Ginoogaming breaks ground on major infrastructure upgrades
By Austin Campbell Local Journalism Initiative 30/07/2024 Major upgrades are coming to a regional First Nation. Ginoogaming First Nation hosted a groundbreaking ceremony today (July 29) to mark the beginning of the first phase of their roadway and drainage rehabilitation project. Ginoogaming’s Band Governance Manager, Henry Waboose, told Dougall Media this project has been in the works for about six years. “Everything kind of came together to get it done,” he said. Waboose described pools of water accumulating in ditches, overflowing onto the roads, causing widespread erosion and creating incredibly unsafe driving conditions. On that note, he said this rehabilitation project is absolutely necessary to maintain the integrity of Ginoogaming’s roads and infrastructure. “That cleans up and saves the roads. All the water is away,” he said. The project is...
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Quebec coroner offers slew of recommendations after deaths of Ullivik guests in 2022
Local Journalism Initiative 30/07/2024 Coroner’s reports into the deaths of two Nunavik women during their stays at a medical boarding facility near Montreal two years ago include several recommendations to improve the safety of Inuit in the city. Mary-Jane Tulugak, 22, died on Aug. 19, 2022, after she was struck by a vehicle on Hwy. 520. Nellie Niviaxie, 26, died less than 24 hours later after she was struck by multiple vehicles on Hwy. 20. They were both staying at the Ullivik medical lodging facility in Dorval, Que., which houses Nunavimmiut who travel south for medical treatment. Coroner Éric Lépine announced an investigation into the deaths about a week later. Those investigation reports were released earlier this month and include information about Tulugak’s and Niviaxie’s deaths as well as 12...
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Two suspects arrested, one still on the lam following Wikwemikong kidnapping Slugline: LJI-ON-Wikwemikong kidnapping
Local Journalism Initiative 30/07/2024 The Manitoulin OPP is still on the lookout for one of the suspects who allegedly took part in a kidnapping in Wikwemikong Unceded Territory last week. On July 25, around 10:30 a.m., police received word that William Paibomsai-Lesage, 27, had been abducted on Willow Street in the community. Paibomsai-Lesage was reportedly approached by two men who assaulted him and forced him into a black Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck. Paibomsai-Lesage has since been located safe and police have placed at least two people reportedly connected to this incident under arrest. Christian (Reese) Cormier, 38, is being charged with assault, kidnapping, possession of a Schedule I substance and failure to comply with a probation order (three counts). Luke Flammand, 36, has also been charged with kidnapping. As of...
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Garden River firefighters win provincial competition, qualify for nationals
By K. Darbyson Local Journalism Initiative 30/07/2024 For the first time in over two decades, members of the Garden River Fire Department claimed the top spot at the Ontario Native Fire Fighters Society (ONFFS) competition. This contest was held during the final day of ONFFS’s annual conference, which took place July 25-27 in the Oneida Nation of the Thames (just outside of London, Ont.). Five Garden River members went head-to-head with other Indigenous firefighters in a series of challenges that tested their speed, technique, knowledge and overall teamwork. Talking to The Sault Star on Monday, Garden River fire chief Tim Johns said he and his fellow firefighters were very “excited” with the result, especially since the department hasn’t achieved a first-place finish in this competition since 1998. “It’s been 26...
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Fort Smith Elder calls out ‘unfair’ health coverage for Metis people
By Tom Taylor Local Journalism Initiative 30/07/2024 Kenny Hudson had his first heart attack in 1996, and his second in the year 2000. Ever since, the Fort Smith-based Métis Elder has stuck to a stringent regimen of medication to keep his heart health in check. “I faithfully take my meds every day,” he said. “I don’t miss. It keeps me alive — that’s the way I look at it.” On a recent visit to the pharmacist, however, Hudson ran into an unexpected problem. “On the weekend before the July long weekend, I went to the pharmacist to get my medication,” he said. “I had already phoned in ahead. Generally, 100 per cent of the time, he’d have it ready, and you’d pick it up. [This time], he wanted to talk...
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Inquest begins into the death of Ruthann Quequish
By Katie Nicholss Local Journalism Initiative Published: 30/07/2024 THUNDER BAY — An inquest has begun into the death of a Kingfisher First Nation woman. Ruthann Quequish died at her home on April 1, 2017, after visiting her local nursing station multiple times prior to her death. The medical cause of her death was ketoacidosis due to untreated diabetes. The discretionary inquest was approved at the request of the decedent’s family. During the opening proceedings, the presiding officer, Dr. Michael Wilson, explained to the jurors their role and the court’s expectations of them. He made it clear that the jury’s responsibility is not to assign blame or find fault but to confirm five questions related to the case. Jurors are to confirm the identity of the deceased, confirm the date of...
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First Nations in northern Manitoba send residents south due to wildfire smoke
The Canadian Press 30/07/2024 13:44 Three First Nations in northern Manitoba have sent hundreds of vulnerable residents south because of wildfire smoke. The province says smoke from an out-of-control wildfire in northeastern Manitoba is creating issues in the Red Sucker Lake, Wasagamack and God’s Lake First Nations. Earl Simmons, the provincial wildfire service director, says the fire is not threatening the communities, but their leadership says smoke is a health risk for the elderly, young children and people with respiratory issues. About 1,400 residents have gone to Winnipeg or Brandon, or are in the process of heading there. Simmons says there have been roughly 165 wildfires so far this year, with 50 currently active. That’s below the usual average of 277 for the same time frame in previous years. This...
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B.C. First Nations claim fish farm licences infringe upon Aboriginal fishing rights
The Canadian Press Two B.C. First Nations are taking the federal government and fish farm companies to court trying to overturn a decision that allows the farms to continue to operate off B.C.’s coast for another five years. The ‘Namgis and the Kwikwasut’inuxw Haxwa’mis First Nations say in separate Federal Court applications the decision infringes on their Aboriginal rights. The fisheries department had been phasing out the fish farms, but last month Canada’s fisheries minister extended licences for another five years for Grieg Seafood and Mowi Canada to continue to run 14 farms. In the ‘Namgis’ application, the First Nation claims fish stocks of pink, coho, Chinook and sockeye salmon have become “severely depleted,” prompting the Nation to stop fishing for those stocks in Nimpkish River, build a hatchery and...
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Inquest explores challenges of remote health care after death of First Nations woman
The Canadian Press A coroner’s inquest into the death of a First Nations woman that opened Monday is expected to shed light on the challenges of delivering health care in remote communities. The inquest being held in Thunder Bay, Ont., is looking into the circumstances surrounding the death of 31-year-old Ruthann Quequish on April 1, 2017. She died from ketoacidosis, a complication associated with diabetes, at her home in Kingfisher Lake First Nation after going to the community nursing station several times in the days and hours before her death. Quequish’s mother, Edna, brother Jordan, and sister Samaria all testified on the first day of the inquest. They discussed the history of diabetes in the family and Quequish’s struggle with an addiction to oxycontin. Samaria testified that while her sister...
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Internal federal public service report details racism in the Privy Council Office
The Canadian Press 29/07/2024 An internal report from the federal public service released Monday says Black and racialized Privy Council Office employees experience racism and discrimination in the workplace. “Black and racialized employees — through dozens of examples of racial stereotyping, microaggressions, and verbal violence — described a workplace culture where such behaviour is regularly practised and normalized, including at the executive level,” the report says. The Coalition Against Workplace Discrimination obtained the report using the Access to Information Act. It details barriers for employees of colour at the Privy Council Office, the administrative arm of government that serves the Prime Minister’s Office and cabinet. The conclusions were based on group discussions and interviews with employees in 2021 and 2022. It shows Black and racialized employees described being passed over...
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Brantford Police investigating “targeted” shooting
BRANTFORD, ONT-Brantford Police are investigating what they are describing as a “targeted” shooting after a man was found suffering from a gunshot wound Sunday, July 28, 2024. The Brantford Police Service said they responded to the Colborne and Alfred Streets area at about 5 am. after receiving a call of a 33-year-old man suffering from a gunshot wound. Police located the man with who was suffering non-life-threatening gunshot wounds. The man was transported to an area hospital and is receiving treatment for his injuries. Brantford Police said they believe the shooting to “be a targeted incident and not a random act of violence.” BPS said there is “no concern for public safety at this time.” Anyone with information is urged to contact the Brantford Police Service at 519-756-7050. Tipsters who...
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“Shaken but not shattered,”: Millbrook FN family loses five cabins on Mniku Island to fire
By Mehan Dewar Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The heartwarming community effort continues as Patsy Paul-Martin and her family grapple with the loss of their five cabins that burned to the ground during the fire on Mniku Island on July 22nd. “I’m holding on to all the wonderful memories, which can never be erased,” said Paul-Martin. The cabins had been in the family for over 35 years, said the Millbrook First Nation resident. “The cabin were side by side, all five of them. They were built by my brother-in-law, my nephews; whenever there’s something communal like that, everybody helps and chips in. My brother built my own cabin,” Paul-Martin explained. “We just buy the material at cost, and everybody takes part in making every piece of it. It holds a lot...
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Apache Christ icon controversy sparks debate over Indigenous Catholic faith practices
Associated Press 27/07/2024 MESCALERO, New Mexico (AP) — Anne Marie Brillante never imagined she would have to choose between being Apache and being Catholic. To her, and many others in the Mescalero Apache tribe in New Mexico who are members of St. Joseph Apache Mission, their Indigenous culture had always been intertwined with faith. Both are sacred. “Hearing we had to choose, that was a shock,” said a tearful Brillante, a member of the mission’s parish council. The focus of this tense, unresolved episode is the 8-foot Apache Christ painting. For this close-knit community, it is a revered icon created by Franciscan friar Robert Lentz in 1989. It depicts Christ as a Mescalero medicine man, and has hung behind the church’s altar for 35 years under a crucifix as a...
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Utah officials deny clemency for man set to be executed for 1998 killing of his girlfriend’s mother
The Associated Press 27/07/2024 SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah officials denied clemency Friday to a man who is set to be executed for the stabbing death of his girlfriend’s mother in 1998. The decision regarding the fate of Taberon Dave Honie, who is scheduled to die by lethal injection Aug. 8, was announced in a one-paragraph notice from Scott Stephenson, chair of the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole. “After carefully reviewing all submitted information and considering all arguments from the parties, the Board does not find sufficient cause to commute Mr. Honie’s death sentence,” Stephenson wrote. During a two-day commutation hearing this week, Honie asked the parole board to commute his sentence to life in prison, saying he would never have killed 49-year-old Claudia Benn after a day...
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A tanker plane crash has killed a firefighting pilot in Oregon as Western wildfires spread
The Associated Press 26/07/2024 Communities in the U.S. West and Canada were under siege from raging wildfires on Friday, as a fast-moving blaze sparked by lightning sent people fleeing on fire-ringed roads in rural Idaho and a human-caused inferno forced the evacuation of hundreds of homes in northern California. In eastern Oregon, a pilot was found dead in a small air tanker plane that crashed while fighting one of the many wildfires spreading across several Western states. More than 110 active fires covering 2,800 square miles (7,250 square kilometers) were burning in the U.S. on Friday, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Some were caused by the weather, with climate change increasing the frequency of lightning strikes as the region endures record heat and bone-dry conditions. Late Friday, a...
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Fire burns historic Stoney Medicine Lodge to the ground
By Jessica Lee Journalism Initiative 26/07/2024 A fire has destroyed the historic Stoney Medicine Lodge, leaving a cultural landmark in ashes. Nakoda Fire, Bighorn Emergency Services and the Cochrane Fire Department were called to respond to the blaze, reported around 8:20 p.m. Thursday night (July 25) and worked well into the night trying to put it out. “The loss of the structure – it’s a blow to the community,” said Nakoda Emergency Services director Reg Fountain. “But thanks to the support of our neighbouring jurisdictions’ fire departments, we were able to contain the fire solely to that structure.” Fire crews still on site Friday (July 26) putting out hot spots at the destroyed Stoney Medicine Lodge near Mînî Thnî on Îyârhe Nakoda First Nation. The Stoney Medicine Lodge is located...
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Shields advocates for clean water on First Nation lands
By Cal Braid Local Journalism Initiative 26/07/2024 Bow River MP Martin Shields spoke in the House of Commons on recently, and brought some urgency to an issue that continues to be bumped down the federal government’s to-do list: a Clean Water Act for First Nations peoples. He gave a brief history of migration, settlement, and the pursuit of freshwater sources, before zeroing in on the issue of clean drinking water, or a lack thereof for certain Indigenous people. “Modern advances in sanitation, industrialization, and sanitation-based practices have led to an explosion of the use of water, and with it, a growth in populations. As populations grew, people moved into rural and remote areas, where they always experienced difficulty finding water. However, Indigenous people in this part of the world knew...
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Supreme Court rules Crown ‘dishonourably breached’ Robinson treaties
By K.Darbyson Local Journalism Initiative The highest court in the country has delivered a unanimous ruling on the Robinson Huron and Robinson Superior treaties, determining that the Crown “dishonourably breached” a key part of these 1850 agreements. In a decision delivered Friday morning, the Supreme Court of Canada stated that the Crown failed to “diligently fulfill” the augmentation clause of the original treaties, which entitled members of the Huron and Superior First Nations to annuities that were supposed to increase over time. Because these annuities haven’t increased since 1875, Justice Mahmud Jamal, who penned Friday’s decision, wrote that the Crown is “obliged” to determine an amount of “honourable compensation” to the Superior plaintiffs. “If the Crown and the Superior plaintiffs cannot arrive at a negotiated settlement, the Crown will be...
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Victim of alleged Manitoulin Island abduction found safe, 2 arrested: OPP
The Canadian Press 28/07/2024 Police in northern Ontario say the victim of a reported abduction on Manitoulin Island has been found, and a third suspect has been identified. Ontario Provincial Police issued a release on Saturday morning saying 27-year-old William Paibomsai-Lesage was approached by two men on Wikwemikong Unceded Territory on Thursday morning. They allege he was assaulted and forced into a black Chevrolet Silverado pickup. Police said two suspects had been arrested and face kidnapping charges, but the OPP and Wikwemikong Tribal Police Service were on the lookout for a third. A Saturday evening update from the OPP says Paibomsai-Lesage was found safe. They say they’ve identified the third suspect but gave few other details, including whether that person has been arrested or if they expect any charges to...
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Museums closed Native American exhibits 6 months ago. Tribes are still waiting to get items back
Associated Press 29/07/2024 NEW YORK (AP) — Tucked within the expansive Native American halls of the American Museum of Natural History is a diminutive wooden doll that holds a sacred place among the tribes whose territories once included Manhattan. For more than six months now, the ceremonial Ohtas, or Doll Being, has been hidden from view after the museum and others nationally took dramatic steps to board up or paper over exhibits in response to new federal rules requiring institutions to return sacred or culturally significant items to tribes — or at least to obtain consent to display or study them. The doll, also called Nahneetis, is just one of some 1,800 items museum officials say they’re reviewing as they work to comply with the requirements while also eyeing a...
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