Canada Post union launches strike as Ottawa moves to end most door-to-door mail
By Alessia Passafiume and Dylan Robertson The Canadian Union of Postal Workers is declaring a countrywide strike, hours after Ottawa announced door-to-door mail delivery will end for nearly all Canadian households within the next decade. CUPW posted a notice on its website early Thursday evening that all of its Canada Post members were walking off the job. “In response to the Government’s attack on our postal service and workers, effective immediately, all CUPW members at Canada Post are on a nationwide strike,” the statement reads. The Canadian Press has requested further comment from the union but has not yet had a response. Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu wrote that it’s up to the union and the Crown corporation to find the balance between the future of postal service and respect for...
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Hegseth says Wounded Knee soldiers will keep their Medals of Honor
By Konstantin Toropin WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced that he has decided that the 20 soldiers who received the Medal of Honor for their actions in 1890 at Wounded Knee will keep their awards in a video posted to social media Thursday evening. Hegseth’s predecessor, Lloyd Austin, ordered the review of the awards in 2024 after a Congressional recommendation in the 2022 defense bill — itself a reflection of efforts by some lawmakers to rescind the awards for those who participated in the bloody massacre on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Indian Reservation near Wounded Knee Creek. While the events of that day are sometimes described as a battle, historical records show that the U.S. Army, which was in the midst of amid a campaign to repress...
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Trump escalates retribution campaign with charges against Comey and threats against liberal groups
By Jill Colvin NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump ‘s unprecedented retribution campaign against his perceived political enemies reached new heights Thursday as his Justice Department brought criminal charges against a longtime foe and he expanded his efforts to classify certain liberal groups as “domestic terrorist organizations.” Days after Trump publicly demanded action from his attorney general and tapped his former personal lawyer to serve as the top federal prosecutor in Virginia, former FBI Director James Comey, a longtime target of Trump’s ire, was indicted by a grand jury for allegedly lying to Congress during testimony in 2020. Hours earlier, Trump signed a memorandum directing his administration to target backers of what he dubbed “left-wing terrorism” as he alleged without evidence a vast conspiracy by Democrat-aligned nonprofit groups and...
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Indian Residential School Survivors Society to open Fort St. John office
By Ed Hitchins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Energeticcity.ca FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — A non-profit dedicated to the wellbeing of First Nations’ people who endured Indian Residential Schools will open offices in Fort St. John. The Indian Residential School Survivors Society (IRSSS) is scheduled to unveil its new offices in the city in early October. The organization was founded in 1994 and is dedicated to supporting those survivors and their families, including counselling, advocacy and community outreach, according to its website. The offices will be located in the Treaty 8 Tribal Association’s building at 10233 100th Avenue. The IRSSS’ executive director, Angela White, says the opening of the facility allows opportunities for the group to “support the unique needs of the region.” White said in a statement: “This new space...
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Most door-to-door mail delivery to end amid sweeping changes to Canada Post
By Alessia Passafiume Door-to-door mail delivery will end for virtually all Canadian households within the next decade, Public Works and Procurement Minister Joël Lightbound said Thursday as he ordered sweeping changes in an effort to make the Crown corporation financially viable. Those changes also will include slowing down the frequency of mail delivery and shuttering some post offices. Lightbound said the changes are meant to shore up Canada Post’s finances adding that the corporation “needs to show a path to financial viability.” The minister said the federal government will accept all of the recommendations in the Industrial Inquiry Commission’s report on Canada Post, which also called for the introduction of more community mailboxes. “Canada Post is a national institution, older than our country itself, that has been serving Canadians for...
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Canada Post set to reduce frequency of letter mail delivery: minister
By Alessia Passafiume Public Works and Procurement Minister Joël Lightbound said Thursday Canada Post will reduce the frequency of door-to-door letter mail delivery to shore up its finances and save itself from an “existential crisis.” The minister also announced the federal government will accept all of the recommendations in the Industrial Inquiry Commission’s report on Canada Post, which also called for the introduction of more community mailboxes. “Canada Post is a national institution, older than our country itself, that has been serving Canadians for more than 150 years. For generations, postal workers have connected communities in every corner of the country, providing an essential lifeline to hundreds of northern, Indigenous and rural communities,” Lightbound said. “At the same time, Canada Post is now facing an existential crisis,” he added. “Repeated...
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Danger deepens bond between K9 and handler
By Connor McDowell, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Brandon Sun “Break!” says Const. Adam Philpott, commanding his bulletproof-vest clad Belgian Malinois dog to sprint in a field outside of Brandon. The officer of Brandon Police Service shouts again, and his dog stops halfway, fixated ahead on a ball. When the K9 unit dog Zeus is commanded to retrieve the toy and bring it back, he jumps up and pushes his paws on Philpott’s chest. It looks typical of a man and man’s best friend. But most dogs don’t wear bulletproof vests, and most dog owners don’t have on their mind the reason why that vest is needed. The relationship between a K9 handler and their animal is just different from normal dogs, Philpott said in a recent interview. There are many...
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Port Hope to host ‘Canindian’ celebration of truth and reconciliation
By Natalie Hamilton, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, KawarthaNOW Métis actor, musician, philanthropist, and activist Tom Jackson will be participating in a special event in Port Hope to recognize Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day on Tuesday (September 30). Currently living in Port Hope, Jackson is the featured guest at “Canindian: A Celebration of Truth and a Celebration of Reconciliation” at the Capitol Theatre at 20 Queen Street in downtown Port Hope. He will be joined by esteemed local Indigenous leaders for an evening of song, storytelling, and performances that explore the heart of Indigenous heritage. The evening was initiated by Municipality of Port Hope Mayor Olena Hankivsky as a way to recognize National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. “By welcoming Tom, along with learning and...
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‘I did it for the victims’: Robert Pickton’s killer tells court during guilty plea
An inmate who has pleaded guilty to murdering Robert Pickton in prison last year says he did it for the serial killer’s victims. Martin Charest admitted today to fatally assaulting Pickton with a broken broom handle at the Port-Cartier federal penitentiary in May 2024. Charest pleaded guilty to first-degree murder during a court appearance in Sept-Îles, Que., northeast of Quebec City. Pickton was convicted in 2007 of six counts of second-degree murder, but confessed to killing a total of 49 women whom he lured to his pig farm near Vancouver. A statement of facts read out in court detailed how Charest locked himself into a room with Pickton and assaulted him twice while guards were unable to enter. Charest told the judge he murdered Pickton after the serial killer had...
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Hudson’s Bay gets court permission to auction off its ‘retail era’ art, artifacts
By Tara Deschamps Canadians hoping to get their hands on treasures from Hudson’s Bay won’t have to wait much longer for the chance. An Ontario court approved a November auction of 4,400 items belonging to the fallen retailer on Thursday. The trove Judge Peter Osborne is allowing to be sold includes more than 1,700 pieces of art and about 2,700 artifacts. Though the company has yet to reveal exactly what will be up for grabs, a lawyer for the firm says the items are from Hudson’s Bay’s “retail era,” rather than its fur trading days. A full list of items and photographs of each lot will be made available ahead of the auctions on Heffel Gallery Ltd.’s website, Bay lawyers said. Heffel will split the sale between a series of...
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Hudson’s Bay to return to court to get process for auction of art, artifacts approved
By Tara Deschamps Hudson’s Bay is scheduled to be back in court today where it will try to clear the final hurdle before it can sell off its art and artifacts. The retailer is expected to ask judge Peter Osborne to approve an auction process for its 4,400 pieces. The trove includes more than 1,700 pieces of art and about 2,700 artifacts, though the company has yet to reveal exactly what will be up for grabs. The sale it wants Osborne to approve would be hosted by Heffel Gallery and split between an online auction beginning Nov. 12 and an in-person one held around Nov. 19. The sale will not include the royal charter that allowed for the creation of the company in 1670. Hudson’s Bay wants to sell that...
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First Nations, province reach historic tax deals
By John Chilibeck, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Daily Gleaner First Nations in New Brunswick and the Holt Liberal government are set to announce deals on sharing sales taxes, what one chief calls a milestone in the otherwise strained relations between the sides. The deals will restore tax-sharing agreements that were renewed for more than three decades before the previous Higgs Progressive Conservative government called them unfair and scrapped them in 2023. Brunswick News confirmed the upcoming announcement with several chiefs and the premier, who hinted at the subject to a reporter in Ottawa. “Coming to this agreement is extremely important to our communities,” said Chief Patricia Bernard, the Wolastoqey leader of Madawaska First Nation in northwestern New Brunswick, in an interview with Brunswick News on Wednesday. “It’s all about...
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Cleansing with Sage as a Walk of Life with Thalia Aspeslet
By Laura Mushumanski, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Alberta Native News Let’s begin with striking a match against a box of Redbird matches and watch as a flame ignites, and then as the flame is placed gently next to a rolled-up ball of dried horse sage, watch closely as the medicines start to interact with each other and become one. Now as the smoke is slowly making its way up to Creator, cleanse your hands in this carefully and thoughtfully harvested sage that brought you teachings of connectivity, and walking in a good way. Bring the sweet smelling smoke to the top of your head while saying out loud: ‘think good thoughts,’ next to your eyes: ‘see good things,’ your mouth: ‘speak good things,’ ears: ‘hear good things,’ your heart: ‘follow...
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Federal inmate expected to plead guilty today to killing serial killer Robert Pickton
An inmate accused of killing notorious serial killer Robert Pickton in a prison attack last year is expected to plead guilty today. Martin Charest was charged with first-degree murder in July, more than a year after Pickton died following a May 2024 assault at the Port-Cartier federal penitentiary. Charest’s lawyer confirms her client will plead guilty to the charge at a court appearance in Sept-Îles, northeast of Quebec City. Pickton was convicted in 2007 of six counts of second-degree murder, but confessed to killing a total of 49 women whom he lured to his pig farm near Vancouver. An investigation summary released this summer showed Pickton was assaulted by a fellow inmate as medication was being distributed at the prison on May 19, 2024. The report says Pickton died in...
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Orange Shirt Day 2025 – Advertiser’s Special
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Premier says he can’t do anything about Labrador gynecologist under investigation
By Justin Brake, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Independent Newfoundland and Labrador’s premier says his hands are tied amid outrage from women in Labrador over an obstetrician-gynecologist’s return to practice while under active investigation following complaints from at least 20 women. On Sept. 10 The Independent reported that Dr. Adolf Hamann had returned to practice at the Labrador Health Centre in Happy Valley-Goose Bay despite ongoing investigations in the wake of complaints from current and former patients. “Certainly the government doesn’t make decisions or have authority over physicians,” the premier said in response to a question from The Independent during a Sept. 16 visit to Labrador. Instead, Hogan added, “I would encourage you to speak to the college about any, I guess I would call it, HR issues.” The premier’s...
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Confronting residential schools denialism is an ethical and shared Canadian responsibility
By Sean Carleton In May 2021, when the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc Nation announced preliminary results of their search for unmarked burials of children at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School (IRS), Canada was forced to reckon with a truth that Survivors had always carried: children were taken, and many never came home. This difficult truth was already established years earlier, in 2015, by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada’s final report, which confirmed more than 3,200 deaths of children as a result of the IRS system, including 51 at Kamloops. The Kamloops announcement shook many Canadians and revealed that more children likely died at residential schools in Canada than the TRC reported. This was something the commission anticipated would happen with new research, and additional deaths have now...
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Walking toward healing
By Charlie Teller, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Advocate POTLOTEK: If the ancient proverb is true that all great journeys begin with a single step, then Potlotek is very much on the right path – literally. Every Tuesday morning, the small First Nation community on Cape Breton Island hosts a Women’s Walk along the trails adjacent to the Potlotek Health Centre. Beyond the obvious physical benefits, the walk’s purpose is to bring people together, fostering a sense of community in a place where isolation and loneliness are more common than many might expect. “It’s just a group where we all can get together and just enjoy each other’s company,” local resident Mirabel Nicholas said. “But if there is an issue, we get to talk about it.” And there are issues....
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Kwilmu’kw Maw-klusuaqn: Seeking consensus, protecting Mi’kmaw Rights
By Drake Lowthers, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Advocate In the heart of Nova Scotia, an organization stands at the center of one of the most important conversations in Canadian history – the protection, recognition, and implementation of Mi’kmaw Rights. Its name is Kwilmu’kw Maw-klusuaqn (KMK), which translates to “we are seeking consensus.” True to its name, KMK has become a bridge between the Mi’kmaw Nation and federal and provincial governments, while working to ensure that future generations of Mi’kmaq can live in harmony with their lands, waters, and traditions. Crystal Dorey, KMK’s director of communication, advised the seeds of the organization were planted in the 1990s, when Mi’kmaw leadership grew determined to take control of their own path forward. “Despite wins in the courtroom, Mi’kmaw leadership decided that the...
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Red Dress Day: Honouring the lives and legacies of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women
By Drake Lowthers, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Advocate Red Dress Day, observed annually on May 5, serves as a poignant reminder of the ongoing crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit people (MMIWG2S) across Canada. The day serves as a solemn reminder, reflecting both the shared grief and the resilience of Indigenous communities, including right here at home, in eastern Nova Scotia. The movement was initiated in 2010 with the REDress Project, created by Métis artist Jaime Black. Black’s installation of empty red dresses in public spaces aimed to symbolize the absence of Indigenous women and girls who have been lost to violence. The striking red dresses serve as a visual representation of the lives stolen by colonial and systemic violence. According to the National Inquiry...
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