NDP’s Ashton pays back some money from Christmas trip initially billed to taxpayers
A New Democrat member of Parliament has paid back a portion of the thousands of dollars she spent on a Christmastime trip for herself and her family that was paid for with public money. The federal New Democrats said Manitoba MP Niki Ashton Reimbursed the House of Commons administration for $2,900, part of the more than $17,000 in costs she incurred during a Christmas Day trip to Quebec City followed by a visit to Montreal. Public expenses show Ashton, her husband and two children flew from her northern Manitoba riding to Ottawa on Dec. 21, 2022. A day earlier, her Ottawa apartment was sprayed for bedbugs, which led her and her family to travel to the capital to deal with that “urgent” situation, Ashton said in a statement. “I then...
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Conmee mulls resolution about nuclear waste
By Carl Clutchey Local Journalism Initiative reporter Conmee Township may become the next rural municipality to formally oppose a proposal to ship spent nuclear-fuel rods across its boundaries. Council is to consider next month a resolution stating its opposition to the shipment plan by the Nuclear Waste Management Organization, which intends to ship the rods to a future underground storage site to be built near Ignace or in southwestern Ontario. The move follows a presentation this week to Conmee council members by the Environment North and We the Nuclear Free North groups, both of which oppose the Nuclear Waste Management Organization’s plan. The group’s contend that spent fuel rods from nuclear reactors, which remain radioactive for several years, should not be shipped and instead contained “in the vicinity” of the...
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As fall elections loom, are fears for the state of democracy in Canada justified?
At ceremonies marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day in France a month ago, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivered a warning about the state of democracy. It was, he said on Juno Beach, “still under threat today, … threatened by aggressors who want to redraw borders. It is threatened by demagogy, misinformation, disinformation, foreign interference.” With Canadians poised to go to the polls in at least three provincial elections this fall, and a federal vote due next year, concerns about the strength of democracy are being raised on multiple fronts. But is Canada’s democracy truly under threat? Political scientists say while Canadian politics and institutions are facing a myriad of concerns, the situation isn’t dire overall. “From a comparative standpoint, Canada’s democracy is quite robust, and it’s quite strong from an...
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Underwater gardeners work to restore B.C.’s majestic kelp forests
In the chilly waters of Vancouver Island’s Barkley Sound, gardeners are at work on the sea floor. They are scientists from the University of Victoria who are trying to regrow kelp forests, a crucial part of the marine habitat, amid threats from heat waves, climate change and voracious sea urchins. Julia Baum, a University of Victoria professor of ocean ecology and global change has been studying data going back decades on B.C.’s majestic underwater forests, which provide food and resources for fish and other coastal organisms. She said a “very prolonged marine heat wave between 2014 and 2016″ had a major impact on the northeast Pacific. “And what we found was that in a number of places, kelp forests disappeared,” said Baum. Bull kelp and giant kelp are the two...
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Portage la Prairie apologizes for past wrongs against Indigenous people
By Dave Baxter Local Journalism Initiative reporter The City of Portage la Prairie officially apologized this week for past wrongs they say they committed against Indigenous people, including a decision that saw Indigenous people removed from the city more than 100 years ago. On Wednesday, Portage la Prairie city council held a special meeting of council to “formally acknowledge and apologize for past mistakes of the City in order to rebuild relationships with our Indigenous partners.” More than a century ago, in the late 1800’s land in the city located west of Winnipeg was purchased by the Dakota Plains First Nation, but in 1911 the city’s-then council passed a resolution asking officials to suggest to the federal government that it was “advisable to have the Indians removed from their present...
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In their own words: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s message on Canada Day
The Canadian Press 01/07/2024 09:00 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has released a video message to Canadians on Canada Day. Here’s what he had to say, in his own words. “Hello everyone, happy Canada Day. No matter where you are, I hope you’re celebrating the incredible people, the land and the story that is Canada. It’s a story that began more than 157 years ago, with Indigenous Peoples who called this land home since time immemorial. It’s a story of sacrifice. When Canadian soldiers stormed the beaches of Normandy, they knew they were risking their lives, but freedom — even for those across an ocean, even for generations of people they’d never meet — was worth fighting for. Our rights and freedoms are never guaranteed. They’re safeguarded every day by trailblazers,...
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‘We are at risk of becoming a second Highway of Tears’
This warning sign can be seen on a section of British Columbia’s Highway 16 known as the Highway of Tears 31 km north of Smithers. (Photo courtesty Izithombe Wikimedia CC) By Roisin Cullen Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 01/07/2024 10:38 The former owner/operator of independent transportation service “Owl Bus” is urging politicians to take action to provide transportation between Mount Currie and Lillooet. Lillooet local Jill Stainsby fears people will have no option but to hitchhike as no other intercity service exists past Whistler. Stainsby ran the twice-weekly intercity Owl Bus route between Whistler and Kamloops for nearly five years. She parked her reliable white Dodge Journey for good on Feb. 1, citing her advancing age as her reason for stepping down. At the time, Stainsby stressed another transit company...
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Yellowstone officials: Rare white buffalo sacred to Native Americans not seen since June 4 birth
The Associated Press 28/06/2024 14:23 Yellowstone National Park officials said Friday a rare white buffalo sacred to Native Americans has not been seen since its birth on June 4. The birth of the white buffalo, which fulfilled a Lakota prophecy that portends better times, was the first recorded in Yellowstone history and is a landmark event for the ecocultural recovery of bison, said park officials in confirming the birth for the first time. It is an extraordinarily rare occurrence: A white buffalo is born in the wild once in every 1 million births, or even less frequently, the park said. Whether the calf – named Wakan Gli, which means “Return Sacred” in Lakota – is still alive is unknown. The park’s statement mentioned that each spring, about one in five...
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Community group seeks to add “missing piece” to Purcell Wilderness Conservancy
By Rachael Lesosky Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Mt. Willet Wilderness Forever, a North Kootenay Lake community group, is seeking political and public support for its latest proposal to include the “missing piece” – the Argenta-Johnsons Landing (AJL) Face – in the Purcell Wilderness Conservancy Provincial Park. Eight years of hard work have gone into the second proposal, said Gary Diers, member of Mt. Willet Wilderness Forever. It was revised with help from biologists Amber Peters and Dr. Michael Proctor to encompass wider biological issues. “But our ask of the government is still exactly the same: the inclusion of the Argenta Face within the Purcell Wilderness Conservancy Provincial Park.” Lying between the communities of Argenta and Johnsons Landing, the AJL Face is bordered on three sides by the Purcell Wilderness Conservancy...
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As political fervor for New Zealand’s Māori resurgence wanes, a new Indigenous holiday comes of age
The Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — When Ngarauru Mako told her family she was calling off Christmas festivities in favor of celebrating Matariki, the Māori new year holiday that’s experiencing a renaissance in New Zealand, her children didn’t believe her. “We grew up with Christmas because it was just what you did, but I realized it wasn’t my thing,” said Mako, who is Māori, a member of New Zealand’s Indigenous people. “I just decided myself to cancel Christmas, be the Grinch, and take on Matariki.” Now in its third year as a nationwide public holiday in New Zealand, Matariki marks the lunar new year by the rise of the star cluster known in the Northern Hemisphere as the Pleiades. The holiday is seeing a surge in popularity, even...
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Different schools of thought on why Canada drapes itself with red and white
Canada’s unofficial national colours will be on full display Monday as Canadians don patriotic T-shirts, wave hand-held flags and hang bunting to celebrate their country. But while the red-and-white flag for the most part unites Canadians, the colours’ meaning is open to interpretation. Xavier Gélinas, a curator at the Canadian Museum of History, said there is no authoritative source that explains why the country drapes itself in red and white. “It has never been stated clearly, explicitly anywhere, that red and white are Canada’s official colours,” he said in a recent interview. There are several schools of thought about the origins of the country’s colours, he said. Some believe they were gifted to Canada by King George V in 1921. For about a century, Gélinas said, some believed the red...
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Thessalon First Nation workers make history as first in Canada to unionize
27/06/2024 13:09 THESSALON FIRST NATION, Ontario, June 27, 2024 — Employees of Thessalon First Nation in Northern Ontario have joined the United Steelworkers union (USW), in the process making history as the first such unionized group in Canada. The Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) has officially certified the Thessalon First Nation employees as USW members. It is believed to be the first such union certification of a group of First Nations community workers in Canada. Thessalon First Nation (TFN) is located on the north shore of Lake Huron, approximately 100 kilometres east of Sault Ste. Marie. The TFN workers fall under federal labour law jurisdiction and therefore were certified by the CIRB – the federal labour relations tribunal. The newly unionized TFN employees work in the delivery of a wide...
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Resolutions on child welfare barred from AFN assembly as chiefs raise concern
The Canadian Press The Assembly of First Nations is not allowing resolutions on child welfare at its coming annual general assembly, including one that called for it to publicly apologize for comments made in front of a tribunal. Khelsilem, a chairperson with Squamish Nation, brought forward a resolution on Jordan’s Principle, a legal rule that ensures First Nations kids get the care they need when they need it, with payments to be worked out afterward. Khelsilem, who goes by a single name, says even though he followed the assembly’s protocol, his resolution was barred from coming to the floor next month. Another barred resolution moved by Osoyoos Indian Band called for the AFN to publicly apologize for the “disrespect” shown to First Nations who view the potlatch ceremony as an...
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Province increases Wildlife Act violation fines
By Abigail Popple, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter For the first time in over 20 years, the Province has increased ticket fines for those who violate the Wildlife Act. The change, announced last Monday, more than doubles ticket fines for violating the act. Previously, fines ranged from $115 to $575 – now, fines start as low as $345 and can cost as much as $1495. Chief Conservation Officer Cam Schely says these amounts were settled on after thorough examination of similar legislation in other jurisdictions. said “There was analysis done across Canada as well as the Western United States to help guide what are appropriate fine amounts for 2024,” Schely told The Goat in an interview. “That’s what helped guide the amounts that B.C. landed on.” Consultation with stakeholders throughout B.C....
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‘Egregious exploitation’: Toronto woman sentenced to 3 years for Inuit identity fraud
A Toronto woman has been sentenced to three years in prison after she falsely claimed her two daughters were Inuit in order to obtain thousands of dollars in benefits. “This is an egregious example of the exploitation of Indigenous Peoples,” Nunavut Justice Mia Manocchio said Thursday at the sentencing hearing for Karima Manji. “Ms. Manji’s case must serve as a signal to any future Indigenous pretender that the false appropriation of Indigenous identity in a criminal context will draw a significant penalty.” Manocchio issued a sentence more severe than the Crown prosecutor’s recommendation of 18 months to two years in custody. Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., the organization that oversees enrolment under the territory’s land claim agreement, said it’s believed to be the first such fraud case in the territory and the...
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Nunavut judge sentences Toronto woman to 3 years prison for Inuit identity fraud
The Canadian Press 27/06/2024 10:39 A Nunavut judge has sentenced a Toronto woman to three years in prison in a case of Inuit identity fraud. Karima Manji, who is not Indigenous, pleaded guilty to one count of fraud over $5,000, after her twin daughters used fake Inuit status to receive benefits from two organizations. The judge went beyond the Crown’s recommendation for two years jail. The judge says Manji defrauded the territory’s Inuit by stealing their identity and victimizing the family of an elderly Inuk woman, who has since died. The judge says Manji’s actions are an egregious example of the exploitation of Indigenous Peoples and the punishment must fit the crime. Charges against Manji’s daughters were dropped after the mother pleaded guilty. This report by The Canadian Press was...
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Capacity crowd turns out for Kahnawake Meet the Candidates Night
By Marc Lalonde Local Journalism Initiative Reporter A packed house turned out to the Knights of Columbus Hall to hear those vying for a spot on the next Mohawk Council of Kahnawake and they were not let down, getting a little bit of everything. The crowd of about 250 people heard from the three candidates for MCK Grand Chief, as well as the 18 people vying for seats around the council table. Hot topics included housing, gaming, land claims and public safety. The three Grand Chief candidates – incumbent Kahsennenhawe Sky-Deer, Cody Diabo and Gina Deer – all tackled housing, gaming and public infrastructure in their speeches. Sky-Deer said since her election as the first LGBTQ Grand Chief in the community’s history, she had helped guide the community down a...
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Dams, storage ponds, used to hold contaminated water following Yukon mine landslide
The Canadian Press 26/06/2024 17:48 The Department of Energy Mines and Resources in Yukon says contaminated water from a landslide and equipment failure at a territory gold mine is being pumped into storage ponds, while the investigation continues into what went wrong. The latest statement from the Yukon government says the failure at the heap-leach facility at the Victoria Gold Eagle Mine near Mayo on Monday resulted in a slide that spilled outside a containment area at the base of the facility. It says the company quickly built dams to hold back contaminated water, which is now being pumped into ponds. Neither the territorial government nor the company have said how much contamination spilled or what the environmental risks are. The local First Nation has said it’s concerned about “potentially...
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Want to plant trees? Tree Canada can help!
By Emily Plihal Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 26/06/2024 17:50 Northern Sunrise County is looking for avid outdoor enthusiasts looking to plant more trees to be part of Tree Canada’s new National Greening Program. “In 2023, an opportunity arose through a partnership with the Alberta Conservation Association (ACA) and has evolved significantly since then,” says Environmental Program Coordinator Katie Bartman. “While the ALUS program allowed for smaller projects to be executed, the Tree Canada National Greening Program has accelerated the reforestation process considerably.” The purpose of the National Greening Program is to target areas in need of reforestation or afforestation with mass seedling plantings. Last year, according to Tree Canada, over 2 million trees were planted in five regions: British Columbia, the Prairies, Ontario, Quebec, and the Atlantic. Tree Canada is...
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Leaked TC Energy recording prompts B.C. to probe claims of outsized lobbying influence on government
By Matt Simmons, Mike De Souza The Narwhalé Local Journalism Initiative 26/06/2024 18:07 B.C. Attorney General Niki Sharma has asked a provincial watchdog to look into a series of bold claims about how an executive at a Canadian oil and gas giant — and former BC NDP political staffer — claimed the company had leveraged political connections to persuade the provincial government to significantly weaken its environmental policies. “We’ve been given opportunities to write entire briefing notes for ministers and premiers and prime ministers,” a TC Energy executive was recorded saying in a leaked tape from March 2024, adding that sometimes “overworked and underpaid” public servants “just want the job done for them.” The executive in question is Liam Iliffe, a former chief of staff to ex-premier John Horgan. Iliffe...
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