Lakehead University gets a boost in funding for Indigenous learning
By Clint Fleury, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, TBnewswatch.com THUNDER BAY — A recent $100,000 donation will help create Indigenous-led spaces and programming at Lakehead University. The funding from insurance and financial services company Canada Life is for the school’s Gichi Kendaasiwin initiative, and was announced at Lakehead on Sept 29. “Right now, (with) this project we’re looking at building various spaces across all of our three campuses that allow for cultural learning to happen … in a more appropriate way,” Denise Baxter, the vice provost of Indigenous initiatives at Lakehead, told Newswatch. “Supporting student success is obviously really at the heart of all this and why we’re doing this, and then connecting our work with outreach to communities.” More than a decade ago, Lakehead University planned to build its Gichi...
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Winston Churchill, William Berczy paintings among items in Hudson’s Bay auction
By Tara Deschamps A painting of a sunny day in Morocco by former British prime minister Winston Churchill, an 1894 depiction of downtown Toronto by Frederic Marlett Bell-Smith and several pieces from one of Toronto’s founders are among the works Hudson’s Bay is set to auction off next month. All three are contained in a catalogue released Thursday by Heffel Fine Art Auction House, which was retained by the defunct retailer to find new homes for its most prized possessions. Although the retailer had 4,400 pieces — 1,700 pieces of art and about 2,700 artifacts — at the time of its collapse, details about the collection have been a closely guarded secret since the Bay filed for creditor protection and closed all of its stores earlier in the year. The...
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Gun Lake residents sound the alarm on salvage logging proposal
By Luke Faulks, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Pique Newsmagazine When Jessica Shoubridge and her family moved to Gun Lake, she imagined a future rooted in the area’s natural beauty. She envisioned her commercially zoned property one day hosting an eco-tourism venture built around the lake and featuring a west-facing view of the hillside. Then, the 2023 Downton Lake Wildfire ripped through the Bridge River Valley, burning up nearly 10,000 hectares, destroying 43 properties and exposing Shoubridge to a network of logging access roads previously under tree cover. Now, two years after the fire, Shoubridge says she has watched the forest recover naturally. “The natural regeneration that’s happened in the last two years has been remarkable,” she said. “We’re like, “It’s going to be OK, it’s starting to look good now....
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No charges recommended in 2022 death of Indigenous man at jail in Williams Lake, B.C.
The Independent Investigations Office says it will not be recommending criminal charges against RCMP officers in Williams Lake, B.C., after the sudden death of man in their custody. It says officers arrested the man who was driving an unlicensed moped around the Cariboo city on Sept. 30, 2022, and brought him to the RCMP cells. The release says the man appeared to have fallen asleep on a bench in his cell and about two hours later, around 3 a.m. on Oct. 1, he fell off the bench onto the floor. It says while a guard checked on the detainee through the cell door and verbally confirmed that he was OK, the man was found unresponsive a few hours later. He was declared dead at the scene, and the IIO says...
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Indigenous leaders urge action after alleged drug-related shooting in First Nation
By Rianna Lim Indigenous leaders in northern Ontario are calling on politicians to take action against illegal drugs and provide more resources to communities after an alleged drug-related shooting in a First Nation left one person dead and another injured. Ontario Provincial Police issued a shelter-in-place order early Wednesday morning for residents in the area of Ginoogaming First Nation, saying officers were searching for two suspects believed to be armed and dangerous. All public and Catholic schools in Long Lac and Long Lake #58 First Nation, as well as the Long Lac campus of Confederation College, were closed Wednesday and Thursday as police searched for the suspects. Police lifted the shelter-in-place order Thursday afternoon after determining there was no longer an active threat to public safety. OPP said they had...
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Experts say Ottawa’s new AI task force is skewed towards industry
By Anja Karadeglija The Liberal government has given its new AI “task force” until the end of the month to fast-track changes to the national artificial intelligence strategy — a plan that critics say leans too much on the perspective of industry and the tech sector. Teresa Scassa, a law professor at the University of Ottawa and Canada research chair in information law and policy, said the makeup of the 27-member task force is “skewed towards industry voices and the adoption of AI technologies.” The risks posed by artificial intelligence to Canada’s culture, environment and workforce “deserve more attention in a national strategy,” Scassa said in an email. Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon announced the task force last month and tasked it with a 30-day “national sprint” to draft recommendations...
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Indigenous leaders urge action after alleged drug-related shooting in FirstNation
By Rianna Lim Indigenous leaders in northern Ontario are calling on politicians to take action against illegal drugs and provide more resources to communities after an alleged drug-related shooting in a First Nation left one person dead and another injured. Ontario Provincial Police issued a shelter-in-place order early Wednesday morning for residents in the area of Ginoogaming First Nation, saying officers were searching for two suspects believed to be armed and dangerous. All public and Catholic schools in Long Lac and Long Lake #58 First Nation, as well as the Long Lac campus of Confederation College, were closed Wednesday and Thursday as police searched for the suspects. Police lifted the shelter-in-place order Thursday afternoon after determining there was no longer an active threat to public safety. OPP said they had...
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‘A big mess’: Expert, parents criticize Alberta tool kit for students during strike
By Fakiha Baig An education expert is criticizing online lessons the Alberta government has curated for students during a provincewide teachers strike as “incoherent.” Maren Aukerman, an education professor at the University of Calgary, says the nearly 200-page “tool kit” hops from one topic to another without context and barely aligns with the provincial curriculum. It tries to teach Grade 1 students how to multiply. Grade 3 students learn how to count American money — not Canadian. And Grade 4 students are instructed in drawing triangles — an activity for those in Grade 1. “There are layers upon layers of problems with it … nothing makes sense,” Aukerman said in an interview. “It is incoherent.” The province’s 51,000 teachers at 2,500 schools went off the job Monday in the largest...
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Taking action for Indigenous women in Kanesatake
By Marcus Bankuti, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eastern Door Mary Hannaburg and her daughter Kahsennóktha George were straining to reach a hook in the sign above the door of Pizza Greco, the red dress they wanted to hang there dangling from their hands. As they struggled to place the garment, a symbol used to commemorate and raise awareness for missing and murdered Indigenous women and gender-diverse people (MMIWG2S+), a couple strolled by on the sidewalk. The couple – tourists, Hannaburg believes – didn’t hesitate. The man picked up the woman in his arms, and from that height she easily secured the red dress over the window. Hanging red dresses in Kanesatake and beyond on October 4 – the National Day of Action for MMIWG2S+ – is something Hannaburg and...
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Boost for Church reno in Kahnawake
By Marcus Bankuti, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eastern Door A substantial contribution from the federal government is the latest infusion for a planned 10-year, $3 million restoration of the St. Francis Xavier Mission and Fort St. Louis. “There are some projects that are more urgent than others, so we’re doing the projects in terms of ensuring the site remains safe and secure and restored as per the requirements to retain its historic site status,” said Rheena Diabo, a member of the Saint Kateri Tekakwitha Shrine Finance and Administrative Committee. The committee has been granted $250,000 for the conservation of the presbytery’s windows and doors, with work planned to begin spring 2026. This funding comes from the National Cost-Sharing Program for Heritage Places, a Parks Canada program. The restoration is...
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‘A big mess’: Expert, parents criticize Alberta tool kit for students during strike
By Fakiha Baig An education expert is criticizing online lessons the Alberta government has curated for students during a provincewide teachers strike as “incoherent.” Maren Aukerman, an education professor at the University of Calgary, says the nearly 200-page “tool kit” hops from one topic to another without context and barely aligns with the provincial curriculum. It tries to teach Grade 1 students how to multiply. Grade 3 students learn how to count American money — not Canadian. And Grade 4 students are instructed in drawing triangles — an activity for those in Grade 1. “There are layers upon layers of problems with it … nothing makes sense,” Aukerman said in an interview. “It is incoherent.” The province’s 51,000 teachers at 2,500 schools went off the job Monday in the largest...
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Shelter-in-place order lifted, one person dead in northern Ontario First Nation: OPP
By Rianna Lim Provincial police say they’ve lifted a shelter-in-place order in a northern Ontario First Nation, after a two-day search for two suspects in an incident that left one person dead and another injured. Police issued the emergency alert early Wednesday morning for residents in the area of Ginoogaming First Nation, saying the two suspects were believed to be armed and dangerous. OPP said Thursday afternoon that they responded to a report of shots fired in the area of Echum Drive at around 2:15 a.m. Wednesday, and one person was found dead and another injured. All public and Catholic schools in Long Lac and Long Lake #58 First Nation, as well as the Long Lac campus of Confederation College, were closed Wednesday and Thursday as police searched for the...
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First Nations Leadership and NAN Grand Chief Declare State of Emergency on Flow of Illegal Drugs and Deaths in Communities
THUNDER BAY, ON: Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) leadership are declaring a public State of Emergency (October 9, 2025) following a drug related shooting incident that unfolded in Ginoogaming First Nation. Tragically, and ironically, the incident comes in the midst of a forum convened by Nishnawbe Aski Nation, Nishnawbe Aski Police Services, and Nishnawbe-Aski Legal Services to address the very crises that cause these situations, including gang infiltration, illegal drugs and drug-related violence that plague NAN First Nations. Leaders further addressed the urgent need for resources and mechanisms for First Nations to protect their borders and their community members. Community members in Ginoogaming First Nation remain in lockdown following an active shooting yesterday. This declaration is a response to both this incident, alongside the escalating crisis across the territory....
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Six Nations Elected Council says man convicted in triple homicide cannot be buried at Six Nations
SIX NATONS OF THE GRAND RIVER- A man responsible for the triple homicide of three Six Nations people, including a pregnant woman, has died in prison but will not be buried at Six Nations. . Nicholas Shipman, involved in a gruesome homicide in 2018. died in Millhaven Institution’s Regional Treatment Centre, near Bath. Shipman, 43, died on Oct. 2 at the facility His death sparked controversy on Facebook when a community member asked if he should be buried at Six Nations. One of the victim’s families approached Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) chief Sherri-Lyn Hill telling her that plans were being made for Shipman to be buried at the Stump Hall cemetery on First Line Road. Elected Chief Hill told SNEC, in an emergency session, Oct., 8, 2025, that she...
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Oshki-Wenjack now fully accredited to offer its own programming
By Matt Prokopchuk, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, TBnewswatch.com THUNDER BAY — An Indigenous education institute that serves dozens of northern Ontario First Nations will be consulting with those communities as it prepares to roll out the first of its very own programming. Oshki-Pimache-O-Win: The Wenjack Education Institute has received its full provincial accreditation, which allows it to create its own programs and confer its own credentials, under the oversight of the Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security. Currently, it uses its own spaces and online learning to deliver courses from other institutions Oshki-Wenjack is partnered with, like Confederation College. “What we’ve been doing is offering our partners’ programming and the credentials have been coming from the colleges and universities,” Lorrie Deschamps, the president of Oshki-Wenjack, told Newswatch. “So,...
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Fort Erie sewage station site undergoing extensive archeological work
By Kris Dube, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, NiagaraThisWeek.com The site of a new sewage pumping station to be built in Fort Erie to replace the aging and outdated one next to it has been covered with a large tent and fence for several months. This is to facilitate archeological work for which Niagara Region has spent more than $3 million since 2023. The Catherine Street pumping station was built in 1981 and is reaching the end of its service life. Due to its current condition and to support growth, it is set to be replaced on lands directly next to it at 263 Niagara Blvd., as well as around the Lakeshore Road sewage pumping station, which is also to be overhauled, said Phill Lambert, the Region’s director of water and...
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High-speed internet line gets approval
By Carl Clutchey, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Chronicle-Journal A federal agency that’s reviewed a proposed $2-million fibre-cable installation between the outskirts of Thunder Bay and Whitesand First Nation has determined the project “is not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects.” The determination by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada was released on Monday through an agency notice. Once about 300 kilometres of cable have been installed, about 260 residential homes in Whitesand, Armstrong, Gull Bay First Nation and surrounding areas are expected to have access to high-speed internet. Monday’s determination was based on three main factors, including potential environmental impacts, public comments and “technically and economically feasible mitigation measures.” “Mitigation and monitoring measures taken into account for this determination included active and adaptive management measures that would be...
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Shelter-in-place order continues, schools closed in First Nation amid OPP search
Provincial police say a shelter-in-place order in a northern Ontario First Nation is still in effect and schools remain closed as officers continue to search for two suspects believed to be armed and dangerous. Police issued the emergency alert early Wednesday morning for residents in the area of Ginoogaming First Nation after an “active incident” involving two armed suspects. Police say all public and Catholic schools in Long Lac and Long Lake #58 First Nation, as well as the Long Lac campus of Confederation College, remain closed today as a precaution. Police have released descriptions of the suspects and they’re advising the public to stay away if they see them and call 911. They’re also advising residents to remain indoors and lock all doors and windows, and those who are...
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Indigenous leaders come together to denounce Residential School denialist remarks from a former MP
By Lucas-Matthew Marsh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Iori:wase Local, provincial and national Indigenous leaders from across the country have come together to denounce Residential School denialist remarks from Peoples Party of Canada leader Maxime Bernier last week. Bernier took to social media on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, saying that the “residential schools ‘genocide’ is a hoax.” In response, the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador (AFNQL) released a statement on October 1, condemning Bernier and requesting that he retract his statement while issuing a formal apology to Survivors. “Mr. Bernier’s comments are not only false — they are violent,” Nadia Robertson, co-spokesperson for the AFNQL Council of Elected Women, said. “They dishonour the memory of the missing children, insult Survivors, and reopen wounds that still affect our communities.”...
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AFN National Chief appears before Senate Committee on Bill S-2
If passed into law Bill S-2 will allow 3,500 people to reclaim Indian Status. By Lucas-Matthew Marsh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Iori:wase Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak has called on the federal government to relinquish control of First Nations membership while speaking to the Senate Committee last week. “Our people are entitled to determine who they are, and to have their entitlement to rights determined according to our laws and policies,” Woodhouse Nepinak said. Woodhouse Nepinak’s was testifying before the Senate about Bill S-2, which would update registration requirements under the Indian Act in accordance with the 2021 Supreme Court ruling in Nicholas v. Canada. Bill S-2 was introduced last spring by Minister of Indigenous Services Mandy Gull-Masty to replace Bill C-38, which was unable...
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