Grassy Narrows proves environmental racism is not over
By Matteo Cimellaro & Natasha Bulowski Local Journalism Initiative The discovery that pollution from a paper mill is contributing to the long-standing mercury poisoning afflicting Grassy Narrows First Nation is another example of widespread environmental racism, say federal MPs. The mercury contamination at Grassy Narrows dates back to the 1960s and ’70s, when Dryden Chemical dumped roughly 10 metric tonnes of mercury into the English-Wabigoon River system. The pollution has caused serious health problems for the vast majority of members of Grassy Narrows and Wabaseemoong First Nations, including neurological issues, birth defects and more. “The reality is Indigenous communities, racialized communities have to continue to suffer when corporations pollute,” Edmonton-Griesbach NDP MP Blake Desjarlais said, pointing to the Grassy Narrow’s case and Danielle Smith’s government’s RStar program that “uses tax...
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Fort Nelson, B.C., evacuees heading home after being forced to flee wildfires
The Canadian Press 27/05/2024 04:00 Residents in Fort Nelson are able to go home today after being evacuated for more than two weeks due to wildfires. The Northern Rockies Regional Municipality and the Fort Nelson First Nation say they’ll jointly rescind their evacuation orders at 8 a.m., lift roadblocks and allow people to return. About 4,700 residents were evacuated from Fort Nelson on May 10, when strong winds pushed the Parker Lake wildfire within a few kilometres of the town. The fire destroyed four homes and damaged six other properties in the area. Crews are also fighting the Patry Creek fire north of town, which is a holdover fire that was initially ignited by lightning in July 2023. The regional municipality’s Mayor Rob Fraser has asked residents to be patient...
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Who is Buffalo Woman? Serial killer trial hears of police efforts to identify victim
The Canadian Press 26/05/2024 08:00 In mid-March 2022, a young Indigenous woman stood outside Winnipeg’s Salvation Army and spoke with a man who invited her back to his home. Wearing a reversible Baby Phat branded jacket and a cloth face mask, she would later board a bus with the man and head to his apartment in the North Kildonan neighbourhood. The woman was the first victim of serial killer Jeremy Skibicki. In the two years since her slaying, police have been unable to identify her or find her remains. To Indigenous community members, police and the court system, she has become known as Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe, or Buffalo Woman, a name that was gifted to her by a group of Indigenous grandmothers. “Our community has adopted her. We wanted her to...
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‘Language is identity’: Indigenous Ontario legislator to make history at Queen’s Park
The Canadian Press 26/05/2024 06:00 Decades after being punished in a residential school for speaking his own language, Sol Mamakwa will hold the powerful to account at Ontario’s legislature in the very same language past governments tried to bury. On Tuesday, Mamakwa, the only First Nation legislator at Queen’s Park, will rise in the legislative chamber – with his mother, sister, brothers, friends and elders watching from the gallery – and ask a question in Anishininiimowin, known in English as Oji-Cree. For the first time in its history, the Ontario legislature will allow, interpret and transcribe a language other than English and French. It will also be a birthday gift to his mom, Kezia Mamakwa, who turns 79 that day, and a nod to his late father, Jerry Mamakwa. “Language...
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Ontario reaches land claim settlement with Matachewan FirstNation
The Canadian Press 25/05/2024 14:07 The Ontario government says it has reached a settlement in a treaty land entitlement claim linked to the Matachewan First Nation. Under the settlement, the First Nation located southeast of Timmins, Ont., will receive $590,000 and more than 2,000 hectares of provincial Crown land, which may be added to its reserve. Treaty land entitlement claim settlements are meant to remedy instances where First Nations did not receive the amount of reserve land promised to them under numbered treaties. The province says Treaty 9, also known as the James Bay Treaty, provided First Nations with nearly 260 hectares of land per family of five, or just over 50 hectares per member. However, the Matachewan First Nation did not receive all the land it was entitled to....
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TBM mayor named one of four co-chairs of water equity commission
Local Journalism Initiative The Blue Mountains Mayor Andrea Matrosovs is excited about a new role she has with the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative. Matrosovs attended the Cities Initiative’s annual conference/meeting in Montreal from May 15 – 17 and it was an eventful occasion for her. Matrosovs has been selected as one of four co-chairs of the Cities Initiative’s Mayor’s Commission on Water Equity, which is comprised of two Canadian mayors and two American mayors. Joining her as co-chairs are Nicolas Dufour – Reptetigny, Quebec, Cavalier Johnson, Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Shawyn Patterson-Howard, Mount Vernon, New York. “The four of us will lead that mayor’s commission and provide opportunities to keep the dialogue going in communities across the basin,” Matrosovs said in an interview with CollingwoodToday. “There is a...
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‘Crime of vengeance’: Saskatchewan RCMP say witnesses key to solving brutal slaying
The Canadian Press Mounties suspected Tiki Laverdiere was dead before her burned, bludgeoned body was found wrapped in a carpet under rocks in a Saskatchewan pond in the summer of 2019. She was a 25-year-old mother of two. Her death launched five years of investigation and prosecutions, revealing a story of suspicion, drugs, booze and revenge, climaxing in one long night of torture. Ten people were eventually convicted, with the final cases recently wrapped in court, freeing up documents that had been under a publication ban. The savagery of the crime helped clear the path for investigators, said Supt. Joshua Graham, head of the Saskatchewan RCMP major crimes unit. “When you have something like this, something so brutal, people became very self-interested as they were looking at life in jail...
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Tribes say their future is at stake as they push for Congress to consider Colorado River settlement
The Associated Press Within the heart of the Navajo Nation and in the shadow of the sandstone arch that is the namesake of the tribal capital, a simple greeting and big smiles were shared over and over again Friday as tribal officials gathered: “Yá‘át’ééh abíní!” It was a good morning, indeed, for Navajo President Buu Nygren as he signed legislation in Window Rock, Arizona, outlining a proposed settlement to ensure three Native American tribes have water rights from the Colorado River and other sources — and drought-stricken Arizona has more security in its supply. The signature came a day after the Navajo Nation Council voted unanimously in favor of the measure. The San Juan Southern Paiute and Hopi tribes also approved the settlement this week. Now, the three tribes in...
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RCMP officer’s social media posts prompt calls for suspension from First Nation chief
The Canadian Press A British Columbia First Nation is calling for the suspension and removal of an RCMP officer from Bella Bella over social media posts he made before joining the Mounties. Heiltsuk Tribal Council Chief Marilyn Slett says in a letter to the Bella Bella detachment of the RCMP that the officer posted “racist text and images.” Supt.-Cmdr. Brian Edmonds of North District RCMP says in a statement the force is aware of the concerns and a “non-conduct-related administrative process” involving the officer is underway. Slett’s letter includes images of social media posts showing a white man wearing an Afro-style wig with a caption saying “BLACK AND PROUD.” Another social media post shows a man dressed in a colonial-style uniform in front of a Union Jack, with a comment:...
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B.C. misses the mark with old growth update, critics claim
By Rochelle Baker Local Journalism Initiative The B.C. government continues to move at a glacial pace to meet an overdue promise to transform the logging industry and protect endangered old growth forests and ecosystems, say B.C. conservation groups. On Monday, the province issued its latest progress report on transforming forestry practices to preserve ancient forests and vital ecosystems and meet 14 calls to action from the old-growth strategic review (OGSR) completed in spring of 2020. The From Review to Action plan is a lackluster effort that fails to include any new steps, specific details, or deadlines urgently needed to preserve what little old growth remains, said Jens Wieting, Sierra Club BC’s senior policy and science advisor. “I’m disappointed. Without ambitious timelines and milestones, the newly-released update does not guarantee the...
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Pronouns and tribal affiliations are now forbidden in South Dakota public university employee emails
The Associated Press 24/05/2024 17:42 A new South Dakota policy to stop the use of gender pronouns by public university faculty and staff in official correspondence is also keeping Native American employees from listing their tribal affiliations in a state with a long and violent history of conflict with tribes. Two University of South Dakota faculty members, Megan Red Shirt-Shaw and her husband, John Little, have long included their gender pronouns and tribal affiliations in their work email signature blocks. But both received written warnings from the university in March that doing so violated a policy adopted in December by the South Dakota Board of Regents. “I was told that I had 5 days to remove my tribal affiliation and pronouns,” Little said in an email to The Associated Press....
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Oil company seeks arrest of Woodland Cree First Nation chief
By Jeremy Appel, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter An oil company is attempting to have the chief of the Woodland Cree First Nation jailed for refusing to allow its drilling project to proceed on his nation’s traditional territory in northern Alberta. As first reported by journalist Brandi Morin for IndigiNews and Ricochet, the First Nation has set up a blockade to prevent Obsidian Energy employees from accessing its land near Peace River. On May 6, the company obtained an injunction against Woodland Cree First Nation and the people occupying the blockade camp. The First Nation has called Obsidian’s “intimidation tactics … the worst we’ve ever seen.” A week later, Obsidian CEO Steven Loukas flew to the region for scheduled negotiations with representatives of the First Nation, including Chief Isaac Laboucan-Avirom, band...
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Feds announce $31 million funding boost for SCO’s downtown project
By Dave Baxter Local Journalism Initiative Reporter A massive, Indigenous-led development project in downtown Winnipeg got a major financial boost when the federal government announced they would put an additional $31 million towards the work being done to transform the former Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) building into Wehwehneh Bahgahkinahgohn. “We know that Winnipeg is Canada’s most vital city when we talk about reconciliation,” federal Minister Dan Vandal said Friday morning, while speaking at the current construction site that was once the main floor shopping area of Winnipeg’s flagship HBC department store. “I often say Winnipeg is the Indigenous capital of Canada. This transformation is more than just a symbol of reconciliation, we are moving beyond promises to do better as governments and as a society, people who come here will...
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Study points to Dryden mill’s pollution
By Mike Stimpson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter GRASSY NARROWS – New research suggests there’s no end in sight to his First Nation’s mercury-poisoning woes, and that comes as no surprise to Chief Rudy Turtle. “We’ve always had some suspicion that there was still something being dumped into the Wabigoon River that’s causing problems, because our band members would drive by the river and see these suds and the discoloration of the river,” the Grassy Narrows chief said in an interview Friday. “There’s always been suspicion that something else was going on,” he continued. “So we’re not surprised, but at the same time we’re very disappointed.” A team led by Western University biologist Brian Branfireun looked into whether effluent from Dryden’s pulp and paper mill is elevating mercury levels in the...
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Work interrupted again at Parks Canada site
Parks Canada has hit another snag in Nipigon. Finn Way General Contractor Inc. have once again had to halt construction of Parks Canada’s new Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area Administration and Visitor Centre in Nipigon. Site Supervisor and Parks Canada spokesperson, Lisa Nyman, confirmed that work has been paused at the construction site but could not confirm the exact cause at this time. Construction was previously brought to a stop on May 8 when a non-human bone and additional objects – including Coke bottles and kitchenware all dating back to the mid-to-late 20th century – were discovered during excavation of the construction site. At the time, Nyman told Dougall Media reporters Parks Canada is following the guidance of terrestrial archeology professionals and recommendations from the Red Rock Indian Band...
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UN experts warn Canada lacks proper oversight, safeguards for people behind bars
The Canadian Press A panel of United Nations experts say Canada is failing to ensure equitable justice, citing trial delays and problems with initiatives meant to lower the rate of Indigenous people behind bars. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention also says there needs to be a cap on how long Ottawa can detain foreigners without charge. And it notes the Canada Border Services Agency lacks any official oversight body, despite border guards interacting with some of the most vulnerable people in Canada. Ottawa can detain foreigners without charge when it can’t identify them, or when immigration officers suspect they won’t show up to hearings that determine whether they can stay in Canada. The panel visited four provinces just as Ottawa announced plans to use federal prisons for...
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IRC launches ‘first of its kind’ Inuvialuit research network
By Aastha Sethi Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The Inuvialuit Regional Corporation is launching a community research network in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. In a news release, the IRC said the network would provide the six Inuvialuit communities – Aklavik, Inuvik, Sachs Harbour, Paulatuk, Tuktoyaktuk and Ulukhaktok – with one community research administrator each. That administrator will act as a point of contact for “research matters in their home communities and support the implementation of IRC’s climate change, energy, marine, Inuvialuit Knowledge, sociocultural and environmental research programs,” the IRC stated, adding a manager will oversee the program. Administrators will be responsible for providing opportunities for residents develop skills through the likes of mentorship, job shadowing, courses and workshops. The IRC said its network will be “the first of its kind”...
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Forcing northerners to travel for CT scans ‘unacceptable,’ Quebec leader charges
By Cedric Gallant Local Journalism Initiative 24/05/2024 14:22 An opposition party motion calling for a CT scanner to be installed in Nunavik has received unanimous support Tuesday in Quebec’s National Assembly. Acadia MNA André Morin, the Liberal spokesperson for relations with First Nations and Inuit, called on the CAQ government to offer medical imaging services in the region by installing CT scans “as soon as possible.” “Would the CAQ government tolerate that citizens of Laval or Trois-Rivières need to travel 1,500 kilometres to obtain a medical diagnosis?” Morin said later that day in a news release, calling it “unacceptable” that northern residents have to do that. “It is the responsibility of the state to offer the same services to all citizens on the whole of its territory, even more so...
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Situation ‘critical’ in Nunavik: Commission demands changes in youth protection
By Cedric Gallant Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Nunavik’s youth in child protection services have limited access to nutritious food and experience overcrowding and other socio-economic conditions associated with child neglect, according to a report released last week. “The situation remains critical for children in Nunavik,” said the Report on the Implementation of the Recommendations of the Report on Youth Protection Services in Nunavik, released May 17 by Quebec’s Human Rights and Youth Commission. The report points to the need to focus on the “root causes” behind what it calls a “widespread violation” of Nunavik children’s rights. According to the report, 1,119 out of the region’s total youth population of 5,594 are under the care of youth protection services. That equates to 20 per cent of Nunavik’s youth, in contrast to...
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West Moberly First Nations to receive funding for geothermal project
By Ed Hitchins Local Journalism Initiative 24/05/2024 14:36 West Moberly First Nations (WMFN) will receive $299,404 toward a new geothermal project. The funds come from the BC Indigenous Clean Energy Initiative (BCICEI), a partnership between the federal and provincial governments and the Vancouver-based non-profit New Relationship Trust. West Moberly is among 35 First Nations provincewide to receive $9.8 billion in funding toward various renewable energy projects. The clean energy projects vary in size, ranging from air-source heat pumps to conducting a feasibility study for a 40-megawatt wind project. In WMFN’s case, the funds will go toward the project design and engineering for a geothermal facility that will provide heat to a commercial-scale greenhouse. This is not West Moberly’s first alternative energy project. In 2021, the First Nation announced the launch...
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