B.C.’s First Nations council says Eby’s planned DRIPA pause is ‘unilateral betrayal’
-CP-A First Nations group says the British Columbia government’s plan to suspend sections of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, or DRIPA, represents a “unilateral betrayal” designed to pave the way for its repeal. The First Nations Leadership Council says Premier David Eby has “broken the trust” built between his late predecessor, John Horgan, and First Nations. The scathing response comes after Eby sent a letter to Indigenous leaders on Wednesday, saying he regrets not having more time in the legislative calendar to talk about the government’s plans to suspend sections of DRIPA, which has created political and legal friction. In its statement, the leadership council says the suspension has been “falsely framed” by Eby as “a compromise and an accommodation,” saying its effect is the same...
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Manitoba First Nation, premier call for military aid as flooding threatens community
A First Nation prone to flooding and the Manitoba government are calling for help from the Canadian military as spring conditions are putting the community at risk of flooding again. Peguis First Nation Chief Stan Bird says the community, north of Winnipeg, could use assistance from the Canadian Armed Forces to provide technical support to prepare for the floodwaters. The province’s spring flood outlook indicates the Interlake region, which Peguis is part of, is facing an increased flood risk due to large amounts of snow, a delayed melt and an increased likelihood of rapid spring runoff. The First Nation has been advised that if conditions remain unfavourable that it could see water levels similar to the 2022 flood, considered one of the worst in the community and one that led...
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Poilievre says Ottawa must protect private property in wake of Cowichan Tribes ruling
By The Canadian Press Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says the federal government must do more to protect property rights following a landmark court decision in British Columbia last year. The ruling said the Cowichan Tribes have Aboriginal title over a large swath of Richmond, B.C., that Crown and city titles within it are defective and invalid, and that the granting of private titles by the government unjustifiably infringed on the Cowichan title. The ruling has lead to questions about how Aboriginal title and private property can coexist, and concerns about mortgages and loans for businesses in the area. Poilievre says the federal government should change how it argues Aboriginal title claims in the courts, and should ensure homeowners are “protected” in future agreements with First Nations. He also wants a...
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Man sentenced for manslaughter after killing wife while ‘profoundly intoxicated’
By Ed Hitchins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Energeticcity.ca PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. — A man has been sentenced for manslaughter in relation to the 2023 killing of his wife near Williston Lake. In a court document, Justice Sandra Sukstorf ruled Brent Angus McCook, 28, was “profoundly intoxicated” in the shooting of his wife, Rochelle Poole, in the remote community of Kwadacha, a First Nations community northwest of Fort St. John. Sukstorf sentenced McCook to six years and nine months in jail, plus three years of probation and a lifetime firearm ban. Including his time already served, McCook will serve nearly two more years behind bars. The crown was looking for a sentence of 16 years. McCook, a member of Kwadacha Nation, a Tsek’ehne community of around 400 people, committed the shooting...
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Chiefs call for moratorium on N.S. cannabis raids after last week’s highway protests
By Devin Stevens Mi’kmaw chiefs in Nova Scotia are demanding a moratorium on RCMP raids on cannabis stores in their communities. The call from Maw-lukutijik Saqmaq, also known as the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Chiefs, comes after First Nations communities blocked a number of provincial highways last week in protest of increased police raids in their communities in recent months. First Nations leaders have claimed they have a treaty right to sell cannabis, which the provincial government denies. The assembly said in a release Thursday that it wants a moratorium on raids until it has had a chance to have “real nation-to-nation” talks with the province. It said despite claims from Minister of Justice Scott Armstrong and Premier Tim Houston, no one from the provincial government has reached out...
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For second time, Trump seeks to eliminate federal funding for tribal colleges and universities
By Graham Lee Brewer For the second year in a row, the Trump administration is proposing slashing federal funding for tribal colleges and universities. President Donald Trump’s fiscal year 2027 budget proposal calls for a $1.5 trillion increase to defense spending and would carve billions of dollars out of programs that fulfill trust and treaty responsibilities to tribal nations, including entirely eliminating funding for the Institute for American Indian Arts, the country’s only federally funded college for contemporary Native American arts. The budget proposal released last week also calls for cutting funding for TCUs, as well as funding for two schools operated by the Bureau of Indian Education: Haskell Indian Nations University in Kansas and the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute in New Mexico. Students at both colleges sued the BIE...
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Brantford man charged in stabbing and police standoff
By Alex Murray Writer BRANTFORD, ONT-A 41-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with a stabbing that sent a city man to hospital with serious injuries and saw a second man threatened. BPS arrested a man April 8th at about 11:00 a.m., after a suspect had barricaded himself in a Marlene Avenue residence, refusing to surrender. Police were able to negotiate with the man, who surrendered and was arrested at about 12:30 p.m. In a move aimed at ensuring public safety BPS placed a local school in a precautionary hold and secure that has been lifted. The police investigation found a 50-year-old man had been stabbed multiple times while at a residence located at Dalhousie and Brock Street. The victim was transported to hospital for treatment of serious...
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Quebec Order of Nurses officially recognizes Indigenous Nurses Day
By Lucas-Matthew Marsh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Iori:wase A victory for Indigenous nurses across the province as the Quebec Order of Nurses (OIIQ) officially recognizes Indigenous Nurses Day for the first time. Wendy Skye, a retired nurse from Kateri Memorial Hospital Centre, called the OIIQ’s recognition an important step forward for Indigenous nurses. “It’s more than words,” Skye said. “Hats off to OIIQ for doing that and putting in place and make sure there’s resources and giving some concrete examples.” According to OIIQ President Luc Mathieu, the board of directors passed the resolution to recognize Indigenous Nurses Day in summer 2025 after consulting with Indigenous Nations across the province. “We highlight this day, among other things, to raise awareness among healthcare professionals and the general public about the importance of...
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Prospectors have had to ‘rethink how we work’: CEO
By Maya Ekman, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, NWOnewswatch.com THUNDER BAY — New leaders in the prospecting world are highlighting the importance of building good relationships with local stakeholders, including First Nations. As his first year as president of the Northwestern Ontario Prospectors Association, Percy Clark plans to open consultation processes early in order to build relationships with local communities, including First Nations. Clark said that it’s important to meet with members of communities, identify the work that is being planned and invite them out to see what’s being done, even during the first assessments of a project. “And when we move towards activities that are more of a disturbance, things like diamond drilling, line cutting, stripping, that’s when the company needs a permit. So, there is an extended conversation at...
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David Eby confident Indigenous MLAs will vote to pause B.C’s DRIPA legislation
By Wolfgang Depner British Columbia Premier David Eby said he’s sure his government will retain the legislature’s confidence and pass his plan to suspend sections of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act that he says pose a legal peril. Eby’s NDP holds a single-seat majority in the legislature, but the premier told an unrelated news conference in Kelowna, B.C., on Wednesday that his caucus is “strong and united” about the need to pause the legislation known as DRIPA for up to three years. “It is a confidence vote, absolutely, because this is work that we have to do as a government,” he said. “It is crucial, and we will have the votes that we need to pass this in the legislature,” he added. DRIPA is legislation that...
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N.B. hiring more year-round firefighters, buying planes as fire season begins
By Eli Ridder New Brunswick’s government kicked off wildfire season earlier than usual on Wednesday as it announced millions of dollars in spending to improve its preparedness ahead of what’s expected to be another dry summer. The province will spend $6.7 million to increase the number of year-round firefighting forest rangers to 169, up from 95. It’s also allocated $3 million to secure availability for four Fire Boss specialized water-scooping aircraft. Premier Susan Holt said the government learned from a “scary and stressful time” last year after hundreds of fires burned more than 30 square kilometres of land to give the province its worst wildfire season in decades, according to government figures. As Holt announced the start to wildfire season, which typically begins in the third week of April, she...
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‘We’re struggling:’ Remains of missing First Nations woman found in Winnipeg
By Brittany Hobson Winnipeg police say DNA tests have confirmed the death of a First Nations woman who disappeared more than two years ago. Police said Wednesday the tests determined that partial remains found near a back lane in the city’s North End neighbourhood in November are of Leah Keeper. Keeper was 32 years old when she was reported missing in November 2023. At the time, investigators considered the death as “suspicious” and the homicide unit took over. The force still considers Keeper’s death suspicious. “Our thoughts are with Leah’s family and loved ones as well as the Indigenous community,” the police service said in a news release. “Chief Gene Bowers is in the process of reaching out to community leaders.” The force requested assistance from the public last month...
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Carney praises Hansen, calls hearing French from space a point of pride
Prime Minister Mark Carney praised astronaut Jeremy Hansen during a call with the Artemis II crew on Wednesday, saying he was proud to see a Canadian in space and to hear French spoken. Carney called the mission “hugely inspiring” and said Canadians couldn’t be more proud of Hansen and the collaboration with the United States. “We look forward to seeing you here in Canada, for maple syrup on pancakes,” the prime minister said from Ottawa. Hansen, a 50-year-old from London, Ont., and veteran NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch are returning to Earth after completing a six-hour lunar flyby Monday, going farther into space than any humans before and breaking Apollo 13’s distance record from 1970. It’s a step toward landing boot prints near the moon’s south...
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B.C. premier says reconciliation won’t stop despite DRIPA suspensions
By Wolfgang Depner British Columbia Premier David Eby has sent a letter to Indigenous leaders, saying he regrets not having more time in the legislative calendar to talk about the government’s plans to suspend sections of a law that has created political and legal friction. In the letter, obtained by The Canadian Press, Eby tries to explain the predicament his government is in over the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, or DRIPA. The premier says suspending part of the act is necessary because a recent B.C. Appeal Court ruling on mining rules creates an “untenable degree of legal uncertainty,” in which every provincial law can be challenged for being inconsistent with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, on which the B.C. law is based....
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Ottawa to spend $108M to upgrade Iqaluit’s sewage system
By Arty Sarkisian, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunatsiaq News Iqaluit will get $108 million in federal funding for water and sewer upgrades which could allow the city to nearly double its current housing supply, Nunavut MP Lori Idlout says. “That’s how impactful it can be,” she said Tuesday, after an announcement at Iqaluit’s public works garage. “Given that we always have a shortage of housing, that is very exciting to me knowing that focusing on this infrastructure will create more opportunities for more housing to be built.” The money will come from the $51-billion Build Communities Strong Fund, first introduced in the 2025 federal budget. It’s earmarked for hospitals, bridges, water systems and other core infrastructure. In Iqaluit, the funding will go toward upgrades to trucked water and sewer services...
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David Eby confident Indigenous MLAs will vote to pause B.C’s DRIPA legislation
By Wolfgang Depner British Columbia Premier David Eby says he’s sure his government will retain the legislature’s confidence and pass his plan to suspend sections of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act that he says pose a legal peril. The B.C. NDP holds a single-seat majority in the legislature, but Eby has told an unrelated press conference in Kelowna, B.C., that his caucus is “strong and united” about the need to pause the legislation known as DRIPA for up to three years. Some First Nations leaders have condemned the plan and Eby says the issue is “incredibly challenging” for the three Indigenous MLAs in his government. But he says they understand the “very serious litigation risk” flowing from the so-called Gitxaala ruling last year, that says DRIPA...
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Indigenous women’s groups call for funding to limit risks to safety, prosperity
By Alessia Passafiume Advocates are calling for long-term, stable federal funding to safeguard Indigenous women and girls and warning the federal government’s major projects push could place them at higher risk. Hilda Anderson-Pyrz, president of the National Family and Survivors Circle, said groups like hers still don’t know if they’ll receive continued funding from Ottawa. She said that uncertainty undermines their efforts to address the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. “When we’re looking at the safety and human security of Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit and gender-diverse people, it’s really critical that organizations who are doing this important work — and even through the lens of prevention and economic participation — that they receive long-term, sustainable and equitable funding,” she said. “They’re severely underfunded. There’s a...
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Environmental groups launch constitutional challenge over Ontario’s special economic zones
By Liam Casey Several environmental groups have launched a constitutional challenge seeking to kill an Ontario law that allows cabinet to suspend other laws, arguing the Doug Ford government has abdicated the role of the legislature. Wildlands League, Environmental Defence Canada, Friends of the Earth Canada and Democracy Watch allege Ontario’s special economic zone law delegates powers reserved for the legislature and wrongly puts them in the hands of the cabinet. Ford’s Progressive Conservative government passed Bill 5, which included the special economic zone provision, last year. That provision allows cabinet and the environment minister to suspend any and all provincial and municipal laws within such zones as they see fit. “We say that this delegation that the Special Economic Zones Act allows for goes too far, that it’s not...
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Environmental groups launch constitutional challenge over Ontario’s special economic zones
By Liam Casey Several environmental groups have launched a constitutional challenge seeking to kill an Ontario law that allows cabinet to suspend other laws, arguing the Doug Ford government has abdicated the role of the legislature. Wildlands League, Environmental Defence Canada, Friends of the Earth Canada and Democracy Watch allege Ontario’s special economic zone law delegates powers reserved for the legislature and wrongly puts them in the hands of the cabinet. Ford’s Progressive Conservative government passed Bill 5, which included the special economic zone provision, last year. That provision allows cabinet and the environment minister to suspend any and all provincial and municipal laws within such zones as they see fit. “We say that this delegation that the Special Economic Zones Act allows for goes too far, that it’s not...
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Storytelling at the heart of artists Aysanabee, AHI’s Canmore show
By Leah Pelletier, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Rocky Mountain Outlook CANMORE — One minute Aysanabeewas playing solo open mics in crowded bars, the next he’s on stage giving an acceptance speech for his fourth Juno award. The last four years for the Oji-Cree artist have been a whirlwind, from a debut album in 2022, to making history as the first Indigenous artist to win alternative album and songwriter of the year at the 2024 Junos and now, on the verge of his newest EP, Timelines, he’s reminded of where it all started. “I was in the pandemic just recording ( Watin ), nobody knew who I was. I was just playing little bar shows in Toronto here and there … and just thinking about where I was to where I...
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