Air Canada treatment of national chief and her headdress ‘scary’, ‘humiliating’, Woodhouse Nepinak says
By Odette Auger Local Journalism Initiative Reporter When Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak was checking in for her Air Canada flight from Montreal to Fredericton, N.B April 24, the ceremonial headdress she was carrying in its case was not a problem. It wasn’t a problem when she boarded the flight, either. “Then I put my headdress under the chair in front of me, as usual. Just standard stuff, right?” It became a problem when a flight attendant made it a problem. “That’s when it escalated,” she told Windspeaker.com. Another flight attendant joined in and tried to tell Woodhouse Nepinak that she needed to put the sacred item into checked luggage in the underbelly of the plane with the cargo. The headdress had been bestowed on the...
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Six Nations lacrosse player named top newcomer in American collegiate conference
By Sam Laskaris Writer Playing a new position at a new school didn’t deter Dougie Powless. In fact, the 22-year-old Six Nations member excelled during his first year suiting up for the Clarke University Pride men’s field lacrosse squad. Powless had transferred to Clarke, located in the Iowa city of Dubuque, after spending two years at Herkimer College, a junior college, located in the state of New York. Powless was a defender when he joined the Pride. But during the club’s Fall Ball schedule in 2023, Pride head coach Tucker La Belle asked Powless if he would consider switching to the attack position. “I told him it didn’t matter to me, as long as I’m playing,” Powless said. Thus, when Clarke’s spring schedule rolled around, Powless found himself being counted...
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Six Nations members on all four National Lacrosse League semi-final participants
By Sam Laskaris Writer It’s now guaranteed that at least one Six Nations member will be part of the eventual National Lacrosse League (NLL) champions this year. That’s because following league playoff action this past weekend, there is at least one local player on all four of the squads that have qualified for the NLL semi-finals. The four clubs that remain in the hunt to capture the league title are the Toronto Rock, Buffalo Bandits, San Diego Seals and Albany FireWolves. All of these teams were victorious in their quarter-final matchups held this past weekend. One of the top performers in the four playoff contests was Six Nations member Doug Jamieson, a FireWolves’ goaltender. Jamieson, who is in his seventh NLL campaign, backstopped his host Albany club to a 9-3...
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SPORTS BRIEFS: Teen competiting AT NAHC
By Sam Laskaris, Writer Six Nations teen to compete at national tournament Six Nations’ Dreyden Cruz-General will be among those participating at this year’s National Aboriginal Hockey Championships (NAHC). This year’s national tournament will be staged May 5-11 in Grande Prairie, Alta. Cruz-General, an 18-year-old forward, is among those named to the Ontario boys’ squad that will compete in the tourney. Meanwhile, another Six Nations member, Kane Styres, is one of four alternates that were selected for the Ontario boys’ club. No Six Nations players were selected for the Ontario girls’ team that will also participate in the annual tournament, which primarily features players aged 13-18. Both the girls’ and boys’ categories at the event will feature seven teams apiece. Besides Ontario, squads representing British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Atlantic...
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Environment commissioner says liability for northern contaminated sites growing
By Alessia Passafiume The Canadian Press Ottawa’s slow progress to remediate contaminated sites in the North is leaving Indigenous Peoples at risk and raising the government’s own financial liability for the polluted areas, environment commissioner Jerry DeMarco said Tuesday in a new audit. DeMarco’s probe found that the government’s liability for contaminated sites increased by $7 billion since 2005, when the government launched its plan to remediate and reclaim abandoned mines. More than 60 per cent of that liability is in the North. “After 20 years, there is still much work needed to reduce financial liability related to contaminated sites and to lower environmental and human health risks for current and future generations,” said DeMarco. “As well, the government needs to take urgent action to advance socio-economic benefits, including employment...
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Poilievre kicked out of Commons after calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ‘wacko’
With files from Mickey Djuric, Laura Osman, Dylan Robertson and Simon Hopkins CANADIAN PRESS Testy exchanges between the prime minister and his chief opponent ended with the Opposition leader and one of his MPs being ejected from the House of Commons on Tuesday — and the rest of Conservative caucus walking out of the chamber in protest. The unusually tense events saw Speaker Greg Fergus caution both Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to rephrase their comments to avoid making direct accusations about the character of another MP. Fergus issued a warning to Poilievre after he referred to Trudeau as “the guy who spent the first half of his adult life as a practising racist,” referring to photos that emerged during the 2019 election of Trudeau dressed...
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In the news today: McGill asks police for help, Trans Mountain expansion starts u
Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today… Montreal police asked to clear McGill protestors Officials at McGill University are awaiting word from Montreal police, following a request to help clear a pro-Palestinian encampment on the school grounds. The call for assistance comes after efforts to persuade the protesters to end what the school has called an illegal action failed. The demonstrators say they have no intention of dismantling their tents until McGill, as well as nearby Concordia University, divests from all companies that are “profiting from genocide.” A spokeswoman for the police has confirmed the request was received, and options on how to respond are being weighed. The encampment, which was erected on...
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Lawyers for man accused of killing Manitoba women argue publicity creates juror bias
By Brittany Hobson The Canadian Press WINNIPEG MAN.,-A psychologist who went over hundreds of media stories about the killings of four women in Winnipeg says pretrial publicity creates bias in jurors. Dr. Christine Ruva, a professor and chair of psychology at the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee campus, testified Tuesday in the case of Jeremy Skibicki. Skibicki, 37, has pleaded not guilty to four counts of first-degree murder. The partial remains of Rebecca Contois were found in a garbage bin and at a city-run landfill in 2022. Police have said they believe the remains of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran are at a different, privately owned landfill outside the city. The location of an unidentified woman Indigenous leaders have named Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe, or Buffalo Woman, is unknown. Skibicki’s lawyers have...
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Cenovus teams with First Nations to build northern Alberta homes amid housing crisis
By Amanda Stephenson The Canadian Press Raoul Montgrand, president of the Chard Métis Nation in northern Alberta, called a 200-square-foot camper trailer home for close to two years. The community leader and his wife were among the many residents affected by an ongoing housing crisis in the isolated hamlet, located about an hour-and-a-half drive southeast of Fort McMurray. But Montgrand, who now lives in a beautiful new pre-fabricated home situated just a stone’s throw from his old trailer, says what bothered him most about the dire housing conditions in Chard was what it meant for the community’s children. “Before, we would see five or six families in one house,” Montgrand said in a recent interview. “Without a house, there’s no education. How are the kids going to go to...
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Federal government must track progress toward zero plastic waste goal: audit report
By Sarah Ritchie The Canadian Press Most federal programs aimed at reducing plastic waste are working, but the government isn’t measuring its progress toward its overall goal of zero plastic waste by 2030, according to a new audit from Canada’s environment commissioner. The government launched an initiative in 2019 to create a circular economy for plastics by 2030 — meaning nothing goes to waste. In his audit released Tuesday, environment commissioner Jerry V. DeMarco found that waste-reduction efforts in key federal departments were generally working well. That included efforts by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, which is meeting its targets to remove lost or discarded fishing gear — also known as ghost gear — from the water. Environment groups estimate as much as three-quarters of the plastic in the world’s...
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Environment commissioner gives Canada failing grade on Northern contaminated sites
By Alessia Passafiume Canadian Press Ottawa is failing to remediate contaminated sites in the North, leaving Indigenous peoples at risk and raising the government’s own financial liability for the polluted areas, environment commissioner Jerry DeMarco said Tuesday in a new audit. DeMarco’s probe found that the government’s liability for contaminated sites increased by $7 billion since 2005, when the government launched its plan to remediate and reclaim abandoned mines. More than 60 per cent of that liability is in the North. “After 20 years, there is still much work needed to reduce financial liability related to contaminated sites and to lower environmental and human health risks for current and future generations,” said DeMarco. “As well, the government needs to take urgent action to advance socio-economic benefits, including employment opportunities, and...
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Winnipeg trial of man accused of killing four women starts with bid to toss jury
The Canadian Press Lawyers for a Winnipeg man accused of killing four women are renewing calls for a judge to decide the case rather than a jury. They say two years of publicity surrounding the high-profile case of Jeremy Skibicki may sway the jury panel that was picked last week. Skibicki has pleaded not guilty to four counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Morgan Harris, Marcedes Myran, Rebecca Contois and an unidentified woman Indigenous leaders have named Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe or Buffalo Woman. Skibicki, dressed in a T-shirt, baggy pants and leg shackles, sat in court Monday as his lawyers argued the six-week-long trial should be heard in front of a judge alone. It was the second time in six months they made the argument that Skibicki should have...
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As TMX enables record oil output, First Nations hope for new chapter
By Amanda Stephenson The Canadian Press Some Indigenous communities in northern Alberta hope the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion will mark the start of a new chapter in their relationship with Canada’s oilsands industry. The $34 billion pipeline project from Alberta to the B.C. coast promises improved access to export markets for oilsands producers, which are forecast to achieve all-time-high output this year. The pipeline’s expected opening on May 1 is a big deal for the Fort McKay First Nation, located about an hour’s drive north of Fort McMurray and home to around 800 people of Dene, Cree and Métis descent. “It matters to the Fort McKay First Nation. When there’s an opportunity like the Trans Mountain pipeline, the question is, how can we actually leverage it to transfer that opportunity to...
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Orca’s escape from B.C. lagoon will be talked about for ‘generations,’ say First Nations
By Dirk Meissner Canadian Press in Victoria An orphan killer whale calf escaped from a remote Vancouver Island tidal lagoon Friday where it had been trapped for more than a month, immediately swimming towards the open ocean and making calls for its extended family members, say overjoyed rescue officials. The young orca’s bid for freedom occurred at a high tide early Friday and involved swimming through a swift-moving, narrow channel and underneath a bridge, with Esperanza Inlet in the near distance. “It’s been a joyful day, a really joyful day,” said Ehattesaht First Nation Chief Simon John at a news conference. “I’m very ecstatic how things happened today. There was a lot of anticipation for this moment for the past five weeks.” The orca has been the focus of intense...
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Alberta to pilot new social studies curriculum in the fall after facing blowback
By Lisa Johnson The Canadian Press :26/04/2024 18:55 The Alberta government says a draft social studies curriculum for elementary schools is ready for classroom-testing this fall, but the teachers’ union says the program is flawed and needs to be delayed. Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides says the draft has significantly evolved. “Not everyone may be happy with the new curriculum, and that’s understandable. Albertans are diverse, and that means we have diverse views,” Nicolaides told reporters Friday. “What I believe, though, is most important is that we take politics out of the classroom.” Nicolaides said the draft better emphasizes critical thinking, is more culturally inclusive, and shifts some topics to more appropriate age levels. For example, students are set to learn about taxes in Grade 5 rather than in Grade 2....
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Haida elder suing Catholic Church and priest, hopes for ‘healing and reconciliation’
By Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press The lawyer for a residential school survivor leading a proposed class-action defamation lawsuit against the Catholic Church over residential schools says the court action is a last resort. Maxime Faille, the lawyer for Sphenia Jones, says the goal is understanding — not money. “Sphenia is 80 years-old. She doesn’t care about money for herself,” Faille said in an interview from Vancouver. “She wants to see healing happen, and this is an opportunity for healing and reconciliation. “But it takes two willing partners to do that. To me, (the lawsuit) is the fall back if the other side isn’t willing to come to the table.” Jones is a Haida elder who spent time at the Edmonton Indian Residential School. She filed a statement of...
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Treatment of national chief and her headdress by Air Canada ‘scary’, ‘humiliating’, Woodhouse Nepinak says
By Odette Auger Local Journalism Initiative Reporter When Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak was checking in for her Air Canada flight from Montreal to Fredericton, N.B April 24, the ceremonial headdress she was carrying in its case was not a problem. It wasn’t a problem when she boarded the flight, either. “Then I put my headdress under the chair in front of me, as usual. Just standard stuff, right?” It became a problem when a flight attendant made it a problem. “That’s when it escalated,” she told Windspeaker.com. Another flight attendant joined in and tried to tell Woodhouse Nepinak that she needed to put the sacred item into checked luggage in the underbelly of the plane with the cargo. The headdress had been bestowed on the...
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Haida elder suing Catholic Church and priest, hopes for ‘healing and reconciliation’
The lawyer for a residential school survivor leading a proposed class-action defamation lawsuit against the Catholic Church over residential schools says the court action is a last resort. Maxime Faille, the lawyer for Sphenia Jones, says the goal is understanding — not money. “Sphenia is 80 years-old. She doesn’t care about money for herself,” Faille said in an interview from Vancouver. “She wants to see healing happen, and this is an opportunity for healing and reconciliation. “But it takes two willing partners to do that. To me, (the lawsuit) is the fall back if the other side isn’t willing to come to the table.” Jones is a Haida elder who spent time at the Edmonton Indian Residential School. She filed a statement of claim last year alleging Rev. Marcin Mironiuk...
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First Nations Leadership Council praises Haida land title agreement
The First Nations Leadership Council has praised the recently signed Haida “Rising Tide” land agreement, while also calling on the federal government to reach similar agreements. The agreement — which will give the Haida Nation title over their traditional territory — was tabled at the B.C. legislature on April 22, and will soon become law. First Nations Summit political executive Robert Phillips praised the Haida Nation and the B.C. government for an agreement he said “sets up a process so that they can work together, government to government.” Phillips said the government worked proactively with the Haida Nation, rather than resorting to litigation, which he said results in negative outcomes for both parties. “Just by looking at our history, when we do protests or when we go to court, what...
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AFN chief says Air Canada offered a 15% discount after her headdress was mishandled
After the Assembly of First Nations’ national chief complained to Air Canada about how staffers treated her and her ceremonial headdress on a flight this week, she says the airline responded by offering a 15 per cent discount on her next flight. “It must have been a generic response,” Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak said in an interview, calling the entire experience “humiliating” and “unbelievable.” Woodhouse Nepinak said in a social media post Thursday that her headdress and its case were taken away and put in a garbage bag. She clarified Friday the case was removed from the flight, but she was able to hold her headdress throughout the trip after pleading with staff. Air Canada said in a statement Friday morning that it reached out directly to Woodhouse Nepinak to apologize...
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