Great Bear Sea waters move closer to federal protection
By Sonal Gupta, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer A stretch of ocean off BC’s central coast, where salmon, herring, whales, sea otters and some of the province’s largest kelp beds share waters with fishing boats and coastal communities, is moving toward federal protection. Six First Nations, Ottawa and the province signed an agreement Friday to establish a new National Marine Conservation Area Reserve in the Great Bear Sea, beside the globally known Great Bear Rainforest. “This is kind of the water offshoot of part of that,” BC Water, Land and Resource Stewardship Minister Randene Neill told Canada’s National Observer. “It protects some of our most biologically diverse and sensitive areas.” Parks Canada officials say the reserve, once implemented, could protect up to 6,700 square kilometres (an area larger...
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Smith says Alberta separatists should focus on fall vote rather than ousting her
By Jack Farrell Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says separatists who are upset that a binding vote on quitting Canada has been put off should focus on the province’s fall referendum — rather than campaigning to force a review of her job. Smith announced in a televised address Thursday that a question on the Oct. 19 referendum will ask Albertans if they want to remain in Canada or start the process to hold a binding referendum on separation. The move has been widely criticized, especially by those in Alberta’s separatist movement. Many had been counting on Smith to directly put separation on a ballot, after a judge last week threw out a petition looking to force such a vote. Jeff Rath, a lawyer for the petition group Stay Free Alberta, called...
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Students make a splash at annual water festival
By Kimberly De Jong, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Brant Beacon More than 1,400 Grade 4 students from the City of Brantford, County of Brant and Six Nations of the Grand River descended upon Mohawk Park for the 18th annual Brantford-Brant Children’s Water Festival last week. Established in 2006, the event is put on every year by the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) in partnership with the City of Brantford and the County of Brant. Louise Heyming, Conservation Outreach Supervisor at the GRCA, said the event gives children the chance to learn about water science, protection, technology, attitudes and conservation, in a fun, interactive way. “The Children’s Water Festival is really an opportunity for these students to get out of the classroom, come to Mohawk Park for the day and to...
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Kenora’s Moose Hide Campaign continues growing one conversation at a time
By Pam Fedack, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Kenora Miner & News What started as a quiet grassroots movement along British Columbia’s Highway of Tears has grown into a national campaign encouraging conversations about violence, healing and accountability. In Kenora, organizers say those conversations are continuing to spread one small pin at a time. More than 50 people took part in this year’s Moose Hide Campaign walk in Kenora on May 14, an annual event aimed at ending violence against women, children and all people along the gender spectrum. For Dylan Shumka-White, one of the local campaign coordinators, the movement is about creating space for men to take ownership of difficult but necessary conversations. “The key message of the Moose Hide campaign is that we’re not calling anyone out, but we’re...
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Experts explain how Indigenous rights are a major hurdle for Alberta secession
By Fakiha Baig Political scientists say Indigenous treaty rights represent a significant legal hurdle for separatists in Alberta, and have brought the debate on secession in Canada into unchartered territory. “This is a new dynamic…. It’s creating a lot of uncertainty,” said Andrew McDougall, a lawyer and professor in the University of Toronto’s political science department, in an interview Saturday. “There needs to be consultation with Indigenous peoples, the extent to which is unclear,” said Andre Lecours, a University of Ottawa professor. Premier Danielle Smith announced in a televised address on Thursday that an Oct. 19 referendum question will ask Albertans if they want to remain in Canada or start the process to hold a binding referendum on separation. Smith said she couldn’t directly put separation on the ballot because...
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New marine monitoring hub in Nunavut part of $816 million federal spending plans
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News The federal government is promising to spend $816 million on four new Arctic long‑range marine radar sites and a hub in Iqaluit, but no details were provided on potential community benefits or future employment figures. Decisions on how the Maritime Domain Awareness Hub will benefit Iqaluit have to be made by an Inuit-Crown Partnership special committee co-chaired by Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and Canadian Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada. “This is not just Defence in isolation making investments over on the side. Maybe that was a sort of an approach in years gone by, but that’s not the approach now,” said Defence Minister David McGuinty at the Transport Canada hangar in Iqaluit on May 22. The funding will be disbursed...
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Motion Picture Association slams CRTC rules on Canadian content investment
By Alessia Passafiume The industry lobby group representing big American streaming services slammed new revenue rules on Friday forcing them to invest in Canadian content while some Canadian industry organizations said the rules are in line with what this country has required for decades. The groups are reacting after Canada’s broadcast regulator, the CRTC, said Thursday large TV streaming services must contribute 15 per cent of their Canadian revenues to Canadian content. That’s three times the initial contribution requirement the CRTC set out in 2024, which is being challenged in court by streamers including Apple, Amazon and Spotify. The CRTC made the decisions as part of its implementation of the Online Streaming Act, which the United States has identified as a trade irritant ahead of negotiations with Canada. The Motion...
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Nunavut will get 725 homes in deal with federal government instead of 750
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News The federal government will spend $241 million to fulfill its portion of an agreement with the Government of Nunavut to finance up to 725 homes, GN Housing Minister Cecile Lyall told the Nunavut Legislative Assembly on May 21. However, that’s a decrease from the agreement-in-principle announced on Jan. 30, when the federal government said it would spend $250 million on 750 homes. This marks the official signing of the Build Canada Homes agreement with the Nunavut Housing Corporation, as the previously announced figures were only preliminary. GN financing amounted to $230 million under January’s agreement-in-principle, but Lyall didn’t clarify whether the territorial government had changed its contribution. “This agreement will not solve every challenge, but it is an important step...
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The latest on Alberta’s vote on whether to have binding separation referendum
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has announced there will be a separation question on an Oct. 19 referendum. Albertans will be asked if the province should stay in Canada or if they want a future binding referendum on separation. Here are the latest developments (all times are MT): 10:30 a.m. Rob Anderson, the chief of staff for Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, says many wanted to see her directly put a binding separation question on the ballot this fall. But he says it just isn’t possible. Anderson says in a social media post that he thinks a binding question would have been struck down by the courts within weeks, because of the ongoing legal challenge involving a separatist petition and First Nations He says holding a referendum on maybe having a future...
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Filmmaker seeks to empower Indigenous communities with training program
By Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Energeticcity.ca MOBERLY LAKE, B.C. — A filmmaker is looking to empower local First Nations communities through his filmmaking program. Farhan Umedaly is a filmmaker with West Vancouver’s VoVo Productions, a company he helped found in 2009 with backgrounds in microbiology, sustainability and music production. From an Ismaili background, Umedaly and his family came to Canada as refugees. A filmmaker for 18 years, his projects include the 2015 film The Last Stand for Lelu, about the struggles of the Lax Kw’alaams Band of Lelu Island against the provincial government’s push for an LNG terminal. He told Energeticcity.ca his Empowering Filmmaking program, set to take place over a week in June at West Moberly First Nations, is based on a principle of service – something important to...
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Beyond regulation: Why committed leadership will decide Canada’s energy future
By Amir Bahman Radnejad and Brenda Nguyen The Canadian government’s discussion paper, Getting Major Projects Built in Canada, represents a significant and long overdue shift in how it approaches major infrastructure and energy development. After years of slow, fragmented and unpredictable project approvals, the recognition that Canada’s regulatory system has undermined competitiveness and discouraged investment is both accurate and welcome. Investor surveys in Canada’s resource sector consistently identify regulatory uncertainty and approval delays as major deterrents to investment. If implemented effectively, the proposed reforms — particularly efforts to reduce duplication, co-ordinate consultations, establish clearer timelines and move toward a “one project, one review” framework — could enhance Canada’s appeal to energy investors and move the country closer to its ambition of becoming an “energy superpower.” But regulatory reform alone won’t...
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Carney says ‘Canada is working’, as Alberta readies for referendum
Prime Minister Mark Carney addressed the thorny issue of Alberta’s separatist movement on Friday with a metaphorical plea for unity, saying it’s time to build up the country together. He likened the federation to the Parliament buildings: currently under renovation. Carney, while on a construction site tour of Parliament, didn’t directly mention the plan announced by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith to hold a vote in the fall about whether to have a binding referendum on separation. But the prime minister insisted the country can be improved by working closely with the province on his economic agenda. “We’re renovating the country as we go,” Carney said in the Library of Parliament, gesturing up toward construction work in the Centre Block. “Alberta being at the centre of that is essential.” Carney talked...
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Carney says ‘co-operative federalism’ is working, as Alberta preps for referendum
Prime Minister Mark Carney addressed the thorny issue of Alberta’s separatist movement in the form of a metaphor this morning — likening Canada to the Parliament buildings: currently under renovation. Carney, while on a construction site tour of the Library of Parliament, didn’t directly mention Alberta’s plan to hold a vote on whether to have a binding referendum on separation. He listed contributions made by Albertans to the country and said Canada is currently working the “spirit of co-operative federalism,” with Alberta at the centre of that work. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced in a televised address Thursday there will be separation question on an Oct. 19 referendum. Albertans won’t directly vote on whether Alberta should leave Canada but will be asked if the province should hold a future binding...
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CRTC triples streamers’ financial contributions to Canadian content
By Anja Karadeglija Large online streaming services must contribute 15 per cent of their Canadian revenues to Canadian content, the federal broadcast regulator said Thursday. That’s three times the five-per-cent initial contribution requirement the CRTC set out in 2024, which is being challenged in court by major streamers, including Apple, Amazon and Spotify. Contribution requirements for traditional broadcasters, which currently pay between 30 and 45 per cent, will be lowered to 25 per cent. “The total contributions are expected to stabilize the funding at more than $2 billion in support of Canadian and Indigenous content, such as French-language content and news,” the regulator said in a press release. The CRTC also set out rules on how the money must be spent for both streamers and broadcasters, including contributions toward production...
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‘Very good news,’ that High Court will hear B.C. mineral claims case, Eby says
By The Canadian Press The B.C. government needs clarity from the Supreme Court of Canada on a landmark mineral rights claim, Premier David Eby says. But the lawyer representing the challenger says that they would have preferred the province respect the lower court’s decision. Eby said Thursday it is very good news that the High Court will hear its appeal of a ruling that found the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the provincial mineral claims regime are “inconsistent.” The B.C. Court of Appeal ruled in December that the provincial Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, or DRIPA, should be “properly interpreted” to incorporate the UN declaration into the laws of B.C. with immediate legal effect. That ruling set off the appeal from the...
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Plea to missing Webequie man: ‘Let us know you’re OK’
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, SNnewswatch.com THUNDER BAY — In a ballroom at the Superior Inn, Destiny Rae broke from a plea for help in the search for Kelsey Anderson to deliver a message directly to her missing boyfriend: Please call. “I’ve been searching … and I’m not leaving until I find you,” Rae said into reporters’ microphones during a news conference held Thursday afternoon by Webequie First Nation and Nishnawbe Aski Nation. “You’re loved and you didn’t need to think that you weren’t … So please just let us know you’re OK. Let us know you’re all right. “Because we need to know, we need to hear you, we need to see you.” Kelsey Anderson was last seen in the afternoon of Saturday, May 9, at a...
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Manitoba politician calls Saskatchewan farmer who killed Colten Boushie a victim
By Steve Lambert A Manitoba legislature member faced criticism Thursday for saying the farmer who killed Colten Boushie in a high-profile case in Saskatchewan was a victim. Opposition Progressive Conservative member Josh Guenter made the comment while debating a resolution in the legislature about the rights of people to defend their homes with force if necessary. Eric Redhead, a member of the NDP government, accused Guenter of engaging in rhetoric that could lead to more deaths like that of Boushie, a Cree man shot a decade ago near Biggar, Sask. Gerald Stanley was acquitted of second-degree murder after testifying that he thought Boushie and others were on his property to steal vehicles. Stanley said his gun went off accidentally when he confronted Boushie. “The farmer was the victim, and he...
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CRTC triples streamers’ financial contributions to Canadian content
By Anja Karadeglija Large TV streaming services like Netflix must contribute 15 per cent of their Canadian revenues to Canadian content, the federal broadcast regulator said Thursday. That’s three times the five-per-cent initial contribution requirement the CRTC set out in 2024, which is being challenged in court by major streamers, including Apple and Amazon. Contribution requirements for traditional broadcasters, which currently pay between 30 and 45 per cent, will be lowered to 25 per cent. “The total contributions are expected to stabilize the funding at more than $2 billion in support of Canadian and Indigenous content, such as French-language content and news,” the regulator said in a press release. The CRTC made the decisions as part of its implementation of the Online Streaming Act, which the U.S. has identified as...
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Fort Simpson homeless shelter plans for new building
By Claire McFarlane, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cabin Radio Architectural plans for a new homeless shelter in Fort Simpson are ready. Now operators say they need funding and a plot of land to make it a reality. “It will be a major addition to the town when we have a really big, beautiful new building like that,” said Chuck Blyth, president of the Dehcho Society for Wellness and Sustainable Development. He said the architectural plans are inspired by a shelter in Dawson City, Yukon, which includes both emergency shelter beds and transitional housing units, allowing residents to move along the housing continuum. Blyth said the shelter has received funding from the territorial government to address much-needed repairs at the existing building. The shelter is currently being run out of a...
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New program training Indigenous housing inspectors in the North
By Claire McFarlane, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cabin Radio When Stan Knight worked as an RCMP officer in northern Manitoba and Nunavut, he said he noticed the degree to which proper housing – or a lack thereof – can influence social issues. Now retired from police work, he started Zachary Knight Enterprises and the Inspector in a Box program to improve housing conditions and build a skilled workforce across the North. The program trains Indigenous home inspectors in isolated communities to document the condition of an existing home, then create a scope of work and list of repairs required to bring the home to a livable standard. While there is a fee to take the program, Knight said his company can help communities and First Nations apply for grants to...
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