Encounter with wolves ‘one of the most epic experiences of my life’
By Kira Wronska Dorward Journalism Initiative Reporter 03/06/2024 10:44 “This has always been my biggest dream,” says Amit Eshel, speaking to Nunavut News from his home country of Israel, where he is in the process of being filmed for Israeli national television and setting up an exhibit in Tel Aviv with the incredible photos he shot on his recent trip to photograph Arctic wolves on northern Ellesmere Island. Eshel and his team spent 18 days in the High Arctic around Grise Fiord in what was his second, and this time wildly successful endeavour to track the elusive white wolves. “Just getting there is very expensive,” he says, “and you never know if you’re going to find them. Usually these kinds of photos are only managed by publications like National Geographic...
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100 years ago, US citizenship for Native Americans came without voting rights in swing states
The Associated Press 01/06/2024 13:29 SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Voter participation advocate Theresa Pasqual traverses Acoma Pueblo with a stack of sample ballots in her car and applications for absentee ballots, handing them out at every opportunity ahead of New Mexico’s Tuesday primary. Residents of the tribal community’s original mesa-top “sky city” that endured after the Spanish invasion in the late 1500s know firsthand the challenges voters have faced across Indian Country, where polling places are often hours away and restrictive voter laws and ID requirements only add to the barriers. It’s been a century now since an act of Congress granted citizenship to Native Americans, but advocates say that right bestowed in 1924 still hasn’t translated into equal access to the ballot. Inequities are especially pronounced in remote...
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B.C. unveils 240-language racism helpline as survey suggests systemic problems
The Canadian Press 01/06/2024 13:17 British Columbia has launched a new helpline for people who witness or experience a racist incident, with support available in more than 240 languages. The province said in a news release that helpline callers would receive support and guidance, which could include referrals to local community support services, such as counselling or help with reporting to police. But it’s also part of an effort to collect more data about racism in the province, that includes a provincewide demographic survey about systemic racism. The helpline and the results of the survey into barriers experienced by Indigenous and racialized people in the public service, schools and health care were separately announced on Thursday. The Ministry of Citizens’ Services said the data from the survey and “other sources”...
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The healing power of fire
By Matt Simmons Local Journalism Initiative Reporter This is the first story from In the Line of Fire , a series from The Narwhal digging into what is being done to prepare for — and survive — wildfires. Gitanyow Elder Darlene Vegh drips fire onto a patch of dry leaves, moss and twigs on a ridge above Xsit’ax (Kitwanga River) on Wilp Gwaas Hlaam lands in northwest B.C. It’s a clear spring day a few weeks after the winter snowmelt exposed the forest floor. The orange light of the little flames dancing along the ground is soft and warm against the deep shadows cast by the trees. Vegh’s fire starts the day’s cultural burn, an Indigenous-led practice that brings fire back to the land in a good way. Fire —...
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Arizona tribe temporarily bans dances after police officer is fatally shot responding to disturbance
The Associated Press 02/06/2024 19:12 SANTAN, Ariz. (AP) — The Gila River Indian Community has issued a temporary ban on dances after a tribal police officer was fatally shot and another wounded while responding to a reported disturbance at a Santan home, tribal officials said Sunday. Stephen Roe Lewis, governor of the tribe south of Phoenix, said a special meeting of community council’s leaders was held Saturday night. The council approved a temporary moratorium on all permitted and non-permitted dances in the community, effective immediately, along with enhanced penalties for trespassing and disorderly conduct, he said. The Phoenix FBI is investigating the fatal shooting, but it has not released many details. The Arizona Republic reported that the shooting occurred at a teenager’s birthday party in Santan, located in one of...
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Trudeau pitches strong ties to Mexico’s new leader Claudia Sheinbaum amid U.S. tumult
The Canadian Press 03/06/2024 10:39 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is welcoming the election of Mexico’s next president, Claudia Sheinbaum, and pitching closer ties between the two counties as they ponder the future of North American relations. Mexicans elected Sheinbaum as their first female president Sunday, and in October she will replace Andrés Manuel Lopéz Obrador. The election comes three months after the Liberals reimposed a visa requirement for Mexican visitors over concerns that the 2016 lifting of the requirement led to a rise in ineligible refugee claims and human smuggling into the U.S. The two countries will be part of the 2026 review of the trade deal that replaced NAFTA, as both U.S. President Joe Biden and his likely election opponent Donald Trump propose policies that would clamp down on...
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Unique trades program at Birdtail Sioux Dakota Nation
By Ryan Kiedrowski Local Journalism Initiative 31/05/2024 22:11 It’s an intense but effective initiative promising to propel participants from having no experience in the trades to being job ready—all in under two weeks. That’s the goal of a new study being funded by the federal government on the Birdtail Sioux Dakota Nation to the tune of $352,500, part of a larger announcement on March 6 that saw Indigenous Natural Resource Partnerships devote a total of $10.4 million to seven mining projects. “Government, over the last two decades, has done a pretty darn good job of training up Indigenous people and getting them ready for the workforce and the work environment,” said Greg Farney, co-founder of Straight Talk Advisory and Training. “The one thing that we’ve all failed at is...
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Royal Regina Rifles statue to be unveiled at Juno Beach to mark D-Day’s 80th year
The Canadian Press 03/06/2024 04:00 A statue depicting the Canadians who fought Nazi Germany 80 years ago will have a permanent home near the beaches they stormed on D-Day. The Royal Regina Rifles statue is to be unveiled Wednesday at Juno Beach in France, a day ahead of the milestone anniversary of the invasion that launched the beginning of the end of the Second World War. The names of 458 soldiers from the infantry unit who died during that conflict are etched in the statue’s base. The Regina Rifles were among the first Canadians to storm Juno Beach on June 6, 1944, also known as D-Day. The soldiers battled alongside troops from the United States and United Kingdom to dislodge Nazis from northern France, marking the decisive turning point in...
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Expert to testify in Winnipeg trial about mental state of admitted serial killer
The Canadian Press 03/06/2024 04:00 An admitted serial killer’s mental state is expected to be the focus of a murder trial that resumes in Winnipeg. Jeremy Skibicki, who is 37, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the deaths of four Indigenous women in Winnipeg in 2022. Crown prosecutors have said the killings were racially motivated and Skibicki preyed on the vulnerable victims at homeless shelters. Skibicki’s lawyers admit he killed the women but argue he should be found not criminally responsible due to mental illness. They are expected to start calling evidence, including their own expert, about Skibicki’s state of mind at the time of the slayings. Manitoba Court of King’s Bench Chief Justice Glenn Joyal also ordered Skibicki undergo a mental health assessment last month with a...
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Treaty 3 man wins TV awards for Crave series
By Mike Stimpson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 31/05/2024 16:08 THUNDER BAY — A documentary maker with roots in two Treaty 3 First Nations won two Canadian Screen Awards in Toronto on Thursday but had no time for celebration. Ryan McMahon, whose mother is from Couchiching and whose paternal grandmother was from nearby Rainy River First Nations, explained Friday that he instead had family duties. “My partner and I, we have a six-month-old and a 2½-year-old,” the host, co-writer and co-producer of the Crave documentary series Thunder Bay said. “And she has two kids from a previous relationship, and I have two kids from a previous relationship. “So immediately after the awards, we ran back to Union Station and caught the train home to Hamilton because it was her 11-year-old’s...
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Serial killer Robert Pickton dies following prison assault
The Canadian Press 31/05/2024 16:11 Serial killer Robert Pickton has died after he was assaulted in prison earlier this month, Quebec provincial police and Correctional Service Canada say. The correctional service says Pickton, an inmate at Port-Cartier Institution in Quebec, died on Friday at the age of 74. It says in a statement that Pickton’s next of kin have been notified as well as victims who had registered to be told. It says an investigation is underway into the May 19 assault that involved another inmate. Quebec provincial police spokesman Frédéric Deshaies says Pickton died “in the last few hours.” He says police continue to investigate the assault that led to Pickton’s death, and the 51-year-old suspect is in custody. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May...
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CP NewsAlert: Serial killer Robert Pickton dies following prison assault
Serial killer Robert Pickton has died after he was assaulted in prison earlier this month, Quebec Provincial Police say. The 74-year-old was hospitalized after a violent prison assault two weeks ago. More coming....
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Rising seas force Panama Indigenous families to leave island homes
Indigenous Guna men displaced from Gardi Subdug, a small Caribbean island a couple kilometers off the Central American coastline that is disappearing under rising waves due to climate change, arrive to their new houses in a small woodland settlement on the mainland, in Nuevo Carti, Panama, in this handout distributed on May 29, 2024. Presidencia de Panama/Handout via REUTERS By Reuters ay 30, 20241:22 PM EDTUpdated a day ago PANAMA CITY, May 30 (Reuters) – Rising sea levels due to climate change have forced an Indigenous Guna community to leave their homes on an island off Panama’s coast that is fast disappearing. Some 300 families – 1,351 people – based in Gardi Subdug, a small Caribbean island a couple of kilometers off the Central American coastline, received keys on Wednesday...
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Fisheries Department issues warnings about lobster trap tampering in Nova Scotia
The Canadian Press The federal Fisheries Department is investigating reports of gear tampering in lobster fishing areas in eastern Nova Scotia. The department issued a statement late Thursday saying Indigenous fishers taking part in officially sanctioned moderate livelihood fisheries have reported tampering in two fishing areas, as have non-Indigenous commercial fishers. The lobster fishing areas in question are 26A, which includes the eastern half of the Northumberland Strait, and area 27, which extends from the tip of Cape Breton near Meat Cove to an area on the east side of the island near Garbarus. The department’s statement says conservation and protection officers have been deployed to deter further tampering, an offence under the Fisheries Act that can result in a fine of up to $100,000. The statement says gear tampering...
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‘Traffic garden,’ greenhouse, charging station among plans for Hydro One grant money
By Sandi Krasowski Local Journalism Initiative Reporter This week, 35 Indigenous communities, charities and municipalities, including four in the Thunder Bay region, received $25,000 in funding from the Hydro One Energizing Life Community Fund. The funding aims to support initiatives that promote physical, emotional and psychological safety and well-being. EcoSuperior was among the four regional recipients, which also included the Children’s Centre Foundation Thunder Bay, Ojibways of Onigaming First Nation and Wunnumin Lake First Nation. “Whenever we receive funding support, it’s, it’s very important to EcoSuperior because we are not-for-profit without core funding,” said Ashley Priem, the centre’s co-executive director. The funds will be directed toward the creation and installation of what Priem calls Thunder Bay’s first traffic garden. “It’s like a playground in a space that’s designed to provide...
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Wawa receiving half a million to finance infrastructure projects
By Kyle Darbyson Local Journalism Initiative The province is providing nearly $553,000 through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) to finance three infrastructure improvement projects in the Wawa area. This money will go towards upgrading the Wawa Municipal Airport ($246,000) and the Michipicoten Golf Club ($108,848), while the remaining funds are being set aside to develop a new business/cultural space for Michipicoten First Nation ($198,000). Minister of Indigenous Affairs and Northern Development Greg Rickford, who is also the chair of NOHFC’s board of directors, visited Wawa Thursday afternoon to make this announcement at the local airport. Here, town officials will use this $246,000 to build a new accessible washroom, upgrade the lobby (with more comfortable seating, flip-ups tables and electrical outlets) and purchase an outdoor sand shelter to better...
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Six Nations Police arrest impaired driver after vehicle hits ditch
SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND RIVER-A 36-year-old Ohsweken man is facing charges after a vehicle hit a ditch on Second Line Road and the driver fled the scene. Six Nations Police Service (SNPS) were called to the scene of Thursday, May 30 at about 3:10 p.m. after witnesses said a vehicle had hit the ditch on Second Line Road and the driver fled the scene after being confrontational with bystanders. Witnesses told police the man became confrontational and fled on foot after being denied help to leave the scene from those standing by. Witnesses provided police with a description of the male driver. SNPS said police located a man who matched the description on a nearby property but upon approaching the man, police said he refused to comply with police...
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Sulphur dioxide levels off the charts in Ontario’s Chemical Valley
By Natasha Bulowski, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter In the aftermath of a crackdown on benzene pollution plaguing Chemical Valley, environmental watchdogs say another chemical that causes choking, coughing and burning eyes and throats is still abundant. Sulphur dioxide levels in the region, which is home to 67 petrochemical plants near Sarnia, have also been exceedingly high. Levels regularly exceed federal air quality standards despite new regulations passed by Ontario in 2022 aimed at reducing emissions by 90 per cent in the Sarnia area. Sulphur dioxide is a toxic compound released in the refining of hydrogen sulphide, otherwise known as “sour gas,” recognized for its pungent rotten-egg smell. Much of the sour gas refined in the Chemical Valley comes from Alberta crude. It is released when plants flare and while processing...
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Protestors ‘feel abandoned’ by leadership in Marten Falls
By Austin Campbell Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 31/05/2024 09:59 Some members of this regional, fly-in First Nation are demanding change. A group of Marten Falls First Nations members have staged a peaceful protest outside of their Band Office by setting up an encampment, posting signs, and nailing a board across the Band Office door. The focus of the protest, as noted by organizer Patricia Achneepineskum, is to instigate a discussion about jobs in the community, an alleged lack of leadership presence – particularly at the Band Office – and the supposed neglect of Marten Falls’ youth centre. “We started because we felt like we weren’t being recognized – what was happening in our community. We felt abandoned by our own leadership and we had a lot of questions and concerns...
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Feds to investigate chemicals in oilsands tailings
By Natasha Bulowski Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The federa government will assess the toxicity of a harmful compound in oilsands tailings after the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation and environmental groups requested a review. Naphthenic acids (NAs) accumulate in oilsands tailing ponds — which currently hold at least 1.4 trillion litres of wastewater — and have been found to harm fish and amphibians; there are still research gaps on how it affects human health. Large tailings leaks from Imperial Oil’s Kearl tar sands facility spurred renewed calls for health studies, regulations and environmental reform. “The cancerous effects of naphthenic acids have long been known to scientists, industry, governments and sadly to our community of Fort Chipewyan,” said ACFN Chief Allan Adam in a release on May 30. “Fort Chipewyan is the...
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