Royal Regina Rifles statue to be unveiled at Juno Beach to mark D-Day’s 80th year
The Canadian Press 03/06/2024 04:00 A statue depicting the Canadians who fought Nazi Germany 80 years ago will have a permanent home near the beaches they stormed on D-Day. The Royal Regina Rifles statue is to be unveiled Wednesday at Juno Beach in France, a day ahead of the milestone anniversary of the invasion that launched the beginning of the end of the Second World War. The names of 458 soldiers from the infantry unit who died during that conflict are etched in the statue’s base. The Regina Rifles were among the first Canadians to storm Juno Beach on June 6, 1944, also known as D-Day. The soldiers battled alongside troops from the United States and United Kingdom to dislodge Nazis from northern France, marking the decisive turning point in...
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Expert to testify in Winnipeg trial about mental state of admitted serial killer
The Canadian Press 03/06/2024 04:00 An admitted serial killer’s mental state is expected to be the focus of a murder trial that resumes in Winnipeg. Jeremy Skibicki, who is 37, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the deaths of four Indigenous women in Winnipeg in 2022. Crown prosecutors have said the killings were racially motivated and Skibicki preyed on the vulnerable victims at homeless shelters. Skibicki’s lawyers admit he killed the women but argue he should be found not criminally responsible due to mental illness. They are expected to start calling evidence, including their own expert, about Skibicki’s state of mind at the time of the slayings. Manitoba Court of King’s Bench Chief Justice Glenn Joyal also ordered Skibicki undergo a mental health assessment last month with a...
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Treaty 3 man wins TV awards for Crave series
By Mike Stimpson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 31/05/2024 16:08 THUNDER BAY — A documentary maker with roots in two Treaty 3 First Nations won two Canadian Screen Awards in Toronto on Thursday but had no time for celebration. Ryan McMahon, whose mother is from Couchiching and whose paternal grandmother was from nearby Rainy River First Nations, explained Friday that he instead had family duties. “My partner and I, we have a six-month-old and a 2½-year-old,” the host, co-writer and co-producer of the Crave documentary series Thunder Bay said. “And she has two kids from a previous relationship, and I have two kids from a previous relationship. “So immediately after the awards, we ran back to Union Station and caught the train home to Hamilton because it was her 11-year-old’s...
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Serial killer Robert Pickton dies following prison assault
The Canadian Press 31/05/2024 16:11 Serial killer Robert Pickton has died after he was assaulted in prison earlier this month, Quebec provincial police and Correctional Service Canada say. The correctional service says Pickton, an inmate at Port-Cartier Institution in Quebec, died on Friday at the age of 74. It says in a statement that Pickton’s next of kin have been notified as well as victims who had registered to be told. It says an investigation is underway into the May 19 assault that involved another inmate. Quebec provincial police spokesman Frédéric Deshaies says Pickton died “in the last few hours.” He says police continue to investigate the assault that led to Pickton’s death, and the 51-year-old suspect is in custody. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May...
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CP NewsAlert: Serial killer Robert Pickton dies following prison assault
Serial killer Robert Pickton has died after he was assaulted in prison earlier this month, Quebec Provincial Police say. The 74-year-old was hospitalized after a violent prison assault two weeks ago. More coming....
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Rising seas force Panama Indigenous families to leave island homes
Indigenous Guna men displaced from Gardi Subdug, a small Caribbean island a couple kilometers off the Central American coastline that is disappearing under rising waves due to climate change, arrive to their new houses in a small woodland settlement on the mainland, in Nuevo Carti, Panama, in this handout distributed on May 29, 2024. Presidencia de Panama/Handout via REUTERS By Reuters ay 30, 20241:22 PM EDTUpdated a day ago PANAMA CITY, May 30 (Reuters) – Rising sea levels due to climate change have forced an Indigenous Guna community to leave their homes on an island off Panama’s coast that is fast disappearing. Some 300 families – 1,351 people – based in Gardi Subdug, a small Caribbean island a couple of kilometers off the Central American coastline, received keys on Wednesday...
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Fisheries Department issues warnings about lobster trap tampering in Nova Scotia
The Canadian Press The federal Fisheries Department is investigating reports of gear tampering in lobster fishing areas in eastern Nova Scotia. The department issued a statement late Thursday saying Indigenous fishers taking part in officially sanctioned moderate livelihood fisheries have reported tampering in two fishing areas, as have non-Indigenous commercial fishers. The lobster fishing areas in question are 26A, which includes the eastern half of the Northumberland Strait, and area 27, which extends from the tip of Cape Breton near Meat Cove to an area on the east side of the island near Garbarus. The department’s statement says conservation and protection officers have been deployed to deter further tampering, an offence under the Fisheries Act that can result in a fine of up to $100,000. The statement says gear tampering...
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‘Traffic garden,’ greenhouse, charging station among plans for Hydro One grant money
By Sandi Krasowski Local Journalism Initiative Reporter This week, 35 Indigenous communities, charities and municipalities, including four in the Thunder Bay region, received $25,000 in funding from the Hydro One Energizing Life Community Fund. The funding aims to support initiatives that promote physical, emotional and psychological safety and well-being. EcoSuperior was among the four regional recipients, which also included the Children’s Centre Foundation Thunder Bay, Ojibways of Onigaming First Nation and Wunnumin Lake First Nation. “Whenever we receive funding support, it’s, it’s very important to EcoSuperior because we are not-for-profit without core funding,” said Ashley Priem, the centre’s co-executive director. The funds will be directed toward the creation and installation of what Priem calls Thunder Bay’s first traffic garden. “It’s like a playground in a space that’s designed to provide...
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Wawa receiving half a million to finance infrastructure projects
By Kyle Darbyson Local Journalism Initiative The province is providing nearly $553,000 through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) to finance three infrastructure improvement projects in the Wawa area. This money will go towards upgrading the Wawa Municipal Airport ($246,000) and the Michipicoten Golf Club ($108,848), while the remaining funds are being set aside to develop a new business/cultural space for Michipicoten First Nation ($198,000). Minister of Indigenous Affairs and Northern Development Greg Rickford, who is also the chair of NOHFC’s board of directors, visited Wawa Thursday afternoon to make this announcement at the local airport. Here, town officials will use this $246,000 to build a new accessible washroom, upgrade the lobby (with more comfortable seating, flip-ups tables and electrical outlets) and purchase an outdoor sand shelter to better...
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Six Nations Police arrest impaired driver after vehicle hits ditch
SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND RIVER-A 36-year-old Ohsweken man is facing charges after a vehicle hit a ditch on Second Line Road and the driver fled the scene. Six Nations Police Service (SNPS) were called to the scene of Thursday, May 30 at about 3:10 p.m. after witnesses said a vehicle had hit the ditch on Second Line Road and the driver fled the scene after being confrontational with bystanders. Witnesses told police the man became confrontational and fled on foot after being denied help to leave the scene from those standing by. Witnesses provided police with a description of the male driver. SNPS said police located a man who matched the description on a nearby property but upon approaching the man, police said he refused to comply with police...
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Sulphur dioxide levels off the charts in Ontario’s Chemical Valley
By Natasha Bulowski, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter In the aftermath of a crackdown on benzene pollution plaguing Chemical Valley, environmental watchdogs say another chemical that causes choking, coughing and burning eyes and throats is still abundant. Sulphur dioxide levels in the region, which is home to 67 petrochemical plants near Sarnia, have also been exceedingly high. Levels regularly exceed federal air quality standards despite new regulations passed by Ontario in 2022 aimed at reducing emissions by 90 per cent in the Sarnia area. Sulphur dioxide is a toxic compound released in the refining of hydrogen sulphide, otherwise known as “sour gas,” recognized for its pungent rotten-egg smell. Much of the sour gas refined in the Chemical Valley comes from Alberta crude. It is released when plants flare and while processing...
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Protestors ‘feel abandoned’ by leadership in Marten Falls
By Austin Campbell Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 31/05/2024 09:59 Some members of this regional, fly-in First Nation are demanding change. A group of Marten Falls First Nations members have staged a peaceful protest outside of their Band Office by setting up an encampment, posting signs, and nailing a board across the Band Office door. The focus of the protest, as noted by organizer Patricia Achneepineskum, is to instigate a discussion about jobs in the community, an alleged lack of leadership presence – particularly at the Band Office – and the supposed neglect of Marten Falls’ youth centre. “We started because we felt like we weren’t being recognized – what was happening in our community. We felt abandoned by our own leadership and we had a lot of questions and concerns...
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Feds to investigate chemicals in oilsands tailings
By Natasha Bulowski Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The federa government will assess the toxicity of a harmful compound in oilsands tailings after the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation and environmental groups requested a review. Naphthenic acids (NAs) accumulate in oilsands tailing ponds — which currently hold at least 1.4 trillion litres of wastewater — and have been found to harm fish and amphibians; there are still research gaps on how it affects human health. Large tailings leaks from Imperial Oil’s Kearl tar sands facility spurred renewed calls for health studies, regulations and environmental reform. “The cancerous effects of naphthenic acids have long been known to scientists, industry, governments and sadly to our community of Fort Chipewyan,” said ACFN Chief Allan Adam in a release on May 30. “Fort Chipewyan is the...
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Assembly Lines: routing Fort Mac evacuations, preparing for post secondary education, filling cancer doctor shortage, telling two economic tales
By George Lee, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 31/05/2024 07:48 IN-AND-OUTS FOR FORT MAC ROADS TAKE TOO LONG—NDP The province should put its pedal to the metal to create more escape routes and reduce evacuation pinch-points at the oilsands capital of Alberta, the NDP said May 16. Lorne Dach, the NDP’s transportation and economic corridors critic, hinted that the province had unnecessarily abandoned one set of improvements for others, even though the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo in northeastern Alberta had endorsed a new highway dubbed East Clearwater. The highway would have paralleled Highway 63, the major in-and-out, north-south route for Fort McMurray. It would have dropped south from near Fort MacKay to Anzac, on its way past connecting with the city on its east side. At the time of the...
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Task force lambasted for holding firm on breast cancer screening advice
The Canadian Press Several cancer experts, surgeons and radiologists swiftly condemned a national task force’s draft decision not to lower the recommended routine breast cancer screening age to 40 on Thursday. The criticisms were echoed by federal Health Minister Mark Holland, who said he was “concerned” and “disappointed” in the task force’s findings and wanted leading experts to review the guidelines. He also called for the public consultation period to be extended. The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care, which provides guidance for primary health-care providers, said it is maintaining current advice that routine breast cancer screening start at age 50 and end after age 74. Although they refrained from lowering the age for routine screening, the task force did suggest women age 40 to 49 be eligible for...
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Low snowpack means another “challenging year” for Columbia system
By Rachael Lesosky Local Journalism Initiative On May 15, residents from across the province attended an online meeting to learn about BC Hydro’s Columbia and Duncan operations. Various members of BC Hydro shared information about this year’s snowpack, preliminary forecasted inflows, and the expected reservoir summer levels. The meeting was held in addition to the annual operations update meeting coming up in June. “There’s less snow. It looks like another challenging year,” opened Dag Sharman, Community Relations Manager in the Southern Interior. “It could be similar to last summer but it’s too early to know for certain… [Drought conditions] impact not only how we manage water levels, but also how we plan to meet energy demands and regulatory requirements. Unfortunately, we can’t influence the amount of snow and rain that...
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B.C. unveils 240-language racism helpline as survey suggests systemic problems
The Canadian Press British Columbia has launched a new helpline for people who witness or experience a racist incident, with support available in more than 240 languages. The province said in a news release that helpline callers would receive support and guidance, which could include referrals to local community support services, such as counselling or help with reporting to police. But it’s also part of an effort to collect more data about racism in the province, that includes a provincewide demographic survey about systemic racism. The helpline and the results of the survey into barriers experienced by Indigenous and racialized people in the public service, schools and health care were separately announced on Thursday. The Ministry of Citizens’ Services said the data from the survey and “other sources” indicate there...
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Task force lambasted for holding firm on breast cancer screening advice
The Canadian Press Several cancer experts, surgeons and radiologists swiftly condemned a national task force’s draft decision not to lower the recommended routine breast cancer screening age to 40 on Thursday. The criticisms were echoed by federal Health Minister Mark Holland, who said he was “concerned” and “disappointed” in the task force’s findings and wanted leading experts to review the guidelines. He also called for the public consultation period to be extended. The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care, which provides guidance for primary health-care providers, said it is maintaining current advice that routine breast cancer screening start at age 50 and end after age 74. Although they refrained from lowering the age for routine screening, the task force did suggest women age 40 to 49 be eligible for...
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Mountie transferred from Bella Bella, B.C., after complaints about Facebook posts
The Canadian Press 30/05/2024 12:08 The leadership of a First Nation on British Columbia’s central coast says an RCMP officer has been transferred after the community called for his removal from Bella Bella over social media comments he made before joining the Mounties. A statement posted by the Heiltsuk Tribal Council on Wednesday says RCMP told the nation that the transfer process for the constable was complete and he would be leaving the community this weekend. In an earlier letter to the local RCMP detachment, Heiltsuk Chief Marilyn Slett said the officer had posted “racist text and images” on a personal Facebook account under a different name. Slett’s letter included images of a social media post showing a man dressed in a colonial-style uniform in front of a Union Jack...
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Grassy Narrows chief wants to be regional chief
By Mike Stimpson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter GRASSY NARROWS – The chief of a First Nation in Northwestern Ontario has come forward as a candidate for Ontario Regional Chief. Rudy Turtle, in his fourth year as chief of Grassy Narrows (Asubpeeschoseewagong), is one of several candidates for the top spot in the Chiefs of Ontario. “Some chiefs have asked me to run and I said yes, I’ll do it,” he said in an interview from his Ojibwe community northeast of Kenora. Turtle said the current regional chief, Glen Hare, has done an inadequate job in advocacy. Hare was invited to speak at a Land Defence Alliance rally last September in Queen’s Park and “failed to show up,” Turtle said. There were other occasions when the regional chief didn’t show his support,...
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