Majority of MPs vote down Conservative motion calling for private property protection
By Sarah Ritchie A majority of the House of Commons voted against a non-binding motion calling on the federal government to take action to protect private property from First Nations land claims. The Conservatives introduced and voted for the motion, while the Liberals, NDP and Bloc Québécois all voted against it. The issue stems from a 2025 B.C. Supreme Court ruling that confirmed the Cowichan Tribes hold Aboriginal title over about 300 hectares of land in Richmond, B.C. The ruling led to questions about how Aboriginal title and private property rights can coexist. B.C. and the Cowichan Tribes have both said they do not want to invalidate any privately held fee simple titles on the lands covered by the court decision. The federal Conservatives wanted to create a special committee...
Register
First Nation achieves perfect success rate in 1st local road tests
By Maya Ekman, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, NWOnewswatch.com SANDY LAKE – There are 68 new G2-licensed drivers who completed their testing in a remote First Nation thanks to a successful new initiative. Between May 12 and 14, four DriveTest examiners ran testing out of the radio station in Sandy Lake First Nation, 225 kilometres north of Red Lake. In order for to make testing possible in the fly-in community, the First Nation had to order speed limit and other traffic signs and have them posted around the community, said Una Gott, Sandy Lake’s emergency first response team coordinator, who spent four years working to bring testing to the community. “The cost alone just to fly out and do the test is a lot, it’s like $1,000 sometimes just for a...
Register
‘It really made me proud’: Youth bring Indigenous rights, concerns to United Nations forum
By Marissa Lentz-McGrath, Local Journalism Initiative, TimminsToday.com ATTAWAPISKAT – Earlier this month, four young advocates from Treaty 9 brought their concerns about the Ring of Fire and Indigenous rights to the United Nations in New York. Jeronimo Kataquapit from Attawapiskat First Nation and Ryan Fleming, a member of Attawapiskat First Nation living in Toronto, were among the youth delegates who spoke forum during the two-week event focused on Indigenous issues worldwide. For Kataquapit, the trip was part of his ongoing advocacy with Here We Stand, a youth-led grassroots movement he started in 2025 to raise awareness about development in the Ring of Fire and its effects on Treaty rights and the environment. Kataquapit explained that, unlike many official delegations, their group was not formally chosen or fully funded to attend...
Register
Ottawa launches national aerial firefighting fleet for 2026 wildfire season
By Craig Lord A helicopter works on the Dryden Creek Wildfire just north of Squamish, B.C. on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Tijana Martin The federal government has set up Canada’s first-ever reserve of firefighting aircraft to help provinces and territories respond to the 2026 wildfire season. The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, or CIFFC, has leased 10 aircraft and two unspecified support assets for 150 days starting this month, thanks to a $317-million spending allocation in the federal budget. The government said in a news release Monday that the Pan-Canadian Aerial Asset Program will boost national firefighting surge capacity by increasing provincial and territorial access to aircraft during periods of intense wildfire activity. Provincial and territorial wildfire agencies will be able to request the use of four...
Register
New Stepping Stones CEO highlights support for sexual assault, gender-based violence survivors
By Chantel Downes, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Lakeland This Week Kim Reed, the society’s new chief executive officer, brings two decades of human services experience in the Lakeland region, including work as a school counsellor and with Children and Family Services. Reed describes herself as a “Mom of three who has lived in the Lakeland region growing up, career and raising children.” She has worked throughout the Lakeland region for the entirety of her career in Human Services. Reed said she was drawn to Stepping Stones because of the opportunity to support people. She decided to take the “opportunity to be an advocate for women fleeing intimate partner violence, women and children fleeing domestic violence or women and children in crisis.” Helpline is a first step Stepping Stones offers emergency...
Register
Ontario ministry experts raised concerns about at-risk species law changes, emails show
By Leah Borts-Kuperman, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Narwhal As the Doug Ford government prepared to replace the Endangered Species Act with new legislation, the province’s natural resources staff warned of weakened habitat protections, reduced oversight and new gaps in enforcement, according to documents obtained by The Narwhal. In March 2026, the Endangered Species Act was officially replaced with the Species Conservation Act, which removes or limits provincial protection from many threatened plants and animals. Now, 275 pages of records, some publicly available and others only accessed through freedom of information legislation, show provincial bureaucrats worrying about the implications of the changes, as well as municipalities and Indigenous groups voicing dissent — before the government passed the law anyway. The new act allows most projects, whether related to housing, mining...
Register
MPs set to vote on Conservative motion calling for protection of private property
By Sarah Ritchie Members of Parliament are set to hold a non-binding vote today on a contentious question of private property rights. The Conservatives have introduced a motion calling on Ottawa to protect private property in all future agreements with First Nations. The motion stems from a 2025 B.C. Supreme Court ruling that confirmed the Cowichan Tribes hold Aboriginal title over about 300 hectares of land in Richmond, B.C. The ruling led to questions about how Aboriginal title and private property rights can coexist. B.C. and the Cowichan Tribes have both said they do not want to invalidate any privately held fee simple titles on the lands covered by the court decision. The federal Conservatives want to create a special committee to study the legal, constitutional and political steps that...
Register
First Nations decry denialism on anniversary of suspected graves found at B.C. site
A First Nations leadership group says attempts to minimize “well-documented atrocities” at residential schools since the announcement that potential graves had been found in Kamloops, B.C., five years ago represent “racism, white supremacy and colonial violence.” The Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs says the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc First Nation took a “courageous step” to share what the union calls “commonly held truth among First Nations” that residential schools were responsible for the deaths of Indigenous children. The First Nation announced on May 27, 2021, that ground-penetrating radar provided confirmation the remains of 215 students had been found on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, although it has since been less categorical describing the find. The initial announcement set off a wave of grief across Canada, but...
Register
Carney points to Brexit, warns Alberta separation push could be ‘dangerous bluff’
By David Baxter Prime Minister Mark Carney said Monday the Alberta referendum on separation is a “dangerous bluff” if anyone thinks its results could be used as leverage in future negotiations. Carney said he saw those effects first-hand when he was the governor of the Bank of England after the Brexit vote. He warned that people in the United Kingdom are still trying to undo the damage caused by that decision a decade later. “In these separation issues, it is often advanced that, ‘Vote for this and it’s a free option. Vote for this and we will strengthen our hand in a future negotiation.’ That is a very dangerous bluff,” Carney told a news conference in Ottawa on Monday. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said last week her government will pose...
Register
Experts explain how Indigenous rights are a major hurdle for Alberta secession
By Fakiha Baig Political scientists say Indigenous treaty rights represent a significant legal hurdle for separatists in Alberta, and have brought the debate on secession in Canada into unchartered territory. “This is a new dynamic … It’s creating a lot of uncertainty,” said Andrew McDougall, a lawyer and professor in the University of Toronto’s political science department, in an interview Saturday. “There needs to be consultation with Indigenous peoples, the extent to which is unclear,” said Andre Lecours, a University of Ottawa professor. Premier Danielle Smith announced in a televised address on Thursday that an Oct. 19 referendum question will ask Albertans if they want to remain in Canada or start the process to hold a binding referendum on separation. Smith said she couldn’t directly put separation on the ballot...
Register
MPs return for Ottawa to begin the final sitting days before summer break
By David Baxter The House of Commons reconvenes today for a final stretch before the summer recess, with a budget bill and Conservative motion set for debate. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he plans to push for a debate on how the government handles First Nations land claims. Poilievre wants the government to put private property owner rights ahead of all other claims, after the Cowichan Tribes decision in B.C. around Aboriginal title. Legislation to implement the spring economic update, which includes other measures such as police authority to search mail with a warrant, continues to work its way through the House of Commons. International politics will also be in play, as Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand prepares to host her Chinese counterpart later this week — the first visit...
Register
Great Bear Sea waters move closer to federal protection
By Sonal Gupta, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer A stretch of ocean off BC’s central coast, where salmon, herring, whales, sea otters and some of the province’s largest kelp beds share waters with fishing boats and coastal communities, is moving toward federal protection. Six First Nations, Ottawa and the province signed an agreement Friday to establish a new National Marine Conservation Area Reserve in the Great Bear Sea, beside the globally known Great Bear Rainforest. “This is kind of the water offshoot of part of that,” BC Water, Land and Resource Stewardship Minister Randene Neill told Canada’s National Observer. “It protects some of our most biologically diverse and sensitive areas.” Parks Canada officials say the reserve, once implemented, could protect up to 6,700 square kilometres (an area larger...
Register
Smith says Alberta separatists should focus on fall vote rather than ousting her
By Jack Farrell Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says separatists who are upset that a binding vote on quitting Canada has been put off should focus on the province’s fall referendum — rather than campaigning to force a review of her job. Smith announced in a televised address Thursday that a question on the Oct. 19 referendum will ask Albertans if they want to remain in Canada or start the process to hold a binding referendum on separation. The move has been widely criticized, especially by those in Alberta’s separatist movement. Many had been counting on Smith to directly put separation on a ballot, after a judge last week threw out a petition looking to force such a vote. Jeff Rath, a lawyer for the petition group Stay Free Alberta, called...
Register
Students make a splash at annual water festival
By Kimberly De Jong, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Brant Beacon More than 1,400 Grade 4 students from the City of Brantford, County of Brant and Six Nations of the Grand River descended upon Mohawk Park for the 18th annual Brantford-Brant Children’s Water Festival last week. Established in 2006, the event is put on every year by the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) in partnership with the City of Brantford and the County of Brant. Louise Heyming, Conservation Outreach Supervisor at the GRCA, said the event gives children the chance to learn about water science, protection, technology, attitudes and conservation, in a fun, interactive way. “The Children’s Water Festival is really an opportunity for these students to get out of the classroom, come to Mohawk Park for the day and to...
Register
Kenora’s Moose Hide Campaign continues growing one conversation at a time
By Pam Fedack, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Kenora Miner & News What started as a quiet grassroots movement along British Columbia’s Highway of Tears has grown into a national campaign encouraging conversations about violence, healing and accountability. In Kenora, organizers say those conversations are continuing to spread one small pin at a time. More than 50 people took part in this year’s Moose Hide Campaign walk in Kenora on May 14, an annual event aimed at ending violence against women, children and all people along the gender spectrum. For Dylan Shumka-White, one of the local campaign coordinators, the movement is about creating space for men to take ownership of difficult but necessary conversations. “The key message of the Moose Hide campaign is that we’re not calling anyone out, but we’re...
Register
Experts explain how Indigenous rights are a major hurdle for Alberta secession
By Fakiha Baig Political scientists say Indigenous treaty rights represent a significant legal hurdle for separatists in Alberta, and have brought the debate on secession in Canada into unchartered territory. “This is a new dynamic…. It’s creating a lot of uncertainty,” said Andrew McDougall, a lawyer and professor in the University of Toronto’s political science department, in an interview Saturday. “There needs to be consultation with Indigenous peoples, the extent to which is unclear,” said Andre Lecours, a University of Ottawa professor. Premier Danielle Smith announced in a televised address on Thursday that an Oct. 19 referendum question will ask Albertans if they want to remain in Canada or start the process to hold a binding referendum on separation. Smith said she couldn’t directly put separation on the ballot because...
Register
New marine monitoring hub in Nunavut part of $816 million federal spending plans
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News The federal government is promising to spend $816 million on four new Arctic long‑range marine radar sites and a hub in Iqaluit, but no details were provided on potential community benefits or future employment figures. Decisions on how the Maritime Domain Awareness Hub will benefit Iqaluit have to be made by an Inuit-Crown Partnership special committee co-chaired by Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and Canadian Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada. “This is not just Defence in isolation making investments over on the side. Maybe that was a sort of an approach in years gone by, but that’s not the approach now,” said Defence Minister David McGuinty at the Transport Canada hangar in Iqaluit on May 22. The funding will be disbursed...
Register
Motion Picture Association slams CRTC rules on Canadian content investment
By Alessia Passafiume The industry lobby group representing big American streaming services slammed new revenue rules on Friday forcing them to invest in Canadian content while some Canadian industry organizations said the rules are in line with what this country has required for decades. The groups are reacting after Canada’s broadcast regulator, the CRTC, said Thursday large TV streaming services must contribute 15 per cent of their Canadian revenues to Canadian content. That’s three times the initial contribution requirement the CRTC set out in 2024, which is being challenged in court by streamers including Apple, Amazon and Spotify. The CRTC made the decisions as part of its implementation of the Online Streaming Act, which the United States has identified as a trade irritant ahead of negotiations with Canada. The Motion...
Register
Nunavut will get 725 homes in deal with federal government instead of 750
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News The federal government will spend $241 million to fulfill its portion of an agreement with the Government of Nunavut to finance up to 725 homes, GN Housing Minister Cecile Lyall told the Nunavut Legislative Assembly on May 21. However, that’s a decrease from the agreement-in-principle announced on Jan. 30, when the federal government said it would spend $250 million on 750 homes. This marks the official signing of the Build Canada Homes agreement with the Nunavut Housing Corporation, as the previously announced figures were only preliminary. GN financing amounted to $230 million under January’s agreement-in-principle, but Lyall didn’t clarify whether the territorial government had changed its contribution. “This agreement will not solve every challenge, but it is an important step...
Register
The latest on Alberta’s vote on whether to have binding separation referendum
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has announced there will be a separation question on an Oct. 19 referendum. Albertans will be asked if the province should stay in Canada or if they want a future binding referendum on separation. Here are the latest developments (all times are MT): 10:30 a.m. Rob Anderson, the chief of staff for Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, says many wanted to see her directly put a binding separation question on the ballot this fall. But he says it just isn’t possible. Anderson says in a social media post that he thinks a binding question would have been struck down by the courts within weeks, because of the ongoing legal challenge involving a separatist petition and First Nations He says holding a referendum on maybe having a future...
Register
