Trump administration makes major cuts to Native American boarding school research projects
By Hallie Golden At least $1.6 million in federal funds for projects meant to capture and digitize stories of the systemic abuse of generations of Indigenous children in boarding schools at the hands of the U.S. government have been slashed due to federal funding cuts under President Donald Trump’s administration. The cuts are just a fraction of the grants canceled by the National Endowment for the Humanities in recent weeks as part of the Trump administration’s deep cost-cutting effort across the federal government. But coming on the heels of a major federal boarding school investigation by the previous administration and an apology by then-President Joe Biden, they illustrate a seismic shift. “If we’re looking to ‘Make America Great Again,’ then I think it should start with the truth about the...
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Doig River First Nation officially opens cultural education centre
By Ed Hitchins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Energeticcity.ca DOIG RIVER FIRST NATION, B.C. — After some postponements, Doig River First Nation (DRFN) officially opened its new cultural education centre. Local figures like former North Peace MLA Dan Davies, stewartship manager of the Fort St. John Association for Community Living Jared Braun and representatives from Northern Lights College joined DRFN Chief Trevor Makadahay and the band council to cut the ribbon on the Doig River Cultural Centre on Thursday, April 17th. Makadahay said the unveiling to the public is a “big step” for the overall continued growth of DRFN’s culture. “[It] really provides us a space to invest in our culture,” said Makadahay. “[We can] put time into it with language, development of curriculum, all of that.” Inside the two-story building...
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Supreme Court blocks, for now, new deportations under 18th century wartime law
By Nicholas Riccardi And Mark Sherman The Supreme Court on Saturday blocked, for now, the deportations of any Venezuelans held in northern Texas under an 18th century wartime law. In a brief order, the court directed the Trump administration not to remove Venezuelans held in the Bluebonnet Detention Center “until further order of this court.” Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented. The high court acted in an emergency appeal from the American Civil Liberties Union contending that immigration authorities appeared to be moving to restart removals under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. The Supreme Court had said earlier in April that deportations could proceed only if those about to be removed had a chance to argue their case in court and were given “a reasonable time” to contest...
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250 years after America went to war for independence, a divided nation battles over its legacy
By Hillel Italie And Michael Casey LEXINGTON, Mass. (AP) — Thousands of people came to this Massachusetts town Saturday just before dawn to witness a reenactment of how the American Revolution began 250 years ago, with the blast of gunshot and a trail of colonial spin. Starting with Saturday’s anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the country will look back to its war of independence and ask where its legacy stands today. Just after dawn on the Lexington Battle Green, militiamen, muskets in hand, took on a much larger army of British regulars. The battle ended with eight Americans dead and 10 wounded — the dead scattered on the grounds as the British marched off. The regulars would head to Concord but not before a horseman, Dr. Samuel...
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Some rural communities don’t qualify for rebate supplement
By Carl Clutchey, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Chronicle-Journal Some rural residents who live in communities just outside Thunder Bay may feel a bit short-changed after the final federal carbon tax rebate cheques are issued on Tuesday. The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) says it has determined following a review that Oliver Paipoonge, Shuniah, O’Connor, Gillies, Neebing and Fort William First Nation are part of the Thunder Bay Census Metropolitan Areas (CMA). “As such, residents (in those communities) are not entitled to the (rebate’s) rural supplement,” a CRA spokeswoman said on Thursday in an email. The rural supplement adds 20 per cent to the rebate’s eligible base amounts, which have been issued quarterly. Liberal MPs, including Marcus Powlowski (Thunder Bay-Rainy River), have argued that the supplement has made the federal carbon...
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First Nations Health Authority backs harm reduction on B.C. overdose anniversary
By Brenna Owen Deaths from toxic drugs may have dipped, but now is not the time to pull back on life-saving measures, especially given “misinformation” in the public discourse, the top doctor at British Columbia’s First Nations Health Authority said Monday. Dr. Nel Wieman said First Nations continue to be disproportionately represented among the deaths as the province marked the ninth anniversary of the toxic drug crisis being declared a public health emergency on April 14, 2016. Wieman said her team was pushing B.C.’s Health Ministry to help find a tailored approach for First Nations-specific issues with the goal of preventing more people from dying and closing the gap with the non-First Nations population. Wieman presented data showing 427 members of First Nations in B.C. died of a toxic drug...
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Everglades restoration would protect Florida Keys while scientists watch drought conditions
By David Fischer ISLAMORADA, Fla. (AP) — The Everglades is more than just swamps, fan boats and alligators and restoration efforts impact more than the land between Florida’s east and west coasts. Florida Bay, a body of water located between the southern end of mainland Florida and the Florida Keys, makes up about a third of Everglades National Park. High salt levels during dry periods can have fatal consequences for the plants and animals living in the region, though experts are hopeful an early rain season this year will prevent a massive sea grass die-off like those experienced in the past. Estuary of the Everglades Steve Davis, chief science officer with The Everglades Foundation, called Florida Bay the estuary of the Everglades, which is actually a giant, slow-moving river starting...
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Neskantaga First Nation asks governments to respond to state of emergency after flood
A First Nation in northern Ontario that has been under a boil-water advisory for over 30 years is calling on all levels of government to respond to a state of emergency in the area, days after announcing it would evacuate community members hundreds of kilometres south to Thunder Bay. Chief Gary Quisess of Neskantaga First Nation called a local state of emergency on April 13 after water that had a strong fuel odour flooded into a local nursing station. A Wednesday news release said that the First Nation began evacuating about 130 people who require “full and immediate access” to health services to Thunder Bay. Quisess says in a Sunday news release he’s asking government officials to bring emergency health services to the remote community, saying the First Nation has...
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250 years after America went to war for independence, a divided nation battles over its legacy
By Hillel Italie And Michael Casey LEXINGTON, Mass. (AP) — Thousands of people came to Lexington, Massachusetts, just before dawn on Saturday to witness a reenactment of how the American Revolution began 250 years ago, with the blast of gunshot and a trail of colonial spin. Starting with Saturday’s anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the country will look back to its war of independence and ask where its legacy stands today. Just after dawn on the Lexington Battle Green, militiamen, muskets in hand, took on a much larger contingent of British regulars. The battle ended with eight Americans killed and 10 wounded — the dead scattered on the grounds as the British marched off. The regulars would head to Concord but not before a horseman, Dr. Samuel...
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Decreasing salmon populations disrupting Tsleil-Waututh Nation cultural practices, study finds
By Abby Luciano, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, North Shore News A recent study suggests the historical decrease in salmon populations in Metro Vancouver waters from infrastructure developments is impacting səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation) fishing and cultural practices. Using archaeological data, Indigenous oral histories and traditional use studies, researchers documented salmon populations like sockeye and chum from pre-colonization times to the mid-20th century. Researchers found since the 1860s, salmon in water bodies like the Fraser River and rivers and streams draining into Burrard Inlet have decreased 85 and 99 per cent, respectively, compared to pre-contact levels. “It’s just a huge reduction in simply the amount of fish that were out there,” said co-author Jesse Morin, adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia’s Oceans and Fisheries Institute. “And all those other things...
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From Buenos Aires to Rome: Key dates in the life of Pope Francis
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Key events in the life of Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who became Pope Francis and died on Monday: Dec. 17, 1936: Jorge Mario Bergoglio is born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the eldest of five children to Mario Jose Bergoglio, an accountant from Italy, and Regina María Sívori, the daughter of Italian immigrants. Dec. 13, 1969: Ordained a priest with the Jesuit religious order, which he would lead as Argentina provincial superior during the country’s murderous dictatorship that began in the 1970s. May 20, 1992: Named auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires and in 1998 succeeds Cardinal Antonio Quarracino as archbishop of the Argentine capital. Feb. 21, 2001: Elevated to cardinal by St. John Paul II. May 2007: Helps draft the final document of the fifth meeting of the...
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What are the church’s rites after the death of a pope and the election of a new one?
VATICAN CITY (AP) — The death of a pope starts a centuries-old ritual involving sacred oaths by the cardinals electing a successor, the piercing of ballots with a needle and thread after they’re counted, and then burning them to produce either the white or black smoke to signal if there’s a new leader for the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics. The election itself is shrouded in secrecy, with cardinals forbidden from communicating with the outside world what happened during the voting in the conclave behind the frescoed walls of the Sistine Chapel. St. John Paul II rewrote the regulations on papal elections in a 1996 document that remains largely in force, though Pope Benedict XVI amended it twice before he resigned. Here is what happens when a pope dies, a period...
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Canadians remember Pope Francis for historic apology for residential schools
By Nicole Thompson Pope Francis will be remembered by Canadian Catholics as a progressive leader whose approach to the papacy helped usher in a new era of Indigenous relations and make the church more responsive to its rank and file. The Vatican says the pontiff died Monday at age 88. Francis was the global leader of Canada’s most popular organized religion. Nearly 11 million Canadians identified as Catholic in the 2021 census, second only to those without a religious affiliation. His most lasting impact in Canada is likely to be his response to one of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action: that he apologize for the legacy of residential schools on Canadian soil. He did so on a tour of Canada in 2022, months after meeting with a...
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Waiting tables in Tofino: ‘Where are all the Indigenous servers in a town that’s half Indigenous?’
By Nora O’Malley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Ha-Shilth-Sa Tofino, B.C. — With waiters pocketing between $300 to $400 in tips on a good night in this sizzling tourist town, you’d think, considering the makeup of the area’s population blends 2,516 Tofino residents and 1,200 Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations (TFN), there’d be more than two local First Nations on deck taking food orders to take home a slice of that cake. But the odd thing is… there isn’t. “There are only two Indigenous servers in the Tofino area,” says TFN career server Joe Bob, a father of four who works three a shifts a week at ROAR Restaurant within Mandy Farmer’s ‘70s themed Hotel Zed. “You just know from going out and eating,” adds Bob. “I’ve worked for the old Shelter Restaurant...
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Amplifying delusions: How social media can negatively impact our mental well-being
By Bernard Crespi, Professor, Evolutionary Biology, Simon Fraser University; and Xingwei (Nancy) Yang, Assistant Professor, Ted Rogers School of Management, Toronto Metropolitan University Imagine a tribe of uncontacted hunter-gatherers in the deepest Amazon rainforest. Anthropologists airdrop dozens of smartphones loaded with social media apps, with solar chargers, simple instructions in their native language and Wi-Fi just within the tribe. What would happen to their culture and their mental health? Such an experiment appears fanciful, but a similar one has been unfolding in our world for about 20 years. For the first time in human evolution, everyday social interactions have changed from face-to-face to disembodied experiences, from in-person to digital and from social reality to whatever someone puts online. Social media is an evolutionary novelty, like M&M’s, e-cigarettes, fentanyl and H-bombs....
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Harm Reduction Credited for Reducing Indigenous Fatalities
By Michelle Gamage, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Tyee Toxic drug deaths for First Nations peoples decreased by 6.8 per cent in British Columbia between 2023 and 2024. This “shows us what we are doing, particularly in the area of harm reduction, is helping,” said Dr. Nel Wieman, chief medical officer of the First Nations Health Authority. Harm reduction for First Nations communities means “getting to the root wounds that make people turn to substances to cope and really undoing those harms of colonialism,” added Celeta Cook, executive director for FNHA public health response. While the decrease in fatalities offers some relief, data shows First Nations peoples are still being disproportionately impacted by the toxic drug supply, Wieman said. She spoke to the media on Monday, marking the ninth anniversary...
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‘Economic opportunity’: Ontario tables bill that will speed up mine development
By Liam Casey and Allison Jones Ontario tabled legislation Thursday that it says will speed up the development of mines by designating some as “special economic zones,” though Premier Doug Ford said that could also be used on other projects. The Ring of Fire, a massive area in northern Ontario said to be replete with critical minerals, will be one such economic zone. But Ford said other big projects could receive similar designations, including his plan to build a massive transit and traffic tunnel under Highway 401. First Nations have already expressed concern about the province’s wish to fast-track the development of the Ring of Fire. The need to urgently mine the province is a direct response to the threats from U.S. President Donald Trump, Ford said. “President Trump wants...
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VCH launches second phase of public consultation on the future of Sea to Sky health-care
By Luke Faulks, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) has developed a draft plan for delivering health-care in the Sea to Sky, and it’s looking to share with residents. In an April 7 release, the regional health authority announced public engagement sessions seeking feedback on a draft clinical services plan for the region and a series of community plans for Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton as part of “a high-level planning process to help align local health-care services with the evolving health-care needs of the region.” “These plans consider historical data and trends, industry best practices, population projections, as well as input from the Sea to Sky community, the six First Nations in the Sea to Sky corridor and staff and medical staff,” according to the release. VCH’s first...
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A cross-country look at where some of Hudson’s Bay artifacts are held
By Tara Deschamps Hudson’s Bay, Canada’s oldest company, is seeking court permission to auction off its artifacts, art and even the royal charter that gave the business the power to dominate the 17th century fur trade. However, thousands of items imbued with Bay history have already wound up in the hands of archival institutions. Here’s a look at where some of the Bay’s memorabilia resides. Manitoba Museum The Winnipeg museum’s website says Hudson’s Bay began to acquire historical objects to open a museum in 1920. The company wound up donating many of those items to the Manitoba Museum in 1994 and its collection kept growing over the years because of donations from the descendants of fur trading families and other Bay employees. The museum now counts 27,000 on its Hudson’s...
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Conservative candidate Aaron Gunn target of protest rally
By Rochelle Baker, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer First Nationleaders and protesters rallied outside Aaron Gunn’s campaign office in Campbell River Saturday demanding the Conservative Party withdraw his candidacy. A crowd of about 150 people waved signs reading “Drop the Gunn” and “We Need Gunn Control,” while First Nationsleaders, residential school survivors, educators and community workers voiced their anger over Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s decision not to remove Gunn from the party’s slate. Gunn has sparked concern and anger nationwide over a collection of contentious comments and social media posts — particularly those First Nations leaders say promote residential school denialism. Gunn is also drawing fire for insisting there are only two genders, the “gender pay gap doesn’t exist” and systemic racism is a “myth”. An online petition...
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