B.C. wildfires holding steady at about 350 with lightning in the forecast
The Canadian Press The Okanagan Indian Band in British Columbia’s southern Interior says an out-of-control wildfire that has prompted evacuation orders and alerts has seen recent “slow” growth, but fire behaviour could intensify along with rising temperatures. A statement from the First Nation outside Vernon on Thursday says BC Wildfire Service personnel were working to maintain guards around the seven-square-kilometre Hullcar Mountain blaze while helicopters douse it with water. The blaze is one of nine wildfires of note in the province, meaning the fires are either highly visible or pose a threat to public safety and infrastructure. The total number of active blazes across B.C. continues to hover at just under 350, with about 40 per cent classified as burning out of control. The latest bulletin from the wildfire service...
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B.C. First Nations say Chilcotin River landslide, flood hit heritage sites, salmon
First Nations in British Columbia’s central Interior are measuring the impacts of a massive landslide that blocked the Chilcotin River for days, followed by a subsequent torrent of water that sent trees and debris downstream. The Williams Lake First Nation says village sites that date back 4,000 years were swept away as the Chilcotin River carved away riverbanks, while the Tsilhqot’in National Government says critical salmon migration routes are seriously damaged and the threat of more slides exists. The landslide south of Williams Lake that dammed the Chilcotin River last week broke free on Monday, sending raging water, trees and debris downstream to the Fraser River, which flows through the Lower Mainland to Georgia Strait. Two heritage sites located along the banks of the Chilcotin River near the Farwell Canyon...
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Norway House opens $158 million health centre
By Dave Baxter Local Journalism Initiative reporter Winnipeg Sun A multi-million dollar health care centre in a Manitoba First Nation opened its doors to the public for the first time this week, after the federal government ponied up more than $150 million to help get the facility built. “I have seen a lot of health centres all over the north as minister of northern affairs, but I can tell you this is one of the finest I have ever seen,” federal minister Dan Vandal said Tuesday in the Norway House Cree Nation (NHCN) at an unveiling event for the $157.9 million Kinosew Sipi Nanatawiwekamik Health Centre of Excellence. The 9,470-square-meter facility, which is expected to be fully operational in October, will be a “fully integrated” health centre that will provide...
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Residential school doc ‘Sugarcane’ about ‘survival against all odds,’ says director
The Canadian Press Julian Brave NoiseCat initially didn’t want “Sugarcane” to be such a personal film. The Indigenous filmmaker says he intended to remain behind the camera for the Sundance prize-winning documentary, which he co-directed with Toronto’s Emily Kassie. The film is a quietly haunting account of deaths, rapes, suicides and missing children at the former St. Joseph’s Mission Residential School, a Catholic-run facility near Sugar Cane reserve in Williams Lake, B.C. But NoiseCat quickly realized the film would be incomplete if he and his family weren’t part of it. “My family had stories that cut to the core of the infanticide that happened at St. Joseph’s Mission,” NoiseCat, a member of the Canim Lake Band in British Columbia, says on a recent video call from Martha’s Vineyard, where he...
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Province earmarks 176k for Sault senior programming
By K. Darbyson Local Journalism Initiative Multiple Algoma communities were included in the latest round of funding from the Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility, which set aside $1.6 million to help northern seniors stay active throughout 2024-25. Out of this specific slice of northern Ontario, Sault Ste. Marie received the most funding with $176,527 spread between five different initiatives. These organizations are the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre ($24,725), the City of Sault Ste. Marie ($24,908), the Sault Community Information and Career Centre Inc. ($24,650), the Senior Services Drop-In Centre ($51,137) and the Steelton Senior Services Centre ($51,107). Outside of the Sault, the province also set aside a significant amount of funds for the following Algoma communities: -Desbarats, $23,250 (AlgomaTrad Music and Dance Group) -Elliot Lake, $51,137 (Renaissance Seniors’ Centre) -Thessalon,...
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A win for the Harris-Walz ticket would also mean the country’s first Native American female governor
Associated Press 09/08/2024 If Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, are elected this fall, not only would a woman of color lead the country for the first time, but a Native woman also would govern a state for the first time in U.S. history. Peggy Flanagan, the lieutenant governor of Minnesota and a citizen of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, is poised to serve as the state’s next governor should Walz step down to accept the role of U.S. vice president. Her rise to power has been watched closely by Indigenous peoples in Minnesota and across the country who see her as a champion of policies that positively affect Native Americans. In recent years, Minnesota has integrated tribal consultation into numerous aspects of...
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Bell got $64M from jail calls at issue in lawsuit, gave $39M commission to Ontario
The Canadian Press 09/08/2024 Bell Canada made more than $64 million in gross revenues from calls made by inmates at Ontario jails — at “exorbitant” rates, lawyers allege in a lawsuit — and gave nearly $39 million of that to the province as commission, according to new disclosures from the telecom giant. Bell charged $1 per minute plus a $2.50 connection fee for long-distance calls through the Offender Telephone Management System that it operated in Ontario jails from 2013 to 2021. The phone system only allowed inmates to place collect calls, and lawyers are seeking compensation for the families who had to foot those bills. More than 80 per cent of the people in Ontario’s correctional facilities are awaiting trial and are presumptively innocent. One of the representative plaintiffs in...
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Olympics ads are worth the money — and the criticism — for companies, experts say
The Canadian Press 09/08/2024 Olympics ads and sponsorships can offer big rewards for companies that choose to spend on them — even if those ads spark criticism from some viewers, experts say. There’s a lot at stake for companies advertising during the Olympics, whether they’re official partners or sponsors, or just referencing the Olympics in their marketing, said Michael Naraine, an associate professor of sport management at Brock University. “It’s a big swing, but it can be fairly rewarding if done appropriately and done with a measured, strategic approach,” he said. One sponsorship garnering some criticism online comes from Ozempic, one of CBC’s sponsors for its Olympics coverage. Ozempic is primarily used to treat diabetes, but it has recently been catapulted to notoriety for its ability to help users lose...
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Watershed quality is topic of area research project
By Darlene Wroe, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Temiskaming Speaker 08/08/2024 10:08 DISTRICT – A Temiscamingue, Quebec, watershed organization is working with provincial and federal government bodies to learn more about the watershed, including the Blanche River and the Wabi River. The Organisme de bassin versant du Temiscamingue (OBVT) is continuing to work to raise awareness in Ontario about threats such as spiny water flea in Lake Temiskaming, and also to raise interest in creating a Temiskaming area watershed conservation authority. Biologist Akib Hasan can regularly be found on the Ontario side of the Lake Temiskaming watershed carrying out research projects regarding water quality in the lake and the water bodies that flow into it. The OBVT’s current research project started with the Timiskaming First Nation whose traditional territory encompasses much of...
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Inuit grandmas make rap debut
By Matteo Cimellaro, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Canada’s National Observer For two Inuit grandmas, rap was always for the younger generations — until it wasn’t. Julie Ivalu and Koomook McLister made their hip-hop debuts with the song Tagvauvugut recently. The music video for the track premiered the same day on the opening night of the Asinabka Festival, an Indigenous film and media arts festival held in Ottawa. The endeavour started with a Facebook post calling for Inuit grandma rappers. McLister’s background is in throat singing. One of her most recent performances was in front of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during Devolution in Nunavut this past March. McLister’s husband read the post and tipped her off about an opportunity to try her hand at a different music genre. She initially ignored...
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B.C. landslide and flood damages cultural sites, says Williams Lake FirstNation
The Canadian Press 08/08/2024 15:11 The Williams Lake First Nation says two and possibly three Indigenous cultural heritage sites sustained extensive damage when a torrent of water breached a landslide that had blocked the Chilcotin River in British Columbia’s central Interior. The nation says two of the sites were located along the banks of the Chilcotin River near the Farwell Canyon Bridge and the third site was downstream at the confluence of the Chilcotin and Fraser rivers. A landslide south of Williams Lake that dammed the Chilcotin River last week broke free on Monday and sent torrents of water, downed trees and debris downstream to the Fraser River, which flows through the Lower Mainland to Georgia Strait. The Williams Lake First Nation says in a statement the sites were three...
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Supreme Court won’t hear appeal of trucker convicted in Edmonton hotel killing
The Canadian Press 08/08/2024 15:15 Canada’s highest court won’t hear a conviction appeal from a former Ontario truck driver in the death of a woman at an Edmonton hotel. Bradley Barton was sentenced to 12 1/2 years for manslaughter in the death of Cindy Gladue. The 36-year-old Métis and Cree woman bled to death in a hotel bathtub in 2011. As is usual, the Supreme Court of Canada did not provide reasons in dismissing the application for leave to appeal. Barton’s lawyer Peter Sankoff says he’s disappointed by the decision. He says his client is still waiting for a ruling on a sentencing appeal with the Alberta Court of Appeal. A jury first found Barton not guilty of first-degree murder in 2015. The acquittal sparked rallies and calls for justice...
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$37,500 in grants for local indigenous athletes
By Jesse Boily, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 08/08/2024 12:45 After the success of the 2024 National Aboriginal Hockey Championships, about $37,500 in grants are being made available to indigenous athletes in the Grande Prairie region. The May hockey tournament had an estimated economic impact on the region of about $2 million. Successful grant writing and fundraising efforts have led to the creation of a legacy fund. The organizing society believes the funds should be distributed through the Indigenous Sport Council of Alberta (ISCA) which will then distribute it through its grant funding streams. The funds will stay local, with the requirements being monies are distributed to indigenous, Metis or Inuit residents or communities within 100 km of the city or within Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation, Horse Lake First Nation or...
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New show at AGGP explores intimacy and vulnerability
By Jesse Boily Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Town & Country News 08/08/2024 13:01 The Art Gallery of Grande Prairie’s latest exhibit features artworks by Edmonton artist Brenda Draney that “delve into the complex questions around the notion of intimacy and vulnerability.” The exhibit, Drink from a River, features paintings from Draney that refer to figures and moments that have shaped her life. “The soft images in her paintings are familiar, like cars, people, and rooms with furniture, but it’s clear the people and places are close to the maker’s memory,” said Jessica Groome, AGGP executive director. “Drink from the River suggests that what is truly intimate can also be truly horrific; that what is buried away can be agonizing,” says an AGGP media release. “Oftentimes, these hauntings and sufferings can lead...
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First Nations declare opposition to nuclear waste project
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 08/08/2024 14:40 SIOUX NARROWS – The Township of Ignace has said yes to a nuclear waste repository project, but five First Nations in the Lake of the Woods area say no way. Storing nuclear waste between Ignace and Dryden would endanger the region’s ecosystem and violate their rights as Indigenous peoples, according to a declaration from the Anishinaabeg of Kabapikotawangag Resource Council (AKRC). Ignace council approved a motion on July 10 to continue as a potential host community for the deep geological repository proposed by the Nuclear Waste Management Organization, a federally mandated body funded by Canada’s nuclear power producers. The Revell Lake site west of Ignace is on the nuclear body’s shortlist of two places for siting the underground repository for spent...
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Two arrested after gunshots fired
By Austin Evans Writer Two men were arrested after gunshots were heard on Indian Line Road. Six Nations police officers responded to reports of gunshots heard on Indian Line Road on August 5 at approximately 5:45 pm. Officers heard more gunshots when they arrived. They followed the noise and observed a man holding a firearm before he discarded it in a nearby house. Officers spotted a second man in the house with the gun. When ordered to leave the house, he was compliant and exited without incident. Police searched the house and seized several firearms, a prohibited weapon, and ammunition. As a result of the investigation, 36-year-old Ohsweken resident Steven Scott was arrested and charged with six criminal offenses: unauthorized possession of a firearm, knowledge of the unauthorized possession of...
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Salaries in new contract for teachers ‘astronomical’
By Mattie Macintosh Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 08/08/2024 Manitoba’s first mega-contract for public school teachers will raise general wages by more than 12 per cent and establish a standardized salary scale for 2026-27. By the end of the historic agreement, which combines 37 division-specific contracts and spans July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2026, the province’s most veteran and highly trained educators will earn upwards of $125,000, regardless of where they work. “These salary figures are astronomical. Manitoba teachers are now among the highest-paid in the country, and Canada is already known for being relatively generous when it comes to teacher salaries,” Cameron Hauseman, an associate professor of educational administration at the University of Manitoba, said. Hauseman said the new contract should entice more people to enter the teaching workforce...
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Wildfire burning near Port Alberni is being held, police arrest suspect
By Nora O’Malley Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 07/08/2024 19:04 A wildfire burning close to Tseshaht’s main reserve, located between Sproat Lake and Port Alberni, is being held, according to the Aug. 7 update from BC Wildfire Service, while police have announced an arrest in the incident. The wildfire was reported by BC Wildfires on Tuesday, Aug. 6 at 6:34 p.m. The latest report says the fire size has grown from 0.009 hectares to 0.5 hectares. There are no current evacuation orders in place. “The fire began on Crown land and moved into Mosaic private land,” reads an Aug. 6 bulletin posted by Tseshaht First Nation at 8:30 p.m. “Please be advised there is NO immediate danger to lives or infrastructure. The fire continues to move away from our reserve,”...
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Manitoba’s landfill search for homicide victims set to begin by end of October
By Dave Baxter Local Journalism Initiative 07/08/2024 17:41 Plans for Manitoba’s landfill search for human remains are on schedule and optimism is high after a similar search in Saskatchewan was successful, said an organizer. “I’ve always had hope and I’ve always held onto that hope, but now it just makes it that much more real knowing that it was successful there,” Melissa Robinson said on Wednesday morning after the news a three-month search of a Saskatoon-area landfill by police located the human remains of a 22-year-old Métis woman who was last seen in December of 2020. “So we’re sad for the victim and her family, but also happy they can get that closure, and I truly believe we’re next.” But Robinson also expressed anger and frustration at the fact the...
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Feds fund health study for Indigenous communities downstream of oilsands
The Canadian Press 07/08/2024 18:19 More than three decades after Indigenous leaders in northern Alberta began asking for funding to better understand if pollution from the oilsands was making their people sick, the federal government is funding a study to do just that. “This should have been done 32 years ago, maybe 40 years ago,” said Mikisew Cree First Nation Chief Billy-Joe Tuccaro. “We know that there is something going on in this community. We can’t pinpoint it or anything in regards to what’s actually going on.” Studies have previously shown higher rates of cancers in the communities along the shores of Lake Athabasca. The lake is fed by the Athabasca River, which runs through the region where most of Canada’s oilsands mines are located. In 2009 an Alberta Health...
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