Fort St. John Métis Society elects new board with focus on ‘programs that forward culture’
By Ed Hitchins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Energeticcity.ca FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The Métis community of Fort St. John has elected a new board to represent residents. The Fort St. John Métis Society announced its board in a Facebook post on June 8th. Seven board members, including director and proposal writer Bailie Copeland, were elected at the society’s annual general meeting on Sunday for a two-year term. Copeland will join her mother Alana, who serves as president. Also included are bingo committee chair Nancy Desjarlais; Elder representative Shirley Salmond; vice-president Peggy Olanski; women’s representative Coreen Stevens; and secretary-treasurer Candace Peever. Additionally, Desjarlais, Salmond and Stevens will also serve as directors. Copeland told Energeticcity.ca it’s “business as usual” for the board, which includes initiatives such as around food security for...
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Doig River First Nation acquires majority stake in ecological restoration company
By Ed Hitchins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Energeticcity.ca FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Doig River First Nation (DRFN) has made a massive step forward in furthering its environmental goals across northeast B.C. by its investment in an ecological restoration company. According to a press release submitted to Energeticcity.ca, DRFN has acquired a majority interest in Fort St. John-based Blackbird Environmental on Wednesday, June 11th. Financial terms of the arrangement were not disclosed. DRFN Chief Trevor Makadahay said the acquisition gives his community “a direct role in how restoration happens on our territory – with our knowledge, our values and our standards at the forefront.” “Healing the land means more than reclamation,” said Makadahay. “It’s about restoring the balance between our people, the animals and the environment.” Focusing on progressive reclamation,...
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Haida filmmaker’s documentary shares story about Indigenous basketball and sovereignty
By Abby Luciano, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, North Shore News A Northern B.C. basketball team is fighting for more than a championship title on the court. Saints and Warriors, the debut documentary from Haida filmmaker Nang Ḵ’uulas (Patrick Shannon), captures the story of the Skidegate Saints and their journey competing in the 2024 All Native Basketball Tournament in Prince Rupert, but also the present-day fight for the Hadia Nation’s sovereignty and getting land back. “I felt compelled to tell the story of Haida basketball because even though I didn’t play basketball growing up, it’s still something that has shaped every single person on Haida Gwaii,” Shannon said. “I knew that sports was always a great vehicle to tell a much larger story of culture revitalization, resilience and it’s also an...
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Kinew says Manitoba hotel owners should step up for wildfire evacuees
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew says some hotel owners in the province are not doing enough to help wildfire evacuees. Kinew said on Thursday after touring some fire-hit areas that while a large majority of hotel operators have been great, some need to open up rooms as there are evacuees still sleeping in cots in emergency shelters. About 21,000 people in Manitoba have had to evacuate including from Flin Flon, Pimicikamak Cree Nation and other areas. There’s a fire burning about five kilometres away from the First Nation, while the one near Flin Flon is the biggest one in the province at about 3,000 square kilometres. A smaller fire is burning south of Cranberry Portage, but the community’s 600 residents are being allowed to return home starting Saturday morning. Officials in...
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Works inspired by Inuit and Viking cultures on display
By Crystal St.Pierre, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Windspeaker.com The work of Inuit artist Abraham Anghik Ruben will be featured in the Winnipeg Art Gallery’s (WAG) – Qaumajuq space until May 31, 2026. The exhibition marks the first ever solo show in WAG’s Qilak gallery, the main gallery within Qaumajuq, which is the largest exhibition space dedicated to Inuit art in the world. With more than 50 years and 100 pieces of Ruben’s artwork showcased, visitors will have the opportunity to travel through the artist’s lifelong journey of reconnecting with his roots and view his interpretations of some of the traditional stories he grew up with. The master sculptor was born in 1951 in a camp south of Paulatuk, N.W.T. and east of the Mackenzie River Delta. It was a time...
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Thousands of fry released in fourth annual chinook salmon event
By Abigail Popple, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Rocky Mountain Goat Nearly 9,000 chinook salmon fry swam free at this year’s salmon release day in Valemount. Organized in tandem with Simpcw First Nation, Tourism Valemount and Prince George-based Spruce City Wildlife Association, the annual event allows locals to watch as salmon are released into Swift Creek with the goal of replenishing the local salmon population. This year’s event included some changes that will allow organizers to better track growth in the salmon population, said Dustin Snyder, president of the Spruce City Wildlife Association. Organizers cut off the fry’s adipose fin – a small, fleshy fin three quarters of the way down a fish’s back – a technique that marks hatchery fish. When hatchery fish are caught, fishers send their heads...
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Nunavut News briefs
By Jill Westerman, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News Securing Canada’s Arctic Arctic security was of concern to MLA Kaernerk during the May 30th sitting of the Legislative Assembly. Kaernerk expressed disappoint to Premier Akeeagok about the announcement that Iqaluit would be the new headquarters under Arctic security and sovereignty, as he was advocating for Sanirajak. “I would like to know how was this decision made. I know it was done federally, but did the premier at least advocate for my constituents of Amittummiut?” Kaernerk asked. Akeeagok said the prime minister did not announce the headquarters would be located in Iqaluit, but he did announce a northern operation hub in the capital city – one of three that were identified, the other two being located in Inuvik and Yellowknife. “I...
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The Latest: California challenges Trump’s use of military in Los Angeles
-AP-Opponents of President Donald Trump ’s administration are set to rally in hundreds of cities on Saturday during the military parade in Washington for the Army’s 250th anniversary — which coincides with Trump’s birthday — as protests grow in response to his immigration policies. The “No Kings” protests have been called, organizers say, to protect America’s democracy as Trump vows to increase his deployment of military forces inside the United States. A federal court hearing is scheduled for Thursday challenging Trump’s use of the National Guard and Marines to support immigration raids in Los Angeles. California Gov. Gavin Newsom warns that the military intervention is the onset of a much broader effort by Trump to overturn norms at the heart of America’s political system. Testifying Thursday before Congress, New York...
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The reverence for Old Glory that inspired Flag Day arose decades after Betsy Ross sewed her first
By John Hanna TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The woman often credited with sewing the first national U.S. flag — at the request of George Washington himself, her descendants claimed — might have been puzzled by Saturday’s modern Flag Day. In Betsy Ross’ day, flags marked ships and told soldiers where they should move in the confusion of battlefield smoke and noise. The intense reverence many Americans feel for Old Glory arose from the Civil War, when the need to keep the banner aloft in battle led the Union army to treat the deadly job of flag bearer as a high honor — and men responded with fatal heroics. The first, local Flag Day observances came after the Civil War and eventually a federal law designated June 14 as Flag Day...
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Firm mum on perceived wind farm plans
By Carl Clutchey, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Chronicle-Journal A large Toronto-based energy company with wind and solar projects in operation across the country says details about a potential wind farm project just west of Thunder Bay are not yet being made public, and may be released at a later date. “Capstone is committed to best practices in public consultation when it comes to new projects, so broader community notice and engagement would take place if a potential project was moving forward, including notification in the local media,” Capstone Infrastructure spokeswoman Megan Hunter said in an email. According to an excerpt from a Capstone document that appeared on social media, the company is exploring areas 40 kilometres west of Thunder Bay and 20 km west of Kakabeka Falls. Potential sites...
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Mohawk Council of Kahnawake rejects One Canadian Economy Act, undermines sovereignty
By Lucas-Matthew Marsh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Iori:wase The Mohawk Council of Kahnawake has rejected the proposed One Canadian Economy Act in an open letter addressed to Prime Minister Mark Carney published on Monday. Presented by the Liberal Party last week as a way to revive Canada’s stagnating economy, the act has drawn criticism from First Nations across the country for undermining their sovereignty. MCK accused the federal government of capitalizing off the threat of U.S. tariffs and economic instability as a pretence to fast-tracking development projects on Indigenous lands without due process or consent. “Canada is shirking and shifting its responsibilities so soon after the departure of King Charles,” MCK Grand Chief Cody Diabo said. According to MCK, the Prime Minister’s Office gave just seven days’ notice to a...
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Continued failure to consult on uranium exploration a harmful mistake: Mi’kmaw Chiefs
By Lyndsay Armstrong Nova Scotia’s continued failure to consult with First Nations on uranium exploration is a mistake that will further erode the province’s relationship with Mi’kmaq communities, says the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Chiefs and a lawyer from Sipekne’katik First Nation. Pictou Landing First Nation Chief Tamara Young said the Mi’kmaq people were neither consulted nor notified when Nova Scotia introduced then passed a bill that opens the province up to potential uranium mining and fracking. “The lack of consultation is unacceptable and goes against the UNDRIP (United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples),” Young said in a statement to The Canadian Press on Wednesday. The assembly has said they will continue to oppose both uranium exploration and hydraulic fracturing until their environmental concerns have been...
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Jay Treaty Border Alliance wants 50 per cent blood quantum requirement removed
MCK Grand Chief attended diplomatic mission to Washington with Jay Treaty Border Alliance By Lucas-Matthew Marsh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Iori:wase Mohawk Council of Kahnawake Grand Chief Cody Diabo has returned from a two-day diplomatic visit to Washington, D.C. last week, as part of the Jay Treaty Border Alliance (JTBA) delegation. Diabo said the delegation met with a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers, including congressional representatives, members of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, and the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security, to advocate for changes to the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). The JTBA is calling for the removal of a clause in the INA that requires individuals to prove at least 50 percent “American Indian blood” in order to exercise cross-border rights under the Jay Treaty. Diabo...
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Six Nations and Brantford-Brant Paramedics team up to grant golf wish
By Celeste Percy-Beauregard, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Hamilton Spectator A tee time with loved ones and a peanut butter chocolate parfait. After nearly half a year in palliative care at Brantford General Hospital, it’s what James Thomson — Jim to his friends — was longing for. It happened, thanks to two local paramedic services. Andrew Wood started a palliative “wish” program as part of the Brant-Brantford community paramedicine team. His mission is to help Brantford and Brant County residents in their last weeks or months of life to fulfil an experience they wouldn’t be able to easily accomplish on their own. In just over a year, he has facilitated four in-person experiences and many more virtual ones. Thomson — a retired Toronto Sun journalist — golfed “every single day...
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Legal experts gear up to challenge Bill 5 as First Nations pledge to ‘close Ontario’s economy’
By Anushka Yadav, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Pointer Rallies for endangered species. Protests led by First Nations. A filibuster from the NDP. More than 4,000 amendments tabled by the Liberals. Two committee hearings with Indigenous leaders, legal experts, labour representatives, and more. Despite all of it, Bill 5 passed. On June 5, as Ontarians across the province struggled to breathe through smoke-filled air from wildfires raging across the country, Bill 5, dubbed the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, received royal assent. Legal experts, Indigenous leaders and environmental groups are vowing to turn the Bill against the politicians who steamrolled it through the legislature with little regard for all the laws and policies it violates at all three levels of government. For Ontario Nature’s conservation policy and campaigns...
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Sentencing hearing set for late August for First Nations healer found guilty of assaulting client
By Keith Lacey, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Penticton Herald A First Nations healer found guilty of assaulting one of his clients during native healing sessions almost three years ago will have his sentencing hearing at the Penticton courthouse on Aug. 29. Donald Wayne Ashley, who is in his mid-50s, was originally charged with six counts of sexual assault on allegations that he inappropriately touched six complainants during different native healing sessions over a four-day period in the middle of October 2022. Following a highly-emotional, one-month trial last fall, a jury found Ashley guilty of one count of common assault, but not guilty of three counts of sexual assault. The jury rendered their decision at 1 a.m. following two full days of deliberations. Ashley, who spent much of his life in...
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Indoor farming helps community members bring healthy food to northern Manitoba
By Ruchira Nandasiri and Miyoung Suh Healthy food is hard to come by in northern Manitoba. Food shipped from the south is prohibitively expensive and is often stale, and the climate and soil in the region don’t support much traditional outdoor farming. This issue disproportionately impacts northern Indigenous communities, many of which have moved away from traditional food practices, creating a supply problem with far-reaching health consequences. The 10-year First Nations Food, Nutrition and Environment Study, funded by Health Canada and published in 2018, found that one in four First Nations people in Manitoba is affected by diabetes. Those living in Manitoba’s vast but sparsely populated portion of the Boreal Shield Ecozone experience poorer health outcomes compared to their southern neighbours. A lack of employment opportunities, combined with limited food...
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Opponents rally as Ford government barrels ahead with Bill 5
By Ethan Braund, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Woolwich Observer After an atypically quick process, the Ford government last week passed Bill 5, leaving a large group of opponents scrambling to carry on the fight Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, was passed on June 4, pushed through just before the legislature adjourned for a 137-day summer break. The bill includes sweeping changes to the province’s endangered species and environmental protection laws. It also creates “special economic zones” that can override provincial and municipal laws for certain projects the province wants to fast-track, the likes of Northern Ontario’s Ring of Fire. Premier Doug Ford said in a press conference June 5 that he was simply trying to speed up the process to bolster the economy in the...
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$30B in new investments needed to meet Canada’s critical mineral demand: report
By Jordan Omstead A newly released report estimates Canada will need at least $30 billion in new capital investments by 2040 if it wants to meet domestic demand for the critical minerals key to a green economy transition. But the Canadian Climate Institute’s report says cutting back on environmental safeguards and Indigenous consultation to speed up those projects is likely to backfire. The report released Thursday says those cutbacks can lead to delays later on, due to community opposition or litigation. The think tank’s latest report comes as the federal government, along with Ontario and British Columbia, face major pushback from First Nations and environmental groups to legislation intended to speed up mining project approvals. The report says Canadian governments should support Indigenous participation and reduce environmental risks as part...
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Using AI to protect caribou migration in a changing Arctic
By Sonal Gupta, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer A machine learning tool is offering new hope for one of Canada’s most vulnerable caribou migrations. Researchers are turning to artificial intelligence to predict when and where the Dolphin and Union caribou will cross the sea ice between Victoria Island and the mainland of Nunavut — a migration that takes place each spring and fall but has become more dangerous as climate change thins the ice and shipping traffic climbs. Caribou can drown if they try to cross ice that is unstable, and the risk increases when icebreakers and other vessels move through the area — and the ships are arriving in greater numbers than ever before. The tool called IceNet can help protect caribou by warning when migration conditions...
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