Indigenous academics, artists speaking out after U of W professor’s Métis identity questioned
By Maggie Macintosh Local Journalism Initiative Reporter WINNIPEG, MAN-Indigenous academics and artists are calling on the University of Winnipeg to take swift action to address an open identity fraud case and update campus hiring policies so applicants who say they are First Nations, Métis or Inuit back up their claims. Three genealogy reports — one completed by the St. Boniface Historical Society in 2021 and two subsequent searches in 2021 and 2022 by post-secondary researchers with expertise in building family trees — challenge Prof. Julie Nagam’s claims that she is Métis. Nagam, an art professor in the U of W’s history department whose online biography states she is “Métis/German/Syrian,” has not responded to requests for comment. “Everything is called into question with this in terms of academic integrity,” Audra Simpson,...
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Regulator issues penalty, conditions on Imperial Oil amid ongoing Kearl investigation
The Canadian Press 22/08/2024 Imperial Oil has been fined $50,000 after the province’s energy regulator concluded the company broke environmental laws when wastewater containing oilsands tailings seeped outside its lease boundary in 2022. The fine is accompanied by requirements for mitigation plans and research into the environmental effects of such wastewater and represents only the first part of the regulator’s inquiry. “These findings and resulting compliance and enforcement decisions do not encompass all potential contraventions that may have occurred at Kearl,” the regulator said in a statement. “The investigation remains ongoing.” Although the fine for two contraventions is the maximum allowed under Alberta law, environmental groups scoffed at its size. Imperial reported $1.1 billion in income in the second quarter of 2024. In May 2022, Imperial told the regulator that...
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B.C.’s rental protection fund helps non-profits secure nearly 1,500 homes, says Eby
The Canadian Press A British Columbia government fund to help non-profits buy rental buildings to protect tenants from eviction and maintain affordable rents is on track to exceed its target of 2,000 homes. Premier David Eby says the government’s $500 million rental protection fund has so far approved funding to provide 1,500 affordable homes under the project, with many more applications being considered. The government introduced the rental protection fund last year as part of its homebuilding and affordability agenda, to help preserve existing affordable rental properties and protect tenants from large rent increases. Eby says the latest projects include a 35-unit apartment in North Vancouver and a 40-unit multi-family building in Squamish that have been purchased by Indigenous-led non-profit housing agencies. He says both properties have rents that are...
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Preparations for the $46 million Walpole Island land claim delays vote
By Lynda Powless Editor WALPOLE ISLAND-Walpole Island’s planned community vote on a $46-million land claim offer has been delayed as a result of procedural discussions with the federal government involving scheduling and preparing for the vote. The Enniskillen ratification vote was scheduled to take place Saturday August 24. A notice was sent out to the community earlier this week that reads, the vote has been ” “postponed due to a recent federal government discussion that has impacted the scheduling and preparation of the electoral process.” The notice goes on to say, “These changes, imposed at the federal level, have created unforeseen complications that necessitate a delay to ensure all procedures are correctly followed and the vote is conducted fairly. We regret an inconvenience it may cause and are working to...
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Wiikwemkoong chooses Tim Ominika as chief in upset election victory
By Jacqueline St. Pierre Local Journalism Initiative Reporter WIIKWEMKOONG—Changes are afoot in Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory as a new chief and seven new councillors were elected Saturday. The First Nation held its bi-annual election for the two-year term, naming Tim Ominika as the new chief. Mr. Ominika, a mental health and addictions specialist with the Anishinabek Nation, ran on a four-pillar platform: economic development and sovereignty; cultural preservation and revitalization; education and youth empowerment; and health and wellbeing. Mr. Ominika won with 418 votes, topping former chief Rachel Manitowabi by 58 of 1,050 eligible votes cast. Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory elects one chief and 12 councillors for two years under the Indian Act’s electoral system. The community is working on implementing its own election law. In 2014, the First Nation ratified its constitution,...
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Worried about eels going extinct, Passamaquoddy call for end of fishery
By John Chilibeck, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The Indigenous nation whose traditional area has been at the heart of the lucrative trade in baby eels is calling for a moratorium to allow the threatened species to recover. Paul Williams, the lead negotiator for the Peskotomuhkati or Passamaquoddy Nation in southwestern New Brunswick, says the season should be closed until scientists can prove the delicate creatures, often called elvers or glass eels when they are young, aren’t at risk of being wiped out. “For the past three years, the Peskotomuhkati council has been saying, ‘suspend the harvest completely, nobody should be harvesting these critters.’” Williams told Brunswick News, referring to the three-member council led by Chief Hugh Akagi, himself a former scientist with the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans, or DFO....
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Planned ambulance station shuffle a symptom of long-running difficulties
By Ken Kellar, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 21/08/2024 15:48 Following news of the planned restructuring of ambulance services in the Rainy River District, the president of the local union representing area paramedics said it’s the latest result of a long-running complex issue that has no easy answer in sight. Malcolm Daley is a professional paramedic and the president of CUPE Local 4807, the union representing paramedics in the Rainy River District. The Fort Frances Times reached out to him for comment following last week’s news that the District of Rainy River Services Board (DRRSB, formerly RRDSSAB) was planning to temporarily relocate ambulance services in the area, removing emergency paramedic services from Emo to Rainy River and Fort Frances, and bringing the Community Paramedicine program to the station in its stead....
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Addressing dike issues to help Kwikwetlem First Nation move past historical grievances
By Patrick Penner, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter For the Kwikwetlem First Nation, upgrading the dikes along the lower Coquitlam River means much more than protecting its slakəyánc community from flooding. Band Coun. George Chaffee said its partnership with the City of Coquitlam will help the Nation move past historical colonial grievances, and towards understanding and reconciliation. Chaffee noted it was the first time in the Nation’s history where they were approached first by another government regarding the flooding issue. “You have to understand how big that is,” he said. “We can’t fix … what’s happened in the past, but we can make it better going into the future.” On Aug. 15, the federal and provincial governments, City of Coquitlam, and the Nation announced a joint investment of $19.9 million to...
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B.C. First Nations life expectancy plunges by 6 years, says report
The Canadian Press 21/08/2024 A British Columbia report tracking Indigenous health issues says life expectancy for the province’s First Nations people has plunged by more than six years since 2017. The First Nations Health Authority report says Indigenous life expectancy in B.C. fell from 73.3 years in 2017 to 67.2 years in 2021. Dr. Nel Wieman, First Nations Health Authority’s chief medical health officer, says the decline was largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the province’s opioid overdose crisis. She says Indigenous people in B.C. have been disproportionately impacted by both the pandemic and the unregulated toxic drug supply. Dr. Daniele Behn Smith, B.C.’s deputy provincial health officer, says the report’s life expectancy data is “gut wrenching.” The report on Indigenous health and wellness also notes an improvement in...
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Judge blocks Arizona lithium drilling that tribe says is threat to sacred lands
By Associated Press 21/08/2024 21:48 A federal judge has temporarily blocked exploratory drilling for a lithium project in Arizona that tribal leaders say will harm land they have used for religious and cultural ceremonies for centuries. Lawyers for the national environmental group Earthjustice and Colorado-based Western Mining Action Project are suing federal land managers on behalf of the Hualapai Tribe. They accuse the U.S. Bureau of Land Management of illegally approving drilling planned by an Australian mining company in the Big Sandy River Basin in northwestern Arizona, about halfway between Phoenix and Las Vegas. The case is among the latest legal fights to pit Native American tribes and environmentalists against President Joe Biden’s administration as green energy projects encroach on lands that are culturally significant. U.S. District Judge Diane Humetewa...
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‘Gut wrenching’ report: B.C. First Nations life expectancy plunges by six years
The Canadian Press 21/08/2024 20:24 Life expectancy for British Columbia’s First Nations people has dropped by more than six years since 2017, says a report tracking Indigenous health issues. The report from the province’s First Nations Health Authority says Indigenous life expectancy in B.C. fell from 73.3 years in 2017 to 67.2 years in 2021. “Clearly, this life expectancy data is gut wrenching,” Dr. Daniele Behn Smith, deputy provincial health officer for Indigenous health, said at a news conference. “It is gut wrenching.” The report released Wednesday found life expectancy for First Nations males declined by 6.8 years, and 5.2 years for females, for an overall decline of 6.1 years, the report said. Dr. Nel Wieman, First Nations Health Authority’s chief medical health officer, said the decline was largely due...
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Arviat Housing Association achieves 100 per cent Inuit employment
By Darrell Greer Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The days of the Arviat Housing Association trying to recruit workers from the south are long gone. The association still recruits, but, these days, it hires from within its own community. Arviat Housing Association manager Gleason Uppahuak oversees an operation that has six positions in the administration department and 16 in the maintenance department. Uppahuak said Arviat Housing currently has about 500 units that it administers and maintains, with another 500 people on a waiting list. He said the association also has three apprentices doing Level One, Level Two and Level Three training towards becoming a housing maintenance service (HMS) person. “They’re kind of a jack of all trades and do plumbing, heating and some electrical,” said Uppahuak. “I am very proud...
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AFN national chief promotes child welfare agreement, as expert raises concerns
The Canadian Press The national chief of the Assembly of First Nations says there are 47.8 billion reasons for chiefs to accept a child welfare reform deal with Canada, but a leading child welfare expert is warning chiefs to review the fine print. National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak has been promoting a settlement that would see the federal government set aside $47.8 billion over 10 years to reform the First Nations child welfare system. The deal was struck after decades of advocacy and litigation from First Nations and experts, seeking to redress decades of discrimination against First Nations children who were torn from their families and placed in foster care because the child welfare systems on reserves were not funded to provide services that could keep families together. The federal...
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Police charge 10 drivers with impaired over 10 days
By Katie Nicholls, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter THUNDER BAY — Local police have charged several drivers with impaired over a very short period of time. Const. Tom Armstrong with Thunder Bay Police said 10 people were arrested for impaired driving over a 10-day period, which demonstrates that the problem has not gone away despite prevention efforts from police. “I feel like a broken record with it. I think it’s something that we’ve done a significant number of public education (sessions) and very obvious enforcement initiatives. We’re trying to do all we can. We’re trying to be creative about it, but it’s just that society is not getting it and not making that change. I don’t know why,” he said during a media availability on Wednesday. Armstrong said these arrests from...
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Deadline for music residency for Indigenous artists fast approaching
By Crystal St. PIerre Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Indigenous music artists from across Canada are being called on to apply for the CBC Indigenous Music Residency by Aug. 29. The program is an initiative between the SOCAN Foundation and CBC that will provide invaluable mentorship to six music creators from First Nation, Métis and Inuit communities. The residency will be held in Toronto from Oct. 14 to Nov. 8. “The biggest thing is that this is supposed to benefit, it’s customized around the people that are applying,” said Nic Meloney, CBC production executive for the residency. “So, if they feel it within themselves that they’ve got the confidence to be able to deliver, the confidence and the creativity to be able to step into a realm like that and they’ve got...
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The Haudenosaunee National Women’s Team are at the World Lacrosse Championships in Hong Kong
The Haudenosaunee National Women’s Team are at the World Lacrosse Championships in Hong Kong for the U20 Women’s Field Lacrosse games (Submitted Photo)...
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Credit First Nations has a familiar face on council with election
By Austin Evans Writer Promising to improve communication between the Mississaugas of the Credit and their council, Ashley Sault has returned to the Pillar 6 Lead Councillor role. Sault thanked the community for coming out to support her, saying they gave her the encouragement she needed to keep going. “There are so many people, I think it would be dangerous to try and name any few people because there were so many,” she joked. “Obviously my husband and my kids and my closest friends and family, but I don’t want to discredit how much the support from the rest of the membership mattered as well to me.” She also congratulated the other nominees on their campaigns and invited them to keep getting involved in the community. “Everybody ran a good...
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Brantford has a shopping list for the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, Six Nations Elected Council attending to meet and greet
By Lynda Powless Editor BRANTFORD, ON – The City of Brantford is attending the annual Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) meeting this week with a grocery list of needs. It’s joining more than 2,500 participants from hundreds of municipalities and organizations across Ontario at Ottawa’s Shaw Centre from August 18 to 21 and among them will be a Six Nation Elected Council delegation. The conference allows municipal and provincial officials to discuss “pressing challenges that extend beyond municipal resources and responsibilities,” the city said in a statement. For Brantford among other issues it hopes to “foster a collaborative relationship with Indigenous communities.” It says that can happen with “meaningful consultation and shared prosperity initiatives. These discussions are crucial for ensuring that Indigenous voices are heard and that their needs...
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SN Elected Council spending almost $80 million on projects
Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) is spending almost $80 million to build a local school, new lodge and hospice. SNEC has tasked its staff to “go out and seek” more than $40 million to construct a new Iroquois Lodge Long Term Care Home. SNEC passed a motion in a closed Political Liaison meeting directing CEO Nathan Wright to find the $43 million to have a new Iroquois Lodge built. Wright announced the direction to find the funds during an update at the General Council meeting on August 13. In total he was directed to spend $72.6 million on construction projects that include the lodge, funding the Kawenni:io/Gaweni:yo Elementary and Secondary School with a $23 million loan and $6.6 million to build a hospice. Funding the lodge, he said “is a...
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SNEC to fund $6.6 million hospice after delays
Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) plans to bite the bullet and pay the full cost of building a hospice on Six Nations after losing out on a donation that would have covered the cost of construction. SNEC passed a motion in an in-camera Political Liaison meeting directing CEO Nathan Wright to use the $6.6 million the Six Nations community receives annually from Hydro One as part of the Bruce. In the past the money has been available to community led projects. Wright gave an update at the General Council meeting on August 13 and said the $6.6 million would come from a Hydro One deal made by a previous council, concerning a transmission line between The Bruce Power Complex near Kincardine, Ont. and Hydro One’s Milton Switching Station, but in...
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