$9.2M coming to the city for homelessness prevention from the province
THUNDER BAY — While many political leaders are in town for a regional conference, the minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing made a significant housing announcement under the Homelessness Prevention Program. Four projects will receive a total of $9,238,000 from The District of Thunder Bay Social Services Administration Board (TBDSSAB). The project getting the most funding is a Shelter House and NorWest Community Health Centres project, which will receive $4,179,000 to create 17 units in a building located at the corner of Donald Street E and Simpson Street. The new executive director of Shelter House, Brendan Carlin, is excited about the funding. “We’re building some managed alcohol spaces and reduced harm spaces. It will allow a couple of things; allow them their private spaces, as opposed to a dorm,...
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Killer whale calf trapped in B.C. swims out of lagoon on her own
By Canadian Press A killer whale calf made her own bid for freedom Friday for a potential reunion with extended family in the nearby ocean, swimming under a bridge at high tide and out of a remote Vancouver Island lagoon where she had been trapped for more than a month. The orca has been the focus of intense rescue efforts since March 23 when her pregnant mother became stranded on a rocky beach near the bridge at low tide and died. The Ehattesaht and Nuchatlaht First Nations say in a statement the calf chose a “clear and glass-calm, star-filled night” at about 2:30 a.m. to swim under the bridge and down the inlet. “I’m very happy,” Ehattesaht First Nation Chief Simon John said in an interview Friday. “It is a...
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Air Canada issues apology after placing Assembly of First Nations National Chief headdress in cargo hold
By Turtle Island News and CP The federal minister of Crown-Indigenous relations is calling on Air Canada to “make things right” with the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, who said her headdress was removed from an airplane cabin during a flight this week. Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, who leads the advocacy organization, said in a social-media post Thursday her headdress and its case were taken away and put in a garbage bag. She said the incident left her with hurt feelings, and Air Canada needs a protocol for First Nations peoples so they are not “harassed” when carrying sacred items. “If I get kicked off the flight today, then I will because I won’t be letting them take my headdress or case away from me again,” she wrote....
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Mississauga’s urban growth confronts a tree canopy first protected by the people who gave the city its name
By Rachel Morgan Local Journalism Initiative Reporter First enjoyed by the Mississaugas some three hundred years ago, the awesome tree cover that provided natural and spiritual benefits has since fallen victim to wide scale deforestation. Some Ojibwe, whose homelands spread to the easternmost area of the Anishinaabe people, migrated south to the banks of the Great Lake now called Ontario, around the early 1700s. They came to be known as the Mississaugas. Framing what are now known as Etobicoke Creek and the Credit River, the mouths where these flowing water bodies met one of the “five freshwater seas” (as described by the Anishinaabe) were surrounded by towering White Pines, Sugar Maples, Poplars and White Cedars. As Europeans settled along the shores of the Great Lakes, where shipping routes carried the...
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Six Nations Police identify body located on Second Line Road as local person
SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND RIVER- Six Nations Police have identified the body of a deceased person found on Second Line near Chiefswood Road almost two weeks ago as a 32-year-old from Ohsweken. Police did not identify the deceased as male or female or release the name saying they are not identifying the sex of the individual for “investigative reasons.” An increased police presence will be seen in the area today as the investigation continues. On April 12, 2024, at about 5:15 p.m., police were notified of an individual found deceased on Second Line Road just off the roadway. Police said the “identity is being withheld to maintain the integrity of the investigation, which is continuing under the direction of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Criminal Investigation Branch.” Anyone with...
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Nova Scotia elver fisher says early signs of improved enforcement of fishery
The Canadian Press A string of recent arrests for illegal fishing is an early sign the federal government has increased enforcement since it closed the baby eel fishery, says one Nova Scotia commercial fisher. Stanley King, of Atlantic Elver Fishery, reacted Thursday to news that the federal Fisheries Department arrested five people from Maine for illegal fishing in the Meteghan, N.S., area of Digby County last weekend. Department officials have “upped their game,” said King, who has been among the commercial fishers who have criticized the federal government in recent years for what they said was a soft approach to poaching. But he cautioned that cases of unauthorized fishing could still rise as the population of the tiny fish known as elvers increases through the spring with more favourable coastal...
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From 18 to 5,000: Timmins group is thriving making quilts for residential school survivors
By Amanda Rabski-McColl Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Volunteers have worked for the last three years to create thousands of quilts for residential school survivors, and they’re not stopping any time soon. “I’ve always volunteered all my life,” said Marcelle Dallaire, who started volunteering after she retired. “I was looking for something to keep me busy, and one day I’m on Facebook and I saw Quilts for Survivors, and I started reading.” Quilts for Survivors has been a welcoming place for quilters and non-quilters alike in their work to create quilts for residential school survivors. With their 5,000th blanket on its way to a recipient in Manitoba, the team is always looking for more people to help. Dallaire has enjoyed helping people learn to quilt more, no matter their skill level....
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Man accused of first-degree murder more than two years after Manitoba double homicide
The Canadian Press Manitoba RCMP have charged a man with first-degree murder, more than two years after a double homicide on the Northlands Denesuline First Nation, a remote fly-in community of some 900 residents in the province’s far north. News of the arrest has provided some comfort to the tight-knit community following the deaths of Brent Denechezhe, 31, and Leona Tssessaze, 24, in September 2021, said Chief Simon Denechezhe, the community’s chief. “We live with the loss of these two vibrant young people every day, but now we can stop wondering,” the chief said Thursday. “Without the questions, we can process the pain.” RCMP said the victims and a man were together inside Brent Denechezhe’s home, when they got into a disagreement and the man left and returned with a...
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Guilbeault seeking ways to end benzene exposure from Sarnia styrene plant
By Mia Rabson THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA- Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault is looking for options to protect a southern Ontario First Nation from repeated exposure to benzene from a nearby chemical plant, as the plant issues a new warning about air pollution. Leaders from Aamjiwnaang First Nation and international environment advocates wrote to Guilbeault on Thursday asking him to take immediate steps to ensure the Ineos Styrolution plant in Sarnia remains closed until the First Nation deems it safe to reopen. The plant began a shutdown on April 20, two days after a provincial compliance order demanded Ineos take steps to fix the benzene pollution problem. In an interview, Guilbeault said he met with the First Nation leaders in Ottawa on Wednesday and wants to help. “I am worried it’s...
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Frustrated with Brazil’s Lula, Indigenous peoples march to demand land recognition
BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Thousands of Indigenous people marched on Thursday in Brazil’s capital, calling on the government to officially recognize lands they have lived on for centuries and to protect territories from criminal activities such as illegal mining. With posters bearing messages like “The future is Indigenous,” they walked towards Three Powers Square, where Congress, the Supreme Court and the Planalto presidential palace are located in Brasilia. A group of Indigenous leaders entered the palace to talk to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, while others shouted toward the building: “Our rights are not negotiable.” Last week, he backed down from the creation of four Indigenous territories, citing opposition from state governors. In addition to calls for more land recognition, some tribes protested a proposed 950-kilometer (590 miles) rail...
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B.C.’s Joffre Lakes Park to have partial closure, allowing for conservation, tourism
PEMBERTON, BRITISH COLUMBIA- An agreement between the B.C.government and the First Nations that manage Joffre Lakes Provincial Park will see the popular tourist spot closed for part of the year to protect its “natural and cultural values.” The announcement comes after a disagreement over the park’s public use led the Lilwat and N’Quatqua First Nations to shut down access to the park for about a month last year. Environment Minister George Heyman said Thursday that the decision to close the park for short stretches comes after consultation with the two nations and talks with other locals about “heavy visitor use.” “What we want to do around the province is collaborate with First Nations around management of parks where they’re interested, around ensuring that we have a good sense of how...
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B.C.’s Joffre Lakes Park to have partial closure, allowing for conservation, tourism
The Canadian Press An agreement between the B.C. government and the First Nations that manage Joffre Lakes Provincial Park will see the popular tourist spot closed for part of the year to protect its “natural and cultural values.” The announcement comes after a disagreement over the park’s public use led the Lilwat and N’Quatqua First Nations to shut down access to the park for about a month last year. Environment Minister George Heyman said Thursday that the decision to close the park for short stretches comes after consultation with the two nations and talks with other locals about “heavy visitor use.” “What we want to do around the province is collaborate with First Nations around management of parks where they’re interested, around ensuring that we have a good sense of...
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Documentary about Cree Elder `The Star Guy’ to premiere at Toronto film festival
By Sam Laskaris Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Lisa Jackson had an electrifying moment seven years ago, and that moment led to her latest work, a film titled Wilfred Buck. Wilfred Buck will have its North American premiere at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in Toronto, to be screened at the TIFF Lightbox on April 26 at 8 p.m. The 92-minute film will also be shown on April 27 at 2:15 p.m. at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto. The documentary is about Buck, an Elder from Opaskwayak Cree Nation in Manitoba, who is an expert on star knowledge and ceremony. The film, adapted from Buck’s memoir, includes stories of his early life of displacement, addiction and racism to his becoming the foremost authority on Indigenous astronomy in the world. Jackson, a...
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Brantford Police warn pickpockets are targeting seniors shopping alone
Brantford Police released photos of two more pickpocket suspects after seniors were targeted in grocery store parking lots. (Courtesy: Brantford Police Service) BRANTFORD- Brantford city police have released new photos of men believed involved in pickpocketting of seniors as they grocery shop and are asking the public for assistance in trying to track down the men. It’s the second set of photos released after city police investigators received four separate calls complainingg of pickpockets targeting seniors between April 11 and April 15. Police said the suspects all appeared to be working together targeting elderly people who were shopping alone. The men would walk to the grocery store parking lots and target seniors grocery shopping. Police said one suspect would act as a distraction while the other would steal the victim’s...
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Leclaire taking wait and see approach on budget allocation
By Marc Lalonde Local Journalism Initiative Reporter A recent federal budget allocation will mean a financial shot in the arm for Indigenous Financial Institutions (IFI) and entrepreneurship from coast to coast. This allocation shows the government is serious about Indigenous prosperity, the CEO of the National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association (NACCA) said. The federal government earmarked $350 million to be allocated to NACCA and its member IFIs when it released the 2024 federal budget in Ottawa last week. That funding will play a pivotal role in supporting Indigenous self-determination and economic empowerment, NACCA said, but locally, Tewatohnhi’saktha Business Services Director Darryl Leclaire is taking a wait-and-see approach. “It’s a substantial increase, and obviously we support the ability to support Indigenous entrepreneurship and provide financing to those entrepreneurs, but we don’t...
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Former SNC Lavalin executive sentenced to prison term in bridge bribery case
A former SNC-Lavalin executive has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison in connection with a bribery scheme for a bridge repair contract in Montreal, the RCMP say. Normand Morin, once a high-ranking vice-president at the engineering firm, received the sentence Tuesday after his conviction for corruption and fraud last month. A police investigation revealed that SNC-Lavalin executives paid bribes of roughly $2.3 million in order to secure a $128-million contract to repair the Jacques Cartier Bridge deck in the early 2000s. In 2017, Michel Fournier, former CEO of the Federal Bridge Corp., admitted to receiving the bribes through Swiss bank accounts between 1997 and 2004. Fournier, who served as chief of staff to Jean Chretien when he was Opposition leader in the early 1990s, was sentenced to...
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Deputy Prime Minister says new Indigenous loan guarantee program is `a really big deal’
By Sam Laskaris Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto. Freeland, who is also the minister of Finance, took part in the “Ministerial Panel On Indigenous Loan Guarantees And Economic Growth” on that final day, April 23. Freeland touted the $5 billion Indigenous Loan Guarantee Program, which she announced April 16 as part of the 2024 federal budget. The program provides affordable capital for Indigenous equity participation in natural resource and energy projects. Freeland said the concept of the program had been in the works for several years. “It’s a really big deal,” she told the Indigenous leaders, businesspeople and government representatives gathered. “I think this is one...
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Indigenous group detains 12 alleged gold miners in Amazon and hands them over to Brazilian police
By Mauricio Savarese THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SAO PAULO (AP)-An Indigenous group in Brazil said Wednesday its members detained 12 people for allegedly mining illegally in the Amazon and handed them over to police. The non-profit Urihi Associac?o Yanomami said in a statement that the incident took place Tuesday in the northern state of Roraima, which borders Venezuela. The organization said its move was aimed at avoiding the risk of water contamination by mercury in mining. Brazil’s Indigenous Peoples Ministry confirmed that a dozen alleged miners, including 10 men and two women, were in police custody. The Yanomami group filmed some of its members carrying bows and shotguns as they took the alleged miners to police. The detainees did not make comments in the video. The Associated Press could not find...
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Manitoba First Nation sues governments over chronic flooding, wants protection
The Canadian Press A Manitoba First Nation that has suffered from chronic flooding is suing three levels of government for failing to provide adequate protection over decades. Peguis First Nation filed a statement of claim Wednesday that alleges the federal and Manitoba governments failed to protect the community from frequent flooding that damaged homes and forced evacuations. “Over the course of its history on the reserve land, Peguis has been flooded repeatedly and severely due to natural and man-made causes without the plaintiff receiving any or any meaningful protection, remediation or compensation,” the document says. The lawsuit also alleges two nearby municipalities diverted water from their areas to improve drainage, but in a way that added to flooding on the reserve’s land. The lawsuit contains allegations that have not been...
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Fire bans announced in B.C. and Alberta as more than 170 wildfires burn
KAMLOOPS, B.C.- Tactical evacuations have started in northeastern British Columbia as wildfires tear through the area. An update from the B.C. Wildfire Service Wednesday night said efforts are focused on protecting public life and safety in the Peace River Regional District and the District of Chetywnd, which are both within the Prince George Fire Centre. The service said the fire covering approximately 50 hectares also forced the closure of Highway 97. This year’s wildfire season is off to an early start, with more than 170 blazes burning in British Columbia and Alberta, and both provinces issuing fire bans. On Wednesday, the BC Wildfire Service announced a five-month open fire ban, from May 3 to Oct. 11, covering a swath of the province’s Interior. The ban on Category 3 fires in...
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