Portraits of survivors to be featured at Humboldt gallery
By Nicole Goldsworthy Local Journalism Initiative Reporter A upcoming exhibit at the Humboldt and District Gallery will feature portraits of Holocaust and residential school survivors. They didn’t know we were seeds by Saskatoon artist Carol Wylie, opens Tuesday, March 5. Wylie has been creating art for 30 years, focusing solely on portrait and figuration. She said inspiration for the portraits started in 2016, when she listened to a Holocaust survivor speak about his experiences in a death camp during the Saskatoon Holocaust Memorial service. “I was struck anew by the extent of abuse a human being can endure at the hand of another,” she said on her website. Wylie decided she needed to find a way of honouring the stories and memories of Holocaust survivors and used her artform to...
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Alberta outlines five year, $125M plan to protect communities from drought, floods
By Bill Graveland THE CANADIAN PRESS CALGARY- The Alberta government is promising $125 million over five years to protect communities against flood and drought. The money was included in last week’s provincial budget and, if approved, can be used for projects like berms, flood walls and retention ponds. “Today, due to a strong El Nino not seen in seven years, we’re seeing warmer temperatures, coupled with even less precipitation,” Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz told a news conference Monday. “This has led to empty riverbeds and dangerously low reservoirs across our province. This is a serious situation and our government recognized we had to take immediate action.” Schulz said the Drought and Flood Protection Program will be application-based, with municipalities, improvement districts, special areas, Metis settlements and First Nations all eligible. At...
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Investors sought for sovereign wealth fund
By Miriam Lafontaine Local Journalism Initiative Reporter KAHNAWAKE- The investment manager for the Kahnawake Sovereign Wealth Fund (KSWF), Branden Morris, was in Montreal for a conference hosted by the Responsible Investment Association (RIA). He used the time as an opportunity to network with investment portfolio managers and get the word out about the new fund. Morris also got the chance to speak on a panel at the conference Monday, which touched on how reconciliation and Indigenous rights can be better integrated into investment decisions. “We have capital left in the fund to invest in various ventures. Here everybody is in the investment space,” Morris told The Eastern Door. “They have large infrastructure projects, there are portfolio managers, so it’s just a good opportunity to let them know that we exist.”...
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Yuk Yuk’s head comes to defence of controversial comedy act accused of using anti Indigenous racism, misogyny to get laughs
By Dave Baxter Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The CEO of Canada’s largest comedy club chain says he believes that comedy and comedians should never be censored no matter how low they go, even if they go so low as to make light of the actions of an infamous serial killer, who committed some of the more heinous acts this county has ever seen. “I have no morals,” Mark Breslin, the co-founder and CEO of Yuk Yuk’s said. “If I did I couldn’t do my job.” On Thursday, Breslin spoke to the Winnipeg Sun about recent controversy surrounding Alberta-based touring comedy act the Danger Cats, a three piece act made up of, according to their website, Sam Walker, Brett Forte and `Uncle Hack.’ The group is being accused of using anti-Indigenous...
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CAP empathizes with Indigenous inmates
By Julia Archelene Magsombol Local Journalism Initiative Reporter After attending many court cases, Kim Beaudin, national vice chief of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples (CAP), speaks out about Corrections Service Canada (CSC). Beaudin has been attending Myles Sanderson’s inquest, an Indigenous man who murdered 11 people in 2022. Read https://www.saskatchewan.ca/govern- ment/news-and-media/2024/january/26/inquest-in- to-the-death-of-myles-sanderson Beaudin realized many things while attending Sanderson’s inquest: these court case systems have different recommendations, a report written to propose or recommend the options available to solve a problem. Elder Geraldine Arcand, who has worked with CSC for the past decade, was involved with Sanderson in the initial intake process when he began serving a federal prison sentence in 2019. “The first day I met him, he was quiet, but he spoke. He was respectful and talked about...
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‘This is worse than residential school’
By Sanuda Ranawake Local Journalism Initiative Reporter ST JOHN’S, N.L.- Miriam Saunders knows the pain of losing a child, she has lost two.Her daughter, Loretta Saunders, was murdered 10 years ago, on or around Feb. 13, 2014. Loretta’s murder, along with other missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, eventually led to the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. In the past 10 years, Miriam says, she has lost more than just a daughter. “I’m a stay-at-home grandma/mom. I had to quit my job. I was told I needed to quit my job by my son Michael’s doctor, for me to take care of him,” says Miriam. She says her son, Michael Saunders, struggles with mental illness and is now in adult protection in St. John’s....
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How Apache Stronghold’s fight to protect Oak Flat in central Arizona has played out over the years
Oak Flat, near where a copper mine is proposed, is dotted with rugged boulders and desert vegetation. Bri Cossavella/Cronkite News By Anita Snow THE ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOENIX (AP)-Oak Flat, a piece of national forest land in central Arizona, is at the heart of a yearslong struggle between Native American groups and mining interests that both consider it important for their future. Resolution Copper, a subsidiary of international mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP, wants to develop the large deposit of copper ore deep under Oak Flat into a massive mine. The nonprofit Apache Stronghold considers the land sacred and says it should be preserved for religious ceremonies. In a significant blow to Apache Stronghold, a divided federal court panel voted 6-5 on Friday to uphold a lower...
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Study suggests Nunavimmiut more likely to die from lung cancer
By Cedric Gallant Local Journalism Initiative Reporter A new study suggests people who live in Nunavik are more likely to die from lung cancer. The study, published Feb. 20 in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, compared lung cancer registry data involving patients in Montreal and Nunavik who were diagnosed between 2005 and 2017. The results were divided between the two main types of lung cancers: small cell and non-small cell. Approximately 80 to 85 per cent of cancers are of the non-small cell variety, according to the American Cancer Society. The study found Nunavik residents had a median survival time of 321 days versus 720 days for Montreal residents for non-small cell lung cancer. For small-cell cancer diagnoses, Nunavik residents had a median survival time of 190 days, versus 270 days for...
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Metis Hunters’ Killer Offered Temporary Unsupervised Leave From Prison Sentence
By Jeremy Appel Local Journalism Initiative Reporter One of two men convicted of killing Metis hunters Jacob Sansom and Maurice Cardinal in Glendon, Alta., has been granted temporary unsupervised leave from prison for up to 72 hours a month, despite vocal objections from the victims’ family. Otipemisiwak Metis Government president Andrea Sandmaier said in a statement that this decision demonstrates “complete disregard for the gravity of the loss suffered by their loved ones and our community.” The Parole Board of Canada granted Roger Bilodeau unescorted temporary absences for the purposes of “personal development and family contact” on Feb. 21. According to reporting from APTN News, Bilodeau had already been permitted escorted absences from prison. Jacob Sansom’s mother Ruby Smith characterized the board’s ruling as “an injustice, a kick to the...
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Blue Quills University Receives $2 Million Grant For Indigenous Teacher Training
By Jeremy Appel Local Journalism Initiative Reporter A Treaty 6-based Indigenous university has received a $2-million grant from the Rideau Hall Foundation as part of an effort to train 10,000 new First Nations, Metis and Inuit teachers across Canada. University nuxe?hot’?ne thaa?ehots’? nistameyimakanak Blue Quills will use its funding to facilitate a five-year project to establish three distinct teacher education streams, immersion, elementary and secondary programming, while offering teacher training to Indigenous candidates who don’t have a bachelor’s in education. “Rooted in Land, language, Ceremony, and relationship, the project is guided by the laws of love, honesty, sharing and strength,” a news release from the Rideau Hall Foundation states. Located near St. Paul, about 200 km northeast of Edmonton, Blue Quills University was established in 1970 on the site of...
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Indigenous women in Greenland sue Denmark over involuntary contraception in the 1960s and 70s
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP)- A group of Indigenous women in Greenland has sued Denmark for forcing them to be fitted with intrauterine contraceptive devices in the 1960s and 70s, and demanded total compensation of nearly 43 million kroner ($6.3 million), Danish media reported Monday. The group of 143 Inuit women say Danish health authorities violated their human rights when they fitted them with the devices, commonly known as coils. Some of the women, including many who were teenagers at the time, were not aware of what happened or did not consent to the intervention. The purpose was allegedly to limit population growth in Greenland by preventing pregnancy. The population on the Arctic island was rapidly increasing at the time because of better living conditions and better health care. The small T-shaped...
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Have a Heart Day, think of the children
By Julia Archelene Magsombol Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Valentine’s Day is not only about the love for your partner but also for everyone around you, especially the children who need it – that’s what Have a Heart Day does. Have a Heart Day 9 (February 14) was organized by Canada’s First Nations Child and Family Caring Society. It happens annually, and activists, organizers, and community members around Canada march to parliament to raise their voices against the discrimination faced by Indigenous Peoples of Canada, especially the children. It was established in 1998. The organization’s goal is to bring awareness to the discrimination faced by Indigenous children. Based on statistics from the Government of Canada, a higher proportion of Indigenous Peoples self-reported experiencing childhood physical and sexual maltreatment before the age...
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Transportation equity: First Nation communities urgently need solutions now
By Tiffany Dionne Prete In the vast expanse of Canada’s diverse landscapes, a critical issue persists, impacting the lives of Indigenous Peoples: the lack of safe and accessible transportation. This challenge is not merely about mobility. Intertwined with this narrative is alarming rates of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual and all other sexual orientations and genders (MMIWG2SLGBTQQIA+ or MMMIWG2S+). The Reclaiming Power and Place (RPP) report released in 2019 by the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls shone a spotlight onto the pervasive violence and vulnerabilities disproportionately affecting Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit individuals. Among its 231 Calls for Justice was the call to immediately tackle limited mobility in rural and remote areas. A new...
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Prince Rupert’s child poverty rate highest among B.C. urban areas
By Seth Forward Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Prince Rupert has the highest rate of urban child poverty in the province according to First Call, a B.C. youth advocacy group. First Call’s annual report worryingly indicated that 620 Prince Rupert children and 22.7 per cent of the youth population live in poverty in 2021, compared to the B.C. average of 14.3 per cent. The non-profit says it analyzes income tax filings from across the country in combination with data from Statistics Canada’s Census Family Low Income Measure to determine whether a family falls into the poverty threshold, which is set at 50 per cent or less of the median income across the country. For 2021, the poverty threshold was $34,503 for a lone parent with one child and $42,257 for a...
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More documents needed from Kapuskasing to pay out 2023 evacuation costs: Feds
By Marissa Lentz Local Journalism Initiative KAPUSKASING – While Kapuskasing is considering taking legal action against the federal government, Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) says it’s waiting for the proper documents from the town. Kapuskasing says it’s currently owed $7.1 million from ISC for hosting First Nations evacuees in 2023. However, ISC told TimminsToday it hasn’t received all the necessary documents yet from the town to finalize the claim. On Feb. 22, town council agreed to look into legal action to make sure it’s reimbursed for the expenses and interest on overdue payments. The municipality will also not be a host community until its 2023 bill is paid and there are changes to the reimbursement process. The municipality submitted its 2023 evacuation expenses to ISC on Oct. 13, 2023. They are...
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Training program aims for safe, sustainable drinking water for Interlake First Nations
By Dave Baxter Local Journalism Initiative Reporter An organization fighting for the rights of Indigenous communities to have safe drinking water has announced they are bringing an education and training program to Manitoba. This week, Water First Education & Training Inc. (Water First) announced they have formed a partnership with the Interlake Reserves Tribal Council (IRTC) that will see members from several First Nations communities given the opportunity to enrol in the Drinking Water Internship Program. Water First works as a not-for-profit, with the goal of bringing sustainable access to safe and clean water to all Indigenous communities in Canada, and one of the ways they do that is by offering First Nations people opportunities to build careers in the fields of watersheds, water treatment and distribution, and water science...
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Orchard expansion in Canada’s wine country stirs fears a key wildlife corridor will be harmed
By Aaron Hemens, Indiginews THE ASSOCIATED PRESS KELOWNA, British Columbia (AP)- Just below the fog line hanging over the central Okanagan Valley, rows of saplings for a cherry orchard expansion span the eastern stretch above Highway 33 on the outskirts of Kelowna in Canada’s wine country. New cherry varieties and climate change in British Columbia’s interior have enabled the fruit to grow at higher than usual elevations. Soon, this grassland terrain surrounded by mountains of ponderosa pine will be full of rows of cherry trees along a sloping hill above this city of about 145,000. On a recent morning, Dixon Terbasket of the Lower Similkameen Indian Band arrived at the gate of a 10-foot (3 meter) high fence built last year. He gestured at a private property sign hanging from...
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Growth in Indigenous languages and Global Sports Academy according to Sask Rivers reports
By Michael Oleksyn Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Indigenous language programming and the Global Sports Academy at Carlton Comprehensive both have shown significant growth in the Saskatchewan Rivers School Division, according to an update provided at the board’s Feb. 12 meeting. Director of education Neil Finch substituted for superintendent Jennifer Hingley on the Indigenous language report and superintendent Jeff Court, former principal of Carlton, provided the Global Sports Academy report to the board. Global Sports has grown to include 70 student athletes in three programs, High School Hockey, Grade 7 and 8 Hockey and high School Multi-Sport. Last year the same program had 49 enrolled according to the report. Finch said that the program continues to grow at a substantial rate. “Global Sports has been a very successful program for our...
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A way with words: Political leaders past and present pay tribute to former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney
Mulroney is presented with a feather by Indigenous elder Alex Skead before the start of the second day of the first ministers’ conference on Indigenous constitutional matters, in Ottawa on March 27, 1987. (Greg Teckles/The Canadian Press) OTTAWA- Former prime minister Brian Mulroney was remembered by politicians of all political stripes Thursday as a “giant” and a “visionary,” as the country absorbed the news of his death at the age of 84. “Mr. Mulroney was one of the greatest prime ministers in Canadian history,” said former Quebec premier Jean Charest, who served in Mulroney’s cabinet. Mulroney died peacefully while surrounded by his family, his daughter Caroline, an Ontario cabinet minister, said on social media. Her spokesman later said he had been hospitalized in Palm Beach, Fla., after a recent...
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Ottawa repurposing $10.5B to hike spending on health care, housing over three years
By Mia Rabson THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA- The federal government will repurpose $10.5 billion over the next three years from the budgets of 69 departments, agencies and Crown corporations, Treasury Board President Anita Anand said Thursday. The top-line numbers laying out which departments found savings and how much they’re slashing are contained in the government’s main spending estimates, which were tabled in the House of Commons on Thursday morning. But there is nothing that shows exactly where those funds are being redirected. Anand only provided generalities when pushed to explain why the reports don’t show specifically where the funds are moving. “So what we want to do is take the savings that we are seeing across ministries and put them towards the priorities that you are seeing in our main...
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