Climate change, cost and competition for water drive settlement over tribal rights to Colorado River
By Felicia Fonseca And Suman Naishadham THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP)- A Native American tribe with one of the largest outstanding claims to water in the Colorado River basin is closing in on a settlement with more than a dozen parties, putting it on a path to piping water to tens of thousands of tribal members in Arizona who still live without it. Negotiating terms outlined late Wednesday include water rights not only for the Navajo Nation but the neighboring Hopi and San Juan Southern Paiute tribes in the northeastern corner of the state. The water would come from a mix of sources: the Colorado River that serves seven western states, the Little Colorado River, and aquifers and washes on tribal lands. The agreement is decades in the making...
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Liberals table bill paving way for future pharmacare program a day before deadline
By Laura Osman THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA- Health Minister Mark Holland tabled a long-awaited bill Thursday meant to pave the way for national pharmacare and preserve a deal that secures NDP support for the government in the House of Commons. The bill also includes a program to cover birth control and diabetes drugs and supplies for anyone with a health card, which must now be negotiated with individual provinces and territories. The government has not said how much it will cost to cover the initial list of drugs. The initial program was a condition of a bargain struck with the New Democrats, who touted the legislation Thursday as the fulfilment of a long-held dream. Pharmacare is a central pillar of the political pact between the two parties, which has the NDP...
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What would happen without a Leap Day? More than you might think
By Leanne Italie THE ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW YORK (AP)-Leap year. It’s a delight for the calendar and math nerds among us. So how did it all begin and why? Have a look at some of the numbers, history and lore behind the (not quite) every-four-year phenomenon that adds a 29th day to February. BY THE NUMBERS The math is mind-boggling in a layperson sort of way and down to fractions of days and minutes. There’s even a leap second occasionally, but there’s no hullabaloo when that happens. The thing to know is that leap year exists, in large part, to keep the months in sync with annual events, including equinoxes and solstices, according to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology. It’s a correction to counter the...
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Now streaming on Netflix: Inuvialuit costume designs
By Aastha Sethi Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Released last week, Avatar: The Last Airbender, the eight-episode series is a live-action adaptation of an animated show that aired from 2005 to 2008. The plot includes four nations, Earth Kingdom, Water Tribe, Fire Nation and Air Nomads, that represent the elements. The Water Tribe takes inspiration from Arctic cultures. The show’s lead costume designer, Farnaz Khaki-Sadigh, commissioned nine Indigenous designers from northern Canada and Alaska. Three Inuvialuit designers- Christina King, Donna Wolki and Agnes Firth, worked on parkas and mitts that form part of broader costumes designed by Khaki-Sadigh for episodes one, seven and eight. Watch for the end result in outfits worn by the Southern and Northern Water Tribes in those episodes. Other Indigenous designers that contributed to the project are...
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MCK in `holding pattern’ in wake of iGaming hearing
By Marc Lalonde Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The Mohawk Council of Kahnawake is in a “holding pattern,” as it waits for the judge’s decision in an Ontario Superior Court hearing where the MCK challenged Ontario’s new online gaming regulatory framework, the chief who sat in on the hearings said. “There’s no timeline on a decision,” MCK portfolio lead on justice and legislation Tonya Perron said. “Honestly, I don’t know how long it could take. This is Ontario Superior Court and it’s not a simple case.” The MCK is challenging the validity of Ontario’s online regulatory framework, which requires gaming operators to register with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) and enter into Operators Agreements with iGaming Ontario, a subsidiary of AGCO, in order to operate their websites in...
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History of Canada’s largest national park reveals exclusion of First Nations people and injustice
By Shari Narine Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Chief Allan Adam of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation tells a story from the 1990s about how he had received some moose meat from a friend who had hunted the moose in Wood Buffalo National Park. Adam fried it, boiled potatoes and served the meal to his grandmother, who was thrilled to be eating moose meat. That is until she found out where the moose had been shot. She stopped eating and pushed her plate away. “I couldn’t understand why she did that. When I asked what was wrong, she didn’t say nothing at first. But then finally she came out and told me and she said it all in Dene and it was hard for me to understand our fluent language at...
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N.B. teens give birth at nearly twice national average: report
By John Chilibeck Local Journalism Initiative Reporter New Brunswick still has one of the highest rates of teens giving birth in Canada, despite its overall fertility rate at the national average. In a new Statistics Canada report on the nation’s fertility, the data show that the proportion of New Brunswick’s teenage girls between the ages of 15 and 19 giving birth is almost twice the national average. For the most recent year examined, 2022, seven New Brunswick teens gave birth for every 1,000 of them. That compares to 4.4 giving birth per 1,000 teens nation-wide. Out of 13 provinces and territories, New Brunswick’s rate was the ninth highest. Only Manitoba (9.2), Northwest Territories (12.3), Saskatchewan (14.4) and Nunavut (67.2) were higher. The lowest was in British Columbia, at 2.7. “When it...
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LU highlighted researchers during R and I Week
By Kevin Jeffrey Local Journalism Initiative Reporter THUNDER BAY- Professors and students that dedicate their time to researching specific issues were recognized during the 19th annual Research and Innovation Week in a showcase of nine Lakehead University researchers held on Wednesday in the Faculty Lounge. Among the presenters, Paul Cormier offered a talk called Indigenous Community Based Research?, discussing the implementation of Keewatinase, a program that offers students with Indigenous ancestry unique opportunities to become a teacher in a supportive environment. “I have always had an affinity towards teaching even though I wanted nothing to do with education when I was in high school,” said Cormier, an associate professor in Keewatinase, Indigenous education at Lakehead University and a member of the Red Rock Indian Band. “I have this concept called Indigenous...
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Banding together for government contracts
By Matteo Cimellaro Local Journalism Initiative Reporter For the first time in Canada, five Indigenous economic groups are uniting to create a procurement agency to help their organizations and businesses benefit from goods and services purchased through federal contracts. The First Nations Procurement Organization (FNPO) was created to help overcome systemic barriers to accessing federal contracts and hold Ottawa accountable to ensure First Nations are truly the ones benefiting from government procurement targets. For example, Natural Resources Canada in the fiscal year 2022-23 hired Inuit-led companies to help geo-map the Arctic and contribute to the Polar Continental Shelf Program, as described in documents obtained by Canada’s National Observer through the Access to Information Act. The initiative is important because the federal government spends approximately $22 billion a year purchasing goods...
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Fort Resolution `totally unprotected’ without fire department, says MLA
By Tom Taylor Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Fort Resolution is still without a functional fire department, according to Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh MLA Richard Edjericon. Edjericon brought attention to the matter during the Feb. 8 session of the legislative assembly. In the process, he noted repeatedly that the community of about 500 people has been governed by a GNWT-appointed administrator since the local hamlet council was dissolved by the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs (MACA) last June. The change came amid concerns of “mismanagement,” but Edjericon attributed it to a “modern-day colonial type of attitude” that makes residents feel “punished.” “Now the GNWT’s officially responsible for our Fort Resolution government,” the MLA said. “They can’t ignore the serious lack of services the community struggles with. “One of the most urgent services they...
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B.C. First Nation sues federal government over ban on herring spawn fishery
BELLA BELLA, B.C.- A British Columbia First Nation says it has launched a civil lawsuit against the federal government over its decision in 2022 to ban one of its commercial fisheries The Heiltsuk Nation says the Fisheries Department’s move to close the commercial harvest of herring spawn-on-kelp in the nation’s territory was an infringement of its Aboriginal rights. In a lawsuit filed in B.C. Supreme Court against the Attorney General of Canada, the nation says the department issued a management plan for Pacific herring in February 2022 for the central coast that closed the commercial fishery, where eggs are removed from kelp after herring have spawned. The lawsuit says the closure left its members unable to harvest the spawn-on-kelp for commercial purposes, disrupting “an economic lifeline” for the Indigenous community...
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Mamaweswen kicks off food sovereignty summit in the Sault
By Kyle Darbyson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Mamaweswen, the North Shore Tribal Council, invited its members to a community dinner at the Water Tower Inn Monday evening, which marked the beginning of its first-ever food sovereignty summit. This event is scheduled to run over the next three days with the aim of generating solutions to what continues to be a pervasive issue amongst all seven North Shore First Nations. CEO Allan Moffatt told The Sault Star that concerns surrounding food insecurity constantly come up during North Shore board meetings, which is why getting representatives from each community in a room together is such a necessity. According to a 2023 study from Algoma Public Health, nearly one in five households in the region suffer from food insecurity, with Indigenous families being...
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Indigenous man denied return of guns following seizure
By Tom Summer Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Firearms seized by RCMP will not be returned to Benjamin James Jackson, a member of the McLeod Lake Indian Band, but his licence will. An appeal from Jackson was sought for the return of the 12 weapons, after he was arrested and released by RCMP on March 19, 2023 on an undertaking relating to an allegation that he uttered or conveyed a threat to injure an animal. The firearms and one possession and acquisition licence (PAL) were seized by police from Jackson’s residence, and he submitted that the RCMP failed to make an application extend the detention order and that there were no proceedings where the seized items would be required. The RCMP filed applied for the detention of the seized items on Apr....
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Ancestral beliefs reflected in modern day practice
By Matteo Cimellaro Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Indigenous Peoples have long believed that everyone in a community ought to be cared for and fed. These days, that ancestral principle can find itself reflected in the modern social economy and non-profit organizations, including friendship centres, which have successfully adopted it as a pathway to an economic structure, says Kelly Benning, president of the National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC). “I think it aligns so well with our traditions and beliefs,” explains Benning. “The term social economy has more or less given us a name for the way that we conduct ourselves.” Last week, the inaugural Urban Indigenous Social Economy Forum in Ottawa brought together friendship centres, provincial and federal organizations and Indigenous social organization leadership from across the country to network and...
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Man to plead guilty in ‘killing spree’ of eagles and other birds for feathers prized by tribes
By Matthew Brown THE ASSOCIATED PRESS A Washington state man accused of helping kill more than 3,000 birds, including eagles on a Montana Indian reservation, then illegally selling their feathers intends to plead guilty to illegal wildlife trafficking and other criminal charges, court documents show. Federal prosecutors say Travis John Branson and others killed about 3,600 birds during a yearslong “killing spree” on the Flathead Indian Reservation and elsewhere. Feathers and other parts of eagles and other birds are highly prized among many Native American tribes for use in sacred ceremonies and during powwows. Branson of Cusick, Washington, will plead guilty under an agreement with prosecutors to reduced charges including conspiracy, wildlife trafficking and two counts of unlawful trafficking of eagles, according to court documents filed Tuesday. The documents did...
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“CATASTROPHIC HARM”: Manitoba First Nation calls state of emergency over drug abuse, overdose deaths
By Dave Baxter Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The Long Plain First Nation (LPFN) is calling a state of emergency, as the local chief says drug abuse and drug overdose deaths continue to take lives and cause “catastrophic harm” in the community. “We are losing people, and sadly we are losing young people,” LPFN Chief David Meeches said on Tuesday, one day after LPFN put out a notice to community members that they are calling a state of emergency in the community located west of Winnipeg near Portage la Prairie. “We’re mobilizing now, because if we don’t more lives are going to be lost to the drug crisis.” Meeches said he does not have a number of how many drug-related deaths LPFN has had in the last few weeks and months,...
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B.C. First Nation sues federal government over ban on herring spawn fishery
BELLA BELLA, B.C.- A British Columbia First Nation is suing the federal government for banning one of its commercial fisheries back in 2022. The Heiltsuk Nation claims the federal fisheries minister’s decision to close the commercial harvest of herring spawn-on-kelp in the nation’s territory was an infringement of its Aboriginal rights. In a lawsuit filed in B.C. Supreme Court against the Attorney General of Canada, the nation claims it developed joint management plans for harvests with staff from the Fisheries Department for several years leading up to 2022. The Heiltsuk and the department’s joint plan for 2022 had called for the nation to be able to take nearly 138,000 kilograms of herring eggs for commercial purposes in that season’s spawn-on-kelp harvest. The harvest involves removing herring eggs from kelp after...
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Shooting stuns indigenous whaling village on Alaska’s desolate North Slope
By Mark Thiessen THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP)- A shooting that killed two adults and severely wounded two others has stunned a tiny Alaska Native whaling village above the Arctic Circle, where parents were told they could keep their children home from school Tuesday to hug them. A 16-year-old boy has been charged as an adult with two counts each of first-degree murder and attempted murder in the late Sunday shooting in Point Hope, a remote Inupiat whaling community on Alaska’s northwest coast, bordering the Chukchi Sea. The teen, Guy Nashookpuk, made his initial court appearance by telephone Tuesday. He spoke only to say “Yes ma’am” when asked questions by Magistrate Judge Colleen Baxter. He was assigned a public defender, who entered not guilty pleas on his behalf. Baxter...
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First Nations want to lead baby eel fishery threatened with closure
By John Chilibeck Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The Wolastoqey Nation says the only way to ensure a safe and sustainable baby eel fishery is to let Indigenous people lead its management and protection. The Nation, which represents the Indigenous chiefs of the six communities that hug the St. John River, or Wolastoq, in New Brunswick issued a statement in reaction to a letter sent Feb. 13 by federal fisheries minister Diane Lebouthillier, who told 12 baby eel, or elver, licence holders in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia she was probably going to suspend the fishery this season. It was set to begin in about a month. “As acknowledged by the minister of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, our Nation’s lack of access to the elver fishery continues to be...
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Six Nations residents confused over whether to apply for First Nations Drinking water settlement
Six Nations residents in a quandry over whether to apply for massive First Nations Drinking water settlement By Lisa Iesse Writer Should we or shouldn’t we apply? Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) wasn’t part of the First Nations Drinking Water court case or its $8 billion settlement, but they are still helping Six Nations community members apply for possible compensation. And that has Six Nations community members expressing “confusion” as they try to navigate contradictory information about “options” available to them to not only address unsafe drinking water locally, but whether they can even file a claim in the multi-billion dollar settlement. The quandry began now three years ago when SNEC attempted to address why they were not part of the successful lawsuit launched in 2019 despite being invited to...
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