B.C.’s ‘massive error’ part of web of inaction that could have saved boy: advocate
The Canadian Press The ministry that is supposed to be protecting British Columbia’s kids made what the children’s representative says was a “massive error,” resulting in the torturous death of an 11-year-old boy at the hands of those who were approved to be his caregivers. The boy’s death is not an outlier, Jennifer Charlesworth said in her latest report released Tuesday, but rather an example of ways the child welfare system has let down children and families in B.C. and across Canada, despite decades of reports making hundreds of recommendations for change. “And yet here we are again — reviewing the death of an innocent young child and asking the same questions that have been asked for years: How did the systems that are intended to help children and families...
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B.C. judge denies status for victims’ families in Pickton evidence application
The Canadian Press A Supreme Court judge has dismissed applications by relatives of Robert Pickton’s victims to intervene in court proceedings over the RCMP’s plans to destroy evidence from the investigation into the serial killer. But Justice Frits Verhoeven says the families are to be notified of any RCMP applications to dispose of evidence and the court may grant them “a limited right of audience, if deemed necessary and appropriate.” Lawyer Jason Gratl, who represents the victims’ relatives, says his clients are “not unhappy” with Monday’s decision, and the right to be notified and heard when appropriate is “sufficient” for their purposes. Gratl’s clients are involved in nine lawsuits against the late killer and his brother, David Pickton. The applicants had claimed the pending lawsuits gave them a direct interest...
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A new Indigenous company is working to ‘Cree’ate nuclear industry language for fluent speakers
By NC Raine, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The complexity of modern scientific terminology and the Cree language are sometimes at odds, but Vince Natomagan is aiming to find bridges of understanding between those two worlds. “I have to think Cree while talking in English,” said Natomagan, from Pinehouse First Nation and founder of Gray Jay Consulting. “ I want to provide a service for more cultural appropriate communication so the two groups understand each other, and mistrust can be alleviated,” he said. Natomagan, who has a background both in media, broadcasting, and as a radiation technician, is launching a consulting business, Gary Jay Consulting, to capitalize on the province’s plan to implement nuclear power from small modular reactors (SMRs). With the ability to produce reliable power with zero greenhouse gas...
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B.C.’s ‘massive error’ part of web of inaction that could have saved boy: advocate
The Canadian Press 16/07/2024 The ministry that is supposed to be protecting British Columbia’s kids made what the children’s representative says was a “massive error,” resulting in the torturous death of an 11-year-old boy at the hands of those who were approved to be his caregivers. The boy’s death is not an outlier, Jennifer Charlesworth said in her latest report released Tuesday, but rather an example of ways the child welfare system has let down children and families in B.C. and across Canada, despite decades of reports making hundreds of recommendations for change. “And yet here we are again — reviewing the death of an innocent young child and asking the same questions that have been asked for years: How did the systems that are intended to help children and...
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‘True team effort’ brings dialysis care to Christian Island
By Derek Howard, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Gone are the long drives and ferry rides that have become a way of life for those on Christian Island requiring dialysis treatment. And roughly a hundred attendees welcomed the province’s first assisted care home dialysis unit at Beausoleil First Nation Tuesday. “The dialysis unit here is going to replace the travel and the problems that people were having, going to mainland for dialysis,” said Beausoleil First Nation Chief Joanne Sandy. The six machines located in a renovated house at 20 Gaakan Miikaans was the culmination of a project that began as discussions in the 1990s by island residents forced to endure the imperfect ferry schedule for their travel to Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital for treatment, often taking eight hours in the process....
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TC Energy’s US$15B Keystone XL claim thrown out by trade tribunal
Canadian Press 16/07/2024 15:40 TC Energy Corp., the Canadian company behind the ill-fated Keystone XL pipeline, has suffered a major blow after a trade tribunal tossed out its claim to US$15 billion in damages. The Calgary-based company launched the claim in 2021 to seek compensation after its proposed Keystone XL pipeline project was scuttled by U.S. President Joe Biden. The claim was made under the legacy rules tied to the old North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, because of what TC Energy said was the U.S. government’s breach of its free trade obligations. Keystone XL was a proposed crude oil transportation pipeline, roughly 1,900-kilometres long, which would have carried oil from the oilsands of northern Alberta to the major U.S. crude storage hub at Cushing, Okla. and then on...
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A pedestrianized Gastown reopens with nods to Indigenous history
By Mina Kerr-Lazenby Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 15/07/2024 Gastown has been given a pedestrian-only rejuvenation and a design makeover that nods to the area’s Indigenous history. On July 4, the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation) joined the City of Vancouver in reopening Water Street and kicking off its pedestrianized pilot. Maple Tree Square to Cambie Street. will be open to local traffic only while Maple Tree Sq. and Water St. from Cambie to Richards St. will be car-free until the end of August, with the area set to host expanded patios with more seating, stalls, live performance and events. Beyond going car-free, there has been an overhaul to the street’s esthetics, with Indigenous artwork, storytelling boards and signs paying homage to the culture and history of the...
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Yellowknife man to donate found artifacts to Fort Simpson Historical Society
By Tom Taylor, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 15/07/2024 A 24-year-old Métis man from Yellowknife will be donating several artifacts he found to the Fort Simpson Historical Society. Lucas Wick, 24, discovered the items while on a moose hunting trip with his father in 2014. The relics, which include a knife and an axe head believed to be from the mid-1800s, were discovered at the site of an old homestead located several hours down the Mackenzie River from Fort Providence. “[My father and I] are are collectors and I’ve always been intrigued with antiques, so we just kind of went out and tried to find this place,” said Wick, who added that he got into antiques and collectibles by watching TV shows like American Pickers and Pawn Stars. “We were looking...
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First Nations chief who’s highly critical of Higgs signs $18.8M deal with province
By John Chilibeck, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The chief of a Mi’kmaq First Nation in eastern New Brunswick says the $18.8-million deal he just signed for housing in his community does not change in any way his people’s large Aboriginal title claim for about half of the province’s territory. George Ginnish, the leader of Natoaganeg, or Eel Ground First Nation, says he hasn’t patched up his differences with the Higgs Progressive Conservative government on several hot-button issues, despite the latest agreement. The Tories have snubbed the Mi’kmaq title claim, cancelled their special tax-sharing agreements and rejected a public inquiry into how Indigenous people are treated by the justice system, among other sore points. “This is an agreement with the Regional Development Corporation to provide housing, and that’s all it is,”...
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B.C.’s vital Indigenous-led auxiliary is expanding
By Hope Lompe Local Journalism Initiative Reporter When the Nathan E. Stewart tugboat ran aground off the coast of Bella Bella, spilling over 100 litres of fuel into surrounding waters in 2016, members of the Heiltsuk Nation were the first on scene. The volunteers were there to support emergency operations — but were not fully included in the process, says Dawn Wilson, CEO of the Coastal National Coast Guard Auxiliary (CN-CGA). It was a missed opportunity on many levels, she explains. “When you have multiple stakeholders working together, and nobody knows what the left or right hand is doing, they’re either doubling up on the work, making the work harder, or creating more damage than good between those relationships,” Wilson says. Since the incident, Indigenous-led auxiliaries have been included more...
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‘At any given time, we can turn around and shut it down’
By Roisin Cullen, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Xa’xtsa First Nation (also called the Douglas First Nation) has seen a rise in visitors disrespecting Sloquet Hot Springs and its adjacent campground, prompting new messaging from the Nation. The hot springs are sacred to the Xa’xtsa people and used as a place for spiritual cleansing. A campfire ban was put in place on Sunday, July 7 at Sloquet Creek FSR recreational site. Hosts decided banning fires would protect public safety, citing “extreme heat and dry conditions” at the site as their reasons. A province-wide campfire ban was enacted midday on Friday, July 12 as B.C. continues to feel the heat. Darryl Peters is a Xa’xtsa councillor and business manager for TTQ Economic Development Corporation, a Xa’xtsa First Nation business arm. He said...
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Nolalu prepares for worst
As rising temperatures hike the potential for natural disasters, Nolalu is taking steps to ensure its villagers remain high and dry. Though the Highway 588 community has had an emergency plan in place since 2017, experts say such documents shouldn’t be left to gather dust on a shelf: locals need to know how to implement them well before disaster strikes. “With climate change, we’re going to see (floods) more often,” said Sharon Bak, a consultant who is helping the village develop response strategies. Bak, a former Emergency Management Ontario field officer, said response plans should be practised at least once a year, and there should be lists of people who can assume leadership roles in a crisis. According to provincial regulations, unincorporated communities don’t have the authority to officially declare...
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Councillors to hear out nuclear waste group
By Carl Clutchey, Local Journalism Initiative reporter The Township of Conmee has deferred a proposed resolution that would have expressed concerns about transporting spent nuclear-fuel rods across its boundaries. At Wednesday’s council meeting, councillors opted to table the resolution until they’ve heard a presentation by the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO), the agency that plans to ship the radioactive rods to an underground storage site either near Ignace, or in southwestern Ontario. Conmee chief administrator Shara Lavallee said on Friday a meeting with Nuclear Waste Management Organization officials has yet to be set. Conmee’s decision to defer follows this week’s announcement by the Township of Ignace to declare its willingness to become a host community for the proposed storage site, technically known as a deep geological repository. Ignace council passed...
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B.C. wildfire crews battle blaze in ancient forest park with 1,000-year-old trees
The Canadian Press British Columbia’s wildfire service says crews are battling a 10-hectare blaze in a park that protects a portion of what the province calls the “only inland temperate rainforest in the world,” with trees 1,000 years old. The Ancient Forest or Chun T’oh Whudujut Park is about 115 kilometres east of Prince George in the traditional territory of the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation. It’s currently closed as the BC Wildfire Service says it’s responding to multiple incidents in the park, with the largest fire spanning 10 hectares. The service says in a statement on social media that initial attack crews are at the scene and a helipad and water relay system have been established. But it says the park’s terrain, and ecological and cultural values have challenged suppression...
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P.E.I. First Nations, Ottawa establish national park reserve on sacred Mi’kmaq land
The Canadian Press The government of Canada and Prince Edward Island’s Mi’kmaq First Nations announced an agreement on Thursday to turn a pristine chain of islands with sacred cultural significance into a national park reserve. Lennox Island First Nation Chief Darlene Bernard said she’s thrilled about the agreement, which will ensure the protection of the 50-kilometre strip of islands off P.E.I.’s northwest coast called Pituamkek, which means, “at the long sand dune.” “We have a strong cultural, traditional connection to that land. And the land is going to be protected and allow for our people to always have that land there for future generations to come,” Bernard said of the islands, where Mi’kmaq have hunted, fished and harvested for at least 4,000 years. The land is also home to a...
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Canada to apologize after labelling Dakota and Lakota as refugees
The Canadian Press 15/07/2024 Canada’s Crown-Indigenous Relations minister is scheduled to deliver an apology today to nine First Nations in Manitoba and Saskatchewan following decades of Canada labelling the Dakota and Lakota as refugees. Gary Anandasangaree’s apology, which will be delivered at a ceremony at Whitecap Dakota Nation south of Saskatoon, is being called “historic” by officials. By being referred to as refugees, the Dakota and Lakota were not included in treaty negotiations, as Canada viewed them as being American despite their strong presence north of the Canada-U.S. border. They’ve historically had a more fraught relationship with Canada, including having smaller reserves and fewer economic supports than other Indigenous groups. Whitecap Dakota Nation signed a self-government agreement with Canada in 2023, which officially recognized them as Aboriginal Peoples under the...
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First Nation challenges nuclear waste decision in federal court
By Natasha Bulowski, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter A First Nation concerned about approval of a nuclear waste disposal facility near the Ottawa River was before federal court this week to challenge the decision. The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission greenlit the project on Jan. 9 and less than one month later, Kebaowek First Nation filed for a judicial review. Kebaowek’s legal challenge is centred on the United Nations Declaration Act (UNDA), which enshrined the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) into Canadian law. The declaration specifically references the need for free, prior and informed consent when hazardous waste will be stored in a nation’s territory. Kebaowek argued in court that Canadian Nuclear Laboratories — the private consortium responsible for managing the Chalk River nuclear site — did...
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Poilievre pitches firebrand conservatism to First Nation leaders. Will they be convinced?
By Matteo Cimellaro Local Journalism Initiative Reporter If Pierre Poilievre wants to become the prime minister, then he still needs to educate himself about First Nation Peoples, says a former Chief. The rebuke by Judy Wilson, a former Kukpi7 (Chief) from unceded Secwepemcúl’ecw territory, of Poilievre’s first in-person speech to the Assembly of First Nations was par for the course as he pitched his firebrand “common-sense” conservatism. “This is my first meeting in person, but I hope it is the first of many,” Poilievre said to a room of over 300 First Nation leaders, positioning himself as prime minister-in-waiting. The speech did not veer from Poilievres’s slogan-ready promises to axe the tax, build homes, stop crime, and fix the budget, but instead reframed them with a First Nation lens —...
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FWFN chief declares state of emergency due to drug epidemic
FORT WILLIAM FIRST NATION — A state of emergency was declared by Chief Michele Solomon at Fort William First Nation on Friday because of the ongoing drug crisis that is negatively affecting the community. Council passed a motion on July 8 to make the declaration. The declaration will remain in force until the crisis is stabilized to a level that is satisfactory to the chief and council, a release said. Chief Solomon spoke with the media after a Facebook live video on the declaration. “This comes as a result of escalating situations in our community, escalating violence, escalating people coming into our community who really shouldn’t be here. And certainly the escalation of opiate-related deaths of our people, our members.” Solomon indicated the declaration was sent to Indigenous Services Canada....
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B.C. wildfire crews battle blaze in ancient forest park with 1,000-year-old trees
The Canadian Press British Columbia’s wildfire service says crews are battling a 10-hectare blaze in a park that protects a portion of what the province calls the “only inland temperate rainforest in the world,” with trees 1,000 years old. The Ancient Forest or Chun T’oh Whudujut Park is about 115 kilometres east of Prince George in the traditional territory of the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation. It’s currently closed due to the wildfire, with the wildfire service saying it’s responding to multiple incidents in the park, with the largest fire spanning 10 hectares. The service says in a statement on social media that initial attack crews are at the scene and a helipad and water relay system have been established. But it says the park’s terrain, ecological and cultural values have...
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