Manitoba bail reform plan panned by Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs leader, justice advocate
By Dave Baxter Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Manitoba’s newly-unveiled bail reform plan is being criticized by some, including an advocate for restorative justice, and the province’s largest First Nations advocacy organization. Premier Wab Kinew and Justice Minister Matt Wiebe first announced the province’s new “five point” bail reform plan on Feb. 29, which looks to enhance public safety, and cut down on violent crime and repeat offenders in Manitoba. The plan will, according to the province, bolster Crown bail policies, invest in law enforcement resources, expand capabilities for data and intelligence collection, enhance community monitoring, and hold a public safety meeting this spring where “community members, law enforcement and other agencies will get together to discuss shared priorities and addressing the root causes of crime.” But days after it was...
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West Coast multimillionaires gift land for parks and donate remainder of their fortune to philanthropy
By Rochelle Baker Local Journalism Initiative Reporter When multimillionaires Eric Peterson and his wife Christina Munck launched their charity foundation more than two decades ago, the couple pledged to go to their deaths flat broke. On Wednesday, Peterson and Munck made good on that longtime vow, gifting a chunk of pristine island coastline to the BC Parks Foundation and the bulk of their remaining fortune to the Hakai Institute and the Tula Foundation, which the pair created to leverage science and technology to tackle issues for the public good. The couple gifted the 55 acres of land on Calvert Island at the heart of the remote Central Coast to the BC Parks Foundation at the unveiling of their charity’s newest headquarters in the historic Old Victoria Customs House on Wharf...
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Overhaul of Ontario police law set to take effect five years after act passed
By Allison Jones THE CANADIAN PRESS TORONTO- An overhaul of Ontario’s 34-year-old law governing policing in the province is set to take effect next month, with its rules and regulations covering everything from oversight to discipline to more easily allowing the suspension of officers without pay. The Community Safety and Policing Act now has an implementation date of April 1, a full five years after it was passed, following a lengthy process involving more than 30 meetings with municipalities, advocates and police services and the filing of more than two dozen regulations to accompany the law. The new act is huge, with a whopping 263 sections, more than 100 sections longer than the law it replaces, but new rules allowing police chiefs to suspend officers without pay in some circumstances...
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Manitoba First Nation buys former Greyhound bus depot, plans to revitalize northern bus service to Brandon
By Dave Baxter Local Journalism Initiative Reporter A Manitoba First Nation has confirmed they have acquired a former Greyhound bus depot in the city of Brandon, and are now working on their plans to see bus services and routes offered from Brandon to several communities. On Wednesday, March 13, the Wuskwi Sipihk First Nation (WSFN) and the community’s Chief Elwood Zastre confirmed WSFN, which is located about 375 kilometres north of Brandon, has purchased the 10,700-square-foot building that formerly housed a Greyhound depot in the city. The depot was shut down and put up for sale in 2018, originally listed at a cost of $995,000. Plans are now in the works for the building to be renovated, and for buses to run out of the depot from Brandon, although exact...
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Lessons from the James Smith Cree Nation tragedy
By Ryan Kiedrowski Local Journalism Initiative Reporter By now, everyone across the country knows exactly where the James Smith Cree Nation is located. Since one of the worst mass murders in Canadian history erupted in early September 2022, a pair of inquests finally answered questions held by those who continue to mourn loved ones. In January, a three-week coroner’s inquest was held in Melfort for the 11 people murdered by Myles Sanderson and a subsequent inquest wrapped up at the end of February around his in-custody death. After a combined month of testimony from more than 40 witnesses and 33 jury recommendations, a sense of conclusion has been felt by many. But not all. JSCN Chief Wally Burns says it’s time to focus on healing through ceremonies now more than...
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“I simply want to use my voice”, says community leader and women’s advocate Amber Aglukark
By Kira Wronska Dorward Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Amber Aglukark, President of Qulliit Nunavut Status of Women Council, in addition to her brand-new role as city councillor, first got involved with community leadership and advocacy as a result of dog-sledding. Coming from a long line of dog-sledders, Aglukark “really started with my passion for this work here in Iqaluit , training and running a dog-team and having my son included. I had a desire to be part of a group that promotes the culture of Nunavut and wanting to be a part of that process , as well as being a mother and daughter in this territory, and how I could pass our traditions on I wanted to ensure that the tradition continues with my son and his children.” “While...
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‘Tsunami’ of Indigenous identity fraud cases heading to courts, warns B.C. judge
OTTAWA-A British Columbia judge is warning that what he calls a “tsunami” of Indigenous identity fraud cases is coming to Canadian courts. Provincial Court Judge David Patterson says that’s driven by the “desire” of non-Indigenous people to access what they deem to be benefits of identifying as Indigenous. He says judges must be “alive to the issue” and require proof that ensures an offender is entitled to be sentenced as an Indigenous person. A set of guidelines known as Gladue factors requires courts to consider an Indigenous person’s background during sentencing. That could include family trauma, poverty and whether being separated from their culture could have contributed to their offence. Patterson found in the ruling that the accused person in the case provided questionable and inadequate claims to Metis identity...
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Chiefs oppose nuclear repository in letter
By Mike Stimpson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter KITCHENUHMAYKOOSIB INNINUWUG- At least five First Nations chiefs in Northwestern Ontario have a message for the Nuclear Waste Management Organization: They say “no” to nuclear waste in the region. “Nuclear waste poses the potential for a spill or a leak that will impact our rivers (and) our lands, and our way of life will be severely damaged,” they say in a letter to Laurie Swami, the industry-funded organization’s president and CEO. “If and when the spill or leak occurs, the harm will impact us for generations and our lands will never be the same.” The letter is signed by Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug Chief Donny Morris, Asubpeeschoseewagong (Grassy Narrows) Chief Rudy Turtle, Wapekeka Deputy Chief Allan Brown on behalf of Chief Brennan Sainnawap, Neskantaga Chief...
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CRD announces $777M budget for 2024
By Sidney Coles Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The Capital Regional District (CRD) has unveiled its financial plans for 2024, totaling a significant $777M. The consolidated budget encompasses allocations for the CRD, Capital Region Hospital District (CRHD), and the Capital Region Housing Corporation (CRHC), aimed at delivering essential services for over 450,000 residents across the region. Of this budget, $431M is designated for operating expenses, funding a diverse range of regional, sub-regional, and local services. The remaining $346M is earmarked for capital investments in various projects crucial for the region’s development and infrastructure enhancement. New funding for supportive housing approved After receiving feedback from the public on the provisional budget approved in October, several adjustments were made to the final plan. These include a one-time funding increase for the Alliance to...
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Commercial fisherwoman lawsuit names over 100 alleged poachers and enablers, including Indigenous chief
By John Chilibeck Local Journalism Initiative Reporter A New Brunswick businesswoman is suing more than 100 people, most of them Indigenous, who she says are stealing American baby eels in the southern part of the province, threatening the species’ long-term survival. Mary Ann Holland accuses the senior leadership of the Wolastoqey First Nation in New Brunswick of encouraging its members to poach the eels, also called elvers or glass eels, on several rivers in 2022 and 2023. The businesswoman from Rothesay, near Saint John, has also taken legal action against Ottawa for the way it has managed the lucrative fishery in the Maritimes, whose seasons have been shortened or cancelled in three of the last five years over poaching concerns and dwindling stocks, including this year’s season. Dwindling eel stocks around...
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Will Ottawa meet its fiscal target Economists split as deficit tracks higher
By Nojoud Al Mallees THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA- Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland has pledged that the government will meet its fiscal targets in the upcoming federal budget, but economists say achieving that goal will be challenging as the deficit tracks higher. Amid mounting pressure to rein in spending, the Liberals unveiled new fiscal guardrails in the fall that aim to limit deficits. Among the government’s promises was that this year’s deficit will not exceed $40.1 billion. In new reports previewing the federal budget, TD and Desjardins offer different takes on whether the government will meet its goal for the current fiscal year. TD says although the deficit appears to be tracking closer to $55 billion, it is projecting it will be capped at $40 billion. “I think the government has...
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Flip flop in regulating mental health counsellors will slow getting urgent services to Indigenous people (
By Shari Narine Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The decision by Alberta to regulate counsellor therapy through the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP) will not meet the urgency of mental health care required by Indigenous populations in the province. Letters sent from Treaty 6 and Treaty 8 nations in February to provincial ministers Dan Williams (mental health and addiction) and Adriana LaGrange (health) highlight the “escalating mental health crisis” the First Nations are experiencing. Grand chiefs Arthur Noskey (Treaty 8) and Cody Thomas (Treaty 6) supported the creation of a College of Counselling Therapy of Alberta (CCTA) to regulate counsellors. Through regulation, counsellors could be able to provide mental health services funded under the Non-Insured Health Benefits program operated by Indigenous Services Canada. Both Noskey and Thomas stated they had undertaken...
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Shamattawa brings in special officers to contain drug, booze smuggling
By Dave Baxter Local Journalism Initiative Reporter A remote northern community is giving trained safety officers the authority to search vehicles coming in as they desperately try to keep drugs and alcohol out. A resolution passed by the Shamattawa First Nation Band Council says there has been an increase in “drug activity” including both usage and trafficking, and they have declared a state of emergency in the community located more than 900 kilometres north of Winnipeg. In Shamattawa, all recreational drugs, cannabis and alcohol are banned, but according to the resolution people and drug and alcohol traffickers are still finding ways to get them in, and in many cases selling them for a profit, often by bringing them in on the community’s winter road, or on ATVs or snowmobiles. The...
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Four Indigenous women comics featured in NDN Act at Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival
By Sam Laskaris Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Indigenous humour is on display at the Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival . The festival, starting March 15th, now in its 19th year, will feature more than 60 comedy troupes. One of these groups is NDN Act, comprised of four First Nations women comics that include Lena Recollet, Sam Mandamin, Jamie Whitecrow and Denise B. McLeod. Recollet and Mandamin are members of Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory on Manitoulin Island in Ontario. Whitecrow is a member of Seine River First Nation and McLeod is a member of Sagamok Anishinawbek First Nation, both nations also in northern Ontario. NDN Act will perform its show titled The NDN Problems at Toronto’s Theatre Centre. Its performance is part of a doubleheader with another group called B.O.A.T.S. (Based On A...
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Prestigious awards go to Indigenous artists whose work challenges and propels society forward
By Crystal St.Pierre Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Greg Staats, Skaru:re a Tuscarora from Six Nations of the Grand River Territory in Ontario, and Inuk artist Shuvinai Ashoona from Kinngait, Nunavut are 2024 Governor General award winners in visual and media arts. Both Staats and Ashoona credit their Indigenous cultures as the inspiration for their visual creations. Ashoona, the second artist from the West Baffin Cooperative to receive the award, credits her sister for giving her the nudge to start drawing more than two decades ago at 33 years of age. Ashoona has since created many mixed media works depicting Inuit culture from her own experiences and surroundings. Her work has garnered accolades, including the Gershon Iskowitz Prize in 2018. She was also one of two special mentions by the jury...
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Two First Nations health centres split $1.4M, but officials know more is needed
By Brian Williams Local Journalism Initiative Reporter CHIPPEWAS OF THE THAMES FIRST NATION- Queen’s Park is investing more than $1.4 million to expand health care services at two First Nations medical centres in Southwestern Ontario. The funding, announced Wednesday, will expand team-based primary care for a pair of Southwest Ontario Aboriginal Health Access Centre (SOAHAC) locations, Chippewas of the Thames and Newbury, and address the need for more services and greater access to health care for Indigenous peoples. “We’re going to be able to expand care here at Chippewa (and) we’re also going to be able to expand at the Newbury site, which is really needed out there (because) there’s been some physician retirements in that area,” said Dave Remy, SOAHAC’s director of client care. Remy said Wednesday’s announcement was...
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‘Concerned and perplexed’: Alberta police force move catches unions off guard
By Lauren Krugel THE CANADIAN PRESS CALGARY- The union representing Alberta’s sheriffs says it was not consulted about a plan announced this week to have a new police service handle much of the work they currently do. The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees says it was surprised by a bill the United Conservative government introduced Wednesday to create an independent police force. “Sheriffs want to know that their rights will be protected and that they will be properly supported in their duties,” Bobby-Joe Borodey, the union’s vice-president, said in a news release Thursday. “All of our law-enforcement members are passionate about their work and keeping Albertans safe. They deserve to be treated with respect, and that means they need to be given reassurances.” Borodey said that includes knowing whether their...
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‘Concerned and perplexed’: Alberta police force move catches unions off guard
By Lauren Krugel THE CANADIAN PRESS CALGARY- The union representing Alberta’s sheriffs says it was not consulted about a plan announced this week to have a new police service handle much of the work they currently do. The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees says it was surprised by a bill the United Conservative government introduced Wednesday to create an independent police force. “Sheriffs want to know that their rights will be protected and that they will be properly supported in their duties,” Bobby-Joe Borodey, the union’s vice-president, said in a news release Thursday. “All of our law-enforcement members are passionate about their work and keeping Albertans safe. They deserve to be treated with respect, and that means they need to be given reassurances.” Borodey said that includes knowing whether their...
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Too soon to say on liquor store changes
By Stewart Burnett Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Long debated in municipal chambers, and sometimes at the territorial level, over the past two years has been Rankin Inlet’s beer and wine store, which opened in late 2021. After concerns from the RCMP and support organizations in Rankin Inlet, the municipal council successfully lobbied the territorial government to cut the daily purchase limits in half, to 12 beers per person. “It has been almost six months since the daily purchase limit at the store were reduced,” said Alexander Sammurtok, MLA for Rankin Inlet North-Chesterfield Inlet in the legislative assembly March 6. “Can the minister indicate what effect this decision has had on addressing concerns related to alcohol-related crime and other problems in the community?” Lorne Kusugak, minister responsible for the Nunavut Liquor...
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Saskatchewan government to start work on $1.15B irrigation project
By Jeremy Simes THE CANADIAN PRESS REGINA- The Saskatchewan government is set to begin work on a $1.15-billion project to expand irrigation, a move Premier Scott Moe says will help fulfil a dream not fully realized. Moe announced Thursday the province is to start design work and consult with land users about the Lake Diefenbaker expansion project, with construction expected to start next year. The project would make more water available from the lake for farmers, allowing 364 more square kilometres to be irrigated. “Our government is happy to take the first major step in creating the most sustainable food and economic security project in Canada which will create major benefits for generations,” Moe said in a news release. “Saskatchewan can be a leader across the country and move this...
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