s two Vancouver gift shops earlier this year, they had buy Canadian on the brain. “It was the first thing on their mind. They would comment on it and it was like they were seeing the red everywhere,” the owner of Giving Gifts recalled of a surge in patriotic shopping that a tariff war with the U.S. sparked in the winter. “They were looking for the maple leaves … and they were reading packages, even for things like soap, to make sure it was made in Canada.” These days, Pozin said shoppers still appreciate domestic items on her shelves, but their country of origin doesn’t carry the same weight it once did. In fact, many of her customers no longer turn over packages...
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Montreal museum spotlights sex workers history of activism and resistance
By Morgan Lowrie When community group Mile End Chavurah held an event in 2023 to name Jewish Montreal’s “new patron saint,” Maimie Pinzer was the winning choice. As an activist, Pinzer established a community space for her fellow sex workers in 1915. Decades later, she is honoured with a black, white and hot-pink mural in the Mile End neighbourhood. She has also become the namesake and inspiration for sex worker advocacy group Stella, l’amie de Maimie. Now she, and generations of other “defiant women,” are at the heart of a Montreal exhibit highlighting sex worker activism, both in the defence of their way of life and as part of other social causes, from the fight against AIDS to anti-poverty. Timed to coincide with Stella’s 30th anniversary, the exhibit is “to...
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‘At least you’re not New Brunswick’: Economic chart puts province last
By John Chilibeck, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Daily Gleaner Tongues are flapping over a chart that’s been circulating showing the weakness of New Brunswick’s economy. Released last month, it ranked the gross domestic product, or GDP, per capita of all 10 Canadian provinces and 50 American states, 60 in total, for last year. In other words, the chart established the level of economic activity, per person, in each place. New Brunswick came dead last, 60th out of 60. “It was simply a measure of the size of an economy, in this case that of the provinces and the states, per person,” said Trevor Tombe, an economics professor at the University of Calgary who comes up with the ranking every year. “Big provinces and states obviously produce a lot more,...
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Draft AFN resolution asks for direct funding to Dene Nation
By Claire McFarlane, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cabin Radio A resolution to have some transfer payments sent directly to the Dene Nation by the federal government will be heard at an Assembly of First Nations meeting in Ottawa this week. “The Dene Nation stands united in advocating for the direct allocation of federal funding to our communities, without the Government of the Northwest Territories acting as an intermediary,” read a statement provided to Cabin Radio by a spokesperson for the Dene Nation. “We firmly believe that this approach is the most efficient and cost-effective means of addressing the pressing priorities of Dene First Nations across the Northwest Territories.” Currently, the federal government provides transfer payments to the territorial government to deliver things like healthcare and social services for Northwest Territories...
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Manitoba legislature members trade insults over tofu, lattes and criminal past
By Steve Lambert Tofu-eaters. Misogynists. Criminal. The insults have been flying fast and furious at the Manitoba legislature, where even Tom Lindsey, the Speaker who is in charge of maintaining order, got into it by calling one legislature member “not that clever.” Both the governing New Democrats and Opposition Progressive Conservatives agree decorum in the chamber has been very poor, but each side blames the other. With high school students watching part of the proceedings from the public gallery, Lindsey later said question period was shameful and an embarrassment. The Tories have been bringing up Premier Wab Kinew’s well-known criminal past — convictions two decades ago for which he was later granted a pardon. Kinew has accused Tory Leader Obby Khan of being a bigot over transgender rights, and NDP...
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A dangerous road for B.C. and Alberta wildlife is getting safer
By Ainslie Cruickshank, The Narwhal At least 12,959 wild animals died on B.C. roads and highways between January 2023 and May 2025. That’s only the fraction of animals killed by vehicles captured in the provincial wildlife accident-reporting system. Animals that fled the roadside before succumbing to their injuries and scores of amphibians crushed by passing cars often aren’t counted, meaning the true toll is likely much greater. It’s not just wildlife at risk when cars hit animals. People can be seriously injured or killed, too. These collisions can also be expensive. In B.C. they can cost about $40 million in insurance claims alone each year, according to estimates from Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) based on data from 2009-2013. A spokesperson for ICBC said they could not provide updated...
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Alberta gets its way in deal with Ottawa
By Natasha Bulowski, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has long demanded the federal government roll back climate policies, further support its highly polluting fossil fuel sector, and threatened a constitutional unity crisis if she doesn’t get her way. On Thursday, Prime Minister Mark Carney blinked. The two leaders signed a memorandum of understanding that immediately exempts Alberta from clean electricity regulations and abandons the proposed cap on oil and gas emissions, while offering federal support to build a new bitumen pipeline from the oilsands, through the Rockies and dense forests of Indigenous nations, until it reaches the BC coast where the oil would be loaded onto tankers and shipped through a marine protected area. The MOU states a new “bitumen pipeline to Asian markets”...
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Ottawa, Alberta’s ‘pipe dream’ faces surge of resistance in BC
By Rochelle Baker, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer Prime Minister Mark Carney’s agreement with Alberta for a potential pipeline has unleashed a tsunami of opposition on the West Coast. BC Premier David Eby described the federal memorandum of understanding (MOU) crafted with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on Thursday as an “energy vampire” and a “distraction” that could compromise real ready-to-deliver projects in the province. Unlike the Alberta pipeline proposal that has neither a proponent, route, nor private financial backer — and that is dogged by strong First Nations opposition — BC has a suite of projects advanced and underway that will benefit all of Canada, Eby said, including LNG projects, port expansions, the North Coast Transmission Line and an associated $50 billion in mining projects. “My anxiety about...
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