Canada urgently needs a civilian defence strategy — before the next crisis forces one
By William Michael Carter On April 9, 1917, my great-grandfather, A. Harold Carter, was a 16-year-old underage Canadian Expeditionary Force soldier from the 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles, 8th Brigade, 3rd Division. At 5:30 am, he went over the trench at Vimy Ridge. He was a scrawny, 5’4″ kid from London, Ont., who defied his mother and signed up two years earlier at age 14. He survived. Almost 109 years after the war that was to end all wars, Canada must once again consider training its citizens, as it did my great-grandfather, for a potential global conflict. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s first mandate letter in May 2025, a month after his election, clearly prioritized Canada’s industrial, military and civilian global sovereignty as a key pillar of his new government. His first...
Register
Nishnawbe Aski Police Service is recruiting far and wide
By Maya Ekman, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, NWOnewswatch.com THUNDER BAY – The Nishnawbe Aski Police Service is expanding its recruitment missions across Ontario and Manitoba to meet its mandate of 80 new officers per year, and the next stop is the Fort William First Nation career fair on April 25. NAPS became the first First Nation police service to join the province’s Community Safety and Policing Act (CSPA) in 2024, which has allowed them to secure the funding needed to expand recruitment. According to recruitment constable, Mason Morriseau, NAPS recruitment officers will be travelling more throughout the coming months. The strategy, he says, is to attend as many events and to be as public as possible. “We believe having a face-to-face, in-person impact is more meaningful than obviously having an...
Register
Nugent sentenced to 9 years for manslaughter
By Carrie Ivardi, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, TBnewswatch.com THUNDER BAY – Before a packed courtroom on Wednesday, Brady Nugent was sentenced to nine years in prison for taking the life of Tyler Blouin on May 5, 2024. In her decision Justice Claudia Belda emphasized the devastating loss to Blouin’s family. She said the victim leaves behind two young sons and a family that loved him. The incident took place in the area of Camelot and St. Paul streets around 2:30 a.m. on May 5, 2024. Belda, who reviewed the facts of the case that were heard during the sentencing hearing on April 2, said that in balancing the mitigating versus the aggravating factors, the scale had to be weighted towards severity. Brady Nugent pleaded guilty to manslaughter on Aug. 6,...
Register
‘Gravy plane’: Ontario buys used $28.9-million jet for Premier Doug Ford
By Liam Casey Ontario taxpayers are footing the bill for a $29-million private jet for Premier Doug Ford’s use, a purchase opposition leaders say is a waste of money. The premier’s office said the province bought a used 2016 Bombardier Challenger 650 jet for $28.9 million. It will operate out of Toronto’s Pearson International Airport. The plane is expected to be operational by the end of July, Ford’s office said. “As part of the job of being premier of Ontario, there is extensive travel within Ontario, a province twice the land mass of Texas,” Ford’s office wrote in a statement. “This is in addition to travel across Canada for Council of the Federation and first ministers’ meetings, which have increased in frequency, as well as travel to the United States...
Register
Suspect enters new guilty plea in the case of missing Navajo grandmother Ella Mae Begay
By Savannah Peters And Jacques Billeaud PHOENIX (AP) — A man charged in the disappearance of a Navajo grandmother whose case has highlighted the crisis of violence against Native Americans pleaded guilty Thursday to robbery as part of a second agreement reached with prosecutors. Preston Henry Tolth, 26, could be sentenced to a maximum of five years in federal prison, with credit for three years already served, under the conditions of the proposed agreement. U.S. District Judge Douglas Rayes asked Tolth during a hearing in Phoenix if he was entering the plea because he was, in fact, guilty. “Yes, your honor,” Tolth said. Ella Mae Begay was 62 when she vanished in 2021 from Sweetwater, Arizona, a community in the northern part of the Navajo Nation where she spent her...
Register
Sandbags come out as communities from Quebec to Manitoba prepare for spring flooding
Communities from Quebec to Manitoba are preparing for potential spring flooding, with officials distributing sandbags to protect homes from rising water and warning about possible evacuations. Northwest of Montreal in St-Jérôme, Que., officials closed a bridge to traffic because of the rising Rivière du Nord, which snakes through the city of 80,000 residents. They’ve also distributed more than 2,300 sandbags to people who live by the water. Élisabeth Émond with the St-Jérôme mayor’s office said Thursday that the city is almost certain to see water levels that could cause major flooding. She said officials on Wednesday closed the Viau bridge, because the river had reached the lower part of the span. “As soon as the floodwater reaches the bridge structure, we are required to close access for safety reasons,” Émond...
Register
First Nations chiefs call for inquiry into RCMP after CBC report on surveillance
By Alessia Passafiume First Nations leaders called on the RCMP to apologize and demanded a federal inquiry after CBC reported the police service spied on Indigenous political leaders in the 1960s and beyond. CBC Indigenous uncovered some 6,000 pages of internal RCMP documents that indicate the RCMP was monitoring Indigenous political activity as early as 1968. They targeted future national chiefs Noel Starblanket, David Ahenakew, Georges Erasmus and Phil Fontaine. CBC Indigenous reported that Ovide Mercredi, who also went on to serve as national chief, was mentioned in the files. Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Kyra Wilson said the RCMP should apologize directly to community members, on their own territories, by the end of the year for the “Native extremism” program. “What we have learned through recent reporting confirms...
Register
NOSM University seeks Indigenous placement partners to strengthen culturally grounded health care in the North
By Jacqueline St.Pierre, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Manitoulin Expositor NORTHERN ONTARIO—A northern medical school is calling on communities and health organizations across the region to help train the next generation of Indigenous health professionals—part of a growing effort to close long-standing health gaps and bring culturally informed care to Indigenous patients. NOSM University is seeking placement opportunities for Indigenous medical learners across Northern Ontario, inviting clinics, hospitals, community health centres and Indigenous organizations to host students for hands-on clinical and community experiences. The placements connect Indigenous students with real-world health care environments while strengthening relationships between medical learners and the communities they will ultimately serve. Across Canada, Indigenous people continue to experience significantly poorer health outcomes than non-Indigenous populations—a disparity rooted in generations of colonial policy, systemic barriers and...
Register
ABDC hosts entrepreneurial workshop for Indigenous youth
FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Fort St. John will play host to an entrepreneurial workshop aimed at prospective First Nations business owners. The North East Native Advancing Society’s (NENAS) offices will hold an Indigenous Youth Entrepreneur (IYE) workshop on Thursday, April 16th in Fort St. John. NENAS will host the workshop, which is being facilitated by the Prince George Aboriginal Business and Community Development Centre (ABCDC). The ABCDC itself is a non-profit organization focusing on supporting business, community and economic development among First Nations peoples, according to its website. ABDC’s IYE business support officer, Brooklyn Kinsley, will oversee Thursday’s workshop in Fort St. John. Kinsley’s visit is one of several visits to northern B.C. communities ABCDC representatives will make throughout 2026, including a visit to Dawson Creek in July. “[Indigenous...
Register
Anishinabek Nation warns mining industry: certainty requires partnership with First Nations
By Jacqueline M. St. Pierre, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Manitoulin Expositor TORONTO—As the global mining industry gathered in Toronto for the annual Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada Convention, the Anishinabek Nation delivered a pointed message to investors, mining companies and government officials: there will be no certainty in the rush for critical minerals without First Nations at the decision-making table. In a March 3 statement addressed directly to the industry conference, Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief Linda Debassige warned that the stability investors seek cannot be achieved by sidelining Indigenous rights. “True certainty in critical minerals development can only be achieved through genuine, equitable partnership with our nations,” Chief Debassige said. The Anishinabek Nation represents 39 member First Nations across Ontario and approximately 70,000 citizens. Their territories overlap...
Register
Manitoba Premier Kinew to visit Peguis First Nation as community preps for flooding
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew is scheduled to visit a First Nation frantically preparing for what could be severe flooding. Kinew and Lisa Naylor, minister of transportation and infrastructure, are to be in Peguis First Nation this afternoon to help with flood mitigation efforts and to meet with leadership. Flood preparations began last week after the First Nation was warned that it could see water levels similar to those in 2022, when more than 2,000 residents were forced out and hundreds of homes were damaged. Dozens of volunteers from across the country have been in the community, located along the Fisher River north of Winnipeg, helping set up sandbags and build clay dikes to protect homes. The First Nation put a call out this morning requesting community members help with sandbagging...
Register
Inuit association, federal government agree on two conservation areas
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News The Qikiqtani Inuit Association (QIA) and the federal government have agreed on two new conservation areas and signed an Inuit Impact Benefit Agreement (IIBA) in conjunction with environmental protection plans. The two conservation areas are Qikiqtait and Sarvarjuaq. The former covers the waters around Sanikiluaq while the latter preserves waters between Grise Fiord and Greenland. “This agreement is a significant achievement for Inuit in the Qikiqtani region and for the future of our waters,” said QIA President Olayuk Akesuk. “Through this Inuit Impact and Benefit Agreement, we are helping ensure that conservation is shaped by Inuit priorities, Inuit qaujimajatuqangit, and Inuit stewardship, while creating lasting benefits for our communities.” QIA will establish Inuit Protected and Conserved Areas in the two...
Register
First Nation accuses Alberta of withholding cancer data
Sonal Gupta, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer A critical cancer study commissioned by a First Nation remains incomplete because Alberta Health Services hasn’t released health data from 2022 onwards — data the Mikisew Cree First Nation says is essential to prove a link between industrial contamination and rising cancer rates in the northern Alberta community. At a press conference in Ottawa this week, Chief Billy‑Joe Tuccaro announced preliminary findings showing 149 confirmed cancer cases between 1993 and 2022 in the community of roughly 900 people — and that cancer rates in Fort Chipewyan are at least 25 per cent higher than the rest of Alberta. But the numbers, he said, are likely much higher — closer to 250 or even 300 by his estimation. That would mean cancer...
Register
RDN celebrates Hamilton Marsh acquisition with ribbon cutting ceremony
By Hope Lompe and Gabriola Sounder Local Journalism Initiative Reporters More than 30 years in the making, the 364 hectare Hamiltion Marsh will be preserved as the Regional District of Nanaimo’s 13th regional park. On Apr. 7, RDN and island politicians, First Nations, dignitaries, staffers and advocates gathered for a ribbon cutting ceremony on the park’s opening day, with several speeches speaking to the accomplishment of the $28 million purchase from Mosaic Forest Management. “I think preservation of these natural areas, just like Coats Marsh on Gabriola, which is a regional park as well … is really important and it benefits everyone across the region,” Electoral Area B Director Vanessa Craig told the Sounder at the event. “More broadly speaking, this is one of the areas in the province that’s...
Register
N.S. exploring potential transit system linking Halifax to three rural communities
By Lyndsay Armstrong The Nova Scotia government is considering to build a new transit network to link Halifax with three rural communities, and looking for a partner for the proposed new service. The province issued a request for information Wednesday from potential service providers for a new system connecting the capital city with Truro, Wolfville and Bridgewater. It said the inter-municipal transit system would ideally offer regular, dependable travel along routes for daily commuting. The Department of Public Works says the network would connect to existing fixed-route services run by municipalities. Public Works Minister Fred Tilley said in a statement he’s heard loud and clear that a regional public transit system is needed in Nova Scotia. “Frequent, reliable and affordable transit service means more options to access jobs, schools, health...
Register
Alberta eyes accelerated review system for major projects over $250 million
By Jack Farrell Alberta is proposing rule changes that would see Premier Danielle Smith’s government become more involved in kick-starting potential big-ticket industrial projects. A bill introduced Tuesday by Energy Minister Brian Jean would set out a new project review process with a group of cabinet members being the first to set eyes on proposals. The goal is to assist private industry in bolstering their applications. “It’s sort of like going to the teacher halfway through a major project just to make sure … you’re on the right path,” Jean told reporters before the bill was introduced. “We’re going to make sure you do it right at that point or at least check your work.” Under the bill, a cabinet review would then lead to further checks by a committee...
Register
Chief calls for walkway along Highway 17
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, SNnewswatch.com LONG LAKE #58 FIRST NATION — Chief John O’Nabigon Sr. says his community has seen too many highway tragedies, and the province could do something about it. On March 23, he sent a letter on behalf of his First Nation to Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria expressing concerns about “pedestrian and community safety along Highway 11.” The Treaty 9 Indigenous community’s requests in the letter include “immediate safety interventions including reduced speed measures” where the highway passes through Long Lake 58, and “medium-term capital .” Greenstone municipal council received the letter as information at its April 13 meeting. Greenstone includes the community of Longlac, which neighbours Long Lake 58. More than 400 people live on the Long Lake 58 reserve, according to the...
Register
B.C. has tabled provincial ratification legislation for Kitselas First Nation treaty
By Wolfgang Depner The Kitselas First Nation in northwestern B.C. has reached a major milestone in its treaty process as the province tabled legislation to ratify the agreement. The legislation tabled Wednesday by Indigenous Relations Minister Spencer Chandra Herbert is the second in as many days after Tuesday’s introduction of the K’omoks Treaty Act. The treaty grants the Kitsalas ownership over 38,250 hectares of land in its territory near Terrace, B.C., along with self-governance in several areas, including the administration of justice. Deputy Chief Coun. Cyril Bennett-Nabess says his First Nation has overcome a “struggle,” which began over 113 years ago with the implementation of the Indian Act, which will no longer apply to the band, once Ottawa has ratified the treaty. Negotiations between the provincial government and the First...
Register
Evicted residents not required to remove mobile homes off B.C. reserve lands: court
By Darryl Greer The B.C. Court of Appeal has ruled that residents evicted from a mobile home park on Songhees Nation lands on Vancouver Island no longer have to remove their homes from the property, but they aren’t entitled to compensation for leaving them there. Residents of the E. George Estates Manufactured Home Park were ordered to vacate the lands last year by the B.C. Supreme Court, after being given three years’ notice by the Songhees that their tenancies were ending. Songhees Chief Ron Sam said at the time that some of their members were living in “unsafe housing” off reserve, and the mobile home park was being cleared out to make way for “urgently needed community housing.” The lower court found the mobile homes were “chattels” on the lands...
Register
First Nations overdose deaths in B.C. drop in 2025, but still disproportionally high
By Ashley Joannou The number of overdose deaths of First Nations in British Columbia dropped by about a third in 2025 but the population continues to be disproportionately impacted by the province’s toxic drug crisis that has killed more than 18,000 people in the last decade. Dr. Nel Wieman, the chief medical officer with the First Nations Health Authority, said Wednesday that emergency has been used for political gain by some, putting progress at risk. The health authority released Indigenous-specific data for 2025 on the day after the province marked 10 years since declaring a public health emergency on April 14, 2016. “The politicization of this emergency and the increased vilification of people who use substances threatens progress, especially as the backlash against proven, evidence-based harm reduction measures that save...
Register
