Ombudsman calls for ‘urgent’ correctional reform after record number of complaints
By Paola Loriggio Ontario’s ombudsman is urging the province to address a “growing crisis” in correctional facilities, pointing to a record number of complaints about facilities in the last year as well as deteriorating conditions. Ombudsman Paul Dubé says in his 2024-25 annual report that there was a 55 per cent increase in complaints about correctional facilities, totalling a record 6,870. Dubé says that while the sector has always been the top source of complaints, the nature and severity of what his office has heard and witnessed demand “urgent attention.” Many of the issues go beyond inefficiencies, Dubé says, to the point of raising questions about basic human rights. He says many of the complaints regarding corrections were about “severe, entrenched problems” such as overcrowding, frequent lockdowns and inadequate health...
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Trump voters cheer his move against Iran. MAGA leaders had warned the bombing could backfire
By Jill Colvin, Gary Fields, Bruce Schreiner And Adriana Gomez Licon FRONT ROYAL, Va. (AP) — As President Donald Trump prepared to order the bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites, many prominent leaders of his “Make America Great Again” movement warned he was making a grave mistake. Tucker Carlson accused Trump of abandoning his pledge to keep the United States out of new wars. Charlie Kirk said an escalation would be too divisive. Steve Bannon, Trump’s former chief strategist, said intervention would thwart the Republican’s most important priority, mass deportations. But interviews with Trump voters across the country this week and early polling suggest Trump’s decision has been welcomed by his political base. While some said they were weary of the U.S. becoming embroiled in a protracted war, most cheered the...
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Fire evacuees in the region could be heading south
By Marissa Lentz-McGrath, Local Journalism Initiative, TimminsToday.com TIMMINS – Evacuees from Sandy Lake First Nation may soon be moved to southern Ontario as officials explore options to house the entire group in one location. Roughly 400 people from the remote northwestern Ontario community are currently spread across three northeastern towns — Val Rita, Kapuskasing, and Smooth Rock Falls — after wildfires forced them to flee two weeks ago. At the June 19 Cochrane District Services Board (CDSB) meeting, paramedic service chief Marc Renaud said Sandy Lake leadership is looking to relocate to one site in Barrie. The evacuees are receiving limited on-site support from Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Win Health Centre, Renaud said. “They’re sending physicians and nurses to the sites, but they’re stretched across the province, so they’re not...
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‘They treat us like shit’: Northern Ontario First Nations prepare for blockades to protest laws fast-tracking resource extraction
By Jon Thompson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Ricochet The resistance to the Ring of Fire is now making camp. Members of Neskantaga and Attiwapiskat First Nationshave begun clearing brush at the point where proposed highways would cross the Attawapiskat River, headed north toward the mineral deposit that’s suspected to hold more than $60-billion worth of critical minerals. The planned bridge sites are 60 and 70 kilometres east of Neskantaga, and another 100 kilometres southwest from the Eagle’s Nest, the mine site developers expect will begin production first. Neskantaga Chief Gary Quisess says the action is in response to this month’s passage of Bill 5 and Bill C-5. The provincial and federal laws, respectively, aim to expedite development by overriding existing laws, including environmental guardrails and regulatory frameworks for First Nations...
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Amid the pressures of fame, Aysanabee is finding his voice and purpose
By David Friend A couple of years ago, Aysanabee didn’t see himself as an alternative music artist, but lately, he doesn’t mind the label. It was thrust upon him at the 2024 Juno Awards in Halifax, where the Oji-Cree musician was nominated in three categories: contemporary Indigenous artist of the year, songwriter of the year and best alternative album for his EP “Here and Now.” He was most surprised by the latter nod. “At first I was like, ‘Oooh, they just put me in alternative. What does that mean?’” he remembers. Junos history would’ve suggested Aysanabee was a shoo-in for the Indigenous category, and less likely to win the others. But the opposite happened. He became the first Indigenous artist to win the alternative album and songwriter categories. Looking back,...
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Filmmaker uses university fund to lead land defence journey in the Far North
By Marissa Lentz-McGrath, Local Journalism Initiative, TimminsToday.com ATTAWAPISKAT – A student from Attawapiskat First Nation is using his university savings to lead a campaign aimed at reasserting Indigenous presence in the Ring of Fire and challenging the narrative that no one uses the land. Jeronimo Kataquapit, a 20-year-old filmmaker and post-secondary student at the University of Waterloo, has launched a movement called Here We Stand. “This needs to happen,” Kataquapit told TimminsToday. “The land is a large part of who I am. It’s who my parents are. It’s who our ancestors were. The message we’re sending is: we are still here.” On Monday (June 16), Kataquapit and his family began a 20-kilometre journey by boat along the Attawapiskat River to plant community flags and tipi poles at sites of cultural...
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Senate prepares to pass controversial Bill C-5
By Natasha Bulowski, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer Prime Minister Mark Carney’s controversial Bill C-5 is all but guaranteed to become law, but politicians have one last opportunity to make changes to the bill. Over the next three days, senators will make speeches about the bill — which removes barriers to internal trade and grants cabinet the ability to override most environmental laws to approve major projects — and propose amendments. Barring any unusual happenings, Canadians can expect the bill to become law by Friday at the latest. Carney’s decision to rush the bill through the House of Commons drew the ire of the Bloc Québécois, NDP and Green Party, but the Conservatives’ support allowed Carney to force it through the House before summer vacation. Some senators are...
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National data shows overdose deaths dropped in 2024 but still higher than pre-pandemic
By Nicole Ireland National health data released Wednesday shows overdose deaths in Canada dropped in 2024 but the toll still remained much higher than it was before the COVID-19 pandemic. A joint statement from the country’s chief medical officers of health, chief coroners and chief medical examiners said 7,146 people died of opioid-related overdoses between January and December 2024. That’s down from 8,623 deaths in 2023 but much higher than the 3,742 deaths reported in 2019, according to data on the Public Health Agency of Canada’s website. The statement said an average of 20 people a day died in 2024 from apparent opioid toxicity. The statement noted that the national numbers “mask important regional differences,” with Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Northwest Territories reporting a rise in opioid-related deaths...
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No word back from province on police study
By Pearl Lorentzen, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Lakeside Leader Council wants answer not rumours The M.D. of Opportunity would like an answer from the Government of Alberta on a study into the viability of an RCMP detachment in Calling Lake. Although the study suggested a detachment, the M.D. had heard unofficially that the province wouldn’t fund an RCMP detachment. “I want to see it in writing,” said Councillor Cheri Courtorielle. M.D. staff has been in conversation with the province to try to get an answer. In other policing news, council had lots to say about Municipal Enforcement and Security in general. At the meeting, Bill Auger, manager of Municipal Enforcement and Security, reported to council. As of June 11, he said, the M.D. had 35 dogs in the pounds. Of...
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Senator Patrick Brazeau collapses in chamber during debate on major projects bill
By Dylan Robertson Senate debate on the federal government’s major projects bill was briefly suspended after a senator collapsed on the floor of the chamber. Sen. Patrick Brazeau rose to speak before collapsing sideways onto the floor. Speaker Raymonde Gagné suspended proceedings for roughly half an hour. Paramedics entered the Senate chamber as many senators momentarily left, and Gagné thanked officials and colleagues for responding quickly after reconvening the session. The Quebec senator was speaking about Bill C-5, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s controversial legislation that would grant Ottawa sweeping new powers to fast-track project permits amid a trade war with the U.S. The politically charged legislation has angered Indigenous and environmental groups who argue the legislation does not adequately respect charter rights. The Liberals and Conservatives fast-tracked the bill through...
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Six Nations cannabis meeting raises questions, tempers and interest
By Tara Lindemann Writer The growing and controversial cannabis industry at Six Nations is raising not only some tempers, but turned a sometime heated public meeting at the Six Nations community hall last week into a learning session and love in for the industry. The meeting, organized by Rhonda Martin, a local woman concerned over the rapid growth of the local cannabis industry, focused in on a massive cannabis grow operation on Fourth Line on the outskirts of Ohsweken. The operation has raised the ire of its neighbours who found the operation growing up almost in their backyards. But instead of the meeting raising tempers it turned into an educational awareness and support session not only for the facility still under construction, but for Six Nations’ cannabis industry. An estimated...
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Northern Labrador in ‘crisis’ as people ration food, toilet paper, baby supplies
By Heidi Atter, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Independent It’s frustrating for Rosie Harris to go to the two stores in Nain and be unable to buy essential items like toilet paper, baby wipes, cleaning supplies, ketchup, or rice, due to the Kamutik W ferry being unable to deliver to the Inuit community on Labrador’s north coast. Harris has four young children at home who are picky eaters, and without staple foods they eat, the mother has had a hard time cooking enough food they enjoy. She’s also been unable to buy the sensitive laundry detergent her daughter needs, she says. “We are in a crisis, and people need to treat it that way. If not for yourself, then think of the children and think of the elders,” Harris says....
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AFN National chief calls on senators to slow down major projects bill
By Kyle Duggan and Alessia Passafiume -CP-The national chief of the Assembly of First Nations is calling on senators to slow down Ottawa’s sprint to pass Prime Minister Mark Carney’s controversial major projects bill this week. Bill C-5 is being introduced at first reading in the upper chamber after it was fast-tracked through the House of Commons and went through a rare pre-study by the Senate. A programming motion adopted by the chamber fixes the bill to a tight schedule, with a final vote that must take place by the end of Friday. The politically charged legislation has angered Indigenous and environmental groups who criticize the government for rushing to grant itself sweeping new powers to fast-track project permits. But Carney has said Canada is facing an economic crisis due...
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Canada Infrastructure Bank invests millions into housing project in the north
By Sam Laskaris, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Windspeaker.com Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) officials can now boast that they are investing in projects from coast to coast to coast. It was announced on June 19 that CIB is providing a $19.8 million loan to help Kwanlin Dün First Nation (KDFN) build about 400 new homes in the Yukon capital of Whitehorse. Kwanlin Dün is the largest First Nation in the Yukon and is located in and around the city. The housing project, located over 45 acres, is a joint development between KDFN and the government of Yukon. The new community, which will consist of 387 houses, will be called Chasàn Tatäy. The project will be located on two adjacent pieces of land; 37 acres of KDFN settlement land and eight acres...
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‘Letting go’ is the message of new book for kids
By Shari Narine, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Inuk author Etua Snowball’s third children’s book is another vivid snapshot into his life as a youngster being raised at his family’s camp in Kuujjuaq, Nunavik. “These are my personal memoirs. How I grew up,” said Snowball. “I grew up on the land with my family… (These are) the things I wanted to put on paper and I thought people would love these kinds of books.” The Fawn tells the true and heart-warming story of a summer when Snowball befriended a caribou fawn. Having stayed home one day from helping his father guide tourists, a little Etua “watched a caribou give birth to a tiny, slimy calf. The fawn stared at me,” he writes. From there, Etua started caring for the fawn, made...
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Six Nations of the Grand River marked National Indigenous Peoples’ Day with amusement park rides and a barbecue.
Six Nations of the Grand River marked National Indigenous Peoples’ Day with amusement park rides and a barbecue. (Photo by Jim C. Powless)...
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Chiefs of Ontario takes aim at Bill 5 consultation
By Turtle Island News Staff HIAWATHA FIRST NATIONS- The three-day Chiefs of Ontario (COO) 50th anniversary meeting opened amid a call to action to descend on Parliament Hill after First Nations were hit by both Ontario and federal bills including Ontario’s Bill 5, Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act and Ottawa’s proposed Bill C-5, One Canadian Economy Act without consultation. Both bills are expected to hit First Nations hard.Ottawa’s proposed bill C-5 will grant sweeping powers and allowing fast-tracking of major infrastructure projects while undermining Indigenous rights, environmental protections and democratic authority, Chiefs said. The proposed law would allow a single federal minister to approve projects, bypass regulatory safeguards, and override constitutional obligations all without further parliamentary review. At the same time the bill will allow cabinet to designate certain...
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Oneida Energy Storage the largest in Canada
By Tara Lindemann, Writer The Indigenous-led Oneida Energy Storage is the first and largest battery storage of its kind in Canada, one of the largest in the world, and it’s been fully operational since April 23. The facility is located within Nanticoke Industrial Park, next door to Imperial Oil’s Nanticoke refinery, and a mere five kilometres north of one North America’s largest former coal-fired plants: and while the 250 megawatt (MH), and 1,000 megawatts-per-hour (MWh) lithium-ion battery energy storage facility is expected to be a game changer by harnessing surplus energy generated by nuclear plants and windmills at night, it wasn’t easy for the province to get on board. “Ontario, the system operator, simply didn’t have the right toolkit to harness that great value,” said Matt Jamieson, President and Chief...
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First Nations will seek to have herbicide banned from traditional territories
By Tara Lindemann, writer The herbicide glyphosate has been banned from Ontario’s lawns for more than decade, and now First Nations of Ontario are seeking to have it abolished from their traditional territories – and altogether. Glyphosate is the active ingredient in most weed killers. Ontario banned the herbicide from cosmetic uses in 2009, but has dispersed it aerially as part of weed management around hydro wires and reforestation efforts, and it’s allowed in agricultural practices. But on Day three at the All Chiefs Assembly on June 19, they voted to have it abolished from their traditional territories. “This practice of using Glyphosate is poisoning and destroying the whole ecosystem, our forestry, the animals and the plants, our medicines, are suffering,”said an unnamed representative forf longtime advocate against the herbicide,...
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Rainstorm causes flooding, evacuation and road closures
By Tara Lindemann Writer SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND RIVER – Six Nations band administration offices closed with staff working from home, the seniors’ were evacuated to a nearby lodge and homeowners all took on nature when rainfall hit Wednesday, (June 18) causing severe flooding and a “state of emergency” to be declared. While community members began clean-up of the day long downpour Six Nations of the Grand River Elected Council (SNEC) announced that, in the wake of a “state of emergency,” it will be assessing support following the severe flooding. The territory and surrounding area experienced multiple heavy downpours, closing roads and delaying traffic. “Closed Road” signage blocked several parts of the territory the next day, The assessment includes “checking the status of SNGR buildings and gathering information from...
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