No appeal of RCMP acquittal for assault of Eskasoni woman
By Rosemary Godin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cape Breton Post The family of Christina Gillis has learned that the New Brunswick Prosecutors Office is denying her appeal of an RCMP officer’s May 1 acquittal on a charge of excessive force. Cpl. Andrew Whiteway of the Woodstock RCMP was found not guilty of using excessive force while arresting Gillis who had called for help one day in June 2024 after being concerned about her daughter’s safety. Gillis, who is a member of the Eskasoni First Nation, has been living in New Brunswick with her partner — a Woodstock police officer — and her three children. According to news reports, four officers responded to Gillis’s call for help in calming her distressed daughter. Gillis’s husband arrived on the scene as well. Gillis...
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Retired senator addresses Upper Chamber about cannabis
By Rosemary Godin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cape Breton Post Former senator Dan Christmas says that little was put in place to include the First Nations communities when cannabis was first legalized in 2018 — and that’s causing problems. “Cannabis retailers in my community (of Membertou) had no rules to follow,” he told the standing Senate committee for Indigenous People recently. “We basically had an unregulated industry at the beginning. It was because of all those issues and all of the community problems that arose, that we are doing this backwards.” COMMON RULES He said in Nova Scotia, there has been no opportunity to develop a common set of rules as has happened in other provinces such as Alberta where regulations are left up to the municipalities. “It’s like trying...
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Judgment Day – International tribunal finds Canada’s residential school system constituted genocide
By Patrick Quinn, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Nation Following a week of testimony, Canada was judged guilty of genocide by the Rome-based Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal, an international court of opinion that convened in Montreal May 25-29 to investigate the country’s residential school impacts. “In international law, genocide need not involve mass killings,” said PPT co-chair Frances Webber. “It can be a slow and continual process taking place over centuries. The genocidal intent behind the forced removal of children was explicit.” This is the preliminary verdict from seven judges of the 57th PPT, a legally non-binding forum that has examined human rights violations on a global stage since 1979. A final decision and report will follow on September 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, after the judges have...
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Testimony of Trauma – Indigenous victims of obstetric and gynecological violence share their stories of abuse
By Natalia Fedosieieva, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Nation A Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue study released in May documents obstetric and gynecological violence experienced by Indigenous women in Quebec’s healthcare system. Phase I of the study collected 35 testimonies from First Nations women, and was published in November 2022, revealing accounts of forced sterilization and mistreatment during pregnancy and childbirth. Phase II analyzed testimony from 94 First Nations women, including three Cree participants, and identified 55 cases of imposed sterilization and 39 cases of other obstetric and gynecological violence (OGV). The report looked at incidents that took place between 1956 and 2023 involving women aged 15 to 40, that resulted in lasting trauma. UQAT professor Suzy Basile told the Nation the project emerged in 2020 from a conference in...
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First Nation in Manitoba declares state of emergency due to drugs, violence
The chief of a northern Manitoba First Nation says her community is so overwhelmed by drugs and the resulting violence that her members live in fear. Sayisi Dene First Nation has declared a state of emergency and called on provincial and federal governments for better policing and mental health and addiction supports. The fly-in community about 325 kilometres north of Thompson sees an RCMP presence about once a month, with two officers travelling there, often for less than a day. Chief Kelly-Ann Thom‑Duck says recent violence has members scared to visit the band office or grocery store, and that previous conversations with the RCMP have led “nowhere.” Premier Wab Kinew says keeping people safe is a “top priority” and that the province will work with the community. An RCMP spokesperson...
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Alberta files appeal on court decision to throw out separatist referendum petition
By Jack Farrell Alberta’s government has filed its appeal of a judge’s decision to quash a petition looking to force a vote on the province quitting Canada. Premier Danielle Smith criticized the ruling last month, calling it “anti-democratic,” and promised to appeal. Court of King’s Bench Justice Shaina Leonard found the referendum petition shouldn’t have been issued under provincial law and that Smith’s government neglected its duty to consult First Nations. Leonard’s decision effectively threw out the petition, which organizers submitted to Elections Alberta at the beginning of May. The campaign’s leaders have said almost 302,000 Albertans signed their names. A group of Alberta First Nations challenged the petition and Elections Alberta’s decision to issue it, arguing that separation would violate treaty rights and that the petition process was unconstitutional....
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Turning Sun Solar Breaks Ground
By Carol Baldwin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Wakaw Recorder Located on the traditional territory of the Ocean Man Nakoda Nation, the Turning Sun Solar project is one of the largest solar photovoltaic (PV) projects in the province of Saskatchewan and one of the largest renewable energy projects currently under construction in Canada. The Turning Sun Solar Project includes 10 percent Indigenous ownership through the partnership with the Ocean Man First Nation. At the groundbreaking ceremony on June 5, MP Terry Duguid, on behalf of the Honourable Tim Hodgson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, announced $15 million in federal funding for the project provided by the Government of Canada’s Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program (SREPs). This $4.5-billion program is designed to support the deployment of grid modernization, energy storage...
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Nuu-chah-nulth artists speak out against AI-generated art and fashion models
By Nora O’Malley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Ha-Shilth-Sa From a shared house in Medellín, Colombia, Koyah Morgan-Banke from the Toquaht and Secwépemc First Nations says all her career aspirations are going to be impacted by AI. The 20-year-old is spending the summer in South America after signing with a modelling agency. The Ucluelet Secondary School graduate also specializes in Indigenous formline design and is studying Neuroscience at the University of British Columbia (UBC). In science, AI excites me because data analysis is so much easier now. In every other facet, specifically creative, it’s horrifying. It’s very, very scary,” said Morgan-Banke over Facetime. When it comes to the modelling industry in 2026, Morgan-Banke says she is competing with computer generated models for gigs, and she has to be vigilant when signing...
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HBC Royal Charter welcomed in ceremony at Manitoba Museum
By Ian Bickis A 356-year-old document that granted the Hudson’s Bay Co. control over roughly one-third of Canada is now in public hands. The HBC Royal Charter was unveiled Thursday at the Manitoba Museum in Winnipeg in a ceremony that was both a celebration of the new life of the document and a reflection on the troubled legacy it created. “In 1670, a king, sitting across the ocean, claimed authority over our lands,” said Ovide Mercredi, former national chief of the Assembly of First Nations. “Through the so-called right of discovery, vast territories were granted to the Hudson’s Bay Company, as if our lands and territories were empty. But our lands were not empty, our nations were here.” Canada later bought the lands from the company, without recognizing the ancestors...
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Affordable housing breaks ground for off reserve residents
By John Watson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Strathmore Times Siksika Off Reserve Affordable Housing (SORAH) hosted the official groundbreaking for the Erin Woods Indigenous Housing Development, June 8, in Calgary. “This project, which is going to see the construction of 60 town homes and a welcome centre here in Erin Woods, is the continued hard work of the people of Siksika Nation, my very supportive board members from the City of Calgary Indigenous Housing Committee, and the urban Indigenous here in Calgary,” said Max Lloyd, general manager of SORAH. “In most cases, they are going to be forever homes. Some people will be living here for a short period of time by their choosing, and maybe they are going to be transitioning to other housing which would better suit their...
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Alberta files appeal on court decision to throw out separatist referendum petition
By Jack Farrell Alberta’s government filed on Thursday its appeal of a judge’s decision to quash a petition looking to force a vote on the province quitting Canada. Premier Danielle Smith criticized the ruling last month, calling it “anti-democratic,” and promised to appeal. Court of King’s Bench Justice Shaina Leonard found the referendum petition shouldn’t have been issued under provincial law and that Smith’s government neglected its duty to consult First Nations. Leonard’s decision effectively threw out the petition, which organizers submitted to Elections Alberta at the beginning of May. The campaign’s leaders have said almost 302,000 Albertans signed their names. A group of Alberta First Nations challenged the petition and Elections Alberta’s decision to issue it. In the appeal filed in Edmonton court, the province says it plans to...
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Statement from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre on the Anniversary of the Apology to Former Students of Residential Schools
June 11, 2026 Ottawa, ON – The Hon. Pierre Poilievre, Leader of His Majesty’s Loyal Opposition and the Conservative Party of Canada, released the following statement on the Anniversary of the Apology to Former Students of Residential Schools: “On this day in 2008, Prime Minister Stephen Harper delivered a long-awaited apology to the Indigenous community, finally acknowledging the government’s role in the Residential School system which, in Harper’s words, ‘was wrong, has caused great harm, and has no place in our country.’ “For over a century, motivated by the desire to assimilate Indigenous peoples and destroy their cultures, thousands of children were torn from their families and stripped of their language and traditions. “Over 150,000 children went through the system, far too many did not return. Those who did often...
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OPP officer killed in line of duty
Procession Escort from Forensic Sciences and Coroner’s Complex ORILLIA, ON – A procession to escort Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Provincial Constable Tarun Bali from the Forensic Sciences and Coroner’s Complex (FSCC) in North York to Thornhill will take place on Friday, June 12, 2026. On Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at approximately 12:30 p.m., members of the James Bay OPP were attempting to stop a vehicle as part of an ongoing investigation. During the attempted apprehension, an officer was struck by the vehicle. The officer, OPP Provincial Constable Tarun Bali, was seriously injured and was later pronounced deceased. An 18-year-old male from Hearst was charged with first degree murder in relation to this investigation. The procession transferring Provincial Constable Bali from the FSCC to the funeral home will depart the FSCC...
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Imperial Oil penalized $120K for substantial wastewater spill near Fort McMurray
Imperial Oil has been penalized $120,000 for a wastewater spill at its Kearl oilsands mine near Fort McMurray, Alta. Alberta’s energy regulator laid nine charges against the company last year in connection to the 2023 spill, which saw about 5.2 million litres of wastewater overflow from a drainage pond. An agreed statement of facts shared Thursday by the regulator says the company agreed to plead guilty last month to one of the offences: releasing substances from the mine to the surrounding watershed without approval. The other charges were withdrawn. They included failing to report the spill as soon as it was known and releasing a substance that “caused or may have caused a significant adverse effect.” The court document says the pond contained wastewater from bitumen processing, precipitation and seepage...
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Alberta files appeal on court decision to throw out separatist referendum petition
By Jack Farrell Alberta’s government has filed its appeal of a judge’s decision to quash a petition looking to force a vote on the province quitting Canada. Premier Danielle Smith criticized the ruling last month, calling it “anti-democratic,” and promised to appeal. Court of King’s Bench Justice Shaina Leonard found the referendum petition shouldn’t have been issued under provincial law and that Smith’s government neglected its duty to consult First Nations. Leonard’s decision effectively threw out the petition, which organizers submitted to Elections Alberta at the beginning of May. The campaign’s leaders have said almost 302,000 Albertans signed their names. A group of Alberta First Nations challenged the petition and Elections Alberta’s decision to issue it, arguing that separation would violate treaty rights and that the petition process was unconstitutional....
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Indigenous author presents award-winning bilingual book
An Indigenous children’s author’s bilingual book is a recent recipient of the Richard Allen Chase Memorial Award, named after a former Lethbridge teacher and librarian. Jennifer Leason, from the Minegoziibe Anishinabe-Pine Creek First Nation, paid a visit to Lethbridge to talk with elementary students about her award-winning book Hummingbird Aamo-binashee, followed by a book signing at Analog Books. The book, both written and illustrated by Leason, was written in honour of her mother in 2013 and is her second published work — each in both English and Anishinaabemowin. Leason says languages help people feel connected to each other and with Mother Earth. “The importance of learning and talking about the language is that it’s this connection to the land, to place and to Mother Earth, and requests really respecting and...
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Province boosts funding for Indigenous community safety, including training for Squamish Nation
By Ina Pace, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Squamish Chief An additional $3.1 million has been made available for Indigenous-led initiatives which seek to protect women, girls and two-spirit+ people from violence. The government of B.C. is investing in safety-planning for Indigenous communities. A further $3.1 million has been allocated by the province to help Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit+ people against violence. According to a government press release, $600,000 will go towards the development of a pilot notification system regarding missing Indigenous people—this will be developed with Indigenous partners, including Elders and knowledge keepers—whilst over $1 million will go to non-profit organization the Path Forward Community Fund. “Ending violence against Indigenous women and girls requires collective action, accountability and solidarity,” B.C. minister of Indigenous relations and reconciliation Spencer Chandra...
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B.C. firm ‘over the moon’ about contract to chart Canada’s role in lunar explorati
By Nono Shen Shaun Riddell is “over the moon” — figuratively, if not quite yet literally — since his Langley, B.C., firm was named among three companies hired by the Canadian Space Agency to lay the groundwork for human and robotic missions to the lunar surface. Riddell, the CEO of SpaceDirt, says he was “blown away” by the awarding of the $500,000 contract, given the competition for the national grant. SpaceDirt makes technology for autonomous robotic resource development on Earth, aimed at predicting where to drill and making discovery faster, safer, and more cost-effective in extreme environments. Riddell says the long-term vision for the company’s robots is to be the “dump trucks” of the moon, while the current project will draw a road map on how “Canada will contribute to...
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New full-length rock album a reflection of growing up Indigenous in urban Alberta
By Crystal St. Pierre, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Windspeaker.com Midnight Sparrows, a Vancouver-based hard rock group, has released full-length studio album Arrows, Arrows, Arrows. The release follows debut album Rock & Roll City (2020) and six-song EP Born in the City (2022). Blair Bellerose (Métis, Cree, Dene), lead singer, guitarist and songwriter, is a member of the Fort McKay First Nation in northern Alberta. He grew up though in St. Albert near Edmonton. “I would say it leans towards hard rock, reminiscent of music from the 70s, 80s and 90s,” said Bellerose of Arrows, Arrows, Arrows. “Songs range from tunes that lean almost country sounding to more of a heavier rock sound. There are 10 songs on the album and it’s fairly diverse.” Bellerose wrote the 10-tracks on Arrows, Arrows,...
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Children’s series inspired by Cree lessons during pandemic
By Sam Laskaris, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Windspeaker.com A pandemic educational journey has blossomed into the latest project for Vancouver filmmaker April Johnson. A member of Muskoday First Nation in Saskatchewan, Johnson has produced a children’s series titled Kokum & Dot. The TELUS series will have its broadcast debut on June 21, National Indigenous Peoples Day. Kokum & Dot features acclaimed Peguis First Nation actor/musician Renae Morriseau, who plays Dorothy. Her granddaughter Dot is a puppet voiced by Kellie Haines. Season one of the series features eight episodes, 11 minutes each. It has already been greenlit for a second season even though the first episode has yet to air. Each episode begins with Dorothy asking her granddaughter how her day is going. New Cree words are introduced in every episode....
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