Cenovus teams with First Nations to build northern Alberta homes amid housing crisis
By Amanda Stephenson The Canadian Press Raoul Montgrand, president of the Chard Métis Nation in northern Alberta, called a 200-square-foot camper trailer home for close to two years. The community leader and his wife were among the many residents affected by an ongoing housing crisis in the isolated hamlet, located about an hour-and-a-half drive southeast of Fort McMurray. But Montgrand, who now lives in a beautiful new pre-fabricated home situated just a stone’s throw from his old trailer, says what bothered him most about the dire housing conditions in Chard was what it meant for the community’s children. “Before, we would see five or six families in one house,” Montgrand said in a recent interview. “Without a house, there’s no education. How are the kids going to go to...
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Federal government must track progress toward zero plastic waste goal: audit report
By Sarah Ritchie The Canadian Press Most federal programs aimed at reducing plastic waste are working, but the government isn’t measuring its progress toward its overall goal of zero plastic waste by 2030, according to a new audit from Canada’s environment commissioner. The government launched an initiative in 2019 to create a circular economy for plastics by 2030 — meaning nothing goes to waste. In his audit released Tuesday, environment commissioner Jerry V. DeMarco found that waste-reduction efforts in key federal departments were generally working well. That included efforts by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, which is meeting its targets to remove lost or discarded fishing gear — also known as ghost gear — from the water. Environment groups estimate as much as three-quarters of the plastic in the world’s...
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Environment commissioner gives Canada failing grade on Northern contaminated sites
By Alessia Passafiume Canadian Press Ottawa is failing to remediate contaminated sites in the North, leaving Indigenous peoples at risk and raising the government’s own financial liability for the polluted areas, environment commissioner Jerry DeMarco said Tuesday in a new audit. DeMarco’s probe found that the government’s liability for contaminated sites increased by $7 billion since 2005, when the government launched its plan to remediate and reclaim abandoned mines. More than 60 per cent of that liability is in the North. “After 20 years, there is still much work needed to reduce financial liability related to contaminated sites and to lower environmental and human health risks for current and future generations,” said DeMarco. “As well, the government needs to take urgent action to advance socio-economic benefits, including employment opportunities, and...
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Winnipeg trial of man accused of killing four women starts with bid to toss jury
The Canadian Press Lawyers for a Winnipeg man accused of killing four women are renewing calls for a judge to decide the case rather than a jury. They say two years of publicity surrounding the high-profile case of Jeremy Skibicki may sway the jury panel that was picked last week. Skibicki has pleaded not guilty to four counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Morgan Harris, Marcedes Myran, Rebecca Contois and an unidentified woman Indigenous leaders have named Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe or Buffalo Woman. Skibicki, dressed in a T-shirt, baggy pants and leg shackles, sat in court Monday as his lawyers argued the six-week-long trial should be heard in front of a judge alone. It was the second time in six months they made the argument that Skibicki should have...
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As TMX enables record oil output, First Nations hope for new chapter
By Amanda Stephenson The Canadian Press Some Indigenous communities in northern Alberta hope the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion will mark the start of a new chapter in their relationship with Canada’s oilsands industry. The $34 billion pipeline project from Alberta to the B.C. coast promises improved access to export markets for oilsands producers, which are forecast to achieve all-time-high output this year. The pipeline’s expected opening on May 1 is a big deal for the Fort McKay First Nation, located about an hour’s drive north of Fort McMurray and home to around 800 people of Dene, Cree and Métis descent. “It matters to the Fort McKay First Nation. When there’s an opportunity like the Trans Mountain pipeline, the question is, how can we actually leverage it to transfer that opportunity to...
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Orca’s escape from B.C. lagoon will be talked about for ‘generations,’ say First Nations
By Dirk Meissner Canadian Press in Victoria An orphan killer whale calf escaped from a remote Vancouver Island tidal lagoon Friday where it had been trapped for more than a month, immediately swimming towards the open ocean and making calls for its extended family members, say overjoyed rescue officials. The young orca’s bid for freedom occurred at a high tide early Friday and involved swimming through a swift-moving, narrow channel and underneath a bridge, with Esperanza Inlet in the near distance. “It’s been a joyful day, a really joyful day,” said Ehattesaht First Nation Chief Simon John at a news conference. “I’m very ecstatic how things happened today. There was a lot of anticipation for this moment for the past five weeks.” The orca has been the focus of intense...
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Alberta to pilot new social studies curriculum in the fall after facing blowback
By Lisa Johnson The Canadian Press :26/04/2024 18:55 The Alberta government says a draft social studies curriculum for elementary schools is ready for classroom-testing this fall, but the teachers’ union says the program is flawed and needs to be delayed. Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides says the draft has significantly evolved. “Not everyone may be happy with the new curriculum, and that’s understandable. Albertans are diverse, and that means we have diverse views,” Nicolaides told reporters Friday. “What I believe, though, is most important is that we take politics out of the classroom.” Nicolaides said the draft better emphasizes critical thinking, is more culturally inclusive, and shifts some topics to more appropriate age levels. For example, students are set to learn about taxes in Grade 5 rather than in Grade 2....
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Haida elder suing Catholic Church and priest, hopes for ‘healing and reconciliation’
By Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press The lawyer for a residential school survivor leading a proposed class-action defamation lawsuit against the Catholic Church over residential schools says the court action is a last resort. Maxime Faille, the lawyer for Sphenia Jones, says the goal is understanding — not money. “Sphenia is 80 years-old. She doesn’t care about money for herself,” Faille said in an interview from Vancouver. “She wants to see healing happen, and this is an opportunity for healing and reconciliation. “But it takes two willing partners to do that. To me, (the lawsuit) is the fall back if the other side isn’t willing to come to the table.” Jones is a Haida elder who spent time at the Edmonton Indian Residential School. She filed a statement of...
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Treatment of national chief and her headdress by Air Canada ‘scary’, ‘humiliating’, Woodhouse Nepinak says
By Odette Auger Local Journalism Initiative Reporter When Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak was checking in for her Air Canada flight from Montreal to Fredericton, N.B April 24, the ceremonial headdress she was carrying in its case was not a problem. It wasn’t a problem when she boarded the flight, either. “Then I put my headdress under the chair in front of me, as usual. Just standard stuff, right?” It became a problem when a flight attendant made it a problem. “That’s when it escalated,” she told Windspeaker.com. Another flight attendant joined in and tried to tell Woodhouse Nepinak that she needed to put the sacred item into checked luggage in the underbelly of the plane with the cargo. The headdress had been bestowed on the...
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Haida elder suing Catholic Church and priest, hopes for ‘healing and reconciliation’
The lawyer for a residential school survivor leading a proposed class-action defamation lawsuit against the Catholic Church over residential schools says the court action is a last resort. Maxime Faille, the lawyer for Sphenia Jones, says the goal is understanding — not money. “Sphenia is 80 years-old. She doesn’t care about money for herself,” Faille said in an interview from Vancouver. “She wants to see healing happen, and this is an opportunity for healing and reconciliation. “But it takes two willing partners to do that. To me, (the lawsuit) is the fall back if the other side isn’t willing to come to the table.” Jones is a Haida elder who spent time at the Edmonton Indian Residential School. She filed a statement of claim last year alleging Rev. Marcin Mironiuk...
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First Nations Leadership Council praises Haida land title agreement
The First Nations Leadership Council has praised the recently signed Haida “Rising Tide” land agreement, while also calling on the federal government to reach similar agreements. The agreement — which will give the Haida Nation title over their traditional territory — was tabled at the B.C. legislature on April 22, and will soon become law. First Nations Summit political executive Robert Phillips praised the Haida Nation and the B.C. government for an agreement he said “sets up a process so that they can work together, government to government.” Phillips said the government worked proactively with the Haida Nation, rather than resorting to litigation, which he said results in negative outcomes for both parties. “Just by looking at our history, when we do protests or when we go to court, what...
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AFN chief says Air Canada offered a 15% discount after her headdress was mishandled
After the Assembly of First Nations’ national chief complained to Air Canada about how staffers treated her and her ceremonial headdress on a flight this week, she says the airline responded by offering a 15 per cent discount on her next flight. “It must have been a generic response,” Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak said in an interview, calling the entire experience “humiliating” and “unbelievable.” Woodhouse Nepinak said in a social media post Thursday that her headdress and its case were taken away and put in a garbage bag. She clarified Friday the case was removed from the flight, but she was able to hold her headdress throughout the trip after pleading with staff. Air Canada said in a statement Friday morning that it reached out directly to Woodhouse Nepinak to apologize...
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$9.2M coming to the city for homelessness prevention from the province
THUNDER BAY — While many political leaders are in town for a regional conference, the minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing made a significant housing announcement under the Homelessness Prevention Program. Four projects will receive a total of $9,238,000 from The District of Thunder Bay Social Services Administration Board (TBDSSAB). The project getting the most funding is a Shelter House and NorWest Community Health Centres project, which will receive $4,179,000 to create 17 units in a building located at the corner of Donald Street E and Simpson Street. The new executive director of Shelter House, Brendan Carlin, is excited about the funding. “We’re building some managed alcohol spaces and reduced harm spaces. It will allow a couple of things; allow them their private spaces, as opposed to a dorm,...
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Killer whale calf trapped in B.C. swims out of lagoon on her own
By Canadian Press A killer whale calf made her own bid for freedom Friday for a potential reunion with extended family in the nearby ocean, swimming under a bridge at high tide and out of a remote Vancouver Island lagoon where she had been trapped for more than a month. The orca has been the focus of intense rescue efforts since March 23 when her pregnant mother became stranded on a rocky beach near the bridge at low tide and died. The Ehattesaht and Nuchatlaht First Nations say in a statement the calf chose a “clear and glass-calm, star-filled night” at about 2:30 a.m. to swim under the bridge and down the inlet. “I’m very happy,” Ehattesaht First Nation Chief Simon John said in an interview Friday. “It is a...
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Air Canada issues apology after placing Assembly of First Nations National Chief headdress in cargo hold
By Turtle Island News and CP The federal minister of Crown-Indigenous relations is calling on Air Canada to “make things right” with the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, who said her headdress was removed from an airplane cabin during a flight this week. Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, who leads the advocacy organization, said in a social-media post Thursday her headdress and its case were taken away and put in a garbage bag. She said the incident left her with hurt feelings, and Air Canada needs a protocol for First Nations peoples so they are not “harassed” when carrying sacred items. “If I get kicked off the flight today, then I will because I won’t be letting them take my headdress or case away from me again,” she wrote....
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Mississauga’s urban growth confronts a tree canopy first protected by the people who gave the city its name
By Rachel Morgan Local Journalism Initiative Reporter First enjoyed by the Mississaugas some three hundred years ago, the awesome tree cover that provided natural and spiritual benefits has since fallen victim to wide scale deforestation. Some Ojibwe, whose homelands spread to the easternmost area of the Anishinaabe people, migrated south to the banks of the Great Lake now called Ontario, around the early 1700s. They came to be known as the Mississaugas. Framing what are now known as Etobicoke Creek and the Credit River, the mouths where these flowing water bodies met one of the “five freshwater seas” (as described by the Anishinaabe) were surrounded by towering White Pines, Sugar Maples, Poplars and White Cedars. As Europeans settled along the shores of the Great Lakes, where shipping routes carried the...
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Six Nations Police identify body located on Second Line Road as local person
SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND RIVER- Six Nations Police have identified the body of a deceased person found on Second Line near Chiefswood Road almost two weeks ago as a 32-year-old from Ohsweken. Police did not identify the deceased as male or female or release the name saying they are not identifying the sex of the individual for “investigative reasons.” An increased police presence will be seen in the area today as the investigation continues. On April 12, 2024, at about 5:15 p.m., police were notified of an individual found deceased on Second Line Road just off the roadway. Police said the “identity is being withheld to maintain the integrity of the investigation, which is continuing under the direction of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Criminal Investigation Branch.” Anyone with...
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Nova Scotia elver fisher says early signs of improved enforcement of fishery
The Canadian Press A string of recent arrests for illegal fishing is an early sign the federal government has increased enforcement since it closed the baby eel fishery, says one Nova Scotia commercial fisher. Stanley King, of Atlantic Elver Fishery, reacted Thursday to news that the federal Fisheries Department arrested five people from Maine for illegal fishing in the Meteghan, N.S., area of Digby County last weekend. Department officials have “upped their game,” said King, who has been among the commercial fishers who have criticized the federal government in recent years for what they said was a soft approach to poaching. But he cautioned that cases of unauthorized fishing could still rise as the population of the tiny fish known as elvers increases through the spring with more favourable coastal...
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From 18 to 5,000: Timmins group is thriving making quilts for residential school survivors
By Amanda Rabski-McColl Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Volunteers have worked for the last three years to create thousands of quilts for residential school survivors, and they’re not stopping any time soon. “I’ve always volunteered all my life,” said Marcelle Dallaire, who started volunteering after she retired. “I was looking for something to keep me busy, and one day I’m on Facebook and I saw Quilts for Survivors, and I started reading.” Quilts for Survivors has been a welcoming place for quilters and non-quilters alike in their work to create quilts for residential school survivors. With their 5,000th blanket on its way to a recipient in Manitoba, the team is always looking for more people to help. Dallaire has enjoyed helping people learn to quilt more, no matter their skill level....
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Man accused of first-degree murder more than two years after Manitoba double homicide
The Canadian Press Manitoba RCMP have charged a man with first-degree murder, more than two years after a double homicide on the Northlands Denesuline First Nation, a remote fly-in community of some 900 residents in the province’s far north. News of the arrest has provided some comfort to the tight-knit community following the deaths of Brent Denechezhe, 31, and Leona Tssessaze, 24, in September 2021, said Chief Simon Denechezhe, the community’s chief. “We live with the loss of these two vibrant young people every day, but now we can stop wondering,” the chief said Thursday. “Without the questions, we can process the pain.” RCMP said the victims and a man were together inside Brent Denechezhe’s home, when they got into a disagreement and the man left and returned with a...
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