Northern Rockies RCMP renew information calls regarding woman missing since 2024
By Edward Hitchins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Energeticcity.ca FORT NELSON, B.C. — The Northern Rockies RCMP detachment is renewing an appeal for Karen Tessier, who has been missing for two years. According to a press release, Tessier’s family is urging anyone with details regarding her disappearance to contact authorities. A video featuring Tessier’s mother, Elizabeth Burke, is attached to the press release, which was released last year. “I know someone knows what happened to her and where she is,” said Burke in the video. “Please do the right thing and talk. We miss her so much. If you know anything, no matter how small, don’t be afraid to speak.” In the renewal released on Friday, July 10, Burke asked anyone with information to “come forward and be a true friend”...
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Nunavut utility employees vote to accept 18 per cent wage increase over four years
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News Nunavut Employees Union members who are employed by the Qulliq Energy Corporation (QEC) voted in favour a new contract with the territorial utility on July 10. QEC still needs to ratify the contract for it to come into effect, but the utility already negotiated the terms with the union. Unionized QEC employees will receive a retroactive wage increase of 12 per cent from the hours they worked between January 2025 to January of this year, followed by a two per cent wage increase each year until 2028. The new contract runs until Dec. 31 2028. The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is now a paid holiday for QEC employees under the new contract. Continuing service bonuses are also being...
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Innu community in Quebec signs deal to take back control of child welfare services
An Innu community in the Côte-Nord region of Quebec has signed a deal with the federal and provincial governments to officially recognize its jurisdiction over child and family services. The agreement allows for the implementation of a new law establishing a governance framework designed by and for the Uashat mak Mani utenam community. The law will go into effect in September, replacing the provincial Youth Protection Act in the community’s jurisdiction. The federal government said in a news release that the law will ensure that decisions about children’s welfare are made by the community in accordance with their customs, language and values. Today’s signing marks the first Indigenous community in Quebec to enter into a three-party agreement under the federal framework of the Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis...
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More Manitobans eligible for hepatitis A vaccine ahead of summer games
By Steven Sukkau, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Winnipeg Sun The Northern Health Region is sharing updated hepatitis A vaccine eligibility information ahead of the 2026 Manitoba Indigenous Summer Games. Manitoba Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care has expanded access to free hepatitis A vaccines for several groups connected to the upcoming games, which is currently taking place July 8 to 12 in Norway House Cree Nation and Aug. 10 to 15 in Sagkeeng Anicinabe Nation. The updated criteria now includes anyone aged six months and older who lives in Norway House Cree Nation or Sagkeeng Anicinabe Nation, as well as people travelling to or working in those communities. That includes athletes, staff, volunteers and visitors attending the 2026 Manitoba Indigenous Summer Games. People who have household visitors from the communities are...
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Quebec municipalities express interest in Samuel de Champlain statue from Ontario
By Erika Morris Some Quebec municipalities and organizations are offering to take a controversial statue of Samuel de Champlain from an Ontario city in Simcoe County. The nearly four-metre-tall bronze monument of the 17th century explorer and founder of Quebec City was removed from a park in Orillia, Ont., and placed in storage in 2017 following debate over its colonial imagery. Orillia Mayor Don McIsaac said a wave of offers poured in after the city recently raised the possibility of melting the statue down. “They say it’s racist, it’s not our history, it is an insult to Indigenous peoples,” McIsaac said in an interview about the controversy over the statue. “The plaque on the initial statue that was put up in 1925 said the statue celebrates the advent of white...
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First Nations logistics company hosts showcase in Thunder Bay
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, SNnewswatch.com THUNDER BAY — TKG Group president Jonathon Mamakwa says the company decided to hold a showcase event because people were asking for more information. “Yeah, this TKG showcase was intended to show the public and our communities what our capacity is and what we’re able to do, because we get numerous inquiries on what it is we do and what we can do,” Mamakwa said Thursday at the Valhalla Hotel and Conference Centre, where some 20 businesses and organizations participated with information tables. “We haven’t actively, promoted ourselves (before) because we’re already kept busy with propositions and requests from various parties, various groups, so we’re quite busy,” he continued. “We wanted to have this event just so that the public can come...
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Kanesatake Perimeter Security to get federal funds again
By Hadassah Alencar, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eastern Door The federal government has agreed to extend funding for the Kanesatake Perimeter Security (KPS) team for a few more months, according to Quebec vice-premier Ian Lafrenière. “The issue of safety in Kanesatake has been a major concern of mine for several years. Organized crime operates openly and without restraint. Community members are fed up – and rightly so. We recognize the work of the Kanesatake Perimeter Security Team, which has built a relationship of trust with the community and the SQ,” said Lafrenière in an email statement. “I have spoken on several occasions with the federal ministers of Public Safety and Indigenous Services Canada to urge them to extend funding for the KPS. They have finally agreed to extend funding...
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Manitoba Métis Federation buys National Research Council property in Winnipeg
The Manitoba Métis Federation says it has acquired a sizable property in downtown Winnipeg from the National Research Council of Canada. It says the land includes both office and laboratory space spanning close to 17,500 square metres. The NRC largely moved out of the complex more than a decade ago, though it saw more use during the pandemic. Manitoba Métis Federation president David Chartrand says the property will support efforts to revitalize Winnipeg’s downtown. He says the complex will allow the federation to move about 120 employees into the city centre as well as provide nurse training and establish an MRI service. Chartrand said the federation has been trying to acquire the building for years and was happy to have a deal done. “It’s such a massive-sized building, but it’s...
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Oka gas station to fight for revoked tax exemption
By Hadassah Alencar, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eastern Door OKA-The owner of the Belisle Gas Station in Oka that was forced by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to stop accepting tax exemption cards from Kanehsata’kehró:non on July 1 will take the matter to court. Sales have plummeted at the Belisle gas station after July 1, said store owner Chris Xenakis. The Indigenous community makes up nearly 80 per cent of his clientele, but since last week the business has only seen less than 10 Indigenous customers, most of whom have turned away after learning they could no longer have the tax exemption. This past weekend, he profited less than $400. “If this business is worth $1, now it’s worth 10 cents,” said Xenakis. “I’ve been supported by the Native...
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Kanesatake financial statement finally released
By Hadassah Alencar, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eastern Door The Mohawk Council of Kanesatake (MCK) audited financial statements for the 2024-2025 fiscal year are available after nearly a year’s delay. Last year, former MCK chief John Canatonquin was struck by the amount of deferred revenue totaling $16.7 million in an interview with The Pines Reporter. Deferred revenue is funding the MCK did not spend during the fiscal year. In the recent audited report, the deferred revenue grew to $25.2 million. Caretaker council member Brant Etienne, while he is not on the finance portfolio, said he was informed a large section of the deferred revenue is mostly due to a funding agreement with the Kanesatake Education Center. Last year, the education center received the most funding of all departments from...
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B.C. First Nation challenges dredging plan to accommodate larger tankers in Vancouver
A British Columbia First Nation says it has launched a legal challenge against a plan by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority to dredge Burrard Inlet to make room for oil tankers with larger loads to operate. In a release, the Tsleil-Waututh Nation says it has filed for a judicial review, seeking to overturn the permits issued by the port authority to allow for the dredging to take place. The plan calls for the dredging along northern and southern edges of the navigation channel in Vancouver’s Burrard Inlet underneath the Second Narrows bridge, starting in September. The Tsleil-Waututh Nation says while it understands the project’s importance for Canada’s trade needs, the approval process was “rushed” and did not address any of its concerns about the impacts of the operation — including...
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‘Like a Biblical event’: Raging wildfire destroys buildings near Boston Bar, B.C.
By Darryl Greer Shayne Findlay, the owner of Blue Lake Resort, near Boston Bar, B.C., says “the wind was in charge” as a wildfire roared through the property on Tuesday night, destroying several buildings, including the home of the resort manager. “This fire came through, it was dropping pieces the size of your fist of burning bark, burning wood,” he said on Thursday, describing a scene that unfolded on a resort webcam. Findlay said structure protection personnel had earlier set up sprinklers throughout the resort, helping to spare some buildings, including the main lodge. The fire crews did everything they could, he said. But as the flames bore down, embers were flying up and down and sideways. “This fire was not stopping,” Findlay said. “I’ve seen it on the camera....
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BC chief raises concerns over port expansion and pipeline plans
By Sonal Gupta, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer A BC First Nation chief is calling on governments to consult affected Nations after Roberts Bank, situated near the US-Canada border, became a focal point for port expansion and Alberta’s proposed oil route to the Pacific. The chief’s concerns come following two major announcements from federal and provincial governments. Last week, the federal government committed up to $10 billion for upgrades at the Roberts Bank shipping terminal, south of Vancouver, saying the added ship capacity would enable $100 billion in new trade. Later the same day, Alberta announced a separate proposal for a new oil pipeline from Bruderheim (near Edmonton) through southern BC that would end at Roberts Bank. Shana Thomas, hereditary chief of the Lyackson First Nation, told Canada’s...
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Blowing in the Wind – Cree Development Corporation launching wind power consultations
By Patrick Quinn, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Nation As Quebec aggressively scales up its wind energy infrastructure, aiming to add 10,000 megawatts of new capacity by 2035, the Cree Development Corporation (CDC) is launching consultations with land users to identify potential priority areas for future turbines. There are currently no wind energy projects in Eeyou Istchee. Any project would require Cree leadership, community involvement and land-user participation. Through CDC’s early-engagement approach, community members are engaged before the design of any potential project. “We’re just getting started, focusing more on the social acceptability,” explained CDC’s Clarke Shecapio. “We want to meet with land users to see if they’re open to having these wind turbines on their trapline. If they’re not, that discussion will end, but we’ll continue with those who...
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Reviewing the Alberta referendum questions: Can Alberta get justice and senate reform?
By David Boles, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, St. Albert Gazette As the days count down to Albertans voting on their place in Canada, voters still must remember they will be having a say on nine other questions on provincial, and by extension, federal policy. Some are wondering if the referendum questions are even necessary, with data from Winnipeg-based agency Probe Research showing 51 per cent of those polled feeling negative about the questions, as opposed to just 27 per cent in favour of them. The questions pertain to immigration and social services, to electoral reform and justice. And it’s the electoral reform and justice related questions highlighted on the province’s Alberta Referendum site that has the attention of political experts in the province. Senate elections One question Albertans will vote...
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Indigenous lobster fishing: N.S. judge says dispute must be handled by Ottawa
A lobster fishing group in Nova Scotia has failed in its bid to persuade a judge that a First Nation does not have the treaty right to commercially fish for lobster out of season and without a licence. In a decision released Wednesday, Nova Scotia Supreme Court Justice Ann Smith says the Unified Fisheries Conservation Alliance could not proceed with its claim against the Sipekne’katik First Nation because the court lacked jurisdiction. The non-profit alliance argued that the First Nation has engaged in unlawful commercial lobster fishing in St. Mary’s Bay since 2010 by ignoring federal rules, which they say has had a detrimental impact on lobster stocks. The First Nation has long argued that it has a treaty right to commercially fish for lobster without federal permits based on...
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Viral Success and Ribbon Skirts: How One Designer Turned Culture Into Confidence
By Chevi Rabbit, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Alberta Native News For Doneese of Bull-Buffalo Designs, a ribbon skirt is never just clothing. It is identity, memory, and cultural continuity stitched into fabric and ribbon— something she says is felt the moment it is worn. “I just feel empowered when I put it on,” said Doneese, a mother and wife from Louis Bull Tribe in Maskwacîs, one of the Four Nations in central Alberta. “It just represents our culture. And it’s not just Cree—it’s all Indigenous. It just represents who we are.” For her, that sense of empowerment extends into everyday life. “It doesn’t matter where you are,” she said. “You can go to the grocery store or a ceremony—you just feel it when you wear it. You feel empowered.” Early...
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Pathologist Kona Williams appointed to the Order of Canada
By Lucas-Matthew Marsh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Iori:wase Doctor Kona Williams was named to the Order of Canada, recognizing her for her groundbreaking work helping Indigenous nations navigate the forensic pathology investigation system. Williams told Iorì:wase that she learned of the honour in April but was required to keep the news a secret, sharing it only with a few close family members. “I had to sit down because I’m gonna fall over,” Williams recalled upon hearing the news, asking herself: “Am I too young for this? Am I ready for something like that?” Williams, who is currently pursuing an MBA in Sudbury, is conected to Kahnawake through her mother. Growing up in a blended Mohawk and Cree family, she lived across Canada throughout her childhood but always returned to Kahnawake...
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New ‘Little House’ series explores complicated history but keeps heart, community at the center
By Alicia Rancilio It’s a story with covered wagons and one room schoolhouses, but showrunner Rebecca Sonnenshine says the “Little House on the Prairie” remake for Netflix still speaks to today’s American dream. The show, premiering Thursday and set in the late 1800s, follows the Ingalls family led by Charles and Caroline and their two daughters Mary and Laura — as they settle in the American frontier. It’s adapted from a series of semi-autobiographical books written by Laura Ingalls Wilder about her own family’s pioneer life. In 1974, Michael Landon co-created the TV series based on the books where he played Pa alongside Melissa Gilbert as Laura. It aired for nine seasons. In the new version, Luke Bracey plays Pa and Alice Halsey is Laura. Sonnenshine says the same frontier...
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Indigenous fisherman guilty of defying sockeye fishery closure
By Bob Mackin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Prince George Citizen An 81-year-old Alexandria First Nation member was found guilty of unlawfully possessing sockeye salmon, according to a Provincial Court judgment released at the end of June. In Williams Lake Provincial Court on Feb. 11, Judge Linda Thomas gave oral reasons after a trial that took place sporadically between 2021 and 2025. Thomas Leonard Billyboy, the judge ruled, failed to provide, on a balance of probabilities, that he exercised reasonable care to avoid committing the Fisheries Act offence. Billyboy was stopped by Department of Fisheries and Oceans officers on Sept. 5, 2019 during inspections on Highway 20 West before Sheep Creek Bridge. Officers found Billyboy had fished during a sockeye fishing closure. None of the six Tsilhqot’in National Government (TNG) member...
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