Indigenous Families condemn Danger Cats’ humour at Fort St. John Vigil
By Ed Hitchins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Holding candles within earshot of comedy troupe “The Danger Cats,” participants in Saturday, October 12’s vigil at Treaty 8 Tribal Association in Fort St. John’s message rang loud and clear: Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) is no joke. The controversial Alberta-based trio grew a considerable degree of infamy for making light of late farmer and serial killer Robert Pickton, with a t-shirt showcasing group members holding a slice of bacon, with the tagline “hookery smoked bacon.” Clashes with MMIWG families during performances earlier this year led to removing the t-shirt from their website. During their two shows on Saturday night, the group of 20 stood in a circle and spoke of their loved ones, spewing...
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Navajo leader calls for tribal vice president’s resignation amid political upheaval
The Associated Press The president of one of the largest Native American tribes in the U.S. announced Tuesday he has removed responsibilities from his vice president, saying she no longer represents his administration and should consider resigning from the highest office within the Navajo Nation to ever be held by a woman. Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren made the announcement in a news conference that was broadcast on social media. The tribe has been mired by political upheaval since April, when Navajo Vice President Richelle Montoya publicly outlined allegations of intimidation and sexual harassment within the administration. An independent investigation of Montoya’s claims was initiated while other opponents of Nygren began collecting signatures from voters across the reservation — which spans parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah — as...
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Focus on vulnerable communities, improve data sharing before next pandemic: report
An expert panel of doctors and researchers say Canada needs to learn from the COVID-19 pandemic and take action before the next health emergency strikes. One of the six experts, Dr. Fahad Razak, says most scientists believe it’s “only a matter of time” before another global health crisis hits. The panel’s report, called “The Time to Act is Now,” says disease surveillance, hospitalization data and research findings need to be communicated much more effectively between the provinces, the territories and the federal government. Razak, an internal medicine specialist at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, says it’s critical to share evolving health information much more quickly with the public to build trust and combat the spread of disinformation. The report says Canada also needs to address inequities among people who are...
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In the news today: PM at foreign interference inquiry, chiefs vote on child welfare
Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed… Trudeau to testify at foreign interference inquiry Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is slated to testify today as a federal inquiry into foreign interference finishes the latest phase of its work. The commission of inquiry is looking at the ability of institutions to detect and fend off the attempts of hostile states to meddle in Canadian affairs. Over the last several weeks it has heard from senior bureaucrats, police and intelligence officials, cabinet ministers and members of diaspora communities. Trudeau returns to the inquiry after appearing in April during its initial phase, which looked at allegations of meddling in the last two general elections. Chiefs gather to vote on $47.8B child welfare deal First...
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Vancouver Island Indigenous Snowboard and Ski Team recruiting new athletes, mentors
Vancouver Island, B.C. – Up Mount Washington, Indigenous youth can ride through the trees or sit and throw snowballs – it’s all about having fun and being free for members of the Vancouver Island Indigenous Snowboard and Ski Team. The recreation-focused, 100 per cent volunteer driven snowboard and ski team is accepting applications from Vancouver Island-based Indigenous youth ages 12 to 17 until Nov. 12. Members receive a pass to Mount Washington Ski Resort for the 2024-2025 season, access to gear if they need, plus holistic training that promotes healthy living and long-term love for the sport. “We’re not drilling kids to go fast, you know all these things that competing brings. We’re like, ‘Just have fun!’,” said coach Steve Recalma, a community archeologist who is Kwakwaka’wakw from the...
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Eby makes late campaign pitch to people who have never voted New Democrat in B.C.
New Democrat Leader David Eby is making a late appeal to voters to support the party even if they never have before, as the British Columbia election campaign enters it final days. Eby said Tuesday there hasn’t been an election as significant “for a generation,” on the day John Rustad’s rival B.C. Conservative Party is poised to release its costed platform and just four days before election day on Saturday. “This is an incredibly close election,” Eby said at a news conference at a housing construction project in Surrey. “Every vote is going to count, right cross the province.” Elections BC says about 597,000 people have already voted in four days of advance polling. Eby stood at the constuction site with a sign in the background parodying anti-NDP political billboards...
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Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond’s surreal new documentary
Local Journalism Initiative Months after the release of Red Fever, award-winning Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond is back with his latest documentary, So Surreal: Behind the Masks. Co-directed by Joanne Robertson, the film explores the fascinating connection between Indigenous ceremonial masks and the Surrealist art movement of the 1930s and 1940s. “The Surrealists were interested in dreams in the act of creation,” Diamond told the Nation. “They would try to recreate dreams they had, considering them important, which is the same in Cree culture. I remember my father talking about certain dreams that were messages from who knows where – your mind, the universe?” In the early stages of filming Red Fever’sdive into pop culture’s stereotypical Indigenous imagery, Diamond heard about a century-old mask selling at a high-end art fair and...
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Nunavik school board redefines its goals by listening to communities
Nunavik’s school board is turning to the community to help improve the success of its students. The first stop was a community consultation in Kuujjuaq on Oct. 9. “We are here to hear the public’s voice on the success of our students,” said Kaudjak Padlayat, strategic co-ordinator at Kativik Ilisarniliriniq, in an interview at the Kuujjuaq forum, where the consultations took place. Instead of creating a strategic plan through video conferences and meetings, the school board opted for a dynamic approach by including teachers, parents and students in a discussion about student success. It’s called Sivumuattiit. Padlayat said the goal is to find a “shared vision” of what student success looks like in Nunavik and settle on ways her team can help reach that goal. Sivumuattiit is split into four...
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OPP and Ministry of Finance seize unstamped cigarettes, Alberta resident charged
Haldimand/Norfolk Counties- An Alberta resident is facing charges after the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) West Region Highway Safety Division (HSD), Traffic Incident Management Enforcement (TIME) Team and the Ministry of Finance launched a joint forces’ operation on Thursday, October 10, 2024, in Haldimand and Norfolk Counties seizing 3.6 million unstamped cigarettes. The OPP charged an individual from Alberta with the following Highway Traffic Act charges: No Logbook No Trip Inspection Operate Commercial Motor Vehicle – No Commercial Vehicle Operator Registration (CVOR) The individual also faces separate charges from the Ministry of Finance. The Ontario Provincial Police want to remind the public that if you suspect suspicious or criminal activity to call police. If you want to remain anonymous you can call Crime Stoppers anytime, anywhere at 1-800-222(TIPS) 8477. ...
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Transport Canada withholds health study on Fort Chipewyan contamination
By Natasha Bulowski Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Indigenous leaders and experts are questioning Transport Canada’s claim that contamination at a dock in Fort Chipewyan is unlikely to pose any risks to human health. Last week, Indigenous leaders called out the federal government for not telling them about the contamination, pointing out Transport Canada had many opportunities over the past year, but failed to do so. A 2017 environmental site assessment commissioned by Transport Canada found its dock — known locally as the “Big Dock” and the surrounding soil and waters in Fort Chipewyan had toxic hydrocarbons, metals and compounds. “This dock is in the middle of our community, our kids swim there,” Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation Chief Allan Adam said at a virtual press conference last week. ACFN, Mikisew Cree...
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Federal Indian Day School Settlement update
An update was released for the Federal Indian Day School Settlement, requesting claimants to submit any required information missing from their claim form before June 27, 2025, so that it can be processed and they can receive compensation. “Over 17,000 claim forms remain unprocessed because they were either unsigned, missing school details or other required information,” said Cam Cameron, Class Counsel Lead for the Federal Indian Day School Settlement in the release. “If you’ve submitted a claim for compensation and have not heard back from the Administrator, you should contact them as soon as possible to check the status of your claim.” claims with missing, incomplete, or out-of-date information cannot be processed, and compensation cannot be issued. Examples of missing information are school name or date/years of attendance, missing the...
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Indigenous peoples have complicated relationship with Thanksgiving
By Alexandra Noad Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Since the early 1600s, Thanksgiving has been celebrated by settlers of Canada and the United States, however many Indigenous people have a complicated relationship with the holiday due to its colonial history. Alvin Mills a member of the Blood Reserve, says he wasn’t always aware of the colonial history of Thanksgiving. “I was totally ignorant to the roots of Thanksgiving,” said Mills. Mills added that Indigenous cultures, including Blackfoot, believe they have always had Thanksgiving, even before the settlers arrived. “We would gather, especially after hunting, and have a feast. So, we were probably practicing Thanksgiving without even knowing it,” said Mills. While Thanksgiving may have good intentions, many Indigenous people associate Thanksgiving with the stealing of their lands and the colonization of...
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Report says at least 55 children died or disappeared at B.C. residential school
A British Columbia First Nation says at least 55 children died or disappeared while attending a residential school near Williams Lake, more than triple the number recorded for the institution in the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation memorial register. The higher figure is contained in an interim report into the St. Joseph’s Mission Indian Residential School by the Williams Lake First Nation. It says investigators will finalize ground-penetrating radar surveys this year and hold meetings on potential excavation, exhumation, repatriation, DNA testing, and genealogical mapping before any decision on digging up possible graves is made. There are currently “no definitive processes planned” for excavation, it says. It says no confirmed human remains have been found to date while telling skeptics there is an “overwhelming abundance of evidence” supporting the...
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Mercury found in water near Yukon mine disaster, Yukon government says
The Yukon government says mercury levels that “exceeded the water quality objective” were found in a creek near the site where a mine’s ore containment facility failed, causing a torrent of cyanide-contaminated rock to escape in June. A statement from the government says high levels of cyanide and dissolved metals continue to be detected in the groundwater at testing sites closest to the Eagle Gold mine slide where millions of tonnes of ore was released. The statement Friday says officials aren’t seeing unsafe levels of cyanide in the downstream environment, but on Sept. 24 and 26, “the mercury level exceeded the water quality objective at one monitoring station” south of the site. The statement says the government is gathering more information to understand the data and its impacts on the...
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Appeals court revives lawsuit in fight between 2 tribes over Alabama casino
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A federal appeals court on Friday revived a lawsuit filed by one Native American tribe over another’s construction of a casino on what they said is historic and sacred land. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated a judge’s decision that dismissed the lawsuit filed by the Oklahoma-based Muscogee (Creek) Nation over the constriction of the casino in Alabama. The three-judge panel directed the trial judge to do a “claim by claim” analysis of whether officials with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians in Alabama have sovereign immunity that would prevent them from being sued. The long-running dispute involves land, known as Hickory Ground, that was home to the Muscogee Nation people before their removal to Oklahoma on the Trail of Tears. The Poarch Band,...
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Indigenous Health Network led by former Prince Albert resident receives funding renewal
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research has announced $5.5 million of funding for the Network Environments for Indigenous Health Research (NEIHR). The funding will serve as a renewal of NEIHR centres across the country, including the Saskatchewan centre featuring University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers. The lead on the USask and co-lead for the national program is Dr. Robert ‘Bobby’ Henry, who is originally from Prince Albert. “It’s a five year investment, $4 million, (at) $800,000 a year to support the training and mentorship of Indigenous students in the province of Saskatchewan and non-Indigenous students in Indigenous health research and to support communities,” Henry explained. “(It’s) to develop small scale research projects that can be upscaled.” Henry is an associate professor in the Department of Indigenous Studies in the College of...
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Trade minister says she is ‘disappointed’ by report of caucus revolt to oust Trudeau
The Canadian Press-A growing number of Liberal MPs are banding together to convince Prime Minister Justin Trudeau it’s time to step down, although he appears to retain support from his cabinet. Trade Minister Mary Ng said Friday she had full confidence in Trudeau as word began to spread about a growing revolt. Ng was travelling back to Canada with Trudeau from Laos, where they were attending a summit of southeast Asian countries. When their plane landed in Hawaii for a refuelling stop, Ng said she turned on her phone and saw multiple media reports about efforts by some of her Liberal colleagues in media outlets such as CBC News and The Toronto Star. “I would say that I’m disappointed because Canadians expect us to be focusing on Canadians,” Ng said....
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Thessalon First Nation election breach does not result in re-election
By M Kirk Local Journalism Initiative Thessalon First Nation (TFN) appeal board has denounced what it calls a “brazen breach” of the band’s custom electoral code during the handling of the Nov. 17, 2023 election. The appeal council voted 2-1 against calling for a new election. In a press release sent to The Sault Star on Friday, Oct. 11, the appeal board, comprised of elder Gerry Clark, Samantha Giguere and Levi Laundrie, outlined three recommendations in response to the appeals. First, the board calls for an overhaul of the TFN Custom Election Code, urging that the process be community-driven, with the potential involvement of qualified consultants. This review should involve a committee of band members independent from the chief and council, though members of the leadership may participate. Secondly, TFN...
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High food costs mean poor health: SLFNA
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Thunder Bay Source SIOUX LOOKOUT – The high cost of putting food on the table in northern First Nations is impacting public health, according to a Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority official. A new report from the health authority says families in northern First Nations are spending a quarter of their income on basic foods. Authors of The Cost of Eating Well in Kiiwetinoong estimate the cost of feeding a family of four with a healthy diet in the remote communities served by the health authority is up to 69 per cent higher “than a similar healthy diet purchased in Northwestern Ontario towns and cities.” “I think it certainly impacts on families,” Janet Gordon, the health authority’s vice-president of community health, said Thursday....
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Statement by the Prime Minister on Thanksgiving
October 14, 2024 Ottawa, Ontario-The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on Thanksgiving: “Today, Canadians across the country will gather to celebrate Thanksgiving – a time to reflect, share meals with friends and family, and give thanks for all of life’s blessings. “As we celebrate the harvest season, we have much to be thankful for: our hardworking farmers and food banks who work to ensure Canadians have access to nutritious food; our health care workers who are there for us in times of need; and the members of the Canadian Armed Forces who keep us safe. We also give thanks to the volunteers in our communities, whose acts of kindness exemplify what it means to be Canadian. Whether lending a hand to a neighbour or creating opportunities...
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