Open net salmon farm exodus expected in BC, documents reveal
By Rochelle Baker, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer Internal documents reveal Ottawa is bracing for major industry players to walk as it phases out open-net pens, leaving closed containment ventures scrambling for salmon eggs. The federal government is preparing for the possible exit of international salmon farm operations on the BC coast following the government’s promise last summer to phase out open-net pen farms by 2029. If big operators like Mowi Canada West, Cermaq and Grieg Seafood leave the province — shuttering broodstock hatcheries in their wake — that could put closed containment salmon farms in a tough position, cut off from their supply of Atlantic salmon eggs, an internal memo obtained by Canada’s National Observer through a federal Access to Information request shows. The three multinational companies...
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Four months for repeat offender who violated driving ban in 2023
By Bob Mackin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Prince George Citizen A 35-year-old man who pleaded guilty July 30 to dangerous driving, driving while prohibited and obstructing a police officer more than two years ago was sentenced to another four months in jail. But a judge in Prince George Provincial Court conceded Michael David Trosky would likely serve less time. Court heard that officers from the Uniformed Gang Enforcement Team apprehended Trosky and two others after an intermittent chase on March 9, 2023. Trosky had been driving a green Audi that the officers noticed near the North Star Hotel. When the vehicle ended up in a snowpack by a gas station and fast food restaurant near the Hart Highway, Trosky and the other two refused orders to exit the vehicle. Officers...
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Carney announces 20% increase in military starting pay
By Kyle Duggan Prime Minister Mark Carney says his government will boost entry-level pay for Canadian Armed Forces privates by 20 per cent for the regular force and 13 per cent for reservists. Other military members will also receive pay raises, with smaller increases for higher ranks — part of a plan to boost recruitment and operational readiness. The federal government says the new compensation package is expected to cost around $2 billion annually and is part of a planned $9.3 billion budget boost this year to get to NATO’s defence spending benchmark target of two per cent of GDP. The government says it’s creating new military allowances and enhancing existing ones to help it retain personnel and drive up recruitment in a competitive job market. Those allowances include $50,000...
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Why National Defence’s Indigenous procurement goal remains out of reach
By Sonal Gupta, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Canada’s National Observer The Department of National Defence is far behind its Indigenous procurement target — a result industry insiders say has little to do with a lack of Indigenous suppliers and more with systemic barriers ingrained within the procurement system itself. The department manages billions of dollars in contracts, but reported Indigenous procurement at just 2.5 per cent for the 2023-24 fiscal year, falling far short of the government’s five per cent target due to complex certification requirements, lengthy security clearances and demanding bid processes, Indigenous leaders and procurement experts said. “Indigenous businesses are ready, willing, and able to supply defence projects — which are often located on or near their territories,” said Shannin Metatawabin, CEO of National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association...
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Chief of First Nation in southern Alberta facing sexual assault charges
Police have charged the chief of a First Nation in southern Alberta with two counts of sexual assault. Roy Albert Whitney, the 71-year-old chief of Tsuut’ina Nation, west of Calgary, was arrested Wednesday. Police say a 33-year-old man was assaulted in Edmonton in 1994. They also say a 38-year-old man was assaulted in the city in 2005. Police say the complainants are both from Tsuut’ina and were known to Whitney. Whitney says the allegations are false and he will continue as chief. “I have dedicated my life to serving the Tsuut’ina people with honesty, respect, and commitment. That work will not stop,” he said in a statement Thursday. “I believe in truth and due process, and I will fully co-operate with any lawful proceedings to ensure the facts are made...
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Hot Air Balloon Scam grounds GTA residents in costly hoax
By Brittany Grenci, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Auroran What was supposed to be a dreamy sky-high adventure turned into a disappointing lesson for dozens of GTA residents who were tricked into purchasing fake hot air balloon ride tickets promoted on social media. York Regional Police say they’ve received reports from “numerous” victims who were scammed by a company advertising itself as “The Candle Experience 2025.” The company promoted low-cost tickets through online ads—offering hot air balloon reservations for just $45. One victim responded to a social media ad on July 4 and paid online to reserve a ride for July 5. But when they showed up at a park near 14th Avenue and Donald Cousens Parkway in Markham, they found a crowd of confused people—none of whom ever left...
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Métis leaders strike note of optimism after meeting with Carney on major projects
By Alessia Passafiume Métis leaders left a meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday saying they’re confident they will be included in talks about major projects Ottawa hopes to use to bolster the economy in the face of a trade war with the United States. “When things really matter, Métis governments come together and we get the work done,” said Métis Nation of Ontario president Margaret Froh. “There was a lot of like-minded people around that table today that want to move our Métis governments forward, and Canada forward. It was a great day,” said Métis Nation of Alberta president Andrea Sandmaier. At the start of Thursday’s meeting in Ottawa, Carney called on Métis leaders to help make the economy more resilient in response to an increasingly unsteady trade...
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Ndilo election 2025 Three seeking Chief spot
Ndilo election 2025:Fred Sangris By Eric Bowling, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, NWT News/North Members of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation will head to the polls this month to elect a chief in Ndilo. Advance polls open Aug. 8 and election day is Aug. 18. NNSL Media contacted each candidate with a list of questions. These are Fred Sangris’ responses. 1) What made you decide to seek re-election? I was asked by members of both communities. People visited me and wanted me to run again, so I thought about it and I said “OK.” I’ve got a lot of support yet, so I can probably run for a fourth time. 2) What sort of experience do you bring to the table? I was chief off and on over several years. I’ve...
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Deninu K’ue First Nation finds remains of five children near Fort Resolution
By Eric Bowling, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, NWT News/North Editor’s note: This story contains references to residential schools that some readers may find disturbing. Deninu K’ue First Nation (DKFN) says its archeological team has located seven unmarked graves, five of which belong to children, at Mission Island as part of an investigation into deaths of children at St. Joseph’s Residential School. “While growing up I heard stories of children who were mistreated at the school — children who got sick and died because of malnutrition or abuse,” Chief Louis Balsillie said on Aug. 7. “We know that during the 1940s, eight children died at the school — seven of them were girls. Statistically, that cannot happen without a cause. What happened to these girls? “Now we are finding children buried...
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JD Vance went kayaking for his birthday. Secret Service had the river level raised
By Julie Carr Smyth COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Vice President JD Vance’s security detail had an Ohio river’s water level raised last weekend to accommodate a kayaking trip he and his family took to celebrate his 41st birthday. The U.S. Secret Service said it requested the increased waterflow for the Little Miami River, first reported by The Guardian, to ensure motorized watercraft and emergency personnel “could operate safely” while protecting the Republican vice president, whose home is in Cincinnati. But critics immediately blasted the action as a sign of the vice president’s entitlement, particularly given the Trump administration’s focus on slashing government spending. Richard W. Painter, who served as chief White House ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush, said on X that “it’s outrageous for the Army corps of...
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‘Not meant to be’: Manitoba Museum reflects as Bay charter heads elsewhere
By Tara Deschamps The Manitoba Museum might have one of the largest collections of Hudson’s Bay artifacts, but its CEO isn’t bitter the defunct retailer’s crown jewel isn’t destined for her institution. There will soon be a new home for the 355-year-old royal charter that birthed the Bay, giving it extraordinary control over a vast swath of unceded lands — and enormous influence over settlers’ early relations with Indigenous Peoples. It will wind up at the Canadian Museum of History, pending court approval of a plan to let the Weston family buy the charter and donate it to the Gatineau, Que., organization. “I’m glad that it has ended up at a museum. I think that’s important,” said Dorota Blumczynska, CEO of the Manitoba Museum in Winnipeg. “But I’m not going...
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‘I’m getting scared about this’: Iqaluit councillor says he was robbed, threatened
By Jeff Pelletier, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunatsiaq News Iqaluit RCMP say they will investigate after a city councillor claimed he was robbed and repeatedly threatened. Coun. Simon Nattaq raised a number of concerns at Tuesday’s city council meeting in response to detachment commander Sgt. Vlatko Nikolovski’s presentation of the RCMP’s May and June statistics. “All my guns were stolen, all my rifles have been taken,” Nattaq said, speaking in Inuktitut. “Someone has been threatening, saying that they want to burn my house down, and I’m getting scared about this.” He added: “I know one person who has been threatening me.” Nattaq didn’t say when the incidents happened. He said he wants police to interview him about it. He raised other concerns, including dangerous drivers, as well as the smell...
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Manitoba extends wildfire state of emergency as 14,000 remain out of homes
The Manitoba government says its provincewide state of emergency is being extended as 14,000 remain out of their homes due to intense wildfires. Officials last month declared the state of emergency, its second since May, and it was set to expire Friday. The extension keeps it in place for two more weeks. The province says the fire season is its worst in 30 years, and more than 15,500 square kilometres have burned. Roughly 4,000 residents of Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation, also called Nelson House, were ordered out last weekend, as two fires threatened to cut off road access and muddied air quality. Chief Angela Levasseur says on social media that Indigenous Services Canada has given the OK for the Cree Nation to shelter 800 residents at hotels in Niagara Falls, Ont....
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Fire Chiefs say Its time to move forward on national agency to fight forest fires
By Émilie Bergeron The Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs says it’s time for Ottawa to stop studying the idea of a national forest fire co-ordination agency and take action. The organization’s president wants the federal government to take inspiration from the U.S. Fire Administration to establish a similar office in Canada. The U.S. office is part of Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, but Ken McMullen says a Canadian version could be simpler and less costly. He said the proposed fire administration office, which could be staffed by one or two people, would ensure that personnel and equipment are appropriately dispersed across the country in the event of wildfires. It would also allow security and fire services to have a seat at the table when relevant policies are being discussed....
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‘Exceptional circumstances’: Court hearing set for family of serial killer victim
By Brittany Hobson Family of a First Nations woman who died at the hands of a Winnipeg serial killer will have the chance to give victim impact statements in court one year after his conviction. The Manitoba Court of King’s Bench has agreed to a Crown request for a special hearing for victim and community impact statements to be submitted about 30-year-old Ashlee Shingoose. The hearing is set for Aug. 15. “The court has agreed that holding a hearing to receive and validate the victim and community impact statements relating to a now identified victim in a concluded first-degree murder case is both appropriate and necessary in these exceptional circumstances,” the court says in a Thursday statement. Shingoose, originally from St. Theresa Point Anisininew Nation in northern Manitoba, was one...
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‘We need to do some catching up’: Sport minister says consistent funding for facilities is key
By Matt Prokopchuk, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, TBnewswatch.com KENORA – Ontario’s Minister of Sport says a relatively new pot of provincial money is paying dividends when it comes to fixing up community arenas and other sports and recreation facilities. Neil Lumsden was in Wauzhushk Onigum, next to Kenora, in late July to help announce over $9 million from the province’s community sport and recreation infrastructure fund to build a new arena and recreation complex in the First Nation. While that was the big-ticket item, provincial officials also highlighted several other projects in Northwestern Ontario that received money from the same fund. “We need to do some catching up in Ontario and the premier saw it that way and that’s how the fund was created and why,” Lumsden said. “It’s great...
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Voice of the River play effort has ambitious goals
By M.T. Fernandes, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Dundalk Herald Stories from people who live along the Grand River, including First Nations and others who later settled the area, lie behind a unique project. Those behind the project say it’s a response to the call for reconciliation, as well as an effort at a kind of tourism that doesn’t exploit but respects the local. Last Thursday’s Voice of the River play (see related story) chose to use “two row” story-telling. Peter Smith, executive and creative director of the Canadian Centre for Rural Creativity conceived and developed the play. He has done community plays before – but not plays as long as a river! The present effort has taken several years of travel up and down the length of the Grand. This...
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Hearing begins on Alberta separation referendum question
By Jack Farrell A special court proceeding on a proposed Alberta separation referendum question is underway in Edmonton. Alberta’s chief electoral officer, Gordon McClure, referred the proposed question to the courts last week, asking a judge to determine whether it violates the Constitution, including treaty rights. The question asks Albertans: “Do you agree that the Province of Alberta shall become a sovereign country and cease to be a province in Canada?” Premier Danielle Smith and Justice Minister Mickey Amery have criticized the referral to the courts, saying the question should be approved and only face judicial scrutiny if it receives a majority vote. McClure’s office says it can’t comment further because the matter is before the courts. Multiple groups, including the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation in northern Alberta, say they’re...
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Ohio river’s level raised to accommodate Vice President JD Vance’s birthday kayaking trip
By Julie Carr Smyth COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Vice President JD Vance’s security detail had an Ohio river’s water level raised last week to accommodate a kayaking trip he and his family took to celebrate his 41st birthday. The U.S. Secret Service said it requested the increased waterflow for the Little Miami River, first reported by The Guardian, to ensure motorized watercraft and emergency personnel “could operate safely” while protecting the Republican vice president, whose home is in Cincinnati. But critics immediately blasted the action as a sign of the vice president’s entitlement, particularly given the administration Trump administration’s focus on slashing government spending. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said its Louisville District temporarily increased outflows from the Caesar Creek Lake in southwest Ohio into the Little Miami “to...
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Eskasoni organizes to battle street drugs
By Rosemary Godin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cape Breton Post Chief Leroy Denny and the band council in Eskasoni say illegal drugs in the community have reached a crisis level and they will create a special committee to address the problem. “We are committed to protecting our home and our people,” Denny said in a letter he released on Facebook last weekend. Denny and council acted swiftly following the most recent drug overdose in Eskasoni that tested positive for fentanyl. “As your chief and council, we are writing to you today with a heavy heart,” Denny said, “but also with unwavering resolve, regarding a critical issue that is impacting the very fabric of our beloved Eskasoni: the escalating drug crisis. We recognize the challenges that our community is facing, and...
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