New Nova Scotia regulations allow retail cannabis stores owned by Mi’kmaq community
-CP-Mi’kmaq communities in Nova Scotia will be able to open legal cannabis retail stores on reserve under new provincial regulations. The Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation had been the only authorized cannabis seller in the province, with 50 stores including one on the Eskasoni reserve in Cape Breton. But under new regulations announced today, a band or band-owned corporation can become an authorized seller within a Mi’kmaq community through an agreement with the liquor corporation. Any new stores in Mi’kmaq communities will have to sell cannabis purchased through the corporation. The government says the move is the result of concerns raised by Mi’kmaq leaders about the sale of illegal cannabis in their communities. According to the provincial Finance Department, cannabis sales at liquor corporation outlets totalled $121 million in the 2023-24...
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Indigenous Group of Seven work brought together for exhibit in Banff
By Crystal St.Pierre, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Joseph Sánchez is co-curating the upcoming exhibit The Ancestors Are Talking: Paintings by the Indigenous Seven at The Whyte museum located in Banff, Alta. from May 3 to Oct. 19. The exhibit features 77 works. Sánchez is the last living member of the Indigenous Group of Seven. The group consisted also of Jackson Beardy, Eddy Cobiness, Alex Janvier, Norval Morrisseau, Daphne Odig and Carl Ray. Co-curators are The Whyte’s curator of Indigenous initiatives Dawn Saunders Dahl and Christina Cuthbertson, the director of curatorial initiatives. Sánchez and the Indigenous Group of Seven established Professional Native Indian Artists Inc. (PNIAI) in the early 1970s. They set out to change the way Indigenous art was viewed by Canadians and the world. Their intention was to move...
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Officer who shot and killed Indigenous man in N.B. did not commit crime: watchdog
-CP-New Brunswick’s police watchdog says an RCMP officer did not commit a criminal offence when they shot and killed an Indigenous man in Elsipogtog First Nation last year. The Serious Incident Response Team said in its report dated April 1 that the officer had used “reasonable force” against a man who was holding three axes in his hands and was a threat. The report, written by director Erin E. Nauss, says two RCMP officers responded to a 911 call on Sept. 8, 2024, about a man with weapons who wanted to take his own life. It says when officers arrived to the eastern New Brunswick community, the man was showing signs of intoxication and threw one of the axes toward the officers. One of the Mounties shot the man after...
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Brantford Police seeking man wanted for Second Degree Murder
BRANTFORD, ONT-The Brantford Police Service (BPS) are searching for a 27-year-old man wanted for Second Degree Murder after a man died of stab wounds from a disturbance April 3, 2025, after an altercation at a city address. BPS responded to a Charlotte Street residence at about 4 :15 p.m., Thursday, April 3, where they found a man who had been stabbed. The victim succumbed to his injuries a short time later. BPS said the parties involved were known to each other and this is not believed to be a random incident. Police have recovered the weapon and currently have one man in custody for Accessory after the Fact to Murder, Weapons Dangerous, and Assault with a Weapon. BPS said they have reasonable grounds and are actively seeking to arrest...
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Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada will match U.S. auto tariffs
By Kyle Duggan Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday that Canada will hit back against U.S. President Donald Trump’s 25 per cent auto tariffs with matching levies on vehicles imported from the United States. At a press conference on Parliament Hill, Carney said Canada’s counter-tariffs will hit all vehicles that do not comply with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement, along with any non-Canadian content in compliant vehicles. That means any vehicles made with less than 75 per cent North American content will face 25 per cent tariffs — a measure which could capture tens of thousands of vehicle imports, according to a background document provided by the Prime Minister’s Office. That could amount to roughly 10 per cent of all cars coming in from the U.S. The counter-tariffs will not apply to...
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‘Investigation launched’ over alleged loss of funds at Dawson Creek Native Housing Society
By Ed Hitchins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter DAWSON CREEK, B.C. — An Indigenous housing society is “starting fresh” in the wake of an alleged theft of funds. According to Neil Sneddon of the Dawson Creek Native Housing Society, it was partly the findings of an independent audit conducted in 2023 which prompted the Dawson Creek RCMP detachment to launch an investigation into the matter. Sneddon is the vice-president of the society, which provides rental units to around 40 low-income Indigenous tenants in the Dawson Creek area. “It means we have to rebuild,” said Sneddon. “We are starting fresh. We’re redoing our by-laws to ensure this never happens again. “It is very devastating. We’re working as hard as we can to hopefully amend everything.” Sneddon also alleged the resignation of the...
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Fort Nelson woman is finalist for Miss Indigenous Canada
By Ed Hitchins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Energeticcity.ca FORT NELSON, B.C. — The next woman to wear the crown of Miss Indigenous Canada could hail from northeast B.C. Taylor Behn-Tsakoza is among 19 finalists in the competition, which is geared “toward young Indigenous leaders of tomorrow” with an aim to “foster an environment where young Indigenous women can grow,” according to its website. The competition is open to First Nations, Métis and Inuit women with a verifiable community affiliation and display “good characteristics” of a First Nations ambassador. Contestants must also be at least 18 years old and no older than 30 years of age by pageant weekend, which will include workshops, tours, guest speakers and activities. A member of Fort Nelson First Nation, the 29-year-old promoted her candidacy with...
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Atlantic premiers hold the line on retaliatory measures, citing tariff uncertainty
By Keith Doucette Premiers in the Atlantic region say that despite Canada being left out of the latest round of global U.S. tariffs, they need to hold the line in the face of growing economic uncertainty. On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 10 per cent baseline tariff on imports from most countries, but a White House fact sheet said goods covered by the free-trade deal between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico were exempted. Trump also said he is going ahead with previously announced 25 per cent tariffs on automobile imports starting Thursday, which will add to existing 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum. In a statement released late Wednesday, Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston said Canada may have been spared the worst-case scenario, but thousands...
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US is negotiating a minerals deals with conflict-hit Congo, Trump official says
By Jean-yves Kamale And Mark Banchereau KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — A Trump administration official said Thursday the United States is in talks with conflict-plagued Congo on developing its mineral resources under a deal that the Congolese president has said could help make his country safer. U.S. President Donald Trump’s senior advisor for Africa, Massad Boulos, did not provide details of the potential deal following talks with Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi in Kinshasa, but he said it could involve “multi-billion-dollar investments.” “You have heard about a minerals agreement. We have reviewed” the Congo’s proposal, Boulos said. “I am pleased to announce that the president and I have agreed on a path forward for its development.” American companies would be “operating transparently” and would “stimulate local economies,” Boulos said. Congo is the...
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Whalers’ shrine returns home after 120 years in museum storage
By Eric Plummer, Ha-Shilth-Sa Newspaper, Ha-Shilth-Sa New York, New York – Moments after the official documents were signed, Mowachaht/Muchalaht members broke into song, marking the return of a whale hunting shrine that has sat in a New York museum’s storage for 120 years. Decades in the making, the transfer of ownership was made official on March 25 at the American Museum of Natural History, which has kept the Yuquot Whalers Washing House since 1904. A Mowachaht/Muchalaht delegation of about two dozen travelled across the continent for the occasion. As the ownership was transferred back to the First Nation, boxes and cases containing the shrine’s contents awaited their long journey back to Yuquot on the southern edge of Nootka Island, where they were taken under suspect circumstances over a century ago....
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Toxic chemical found in shellfish three months after fish farm diesel spill
By Nora O’Malley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Ha-Shilth-Sa Nearly three and a half months after roughly 7,500 litres of diesel oil seeped into the marine environment near Tahsis on the west coast of Vancouver Island, closures for shellfish harvesting are still in place. The Nuchatlaht First Nation’s council has advised people not to eat any shellfish from local waters after a recent testing of Pacific oysters indicated the presence of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs). Cancer-causing PAHs are formed during the incomplete burning of materials like coal, oil, gas, wood and charbroiled meat. “I want to protect First Nations health around here,” said Roger Dunlop, a biologist and Nuchatlaht’s Lands and Natural Resources manager. “The oysters had the highest levels of PAHs. They were well beyond what people should consume. Other...
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Dow drops 1,300 as US stocks lead worldwide sell-off after Trump’s tariffs ignite a COVID-like shock
By Stan Choe NEW YORK (AP) — Financial markets around the world are reeling Thursday following President Donald Trump’s latest and most severe set of tariffs, and the U.S. stock market is taking the worst of it so far. The S&P 500 was down 4.2% in afternoon trading, more than other major stock markets, and at its bottom in the morning was on track for its worst day since COVID struck in 2020. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 1,394 points, or 3.3%, as of 2:09 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 5.3% lower. Little was spared in financial markets as fear flared globally about the potentially toxic mix of higher inflation and weakening economic growth that tariffs can create. Everything from crude oil to Big Tech...
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Six Nations Police charge man with impaired operation of vehicle
SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND RIVER- A Millgrove man is facing charges after the Six Nations Police (SNP)received a complaint about a patron displaying signs of impairment at a local business on Six Nations. SNP said they were advised of a possible impaired patron at a local Highway 54 business Monday, March 31, 2025, at about 4:57 p.m.. Six Nations Police said they arrived at the area and located a vehicle matching the description the caller provided. Police said they spoke with the male driver and a passenger and saw signs of impairment on the man. As a result of the investigation, police have arrested and charged Joseph Stephens, 69, of Millgrove, Ontario with the following criminal offences: – Impaired Operation – Alcohol per se Offence “80 plus” The accused...
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Brantford Man arrested in child pornography investigation
BRANTFORD, ONT- A 55-year-old man is facing child pornography charges as a result of two Brantford Police Child Exploitation Unit (ICE) investigations. The charges came after the Brantford Police ICE unit executed two search warrants, on two seperate dates, March 31 and April 2, 2025 at two Brantford addresses after receiving tips through the National Centre for Missing & Exploited Children. Police seized multiple computers, cellphones, and electronic devices during search and in the process of performing a follow up investigation. Brantford Police said detectives, working in the ICE Unit, found evidence of child pornography on the various devices. As a result of the investigation a 55-year-old Brantford man was arrested April 2, 2025 and held for a bail hearing. The accused is facing a charge of Accessing Child Pornography,...
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Kahnawake Grand Chief Diabo looking for clarification on Bill 84 immigration law
By Marc Lalonde, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Iori:wase Mohawk Council of Kahnawake Grand Chief Cody Diabo has concerns about the Quebec government grouping First Nations and Inuit peoples in with non-Natives in a new immigration law that was tabled in Quebec City earlier this year. Diabo sent a letter to Legault looking for clarification about the bill. In the letter, Diabo writes that the proposed law threatens the inherent rights of Kahnawake and other Indigenous communities, and demands the province clarify that the bill is not intended to, and will not, apply to Kahnawake, or other First Nations or Inuit communities. The letter raises concerns over the lack of consultation regarding this bill, which imposes measures to enforce a singular culture, language, and set of values on Quebec’s population. The...
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BC court rules against logging company in Haida Gwaii dispute
By Sonal Gupta, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer The BC Supreme Court has dismissed a lawsuit from Teal Cedar Products, a forestry company, which claimed it lost millions of dollars due to new timber rules in Haida Gwaii, a remote archipelago off the West Coast. The company argued that the new regulations unfairly devalued their forest tenures. The rule changes included reducing the amount of timber that could be harvested and implementing conservation measures. Teal, which owned forest licenses affected by the regulations, claimed these changes amounted to “constructive expropriation,” meaning the government’s actions took away the value of their property rights, without formally seizing the property. Chris Tollefson, a University of Victoria law professor and public interest lawyer who represented the Haida Gwaii Management Council at the...
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Eby says Indigenous teen shouldn’t have died’ as B.C. government is grilled over care
By Ashley Joannou A teenager who was found blocks from her group home on a cold January night this year “shouldn’t have died” British Columbia Premier David Eby said, adding that her death represented a “failure.” The 18-year-old Indigenous youth’s family members were in the B.C. legislature’s gallery on Wednesday, watching as Eby’s government was grilled over the treatment of children and youth in care. Eby told the legislature there were legal constraints that prevented him speaking about specific cases. “It doesn’t constrain me from saying to this family that this was a precious child (and) she shouldn’t have died. Any time that a child dies in care, it is a failure, and we need to learn all we can to prevent the deaths of any other children in care,”...
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B.C. government grilled after January death of Indigenous teen in care
By Ashley Joannou British Columbia Premier David Eby says a youth in government care “shouldn’t have died” earlier this year and that her death represents a “failure.” The province’s Opposition Conservative Party used much of its time during Wednesday’s question period to grill the government on its treatment of children in care, while family members of the 18-year-old who died in January watched from the gallery. The Indigenous teen, who The Canadian Press has chosen not to name, died while in the care of Usma Nuu-chah-nulth Family and Child Services, an agency of the Ministry of Children and Family Development, after she was found unresponsive near her group home in Port Alberni, B.C. The Opposition says the teen was found on a night when temperatures dropped to -7 C and...
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Manitoba woman sentenced to 10 years for fatally stabbing community role model
-CP-A Manitoba judge has sentenced a woman to 10 years in prison in the stabbing death of her ex-boyfriend, whose killing left a “significant” impact on family, friends and the First Nation they lived on. Sheryl Leanne Thompson was initially charged with second-degree murder in the death of her former partner Lance Moosetail in 2022 but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter. The two had been in a relationship for approximately two and a half years and lived together in Moosetail’s home on the Pine Creek First Nation, northwest of Winnipeg. At the time of the attack, Thompson was under the influence of alcohol and cocaine. Court heard from Moosetail’s children, mother, colleagues and community members about the impact the 51-year-old First Nations safety officer had on those...
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Ousted Greater Victoria school trustees take B.C. to court over firing
By Brenna Owen Nine Greater Victoria school trustees fired by the British Columbia government earlier this year have filed a court petition to get their jobs back. Education Minister Lisa Beare dismissed the entire elected board of School District No. 61 in January over its refusal to allow police officers in schools, except in certain circumstances, a decision Beare says she remains confident in. The district previously had a police liaison program, but the ousted board resolved to end it in May 2023, basing the decision on reports that some students and teachers — particularly those who are Indigenous or people of colour — did not feel safe with officers in schools. Their petition filed with the B.C. Supreme Court asks a judge to throw out the order that dismissed...
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