Allies gather to support future Indigenous court during inaugural justice conference
By Ed Hitchins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Energeticcity.ca DAWSON CREEK, B.C. — A conference designed to garner support from legislators and the community toward a future Indigenous justice court took place last week in Dawson Creek. Walking the Path of Justice was hosted by Doig River First Nation (DRFN) at the Ovintiv Events Centre, and featured judges, lawyers and keynote speakers to discuss a facility in northeast B.C. focusing on restorative justice. The three-day event was attended by leaders, Elders and legislators from around Canada, who spoke about their experiences with a restorative justice system as opposed to punitive justice. Timing for the conference comes as the BC First Nations Justice Council recently opened an Indigenous Justice Centre earlier this year in Fort St. John. Some of the prominent speakers...
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A timeline of a cabinet resignation: Inside Guilbeault’s decision to resign
By Mia Rabson Quebec Liberal MP Steven Guilbeault resigned from cabinet on Thursday, after spending all six years he has been a member of Parliament around that table. The final decision was made in the last few days but it was a choice that was months in the making. The Canadian Press spoke to a source with knowledge of the week’s events, who spoke on background about the days leading up to the decision. Here’s a timeline of how it unfolded. Before Monday, Nov. 23: Guilbeault came into politics after a decades-long career as an environmentalist and activist, including as the founder of Quebec’s Equiterre organization. He left that organization in 2018, and a few months later won the nomination to run for the Liberals in a Montreal riding, under...
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Hodgson says it’s ‘premature’ to draw conclusions about B.C. tanker ban fate
By Nick Murray Federal Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson says it’s “premature” for anyone to draw conclusions regarding the potential removal, or adjustment, of the West Coast tanker ban, since no pipeline route has been mapped out to bring oil from Alberta to the B.C. coastline. In an interview with The Canadian Press, Hodgson said people are “jumping to conclusions” with regard to any discussions about adjusting or lifting the ban. “I think it’s premature for people to have concluded things when there is no route yet, and there have been no conversations about that route at this point in time,” Hodgson said Thursday. “What the MOU says is there will be a deepwater port with access to Asia. It does not say which port, on what part...
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Ontario signs deal with Marten Falls First Nation to fast track road to Ring of Fire
By Liam Casey Another northern Ontario First Nation has signed a partnership deal with the province to fast track construction on the road to the mineral-rich Ring of Fire. Marten Falls First Nation will receive nearly $40 million for a multi-purpose community centre, materials for other infrastructure projects, including this season’s winter road, and other priority projects. Chief Bruce Achneepineskum says the deal represents economic reconciliation, and adds it also fixes a relationship with the province that has historically left the community behind. In return, the community will complete its environmental assessment on the Marten Falls Access Road by February with the hopes of beginning construction by August. Marten Falls is about 450 kilometres north of Thunder Bay, Ont., accessible via a winter road for a month or two a...
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Neighbours relieved with energy storage plant decision
By Carl Clutchey, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Chronicle-Journal Some Shuniah property owners were breathing sighs of relief on Wednesday as news spread about the fate of a proposed battery-energy storage system plant. On Tuesday, as Shuniah’s municipal council opted not to back a proposed gas-powered peaker plant, it also unanimously voted against supporting the battery-energy storage facility. “It’s a relief, absolutely,” Mount Baldy Road resident Chris Sauer said on Wednesday after learning the battery project did not receive council’s backing. Sauer and other property owners had maintained that PowerBank Corp.’s proposed location for a battery facility off Mount Baldy Road was too close to residential areas and the Mount Baldy Ski resort, if the proposed facility ever caught on fire. PowerBank had been seeking support from the Municipality of...
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Ontario should allow restorative justice in cases involving sexual offences: report
By Paola Loriggio and Rianna Lim A new report is calling on the Ontario government to revisit a policy that prohibits the use of restorative justice as an alternative to criminal prosecution in cases involving sexual offences. The report was issued today by the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund, or LEAF, and the nonprofit Community Justice Initiatives. It says the Crown policy deprives those who have experienced sexual harm from choosing the form of justice that best fits their needs. Restorative justice is an approach that allows those harmed and those who take responsibility for said harm to reach a resolution together, typically with the help of a facilitator. Rosel Kim, a senior staff lawyer for LEAF, says a moratorium on restorative justice for sexual offences was put in...
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‘We Need to Support the Working Class’
By Isaac Phan Nay, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Tyee Tanille Johnston wants to help the NDP get back in touch with the working class. She says she’s been fundraising hard to launch a grassroots campaign for NDP leadership — a campaign that promises to build the party’s relationship with unions, Indigenous leaders and working-class Canadians. “Our work needs to start by going back to the people, and as soon as possible,” Johnston said. “We weren’t showing up in the way that they needed us to, and so we need to return, own the criticisms that are going to come at us and say, ‘Let’s do it differently.’” Johnston has a lot on the go: she works full time as the Vancouver Island regional manager of primary care for the...
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Elections Canada says protocol wasn’t followed in Nunavik during federal election
By Alessia Passafiume Elections Canada says voting services in Nunavik during the spring federal election were “significantly hindered” by a lack of planning and oversight that caused some polls to close early. Following the April 28 federal election, Elections Canada acknowledged that some voters in Nunavik were unable to cast ballots because a shortage of staff led to polls closing well ahead of schedule. In a report released today, Elections Canada says the returning officer’s plan didn’t include meaningful engagement with local communities. Elections Canada says the plan was still approved by its headquarters, which resulted in limited local involvement and undermined service delivery. Elections Canada says the issues in Nunavik during the election point to broader problems and it’s working to reduce barriers for Indigenous voters. During a trip...
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Carney, Smith sign pipeline deal, open door to changing B.C. tanker ban
By The Canadian Press Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith have signed a memorandum of understanding that commits them to working toward building an oil pipeline to the West Coast — and opens the door to changes to the coastal tanker ban. At a signing ceremony in Calgary on Thursday, the two agreed that Ottawa would enable the export of oil through a deepsea port to Asian markets and “if necessary” adjust the tanker ban to make that happen. Ottawa’s commitment is contingent on the pipeline being approved as a project of national interest, and on the project providing “opportunities for Indigenous co-ownership and shared economic benefits.” “This is a really great day for Albertans,” Smith said ahead of the signing event. “We have been working for...
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Indigenous youth camp targets Sault expansion
By Sean Porter, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Sault Star The Indigenous Prosperity Foundation (IPF) says Sault Ste. Marie is the next priority for expanding youth programming. IPF announced a new partnership with Bears’ Lair Dream Camps, which aims to reach over 70 Indigenous communities in Northern Ontario within the next 18 months. The collaboration is designed to support youth who face economic, financial, and educational barriers in indigenous regions around Northern Ontario. “The Sault is an area we’re already planning for. It’s really just a matter of time and resources before we’re able to bring the program to the community,’ Relay Tangie, interim executive director of the IPF, told The Sault Star. IPF says the partnerships in the Sault with local friendship centres, schools, and community leaders will be essential....
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B.C. Coastal First Nations vow oil pipeline to north coast ‘will never happen’
By Nick Murray The president of the Coastal First Nations in British Columbia said Wednesday an oil pipeline to the province’s north coast “will never happen” and slammed Ottawa for negotiating with Alberta on a possible pipeline deal without involving First Nations. Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to unveil details of a memorandum of understanding with the Alberta government on a pipeline project while in Calgary on Thursday. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has spoken of a “grand bargain” which would see the proposed Pathways Alliance carbon capture project move forward alongside an oil pipeline to the B.C. coast. She has said Alberta intends to submit a pipeline proposal to the federal Major Projects Office in the spring. Marilyn Slett, president of the Coastal First Nations, said in a news...
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$50 ketchup: Nunavut mayor discusses coping with high grocery prices
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News GRISE FIORD, NUNAVUT-High grocery prices are creating food insecurity in Nunavut’s northernmost community, Grise Fiord mayor Meeka Kiguktak said, and the absence of a sealift is making matters worse. Kiguktak said groceries are being flown in by plane to her community, a much more expensive shipping route than by marine freight. “I was trying to bake something with coconut, it cost $27.99, and the pickles cost $50, the ketchup costs the same,” Kiguktak said. New items on shelves of the only grocery store in town — the Grise Fiord Inuit Co-operative Limited — all carry the high price of air transport, according to Kiguktak. She said she contacted Arctic Co-operatives Limited (ACL), the federation that the Grise Fiord store is...
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Long-lost adult siblings strive to rebuild severed family bonds in ‘Meadowlarks’
By Cassandra Szklarski Director Tasha Hubbard didn’t have far to look for inspiration in order to capture the complex emotions of separated Indigenous siblings who meet for the first time as adults. Her new family drama “Meadowlarks” borrows heavily from her 2017 documentary “Birth of a Family,” which traced a momentous weekend for three sisters and a brother who bond in elation and grief decades after being taken from their mother as babies in the ‘60s Scoop. Like that non-fiction account, Hubbard’s scripted saga explores the painful legacy of government policies that continues to ripple through generations of fractured families, including her own. Hubbard was adopted in the ‘70s through the Adopt Indian and Métis Project in Saskatchewan, designed to place Indigenous children in white adoptive homes. She found her...
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No criminal offence by police in failed search for B.C. woman found dead: watchdog
British Columbia’s police watchdog agency says officers in an Interior community could have done more in the search for a missing Indigenous woman who was later found dead. However, the Independent Investigations Office says in a report on the case that RCMP in Vanderhoof, B.C., did take many steps in the search and followed policing standards, clearing them of an offence. Search efforts by police and community members started on Oct. 11, 2023, for the woman whose body was eventually found weeks later by officers and a police dog. The investigations agency was contacted on Dec. 4, 2023, with a request to look into the handling of the case, and the report released Wednesday found that officers could have used a police dog on the day the search began but...
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Alberta-Ottawa pipeline accord unlikely to be “champagne-popping moment:’ Enserva CEO
By Lauren Krugel Oil and gas industry advocates say they’re heartened by an expected agreement between Alberta and Ottawa on a new West Coast pipeline, but their optimism is tempered by the long list of obstacles that would remain. Media reports say the federal and provincial governments are poised to announce a memorandum of understanding Thursday, affirming support for a pipeline alongside emissions-reducing measures. The agreement reportedly includes exemptions to a ban on oil tankers along B.C.’s north coast, which has been law since 2019. “Everybody nationally might look at this as a champagne-popping opportunity. But for us, a lot has to happen in order for us to see progress,” said Gurpreet Lail, president and CEO of Enserva, an industry group whose members provide drilling and other services to the...
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Ontario should allow restorative justice in cases involving sexual offences: report
By Paola Loriggio A new report is calling on the Ontario government to revisit a policy that prohibits the use of restorative justice as an alternative to criminal prosecution in cases involving sexual offences. The report was issued today by the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund, or LEAF, and the nonprofit Community Justice Initiatives. It says the Crown policy deprives those who have experienced sexual harm from choosing the form of justice that best fits their needs. Restorative justice is an approach that allows those harmed and those who take responsibility for said harm to reach a resolution together, typically with the help of a facilitator. Rosel Kim, a senior staff lawyer for LEAF, says a moratorium on restorative justice for sexual offences was put in place in the...
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Carney expected to unveil agreement with Alberta on new pipeline today
By Nick Murray Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to unveil an agreement with Alberta Thursday which could clear the way for a new oil pipeline in exchange for stronger environmental regulations, while also walking back some of Ottawa’s climate policies. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has said her government has been negotiating with Ottawa a “grand bargain” which would see the proposed Pathways Alliance carbon-capture project move forward alongside a proposed oil pipeline to the West Coast. Speaking to reporters in Ottawa on Wednesday, Carney said the memorandum of understanding with Alberta “is about much more than one thing.” “It’s about building this economy, it’s about making Canada more independent, and it’s about making Canada more sustainable,” Carney said, adding there would be “many aspects” to Thursday’s announcement. Carney has...
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Ontario’s repeal of emissions target looms over landmark climate case
By Jordan Omstead Ontario’s repeal of its own emissions targets is an 11th hour attempt to escape accountability on its toothless climate plan, young activists behind a landmark case alleged on Wednesday as they vowed to continue their years-long legal saga. Lawyers for the seven young people were set to argue next week that the government’s weakened 2018 emissions target was without scientific basis and so out of step with the cuts required to limit severe climate impacts that it endangered their constitutional rights. Instead, the Monday hearing has been cancelled and lawyers will discuss how the province’s recent move to scrap legislation underpinning its emissions targets and climate plans could reshape the case. Shaelyn Wabegijig said that development has only strengthened her resolve to keep up the fight. “We...
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‘Expenditures exceed revenues’: Grand Erie school board reports $3.7-million deficit
By Celeste Percy-Beauregard, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Hamilton Spectator A school board in Brant has slipped into a deficit position for the first time in nearly 10 years. The Grand Erie District School Board entered the 2024-25 fiscal year with an operating budget of $397.3 million and capital budget of $23.5 million. But even after a revision in December, expenses ran higher. “Senior administration is reporting a compliant deficit position of $3.7 million, indicating expenditures exceed revenues,” Rafal Wyszynski, the board’s superintendent of business and treasurer, told trustees at a board meeting on Monday. It means the board had to pull from its surplus reserves, dropping them from $11.1 million to $7.4 million. Because it represents less than one per cent of the board’s operating allocation, it won’t trigger...
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An art historian looks at the origins of the Indigenous arts collection at the Vatican Museums
By Gloria Bell, Associate Professor of Art History, McGill University Pope Leo XIV met with the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops on Nov. 15 to, in the words of the Vatican, “gift” the return of 62 Indigenous “artifacts” held in the Anima Mundi collection of the Vatican Museums. The papal narrative that these belongings are “gifts” needs correction. The Vatican says the artifacts are “part of the patrimony received on the occasion of the Vatican Missionary Exhibition (VME) of 1925.” However, as I document in my book Eternal Sovereigns: Indigenous Artists, Activists, and Travelers Reframing Rome the majority of the Indigenous belongings in the Vatican Museums were stolen from Indigenous communities during the 1920s and displayed at this exhibition. The study divulges an important story, examining the history of the...
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