Senator wants Washington Commanders to pay tribute to an old logo that offends many Indigenous
The Associated Press 02/07/2024 After a half century of activism, many Native Americans thought a bitter debate over the capital’s football mascot was over two years ago when the team became the Washington Commanders. The organization left behind the racist slur “redskins” as its name and retired the logo that was closely tied to that name: the profile of a Native man with long hair and two feathers. Now, a white Republican U.S. senator from Montana is reviving the debate by blocking a bill funding the revitalization of the decrepit RFK Stadium for the Commanders, who have been playing miles away in Maryland. Sen. Steve Daines says he will block the legislation until the NFL and the Commanders honor the former logo in some form. Daines declined Associated Press requests...
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Missing 15-year-old Isaac
BRANTFORD ONT-The Brantford Police Service are seeking the public’s assistance in locating missing 15-year-old, Isaac. Isaac is described as 5’10”, 204 lbs., with black hair, and blue eyes. Isaac was last seen wearing red and grey shoes, grey shorts, and a grey shirt. Isaac was last seen in the area of Diana Street, June 23, 2024, at approximately 11:30 a.m. Isaac is known to frequent the downtown. The Brantford Police Service are concerned for Isaac’s well-being and are seeking assistance from anyone who may have information which may assist in locating the missing person. Anyone with knowledge of Isaac’s whereabouts are asked to please contact the Brantford Police Service at 519-756-7050. Individuals who wish to provide information anonymously are asked to contact Brant-Brantford Crime Stoppers at 519-750-8477 or 1-800-222-8477....
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NEWS ALERT: Parole denied for Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier, who has spent most of his life in prison
The Associated Press 02/07/2024 11:25 Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier, who has spent most of his life in prison since his conviction in the 1975 killings of two FBI agents in South Dakota, has been denied parole. The U.S. Parole Commission said in a statement Tuesday announcing the decision that he won’t be eligible for another parole hearing until June 2026. His attorney, Kevin Sharp, a former federal judge, argued that Peltier was wrongly convicted and said that the health of the 79-year-old was failing. Peltier’s attorney didn’t immediately return a phone message from The Associated Press seeking comment, but after his client was last denied parole, in June, Sharp, said that he argued that the commission was obligated legally to “look forward,” focusing on issues such as whether he is...
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Manitoba premier polling high after nine months, but experts say challenges lie ahead
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew gives a thumbs-up after he leaves a press conference before the provincial budget is read at the Manitoba legislature in Winnipeg, Tuesday, April 2, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Wood Canadian Press Nine months after being elected, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew continues to enjoy a honeymoon with voters. His NDP government has enacted many promises the party made during last year’s election campaign, and opposition parties are working to rebuild after losing leaders and legislature seats. But challenges lie ahead, experts say, as the government tries to enact other pledges — such as keeping grocery prices affordable — and follow through on a fiscal plan that could require tight restraint. “The government has been working to fulfil commitments it made during the election, (but) I would say...
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West Vancouver student wins competition with touching Indigenous art piece
By Mina Kerr-Lazenby Published: 01/07/2024 16:04 It took two months of painstaking beading work to create, but the hard work of Sentinel Secondary student and artist Rebecca Collier has not gone unnoticed. The Grade 11 student, from the Métis Nation, is one of four winners to have bagged one of the much coveted cash prizes for the FORED BC’s annual artwork contest. Part of FORED’s Aboriginal Heritage, Education & Dialogue (AHEAD) program, the contest celebrates the rich cultural and heritage traditions of Indigenous communities. Crafted from beads, deer hide and jingles, the vivid piece of fine craftsmanship depicts a blossoming lotus flower in vibrant reds and pinks. Designed to be worn at powwows, as a burette with an eagle feather on the back of the head, the piece is a...
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Museum of Anthropology at UBC reopens as a place for lively learning
By Mina Kerr-Lazenby Journalism Initiative Published: 01/07/2024 16:02 It might not look too different upon first glance, but the freshly reopened Museum of Anthropology at UBC has undergone more than a few noteworthy changes in recent months. Last week, the UBC museum opened its doors to the public after an 18-month hiatus. The closure had been for seismic upgrades, a $40-million retrofit ensuring the facility can now withstand a once-in-2,500-year earthquake, but it’s the subtle upgrades within that might be the most notable of all. Where there had once been information plaques written by museum staff beneath the artifacts and objects, now lies information written by the First Nations communities themselves. “They’re now coming from Indigenous people, there are a lot of first person quotes,” said MoA’s curator of Indigenous...
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What does National Indigenous Peoples Day mean to the Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations?
By Mina Kerr-Lazenby Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 01/07/2024 15:59 As National Indigenous Peoples Day enters its 18th year, First Nations communities are taking a moment on June 21 to learn of and celebrate their unique culture and heritage – and are encouraging others to do the same. “When we look at the Indigenous Peoples Day, I look at it as a day of celebration of who we are, and where we come from as Indigenous peoples, and embracing it,” said Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) elected council member Sxwíxwtn (Wilson Williams). For the general public, added Williams, it should be a day of education.”It’s a day of ‘Hey, can I be a part of this? How do I become a part of this, and really celebrate with you and honour you,...
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Brantford police continue to investigate sexual assault, seek information from public
July 1, 2024 BRANTFORD ONT-The Brantford Police Service (BPS) are asking the public for help in identifying two people of interest as they continuing to investgate a sexual assault. BPS said the a female was sexually assaulted in the downtown core by two different individuals at two separates times on Tuesday, June, 25, 2024 , between 10:30 p.m., and 1:30 a.m. The suspects have been described to police as follows: Suspect #1: Brown male, approximately 26-years-old, stocky build, with spiked dark hair, wearing blue shorts, black sandals, a floral shirt, and hoop earrings in each ear. Suspect #2: Black male, approximately 30-years-old, narrow v-shaped face, stubble on chin, short, buzzed hair, wearing dark coloured pants, black shoes, blue “Crooks & Castle” t-shirt....
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Canada Day festivities attract hundreds at ceremonies, parties across the country
The Maple Leaf flew on lampposts, flagpoles and patios across the country on Monday as cities from coast to coast welcome thousands of revellers for Canada Day. Under a cloudless July sky, thousands of people dressed in red and white made their way to Ottawa’s LeBreton Park Flats for the annual Canada Day celebrations in the national capital. People were in high spirits as they strolled down Wellington Street to the festival site, taking the airport-style security checks and porta-potties in stride. The sun was blazing by the time things got underway at noon, and many ducked under the umbrellas they brought for shade. Algonquin elder Claudette Commanda opened the events with an Indigenous reflection. With a small wooden canoe on stage beside her, Commanda spoke about its importance to...
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Blackfoot logo translates reconciliation in LPS values
By Alexandra Noad, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The Lethbridge Police Service has unveiled a logo commissioned to visually represent the organization’s values in the Blackfoot language. The project was initiated by Trissly Blackwater, a summer student for the police service. She saw the values of the LPS every day and was reminded of her own Blackfoot values-Niisitapi. “They teach us how to treat others and our surroundings within the community,” Blackwater said Friday during the unveiling at the police station. “And so basically what our Blackfoot values teach us is how to be a real person.” The commission took two years to make and to be approved. Blackwater wanted to make sure things were done in the correct manner. “We wanted to make sure that we were going in the...
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NDP’s Ashton pays back some money from Christmas trip initially billed to taxpayers
A New Democrat member of Parliament has paid back a portion of the thousands of dollars she spent on a Christmastime trip for herself and her family that was paid for with public money. The federal New Democrats said Manitoba MP Niki Ashton Reimbursed the House of Commons administration for $2,900, part of the more than $17,000 in costs she incurred during a Christmas Day trip to Quebec City followed by a visit to Montreal. Public expenses show Ashton, her husband and two children flew from her northern Manitoba riding to Ottawa on Dec. 21, 2022. A day earlier, her Ottawa apartment was sprayed for bedbugs, which led her and her family to travel to the capital to deal with that “urgent” situation, Ashton said in a statement. “I then...
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Conmee mulls resolution about nuclear waste
By Carl Clutchey Local Journalism Initiative reporter Conmee Township may become the next rural municipality to formally oppose a proposal to ship spent nuclear-fuel rods across its boundaries. Council is to consider next month a resolution stating its opposition to the shipment plan by the Nuclear Waste Management Organization, which intends to ship the rods to a future underground storage site to be built near Ignace or in southwestern Ontario. The move follows a presentation this week to Conmee council members by the Environment North and We the Nuclear Free North groups, both of which oppose the Nuclear Waste Management Organization’s plan. The group’s contend that spent fuel rods from nuclear reactors, which remain radioactive for several years, should not be shipped and instead contained “in the vicinity” of the...
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As fall elections loom, are fears for the state of democracy in Canada justified?
At ceremonies marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day in France a month ago, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivered a warning about the state of democracy. It was, he said on Juno Beach, “still under threat today, … threatened by aggressors who want to redraw borders. It is threatened by demagogy, misinformation, disinformation, foreign interference.” With Canadians poised to go to the polls in at least three provincial elections this fall, and a federal vote due next year, concerns about the strength of democracy are being raised on multiple fronts. But is Canada’s democracy truly under threat? Political scientists say while Canadian politics and institutions are facing a myriad of concerns, the situation isn’t dire overall. “From a comparative standpoint, Canada’s democracy is quite robust, and it’s quite strong from an...
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Underwater gardeners work to restore B.C.’s majestic kelp forests
In the chilly waters of Vancouver Island’s Barkley Sound, gardeners are at work on the sea floor. They are scientists from the University of Victoria who are trying to regrow kelp forests, a crucial part of the marine habitat, amid threats from heat waves, climate change and voracious sea urchins. Julia Baum, a University of Victoria professor of ocean ecology and global change has been studying data going back decades on B.C.’s majestic underwater forests, which provide food and resources for fish and other coastal organisms. She said a “very prolonged marine heat wave between 2014 and 2016″ had a major impact on the northeast Pacific. “And what we found was that in a number of places, kelp forests disappeared,” said Baum. Bull kelp and giant kelp are the two...
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Portage la Prairie apologizes for past wrongs against Indigenous people
By Dave Baxter Local Journalism Initiative reporter The City of Portage la Prairie officially apologized this week for past wrongs they say they committed against Indigenous people, including a decision that saw Indigenous people removed from the city more than 100 years ago. On Wednesday, Portage la Prairie city council held a special meeting of council to “formally acknowledge and apologize for past mistakes of the City in order to rebuild relationships with our Indigenous partners.” More than a century ago, in the late 1800’s land in the city located west of Winnipeg was purchased by the Dakota Plains First Nation, but in 1911 the city’s-then council passed a resolution asking officials to suggest to the federal government that it was “advisable to have the Indians removed from their present...
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In their own words: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s message on Canada Day
The Canadian Press 01/07/2024 09:00 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has released a video message to Canadians on Canada Day. Here’s what he had to say, in his own words. “Hello everyone, happy Canada Day. No matter where you are, I hope you’re celebrating the incredible people, the land and the story that is Canada. It’s a story that began more than 157 years ago, with Indigenous Peoples who called this land home since time immemorial. It’s a story of sacrifice. When Canadian soldiers stormed the beaches of Normandy, they knew they were risking their lives, but freedom — even for those across an ocean, even for generations of people they’d never meet — was worth fighting for. Our rights and freedoms are never guaranteed. They’re safeguarded every day by trailblazers,...
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‘We are at risk of becoming a second Highway of Tears’
This warning sign can be seen on a section of British Columbia’s Highway 16 known as the Highway of Tears 31 km north of Smithers. (Photo courtesty Izithombe Wikimedia CC) By Roisin Cullen Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 01/07/2024 10:38 The former owner/operator of independent transportation service “Owl Bus” is urging politicians to take action to provide transportation between Mount Currie and Lillooet. Lillooet local Jill Stainsby fears people will have no option but to hitchhike as no other intercity service exists past Whistler. Stainsby ran the twice-weekly intercity Owl Bus route between Whistler and Kamloops for nearly five years. She parked her reliable white Dodge Journey for good on Feb. 1, citing her advancing age as her reason for stepping down. At the time, Stainsby stressed another transit company...
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Yellowstone officials: Rare white buffalo sacred to Native Americans not seen since June 4 birth
The Associated Press 28/06/2024 14:23 Yellowstone National Park officials said Friday a rare white buffalo sacred to Native Americans has not been seen since its birth on June 4. The birth of the white buffalo, which fulfilled a Lakota prophecy that portends better times, was the first recorded in Yellowstone history and is a landmark event for the ecocultural recovery of bison, said park officials in confirming the birth for the first time. It is an extraordinarily rare occurrence: A white buffalo is born in the wild once in every 1 million births, or even less frequently, the park said. Whether the calf – named Wakan Gli, which means “Return Sacred” in Lakota – is still alive is unknown. The park’s statement mentioned that each spring, about one in five...
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Community group seeks to add “missing piece” to Purcell Wilderness Conservancy
By Rachael Lesosky Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Mt. Willet Wilderness Forever, a North Kootenay Lake community group, is seeking political and public support for its latest proposal to include the “missing piece” – the Argenta-Johnsons Landing (AJL) Face – in the Purcell Wilderness Conservancy Provincial Park. Eight years of hard work have gone into the second proposal, said Gary Diers, member of Mt. Willet Wilderness Forever. It was revised with help from biologists Amber Peters and Dr. Michael Proctor to encompass wider biological issues. “But our ask of the government is still exactly the same: the inclusion of the Argenta Face within the Purcell Wilderness Conservancy Provincial Park.” Lying between the communities of Argenta and Johnsons Landing, the AJL Face is bordered on three sides by the Purcell Wilderness Conservancy...
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As political fervor for New Zealand’s Māori resurgence wanes, a new Indigenous holiday comes of age
The Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — When Ngarauru Mako told her family she was calling off Christmas festivities in favor of celebrating Matariki, the Māori new year holiday that’s experiencing a renaissance in New Zealand, her children didn’t believe her. “We grew up with Christmas because it was just what you did, but I realized it wasn’t my thing,” said Mako, who is Māori, a member of New Zealand’s Indigenous people. “I just decided myself to cancel Christmas, be the Grinch, and take on Matariki.” Now in its third year as a nationwide public holiday in New Zealand, Matariki marks the lunar new year by the rise of the star cluster known in the Northern Hemisphere as the Pleiades. The holiday is seeing a surge in popularity, even...
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