‘Dismantled’ human smuggling group tied to dead migrants in St. Lawrence River: RCMP
The Canadian Press A human smuggling ring recently dismantled by members of the RCMP was connected to the deaths of eight migrants who drowned in the St. Lawrence River while trying to cross illegally into the United States last year. Members of two families — four people from India and four of Romanian descent — died in March 2023 while trying to make the crossing in Akwesasne, a First Nations territory that straddles Quebec, Ontario and New York state. Their bodies were pulled from the water on March 30 and 31. On June 6, Police announced they had arrested four people, including the alleged ringleader, and issued warrants for four others. They were all part of a “large-scale human smuggling ring that funnelled illegal migrants” into the United States, RCMP...
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A few midwives seek to uphold Native Hawaiian birth traditions. Would a state law jeopardize them?
The Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — Ki‘inaniokalani Kahoʻohanohano longed for a deeper connection to her Native Hawaiian ancestors and culture as she prepared to give birth to her first child at home on the north shore of Maui in 2003. But generations of colonialist suppression had eroded many Hawaiian traditions, and it was hard to find information on how the islands’ Indigenous people honored pregnancy or childbirth. Nor could she find a Native Hawaiian midwife. That experience led Kahoʻohanohano — now a mother of five — to become a Native Hawaiian midwife herself, a role in which she spent years helping to deliver as many as three babies a month, receiving them in a traditional cloth made of woven bark and uttering sacred, tremorous chants as she welcomed them into...
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Move over grizzlies and wolves: Yellowstone visitors hope to catch a glimpse of rare white buffalo
The Associated Press YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (AP) — Standing at the edge of a bluff overlooking the Lamar River in Yellowstone National Park, TJ Ammond stared through binoculars at hundreds of buffalo dotting the verdant valley below. Tan-colored calves frolicked near their mothers while hulking bulls wallowed in mud. As his wife and young children clustered behind him, Ammond panned the vast herd and cried out: “I see a white one!” “Or no — that’s a pronghorn,” he soon corrected. “It’s white and it’s small.” Grizzly bears and wolves are usually the star attractions for wildlife watchers in Yellowstone but this spring, a tiny and exceedingly rare white buffalo calf has stolen the show. White buffalo — also known as bison — are held sacred by many Native Americans...
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Alberta First Nation seeks more control over historical resources on lands
The Canadian Press An Alberta First Nation in the province’s oilsands region is seeking more control over the traces left by ancestors on their traditional lands. “We’d like to manage our historical resources,” said Shaun Janvier of the Chipewyan Prairie First Nation, which considers a vast tract of land in northern Alberta its territory. “The archeology is directly linked to the native people in the area. It belongs to us.” Chipewyan Prairie is one of the first bands in Alberta to begin developing a cultural resources policy in an attempt to have more say in how artifacts and the places they come from are found, studied, preserved and displayed. It’s a move that’s long overdue, said Kisha Supernant, director of the Institute of Prairie and Indigenous Archaeology at the University...
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New signs warning of great white sharks in the works for some East Coast beaches
The Canadian Press There’s growing evidence that the number of great white sharks is on the rise along Canada’s East Coast, where plans are in the works to post warning signs for beachgoers for the first time. Fred Whoriskey, director of the Ocean Tracking Network at Dalhousie University in Halifax, says the population of these apex predators appears to be growing because of successful conservation measures and a rapidly growing food supply, mainly grey seals. “We’re probably seeing more animals here, though we don’t know how many,” he said in an interview. “No one has a handle on the northwest Atlantic white shark population …. (But) I’ve spoken to a lot of lobstermen who are seeing things that they have not seen for 40, 50 years on the water. That...
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World’s first weekly insulin injection coming to Canada in 2 weeks, manufacturer says
The Canadian Press 17/06/2024 04:00 Many people with diabetes in Canada will soon be able to take insulin once a week instead of daily, drug manufacturer Novo Nordisk announced on Monday. Insulin icodec, which will be sold under the brand name Awiqli, is the first once-a-week basal insulin injection in the world and it will be available across the country starting June 30, the company told The Canadian Press ahead of the announcement. Canada is the first country to get the product, which was approved by Health Canada in March for the treatment of adults with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. “I think it’s a very big deal,” said Dr. Harpreet Bajaj, head of the clinical practice guidelines steering committee at Diabetes Canada. “(It’s) huge for reducing the burden...
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B.C. establishes largest provincial park in a decade to protect threatened caribou
The Canadian Press A major provincial park expansion will create a protection zone of almost 2,000 square kilometres for caribou and other species in northeastern British Columbia. The Ministry of Environment says in a statement that the addition to the Klinse-za Park will make it the largest provincial park established in the province in a decade. The park addition is the result of a partnership in 2020 between the province and the Saulteau and West Moberly First Nations, where they agreed to help stabilize and protect the threatened southern mountain caribou. Klinse-za Park is located just west of Chetwynd, B.C., almost 1,100 kilometres north of Vancouver. The province says the number of caribou in B.C. fell by more than 55 per cent in the last century, mostly due to human-caused...
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G7 leaders pledge action to counter foreign interference in new statement
The Canadian Press Leaders of the G7 countries say they are more concerned than ever about foreign interference and plan to create a “collective response framework” to counter foreign threats to democracies. That pledge is part of a 43-page communique released Friday by the leaders of Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Germany and Japan. It said government ministers have been asked to get the framework together by the end of the year, and that it will include publicly exposing “foreign operations of information manipulation.” The communique also called on tech companies to step up their efforts to prevent and counter foreign interference and information manipulation, particularly through the abuse of artificial intelligence. The focus on foreign interference and its threats to democracy comes at a time...
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Nova Scotia judge rejects constitutional arguments for Indigenous cannabis shops
The Canadian Press A Nova Scotia judge has rejected arguments from four defendants claiming they have treaty and aboriginal rights to sell cannabis at dispensaries on Indigenous land north of Halifax. In a ruling released Thursday, provincial court Judge Ronda Van der Hoek said she agreed with the Crown’s argument that two expert reports provided by the defendants failed to support their claims. As a result, the defendants no longer have the option of arguing for exemptions from the law under the Constitution. “I grant the (Crown’s) application to summarily dismiss the constitutional issues, based on the information before me at this time,” the decision says, adding that the application for constitutional arguments was “manifestly frivolous.” In Nova Scotia, sales of cannabis must be conducted from Nova Scotia Liquor Commission...
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Driver facing charges after Six Nations Police pursuit
SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND RIVER- Six Nations Police have arrested and charged a local woman after a vehicle apprehension pursuit hit local roadways Monday, June 10, 2024. Six Nations Police said at about 1:00 AM, officers saw a vehicle that had fled from police earlier in the evening on Second Line Road. The vehicle was travelling at a high rate of speed, driving erratically and failed to stop at a posted stop sign. Police initiated a vehicle apprehension pursuit that included activating Deflation Devices (TDD) to disable the vehicle. After deployment of the TDD, officers located the vehicle in a driveway at a residence a short distance away. The vehicle was unoccupied. Officers requested the assistance of the K9 Unit. The K9 unit attended the scene and was successfully...
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Ohsweken man facing multiple charges including Dangerous Driving
SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND RIVER -An Ohsweken man is facing multiple charges including Dangerous Driving after Six Nations Police spotted a vehicle with a smashed windshield being driven at high rates of speed on Chiefswood Road Thursday (June 13th). Police were patrolling on Chiefswood Road when at about 1:50 PM, officers spotted a vehicle with a smashed windshield fail to come to a complete stop at a posted stop sign and then fail to signal their turn. Police were following the vehicle at a safe distance when it began travelling at a high rate of speed , including through a school zone, when police ssid the driver made an unsafe lane change. As a result of the investigation, police arrested and charged Ryan Bouchard, 39, of Ohsweken with the...
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Report finds Colorado was built on $1.7 trillion of land expropriated from tribal nations
The Associated Press 14/06/2024 A report published this week by a Native American-led nonprofit examines in detail the dispossession of $1.7 trillion worth of Indigenous homelands in Colorado by the state and the U.S. and the more than $546 million the state has reaped in mineral extraction from them. The report, shared first with The Associated Press, identifies 10 tribal nations that have “aboriginal title, congressional title, and treaty title to lands within Colorado” and details the ways the land was legally and illegally taken. It determined that many of the transactions were in direct violation of treaty rights or in some cases lacked title for a legal transfer. “Once we were removed, they just simply started divvying up the land, creating parcels and selling it to non-Natives and other...
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Pope Francis meets with Trudeau, warns leaders to approach AI responsibly
The Canadian Press 14/06/2024 11:44 Pope Francis met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday at the G7 summit, where the pontiff warned leaders about the dangers of artificial intelligence and counselled them to centre humanity in its development. Francis became the first pope to address G7 leaders, offering an ethical take on an issue that is increasingly on the agenda of international summits, government policy and corporate boards alike. Leaders of outreach countries, who arrived at the summit on Friday, also attended the address. Among those leaders were Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Argentine President Javier Milei and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. That marked the first time the Canadian and Indian leaders have been in the same room since Trudeau accused Modi’s government of being involved in the...
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Where to watch the Stanley Cup playoffs in Brant and Six Nations of the Grand River
By Celeste Percy-Beauregard Journalism Initiative Reporter 14/06/2024 10:03 Brant is buzzing with excitement as local hockey heroes Adam Henrique and Brandon Montour battle it out on the ice for the Stanley Cup this month. Combined, they have multiple local hockey connections — Henrique’s minor hockey career began in Burford, and now he’s a centre for the Edmonton Oilers. Florida Panthers defenceman Montour was born in nearby Ohsweken, and got his start playing minor hockey in Cambridge. Both also played in Brantford. Although the two are currently rivals on the ice, they join forces each July for the Annual Henrique Montour Golf Classic in support of children in Brant and Six Nations of the Grand River. Whether you’re Team Henrique, Team Montour or cheering on both, here are the local spots...
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Brantford man facing charges in incidents on city’s walking trail
BRANTFORD, ONT- Brantford police have arrested a 34-year-old Brantford man for sexual assault and criminal harassment in relation to two separate incidents occurring on the walking trails near Shellard Lane and Colborne Street West. The first incident occurred on Sunday, June 9, 2024, at approximately 9:00 a.m., where the man approached a female on the trail and the second incident occurred on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, at approximately 9:15 a.m. after the man approached another female. Details of the incidents and information related to the victims will not be provided. The accused was arrested Wednesday, June 12, 2024, and was held for a bail hearing. Police said sexual assault is any unwanted act of a sexual nature imposed by one person upon another. Forced or coerced intercourse, grabbing, touching, or...
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MPP saddened by horrific, traumatic testimonies of former priest, scoutmaster’s victims
By Katie Nicholls, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter KIIWETINOONG — Horrific and traumatic were the words used by NDP MPP Sol Mamakwa to describe a meeting he sat in on with some of the victims who detailed historic sexual abuse from Ralph Rowe, a former Anglican priest and scoutmaster. The meeting included representatives of the Anglican Church of Canada and Rowe. In the 1970s and 1980s, Rowe worked in First Nations across Northwestern Ontario and Manitoba. Authorities believe he abused up to 500 children. With the blessing of the victims who attended the meetings in Toronto, Mamakwa released a statement this week condemning the actions of the involved individuals, especially those of Rowe, who was convicted of numerous charges throughout the last 30 years for the abuse. “The impact of one...
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Federal minister tells B.C. Ottawa continues to back RCMP contract policing
Ottawa will continue to back the RCMP as British Columbia’s contract police force that serves many communities even as it moves toward a national force for federal-level crimes, says federal Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc. “As the work on the federal policing program unfolds, I want to assure you that I, and the federal government as a whole, are committed to honour our contract policing obligations,” LeBlanc said in a letter to B.C. Solicitor General Mike Farnworth. “I envision an end-state for federal policing that is separate and distinct from the RCMP’s contract policing mandate,” he said. “This will assure dedicated resources and prioritization of policing response to the ever-changing threat environment.” The letter provides short-term certainty for contract policing in B.C., while indicating the federal government wants to reform...
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UPDATED ARRESTED R.O.P.E. SQUAD: FEDERAL OFFENDER SEAM ROBERTSON
(HAMILTON, ON) – The Repeat Offender Parole Enforcement (R.O.P.E.) Squad would like to advise the public that a Federal Offender who went unlawfully at large on June 12, 2024 has been apprehended in Tillsonburg. Sean ROBERTSON was located and arrested by the OPP. ROBERTSON is serving a 5 year sentence for; Armed Robbery (Knife) Robbery with Violence Robbery x2 Possession of a Weapon Flight from Police Dangerous Operations of a vehicle x2 Theft of a Motor Vehicle Theft Under $5000.00 x2 Fail to Comply with a Court Order ...
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Dozens of hikers became ill during trips to waterfalls near the Grand Canyon
The Associated Press 13/06/2024 Dozens of hikers say they fell ill during trips to a popular Arizona tourist destination that features towering blue-green waterfalls deep in a gorge neighboring Grand Canyon National Park. Madelyn Melchiors, a 32-year-old veterinarian from Kingman, Arizona, said she was vomiting severely Monday evening and had a fever that endured for days after camping on the Havasupai reservation. She eventually hiked out to her car in a weakened state through stiflingly hot weather and was thankful that her pack could be transported up a winding trail several miles by mule, she said. “I said, ‘If someone can just pack out my 30-pound pack, I think I can just limp along,’” said Melchiors, an experienced and regular backpacker. Afterward, “I slept 16 hours and drank a bunch...
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Family of victim of admitted serial killer reflects on plan to search landfill
The Canadian Press 13/06/2024 The grandmother of one of the victims of an admitted serial killer says she was overcome with emotion when visiting the Winnipeg-area landfill where it is believed her granddaughter’s remains are. Site preparation is underway at the Prairie Green Landfill for the search of the remains of Marcedes Myran and Morgan Harris. Myran’s grandmother Donna Bartlett says it was hard to visit the site knowing her granddaughter has been laying there since her death in 2022, but she is confident the family will bring Myran home. Premier Wab Kinew announced this week the groundwork for the search has been laid, including the construction of a healing centre for the families. He says the search could run until early 2026. Jeremy Skibicki has admitted to killing Myran,...
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