Federal audits into accessibility, First Nations funding set to be released
Two federal watchdogs are set to release a series of audits today, including probes into federal workplace accessibility and funding arrangements for First Nations. Auditor General Karen Hogan will reveal the findings of her investigation into whether Indigenous Services Canada effectively put into place its “New Fiscal Relationship” with First Nations. That refers to measures brought in under former prime minister Justin Trudeau, who made resetting Canada’s relationship with Indigenous peoples a priority for his government. Hogan is also expected to reveal whether her office found several federal organizations created an accessible workplace for public servants with disabilities. Jerry DeMarco, the commissioner of the environment and sustainable development, is also set to release several reports, including one that looks into whether departments ensured government assets can withstand climate change. Another...
Register
‘It’s the future:’ Drone training equips Stoney Nakoda Nation members for high-demand jobs
By Leah Pelletier, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Rocky Mountain Outlook ÎYÂRHE NAKODA – The future of Canada’s drone industry is taking off within Îyârhe (Stoney) Nakoda First Nation. With drone operators in high demand across Canada, Southern Alberta-based drone operation and training company, IN-FLIGHT Data, is clearing the way for Stoney Nakoda members to earn their drone pilot licence through a free training program. “In the next 10 years there’s going to be a wave of high-tech aviation jobs that are going to come into the Canadian marketplace,” said Chris Healy, president and CEO of IN-FLIGHT Data and member of the Métis Nation. “Indigenous communities should be fully included in the future of that technology and not just watching it from the sidelines.” The course gives Stoney Nakoda Nation members...
Register
B.C.’s legislature looks into changes as MLA avoids censure after using Nazi slogan
By Wolfgang Depner Politicians in B.C.’s legislature say they are looking into whether they can close a loophole that has allowed a member to avoid a censure motion after she used a slogan associated with Nazi Germany. Independent MLA Tara Armstrong last month used the term “blood and soil” in her attack on a First Nations treaty, a phrase frequently used by German Fascists before and during the Second World War. But an attempt by the B.C. Greens to censure Armstrong and force her to apologize failed because she, along with another member of the legislature, prevented the motion from coming up for debate. Government house leader Mike Farnworth says he is working with the official Opposition and B.C. Greens to deal with Armstrong’s “abhorrent” comments inside and outside the...
Register
Poverty rate holds steady at 11%, well above 2020 levels: StatCan
-CANADIAN PRESS-Statistics Canada says the country’s poverty rate barely budged in 2024, remaining more than 50 per cent above 2020 levels. The agency says 11 per cent of Canadians — about 4.5 million people — lived in poverty in 2024 versus 11.1 per cent in 2023 and seven per cent in 2020. It says Nunavut recorded the highest poverty rate at 31.7 per cent due to the high cost of living in much of the North, followed by British Columbia at 13 per cent and Ontario at 12.5 per cent. As in previous years, Quebec notched the lowest poverty rate at seven per cent. The agency says racialized groups, Indigenous peoples and Canadians living with disabilities continue to experience higher levels of poverty. Statistics Canada calculates the poverty rate based...
Register
Tribes sue to halt exploratory drilling in Black Hills near sacred ceremonial site
By Sarah Raza SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Nine Native American tribes in South Dakota, North Dakota and Nebraska are suing the federal government in a bid to stop exploratory drilling for graphite near a sacred site in the Black Hills. A small group of demonstrators has been protesting at the drilling location and at the mining company’s headquarters since they learned ground was broken on the drilling project in late April. The tribes filed their federal lawsuit Thursday in South Dakota against the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Department of Agriculture, alleging that the agencies violated federal law by greenlighting a project near a site called Pe’Sla, a meadow in the central Black Hills used for tribal ceremonies, prayer and youth camps year-round. The project is the latest point...
Register
Alberta separatists set to deliver thousands of signatures on petition for referendum
A group of Alberta separatists gathering signatures to trigger a referendum on pulling the province out of Confederation is set to hand in its petition sheets today. Mitch Sylvestre, the head of Stay Free Alberta, says it plans to deliver the thousands of names to Elections Alberta’s head office in Edmonton. More than a month ago, Sylvestre said the group had already collected much more than the approximate 178,000 signatures required since it started in January. The question of separation could go on a provincewide ballot as early as October, as Premier Danielle Smith has said she would move forward if enough names are gathered and verified. However, the petition could face another hurdle. An Edmonton judge is expected to rule this week on a court challenge launched by a...
Register
Lawyers say ban on naming man in sex assault case ‘illegal’
By Arty Sarkisian, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunatsiaq News A court-ordered ban on naming a man accused of sexual assault is an infringement on the free press, lawyers argued in court Friday. “This is a very serious issue,” said Alyssa Holland, a lawyer for the Canadian Broadcasting Corp., who appeared virtually to request the ban be struck down. The man is facing historical criminal allegations but the Youth Criminal Justice Act prohibits media from publishing his name or any identifying details. He also faces charges as an adult. Alan Regel, the man’s lawyer, argued the ban should apply to the adult charges as well. Justice of the Peace Amanda Soper placed the publication ban on naming the man on all charges after hearing an oral request April 11 from the...
Register
Crown-Indigenous Relations outlines how it will deliver $4 billion in housing investments
By Kody Ferron, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Yellowknifer Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Rebecca Alty travelled to Behchoko on April 24 to announce how the Urban, Rural and Northern Indigenous Housing Strategy would deliver on its promise to build homes for Indigenous communities. The Urban, Rural and Northern Indigenous Housing Strategy, created in Budget 2023, which allotted $4 billion over seven years starting 2024-25, was founded to support Indigenous housing in urban, rural and Northern communities. The Canadian government says its strategy is built on a “balance of Indigenous-led funding agreements and open, project-based funding for Indigenous housing projects.” An estimated $1.7 billion will be delivered by Build Canada Homes, the federal agency launched in September 2025, to build affordable housing in Canada. Almost $2 billion will be allocated for “distinctions-based agreements”...
Register
Kanesatake council attends education meeting
By Hadassah Alencar, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eastern Door Last week, caretaker council member Serge Otsi Simon and Kanesatake Education Center (KEC) education director Watsenniostha Nelson attended the First Nations Education Council’s (FNEC) annual general meeting in Quebec City, where they discussed ways to fund and strengthen Indigenous education. At the meetings on April 21 and 22, the FNEC revealed it is attempting to secure a 10-year funding agreement with the federal government, double the current five-year term. “I feel like 10 years would give a little bit more time for all of our communities to really settle in and then really get things done without having to go back and start renegotiating again so quickly,” said Nelson. Current funding ends in 2027, said Nelson. However, while supportive, Simon...
Register
PIB marks Denim Day, ‘A refusal to stay silent’
By Keith Lacey, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Penticton Herald More than two dozen members of the Penticton Indian Band proudly wore denim to observe the global campaign held during Sexual Assault Awareness Month to protest against victim-blaming and show solidarity with survivors of sexual violence. The PIB members recognized 2026 Denim Day on Tuesday with a hearty meal, followed by speeches from social workers about the importance of this day, which began in 1999 following a ruling by the Italian Supreme Court that overturned a rape conviction after judges reasoned that because the victim wore tight jeans, she must have consented. Outraged, millions of Italian women wore denim as an act of solidarity. A huge Denim Day event was held in Los Angeles in 1999 and has since then become...
Register
Years in Brooklyn / Tsi Niiohserá:ke Ne Brooklyn Nonkwá:ti
By Arthur Diabo The Eastern Door I really didn’t want to go to Brooklyn; that’s a rite of passage at 12 years old. At the time, I was leaving the formative years. I lived life on the reserve but now I’m in the big city. Everybody’s trying to hustle you and take your money and whatever you have on you. I was in my teens when I grew up there. We lived in a little area, called Little Caughnawaga. There were Indians everywhere in downtown Brooklyn. We didn’t live next to each other, but we all lived in a big area. There were a lot of other Mohawks there and I knew them. They were my friends from Kahnawà:ke. I met one close friend in the lunch line at school....
Register
Hyggen exhibit spotlights threatened northern muskegs
By Nicole Goldsworthy Local Journalism Initiative Reporter/SASKTODAY.ca HUMBOLDT — A new exhibition at the Humboldt and District Gallery is bringing northern Saskatchewan’s muskeg landscapes into focus, highlighting both their ecological richness and the risks they face from resource extraction. “ôma askiy âpacihcikâtîw (this land is in use)” by Vanessa Hyggen runs May 1 to June 23, at the gallery, located on the second floor of 601 Main Street. The Humboldt Gallery said the body of work explores the diversity, beauty and importance of muskeg ecosystems, while drawing attention to the growing threat of peat and strip mining in northern regions. Peat mining typically involves draining water from muskeg areas and removing vegetation, including species such as sundews, pitcher plants, Labrador tea, black spruce, birch, willows, alders and various berry plants....
Register
Man charged in Edmonton officers’ deaths being used a scapegoat: defence
By Daniela Germano A man charged with manslaughter for selling a gun to a teen who killed two Edmonton police officers is an easy scapegoat in a case the Crown hopes can be used to expand criminal liability for gun violence, his lawyer argued Thursday. Court of King’s Bench Justice John Little heard closing arguments in the case against 21-year-old Dennis Okeymow, who faces more than a dozen charges from the shooting that claimed the lives of Const. Travis Jordan and Const. Brett Ryan. The trial heard that the officers were killed while responding to a domestic violence call in March 2023. Roman Shewchuk, 16, had strangled his mother until she lost consciousness. When she woke up, she ran to a nearby apartment building where she called police. Jordan and...
Register
Elite coaches from the Netherlands provide soccer expertise to North Shore First Nations
By Abby Luciano, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, North Shore News Members of local First Nations communities recently received a rare opportunity to learn about the beautiful game from some of the best in the world. On Wednesday coaches from səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) Nation wrapped up a five-day training program with the Royal Netherlands Football Association’s WorldCoaches initiative at the new Tsleil-Waututh Sports Field. WorldCoaches is an international program that brings professional coaches into communities in an effort to elevate coaching skills and stress the importance of other sporting benefits such as social development, managing emotions, learning empathy and critical thinking. “By teaching coaches how to recognize these skills in specific training and match situations, we try to make the link to social issues that children face within certain...
Register
A citizen campaign returns iconic kiwi birds to New Zealand’s capital after a century-long absence
By Charlotte Graham-clay WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The kiwi, New Zealand’s sacred national bird, vanished from the hills around Wellington more than a century ago. Now the capital’s residents are waging an improbable citizen campaign to return the endangered flightless birds to the city. “They are a part of who we are and our sense of belonging here,” said Paul Ward, founder of the Capital Kiwi Project, a charitable trust. “But they’ve been gone from these hills for well over a century and we decided as Wellingtonians that wasn’t right.” On a hill wreathed in mist above the dark sea that runs between New Zealand’s North and South Islands, Ward and others crossed rugged farmland late on Tuesday night, carrying seven crates in silence by dim red torchlight. Inside...
Register
Upper Nicola program a ‘gold standard’ in effort to save B.C.’s burrowing owls
By Aaron Walker, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Windspeaker.com A decade after the first burrowing owls were released onto its reserve lands, the Upper Nicola Band is marking what leaders and partners describe as a rare conservation success in a province where the species remains on the brink. On April 22, community members, knowledge keepers, and conservation partners gathered on the Douglas Lake reserve to release six more captive-raised burrowing owls as part of an ongoing recovery effort that has quietly become one of the most productive breeding sites for the species in British Columbia. Since 2016, the program has produced 125 wild-born fledglings, with both captive-born and wild-born owls returning annually to breed — a key indicator of long-term viability. “The program has exceeded all our expectations,” said Loretta Holmes,...
Register
Banks expanding further into Indigenous financing as project push accelerates
By Ian Bickis As Indigenous ownership in major projects is increasingly framed as a way to help ensure they go ahead, banks are working to expand their offerings to help make such equity deals happen. RBC is the latest to expand its capacity, announcing Thursday that it is launching an advisory service to help Indigenous groups buy into major projects. The practice adds to efforts like BMO’s launch of the first labelled Indigenous bond last October, and Scotiabank’s backing of investment dealer Cedar Leaf Capital Inc. to open more doors to financial services for Indigenous groups. “The banks recognize that this is a growth area,” Mark Podlasly, chief executive of the First Nations Major Projects Coalition, said at a conference in Toronto on Thursday. Indigenous people in Canada already have...
Register
Former Tsay Keh Dene manager sentenced for insurance fraud
By Bob Mackin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Prince George Citizen A former human resources manager with the Tsay Keh Dene First Nation pleaded guilty April 22 to defrauding an insurance company of almost $18,000. Nelson Ugonna Onwuliri administered the band’s employee benefits plan and created accounts in the names of band members, ultimately using the accounts to file fraudulent claims with Sun Life Insurance for medical services from Dec. 1, 2022, to May 4, 2023. A total of $17,742 from those claims was directed to one of Onwuliri’s personal accounts. Sun Life, the victim of the fraud, recovered $13,200 from Onwuliri’s accounts. Court heard that the company confirmed in the past week that the outstanding amount of $4,542 was paid. Associate Chief Judge Paul Dohm agreed to a joint Crown...
Register
Manitoba shuts down landfill search site, crews still looking for victim at another
By Brittany Hobson Manitoba says it has officially decommissioned the search site at a Winnipeg-area landfill where the remains of two slain First Nations women were found last year. The province says the final cost of the seven-month search at the Prairie Green landfill came to $18.4 million. It had been estimated to take up to three years and cost as much as $184 million. After the remains of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran were discovered, the search moved to Winnipeg’s Brady Road landfill for another victim. The search continues there for the remains of Ashlee Shingoose. The remains of Rebecca Contois were discovered in a Winnipeg garbage bin and at Brady Road landfill in 2022. Serial killer Jeremy Skibicki was convicted of first-degree murder in the 2022 deaths of...
Register
Membertou resets cannabis law creation for community
By Rosemary Godin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cape Breton Post Membertou First Nation’s chief and council are resetting the cannabis law process they have been working on for several years because they feel it needs more community participation and perspectives. Retired senator Dan Christmas, whom Chief Terry Paul asked to lead the original process in 2023, says the chief and band council want to make sure the path forward reflects what the community members want and need. Originally, the plan under the now-defunct Cannabis Law Working Group was that a plebiscite community vote would be held this year for adult voters over the age of 18. It would have to pass before it would be brought into Membertou law by the chief and council. Consultation workshops were held during 2025...
Register
