Wildfire burning near Port Alberni is being held, police arrest suspect
By Nora O’Malley Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 07/08/2024 19:04 A wildfire burning close to Tseshaht’s main reserve, located between Sproat Lake and Port Alberni, is being held, according to the Aug. 7 update from BC Wildfire Service, while police have announced an arrest in the incident. The wildfire was reported by BC Wildfires on Tuesday, Aug. 6 at 6:34 p.m. The latest report says the fire size has grown from 0.009 hectares to 0.5 hectares. There are no current evacuation orders in place. “The fire began on Crown land and moved into Mosaic private land,” reads an Aug. 6 bulletin posted by Tseshaht First Nation at 8:30 p.m. “Please be advised there is NO immediate danger to lives or infrastructure. The fire continues to move away from our reserve,”...
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Manitoba’s landfill search for homicide victims set to begin by end of October
By Dave Baxter Local Journalism Initiative 07/08/2024 17:41 Plans for Manitoba’s landfill search for human remains are on schedule and optimism is high after a similar search in Saskatchewan was successful, said an organizer. “I’ve always had hope and I’ve always held onto that hope, but now it just makes it that much more real knowing that it was successful there,” Melissa Robinson said on Wednesday morning after the news a three-month search of a Saskatoon-area landfill by police located the human remains of a 22-year-old Métis woman who was last seen in December of 2020. “So we’re sad for the victim and her family, but also happy they can get that closure, and I truly believe we’re next.” But Robinson also expressed anger and frustration at the fact the...
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Feds fund health study for Indigenous communities downstream of oilsands
The Canadian Press 07/08/2024 18:19 More than three decades after Indigenous leaders in northern Alberta began asking for funding to better understand if pollution from the oilsands was making their people sick, the federal government is funding a study to do just that. “This should have been done 32 years ago, maybe 40 years ago,” said Mikisew Cree First Nation Chief Billy-Joe Tuccaro. “We know that there is something going on in this community. We can’t pinpoint it or anything in regards to what’s actually going on.” Studies have previously shown higher rates of cancers in the communities along the shores of Lake Athabasca. The lake is fed by the Athabasca River, which runs through the region where most of Canada’s oilsands mines are located. In 2009 an Alberta Health...
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Okanagan wildfire prompts evacuation orders, expands alerts
The Canadian Press 07/08/2024 18:41 Evacuation orders and alerts have been issued in British Columbia’s North Okanagan as a nearby wildfire burns out of control, nearly doubling in size since Tuesday. Tracy Hughes, communications co-ordinator for the Columbia Shuswap Regional District says 17 properties in the district are on evacuation order, while alerts were also expanded to 25 more properties, bringing the total in the region to 69. The neighbouring township of Spallumcheen and the Splatsin First Nation have also issued evacuation orders and alerts in response to the growing blaze. The BC Wildfire Service says the 6.7 square-kilometre Hullcar Mountain fire is one of nine wildfires of note in the province, meaning it is highly visible or may pose a threat to public safety. Taylor Shantz, a BC Wildfire...
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Inquest jury urges RCMP to review detention policies after Secwe̓pemc man died in custody
By Cara McKenna, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter and Aaron Hemens, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 07/08/2024 18:50 Content warning: This story includes detailed description of a death in police custody. Please look after your spirit and read with care. Regina Basil always did everything she could to protect her younger brother, Randy Lampreau. Their family grew up at Chu Chua in Simpcw First Nation and are also from Bonaparte First Nation. Basil said she and her siblings were raised harvesting medicines, learning about their culture and sharing with and helping one another. “(Randy) was never angry, always smiling, joking — you know, goofy,” she said. “He had a beautiful smile and he was never disrespectful. That’s not how we were brought up.” As adults, Basil and Lampreau stayed close. But in...
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Hundreds gather for water conference at Kátł’odeeche FirstNation
By Simona Rosenfield, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Cabin Radio 08/08/2024 08:00 Amid the Northwest Territories’ lowest water levels on record, hundreds of people gathered to discuss the future of clean, accessible water at the three-day Water Is Sacred conference. N.W.T. Premier R.J. Simpson attended the conference, as did Indigenous leaders such as newly elected Dene National Chief George Mackenzie, Chief April Martel of host community the Kátł’odeeche First Nation, and Dehcho First Nations Grand Chief Herb Norwegian, according to conference organizer Jesse Cardinal. The conference took place from August 1-3. Attendees were invited to panel discussions and presentations from chiefs, Elders and youth. Presenters came from across the N.W.T., B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan to discuss the need to protect water and find solutions. This summer, the North has seen some...
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Chief Taylor discusses infrastructure upgrades
By Austin Campbell Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 08/08/2024 08:00 Road improvements have been a long time coming for a remote First Nation. Dougall Media caught up with Ginnoogaming First Nation’s Chief Sheri Taylor on Aug. 6 to discuss the recently announced major infrastructure project being undertaken in her community. The project – which is mainly focused on a major overhaul of a seven-kilometre stretch of one of the main roads into Ginoogaming – broke ground on July 30. Taylor said it’s a project community leaders have had in mind since she was first involved with council back in 2019. “This project just kind of sat there because we weren’t ready for it,” she said. Ontario’s ministry of agriculture, food, and rural affairs is funding the project, but as Taylor noted,...
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Lawsuit launched by family of Indigenous woman in N.S. claims negligence in her death
The Canadian Press 07/08/2024 15:12 The mother of an Indigenous woman who died in hospital with fungal meningitis says her daughter’s race may have played a role in the allegedly negligent medical treatment she received. In response to the death of Destiny Rennie, her mother filed a lawsuit against the Nova Scotia health authority and four doctors responsible for treating the 22-year-old Mi’kmaq woman. A notice of action filed July 25 in the Nova Scotia Supreme Court says Rennie, who experienced “brain death” on Aug. 3, 2023, and was pronounced dead three days later with meningitis, was mistreated by doctors who thought she was an illicit drug user. Her family alleges that hospital staff and doctors were “generally negligent” in their supervision and monitoring of Rennie’s symptoms and slow to...
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Residents describe sound of roaring river, breaking trees of B.C.’s landslide waters
The Canadian Press 07/08/2024 16:18 Max Paulhus says he could hear wood breaking and a roaring sound before an approaching surge of water raced down the Fraser River after breaking free from a landslide upstream. Paulhus lives in Lillooet, B.C., and is one of several Fraser River community residents and business operators who described watching the power of water and debris churning from the Chilcotin River landslide towards British Columbia’s Lower Mainland. “You could hear an abnormal sound coming from the river,” said Paulhus, Lillooet and District Rescue Society chief. “You could hear that noise. You could hear branches breaking. It was almost like a roar.” Others downstream at Lytton and at the Hell’s Gate Airtram said they could also hear the river’s flow as the water and debris passed...
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Wildfire burns out of control near northern Stoney Nakoda reserve
By Jessica Lee, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 07/08/2024 14:42 A wildfire continues to burn out of control near the Îyârhe (Stoney) Nakoda First Nation reserve of Big Horn. While the fire is about nine kilometres northwest of the community, Alberta Wildfire and local emergency officials say it poses “very limited risk” to it currently. “The fire is in a very remote area. There’s no road access, but Alberta Wildfire has been using aerial assets to attack the fire,” said Nakoda Emergency Services director Reg Fountain. “So far, weather conditions have been pushing the fire back into the mountains and away from the Nation.” The fire was initially assessed on July 23 and has grown to 4,936 hectares. It is burning on the west side of the Bighorn Range, about 20...
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Feds fund health study for Indigenous communities downstream of oilsands
The Canadian Press 07/08/2024 14:03 More than three decades after Indigenous leaders in northern Alberta began asking for funding to better understand if pollution from the oilsands was making their people sick, the federal government is funding a study to do just that. “This should have been done 32 years ago, maybe 40 years ago,” said Mikisew Cree First Nation Chief Billy-Joe Tuccaro. “We know that there is something going on in this community. We can’t pinpoint it or anything in regards to what’s actually going on.” Studies have previously shown higher rates of cancers in the communities along the shores of Lake Athabasca. The lake is fed by the Athabasca River, which runs through the region where most of Canada’s oilsands mines are located. In 2009 an Alberta Health...
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As Europe reviews its rules on seal products, Canada calls for easing of restrictions
The Canadian Press 07/08/2024 13:59 The Canadian government is calling on the European Union to ease restrictions on seal products as member states review trade regulations. Ottawa says in a letter dated Aug. 6 to the European Commission’s vice-president that Canada has been given the opportunity to “provide input” on the seal trade while the union evaluates and fine tunes its rules. In 2009 the European Union limited imports for Canadian seal products, citing the “pain, distress, fear and other forms of suffering” of seals because of the way in which they are killed and skinned. Fisheries Minister Diane Lebouthillier says in the letter that EU regulations have led to a drop in Canada’s access to global markets for seal products, with exports falling from $18 million in 2006 to...
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Boeing will spend $61M in B.C. as part of Canada’s military planes contract
The Canadian Press 07/08/2024 Boeing Canada plans to invest $61 million in British Columbia for an aerospace manufacturing training facility as well as research and development. The announcement is the latest from the American aviation giant as part of a multibillion-dollar deal with Ottawa on the purchase of new military surveillance planes. Minister of National Defence Bill Blair welcomed the spending at the Boeing Canada facility in Richmond, B.C., saying that as the government invests more in defence, it’s ensuring it also delivers value for Canada’s economy and its workers. The federal government announced last year that it would buy as many as 16 Boeing P-8A Poseidon multi-mission aircraft to phase out the Aurora aircraft, which has been in service for more than 40 years. Boeing plans to spend $48...
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Lawsuit launched by family of Indigenous woman in N.S. claims negligence in her death
The Canadian Press 07/08/2024 The family of an Indigenous woman who died in hospital has filed a lawsuit against the Nova Scotia health authority and four doctors who treated her, claiming they were negligent in caring for the 22-year-old woman with fungal meningitis. A notice of action filed July 25 in Supreme Court says Destiny Rennie, who experienced “brain death” on Aug. 3, 2023, and was pronounced dead three days later with meningitis, was mistreated by doctors who thought she was a drug user. A doctor allegedly assessed Rennie as likely to have been using illicit drugs, and then ordered a blood test that showed the only drugs in her system not prescribed by a doctor were cannabinoids — chemicals found in cannabis. Her family also alleges that hospital staff...
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Daughter of Utah death row inmate navigates complicated dance of grief and healing before execution
The Associated Press 07/08/2024 SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Tressa Honie is caught between anger and grief in the lead-up to Utah’s first execution since 2010. That’s because her father is the person set to die by lethal injection, and her maternal grandmother is the person he brutally murdered in 1998. The heinous intrafamilial crime has placed a strain on her relationships for more than two decades as she’s kept in touch with her father in prison while her mother’s family has fought relentlessly for him to be put to death. In her final 48 hours visiting Taberon Dave Honie before his execution, set for Thursday shortly after midnight, Tressa is grappling with how to carry out his dying wish: for her to move on and heal. “My mom’s side,...
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Jason Kenney receives highest honour from Kainai Nation in Alberta
By Sam Laskaris, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Former Alberta premier Jason Kenney has been awarded the highest honour available from Kainai Nation, which is also known as the Blood Tribe. Kenney was inducted into the First Nation’s Chieftainship during a ceremony held on July 29. Kenney, who served as Alberta’s premier from 2019 to 2022, shared the news on his social media platforms. “Deeply honoured to be have inducted into the Kainai Chieftainship as an Honorary Chief of the Blood Nation of the Blackfoot Confederacy,” he said. Clayton Blood, the chief of staff for Kainai Nation chief Roy Fox, said being inducted into the Kainai Chieftainship is a rather prestigious distinction. “The headdress and Chieftainship is one of the highest honours for outsiders to be blessed by the Blood Tribe,”...
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Dane-Zaa Cultural treasures return to Tse’k’wa
By Ed Hitchins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter CHARLIE LAKE, B.C. — With onlookers surrounding the amphitheatre at Tse’k’wa Heritage site, a repatriation ceremony was held on July 31st. Cultural objects, stemming from historical excavations begun in the 1970s, were returned to Tse’k’wa, a non-profit organized by Doig River First Nation (DRFN), Prophet River First Nation (PRFN), and West Moberly First Nations (WMFN) back in 2012. Elders, Council members from each First Nation, and Indigenous education students were on hand to participate in the ceremony, which began with a performance by DRFN drummers. For the heritage society’s president, Garry Oker, a member of DRFN, the repatriation is part of telling the story of Dane-Zaa descendants who inhabited the lands generations ago. “I feel very honored to do this as a work...
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Digging in! Ganohkwasra breaks ground for housing
Ganohkwasra adding housing to help women suffering abuse By Austin Evans Writer As the ceremonial golden shovel dug into the dirt, Ganohkwasra executive director Sandra Montour announced the Gayenawahsra Addition Project was underway. Gayenawahsra has provided transitional housing for those impacted by family violence since 1994. Currently the courtyard has eight houses with a total of 19 bedrooms. The Addition Project will add seven houses with a combined 14 bedrooms, increasing Gayenawahsra’s intake by 74%. Montour expects construction to finish by December 2025. She said three in every five Indigenous women in intimate relationships experience abuse, compared to less than 44% of Canadian women. “We know that it’s an epidemic,” she said. “This facility we’re about to build is what Six Nations is going to do about it.” Construction will...
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Elected Chiefs’ office staff growing
The chief narrowly avoided losing one of her staff members. Six Nations Elected Council previously discussed the Elected Chief Sherri Lyn Hill’s staffing complement in a closed meeting, and Councillor Helen Miller asked for the issue to be moved into the open General Council meeting on July 23 and it became a contentious issue. “It came up in a finance meeting,” Hill said. “I know there was some miscommunication. There was no resolution passed, I’m not getting the three to five staff members I heard passed.” Linda Parker, the Chief of Staff in Hill’s office said councillors brought up that according to the election code and the staff policy from 2006, the chief’s office is to have two staff, but a third staff person was hired during the 58th council...
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Six Nations will look over Ontario parks admittance
Community members were charged for entry into conservation areas despite showing their status cards. In 2022 Ontario Parks announced “Indigenous people wishing to enter a provincial park within their traditional territory to exercise their Aboriginal and treaty rights, day access is provided free of charge,” and the Grand River Conservation Authority’s 2023 Fee Policy states, “Indigenous patrons who enter the Conservation Areas for the purpose of ceremony, the collection of vegetation for medicinal use, or to harvest animals within their treaty rights are not required to pay a fee to enter the conservation area.” The family was asked to pay for entry into the park because they planned to make use of the “amenities.” The issue was brought to Six Nations Elected Council’s General Council meeting on July 23 where...
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