Brantford Police continue attempted jewelry store robbery
BRANTFORD-The Brantford Police Service are continuing to investigate an attempted robbery that occurred on Saturday, March 1, 2025, at about 3:30 p.m.at a Lynden Road jewelry store. Polcie said five black male suspects, wearing masks and dressed all in black, attempted to enter the store by smashing the front window. The suspects were unsuccessful in gaining entry and fled the scene. Suspect descriptions are as follows: Suspect #1: Male, black, approx. 17-22 years old, wearing a black hoodie and face covering Suspect #2: Male, black, approx. 17-22 years old, between 5’11”- 6’2” tall, wearing a black jacket, balaclava and sunglasses Suspect #3: Male, black, approx. 17-22 years old, between 5’8”- 5’11” tall, wearing...
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No pollution or injuries reported after fish farm vessel hits a rock in Tahsis Inlet
By Nora O’Malley Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Salmon farmer Grieg Seafood on the west coast of Vancouver Island is reporting no injuries or pollution after the Ronja Islander, a live fish transport and treatment vessel owned by aquaculture industry service partner Sølvtrans, hit a rock in Tahsis Inlet on March 8. Tahsis Inlet is located in Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation (MMFN) territory and Nootka Sound. Recently, in mid-December 2024, Grieg Seafood was responsible for spilling between 7,000 to 8,000 litres of diesel fuel by Lutes Creek in Esperanza Inlet, which is in Ehattesaht/Chinehkint First Nation territory and neighbours MMFN. The Lutes Creek diesel spill spread throughout Nootka Sound, resulting in temporary shellfish harvesting closures. According to Grieg Seafood, the Ronja Islander sustained some damage from the March 8 crash, but was...
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Manitoba premier says landfill search for two women’s remains under budget
MANITOBA-CP-Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew says the search of a landfill for two murdered First Nations women is under budget, as work continues on identifying a set of remains found last month. The province and the federal government each committed $20 million to search the Winnipeg-area landfill for the remains of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran. The search began in early December and two sets of remains were recently found at the site. RCMP have said one set belongs to 39-year-old Harris. Kinew declined to say what percentage of the allocated funds has been spent so far. He says the project is “way under budget” because the government is still in the early stage of its search at the Prairie Green landfill. The premier says the province will consult with the...
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Three B.C. Conservative rebels will sit as Independents as they ‘explore’ new party
By Ashley Joannou On the front steps of the B.C. legislature on Monday, three rebel former members of the B.C. Conservatives laid out their case — Opposition leader John Rustad was beholden to “woke liberals,” the party had been infiltrated and it had turned its back on “the truth” about residential schools. The trio — Dallas Brodie, Jordan Kealy and Tara Armstrong — said they would sit together as Independents, later clarifying in a joint statement that they would “explore the launch of a new political party.” Inside, it was a different story. NDP legislator Joan Phillip rose to give a statement decrying “misinformation being spread by members of this house” and thanking those who spoke out against it. “Speaking out requires courage, and I lift my hands up to...
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Trudeau pushes for RCMP reform during final days in office
By Catherine Morrison OTTAWA-CP-During his final days in office, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is pushing for long-promised reform to the RCMP. A government report released Monday, which highlights concerns about Canada’s capacity to meet “the new threat environment,” says it’s time to modernize the police service to focus on “the most serious forms of criminality.” It says the government’s vision should be to establish the RCMP as a “world class, intelligence-led, federal policing organization.” In an interview, Trudeau told CBC News that the RCMP is “strained” and that he has been “trying to do this since the very beginning.” The report, published on the Public Safety Canada website, made four key recommendations including asking the RCMP to focus on the most serious crimes affecting Canada, like those that transcend a...
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Inuit Child First Initiative extension a ‘relief,’ advocate says
By Jeff Pelletier, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunatsiaq News The extension of the Inuit Child First Initiative came as a “relief” to Taya Tootoo, the Arctic Children and Youth Foundation executive director, who 10 days ago warned of a “humanitarian crisis” if the program’s funding expired. “It was just so good to hear that the communities will have some interim support while we figure out long-term proactive plans,” Tootoo said in an interview Monday. “Hearing from the front lines, the fear from the community of what was going to happen with their ability to support their children was quite traumatic” if the funding wasn’t extended, Tootoo said. The program’s funding had been set to expire on March 31, the end of the government’s current fiscal year. The federal government previously...
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Polls open in Greenland for parliamentary elections as Trump seeks control of the strategic island
By Danica Kirka NUUK, Greenland (AP) — Polls opened in Greenland for early parliamentary elections Tuesday as U.S. President Donald Trump seeks control of the strategic Arctic island. The self-governing region of Denmark is home to 56,000 people, most from Indigenous Inuit backgrounds, and occupies a strategic North Atlantic location. It also contains rare earth minerals key to driving the global economy. Unofficial election results should be available soon after polls close at 2200 GMT Tuesday, but they won’t be certified for weeks as ballot papers make their way to the capital from remote settlements by boat, plane and helicopter. While the island has been on a path toward independence since at least 2009, a break from Denmark isn’t on the ballot even though it’s on everyone’s mind. Voters on...
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No Child Left Behind – Customary adoptions now possible in Cree communities
By Patrick Quinn, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Nation Long before European contact, customary adoption was common among the Cree and other Indigenous people. It traditionally involved placing a child with another family for survival purposes when the parents were for some reason unable to properly care for them. After lobbying by Cree authorities since the early 1980s to legally recognize this practice, Quebec began consulting with Indigenous groups in the early 2000s when it was reviewing its own adoption laws. With Bill 113 passed in 2017, the province’s Indigenous Nations now have the ability to create their own unique systems that oversee and document this process. As the provincially designated “competent authority” in Eeyou Istchee, the Cree Nation Government is working with communities to establish local committees and reaching...
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Ontario ditches Starlink deal, leaving remote communities with few alternatives
By Sonal Gupta, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The Ontario government killed its $100-million deal with Elon Musk’s Starlink, leaving rural and remote communities in northern Ontario in the dark about their future internet access. The decision, part of a broader political strategy by Ontario Premier Doug Ford in response to American tariffs, alarms those who rely on Starlink for critical services like healthcare, business operations and emergency services. The now-cancelled Ontario Satellite Internet program, launched in November, was supposed to bring high-speed internet to 15,000 eligible homes and businesses in northern Ontario using Starlink’s low-Earth orbit satellite technology starting in June 2025. The provincial government offered to cover equipment and installation costs for eligible customers, with residential plans for $140 per month and business plans for $185. It was part...
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Dow drops 950, and Wall Street flirts with its worst day in years on worries about the economy
By Stan Choe NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market’s sell-offis cutting deeper Monday, and it’s flirting with its worst day in years as Wall Street questions how much pain President Donald Trump will let the economy endure through tariffs and other policies in order to get what he wants. The S&P 500 was down 3% in late trading, which would be its sharpest drop since the highest inflation in generations was shredding budgets in 2022. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 956 points, or 2.2%, with a little more than a half-hour remaining in trading, and the Nasdaq composite was 4.3% lower. The main measure of the U.S. stock market is on track for a seventh swing of more than 1%, up or down, in the last...
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Tribes and Native American students sue over Bureau of Indian Education firings
By Graham Lee Brewer NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Three tribal nations and five Native American students say in a lawsuit that the Trump administration has failed its legal obligations to tribes when it cut jobs at Bureau of Indian Education schools. Firings at two colleges as part of the administration’s cuts to federal agencies, with the help of Elon Musk, have left students and staff with unsafe conditions, canceled classes, and delayed financial aid, according to the lawsuit Friday. Lawyers at the Native American Rights Fund filed the suit in federal court in the nation’s capital against the heads of the Interior Department, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Office of Indian Education Programs on behalf of the Pueblo of Isleta, the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, and the Cheyenne...
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Indigenous housing funds hinge on forming agency
By Carl Clutchey, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Chronicle-Journal About $2.5 billion remaining in budgeted federal funds for Indigenous housing projects is expected to eventually flow, but not until a new agency for allocating those funds is in operation, Canada Mortgage and House Corp. (CMHC) said this week. A CMHC spokesman said that in 2024, CMHC began accepting proposals from Indigenous proponents to establish the new National Indigenous Housing Centre, which has yet to be announced. “CMHC is in the process of negotiating a service agreement as part of this request for proposals,” the spokesman said in an email. On Thursday, the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association’s Indigenous caucus said they were concerned about the delay in having the funds allocated. Lingering issues that particularly impact Indigenous people — including...
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Timeline of 4 women slain in Winnipeg, demands to search landfill for remains
-CP-The RCMP said Friday that remains found at a landfill north of Winnipeg have been identified as belonging to Morgan Harris, one of two slain First Nations women who search teams have been looking for at the site since December. The women and two others were the victims of a serial killer in Winnipeg. Here is a timeline of the case: March 15, 2022 — Police say an unidentified woman is killed on or around this date. May 1, 2022 — Morgan Harris, a member of Long Plain First Nation living in Winnipeg, is last seen in the area of Main Street and Henry Avenue north of the city’s downtown. Police say the 39-year-old was killed on or around this date. May 4, 2022 — Police say Marcedes Myran, 26,...
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Remains found in Manitoba landfill confirmed to be murder victim Morgan Harris
-CP-Remains found during a search of a Winnipeg-area landfill have been identified as belonging to the victim of a serial killer, RCMP announced Friday. A statement from the Manitoba government said the family of 39-year-old Morgan Harris was notified of the finding. “We found my mother,” Cambria Harris posted online after the announcement. “Please keep our families in your hearts tonight and every day going forward as we trust this process.” Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said last week that possible remains had been found during a search of the Prairie Green landfill and that tests were being done to identify them. “Morgan Harris we honour you,” Kinew said on X after Friday’s announcement. The government statement said another set of remains was part of the recovery, and more information would...
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Indigenous people ‘feel the brunt’ of trade war as ‘B.C.’ presents 2025 budget
By Spencer Sacht Lund, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, IndigiNews Amidst a looming trade war, the “B.C.” government presented its latest budget earlier this week — focused on safeguarding the provincial economy against American tariffs. But Indigenous leaders warned they are being excluded from measures to defend the province from the international threat, particularly when it comes to resource development plans. “Any time that people are hurting through the economy, it’s really Indigenous people that feel the brunt,” Patrick Harriott, treasurer of the Métis Nation British Columbia (MNBC), told IndigiNews in an interview. Premier David Eby opened a 2025 budget presentation on lək̓ʷəŋən territories this week flanked by graphics emblazoned with “Buy B.C.” and “Buy Canadian.” His speech decried the Trump tariffs as well as the withdrawal of American military support...
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Thrust into unemployment, axed federal workers face relatives who celebrate their firing
By Matt Sedensky NEW YORK (AP) — Scrambling to replace their health insurance and to find new work, some laid-off federal workers are running into another unexpected unpleasantry: Relatives cheering their firing. The country’s bitterly tribal politics are spilling into text chains, social media posts and heated conversations as Americans absorb the reality of cost-cutting measures directed by President Donald Trump and carried out by billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. Expecting sympathy, some axed workers are finding family and friends who instead are steadfast in their support of what they see as a bloated government’s waste. “I’ve been treated as a public enemy by the government and now it’s bleeding into my own family,” says 24-year-old Luke Tobin, who was fired last month from his job as a...
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Canada Day shooter Gallagher receives seven-year sentence
By Keith Lacey, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The man convicted of possessing and firing a handgun on a crowded beach at Osoyoos Lake during Canada Day celebrations in 2022 and seriously injuring a young man was sentenced to seven years in a federal penitentiary consecutive to a four-year sentence he’s already serving on other gun-related convictions. Justice Shelley Fitzpatrick found Steven Gallagher, 32, guilty following a two-week trial last fall at the Penticton Courthouse of one count of aggravated assault, one count of pointing a firearm and one count or recklessly discharging a firearm. Crown attorney Nashina Devji had asked the court to impose a sentence of nine to 10 years against Gallagher during a sentencing hearing, while defence counsel David Hopkins had asked the court to impose a sentence...
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B.C. shipyard awarded $3.15 billion government contract to build icebreaker
A British Columbia company has been given a $3.15 billion contract to build one of two icebreaker ships for the Canadian Coast Guard. Public Services and Procurement Canada says in a statement that Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards, located in North Vancouver, B.C., will be building one of the future polar icebreakers as part of Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy. The federal government says the larger and more powerful ships will ensure coast guard operations continue at higher latitudes for longer periods, while allowing its fleet to better support Indigenous people, strengthen Arctic security, advance science, and better respond to maritime emergencies. Seaspan Shipyards CEO John McCarthy says in the statement that construction of the ship begins next month The other polar icebreaker is being built by Quebec-based Chantier Davie Canada Inc. Minister...
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Ejected MLA says Opposition Leader Rustad selling B.C. to ‘elite racial minority’
By Marcy Nicholson The B.C. Conservatives’ former attorney general critic has lashed out at leader John Rustad, suggesting he and Premier David Eby are beholden to “an elite racial minority” after she was ejected from the Opposition caucus in a row over residential schools. Dallas Brodie was dumped by Rustad on Friday, the day after a showdown in the Conservative caucus room in which Rustad said Brodie challenged colleagues to fire her and asked for a vote on her removal before walking out. “The truth is a threat to powerful vested interests in the multi-billion-dollar reconciliation industry,” Brodie said in a statement later on Friday. “Politicians like David Eby and John Rustad are willing to sell off British Columbia’s wealth and power, transferring it from the public to an elite...
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‘I’m an addict’: Councillor facing suit over alleged $300k credit card charges breaks silence
By Ed Hitchins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Energeticcity.ca FORT NELSON, B.C. — A Northern Rockies Regional Municipality councillor accused of making “improper charges” of more than $300,000 on a First Nation’s credit card has spoken about her struggle with a gambling addiction. The Gwa’sala-‘Nakwaxda’xw Nation (GNN) near Port Hardy has filed a suit with the Supreme Court of British Columbia for damages against its former band administrator Leslie Dickie. GNN has accused Dickie of using making “improper charges” totaling more than $328,000 on the band’s corporate credit card between June 2019 and February 2022, alleging the amount owed sometimes exceeded the account’s $15,000 limit. It also alleges Dickie used funds from GNN’s general bank account to pay off the bills, as well as $6,000 of her own funds. The civil...
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