English museum to return headdress to Alberta’s Siksika First Nation
The Canadian Press 04/06/2024 An English museum is returning a ceremonial headdress to the First Nation in Alberta that it came from. The Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter, England is to return the Buffalo Woman’s headdress to representatives of the Siksika Blackfoot First Nation in a ceremony at the museum Wednesday. The museum received the headdress in 1920 from Edgar Dewdney, a former governor of the Northwest Territories from which Alberta and Saskatchewan were carved. It’s not clear how Dewdney acquired the headdress, which is crafted with buffalo horns, bird feathers, porcupine quills and adorned with red cloth and brass bells. Research suggests the headdress is a sacred ceremonial item, once traditionally worn by a member of the Blackfoot Holy Buffalo Woman Society. The museum has returned First Nations...
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Rural Manitoba school division in disarray after superintendent dismissed, trustees quit
Dave Baxter is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter 04/06/2024 21:04 There is turmoil and unanswered questions in a Manitoba school division this week, after the board’s superintendent was suddenly dismissed, and three trustees walked off the job all in a matter of days. On Monday, the Mountain View School Division (MVSD) released a statement on their website confirming that Stephen Jaddock had been removed from his role as superintendent of the Dauphin-based school division, but gave no indication as to why the decision was made. The division released a second statement on Tuesday morning confirming that on Monday MVSD “long time” trustees Leifa Misko, Floyd Martens, and Scott McCallum had all tendered their resignations from the board effective immediately. In her resignation letter which was sent to the Winnipeg Sun,...
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A 100-year-old Canadian D-Day veteran on remembrance, peace and the threat of war
The Canadian Press 05/06/2024 Richard Rohmer is not sentimental when he says, matter-of-factly, that this may be his last D-Day anniversary trip to France. At 100 years old, the Second World War veteran says this 80th anniversary is his last decennial commemoration, and perhaps the last time he makes the trip to France at all. “This is the last one. This is the 80th anniversary and there won’t be any others to follow because we’re running out of people,” he said of the anniversaries marked every 10 years. “But the opportunity to be there for the 80th is an important one to me because I was there for the beginning.” Rohmer is part of a dwindling camp of Canadian veterans who fought in a battle that altered the course of...
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Six Nations man facing drug and firearm charges
SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND RIVER-A Six Nations man is facing drug and firearm charges after police were called when shots were fired at a Bateman Line residence May 28th, 2024, at about 7:05 a.m.. Police responded to the Bateman Line address and found two suspects believed involved in an alleged shooting at a Seneca Road address. Both were arrested and taken into police custody without incident. The next day, May 29th, 2024, Six Nations Police executed Section 487 Search Warrants on a mobile trailer located on Seneca Road along with two motor vehicles. The search resulted in the seizure of a handgun loaded with ammunition, large quantity of Fentanyl with a street value of approximately $50,000. Police also seized digital scales, weapons, drug packaging materials, firearm ammunition and cell phones....
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Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs urge banks to snub TC Energy bonds
The Canadian Press 04/06/2024 15:52 An Indigenous group that opposed the construction of the Coastal GasLink pipeline is urging banks and investors against financing a proposed second phase of the project. Hereditary chiefs of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation of B.C. have written an open letter to Canada’s biggest banks and investors urging them to make a public commitment not to buy any new bonds issued by Calgary-based TC Energy Corp., the company behind Coastal GasLink. The Coastal GasLink pipeline, which was designed to transport natural gas from Western Canada to the Shell-led LNG Canada export facility currently nearing completion in Kitimat, B.C., was completed last fall. TC Energy has not yet made a final investment decision on a potential Phase 2 of the project, which could see the construction of...
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Ontario creates new rules on benzene pollution aimed at one Sarnia company
The Canadian Press 04/06/2024 Ontario has created new rules specifically for one Sarnia, Ont., plastics plant to try to ensure it stops emitting high levels of benzene that have affected a neighbouring First Nation for years. The province has issued four orders to Ineos Styrolution since 2019, recently temporarily shut down the facility and added new conditions to its licence that it must meet before it restarts operations – but the government says benzene levels remain elevated. The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks says it is very concerned about elevated levels of benzene recorded around the Aamjiwnaang First Nation. The community is across the road from Ineos and ministry analysis has confirmed that the company is the primary source of the benzene affecting the people of Aamjiwnaang First...
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Trial hears Jeremy Skibicki killed 4 women because he was on a ‘mission from God’
The Canadian Press 04/06/2024 14:52 Jeremy Skibicki killed four women and knew it was wrong but did it because he was under a psychotic delusion that he was on a mission from God, court heard Tuesday. Dr. Sohom Das, a forensic psychiatrist from the United Kingdom, testified the killings came after years of violent acts by Skibicki stemming from mental illness. “I believe the delusions and the psychotic symptoms caused by schizophrenia directly motivated those killings,” Das, testifying for the defence, told Skibicki’s murder trial. “He believed in his mind that he was on a mission from God. He felt compelled to carry out the killings.” Skibicki, 37, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the 2022 slayings of the four Indigenous women in Winnipeg: Rebecca Contois, 24; Morgan...
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Online streaming services must now pay into fund for Canadian news, content
The Canadian Press 04/06/2024 12:59 Online streaming services like Netflix and Spotify are being told they must start contributing money toward local news and the production of Canadian content. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission has directed foreign streamers today to pay five per cent of their annual Canadian revenues into a fund. That fund will be devoted to producing local TV and radio news, Indigenous content, French-language content, and content created by those with a diverse background. The CRTC says the fund is expected to inject about $200 million into Canada’s broadcasting system every year. Those responsible to pay would be companies that are not affiliated with a Canadian broadcaster that make at least $25 million from Canadian broadcasting. The new directive is meant to level the playing field...
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Grassy Narrows First Nation sues Ontario, Canada over mercury contamination
The Canadian Press 04/06/2024 11:27 A northern Ontario First Nation is suing the governments of Ontario and Canada over ongoing mercury contamination in a river system that flows through its territory. Grassy Narrows First Nation alleges the governments breached their obligations by failing to ensure the community could safely practise its right to fish. The lawsuit alleges the governments first allowed the English-Wabigoon river system to be contaminated, then failed to remediate it, all while authorizing industrial activities that worsened the harm. The legal action comes weeks after a study suggested discharge from a paper mill upstream of the community is exacerbating mercury contamination that dates back decades. Researchers behind the study said that while the mill’s wastewater doesn’t contain mercury, the combination of sulphate and organic matter in it...
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Winnipeg murder trial hears killer hospitalized numerous times for mental health
The Canadian Press 04/06/2024 12:13 A Winnipeg murder trial has heard an admitted serial killer has a history of mental illness, including depression and thoughts of suicide. Court heard Jeremy Skibicki, who is 37, was first assessed in his early teens after his parents reported aggressive outbursts and an incident where Skibicki put his hands around his female cousin’s throat while sleepwalking. Skibicki has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the deaths of four Indigenous women in Winnipeg in 2022. His lawyers admit he killed the women but argue he should be found not criminally responsible due to mental illness. Dr. Sohom Das, a forensic psychiatrist from England, said he assessed Skibicki twice since Skibicki’s arrest and studied his medical files and social media posts. Das testified medical documents...
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Construction on Bekevar wind project on schedule, slated to wrap up in August
Ryan Kiedrowski Local Journalism Initiative 03/06/2024 23:00 All they need now is some calm, non-windy days. “It’s the classic joke in the wind industry, actually – during construction is the only time you’re praying for low wind,” said vice-president of Construction and Engineering, Michael Capaldo with Innagreen Investments. Wind is a key factor in Capaldo’s line of work – renewable energy from Saskatchewan’s dependable breezy conditions – but during construction of the 36 total turbines in the Bekevar project near Kipling, calm days are crucial to ensure safe construction. “We had 15 turbines delivered last year, and then we’re doing the other 21 – these are actually happening right now – and they’ll be done by the end of June; we’ll have all the turbines on site,” Capaldo said, adding...
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Credibility of psychiatrist heard in Winnipeg trial of admitted serial killer
The Canadian Press 03/06/2024 21:08 A judge is allowing a forensic psychiatrist with a YouTube channel providing “tongue in cheek” commentary on mental illness and crime to give expert testimony at the Winnipeg trial of an admitted serial killer. Dr. Sohom Das, who is based in England, has posted numerous videos on the channel called “A Psych for Sore Minds.” In the videos, referenced in court Monday at the trial of Jeremy Skibicki, Das talks about how to fake a mental illness and why accused killers confess. “Absolutely do not kill anybody. But if you do, don’t tell anybody,” Das says in a videos titled “Why Do Murderers CONFESS?” In another video that has since been taken down, Das outlines steps to fake a mental illness. He also says he...
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Manitoba First Nations community put in lockdown following double homicide
By Dave Baxter Local Journalism Initiative A First Nations community was put into lockdown on Monday after reports of a violent incident that included police being shot at, and RCMP are now confirming two people have been killed in what they are calling a double homicide. “Chief and council are sad to announce there was a community lockdown this morning due to a serious incident that cost the lives of two band members,” chief and council of Minegoziibe Anishinabe, a community also commonly referred to as Pine Creek First Nation said in a public notice released on Monday. RCMP have now confirmed that on late Sunday evening, around 11:30 p.m., Winnipegosis RCMP received a report of shots fired in the northern community located about 110 kilometres north of Dauphin. Police...
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B.C. First Nation prepares for potential school site excavation, signs protocol deal
The Canadian Press 03/06/2024 20:06 The Williams Lake First Nation is preparing for the potential excavation of the site of a former residential school where it believes human remains may be located and has signed an agreement with the province and RCMP to help guide the sensitive process. The Ministry of Indigenous Relations said Monday that the memorandum of understanding was the first of its kind in B.C. and sets out the process used for potential recovery, identification and repatriation of remains linked to the St. Joseph’s Mission Residential School. Chief Willie Sellars of Williams Lake First Nation said it had not been decided that a dig would take place, but the agreement needed to be put in place in case the work moved forward. Signing the memorandum was an...
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AFN national chief blasts governments’ inaction on fifth anniversary of MMIWG report
The Canadian Press 03/06/2024 19:39 The national chief of the Assembly of First Nations blasted all levels of government on Monday, the fifth anniversary of a national inquiry’s report into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, for what she calls slow progress to stop the crisis. Only two of the more than 150 calls to action focused on First Nations people have been implemented since 2019, Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak said. That’s despite constant calls from advocates for more funding from all levels of government for Indigenous housing, justice and programs for LGBTQ+ people that they say would keep women and girls safer. “There is a long, winding road ahead to address and prevent all forms of gender-based violence,” she said Monday morning. “But together, with all Canadians, we remain...
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Hackers may have accessed 22 B.C. government inboxes, data on 19 employees: Farnworth
The Canadian Press 03/06/2024 18:34 Twenty-two British Columbia government email inboxes with sensitive personal information on 19 employees may have been accessed during a cyber attack on the province’s networks, the minister of public safety said on Monday. Mike Farnworth said there’s no indication the general public’s information was compromised and investigators have not identified any misuse of the information the criminals may have accessed. “A handful of these inboxes contain sensitive personal information on 19 individuals. These were employee files, and with one exception being an employee who had family information on their inbox,” he said. Farnworth said the investigation into the attacks in April, which were made public in May, is continuing and evidence still points to state or state-sponsored actors as those responsible. The minister would not...
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Manitoba cabinet minister received government contract, faces disclosure questions
The Canadian Press 03/06/2024 18:53 A Manitoba cabinet minister is being accused of hiding the fact he has a contract with the provincial government. The Opposition Progressive Conservatives filed a complaint Monday with the province’s ethics commissioner, alleging Ian Bushie, the minister of municipal and northern relations, was unfairly granted a contract without allowing other people to bid on it. The Tories also allege Bushie failed to reveal the contract in his disclosure statement, which all Manitoba politicians are required to fill out in order to show their business interests and other holdings. “The ethics commissioner and the (Conflict of Interest) Act has a process that you have to abide by,” interim Progressive Conservative leader Wayne Ewasko said. Bushie is the sole proprietor of Grandpa George’s, a family-run gas station...
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Hackers may have accessed 22 B.C. government inboxes, data on 19 employees: Farnworth
The Canadian Press 03/06/2024 16:04 British Columbia’s public safety minister says 22 government email inboxes with sensitive personal information on 19 employees may have been accessed during a cyber attack on the province’s networks last month. Mike Farnworth says there’s no indication the general public’s information was compromised and investigators have not identified any misuse of the information the criminals may have accessed. Farnworth says the investigation is continuing and evidence still points to state or state-sponsored actors as those responsible. The minister would not provide details on where the employees work who were swept up in the breach, but says they are with the public service, not the government cabinet. Farnworth says the employees have been notified and will be receiving credit monitoring and help with identity protection. The...
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Credibility of psychiatrist heard in Winnipeg trial of admitted serial killer
The Canadian Press 03/06/2024 16:05 Lawyers at the Winnipeg trial of an admitted serial killer are discussing whether a forensic psychiatrist, author and YouTuber can provide expert testimony. Dr. Sohom Das has twice assessed the mental state of Jeremy Skibicki since his arrest. Skibicki, who is 37, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the killings of four Indigenous woman in 2022. He has admitted to the slayings, but his lawyers argue he should be found not criminally responsible due to mental illness. Das, who is based in England, provides analysis for civil and criminal cases in the United Kingdom and has a YouTube channel about mental illness. Prosecutors questioned Das about a video in which he outlines how to fake mental illness, but Das says some of his...
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B.C. First Nation plans dig for remains at ex-school, signs deal with RCMP, province
The Canadian Press 03/06/2024 16:28 The British Columbia government says the Williams Lake First Nation is planning to excavate the site of a former residential school to recover possible human remains and has signed an agreement with the province and RCMP to help guide the process. The Ministry of Indigenous Relations says the memorandum of understanding is the first of its kind in B.C. and sets out the process used for potential recovery, identification and repatriation of remains linked to the St. Joseph’s Mission Residential School. The ministry says the First Nation has been investigating the deaths and disappearances of Indigenous children who attended the school that operated until 1981, including the use of ground-penetrating radar, archival research and survivor interviews. It says the research has determined Indigenous children died...
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