Aboriginal housing project seeking artist for mural
By Alexandra Noad, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The Aboriginal Housing Society will be opening their Iinii’toyis-Buffalo Lodge multi-unit housing unit and are putting a callout for artists to be part of a mural project. Aboriginal Housing Society provides sustainable housing solutions built on a cultural basis. Melissa Many Fingers, vice chair and treasurer for the society, says Aboriginal Housing provides support for Indigenous people who need to move from reserve to more urban settings for economic reasons such as work or school, which can be challenging. “We just want to be able to give that equal opportunity and gear our housing needs more cultural based, so that way we’re serving our clients in the best way we can.” Aboriginal Housing offers a graduate-style program where people who are struggling are...
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Thieves boost eight pickup trucks in one night from same property in rural Norfolk
By J.P. Antonacci, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The thieves came and went over the course of two and a half hours, returning “multiple times” to a rural property in Norfolk County to steal eight pickup trucks in one night. Norfolk County OPP say three or four suspects made several trips to the property on Concession 3 Townsend in Wilsonville between 1:40 a.m. and 4:10 a.m. on Monday. The pack of thieves allegedly made off with eight pickups trucks which had been parked on the property. The theft was discovered later that morning. Two of the stolen trucks were later recovered at the intersection of Concession 3 Townsend and Cockshutt Road. Police say the vehicles were “extensively damaged and deemed beyond repair.” The other six trucks were found in various locations...
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Chief of Champagne and Aishihik First Nations glad to see bear hunt measures in place
By Talar Stockton, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Chief Barb Joe of Champagne and Aishihik First Nations said she’s happy to see the Yukon government ban grizzly hunting in proximity to the traditional village of Klukshu. The ban was announced on March 31 alongside other changes to territorial hunting and fishing regulations. For the 2025-26 hunting season, hunters will not be able to kill grizzlies within 100 metres of the Haines Road corridor from Gribbles Gulch to Unnamed Creek No. 1. Previous restrictions on hunting were already in place on the west side of the road, as it falls within the boundaries of Kluane National Park (hunting is generally banned in national parks). Now, the prohibition will also apply to the east side of the road, where grizzly hunting was previously...
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Six Nations Police charge woman with impaired driving
OHSWEKEN, ON- An Ohsweken woman is facing impaired driving and child abandonment charges after Six Nation Police (SNP) received a complaint of impaired driving Friday, Feb. 21, 2025 . SNP received an impaired driving complaint at about 10:04 p.m. Advising police of a vehicle in the area on Sixth Line and Tuscarora Road driving erratically. SNP said they were advised by the witness that the vehicle had pulled into a local business on Chiefswood Road. Upon arriving police were directed to the vehicle involved by the witness. Police spoke with the female driver and said signs of impairment were detected on the driver. Police said there was also a child in the vehicle. As a result of the investigation, police have arrested and charged a female from Ohsweken, Ontario with...
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More than a department store: The long, complicated legacy behind Hudson’s Bay Company
By Heather Whiteside, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Waterloo The bankruptcy of the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) is often framed as the fall of “Canada’s oldest company.” Media narratives typically treat HBC as if it were a straightforward retail firm, albeit one with an exceptionally long history. But HBC was always more than a hinterland mercantile fur trader in earlier centuries, just as it was more than a department store anchoring downtown shopping in the 20th century. Like the beaver it nearly wiped out, HBC made Canada into its home by fundamentally transforming its environment, and no bankruptcy court will liquidate that legacy. Still, that legacy is more complex than many might assume. HBC and the making of Canada HBC’s initials have sometimes been jokingly elaborated as “here...
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‘Just respect the fire’: Returning cultural burns to a parched Okanagan landscape brings risk and reward
By Aaron Hemens, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, IndigiNews Growing up in the bush in the mountains around snpink’tn (Penticton) in syilx Okanagan territories, Charles Kruger’s family taught him how to start fires when he was no older than five. “Being able to start a fire really young was crucial,” said Kruger, who is of syilx Okanagan and Sinixt ancestry. “Because we live off the land — deer, moose, elk, grouse, stuff like that — being able to start a fire in the rain, in the snow, is super important. That’s a skill in itself.” Kruger comes from a long line of hereditary fire chiefs, stretching back “many hundreds of years,” he said. “My grandma would be the one to tell everybody when to burn. She was the fire-keeper, I guess...
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Showing Their Potential – Quebec Indigenous Science Fair fosters scientific innovation
By Patrick Quinn, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Nation The Quebec Indigenous Science Fair (QISF) brought 80 students from 21 Indigenous communities to the Cree and Inuit communities of Whapmagoostui and Kuujjuaraapik March 18-20, an event co-hosted by the Cree School Board and Kativik Ilisarniliriniq. This year marked the event’s 25th anniversary, which has been organized by the Quebec Aboriginal Science and Engineering Association (QASEA) since 1998. The science competition aims to foster innovation and scientific interest among Indigenous youth while promoting public speaking. “I am really impressed by the quality of the projects,” said QASEA president Marc Lalande. “We see more and more projects related to culture and history. Students are proud to talk about their Elders’ knowledge. We need visibility for the good things happening in communities.” Each...
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YG introduces changes to hunting and fishing regulations for 2025-2026 season
By Talar Stockton, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Yukon News Changes to hunting and fishing regulations in the Yukon are now in effect. The changes mostly address the number of deer permits and moose permit hunt authorizations available. Conservation measures are also being introduced. The number of deer permits now stands at 20, with two additional youth permits for hunters aged 14 to 15. There will now be 16 adult permits, not 10, split between two areas. The number of moose permit hunt authorizations will increase from seven to 15 in the Fish Lake and Mount Lorne Moose Management Unit areas. Each unit gets four new permits apiece. The Braeburn elk hunt will be closed for the 2025 to 2026 season to support population recovery, and the bison hunting season will...
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Sex abuse trial of former ‘Dances with Wolves’ actor in Nevada is again postponed
By Rio Yamat LAS VEGAS (AP) — The sex abuse trial of former “Dances with Wolves” actor Nathan Chasing Horse in Nevada has again been postponed. A judge on Monday moved the start of the trial in state court in Las Vegas to Aug. 4. The 48-year-old had been scheduled to stand trial next week on charges that he sexually abused Indigenous women and girls for years in the Las Vegas area. Craig Mueller, Chasing Horse’s lawyer, said in a motion filed Friday that he needs more time to prepare and interview witnesses. It’s the latest in a series of delays since Chasing Horse was arrested and indicted in early 2023. Chasing Horse has pleaded not guilty to 21 felonies, including sexual assault of a minor under 16, kidnapping and...
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Government social services are ‘significant agent’ of colonialism, N.L. inquiry hear
-CP- A social worker with decades of experience working with the Innu in Newfoundland and Labrador has told a public inquiry that government social services that were supposed to help have in fact undermined and harmed Indigenous families. Lyla Andrew, who grew up in Toronto and attended university there, was fresh out of graduate school in the late 1970s when she began working in the Innu community of Sheshatshiu. She said she started her career with the commonly held — but incorrect — belief that she had something to give the Innu that they did not have. “The learning process was that my assumption was very wrong,” Andrew said in pre-recorded testimony played at an inquiry hearing in Sheshatshiu. “In fact, I don’t think what we were trying to share...
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Lax Kw’alaams elected, hereditary leaders sign accord ahead of historic referendum
By Radha Agarwal, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Prince Rupert Northern View Indicating a united front before the Lax Kw’alaams votes on its landmark constitution, the hereditary leaders of the Allied Ts’msyen Tribes and the Lax Kw’alaams elected council have officially signed a Governance Accord. “Our Allied Tribes leaders have rightful authority, and we (the elected leadership) need to work closely together,” said Lax Kw’alaams mayor Garry Reece. Lax Kw’alaams consists of descendants from the Nine Tribes of the Ts’msyen, which include the Gitlaan, Gispaxlo’ots, Gilutz’aaẅ, Gitandoa, Gitnadoixs, Ginax’angiik, Gits’iis, Gitzaxłaał, and the Gitwilgyoots. It has approximately 4,150 members and is located on the northwest coast of British Columbia near Prince Rupert. The Lax Kw’alaams band council called a referendum on April 9 to vote on the proposed Da’ax Kw’alaams Man-Ayaawx...
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Barricaded person incident leads to charges
HALDIMAND COUNTY, ON – Haldimand OPP have one person in custody after an incident involving a barricaded person at a Fisherville home. The Haldimand Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) responded to an address on Erie Street, Fisherville April 6, 2025 at about 9:30 a.m leading to the area being contained and OPP West Region Tactics and Rescue Unit (TRU), Emergency Response Team (ERT), Canine Unit and Crisis Negotiators being brought in along with the Haldimand Haldimand OPP Major Crime Unit brought in to assist with the ongoing investigation. As a result a 47-year-old Cambridge resident has been charged with the following Criminal Code offences: Sexual Assault Forcible Confinement Assault With a Weapon Uttering threats – Cause Bodily Harm or Death Mischief Under $5000 Assault a Peace Officer The...
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UBC professors taking school to court over ‘political’ actions by administration
By Darryl Greer A group of professors at the University of British Columbia say the school is wrongfully engaging in “political activity” by using Indigenous land acknowledgments, promoting equity and inclusion initiatives and by taking positions on the Israel-Palestine conflict. A petition filed in B.C. Supreme Court alleges UBC is stifling academic freedom by making statements in support or condemnation of Israel or Palestine and requiring job applicants to agree with the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion. The petitioners, which include philosophy professor Andrew Irvine, English professor Michael Treschow and others, say in the action that the university should be prohibited from declaring that it is on “unceded Indigenous” land. The court petition says the school is violating the University Act’s provision requiring it to be “non-political in principle”...
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Lil’wat Forestry featured in new documentary
By Luke Faulks, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Pique Newsmagazine Lil’wat Forest Ventures (LFV) is the focus of the first episode of a new documentary series launched by the B.C. Silviculture Innovation Program (SIP). The multi-part series, Out On A Limb, is sharing innovative forest management practices from around the province. “The series helps tell stories to inspire and motivate practitioners who are carrying out innovative forestry practices by celebrating creative solutions to complex problems,” shared SIP extension specialist Gillian Chow-Fraser in a release. Silviculture refers to the growing and cultivation of trees with the goal of meeting a diverse range of social and economic needs. The B.C. SIP was born of the 2020 Old Growth Strategy Review, which provided 14 recommendations for old-growth forest management aimed at boosting the adoption...
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Manitoba chief accused of child sex assault attacked outside court, trial halted
By Brittany Hobson Court has heard that the chief of a Manitoba First Nation was attacked outside a Winnipeg courthouse on what was supposed to be the second day of his trial on child sex assault charges. The lawyer for Christopher Traverse asked for an adjournment on Monday, telling a provincial court judge that Traverse was assaulted before entering the court building and two people have been arrested. “(Traverse) needs some time and isn’t in a physical position to be with us in court,” Candace Olson told Judge Stacy Cawley. “Going forward, we’re going to need some extra security measures in this courtroom.” Olson declined to provide any additional details outside the courtroom. Winnipeg police confirmed in an email they received a call of an assault outside the courts building,...
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Kanesatake app launches
By Marcus Bankuti, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eastern Door A new Mohawk Council of Kanesatake (MCK) app, MCK Connect, launched this week for iPhone and Android, promising community members a new way to communicate with Council and stay up to date on announcements and job opportunities. “This was like my baby, so it feels like I’m a mother all over again, kind of. I’m very proud of the fact that I’ve seen it come to fruition,” said MCK chief Amy Beauvais, who focused on ideas to improve MCK’s communications when participating in a First Nations Executive Education (FNEE) program at HEC Montreal in 2023. “I did run a campaign of how are we going to fix our communications problem, and this addresses that issue,” Beauvais said. “The community was...
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Battle for support follows ouster of Kanesatake grand chief
By Marcus Bankuti, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eastern Door Moving to take the reins of the narrative in the wake of a Mohawk Council of Kanesatake (MCK) Ethics Commission ruling that the grand chief has vacated his seat, the remaining MCK chiefs brought their case to the media this week. External governments that refuse to recognize the authority of the decision are spurning Kanesatake’s right to self-governance, they argued at a press conference Wednesday at Oka Park. “It’s important to get the message out there that that matter’s been decided, and he is no longer on Council,” said MCK chief Brant Etienne of Victor Bonspille, who was ousted from his position as grand chief in the March 26 decision. Bonspille has continued claiming the office, however, even appearing at...
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Esk’etemc rally calls for investigation into school district, alleging ‘bullying and racial violence’
By Dionne Phillips, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, IndigiNews Esk’etemc First Nation leaders and dozens of community members protested this week against what they said is ongoing bullying and racism within the Cariboo-Chilcotin School District. Many participants carried drums and rattles, and sang a Secwépemc song, as the group and its supporters walked to the School District 27 (SD27) offices in Williams Lake on Tuesday. They called for an independent investigation, and changes to how the district handles complaints. “For many years now, we’ve been hearing terrible stories from our children, Youth, language teachers and support workers of the bullying and racial violence they’ve experienced within School District number 27,” said Calvin Dubray, Esk’etemc’s education director, speaking to rally participants. The district, headquartered in Williams Lake, has schools in more than...
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Lakota artist smudges the former gold mine inside the Black Hills
By Graham Lee Brewer When Lakota artist Marty Two Bulls Jr. looks at the Black Hills of South Dakota, he doesn’t just see its natural beauty. He also sees a scar cut deep into the heart of the universe. The mountain range is central to the origin story of several tribal nations, including his, and it has become an international symbol of the ongoing struggle for Indigenous land rights and the destruction of sacred sites. To the Lakota, Mount Rushmore is the most visible scar on the mountains. The former gold mine beneath is another, and that’s what motivated Two Bulls to use his performance art to cleanse it. “You hear ‘land back’, and it means a lot of different things to different people,” he said, referring to the Indigenous-led...
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BC Wildfire Service schedules prescribed burn for Saulteau FirstNations
By Ed Hitchins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Energeticcity.ca MOBERLY LAKE, B.C. — Saulteau First Nations has prescribed “agricultural burns” taking place on its territory this weekend as wildfire season approaches. The burnings began on Thursday, April 3rd and will last until Saturday, April 5th, weather permitting. The burns are being done with the assistance of the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS). Its purpose is to reduce the risk of grass fires and provide cross-training for both SFN and BCWS staff. A post on SFN’s website says residents located on the reserve or within the area of Moberly Lake may “see smoke” during the weekend. Travellers along Highways 29 and 97 may “notice smoke” during the burn. Questions, comments and concerns can be addressed to SFN’s occupational and health safety and emergency...
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