Indigenous Services failing to improve critical services for First Nations, AG finds
By Alessia Passafiume Indigenous Services Canada is falling far behind on its efforts to address long-standing health and infrastructure problems in First Nations communities, the federal auditor general says. In a report released today, Auditor General Karen Hogan says that despite an 84 per cent increase in spending since 2019, Indigenous Services Canada continues to struggle to expand access to clean drinking water and emergency services in First Nations communities. She says the department has failed to implement roughly half of the recommendations her office has made between 2015 and 2022. Twenty years after the auditor general first raised concerns about First Nations’ access to clean drinking water, 35 long-term drinking water advisories remain in place and nine of them have been active for a decade or more, Hogan says....
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Eby says B.C. tried to involve private owners in Cowichan Aboriginal title case
By Nono Shen British Columbia Premier David Eby says the province previously tried unsuccessfully to get private property owners involved in the landmark Cowichan Tribes Aboriginal title case, as the City of Richmond prepares to host a meeting for owners potentially affected by the ruling. The city has sent letters to owners in the area where the Supreme Court of British Columbia ruled the Cowichan Tribes hold Aboriginal title, with Mayor Malcolm Brodie saying over the weekend that hundreds of peoples’ properties may be affected by the case in which they had no prior involvement. Eby says the province tried to have property owners served in the case, but was rejected by the court, and it’s “totally reasonable” that owners are now anxious about the case’s implications. The Aug. 7...
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Ottawa hasn’t defined ‘national interest’ under major projects law
By Nick Murray The federal government still has not issued specific criteria to define the “national interest” under its new major projects law, despite calls from MPs to do so. The Building Canada Act allows the government to identify projects in the “national interest” for faster approval processes, which could include exemptions from certain environmental laws. As the government rushed the bill through the House of Commons in June, MPs studying it at the committee stage amended it to suggest that the government offer its criteria for determining which projects are in the national interest, and to require it to issue a timeline for when that might happen. The amendment was moved by the Conservatives and narrowly passed on a 5-4 vote, with the Liberals opposing it. In response, Privy...
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Three men charged with murder of Manitoba woman after years-long investigation
By Steve Lambert Three men have been charged with killing a Manitoba woman who disappeared in 2020 and whose remains were found three years later on an abandoned property near the Saskatchewan boundary. RCMP said Monday the three men were all known to Melinda Lynxleg, of Tootinaowaziibeeng Treaty Reserve, also known as Valley River First Nation, and one was a close relative. “This is an extremely complex investigation,” Sgt. Morgan Page of the RCMP major crimes section told reporters. “We’ve been working with our lab and with all of the witnesses and the people surrounding Melinda at the time of her death,” she added later. Lynxleg, a 40-year-old mother of six, was last seen at a residence near Grandview, Man., in April 2020. Her body was found in June 2023 on...
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What to know about the recovery efforts in Alaska following ex-Typhoon Halong
By Becky Bohrer JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The mass evacuation by military aircraft of hundreds of residents from Alaska villages ravaged by the remnants of Typhoon Halong is complete, and officials and local leaders are turning attention to trying to stabilize damaged infrastructure and housing where they can before the winter freeze sets in. The focus of major response efforts following back-to-back storms that battered western Alaska has been the Yup’ik communities of Kipnuk and Kwigillingok, which are near the Bering Sea and have histories of flooding. While more than a dozen communities reported damage from the remnants of Halong earlier this month, Kipnuk and Kwigillingok were devastated by storm surge and water levels that reached record highs. Homes were swept away, some with people inside. Winds in the region...
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Province Backs Indigenous Language Revitalization with $4.5M Funding
By Steven Sukkau, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Winnipeg Sun The Manitoba government is making a landmark investment in Indigenous language revitalization, committing more than $4.5 million to launch two new university-level degree programs designed to train fluent speakers and future teachers of Indigenous languages. Premier Wab Kinew and Advanced Education and Training Minister Renée Cable announced the initiative Friday, describing it as a key step in preserving and passing on Indigenous languages to future generations. “Preserving the Indigenous languages of our province means passing them on to future generations. Indigenous youth will be healthier if they can speak the traditional language of their communities,” said Kinew. “These programs train a new generation of fluent Indigenous language speakers and teachers to carry on Manitoba’s Indigenous traditions.” University of Winnipeg will receive...
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Quebec government abandons Bill 97
By Lucas-Matthew Marsh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Iori:wase Rising tensions and repeated breakdowns in negotiations between stakeholders has resulted in the provincial government scrapping Bill 97 in its entirety, although some form of forestry reform is still a possibility. The decision was made after Jean-François Simard was appointed as the province’s new minister of Natural Resources and Forests in last month’s cabinet shuffle. “Today, Premier François Legault announced the end of Bill 97 in order to start fresh,” Ian Lafrenière, minister of First Nations and Inuit Relations, said last Thursday. The proposed forestry bill was responsible for amassing an unprecedented coalition against it, from First Nations, environmental groups and labour unions to forestry associations. According to Peter Graefe, a political science professor at McMaster University, this overwhelming opposition has made...
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Eby says B.C. tried to involve private owners in Cowichan Aboriginal title case
By Nono Shen British Columbia Premier David Eby says the province previously tried unsuccessfully to get private property owners involved in the landmark Cowichan Tribes Aboriginal title case, as the City of Richmond prepares to host a meeting for owners potentially affected by the ruling. The city has sent letters to owners in the area where the Supreme Court of British Columbia ruled the Cowichan Tribes hold Aboriginal title, with Mayor Malcolm Brodie saying over the weekend that hundreds of people’s properties may be affected by the case in which they had no prior involvement. Eby says the province tried to have property owners served in the case, but was rejected by the court, and it’s “totally reasonable” that owners are now anxious about the case’s implications. The Aug. 7...
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How common is severe climate change anxiety in Canada? Study offers a glimpse
Indigenous people had highest prevalence of severe climate anxiety of any group By Jordan Omstead Two new studies are helping to shed light on the extent Canadians feel climate change is impacting their mental health. A national study published today suggests about 2.3 per cent of people in Canada experience climate change anxiety at a level the authors considered “clinically relevant,” causing meaningful distress and disruption in their lives. The severe manifestation of climate anxiety was more common among people who had directly experienced climate change impacts, women compared to men, those in Northern Canada compared to Southern Canada, younger generations compared to older generations, people in urban centres compared to rural areas, and people with lower incomes. The study published in the academic journal Nature Mental Health also suggests...
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More info sent to Ottawa over Dresden landfill fight
By Pam Wright, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Chatham Voice When it comes to the proposed York 1 dump project at Dresden, municipal officials hope the federal government is listening. To that end, Chatham-Kent has submitted additional information to the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC), clarifying information put forward by York1 with regard to the controversial proposal. Along with reaffirming the municipality’s opposition, the letter from its external legal counsel states the project would require several planning approvals under Ontario’s Planning Act, including changes to zoning and the Official Plan. The letter, outlining Chatham-Kent’s position, also states Ontario’s processes do not provide a full or adequate review of potential impacts on the environment or Indigenous rights, noting C-K continues to support a federal assessment under the Impact Assessment Act. Plus,...
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Three men charged with murder of Manitoba woman
By Steve Lambert Manitoba RCMP say three men have been charged with second-degree murder in the death of a woman who disappeared five years ago. Mounties say the three also face charges of offering an indignity to the human remains of 40-year-old Melinda Lynxleg. Sgt. Morgan Page says all the accused knew the woman from Tootinaowaziibeeng Treaty Reserve, also known as Valley River First Nation. Page says an extremely complex investigation, with numerous tips and interviews, countless police resources and thousands of hours of work, led to the charges. The woman was reported missing in April 2020, and her remains were found three years later on an abandoned property in San Clara, near the Manitoba-Saskatchewan boundary. A statement from the victim’s daughter says the charges, while relieving, reopen deep pain...
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Ontario polar bears could be ‘extinct in 45 years’ as Ford’s Bill 5 strips remaining protections
By Anushka Yadav, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Pointer When Ontario Nature’s conservation campaigns and advocacy manager, Shane Moffatt, told The Pointer in May that Bill 5, dubbed Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act, is “potentially the worst piece of legislation that Ontario has seen in a generation,” he knew exactly what was at stake. The Doug Ford government’s controversial legislation, passed on June 5 gutted the Endangered Species Act (ESA), one of the province’s strongest environmental protection tools, and replaced it with the far weaker Species Conservation Act, stripping away essential safeguards for Ontario’s at-risk wildlife. Five months later, Moffatt found himself writing to the federal government, urging Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) to step in and help polar bears, after Ontario had abandoned the cause of...
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Families left uninformed after passing of loved ones
By Eric Plummer, Ha-Shilth-Sa Newspaper, Ha-Shilth-Sa Port Alberni, BC – A mother who recently lost her son in a car accident is calling for systemic changes, after being left in the dark about the deceased’s whereabouts for most of a week. It took five days for Nancy Antoine to get any information from the BC Coroners Service. Her son Nick was killed in a collision by Cameron Lake on Sept. 27. “I had to look for my son and look for his car. Stand by and wait,” she said in correspondence with Ha-Shilth-Sa. “It should not be like this for grieving families.” “The frustration as a parent is waiting for the coroner or the police to get back to us on where he was taken, where his car was taken...
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Indigenous intern program highlighted as ‘success
By Sean Porter, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Sault Star Water First’s Environmental Program internship just graduated it’s first six interns. “It’s a journey for the graduates, lots of technical things to go through, when I see all six of them, they seem like they’ve accomplished something big,” Ryan Osman, head of the environmental program. The program was launched July, 2024, in collaboration with Mamaweswen, The North Shore Tribal Council which represents First Nation communities Atikameksheng Anishinawbek, Batchewana, Garden River, Mississauga, Sagamk Anishnawbek, Serpent River and Thessalon. Garden River First Nation participate, Alexandra Nolan said “One of my favourite things about the internship was being with other people striving for climate change solutions and working together to solve environmental challenges,” in a release. Graduation and ceremony took place at Laurentian Lodge...
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Marineland’s decline raises questions about the future of zoo tourism
By Ann-Kathrin McLea, Carina Ya, Moira A. McDonald and Thomas Worry Thirty beluga whales are at the risk of being euthanized at the now-shuttered Marineland zoo and amusement park in Niagara Falls. Marineland said in a letter to Canada’s Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson it will have to euthanize the whales if it doesn’t receive the necessary financial support to relocate them. The park has come under intense scrutiny recently due to the ongoing struggle to relocate its remaining whales amid financial struggles, a lack of resources and crumbling infrastructure. Canada passed the Ending the Captivity of Whales and Dolphins Act in 2019 that prohibits whales, dolphins and porpoises from being taken into captivity. However, the law does not apply retroactively, meaning whales already held in facilities such as Marineland were...
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Ontario Indigenous advocate says Anglo American turned ‘blind eye’ to De Beers issues
By Lauren Krugel An Indigenous advocate in northern Ontario says his community’s past experience with Anglo American PLC’s diamond-mining subsidiary De Beers does not inspire confidence that a proposed merger between the U.K. company and Vancouver-based Teck Resources Ltd. would benefit First Nations. Charles Hookimaw, former director of lands and resources for the Attawapiskat First Nation, detailed his concerns in a letter earlier this month to federal Industry Minister Mélanie Joly, whose department is reviewing whether the $70-billion transaction would be a net positive for Canada. “I observed first-hand that Anglo American consistently failed to ensure that its subsidiary lived up to its social responsibility and to respect the treaty rights of the Kattawapiskak (Attawapiskat) First Nation,” wrote Hookimaw, who now works as a freelance adviser on Indigenous issues. “Despite...
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City of Richmond to host meeting on ‘consequential’ Cowichan Tribes case
Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie hopes an upcoming meeting will give property owners affected by the Cowichan Tribes case more information, calling the decision “one of the most consequential rulings of any court” in Canadian history. The meeting scheduled for Oct. 28 in the British Columbia community happens almost three months after a B.C. Supreme Court judge ruled that Cowichan Tribes have the right to 7 1/2 square kilometres of land in Richmond, ruling that land titles granted by government were invalid. While the First Nation had not sought to have the titles of privately held properties declared invalid, the court said the Crown’s granting of private property ownership rights unjustifiably infringe on Cowichan Aboriginal title and needs to be resolved through negotiation, litigation or purchase. Otherwise the properties would remain...
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Report points to longer waits, higher fees for Manitoba freedom of information
By Steve Lambert The Manitoba government has been taking longer to respond to freedom of information requests and collecting more money from people filing them, newly released figures show. Government departments and agencies fulfilled more than 1,200 freedom of information requests in the fiscal year that ended in March, said the government’s annual report on its freedom of information law, released last week. A little more than half — 55 per cent — were completed within the normal 45-day period required by law, or after more time under an allowable extension in cases involving a large volume of records or where other governments or people must be consulted. That on-time completion rate was down from 69 per cent the previous year and 70 per cent the year before. People seeking...
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Three Indigenous-led marine refuges established in waters off B.C.’s North Coast
The federal government and two First Nations have jointly announced the establishment of three marine refuges along British Columbia’s North Coast. The Haida Nation and Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson say in a release that two marine refuge areas have been formally established in the waters near the islands of Haida Gwaii. The Gitxaala Nation, south of Prince Rupert, B.C., says in a separate statement that it has also jointly established with the federal government a third marine refuge in the area of nearby Banks Island. All three sites have been established under an initiative meant to increase Indigenous-led marine conservation efforts on the West Coast, while also advancing reconciliation. The Haida Nation says in a statement that it has worked for almost two decades on leading local marine planning efforts,...
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Initiative to grant Rice Lake legal personhood status gaining momentum, says Alderville First Nation chief
By Natalie Hamilton, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, KawarthaNOW Taynar Simpson is hoping his legacy as chief of Alderville First Nation will include a cleaner and protected Rice Lake for many future generations of the Indigenous community. Stating that over-fishing and pollution is savaging the health of the large body of water located in both Northumberland and Peterborough counties, Alderville First Nation’s current chief and others are aiming to make a long-term contribution to the vitality of this vital resource. Simpson is helping spearhead an effort to have Rice Lake granted legal personhood status, which would ultimately protect the lake’s rights now and in the future. Working in collaboration with Alderville community members, other First Nation communities, the International Observatory of Nature’s Rights (which has taken on the case pro bono),...
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