Rivers recede as B.C. faces prospect of ‘unfamiliar territory’ for drought
The Canadian Press Parts of British Columbia will likely enter “unfamiliar territory” with drought if they see another hot, dry summer, says the head of the province’s River Forecast Centre. Dave Campbell says persistent drought conditions in B.C. stretch back to 2022, so the province is heading into this summer with “multi-year” precipitation deficits. Satellite photos show rivers in the Interior running narrower and shallower than the same time in 2023, which went on to be one of B.C.’s driest years on record. With the average snowpack level lower than ever recorded in B.C., Campbell says he’s expecting cumulative effects that could include water scarcity. “We know these antecedent conditions that we’re coming into this year are much more challenging than we started out last year with,” he said in...
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Winnipeg trial hears victims’ clothing, jewelry found in serial killer’s apartment
By The Staff The Canadian Press Posted May 9, 2024 A Winnipeg trial has heard the belongings of two slain women were found in the apartment of an admitted serial killer. A police officer who searched the home of Jeremy Skibicki testified Thursday that clothing and jewelry belonging to Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran were discovered in the suite. Skibicki is charged with first-degree murder in the slayings of four Indigenous women in 2022. He has admitted to the killings, but his lawyers are arguing that he’s not criminally responsible due to mental illness. The Crown says the killings were racially-motivated and that Skibicki preyed on the vulnerable women at homeless shelters. Court has also heard DNA evidence belonging to Harris, Myran and a third victim, Rebecca Contois, was found in the...
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Qualtrough picks former Ontario chief justice to lead sport commissioner
The Canadian Press Former Ontario chief justice Lise Maisonneuve will lead the Future of Sport in Canada Commission. Canadian sports minister Carla Qualtrough also announced Thursday that Noni Classen and Andrew Pipe will be Maisonneuve’s advisers. The commission’s mandate is to delve into problems amid what Qualtrough and her predecessor Pascale St-Onge have called a safe-sport crisis in Canada. The commission has an 18-month mandate and will consult with sport bodies and survivors of abuse on how to improve the national sport system. It will produce two reports and hold a national summit to discuss preliminary findings. Some former athletes, academics and former sports minister Kirsty Duncan have called for a public inquiry. This year’s federal budget provided $10.6 million over two years to the commission. Maisonneuve’s eight-year term as...
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OPP arrest 64 in massive child sexual exploitation investigations
By: Austin Evans Writer Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have arrested and charged 64 suspects who are now facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations, dubbed “Project Aquatic” that spanned the province. OPP announced the arrests May 8th at a news conference in Scarborough saying it involved online child exploitation. These arrests were the latest development from their Provincial ICE (Internet Child Exploitation) Strategy. The OPP conducted investigations for Project Aquatic between February 19 to February 29, 2024 to identify those making, possessing, and distributing child sexual abuse material. OPP conducted 129 separate investigations across Ontario involving online sexual abuse materials. As a result OPP identified 34 victims ranging in age from infants to teenagers and safeguarded 30. In addition, they laid 348...
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NDP leader slams Liberals for giving nearly $26M to Costco, Loblaw in recent years
By Canadian Press NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is slamming the federal Liberals for giving nearly $26 million to Costco and Loblaw for energy-efficient appliances. The money came from the Liberal government’s low-carbon economy fund, which is meant to support projects that will reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. In 2019, the Liberals faced heat from Conservatives after the government announced it was giving up to $12 million to Loblaw for energy-efficient refrigerators and freezers at 370 of its stores. Newly released data from Environment and Climate Change Canada show Costco was also given more than $15 million for efforts to reduce emissions, including new fridges. Loblaw was ultimately given more than $10 million. The payments were made to the two grocery chains between 2019 and 2023. While people are deciding what they can...
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Indigenous food sovereignty farm featured in documentary screening at Vancouver festival
By Sam Laskaris Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Ryan Dickie was keen to be involved with his latest film because he believes there is an important message that needs to get out. Dickie, a member of Fort Nelson First Nation in British Columbia, wrote and directed Tea Creek, a documentary about an Indigenous food sovereignty farm that had its premiere at the DOXA Documentary Film Festival on May 4 in Vancouver. The film will have a second screening May 9 at the festival, presented annually by the non-profit organization called the Documentary Media Society. Tea Creek features Indigenous food sovereignty activist Jacob Beaton. He transforms his family farm in the B.C. village of Kitwanga into Tea Creek, which includes a training centre for people whose mission it is to restore the...
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Police present but not enforcing injunction at Alberta oil blockade
Police are present at a blockade of an oil lease road in northern Alberta but say they aren’t enforcing an injunction for members of a local First Nation to clear the site. “We are aware of the situation, and we have dispatched resources to speak with both parties,” said RCMP Cpl. Mathew Howell. “We have not gone into an enforcement capacity. We’re trying to get both parties to the table.” On Monday, a judge issued an injunction for members of the Woodland Cree First Nation, north of Peace River, to clear a road used by Calgary-based Obsidian Energy. The blockade was first set up in February and Obsidian says it needs the road to conduct maintenance on a pipeline site. “This work is time-sensitive as it must be completed prior...
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Brant-Brantford paramedics facing alarmingly high patient offload times
Hospital offload times at Brantford General Hospital (BGH) are currently one of the worst in the province, with an average delay of 80 minutes, members of the paramedic services committee heard on Tuesday morning. “Things have deteriorated to some extent since our last report,” Russell King, chief of paramedic services for Brant-Brantford told the committee. Offload times — the time it takes to transfer a patient arriving by ambulance into the hospital’s care — have been an ongoing challenge. Contributing factors include the influx of new residents in the region, an aging population, and the lack of primary care and urgent care options in the community, a report shared with the committee showed. Persistent staffing challenges at the hospital, combined with systemic challenges such as aging infrastructure and inadequate bed...
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Quebec premier defends new museum on Québécois nation after Indigenous criticism
By Morgan Lowrie Canadian Press Quebec Premier François Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a group representing First Nations of trying to erase their history. The Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador criticized Legault’s April 25 comments that suggested the province’s history began with the arrival of French explorers Jacques Cartier and Samuel de Champlain in the 16th and 17th centuries. During his announcement of a new Quebec national history museum, the premier paid tribute to Quebec’s history, saying it “started with the explorers, Cartier then Champlain, who was the founder of our nation.” The Assembly of First Nations also criticized histor ian Éric Bédard who was present at the event and was quoted telling reporters that history begins with writing, and...
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Chiefs say Rickford made ‘threats of retribution’
By Mike Stimpson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter KENORA – A court document filed recently by the Chiefs of Ontario accuses the MPP for Kenora-Rainy River, who is the province’s Indigenous affairs minister, of making “threats of retribution.” A spokesperson for Greg Rickford responded to the allegations with a one-sentence statement. “As this matter is before the courts, it would be inappropriate to comment further,” the spokesperson stated in an email to Newswatch. The allegations against Rickford are in a statement of claim filed by the chiefs organization. The statement’s 45th paragraph alleges that Rickford “spoke in an angry tone and made threats of retribution” in a Dec. 11, 2023, phone call to Regional Chief Glen Hare. According to the statement, Rickford told Hare all collaboration between the chiefs and the...
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Toxic spill raises questions about radioactive waste
By Matteo Cimellaro Local Journalism Initiative Reporter OTTAWA For more than a month, while Algonquin First Nation members harvested plentiful pickerel, walleye and pike from the Ottawa River, they had no idea toxic sewage could also be flowing in the water. A month ago, Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL), the company that operates the Chalk River nuclear research facility, notified Kebaowek First Nation that there was an issue with toxic effluent, but they were assured it was being taken care of, said Chief Lance Haymond. At first, Haymond didn’t see it as a problem because Kebaowek has a sewage facility. “We didn’t even raise a red flag that what was going on was serious,” he told Canada’s National Observer. Then, CBC News called about its investigation that revealed the effluent had...
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‘As though they were garbage’: Trial hears serial killer targeted Indigenous women
By Brittany Hobson The Canadian Press The opening day of the murder trial of Jeremy Skibicki heard he targeted vulnerable Indigenous women at Winnipeg homeless shelters and, while being questioned by police in one gruesome killing, blurted out that there were three more victims. “I killed four people,” Skibicki is heard telling police unprompted in an interrogation video played Wednesday at the trial in Court of King’s Bench. Skibicki is charged with four counts of first-degree murder for the slayings in the early months of 2022. The 37-year-old has pleaded not guilty. His lawyers told court earlier this week Skibicki admits to the killings but is not criminally responsible due to mental illness. “This case is about a man’s hate-filled and cruel acts perpetrated against four vulnerable Indigenous women,” prosecutor...
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Maskawcis RCMP seize gun after assault investigation on Ermineskin Cree Nation
By Bill LeBlanc 06/05/2024 The Maskwascis RCMP have seized a shotgun after investigating an assault in the area. On May 1, police received an urgent call for a serious assault in progress at a residence in Ermineskin Cree Nation, Maskwascis RCMP said in a media release on Monday, May 6. As officers arrived at the property, the attacker fled in an SUV and police began a pursuit. The pursuit continued into Samson Cree Nation where police deployed a tire deflation device and eventually immobilized the SUV. The suspect, who was arrested in Oct. 2023 after being found in possession of cocaine and a shotgun, was arrested a shotgun and significant amount of ammunition. Matthew Jake Omeasoo, 29, a resident of Montana First Nation was charged with the following: Possession of...
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Haldimand OPP: Traffic complaint leads to impaired driving charges
HALDIMAND COUNTY, ON – A Nanticoke man is facing impaired charges after Haldimand County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) arrested a driver as a result of a a traffic complaint on the past weekend. On May 4, 2024, at approximately 10:25 p.m., the Haldimand detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) received a traffic complaint on Concession 12, Walpole. Police located the vehicle and said after speaking with the driver, it became apparent that the driver had consumed alcohol. The driver was placed under arrest and transported to an OPP detachment for testing. As a result Theoren Hill, 22, of Nanticoke was charged with the following Criminal Code offences: Operation While Impaired Operation while Impaired – Blood Alcohol Concentration (80 plus) The accused is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of...
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Red Dress Day: Alert system being developed for missing Indigenous Indigenous women, girls, gender diverse people
By Austin Evans Turtle Island News Writer Two days before Red Dress Day and a year after declaring MMIWG2S+ as a national emergency, Canada and Manitoba announced that they are currently developing an alert system for missing Indigenous women, girls, and gender-diverse people. The system will send out alerts within minutes of a report, increasing the chance that the missing person is found. It takes notes from similar alert systems in places like Nova Scotia and Washington state. Leah Gazan, Winnipeg Centre’s NDP constituent, led federal advocacy of the development of this system. This follows her motion in the House of Commons last year, unanimously supported by her fellow MPs, declaring the deaths and disappearances of Indigenous women, girls, and gender-diverse people as a Canada-wide emergency. “Safety from violence is...
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Health minister committed to fixing dental-care double standard: hygienists
The Canadian Press 08/05/2024 15:22 A new national dental-care plan denies independent hygienists equal reimbursement for the same services offered in dentists’ offices — and the federal health minister said this week he isn’t convinced by the rationale that led to that disparity. Reimbursement rates vary from province to province, but the newly launched program pays significantly less for a cleaning that happens at a private hygiene clinic. Now that the program has launched, the Canadian Dental Hygienists Association is raising its concerns about the plan with new urgency. “I’m concerned about that too,” Health Minister Mark Holland said Tuesday. “I haven’t been convinced by the rationale defending it.” The uneven treatment was copied over from a federal benefit program for First Nations and Inuit, Holland said. The fee guides...
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MFR food bank delivering to six community hubs
By Jacqueline St. Pierre Local Journalism Initiative Reporter MINDEMOYA—Manitoulin Family Resources (MFR) unveiled an exciting new initiative aimed at revolutionizing access to its food bank services. Thanks to a generous grant exceeding $40,000 from Food Banks Canada Access, MFR is set to make significant strides in supporting its clientele. The grant, which emphasizes a commitment to bolstering community well-being, will address a crucial need identified by MFR. Recognizing that many local residents faced transportation barriers in accessing the food bank located in Mindemoya, the organization decided to take proactive measures to bridge this gap. In a bid to ensure equitable access for all, particularly those without reliable transportation, MFR conceived a pilot program that promises to transform the way food assistance is delivered. Previously constrained by limited resources and staffing,...
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Controversy surrounds proposed nuclear waste repository
THUNDER BAY—Tensions are mounting as discussions continue over the proposed construction of a deep geological repository (DGR) for nuclear waste in Northwestern Ontario. The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) is considering two potential sites: one near Ignace and another near the Municipality of South Bruce. At the forefront of opposition to the project is Grassy Narrows Chief Rudy Turtle, who voiced his concerns at a recent protest. Chief Turtle expressed disappointment over NWMO’s absence at a scheduled meeting, citing scheduling conflicts. Despite this setback, both parties have expressed willingness to engage in future discussions. Vince Ponka, regional communications manager with NWMO, clarified that while they were unable to attend the meeting due to prior commitments, they have reached out to schedule future discussions. Mr. Ponka emphasized NWMO’s commitment to transparency...
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Wikwemikong resurrects tradition of Take Back the Night observance
By Jacqueline St. Pierre Local Journalism Initiative Reporter WIIKWEMIKOONG—In a powerful display of community unity, Wiikwemkoong has reignited its Take Back the Night community walk after a hiatus, drawing over a hundred locals to join forces against violence and drug-related issues, last Thursday night. Led by Dana Ominika, Ralph Gonawabi and Shane Cooper, the event saw participants adorned in ribbon shirts and ribbon skirts, marching together as a symbol of solidarity. Originating a decade ago, the event had lapsed in recent years until the determination of its organizers to revive it. “We want people to know what we stand for,” Ms. Ominika expressed, reflecting on the mission to raise awareness and advocate for peace and safety in the community. Mr. Gonawabi, addressing the crowd at the outset, emphasized the importance...
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Anishinaabek elders and environmentalists unite to call for halt on herbicide use in Ontario forests
By Jacqueline St. Pierre Local Journalism Initiative TORONTO—A powerful coalition of voices representing the Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) Elders in the Robinson-Huron Treaty Territory gathered at Queen’s Park on Earth Day to advocate for the cessation of herbicide spraying in Ontario’s forests. Led by Elder Caroline Recollet of the Wahnapitae First Nation and Jo Bissaillion of the Serpent River First Nation, the group was joined by environmental advocates Joel Theriault of Stop the Spray Ontario, Mary Lou MacDonald from Safe Food Matters and Jessica Murray from Sierra Club. While the area currently affected is the North Shore, due to the large swaths of Crown Land, Anishinaabe elders from Manitoulin Island such as Evelyn Roy of M’Chigeeng First Nation have joined the fight. “They are killing the animals; they are killing...
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