First Nation says federal government is absent after major spill settlement
By Sonal Gupta, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer Nearly a decade after a tug spilled diesel into the territorial waters of a BC First Nation and shut down key harvesting grounds, the Heiltsuk Nation says a new settlement is only one step toward recovery. The Heiltsuk have reached a settlement with Kirby Corporation, the Texas-based marine transportation company that owns the Nathan E. Stewart tug. The tug hit a reef near Bella Bella, BC in 2016 and spilled 110,000 litres of diesel and lubricants, fouling more than 350 kilometres of shoreline and shutting down a key clam harvesting area. But Heiltsuk leaders say the federal government — and Canada’s compensation fund for ship spills — are still “nowhere to be found.” Chief Marilyn Slett said the settlement matters,...
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ITK wants Nutrition North scrapped, replaced
By Arty Sarkisian, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunatsiaq News Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami wants to work with the federal government to develop a “more effective” replacement for Nutrition North. This is one of 30 ideas included in a 48-page strategy the organization released Tuesday that aims to address the region’s “socioeconomic inequities.” “This strategy is a roadmap, but it is also an invitation – an invitation to invest in our vision and to co-create a future in which no Inuit are left behind,” ITK president Natan Obed said. Inuit have lower life expectancy, employment rate and median individual income than other Canadians, and “a basket of groceries can cost two or three times more in Inuit Nunangat than in southern Canada,” the report said. That leads to more than 70 per...
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B.C. court finds province didn’t properly consult First Nation on northwest gold mine
By Chuck Chiang A British Columbia court has ruled that the provincial government did not properly consult with a First Nation before a determination about a major undeveloped gold mine that the nation says “effectively greenlit” the project. The B.C. Supreme Court says the province did not satisfy its duty to consult the Tsetsaut Skii km Lax Ha Nation in northwestern B.C. before declaring Seabridge Gold’s KSM Mine had been “substantially started” since an environmental assessment certificate was issued in 2014. The “substantially started” declaration meant the project did not need a new environmental assessment. Justice Emily Burke says that the determination needs to go back to the Ministry of Environment to reconsider, with the nation given 90 days to present submissions to the province. The KSM Mine has been...
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Coalition to oppose N.B. mine project being considered for fast-track approval
By Eli Ridder A dozen organizations have formed a group to oppose a key New Brunswick mining project included on Ottawa’s list of crucial nation-building projects. The Stop Sisson Mine Coalition, made up of non-profits, First Nations, community groups and farmers, says the proposed tungsten and molybdenum mine would create environmental waste and degrade water quality for years to come. In a public letter to Premier Susan Holt released Tuesday, the coalition says “the project presents unacceptable environmental, public health, and economic risks to New Brunswick” and should be stopped. “Coalition members believe New Brunswick can pursue economic development without creating permanent environmental liabilities and long-term risks for future generations,” the coalition’s members wrote to Holt. Last November, the $580-million Sisson Mine was added to a list of projects for...
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Tk’emlúps midwife helping improve reproductive health care access in Secwepemcúl’ecw
By Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Wren Building relationships and culturally grounded care is just as important as the clinical side of the profession for Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc midwife Sage Thomas. While she’s willing to provide care for people from all walks of life, Thomas says the importance of health equity for Indigenous families and those who have immigrated to the southern interior of B.C. remains a top priority for her as a midwife. “I’m prioritizing Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) and immigrant families,” Thomas said, while acknowledging that when Indigenous families seek reproductive care, the experience can carry generations of history with it. Thomas is currently the only registered Indigenous midwife working in their own community in B.C. and one of 12 local midwives providing primary care...
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Prince Albert’s Tolley named a recipient of significant research scholarship
By Michael Oleksyn, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Prince Albert Daily Herald Carlton Comprehensive High School alumnus Katie Tolley has received another significant scholarship to assist with her research. Tolley was one of the recipients of a Tri-Agency Scholarship. She received The Canada Graduate Scholarships—Doctoral program. Which recognizes and supports the next generation of outstanding innovators, knowledge workers, creative thinkers and researchers. By providing support for a high-quality research training experience to awardees, the program strives to foster impacts within and beyond the research environment. Tolley explained that the Tri-Agency Scholarship are popular for Canadian students. “Usually everyone applies for them or is encouraged to. It’s kind of a huge national competition, so all over Canada, and then your university submits your application for you,” Tolley explained. “This one’s pretty exciting...
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Ottawa extends amnesty for owners of banned firearms while Supreme Court case unfolds
By Jim Bronskill The federal government is extending an amnesty for owners of banned firearms while a legal battle plays out at the Supreme Court of Canada. Over the last six years, Ottawa has outlawed about 2,500 types of firearms, including the AR-15 and Ruger Mini-14, on the basis they belong only on the battlefield. The government previously said prohibited firearms must be disposed of or deactivated by the end of an amnesty period on Oct. 30. In March, the Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal challenging the initial federal firearm prohibitions, announced in May 2020. The government now says the amnesty has been extended until 90 days after the Supreme Court delivers its decision, which is expected next year. Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said in an interview...
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Manitoba premier says “Mine, baby, mine” as he signals regulation pullback
By Ian Bickis Manitoba’s premier says he aims to streamline mining regulations to help the industry drive the economy. “Mine, baby, mine. I think that needs to be our motto here in Manitoba,” Wab Kinew said Tuesday at a Manitoba Chambers of Commerce event in Winnipeg. While the Port of Churchill expansion is still his flagship project, Kinew said Manitoba should also be following the resource-based growth model of Saskatchewan. “There’s a lot of interest in advancing mining activity in Manitoba, and I’d just like us to be able to make the most of the resources we have.” He said the NDP government, elected in late 2023, has been focused on health care but that it’s now ready to look at regulations in the resource sector. “We’re now at the...
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Ksi Lisims LNG signs benefit agreements with First Nations, challenges withdrawn
By Lauren Krugel The lead developer of the Ksi Lisims liquefied natural gas project planned for the West Coast has announced benefit agreements with three First Nations in northern British Columbia, two of which it says have withdrawn legal challenges against the $10-billion plant and export terminal. Houston-based Western LNG distributed three separate press releases Tuesday announcing agreements with the Metlakatla First Nation, Lax Kw’alaams Band and Gitxaala Nation. The Metlakatla and Lax Kw’alaams filed separate judicial review applications in Federal Court last fall, alleging Ottawa ignored their concerns about the adverse impacts from the $10-billion project planned for Pearse Island, by the border with Alaska. The Lax Kw’alaams news release said as part of the benefit agreement, which includes procurement opportunities, it has withdrawn its challenge. A spokeswoman for...
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New Tŝilhqot’in Radio app brings community voices to listeners everywhere
By Dionne Phillips, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, IndigiNews A Tŝilhqot’in grandmother listening to the radio in her language. Youth interviewing Elders and aunties for community podcasts. Tŝilhqot’in people living away from home staying connected on the airwaves through stories, music and language. Those are some of the possibilities Jenny Philbrick sees with the release of Tŝilhqot’in Radio’s new app. Launched by the Tŝilhqot’in National Government (TNG) in April, the app expands access to Tŝilhqot’in Radio, a language and culture-based program that gives listeners around the world access to stories, music, podcasts, community updates and opportunities to hear and learn the Tŝilhqot’in language. Philbrick, executive director of the Tŝilhqot’in National Government, says the app has already generated excitement among community members eager to access language and cultural programming from members both...
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Inuit group calls for overhaul of Nutrition North, poverty reduction frameworks
By Alessia Passafiume The organization representing Inuit in Canada says the federal government program meant to subsidize the high cost of food in the North isn’t working and should be scrapped. The call to shut down Nutrition North is part of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami’s new poverty reduction strategy, released Tuesday. The report says the program has failed to improve food security in Inuit Nunangat, the Inuit homelands, and that its fragmented approach is not fully aligned with Inuit priorities. “It’s a scattershot approach in a policy environment that is begging for specific intervention,” ITK president Natan Obed told The Canadian Press. “We want to take back control more of this space and say, ‘If the government of Canada is going to spend a dollar on poverty reduction, on food security,...
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Inuit organization seeks to replace ‘ineffective’ Nutrition North with Inuit-owned co-ops, shipping subsidy
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) announced several recommendations on June 9 outlining how it wants to replace the Nutrition North federal food subsidy program. Transitioning from grocery stores owned by corporations to Inuit-owned co-ops, regulating the price of groceries and supporting harvesting are among the recommendations. “NNC (Nutrition North Canada) was conceived as an economic development program and has proven ineffective in either improving earnings in the region or making food more affordable,” the ITK report reads. The organization highlighted the Nunavik Federation des cooperatives du Nouveau-Quebec as an example of Inuit communities exercising greater control over their food supply chain. Other models, such as country food stores, could also be part of what replaces Nutrition North, ITK argued. Local reinvestment,...
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Manitoba premier says “Mine, baby, mine” as he signals regulation pullback
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew says he plans to streamline mining regulations to attract investment. He says the province had been focusing on health care, but that it’s time to make it easier to get resource projects going. Using the slogan “Mine, baby, mine,” he says there is nothing stopping Manitoba from following the growth plan of Saskatchewan. He says there are ways to build faster to match global competitors like China and Russia. The premier’s comments come less than a week after he rejected a proposal for a large data centre south of Winnipeg that the Opposition says would have meant billions of dollars in investment. Kinew says the massive drain on power from that facility would not have come close to balancing the environmental impact or the number of...
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Coalition to oppose N.B. mine project being considered for fast-track approval
By Eli Ridder A dozen organizations say they’ve formed a group to oppose a key New Brunswick mining project. The Stop Sisson Mine Coalition says the proposed tungsten and molybdenum mine will create environmental waste and degrade water quality. Last November, the $580-million Sisson Mine was added to a list of projects for fast-track approval by the federal government because of their importance to the economy and national security. In 2013 Northcliff Resources first proposed the mine in Sisson Brook, N.B., but progress stalled after a drop in global mineral prices. China’s dominance in global tungsten supply has revived North American interest in the project. Last year, the project received more than $20 million from the U.S. government and $8.2 million from the province for a feasibility study. Environmental groups...
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Ksi Lisims LNG signs benefit agreements with FirstNations
By Lauren Krugel The lead developer of the Ksi Lisims liquefied natural gas project planned for the West Coast has announced benefit agreements with three First Nations in northern British Columbia. Houston-based Western LNG says two of those communities — the Metlakatla First Nation and Lax Kw’alaams Band — have in turn withdrawn their legal challenge to the federal approval of the $10-billion project. The third agreement is with the Gitxaala Nation. The benefit agreements cover aspects like economic development opportunities and climate initiatives for the affected communities. The other Ksi Lisims partners are Rockies LNG, a consortium of Canadian natural gas producers, and the Nisga’a Nation, on whose land the project would be built. Ksi Lisims has recently announced preliminary supply deals with German utilities and the partners aim...
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SaskPower reschedules major outage affecting northern region
By Nicole Goldsworthy, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, SaskToday.ca, SASKTODAY.ca NORTH — SaskPower has rescheduled a planned power outage that will affect communities across a large portion of northern Saskatchewan, including La Ronge, Candle Lake, Stanley Mission and several First Nations. The outage is now scheduled for June 14 from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will impact customers in Spruce Home, Meath Park, Weirdale, Paddockwood, Christopher Lake, Emma Lake, Candle Lake, Montreal Lake, La Ronge, Stanley Mission, Grandmothers Bay and Narrow Hills Provincial Park. The outage will also affect residents of Little Red River Cree Nation, Wahpeton Dakota Nation and Hall Lake First Nation, along with rural customers in communities north and northeast of Prince Albert extending to Anglin Lake, Little Bear Lake and north to La Ronge. According to...
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Killer of Niagara winemaker still deemed a threat, board says
By J.P. Antonacci, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Hamilton Spectator Four years after he killed renowned Niagara winemaker Paul Pender while in the grips of a psychotic episode, Bradley House of Six Nations remains “a significant threat to public safety.” So says the Ontario Review Board, which monitors violent offenders deemed “not criminally responsible” for their actions due to underlying mental disorders. But the board recently granted House permission to attend a 90-day residential substance abuse treatment program outside the forensic psychiatry wing of St. Joseph’s Healthcare in Hamilton, where the 35-year-old has been held in secure custody since the end of his trial for second-degree murder in 2024. House pleaded not guilty, though both sides agreed he killed Pender outside the winemaker’s cottage near Selkirk in Haldimand County in...
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‘Our culture being represented’: Tsleil-Waututh and Squamish Nations gear up for FIFA World Cup
By Abby Luciano, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, North Shore News It’s hard for Chris Overes not to get excited about soccer. He practically grew up on the soccer field, starting to play in Lynn Valley at age five and continuing on through high school. “Soccer was what one could afford over hockey, and I’m glad I did because I loved it,” he said. Now 58, Overes still loves the sport, watching the FIFA World Cup when it comes every four years. So when he saw the opportunity to design a jersey for the səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation) with his daughter Tamia Overes, he couldn’t resist. “Being able to create a jersey is exciting because it’s the world’s biggest sport, so how can one not be overly stoked?” he said. Designing the...
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Beaver sculptures welcome tourists in downtown Toronto ahead of World Cup
By Ritika Dubey Four-foot-tall rodents have taken over downtown Toronto. Some lurk under trees, while others peer through office tower windows or stand guard near busy intersections. It’s hard to miss these colourful beaver statues with wide grins and a soccer ball clutched under their right paw if you happen to stroll through the eastern downtown neighbourhood of Old Town Toronto. The installations are a part of an artistic scavenger hunt running as Canada’s largest city prepares to host World Cup soccer matches this week. And no two beavers look the same. One wears the Brazilian flag. Another is painted with a view of the Toronto skyline. And yet another sports the classic red-and-black Canadian plaid. Visitors sit around the Canada beaver sculpture in a park in Toronto, Friday,...
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Inuit group calls for overhaul of Nutrition North, poverty reduction frameworks
By Alessia Passafiume The organization representing Inuit in Canada says the federal government program meant to subsidize the high cost of food in the region, isn’t working and should be scrapped. The call to shut down Nutrition North is part of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami’s new poverty reduction strategy, set to be released Tuesday. The report says the program has failed to improve food security in Inuit Nunangat, the Inuit homelands, and that its fragmented approach is not fully aligned with Inuit priorities. “It’s a scattershot approach in a policy environment that is begging for specific intervention,” ITK president Natan Obed told The Canadian Press. “We want to take back control more of this space and say, ‘If the government of Canada is going to spend a dollar on poverty reduction,...
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