B.C. First Nation has draft treaty after 30 years of hard work: treaty commissioner
The head of British Columbia’s Treaty Commission says the latest draft treaty signed in the province will allow the First Nation to “break free from the shackles of the Indian Act” and take control of their future. Chief Commissioner Celeste Haldane says the agreement represents 30-plus years of hard work and will fulfil the band’s vision for self-governance and control over its territory and resources. The Kitsumkalum is part of the Tsimshian First Nation, and its chief negotiator Gerald Wesley says reaching the draft treaty with the federal and provincial governments has been “a long journey” that started as far back as the 1970s. The proposed deal for the 825 people of the nation located west of Terrace would give them more than 46,000 hectares of land, self-governing powers and...
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Southern Manitoba First Nations chiefs re-elect Jerry Daniels as grand chief
First Nations chiefs in southern Manitoba have voted to keep Jerry Daniels as the leader of the organization that represents Anishinaabe and Dakota communities in the province. Daniels has been re-elected as grand chief of the Southern Chiefs’ Organization after first securing the position in 2017. He was challenged by former Long Plain First Nation Chief Kyra Wilson, who held the role until late last year. Wilson played a central role in the early calls to search a Winnipeg-area landfill for the remains of two Long Plain women who were killed by an admitted serial killer. Daniels says he will continue to work to support all leaders of the southern First Nations in the province as well as create opportunities for their citizens. The final tally saw Daniels with 21...
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Judge revokes bail as Inuit enrolment fraud case sentencing begins
By Jeff Pelletier Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Karima Manji left the Iqaluit courthouse in handcuffs Monday afternoon while she awaits sentencing in her fraud case, expected to come Thursday. Earlier this year, Manji pleaded guilty to fraud over $5,000 in a case about Inuit enrolment that attracted international attention. She had been out on bail since she was charged in September 2023. In 2016, Manji fraudulently obtained Inuit enrolment with Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. for her twin 25-year-old daughters, Amira and Nadya Gill, according to an agreed statement of facts. NTI is the organization responsible for ensuring Inuit receive the benefits they are entitled to under the Nunavut Agreement. Through that enrolment, the twins obtained $158,254.05 in scholarships from the Kakivak Association, which provides financial support to Qikiqtani Inuit students. With...
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Yukon mine halts operations after system failure, says infrastructure damaged
The Canadian Press Work has been temporarily stopped at a mine in central Yukon after what the company says was a failure of its system that uses chemicals to help extract gold. Victoria Gold said in a statement Monday that its heap leach pad at the Eagle Gold Mine near Mayo experienced a failure, causing some damage to infrastructure and that “a portion of the failure has left containment.” Heap leaching uses chemicals to percolate through crushed ore, allowing it to extract gold. A technical report on the company’s website says gold at the Eagle Gold Mine is being leached with a cyanide solution. A statement from the First Nation of Nacho Nyak Dun, whose traditional territory includes the mine site, said it is concerned about the “potentially significant and...
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New Report Details Indigenous Youth’s Climate Solutions
By Jeremy Appel Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Young Indigenous people are disproportionately impacted by the climate crisis, but their voices are often excluded from discussions around solutions, according to the latest report in Deloitte Canada’s Voices of Indigenous Youth Leaders on Reconciliation series. The report, entitled “Reconciling our relationships to preserve Mother Earth for future generations,” is the fourth volume in the global consulting firm’s series of surveys, which are based on priorities identified by Indigenous youth leaders aged 18 to 29 in interviews over the past two years. Siera Hancharyk, who’s from Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory on Manitoulin Island in B.C. but now lives in Toronto, is one of the youths who was interviewed for the report. She told Alberta Native News that she spoke to the report’s authors for two...
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Conservatives take Liberal stronghold in last-minute Toronto byelection victory
The Canadian Press 25/06/2024 09:53 Hours after Canadians went to bed disappointed by a Stanley Cup loss Monday night, the Conservatives scored a stunning byelection upset to win in the longtime Liberal stronghold of Toronto-St. Paul’s. Conservative candidate Don Stewart eked out the win by just 590 votes over Liberal Leslie Church in an early morning upset, yanking away a riding the governing Liberals have held for more than 30 years. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre demanded the prime minister call a snap election after what he described as a “shocking upset” on social media Tuesday morning. “Here is the verdict: Trudeau can’t go on like this. He must call a carbon tax election now,” Poilievre said on X. Stewart trailed Church for hours overnight as poll workers slowly counted ballots...
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Six Nations own Brandon Montour and Florida teammates capture Stanley Cup
Brandon Montour lifts the Stanley Cup after the Florida Panthers’ 2-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers By Sam Laskaris Writer The Stanley Cup will indeed soon be coming to Six Nations. That’s because local hockey player Brandon Montour and his Florida Panthers’ teammates are this year’s National Hockey League champs. The Panthers captured the Stanley Cup on Monday thanks to a 2-1 victory over the visiting Edmonton Oilers. With that Game 7 triumph the Florida squad won its best-of-seven league final 4-3. Each member of the winning organization traditionally gets to spend a day with the Stanley Cup and take it wherever he wants. During the television broadcast of the Panthers’ post-game celebrations, Montour confirmed he will bring one of the world’s most prestigious trophies to Six Nations once it...
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‘Mobilizing as quickly as we can’
By Anasophie Vallee, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Published: 24/06/2024 When you’re rushing out of your community to escape a wildfire, there isn’t a lot of time to pack a bag or figure out where you’ll lay your head. Following the evacuation of Churchill Falls on Wednesday, June 19, many evacuees were stuck trying to find accommodation and supplies in Happy Valley-Goose Bay – and residents of that community were quick to rally together and help. Residents began sharing all available lodgings and resources through social media, with some residents offering up their campers and opening up their homes to displaced Churchill Falls residents. Mobilizing quickly Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation was quick to offer accommodations at a former Christian Youth camp to any evacuees needing a place to stay. The camp...
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Concern over Indigenous identity fraud heightened by government definitions: minister
The Canadian Press The Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations says a lot of talk about the issue of so-called Indigenous identity fraud is based around apprehensions people have about the government defining who is — and who isn’t — a rights-holder. “The notion of Indigenous identity is obviously very complicated and layered with many centuries of colonialism,” Gary Anandasangaree said in an interview Thursday. “It really isn’t the role of the federal government to define what an Indigenous person is, and who is not.” But as the recognition of Indigenous rights often comes from the federal government, he and Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu have been increasingly under pressure from all three federally recognized groups of Indigenous Peoples — First Nations, Inuit and Métis — to either butt out of the...
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Haldimand council split over giant Nanticoke development
By J.P. Antonacci Local Journalism Initiative Reporter In a narrow vote, a divided Haldimand County council affirmed its willingness to consider building Haldimand’s biggest town in the shadow of the Stelco steelworks in Nanticoke. But the onus is now on the developer to pitch the plan to the province. Empire Communities came to council in February 2022 with a vision to put about 15,000 homes on 4,200 acres of industrial land surrounding Stelco’s Lake Erie Works. The land — near the steelworks and an oil refinery — is inside a “provincially significant employment zone,” an area designated by the province for industrial development and declared unsuitable for housing. That means the county had to apply for a “minister’s zoning order” (MZO) asking the province for permission to rezone the area...
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Sandy Lake celebrates the arrival of power and light
SANDY LAKE – Another First Nation celebrated Wataynikaneyap Power “bringing the light” on Friday, National Indigenous Peoples Day. “The Wataynikaneyap Power transmission system means more than reliable electricity for the community,” Sandy Lake Chief Delores Kakegamic said. “It means we can build new homes and buildings, such as our new health centre, and connect them to power. It means we will no longer need to react, almost daily, to power outages.” The fly-in community of more than 3,000 northeast of Red Lake began getting power via the Wataynikaneyap line on April 18, but June 21 was chosen for the celebration. Wataynikaneyap means “line that brings light” in Anishiniiniimowin (Oji-Cree), and the company’s transmission line brings light by connecting remote First Nations to the Ontario power grid. Wataynikaneyap Power’s website describes...
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Non-Indigenous woman faces up to two years in custody in Inuit identity fraud case
The Canadian Press A Toronto woman who pleaded guilty to a case of Inuit identity fraud could face up to two years in jail. Karima Manji previously pleaded guilty to one count of fraud over $5,000 after her twin daughters used Inuit status to receive benefits from two organizations. Charges against the daughters, who are not Inuit, were dropped after Manji pleaded guilty. The Crown is asking for a sentence of between 18 months and two years in custody, while the defence is arguing for a shorter sentence of nine to 12 months. During a sentencing hearing in Iqaluit, a judge told the court a period of incarceration is required in this case. The judge is expected to give her decision on Thursday morning. This report by The Canadian Press...
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Self-government comes for northwest B.C. First Nation in proposed treaty
The Canadian Press Published: 24/06/2024 17:12 A British Columbia First Nation has agreed to a draft treaty with the federal and provincial governments that would give it more than 38,000 hectares of land in the province’s northwest. The proposed deal with the Kitselas nation is the first treaty with a B.C. First Nation in more than a decade and would give the band self-governing powers, while removing it from under the federal Indian Act. If approved by nation members in a vote next year, the treaty could become law as early as 2028, constitutionally recognizing the nation’s rights to governance, harvesting, land ownership, resource management, and other benefits. The treaty also includes $108.9 million from the federal government. Both the federal and provincial governments would have to pass legislation after...
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Indigenous data sovereignty can help save British Columbia’s wild salmon
24/06/2024 12:04 Non-Indigenous scientists increasingly realize that Indigenous data are key to solving today’s environmental challenges. Indigenous Peoples have generated and cared for data for millennia, passing down knowledge through traditions like storytelling, art and language. This knowledge is crucial to Indigenous ways of life, including the sustainable stewardship of ecosystems. With partnerships between non-Indigenous scientists and Indigenous knowledge holders proliferating, incorporating Indigenous data sovereignty (IDS) — the right of Indigenous Peoples to govern the collection, ownership and application of their data — is vital for successful collaborations and conservation. Science and Indigenous data Non-Indigenous scientists have a troubling track record of unethical research practices. Examples of treating Indigenous knowledge holders as research subjects are common and often lead to exploitation, mistrust and ongoing power imbalances that persist today. For...
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Chiefs frustrated with AFN’s child welfare work, say they’re not being consulted
: The Canadian Press Published: 24/06/2024 12:10 Three regional chiefs representing nearly half of First Nations say a national association is overstepping its mandate by making decisions that will directly affect children and families without consent. The chiefs, representing First Nations in Saskatchewan, British Columbia and Quebec-Labrador, say the Assembly of First Nations is not being transparent in its negotiations for a final settlement agreement with Canada on First Nations child and family services. They also say the AFN’s legal counsel are attempting to exclude the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society from the process altogether. The final agreement is part of a $40-billion settlement with Canada that came after the AFN and the Caring Society jointly launched a human-rights complaint about Ottawa’s chronic underfunding of on-reserve child welfare...
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‘We need to find a way to work together in a better way’
By Roisin Cullen Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The new chair of the Indigenous and Northern Affairs Committee, MP Patrick Weiler, is ready to hit the ground running. The Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs reviews, examines and reports on issues affecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples and northerners. Elected chair on June 4, Weiler served as a member of the committee from 2021 to 2023. The local member of Parliament told Pique he has seen first-hand the injustice Indigenous people in Canada face on a daily basis. “Prior to politics, I used to practise in aboriginal and environmental law. It’s one of the things that made me want to get involved with politics,” he said. “I wanted to improve the relationship with Indigenous Peoples across Canada. I...
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Indigenous leader makes plea for unity among B.C. First Nations to save wild salmon
The Canadian Press 21/06/2024 17:04 Indigenous dancers have circled a fire inside Victoria’s Mungo Martin House in a celebration of wild salmon on National Indigenous Peoples Day. Members of the Namgis First Nation from the Alert Bay area of northern Vancouver Island gathered at the traditional long house to honour their deep connections to the fish. Eighty-two-year-old Hereditary Chief Chris Cook says he remembers years ago when local rivers and streams were so full of wild salmon he could almost walk across their backs. He says he and the Namgis hope the days of plentiful wild salmon will return after the federal government this week said it would ban open net-pen fish farms in B.C. waters by 2029. Cook is pleading for unity among B.C. First Nations to rebuild wild...
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People rally outside ‘Kamloops’ court as Curtis Sagmoen set to appear: ‘We’re there for all women’
By Aaron Hemens, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 21/06/2024 14:36 Content warning: This story contains details about Canada’s epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and Two-Spirit people. Please be gentle with your spirit and read with care. More than a dozen people rallied outside of a courthouse in Secwepemcúl’ecw on Thursday as Curtis Sagmoen, a notorious Okanagan-based man with a history of violence against women, was set to make an appearance. Sagmoen was scheduled to appear in the Kamloops court on June 20 on two counts of possession of a firearm contrary to order. His lawyer was present online for the hearing, but just like his previous court date on June 6 for the same allegations, Sagmoen was nowhere to be seen. His next appearance is now booked for...
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“We’ve been at the table”: Hajdu on Ginoogaming’s state of emergency
By Austin Campbell Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 21/06/2024 13:54 Following a speech made by Chief Sheri Taylor of Ginoogaming First Nation and comments from Greg Rickford, minister of northern affairs and First Nations economic reconciliation, at Premier Doug Ford’s recent announcement in Greenstone, Minister Patty Hajdu has issued a response. Ginoogaming declared a state of emergency in May and, with the support of Matawa First Nations Management and the Chiefs Council, a letter written by Chief Taylor was hand-delivered to Premier Ford’s office. Dougall Media recently caught up with Hajdu at her office in Thunder Bay, where she responded to Rickford’s comments and offered some examples of what she and her staff have been doing not only for Ginoogaming but the province as a whole. “I think we’ve been at...
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Winnipeg street named after controversial bishop officially renamed in ceremony
The Canadian Press 21/06/2024 14:03 Winnipeg is holding a ceremony on National Indigenous Peoples Day to rename a major street originally named for a Catholic bishop who championed residential schools. City council voted to rename Bishop Grandin Boulevard in the city’s south end to Abinojii Mikanah last year. The new name translates to “children’s way” in Anishinaabemowin. Bishop Vital-Justin Grandin was identified by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission as leading the campaign for residential schools. Mayor Scott Gillingham says renaming the street acknowledges the past injustices and honours the resilience and strength of Indigenous communities. Frank Beaulieu, a knowledge keeper and member of the group who chose the new name, says it unites all Manitobans regardless of race or culture. “I believe our children and grandchildren unborn will walk in...
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