Cleansing with Sage as a Walk of Life with Thalia Aspeslet
By Laura Mushumanski, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Alberta Native News Let’s begin with striking a match against a box of Redbird matches and watch as a flame ignites, and then as the flame is placed gently next to a rolled-up ball of dried horse sage, watch closely as the medicines start to interact with each other and become one. Now as the smoke is slowly making its way up to Creator, cleanse your hands in this carefully and thoughtfully harvested sage that brought you teachings of connectivity, and walking in a good way. Bring the sweet smelling smoke to the top of your head while saying out loud: ‘think good thoughts,’ next to your eyes: ‘see good things,’ your mouth: ‘speak good things,’ ears: ‘hear good things,’ your heart: ‘follow...
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Federal inmate expected to plead guilty today to killing serial killer Robert Pickton
An inmate accused of killing notorious serial killer Robert Pickton in a prison attack last year is expected to plead guilty today. Martin Charest was charged with first-degree murder in July, more than a year after Pickton died following a May 2024 assault at the Port-Cartier federal penitentiary. Charest’s lawyer confirms her client will plead guilty to the charge at a court appearance in Sept-Îles, northeast of Quebec City. Pickton was convicted in 2007 of six counts of second-degree murder, but confessed to killing a total of 49 women whom he lured to his pig farm near Vancouver. An investigation summary released this summer showed Pickton was assaulted by a fellow inmate as medication was being distributed at the prison on May 19, 2024. The report says Pickton died in...
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Orange Shirt Day 2025 – Advertiser’s Special
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Premier says he can’t do anything about Labrador gynecologist under investigation
By Justin Brake, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Independent Newfoundland and Labrador’s premier says his hands are tied amid outrage from women in Labrador over an obstetrician-gynecologist’s return to practice while under active investigation following complaints from at least 20 women. On Sept. 10 The Independent reported that Dr. Adolf Hamann had returned to practice at the Labrador Health Centre in Happy Valley-Goose Bay despite ongoing investigations in the wake of complaints from current and former patients. “Certainly the government doesn’t make decisions or have authority over physicians,” the premier said in response to a question from The Independent during a Sept. 16 visit to Labrador. Instead, Hogan added, “I would encourage you to speak to the college about any, I guess I would call it, HR issues.” The premier’s...
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Confronting residential schools denialism is an ethical and shared Canadian responsibility
By Sean Carleton In May 2021, when the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc Nation announced preliminary results of their search for unmarked burials of children at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School (IRS), Canada was forced to reckon with a truth that Survivors had always carried: children were taken, and many never came home. This difficult truth was already established years earlier, in 2015, by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada’s final report, which confirmed more than 3,200 deaths of children as a result of the IRS system, including 51 at Kamloops. The Kamloops announcement shook many Canadians and revealed that more children likely died at residential schools in Canada than the TRC reported. This was something the commission anticipated would happen with new research, and additional deaths have now...
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Walking toward healing
By Charlie Teller, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Advocate POTLOTEK: If the ancient proverb is true that all great journeys begin with a single step, then Potlotek is very much on the right path – literally. Every Tuesday morning, the small First Nation community on Cape Breton Island hosts a Women’s Walk along the trails adjacent to the Potlotek Health Centre. Beyond the obvious physical benefits, the walk’s purpose is to bring people together, fostering a sense of community in a place where isolation and loneliness are more common than many might expect. “It’s just a group where we all can get together and just enjoy each other’s company,” local resident Mirabel Nicholas said. “But if there is an issue, we get to talk about it.” And there are issues....
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Kwilmu’kw Maw-klusuaqn: Seeking consensus, protecting Mi’kmaw Rights
By Drake Lowthers, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Advocate In the heart of Nova Scotia, an organization stands at the center of one of the most important conversations in Canadian history – the protection, recognition, and implementation of Mi’kmaw Rights. Its name is Kwilmu’kw Maw-klusuaqn (KMK), which translates to “we are seeking consensus.” True to its name, KMK has become a bridge between the Mi’kmaw Nation and federal and provincial governments, while working to ensure that future generations of Mi’kmaq can live in harmony with their lands, waters, and traditions. Crystal Dorey, KMK’s director of communication, advised the seeds of the organization were planted in the 1990s, when Mi’kmaw leadership grew determined to take control of their own path forward. “Despite wins in the courtroom, Mi’kmaw leadership decided that the...
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Red Dress Day: Honouring the lives and legacies of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women
By Drake Lowthers, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Advocate Red Dress Day, observed annually on May 5, serves as a poignant reminder of the ongoing crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit people (MMIWG2S) across Canada. The day serves as a solemn reminder, reflecting both the shared grief and the resilience of Indigenous communities, including right here at home, in eastern Nova Scotia. The movement was initiated in 2010 with the REDress Project, created by Métis artist Jaime Black. Black’s installation of empty red dresses in public spaces aimed to symbolize the absence of Indigenous women and girls who have been lost to violence. The striking red dresses serve as a visual representation of the lives stolen by colonial and systemic violence. According to the National Inquiry...
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Jaime Battiste: A historic voice for Indigenous Peoples in Canada’s Parliament
By Drake Lowthers, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Advocate When Jaime Battiste stood in the House of Commons for the first time, history was made. In 2019, the then Liberal MP for Sydney–Victoria became the first Mi’kmaq person, and the first Indigenous person, ever elected to Canada’s Parliament. Now serving Cape Breton-Canso-Antigonish his inaugural victory was more than a political milestone – it was a moment of profound recognition for the Mi’kmaq people, who have lived on these lands for thousands of years, and for Indigenous communities across the country who continue to push for visibility, justice, and self-determination. Battiste’s journey to Ottawa was shaped long before his name appeared on a ballot. The son of celebrated Indigenous scholar Marie Battiste and the late Sákéj Henderson, a renowned Mi’kmaq legal...
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Treaty 8 FN grand chief appointed to federal advisory council
By Jeremy Appel, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Alberta Native News (ANNews) – The federal government has appointed Treaty 8 First Nations of Alberta Grand Chief Trevor Mercredi to sit on the Indigenous Advisory Committee (IAC) of the Major Projects Office. An outspoken critic of Bill C-5, which created an office to advance projects deemed to be in Canada’s national interest, Mercredi is one of 11 First Nations, Inuit and Métis leaders announced as committee appointees on Sept. 10. According to a Treaty 8 First Nations of Alberta news release published a week after his appointment, Mercredi intends to advocate for “advancing the protection of Treaty rights, the autonomy of Treaty First Nations, the highest standards of environmental stewardship, and equitable economic benefits for our Peoples.” The release emphasizes that “not...
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Brantford Police arrest Ohsweken man after people unlawfully confined in a motel room
BRANTFORD, ONT-A 39-year-old man from Ohsweken is facing charges after Brantford Police Service (BPS) officers arrested a man for unlawfully confining multiple people in a local motel. Brantford police were dispatched a motel at Colborne Street and Clara Crescent at about 8:30 a.m., Saturday, September 20, 2025, after receiving a report of a man holding multiple people against their will within a motel room. BPS arrived at the scene and took a man into custody and seized a machete found in the motel room. No physical injuries were reported. BPS found seven other people in the motel room, two were arrested on outstanding warrants: a 27-year-old man from Etobicoke and a 31-year-old female from Jackson’s Point. As a result of the incident, a 39-year-old man from Ohsweken stands charged with...
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Age-Friendly Communities Grant is there to help
By Grant McDaniel, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Advocate NOVA SCOTIA: If you are part of a non-for-profit group wanting to help older Nova Scotians stay active, healthy and engaged, the Age-Friendly Communities Grant from the province of Nova Scotia is something to think about. “Seniors are vital members of their communities and important citizens of our province. They contribute so much as volunteers, leaders, mentors, caregivers and more,” said Barbara Adams, Minister of Seniors and Long-Term Care. “By supporting projects to create age-friendly communities, this program is helping older Nova Scotians age well and live healthy, active lives.” Non-for-profit societies and cooperatives are welcome to apply, and the same can be said for registered charities (and registered associations based in Nova Scotia), local governments, universities, and non-profit post-secondary institutions...
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Students delve into the history of residential schools
By Pratik Bhattarai, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eastern Graphic Indigenous and non-Indigenous students from Mount Stewart Consolidated school are learning about First Nation, Inuit and Métis peoples’ history through an essay contest. Grade 6, 7 and 8 students are writing about the history of Indigenous peoples, especially regarding the residential schools where Indigenous kids were sent, forcefully separating them from their families in order to assimilate them into Euro-Canadian culture. Many of them never returned to their families. Some students have a direct relationship to survivors. Emma Peters, a Grade 7 student from Scotchfort, said she understands reconciliation as a way of fixing the wrongdoing. She said her grandfather was a residential school survivor and it is important to raise awareness about what happened to the kids in those...
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Denmark’s leader apologizes to Indigenous girls and women in Greenland for forced contraception
By James Brooks COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — At age 13, Katrine Petersen was fitted with a contraceptive device by Danish doctors without her consent. She had become pregnant, and after doctors in the Greenlandic town of Maniitsoq terminated her pregnancy, they fitted her with an intrauterine contraceptive device, commonly known as an IUD, or coil. Now 52 and living in Denmark, Petersen recalled being told she had been fitted with the device before leaving the hospital. “Because of my age, I didn’t know what to do,” she said tearfully. “I kept it inside me and never talked about it.” Petersen said her trauma led to “anger, depression, and too much to drink,” as she suppressed memories of her experiences and didn’t speak about it with doctors. Later in life, after...
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On National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, ‘our way of life is not ever going to be forgotten,’ says Inuk Elder
By Darrell Greer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Kivalliq News Nunavut Elder Tagak Curley says it’s wonderful to see Nunavut’s youth aware of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and being taught the history of the occasion in schools. Curley said Truth and Reconciliation Day, marked on Sept. 30, is an important day on the calendar and is an ongoing issue for a number of Inuit. He said there are a lot of people who endured a very difficult time in the past and many today need to find ways to make sure they find a place and eventually be part of Inuit society in Nunavut. “We cannot afford to have people who are hurting forever,” said Curley. “It’s still a very difficult discussion for many Inuit who suffered, but,...
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Clayoquot Sound UNESCO Biosphere Region celebrates 25-year milestone
By Nora O’Malley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Ha-Shilth-Sa Tofino, BC – As one group of people gathered in southern Vancouver Island to protest the logging of B.C.’s old-growth forest in the Walbran Valley, another came together in Clayoquot Sound to celebrate 25 years of conservation and community building. For decades, Clayoquot Sound on the west coast of Vancouver Island was a region in conflict as hundreds of people stood on logging roads to save a temperate coastal rainforest from being clearcut. At the height of the conflict in 1993, over 800 people were arrested, marking one of the largest acts of civil disobedience in Canada until the Fairy Creek blockades near Port Renfrew in Pacheedaht First Nations territory saw nearly 1,200 arrested in 2021 and 2022. Around the same time...
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About half of Chipewyan Lake evacuees return home
By Pearl Lorentzen Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Lakeside Leader At the end of May, a wildfire burnt 48 per cent of the primary residences in Chipewyan Lake, a hamlet 4.5 hours north of the nearest community in the boreal forest. Starting September 5, residents whose homes were in the unaffected area were allowed to return home, but the M.D. of Opportunity didn’t lift the evacuation order until Sept. 15. Council waited for a regular meeting, says M.D. Reeve Marcel Auger. Also, the residents had a lot of mental distress about returning, because only half of the residents could return at this time and there are so many trees burnt. It also took a bit longer than expected to get the homes ready. The community had 50 primary residences, with people...
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Six Nations funds $1.17 million welcome centre with own source revenues
Six Nations approved plans to move forward with a $1.17 million Tourism Welcome Center, despite concerns over funding shortfalls, administrative delays, and ongoing questions about the process and location. Six Nations Tourism manager Jackie Jamieson presented an update on the project at the Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) General Finance meeting on September 15. She outlined both progress and challenges. The center has already secured a $225,000 Tourism Growth grant through FedDev Ontario and raised about a third of its budget through departmental revenues. But more than $1 million is still needed to complete the project. Jamieson said delays in federal funding opportunities caused by the election cycle have stalled additional grant applications, forcing tourism to piece together funding through smaller, phased requests. “Once you start construction, it’s hard to...
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Six Nations Elected Council costs hit record high
Six Nations audit: own source revenues still keeps band afloat By Lynda Powless Editor Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) is getting better about releasing its audits. The 2024-2025 audit is only three months late compared to last year when it was quietly dropped on the band’s website six months’ late. Sources told Turtle Island News Elected Chief Sherri-Lyn Hill had to be prodded by councillors to release the audit this year. The current audit belies the picture shown of an operation in the black. Instead, the audit shows while the Six Nations band received $121,356,655 in federal, provincial and Indigenous Services Canada funds in the 2024-2025 year, its expenses hit $135,309,518. Six Nations own source revenues kicked in hitting $45,311,695 keeping the band out of a deficit that could have...
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Survivors’ Secretariat opens doors to community
By Carly McHugh Writer Survivors, their families and Six Nations community members recently came together to show support, share stories and spread awareness about the Indigenous children still missing from the Mohawk Institute Residential School and the organization dedicated to finding them. Ahead of Truth and Reconciliation Day, Survivors’ Secretariat held an open house at their headquarters on Sept. 12. The event provided an opportunity for attendees to connect with board members, learn about their lived experience and support the organization’s initiatives and Reconciliation efforts. Attendees could also view the annual memorial for the children confirmed to have passed away in connection with the institute. This year, 105 feathers placed in an eagle pattern across the front lawn light up in orange each night, through the month of September. Year-round,...
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