Diabo, Chiefs hold high-level meetings on Parliament Hill
By Marc Lalonde, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter With one eye on his own community’s affairs and one eye on what Canada is doing, Mohawk Council of Kahnawake Grand Chief Cody Diabo travelled to Ottawa earlier this week to hold high-level meetings on Parliament Hill. On Tuesday, Diabo attended the Iroquois Caucus General Assembly, as well as holding a second meeting in three weeks with Conservative Party shadow Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Jamie Schmale. Diabo said he hopes to leverage that relationship into a meeting with Tory leader Pierre Poilievre at some point in the future. “Yes, I met with him and seeing what’s happening in the polls, I thought it was important, and I’m hoping to meet with Poilievre at some point, too. Just seeing the way it’s going,” Diabo said....
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Germany hands over Australian ancestral remains held by museums for over 100 years
BERLIN (AP) — Five sets of ancestral remains from Australia that had been in German museum collections since the 19th century were handed back at a ceremony Thursday that a community representative described as a sad but “very joyful” moment. The restitution is part of ongoing efforts by German museums and authorities to return human remains and cultural artifacts that were taken during colonial times. In this case, three sets of remains that had been in Berlin since 1880 were handed over along with two other sets of remains held in the northwestern German city of Oldenburg. They were received by four representatives of the Ugar Island community, part of the Torres Strait Islands off the northeastern tip of Australia. “These ancestral remains were never meant to be here,” said...
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Hawaiian crow that went extinct in the wild decades ago released on Maui
MAKAWAO, Hawaii. (AP) — Five Hawaiian crows on Wednesday were released on Maui for the first time as part of an ongoing effort to return the species to its home, conservationists said. The Hawaiian crows, or alala, were last found on Hawaii’s Big Island, but they went extinct in the wild in 2002, officials with the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance said in a statement. The birds, described as intelligent and charismatic, are the last survivor of all the Hawaiian crow species. Habitat loss, predation and disease by introduced species are threats, among other factors. “The translocation of alala to Maui is a monumental step forward in conserving the species and a testament to the importance of partnership in reversing biodiversity loss,” said Megan Owen, Ph.D., vice president of conservation...
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AFN, mothers call on all parties to support inquiry into policing
Canadian Press-The national chief of the Assembly of First Nations is calling on politicians of all stripes to support a national inquiry into systemic racism in policing and police-related deaths of First Nations people, calling it a human rights issue that requires commitment from all leaders. “For too long, First Nations people have been subjected to colonial police violence in Canada. It’s not acceptable for First Nations people, and I don’t believe this is acceptable to other Canadians either,” Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak said with two mothers directly touched by the issue standing behind her. A resolution passed by consensus at a special chiefs assembly Tuesday says despite 20 individual inquiries and commissions into the police and justice system since 1989, the federal government has failed to make substantive changes to...
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Chiefs vote for new negotiations on child welfare reforms, inclusion of N.W.T.
Canadian Press-First Nations chiefs agreed to launch new negotiations with Canada over child welfare after voting down a $47.8 billion deal in October. Chiefs at the Assembly of First Nations voted to start talks anew as well as to include Northwest Territories in any new agreements at a special assembly in Ottawa. The $47.8 billion was struck after decades of advocacy and litigation from First Nations and experts, seeking to redress decades of discrimination against First Nations children who were torn from their families and placed in foster care. That was because the child welfare systems on reserves were not funded to provide services that could keep families together. But chiefs said the negotiations on long-term reforms weren’t as transparent as they could have been, and worried the deal didn’t...
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Indigenous leaders voice hope and skepticism at COP29
While we are witnessing an ever-escalating cascade of climate disasters, leaders from the world’s most polluting countries were conspicuously absent from COP29, the United Nations’ annual climate conference. Others boycotted the conference because of host country Azerbaijan’s rampant human rights abuses, particularly its ethnic cleansing of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh last year. Papua New Guinea called the conference “a total waste of time.” Meanwhile, Azerbaijan appointed Elnur Soltanov, the head of its state energy company Socar, as its chief executive to the conference. Soltanov appeared to use the occasion as a forum to cut deals with international petroleum corporations. Nonetheless, there were still over 65,000 registered delegates – making it the second largest in COP’s history. One of those delegates was Chief Wesley Sam from BC’s Ts’il Kaz Koh Nation. The...
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Poilievre offers two hours on Monday for Freeland to present fall economic statement
Canadian Press-Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is offering to give up time on an opposition day in the House of Commons to allow Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland to present the government’s fall fiscal update. Poilievre says he will allow Freeland two hours to present the fall economic statement on Monday — a day allocated for Conservatives to present their own motions in Parliament. The Conservative leader says he’ll give up that time so the government can tell Canadians whether it kept a promise to cap the federal deficit at $40 billion. The parliamentary budget officer is projecting the government will exceed its own fiscal guardrail, with a deficit of $46.8 billion for the previous fiscal year. “Not only will we co-operate to let her introduce that fall update, we will actually...
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‘There is no trust’: Indigenous leaders tell Feds to take action on contamination
By Natasha Bulowski Local Journalism Initiative Northern Indigenous leaders are demanding action from the federal government after Transport Canada failed to inform them about water and soil contamination at a community dock in Fort Chipewyan, Alberta. “These things have to be fixed. If not, we will continue to embarrass you all,” Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation (ACFN) Chief Allan Adam told the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities on Tuesday. Adam, Fort Chipewyan Métis Nation (FCMN) President Kendrick Cardinal and Mikisew Cree First Nation (MCFN) councillor Tammie Tuccaro travelled from their remote community to Ottawa — roughly 4,000 kilometres — to tell MPs their concerns. Adam explained that the community’s efforts earlier this year to get the Transport Canada dock ready for potential wildfire evacuations eventually revealed the wharf, water...
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Nova Scotia, still dependent on fossil fuels, drops in rankings for energy efficiency
Canadian Press-A new national study says Nova Scotia’s leadership position in energy efficiency has been overtaken by other provinces, including its closest neighbours. The “Canadian Energy Efficiency Scorecard” has the East Coast province tumbling from second place in in 2022 to fifth this year, while Prince Edward Island is now tied with Quebec for second place, and New Brunswick has moved ahead to fourth spot. British Columbia has retained its rank at first place, based on data gathered between January 2023 and June of this year. The recently released report, produced by Efficiency Canada, bases the rankings on programs and policies that aim to conserve energy in households, cars and buildings, and reduce the use of oil and natural gas. “The key story with Nova Scotia (in this year’s report)...
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Deficit the only way Northland can use reserves
By Pearl Lorentzen Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Northland School Division will likely have a larger than expected deficit this school year, but it will allow them to come in line with the government school reserve policy. At the Nov. 22 meeting, Douglas Aird, Northland secretary-treasurer, reported on the 2024-25 budget. Northland will have about $1 million less revenue, Aird told the board, because of having 71 fewer students from the previous year and over 100 less than projected. The division was already planning on having a deficit, the lower revenue will increase this. The extra money will come from reserves. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, said Aird, as the divisions current reserves are higher than the provincial rules. Running a deficit allows the division to bring this closer to...
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One woman’s two-year search for her father in the streets of Thunder Bay
By Jon Thompson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter [This is part three of three] Kim started on Facebook, then called Lac Seul First Nation, the community where she holds membership and where Alex lived until he was seized in the 60’s Scoop as a boy. Her relatives helped marshal the resources of the region’s tribal councils. Searchers descended on the city in short order from Mishkeegogamang, Cat Lake First Nation, Keewaytinook Okimakanak, Red Lake, the Independent First Nation Alliance, and all over Nishnawbe Aski Nation. Once supportive people in Thunder Bay received word that help was needed, they came out, too. The Lawson family was thankful for the support, but the snowfall made the search extremely difficult. Even with so many volunteers, no trace of Alex or a clue of his...
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‘They’re sitting ducks:’ More women with disabilities unhoused due to abuse, violence
New data show women with disabilities are more likely to be forced into homelessness because of violence or abuse. The Canadian Human Rights Commission and the federal housing advocate unveiled the findings in a joint statement Tuesday, saying 63 per cent of women with disabilities who experienced homelessness said it was because of violence. By comparison, 54 per cent of women without disabilities said they experienced homelessness because of abuse. Vicky Levack, a spokesperson for the Disability Rights Coalition of Nova Scotia, says the findings are not surprising to her, nor would they be to other people with disabilities. Levack says women with disabilities face a higher risk of abuse or violence, often at the hands of their caregivers, their romantic partners or both. She says few women’s shelters are...
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Brantford Police arrest woman in police officer assault
BRANTFORD, ONT- A 39-year-old woman has been arrested after fleeing the scene of a motor vehicle collision and assaulting a female police officer. The Brantford Police Service (BPS) said at about 3:10 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, a concerned citizen called police after seeing a woman in possession of a handgun flee the scene of an accident. The BPS said the concerned citizen called 911 to report a single motor vehicle collision in the area of Kiwanis Way and Glenwood Drive and saw a woman flee the scene on foot towards a retail plaza on Colborne Street. Officers searched the area, locating and arresting the suspect within a fast-food restaurant at Stanley Street and Darling Street. Police seized a bb gun found in the suspect’s possession. Police said during the...
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Canada, Inuit take step toward new marine-protected area off Labrador coast
By Evan Careen Local Journalism Initiative Reporter A new agreement between the federal government and Inuit in Labrador and Quebec marks the next stage of a process to create a new Inuit Protected Area and national marine conservation area off the coast of Labrador. On Nov. 28 federal and Inuit representatives from Nunatsiavut Government and Makivvik—the legal corporate entity for Inuit in Quebec—signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that could lead to the official designation of up to 17,000 square kilometres of Nunatsiavut’s coastal and marine waters. The area in question, in the Labrador Sea adjacent to Torngat Mountains National Park, “is a transition between Arctic and Atlantic habitats and is home to polar bears, whales, dolphins, seals, breeding and migrating seabirds, waterfowl, and a variety of fish species,” according...
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White U.S. citizens once flooded into Indian Territory, prompting calls for mass deportations
By Russell Cobb, Associate Professor of Latin American Studies, University of Alberta The scene at the end of the 19th century in what was known as Indian Territory — at one point encompassing most of the present-day United States west of the Mississippi River —would seem familiar to anyone following the news about the crisis on the United States-Mexico border. Illegal immigrants streamed in, and some leaders had seen enough. Nationalists among the Chickasaw Nation called for a mass deportation of white U.S. citizens. One Chickasaw leader, Judge Overton Love, wrote that undocumented whites should be “placed under arrest immediately and hustled out of the country with strict orders not to return.” Muskogee leaders reported intruders to the federal government. U.S. marshals escorted white migrants to Arkansas and hit them with...
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First Nations want Impact Assessment Act review for Pathways Alliance project
(CP)Eight First Nations in Alberta are asking that the massive carbon capture and storage project proposed by a consortium of oilsands companies be reviewed under the federal Impact Assessment Act. The First Nations say the project proposed by the Pathways Alliance is “massive” and “unprecedented” and poses potential risks to both the environment and human health. The Pathways Alliance group of oilsands companies is proposing to build a $16.5-billion carbon capture and storage network to trap emissions from more than 20 oilsands facilities and transport them 400 kilometres away by pipeline to an underground storage hub in the Cold Lake area. Pathways has already begun submitting applications for approval to the Alberta Energy Regulator, which has regulatory jurisdiction since the project’s boundaries lie entirely within the province of Alberta. But...
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More areas to soon connect to power grid
By Sandi Krasowski Local Journalism Initiative A total of 1,732.5 kilometres of transmission line with 22 substations, 4,231 lattice steel towers and approximately 2,572 wood pole structures make up the new Wataynikaneyap Power transmission system. The $1.8-billion project was financed by Ontario and senior bank lenders. Margaret Kenequanash, chief executive officer of Wataynikaneyap Power, said 16 First Nations will be connected to the provincial power grid for the first time, taking them off of diesel as their primary source of power. “Wataynikaneyap will be continuing to work with McDowell Lake First Nation, the 17th community to become grid-connected in the future,” she said. “As of November 2024, all of Wataynikaneyap assets have been energized and 12 First Nations have been connected. The four remaining communities are working through their independent...
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In a first, Birdtail Sioux First Nation gifted bison
BIRDTAIL SIOUX FIRST NATION — Accompanied by a posse of Sioux Valley Dakota Nation Unity Riders and a caravan of cars and trucks, a trailer carrying young bison made its way down to the river valley of Birdtail Sioux First Nation on Tuesday to take part in a ceremony organized to foster stronger relations among the two first nation communities. Members of Birdtail Sioux First Nation, including more than 50 children, gathered outside a newly constructed enclosure that will house a herd of 11 young bison — a gift from Sioux Valley Dakota Nation. Drummers stepped up the tempo as chants and prayers were offered by the group, including Birdtail Sioux First Nation elder Terry Wasteste, before the ceremonial handover, which saw the gifted bison barrelling out of a trailer...
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Poilievre offers two hours on Monday for Freeland to present fall economic statement
OTTAWA-(CP)-Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is offering to give up time on an opposition day in the House of Commons to allow Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland to present the government’s fall fiscal update. Poilievre says he will allow Freeland two hours to present the fall economic statement on Monday — a day allocated for Conservatives to present their own motions in Parliament. The Conservative leader says he’ll give up that time so the government can tell Canadians whether it kept a promise to cap the federal deficit at $40 billion. The parliamentary budget officer is projecting the government will exceed its own fiscal guardrail with a deficit of $46.8 billion for the previous fiscal year. “Not only will we co-operate to let her introduce that fall update, we will actually give...
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Manitoba’s supervised drug consumption site proposed for core area
The Manitoba government has selected a location for the province’s first proposed supervised drug consumption site. An application to Health Canada, which is still being processed, lists the address as 200 Disraeli Freeway — part of Winnipeg’s core area. The government announced in the summer it would put up $727,000 to support development of an Indigenous-led supervised consumption site in partnership with the Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre of Winnipeg. The centre is located about one block away from the proposed site. Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara says the selected location is in an area with challenges around homelessness and addiction and has community agencies that provide support and care. The government has said the site will not provide any drug supply but will have consumption areas, staff trained to respond...
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