Alberta announces committee to help speed up oilsands tailings reclamatio
The Canadian Press The Alberta government has appointed a new committee to look into ways to speed up the reclamation of the large and growing tailings ponds in the province’s oilsands. The oilsands mine water steering committee will examine potential policies and options that would allow reclamation to occur as quickly and safely as possible. “Managing oilsands mine water and reclaiming tailings ponds is a complex issue that requires collaboration,” Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz said Tuesday in a statement. “This committee will look at all the feasible options for addressing oilsands mine water and tailings ponds and suggest ways to safely reclaim the land and ensure our waterways remain clean for future generations.” The six-member committee includes a United Conservative legislature member, a retired oilsands executive, an engineering professor, a...
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Ontario First Nations denied equal access to justice, lawsuit alleges, band bylaws not effective
The Canadian Press An organization representing Ontario First Nations launched a constitutional challenge against the province and the government of Canada on Tuesday, alleging First Nations are being denied equal access to justice. A statement of claim filed by the Chiefs of Ontario says that many provincial and federal laws — including those related to tenancy, land management and environmental protection — don’t apply on reserves. While First Nations can make their own laws and bylaws to fill in those gaps, they aren’t effective without enforcement and prosecution, the document says. The lawsuit alleges the governments do not provide enforcement or prosecution services in relation to First Nations laws, nor do they provide enough funding for First Nations to hire their own enforcement officers or prosecutors. The lawsuit argues the...
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$234M settlement is ‘bittersweet,’ Lac Seul chief says
By Mike Stimpson Local Journalism Initiative 06/05/2024 15:02 LAC SEUL – Nearly a century after more than 11,000 acres of reserve land was flooded in a hydroelectric project, Lac Seul First Nation has an agreement for $234 million in compensation. “It’s something that’s been a long time in coming,” Chief Clifford Bull said, describing the settlement agreement as “closure after many years of battling over this issue.” “And I guess the term I want to use is bittersweet,” he added. “It’s sad that the people that endured it are not here to see (the matter settled), but it was gratifying to know that this issue has been resolved in a good way for both parties.” The saga began around 1930 when a hydroelectric dam built under an agreement between Canada,...
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Timeline of slayings of 4 women in Winnipeg, demands to search a landfill for remains
The Canadian Press A Winnipeg man has admitted to killing four women but claims he’s not criminally responsible because of mental illness. Jeremy Skibicki, 37, has pleaded not guilty to four counts of first-degree murder. His trial is to begin Wednesday. Here is a timeline of the case: March 15, 2022 — Police say an unidentified woman is killed on or around this date. May 1, 2022 — Morgan Harris, a member of Long Plain First Nation living in Winnipeg, is last seen in the area of Main Street and Henry Avenue north of the city’s downtown. Police say the 39-year-old is killed on or around this date. May 4, 2022 — Police say Marcedes Myran, 26, also of Long Plain First Nation and living in Winnipeg, is...
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Nanaimo’s Indigenous Justice Centre opens, specializing in supporting First Nations clients
By Alexandra Mehl Local Journalism Initiative Nanaimo, BC – Since January, Nanaimo’s Indigenous Justice Centre has been taking on First Nation, Métis, and Inuit clients to provide free legal services and support in child protection and criminal justice matters. The centre, now fully operational, also provides wrap-around services, inter-agency coordination, and cultural support with an elder-in-residence. “[We’re] trying to make this a warm, welcoming space for the community that offers culturally appropriate justice services to support our people,” said Judith Sayers, a director with the B.C. First Nations Justice Council. “We’re trying to make this kind of a wraparound hub.” Nanaimo’s IJC, located in the Great National Landing Building in the core of the city’s downtown, is one of nine fully operational centres across B.C. With five regional centres operating...
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Taking Stock: Climate forum highlights Cree solutions for a warming planet
By Patrick Quinn Local Journalism Initiative The Cree Regional Climate Forum brought together a diversity of voices April 9-11 in Ouje-Bougoumou to understand and plan for the repercussions of a rapidly warming planet. The forum recognized the urgency of action in the wake of unprecedented forest fires and the warmest year on record. The Cree Nation Government’s Climate Change unit hopes to make this an annual event to develop Cree-led climate strategies. “There’s no boundaries to climate change,” said CNG climate change manager Olivier Kölmel. “It goes beyond the region so broader collaboration is needed for the future of the communities. The big work is yet to come, but it’s exciting work.” About 150 participants came from most Cree communities, along with some First Nations in Ontario and selected representatives...
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Six Nations Police call in Air Orange after single vehicle collision
SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND RIVER-Six Nations emergency services were called in after a single vehicle roll over trapped a man inside his vehicle and the Jaws of Life had to be brought in to rescue him. Six Nations Police, Six Nations Fire and Six Nations Emergency Medical Services all responded to the single vehicle collision on Cayuga Road south of 5th Line Road Sunday May 5th at about 2:35 p.m. Witnesses had reported a single vehicle roll over with a party trapped inside the vehicle. Using the Jaws of Life firefighters were able to extract the man, the only occupant of the vehicle. Police requested Air Orange be dispatched due to the extent of the injuries . The man was taken to a local area hospital where he was...
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Community Divided: Escalating crisis in Kitcisakik leads to blockades, appeals to government
By Patrick Quinn Local Journalism Initiative A conflict among current and former leaders of the Algonquin First Nation of Kitcisakik continues to escalate after the current director general and five former chiefs went public with their concerns on March 26 in Ottawa. “We are asking for an urgent intervention from the federal minister of Indigenous Services to put an end to this dictatorship,” said councillor Catherine Anichinapeo at a press conference. “I’ve been a witness to this for seven years. I have been subjected to workplace intimidation and misogyny.” The group said they tried unsuccessfully to resolve the dispute internally over the past three years and there had been a public demonstration in March 2023. It’s a delicate situation for the Anishinaabe community of 300 located about 130 km south...
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Alberta men involved in fatal shooting of Métis hunters lose conviction appeals
By The Canadian Press Two Alberta men found guilty in the fatal shooting of two Métis hunters have lost appeals of their convictions. Roger Bilodeau was convicted of two counts of manslaughter for the 2020 shooting of Jacob Sansom and Maurice Cardinal. His son Anthony Bilodeau, who fired the gun, was convicted of manslaughter and second-degree murder. Samson and Cardinal had been out moose hunting, when they were shot on a road near Glendon, northeast of Edmonton. Court heard the Bilodeaus had been concerned about a truck parked at the end of their rural property, so they chased down the vehicle and there was a confrontation. After the shooting, the father and son fled the scene and did not call for help. Lawyers for both men argued the trial judge...
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Manitoba’s Treaty One Development Corporation names new CEO
By Dave Baxter Local Journalism Initiative The development corporation currently working to bring Canada’s largest urban reserve to Winnipeg has a new Chief Executive Officer. On Monday, the Treaty One Development Corporation (T1DC) Board of Directors announced Kathleen BlueSky has assumed the role of CEO, following an “extensive” selection process that included both national and international applicants. “Kathleen BlueSky, a Cree and Anishinaabe Ikwe from Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation and Minegoziibe Anishinaabe First Nation, is a visionary entrepreneur and devoted mother of three who brings with her a remarkable blend of experience, expertise, and dedication to Indigenous economic development,” T1DC said in a Monday media release. T1DC represents the seven Treaty One First Nations in Manitoba, with the goal of advancing the economic and social well being of Treaty One citizens...
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Canada’s biggest urban reserve project could see shovels in ground in Winnipeg before end of month
By Dave Baxter Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Plans to build Canada’s largest urban reserve in Winnipeg continue to move forward, and officials say shovels could be in the ground on the massive development before the end of this month. “Things are looking great for the first phase of Naawi-Oodena,” Treaty One Development Corporation’s newly-named executive director Kathleen BlueSky said on Monday. Last fall, First Nations leaders broke ground on a project that will see the site of the former Kapyong Barracks along Kenaston Boulevard transformed into the country’s largest urban reserve. The site is slated to become Naawi-Oodena, a development that will be a joint venture between the Treaty One Development Corporation and Canada Lands Company, a self-financing Crown corporation. Urban reserves operate by allowing First Nations to develop land...
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Bylaw amendment to allow for Indigenous ceremonial practices approved by Cold Lake council
By Chantel Downes Local Journalism Initiative Reporter This amendment, identified as Bylaw No. 835-PL-24, came after requests from Indigenous groups to allow ceremonial practices that involve smoke in public facilities, which were previously prohibited under the existing Smoking Bylaw. During the April 23 regular council meeting, Kristi Isert, General Manager of Corporate Services for the City of Cold Lake, explained the journey of this amendment from its inception to final approval. “The amendment to the Smoking Bylaw was previously discussed at length at the Corporate Priorities Committee meeting on March 19, as well as the regular council meeting on April 9. The proposed amendment would create an exception under the bylaw which would permit smoking for Indigenous cultural practices including smudging and pipe ceremonies,” said Isert. The bylaw initially aimed to...
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Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, says not criminally responsible
By The Canadian Press A man has admitted in court that he killed four women in Winnipeg, but his lawyers are asking he be found not criminally responsible because of mental illness. Court of King’s Bench Chief Justice Glenn Joyal said Monday the question of Jeremy Skibicki’s mental capacity and intent will now be the focus of the trial. The Crown agreed that the trial, which was supposed to be with a jury, will instead be heard by a judge alone because of complexities with this type of defence. “Concluding this matter before a jury does pose some challenges,” said prosecutor Christian Vanderhooft. The trial is to start Wednesday. Skibicki, 37, has pleaded not guilty to four counts of first-degree murder. The partial remains of Rebecca Contois were found in...
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As US spotlights those missing or dead in Native communities, prosecutors work to solve their cases
BY SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — It was a frigid winter morning when authorities found a Native American man dead on a remote gravel road in western New Mexico. He was lying on his side, with only one sock on, his clothes gone and his shoes tossed in the snow. There were trails of blood on both sides of his body and it appeared he had been struck in the head. Investigators retraced the man’s steps, gathering security camera footage that showed him walking near a convenience store miles away in Gallup, an economic hub in an otherwise rural area bordered on one side by the Navajo Nation and Zuni Pueblo on the other. Court records said the footage and cell phone records showed the victim —...
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Red dresses make fashion statement about missing and murdered Indigenous women
By Kelly Geraldine Malone The Canadian Press KAMLOOPS B.C.-Models in uniquely designed red dresses are taking to the runway in British Columbia this weekend to make a powerful fashion statement about missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people. “The stories that come out through the fashion are deeply moving,” says Kim Coltman, organizer of the two-day Revolutions Red Dress Fashion Festival in Kamloops. The 63-year-old former model says the eight designers taking part in the festival have created items to honour Red Dress Day, the national day of awareness for missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls observed annually on May 5. “For the majority of them, they have been touched by this issue personally,” Coltman says. Red Dress Day was inspired by Métis artist Jamie Black’s installation...
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As US spotlights those missing or dead in Native communities, prosecutors work to solve their cases
The Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — It was a frigid winter morning when authorities found a Native American man dead on a remote gravel road in western New Mexico. He was lying on his side, with only one sock on, his clothes gone and his shoes tossed in the snow. There were trails of blood on both sides of his body and it appeared he had been struck in the head. Investigators retraced the man’s steps, gathering security camera footage that showed him walking near a convenience store miles away in Gallup, an economic hub in an otherwise rural area bordered on one side by the Navajo Nation and Zuni Pueblo on the other. Court records said the footage and cell phone records showed the victim — a Navajo...
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Leaders in remote Manitoba community put in new policies, curfew to combat influx of drugs, alcohol
By Dave Baxter Local Journalism Initiative Leaders in a remote northern Manitoba community are putting in strict new policies and a nightly curfew, as they desperately try to slow an influx of drugs and alcohol they say is bringing increasing violence and suffering. “We need community support to protect our children, Elders and members,” a notice released Monday by Chief and council of the Tataskweyak Cree Nation says. “We have the right to raise our families in a safe and healthy community.” TCN`s Band Council said in the notice, they are now declaring a state of emergency due to “violence and illegal activity” in the community, also commonly referred to as Split Lake, located more than 900 kilometres north of Winnipeg. With that state of emergency comes a list of...
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‘Treat the land right’: B.C. farmers search for solutions as another year of drought looms
By Matt Simmons Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The lines on Eugen Wittwer’s face are like the rings of a tree — they tell the story of a life lived subject to the whims of weather. Under his salt-and-pepper beard, the Swiss-born farmer keeps a warm smile at the ready. Putting a big glass jug into an old pickup truck outside the farmhouse on his family’s sprawling acreage near the village of Telkwa, B.C., he says he needs to milk his dairy cows. “I like my milk pasture-rized,” he quips. “They’re out in the pasture all day every day.” When severe drought took hold across much of Western Canada last year, many farmers saw their once-green pastures turn to barren brown deserts in a matter of weeks. As extreme heat set...
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‘We grieve and we are angry:’ Chiefs blame feds, province in wake of homicide
By John Chilibeck Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The six Chiefs of the Wolastoqey Nation in New Brunswick have reacted angrily to the death of Sheri Sabattis, the sister of an Indigenous chief who police say was a homicide victim last weekend. In a statement issued late Thursday, the chiefs blamed provincial and federal authorities for not ensuring First Nation laws were enforced. Sabattis, 54, a member of Oromocto First Nation, was the younger sister of Chief Shelley Sabattis. The accused, Jared Smith, 38, of nearby Burton, is not a member of Oromocto First Nation or any Wolastoqey community. He had earlier been banished by the Oromocto chief and council from entering the community, a measure police do not enforce. He made a brief court appearance Monday, but because he didn’t...
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Realities of new OPP board yet to be seen
Carl Clutchey Local Journalism Initiative reporter Whether a single, consolidated police service board for rural communities outside Thunder Bay will be better, worse or more expensive than the previous arrangement remains a question mark, those affected by the decision say. “We’ll have to wait and see how it goes,” Shuniah Mayor Wendy Landry said this week. “It’s a big group that we’re with now.” Police service boards advise police forces about community needs, and what locals would like to see officers focus on. Shuniah, which is policed under contract by officers based at Thunder Bay’s Ontario Provincial Police detachment, had for many years its own police service board. But about five years ago, the province said that in parts of the province served by the OPP, it wanted to have...
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