First Nations being warned fraudsters are targeting Indigenous organizations
By Alex Murray Writer The Treaty Three Police Service (TTPS) warned fraudsters are targeting First Nations governments, Indigenous health organizations, and Indigenous social services agencies in Northwestern Ontario in a Business Email Compromise scheme. The TTPS April 20th, 2026 warning called it an “active and serious fraud” that has already impacted two Indigenous organizations in Northwestern Ontario. The same method was used in both cases resulting in the two organizations being defrauded of over $470,000 combined TTPS said in a safety bulletin.The TTPS is a self-administered policing entity under Canada’s First Nations Policing Program that is responsible for all policing in Treaty #3 territory in northwestern Ontario and southeastern Manitoba. TTPS said they were currently investigating both cases and have engaged RCMP Cyber, the FBI Legal Attache in Ottawa, and...
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LNG pipeline project through ‘pristine wilderness’ faces B.C. court challenges
By Darryl Greer A Gitxsan Nation hereditary chief is challenging the B.C. government’s decision to allow a pipeline to go through what he calls “pristine wilderness,” on the strength of a 12-year-old environmental review, while disregarding traditional Gitxsan governance by declining to attend feast hall meetings. The B.C. Supreme Court is set to weigh in on two petitions filed over the provincial government’s decision last year to deem the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission pipeline “substantially started,” meaning it wouldn’t need a new environmental assessment. The liquefied natural gas pipeline’s construction, which was authorized in 2014, and a deadline to start it was extended to 2024, spurring the court challenges from Gitxsan Hereditary Chief Charlie Wright and environmentalist groups opposed to the project. The 900-kilometre pipeline, which was given the green-light...
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Intimate partner-related deaths in B.C. ‘overwhelmingly preventable,’ report says
By Brieanna Charlebois A death review panel convened by British Columbia’s chief coroner says 135 deaths they studied in relation to intimate partner violence were “overwhelmingly preventable.” The deaths occurred between 2016 and 2024 over 107 attacks and included current and former intimate partners, family members, friends and the killers themselves. Dr. Jatinder Baidwan, the chief coroner, told a news conference Monday that the report highlights the action required to prevent future deaths and improve safety for those experiencing intimate partner violence. “It was found that in the months and the years leading to their deaths, individuals had contact with health care, police, community support services and other public systems,” he said of the report. “The warning signs were present, yet response systems were unco-ordinated, overburdened or unable to respond...
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‘Dances With Wolves’ actor Nathan Chasing Horse sentenced to life in prison for sexual assault
By Jessica Hill LAS VEGAS (AP) — A Nevada judge sentenced “Dances With Wolves” actor Nathan Chasing Horse on Monday to life in prison for sexually assaulting Indigenous women and girls. A jury had previously convicted him of 13 charges, mostly related to sexual assault of three women. Accusers and their families told Judge Jessica Peterson they continue to suffer from the trauma caused by Chasing Horse, 49, and struggle with their faith after he exploited his position as a spiritual leader. “There is no way to get back the youth, the childhood loss, my first time, my first kiss, the graduation I never got to have,” said Corena Leone-LaCroix, who was 14 when Chasing Horse assaulted her. “The life that little girl could have lived has been taken from...
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Royal Canadian Mint reviewing allegations about gold from tainted Colombian mines
By The Canadian Press The Royal Canadian Mint says it has initiated a full review in response to allegations some of its gold comes from a region of Colombia where drug cartels control mines. Mint spokesperson Deneen Perrin says as soon as the mint learned of the allegations raised by the New York Times newspaper, it “immediately and fully” suspended the refining of any material from the supply chain in question. In a report published Monday, the newspaper suggests some of the mint’s gold comes from Colombian mines controlled by the Clan del Golfo drug cartel. The report says that before the Colombian gold arrives in Canada, a Texas intermediary mixes it with American gold and that the mint considers the resulting mix to be entirely North American. Perrin says...
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Prime Minister Mark Carney promises ‘good news’ in spring economic update
By Craig Lord Prime Minister Mark Carney says the Liberals are “good fiscal managers” — and he’ll have the chance to prove it when the federal government tables its spring economic update Tuesday afternoon. The federal government typically tables mid-year updates between annual budgets to revise its economic and fiscal projections. These updates can include new spending and are sometimes referred to as “mini-budgets.” The Liberals’ fall budget — the first under Carney’s leadership — projected a deficit of $78.3 billion for the last fiscal year, with deficits declining and averaging around $64 billion annually over the five-year horizon. The federal fiscal monitor for April 2025 to February 2026 shows the deficit came in at $25.5 billion over the first 11 months of the last fiscal year. March typically sees...
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Prime Minister Mark Carney announces Canada’s 1st sovereign wealth fund
By Craig Lord Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the country’s first national sovereign wealth fund on Monday, pitching it as a way for Canadians to invest in nation-building projects. Carney said the Canada Strong Fund will invest in major Canadian industrial projects in areas such as energy, infrastructure, mining, agriculture and technology. The prime minister said the federal government will put up funds starting at $25 billion to invest alongside private investors. He said individual Canadians can also put money into the fund and suggested it would be similar to purchasing a government bond, where the initial investment is protected. Returns from those investments are to be put back into the fund to expand its capacity and build out capital projects in Canada. Speaking to reporters Monday, Carney compared the...
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City of Toronto unveils plans for ‘World in a City’ FIFA fan festival
By Abdulhamid Ibrahim It will be a one-and-done festival, but one the City of Toronto has great expectations for. Toronto’s FIFA fan festival plans were unveiled Monday, with Mayor Olivia Chow, Ontario sports minister Neil Lumsden, Toronto’s Executive Director for the FIFA World Cup Sharon Bollenbach and others on hand at the Fort York National Historic Site. The event, which organizers say will showcase Toronto as “The World in a City,” will run for the duration of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, from June 11 to July 19. The festival space will be shared by the Bentway, a public space underneath the Gardiner Expressway. “When you talk about this phenomenal event and all the work that the city and the province and the government of Ontario’s time is putting in...
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Business groups say new sovereign wealth fund another helpful tool
By Ian Bickis Business groups say the federal government’s decision to establish Canada’s first sovereign wealth fund could be helpful to get projects going, but is not a singular fix. Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the Canada Strong Fund on Monday, saying it will invest in major Canadian industrial projects in areas such as energy, infrastructure, mining, agriculture and technology with an initial $25 billion in government funding. Matthew Holmes, head of public policy at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, says the fund is another tool to spur investment, but its success hinges on the details and speed of implementation. Holmes says in a statement that given the amount of time it could take to get such a fund running, the immediate focus should remain on areas like boosting trade...
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Trump’s many upcoming large, public events may present fresh security challenges after latest attack
By Will Weissert WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal law enforcement officials are evaluating how to proceed with some high-profile public events featuring President Donald Trump after the attack at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. It’s the third time in less than two years that a gunman has come uncomfortably close to Trump, renewing the central tension over how to accommodate the public-facing demands of the president’s office while minimizing the risk of an attack. Saturday’s episode, in which a man armed with guns and knives tried to storm the Washington hotel ballroomwhere the president was set to address the White House Correspondents’ Association, comes ahead of Trump’s expected participation in a stretch of large, high-profile events indoors and outdoors in the months ahead. Among them, he’s set to mark the nation’s...
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In Remote Communities, an Indigenous Cardiologist’s Program Is Succeeding
By Michelle Gamage, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Tyee An Indigenous-led health care solution called One Heart at a Time is bringing specialized heart-health care to remote Indigenous communities. The program was created by Dr. Miles Marchand, a preventative cardiologist and cardiac rehabilitation specialist with Vancouver General Hospital, St. Paul’s and Carrier Sekani Family Services, and member of the Okanagan Indian Band (Syilx Okanagan Nation). The premise is simple: bring cardiac specialists — and the tools they need to do their jobs — to remote communities rather than asking community members to leave their community every time they need to see a specialist. The execution is challenging, mainly due to how remote the communities of Takla Landing, Yekooche, Saik’uz, Nadleh, Burns Lake and Stellat’en are. These are the communities One...
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MPP demands urgent action on First Nations health care transportation
By Maya Ekman, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, NWOnewswatch.com SIOUX LOOKOUT — “I think people are suffering just because of this policy, and it cannot continue for that to happen” said Sol Mamakwa. Delays and uncertainty in getting flights and hotel rooms booked are impacting health outcomes and creating burdensome expenses for First Nations patients travelling from communities in his riding to access health care in urban centres, according to the Kiiwetinoong MPP. Mamakwa wrote a letter to Indigenous Services of Canada (ISC) and the federal Minister of Health to express concern and identify shortcomings within the Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) program. “The NIHB program is intended to support the health needs of First Nations people not covered through other health plans. The current state of the NIHB is failing. The...
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Province ‘on a mission’ to electrify mineral-rich Red Lake area
By Maya Ekman, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, NWOnewswatch.com THUNDER BAY — The Ford government says it plans to fast-track construction of a new transmission line between Dryden and Red Lake. The project is a “key-priority” as the Red Lake district is anticipating a 525 per cent increase in demand for energy, said Stephen Lecce, Minister of Energy and Mines, at media conference in Thunder Bay on Thursday. The 162-kilometre Red Lake Transmission Line will help power growth in the mining industry, with 41 potential new mines expected by 2033, according to a government media release. “Our government is on a mission to grow our economy by generating more reliable hydro power in the north and electrifying one of Ontario’s most mineral rich regions with a new transmission line,” Lecce is...
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Pair of Thunderbirds pop up in Tofino
By Nora O’Malley Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Tofino, B.C. – Two Indigenous Thunderbirds landed in downtown Tofino on Earth Day, April 22. Tofino in Tla-o-qui-aht territory is now their permanent home, and they reflect the community’s history, identity and respect for one another, according to the district. One Thunderbird can be seen emerging into a rainbow on the sidewalk in front of the Clayoquot Sound Theatre along Campbell Street, while the second Thunderbird spread its wings along the crosswalk heading to Anchor Park lookout at Third Street and Main. “The Thunderbird is the overseer of everything,” says Nuu-chah-nulth artist Nicki Love, who created the design for the Thunderbird over the rainbow. “I knew right away I wanted it to be a Thunderbird,” she said. “The way it’s situated, it’s emerging,”...
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Vibration travels through the earth / Onhontsà:ke ia’tenwatóhetste’ ne awihsonhkwáhtshera’
By Geraldine Standup Edited by: Melissa Stacey – Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Translation by: Karonhí:io Delaronde, The Eastern Door I spent some time with the Blackfeet in Montana and that’s where I really started to get a handle on what was actually happening. Our community is not a spiritual one, you have to find people who are spiritual for you to be able to bring out that aspect of yourself, I couldn’t do it here. Anyway, I spent some time in Browning, Montana where the Blackfeet have a reserve. We didn’t spend time right in the community because the community has a bar on every corner, so we were on the mountaintop. I was invited there, and I found myself at a gathering of traditional healers from across the western...
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Federal grocery benefit ‘not enough’; delayed Nutrition North report concerning: Nunavut MP Lori Idlout
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News MP Lori Idlout has changed political parties, but she hasn’t changed her stance on the federal tax rebate and the external review on Nutrition North. Idlout said she still wants more action on the cost of living than the federal government’s increase to the GST rebate for five years starting in July. “The cost of living is still too high. It will make a small impact, but not enough,” Idlout said of the GST rebate hike. The Government of Canada announced on Jan. 27 that tax rebates for Canadians making less than $60,000 would increase by 25 per cent, starting with a one-time payment that’s 50 per cent higher than in previous years. One in five Nunavummiut will benefit from...
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What you need to know about the new Enbridge LNG pipeline approval
By Nick Murray Energy Minister Tim Hodgson said on Friday that the federal government has approved Enbridge Inc.’s $4-billion Sunrise natural gas pipeline project in British Columbia. Here’s a quick rundown of the project and why it’s important. What is the Sunrise Expansion Project? The Westcoast Energy Limited Partnership, an affiliate of Enbridge, runs the Westcoast natural gas pipeline system, which connects gas fields in northeastern B.C. and northwestern Alberta to the Canada-U.S. border. It currently has peak capacity to ship 3.6 billion cubic feet of natural gas. The Sunrise expansion would add 300 million cubic feet per day of transportation capacity. The project involves adding almost 140 kilometres of new pipe by constructing 11 looping segments parallel to the existing line. While the gas that would flow through the...
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Miss Indian World pageant winners mark the end of a decades-long tradition
By Savannah Peters ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Codi High Elk was a shy teenager most comfortable caring for horses on her family’s ranch on the Cheyenne River Reservation when she threw away an application to compete in a new pageant for Indigenous women — an application her brother fished out of the trash, sending her on a path to becoming the first Miss Indian World. That was in 1984, when High Elk remembers letting her six older siblings do most of the talking and wanting no part in a competition that required public speaking. But the event that transformed her from shy teen to an ambassador for her people has come to an end. “From the day I got my crown, my life changed,” said High Elk, who credits her...
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Lifelong politicians, educators and elders on list for NTI top job
By Arty Sarkisian, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunatsiaq News Nunavut beneficiaries will face a crowded ballot in the upcoming Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. presidential byelection. With 10 candidates running, this will be NTI’s second-most crowded presidential election ballot since Nunavut became a territory. Only in the 2010 byelection and 2012 election did more people put their names forward, with both contests boasting 11 candidates. NTI is the legal representative for Inuit beneficiaries in Nunavut. It is responsible for ensuring promises set out in the Nunavut Agreement are carried out by the federal and territorial governments. This May 27 byelection was called to fill the vacancy created by Jeremy Tunraluk, who resigned in January. Here are the candidates who will be on the ballot: Samuel Alagalak, Rankin Inlet Alagalak is chairman of...
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Yuri Fulmer, Caroline Elliott clash early during B.C. Conservative leadership contest
By Wolfgang Depner All five candidates running for the leadership of the Conservative Party of B.C. said during a debate in Vancouver on Friday that they would repeal the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. They also promised to revive the provincial economy and improve public safety. But that might have been the extent of their agreements as the debate featured several feisty exchanges between the candidates. Perhaps none were more testy than those between entrepreneur Yuri Fulmer and commentator Caroline Elliott, who clashed several times over past statements and actions during the first debate among the remaining leadership candidates. Former Liberal cabinet minister Iain Black, former MP Kerry-Lynne Findlay and current MLA Peter Milobar also took part in the event hosted by the Canada Strong and Free...
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