Rural economic funding supports additional projects in second year
The B.C. government has provided nearly $13 million to rural economic projects in the second round of its Rural Economic Diversification and Infrastructure Program (REDIP). Forty-one projects within coastal communities and on Vancouver Island received funding, including several projects in the Regional District of Nanaimo boundary and First Nations in the area. REDIP grants are provided to projects that promote economic diversification, resilience, clean growth opportunities and infrastructure development. In the first intake of REDIP (2022-23), the Gabriola Island Chamber received $100,000 for its Island MBA program, short for Islanders Managing their Business Acumen, and is aimed at helping businesses with skills development and business engagement. After a request for proposals for project management, the program’s first phase of two recently kicked off. A survey is open and focus groups...
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Six Nations Police officer facing assault charge
SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND RIVER-A 30-year-old Six Nations Police Officer is facing an assault charge. The Six Nations Police Service said Monday, May 13, 2024, the service was made aware of an on-duty incident that occurred on April 10, 2024. As a result, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) were contacted and launched an independent investigation into the conduct of the officer. On May 10, 2024, members of the OPP, Professional Standards Bureau, arrested and charged, 30-year-old Constable Michael Johnson, with Assault Cause Bodily Harm. Johnson has been a member of the Six Nations Police Service for six-years. He has been suspended with pay since April 15, 2024. Johnson is scheduled to appear in the Ontario Court of Justice in Brantford at a later date. Six Nations Police said there...
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Seeking public’s help OPP release 3-D facial approxiation of child found in Grand River at Dunnville
May 10, 2024 DUNNVILLE, ON – The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) are hoping the release of a three-dimensional (3-D) facial approximation and new Unsolved video (link)will help identifying a child whose remains were discovered in the Grand River in Dunnville almost two years ago. The unidentified remains of the child were found on May 17, 2022, by two people fishing on a boat. “We need the community’s help in this disturbing and tragic case involving a young child. We hope that the 3-D facial approximation will spark someone’s memory and that they come forward. Together, we can give this child her name back,” said Detective Inspector Shawn Glassford, OPP Criminal Investigation Branch OPP said the facial approximation was completed by the OPP Forensic Artist/Reconstruction Analyst and is of a female child...
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Trial of Winnipeg serial killer expected to hear more testimony from police
By The Canadian Press The Winnipeg trial of admitted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki is expected to hear testimony today from a police officer who examined video surveillance. Court has heard police collected video evidence showing someone placing several bags in various garbage bins in Skibicki’s neighbourhood shortly before the remains of one of his victims was found. Skibicki has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder for the 2022 slayings of Rebecca Contois, Morgan Harris, Marcedes Myran and an unidentified women Indigenous leaders have named Buffalo Woman. His lawyers have said he killed the women, but they argue he’s not criminally responsible due to mental illness. Crown prosecutors say the killings were racially motivated, with Skibicki a self-proclaimed white supremacist who preyed on the vulnerable women at homeless shelters. Court has...
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Historians, First Nations leader question Quebec history museum concept
The Quebec government’s framing of a new museum to be dedicated to the history of the Québécois nation is raising questions about how history is told and who it includes, two historians and the leader of a prominent First Nations group say. Premier François Legault was forced last week to defend comments he made in April about the opening of a new history museum, in which he suggested the province’s history began with the arrival of French explorers Jacques Cartier and Samuel de Champlain in the 16th and 17th centuries. While he did highlight the presence of Indigenous people on Quebec’s territory in his speech, he was accused by the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador of trying to erase their history. Steven High, a history professor at Concordia University, said...
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Evacuation alert still active for Fort McMurray as out of control fire burns nearby
The Canadian Press 12/05/2024 Wildfires raging in northern Alberta prompted the mayor of one the province’s largest municipalities to give his community a pep talk Saturday. Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo Mayor Sandy Bowman said on social media while everyone is stressed right now, past experience also means the community is prepared to handle this situation. This is in reference to the 2016 wildfire which tore through the area, destroying 2,400 homes. At last update around 7:30 Saturday evening, an out-of-control blaze continued to burn 16 kilometres southwest of Fort McMurray, with an evacuation alert still in place for the city, as well as the nearby community of Saprae Creek. The alert was initially issued Friday and was expanded yesterday to include several areas, including the Gregoire Lake Estates neighbourhood...
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Six Nations Police investigating single vehicle accident that took life of driver
SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND RIVER- Six Nations Police are investigating a fatal collision involving a single motor vehicle. after a 40-year-old man was pronounced deceased at the scene Sunday. May 12, 2024, at about 3:55 a.m. Six Nations Police Service along with the Six Nations Fire and Emergency Medical Services all responded to a single motor vehicle collision on Third Line Road. Six Nations Police said the lone driver, a 40-year-old from Six Nations was pronounced deceased at the scene. Police will not be releasing the name of the deceased. The roadway on Third Line Road between Chiefswood Road and Tuscarora Road has been reopened. Any witnesses or anyone who may have been in the area at the time are asked to contact the Six Nations Police at (519)...
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Fort McMurray among communities on evacuation alert after wildfires erupt
The Canadian Press 11/05/2024 21:45 Fort McMurray’s mayor took to social media to deliver a pep talk Saturday as the northern Alberta city once again faces the threat of an out-of-control wildfire that’s spurring memories of a massive blaze that destroyed homes and buildings eight years ago. “I know everyone’s feeling unsettled and stressed right now. Our community knows all too well how this feels, but our past experience also means we are very well prepared to handle whatever comes our way,” Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo Mayor Sandy Bowman said in a video message posted to Facebook on Saturday. Thousands of residents of Fort McMurray and the nearby community of Saprae Creek remained on an evacuation alert as a wildfire burned approximately 16 kilometres southwest of the city, meaning...
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Wildfire that triggered evacuation of Fort Nelson, B.C. caused by downed tree: mayor
The Canadian Press 11/05/2024 20:21 The northeastern British Columbia municipality where thousands have evacuated due to a fast-growing wildfire nearby urged all remaining residents to leave immediately Saturday despite improving weather conditions. In a joint statement, the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality and Fort Nelson First Nation said that people staying behind despite the evacuation orders should be aware that “emergency medical services are not available, nor are groceries or other amenities.” “Utilities may become impacted to support fire response efforts,” the statement said. “Communication networks are precarious, which could impact the ability to reach residents to advise of changing conditions.” The statement came as the Parker Lake blaze reached almost 17 square kilometres in size on Saturday, more than doubling the eight square kilometres reported just hours earlier, with BC...
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Controversy follows Gov. Kristi Noem as she is banned by two more South Dakota tribes
The Associated Press 11/05/2024 18:20 South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is now banned from entering nearly 20% of her state after two more tribes banished her this week over comments she made earlier this year about tribal leaders benefitting from drug cartels. The latest developments in the ongoing tribal dispute come on the heels of the backlash Noem faced for writing about killing a hunting dog that misbehaved in her latest book. It is not clear how these controversies will affect her chances to become Donald Trump’s running mate because it is hard to predict what the former president will do. The Yankton Sioux Tribe voted Friday to ban Noem from their land in southeastern South Dakota just a few days after the Sisseton-Wahpeton Ovate tribe took the same action....
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Police crackdown on Gaza protest encampments on campus sparks outcry
The Canadian Press Edmonton police dismantled a pro-Palestinian encampment on the University of Alberta’s campus on Saturday, prompting outrage from students and academics who described the operation as violent and contested allegations that demonstrators were breaking the law. Organizers said police fired tear gas and pepper-spray balls and wielded batons against students at the university’s north campus quad shortly after arriving at 4:30 a.m., resulting in one hospitalization and several attendees placed in zip-tie handcuffs. Videos posted to social media show a line of police members clashing with protesters in the dawn light, as young people shout “Free, free Palestine” before officers advance chanting “Move” and shoving and striking some students with billy clubs. The footage aligns with descriptions from political science professor David Kahane, a member of the Edmonton...
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Waste site-selection process flawed: petition
By Carl Clutchey Local Journalism Initiative reporter If spent nuclear-reactor fuel rods are ever transported to a proposed underground storage site near Ignace, communities along the transportation route will be just as much at risk as those who live closest to the disposal site, opponents to the plan contend. That’s the gist of a petition bearing more than 3,300 signatures that was tabled in the House of Commons on Thursday by a North Bay-area Liberal MP on behalf of environmentalists. They claim the site-selection process conducted by the Nuclear Waste Management Organization is flawed because it has “shut out” communities “living downstream and along the (proposed) transportation route.” “The federal government needs to course-correct the (Nuclear Waste Management Organization),” says North Bay-based Northwatch, the group that created the petition. Conmee...
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Flood compensation advances reconciliation: Naicatchewenin chief
Local Journalism Initiative NAICATCHEWENIN – Settling an old flood claim “is a positive step towards addressing historical wrongs and advancing reconciliation,” Chief Wayne Smith said. Along with provincial and federal representatives, the Naicatchewenin chief announced a settlement that sees his First Nation receive $21.8 million in total compensation. Just over $11.8 million of that sum is from the federal government, the remainder from Ontario. The agreement between Naicatchewenin and the other two governments settles flood claims first filed by the First Nation nearly 30 years ago relating to flooding that took place following the 1905-10 construction of a hydroelectric dam to provide power for a pulp and paper mill in Fort Frances. The flooding continues to impact Naicatchewenin, located northwest of Fort Frances on Rainy Lake. Compensating Naicatchewenin is important...
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Seven people charged in kidnapping and assault in New Brunswick First Nation
The Canadian Press New Brunswick RCMP say seven people have been arrested and face a total of 62 charges related to a kidnapping and assault in Tobique First Nation last month. The Mounties issued a news release saying the arrests had occurred since May 6 and all seven people remain in custody after making court appearances in Woodstock, N.B., between May 6 and May 8. RCMP say members of the Tobique detachment responded to a report in the community on April 29 and determined a 54-year-old woman from Florenceville, N.B., had been kidnapped at gunpoint, held against her will and assaulted. The woman was treated in hospital for what police say were “significant” but non-life threatening injuries and has since been released. Police say the arrests were made following the...
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Trial of admitted serial killer hears about search of Winnipeg landfill for remains
By Canadian Press staff 10/05/2024 13:10 The trial of admitted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki is hearing details of the exhaustive search to find the remains of his victims. Police Const. Brian Neumann testified officers had to be outfitted with protective suits and boots as well as full-face respirator masks in searching a Winnipeg landfill for the remains of Rebecca Contois. He says officers looked for days and covered more than a hectare of the landfill in the summer of 2022 before they found partial remains of the woman. Skibicki has pleaded not guilty to four counts of first-degree murder for the slayings that year of four Indigenous women. His lawyers say he admits to the killings but argue he’s not criminally responsible due to mental illness. Neumann told court he...
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Krawczyk Family makes 2 million dollar donation for Indigenous environmental justice
By Jacqueline St. Pierre Local Journalism Initiative Reporter VICTORIA, B.C.— January 16, 2024 Alex Krawczyk, who is the daughter of philanthropists Honey and Dr. Barry Sherman has made a very large donation to the organization RAVEN. The grassroots Indigenous NGO has a mandate is to raise legal defence for Indigenous people who are arrested for enforcing their rights and title to protect their traditional territories. “I believe it is important for Canadians to recognize the inherent rights and sovereignty of Indigenous Nations, as well as to support self-determination and long-overdue justice for Indigenous Peoples,” says Krawczyk. “I am truly proud and humbled to have made this gift, and I wish RAVEN continued success with its many important campaigns across the country.” RAVEN is an acronym for RAVEN Respecting Aboriginal Values...
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Youth bring constitutional challenge to Ontarios highest court
By Jacqueline St. Pierre Local Journalism Initiative Reporter SUDBURY — Seven young people across Ontario have brought a climate-related challenge to the Superior Court, aiming to hold the government accountable for perceived human rights violations. This case aligns with a global trend where youth are taking legal action against governments for alleged human rights breaches and inadequate responses to the climate crisis. Supported by the environmental law charity EcoJustice, the group’s case was presented before the Court of Appeal for Ontario on January 15. This follows a previous dismissal of their constitutional challenge in April 2023, where a judge acknowledged that the province’s emissions reduction plan did not align with current scientific standards. The case can be traced back to 2018 when Ontario’s newly elected Progressive Conservative government repealed the...
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Six Nations emergency services calls in Air Ambulance after single vehicle accident
SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND RIVER-Six Nations Police are investigating a single vehicle accident on Fourth Line Road near Mohawk Road that saw one person airlifted to a local area hospital today, Friday, May 10th, 2024, at about 11:20 . The Six Nations Police Service along with the Six Nations Fire and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) responded to an emergency call reporting an injured individual located on Fourth Line Road near Mohawk Road. Officers arrived on scene and located the victim who was airlifted to a local area hospital to be treated for major injuries. The roadway was closed on Fourth Line Road west of Mohawk Road while officers continue to investigate, and police asked the motoring public to avoid the area. Polic said the investigation is continuing, and further...
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Joan Phillip, the second First Nations woman in the ‘B.C.’ cabinet, is patient but unrelenting
Canadian Press In February of 2023, Melanie Mark stood before the “B.C.” legislature, visibly shaken, as she read out her resignation speech. “This place felt like a torture chamber,” she said, holding an eagle feather and wearing her grandfather’s beaded moosehide fringe jacket. A descendant of the Nisg̱a’a and Gitxsan people on her mom’s side and Cree, Ojibway, French, and Scottish on her father’s side, Mark was the first First Nations woman to serve on the cabinet of “British Columbia” from February 2016 until April 2023. “I wanted to be an MLA so I could be a strong voice for my community and the people I grew up with and so I could be a champion for change. I wanted to disrupt the status quo. I wanted big systems to...
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Trial of admitted serial killer to hear about search of landfill for remains
The Canadian Press A judge is expected to hear from a police officer who led the search of a Winnipeg landfill for the partial remains of a victim of admitted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki. Police cordoned off and looked through an area at the Brady Road landfill in the summer of 2022, after some remains of Rebecca Contois were found in dumpsters in Skibicki’s neighbourhood. Skibicki has pleaded not guilty to four counts of first-degree murder for the slayings that year of four Indigenous women, including Contois. His lawyers have told court that he admits to the killings but is not criminally responsible due to mental illness. Court has heard DNA from three of the victims as well as some of their belongings were found in Skibicki’s apartment. Crown prosecutors...
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