Ontario First Nation declares state of emergency over gang and addiction crises
Canadian Press-A northern Ontario First Nation declared a state of emergency Tuesday over concurrent crises involving crime, gang activity, addiction and mental health problems that have plagued the community for years. Netmizaaggamig Nishnaabeg First Nation has asked the province and the federal government for policing and mental health help, Chief Louis Kwissiwa said at a news conference at Queen’s Park. “Organized crime and drug trafficking has created an ever-growing crisis in our community,” Kwissiwa said. “Addiction, violence, and trauma is spreading. Overdoses are increasing. Mental health crises are pushing our resources to their breaking point.” The First Nation, about 350 kilometres north of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., is $5 million in debt after trying for several years to fix the problems, the chief said. They’ve installed security cameras, bought licence...
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Quebec politician offers mea culpa for comments on racism in provincial legislature
Canadian Press-A Quebec legislature member says he doesn’t think his colleagues at the national assembly are racist, as his party prepares to face criticism from all sides for controversial comments he made earlier this month. Haroum Bouazzi says he will remain a member of the left-leaning Québec solidaire caucus in a social media statement published after an emergency caucus meeting this morning. Three parties, including the governing Coalition Avenir Québec, will table motions at the legislature this afternoon denouncing remarks Bouazzi made during a speech to a community group. In his speech, Bouazzi said he regularly sees the national assembly construct an image of minority groups, including Muslims and Indigenous people, as “dangerous or inferior.” The CAQ motion calls on Bouazzi to withdraw his remarks and apologize to all members...
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Mental health worsening across Canada, access to care is uneven, report says
Kristin Pardy hid her bulimia for more than 10 years. When she finally mustered the courage to go to her local clinic in Cartwright — a community of about 400 people in southern Labrador — and share her “secret,” the nurses were “amazing” and got her a referral to an outpatient eating disorders program in St. John’s. But St. John’s is about 1,400 km away, and as a working mom, ”I couldn’t leave my kids for that long. I definitely couldn’t leave my job for that long,” Pardy said. “Because it was going to be an outpatient program, I would still have to pay to find accommodations for the six to eight weeks that I was there. I’d still have to pay my bills while I was there. I’d still...
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Ontario First Nation declares state of emergency over gang and addiction crises
A northern Ontario First Nation has declared a state of emergency over concurrent crises involving crime, gang activity, addiction and mental health problems that have plagued the community for years. Netmizaaggamig Nishnaabeg Chief Louis Kwissiwa is calling for policing and mental health help from the province and the federal government. Kwissiwa says the community needs more police officers for a start, as well as professional help for the increasing number of people addicted to drugs. He says addictions, violence, trauma and suicides are increasing. There are just five police officers in the region, but they are a 45-minute drive away. The solicitor general says he has spoken to the chief of Anishinabek Police Services about the seriousness of the issue. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov....
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New Brunswick Liberals promise rent cap, tax cuts in first 100 days in office
Canadian Press-A rent cap, tax cuts, and payments to nurses are among the commitments New Brunswick’s Liberal government says it will fulfil in its first 100 days in office. In a throne speech Tuesday, the new government said it will earn the trust of New Brunswickers by rapidly completing a series of pledges made during the campaign that ended Oct. 21 with Susan Holt and her Liberal team winning a majority. Within the first 100 days in office, the Liberals say they will implement a rent cap, remove the provincial tax on new multi-unit housing, and scrap a “clean fuel adjuster” that the premier said adds four cents a litre to the price motorists pay at the pump. The government said it will also distribute retention payments to nurses to...
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Quebec politician offers mea culpa for comments on racism in provincial legislature
By Canadian Press A Quebec legislature member tried to make amends on Tuesday for his controversial comments earlier this month about racism at the national assembly, but it wasn’t enough to satisfy political opponents who demanded a full apology in the provincial legislature. After an emergency caucus meeting Tuesday morning, Haroun Bouazzi published a statement on social media saying he will continue to represent the left-leaning Québec solidaire. “In this sense, I join them in saying that I do not consider that the national assembly and its members are racist and that this is not the party’s position,” he wrote on the social media platform X. Bouazzi also apologized to two cabinet ministers he singled out in an interview last week. The other three parties in Quebec’s national assembly, including...
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Hereditary chiefs call for a fishing moratorium to safeguard herring stocks
By Rochelle Baker Local Journalism Initiative Concerned by the disappearance of herring in their territories, hereditary chiefs are calling for closure of the West Coast’s last commercial herring fishery. Four WSÁNEĆ Chiefs representing three nations gathered in Sidney recently to sign the Pacific Herring Declaration, which calls for an immediate moratorium on the upcoming Strait of Georgia commercial fishery. The winter season’s commercial food and bait fishery, set to open Nov. 24, threatens the survival of the small, silver forage fish which have suffered dramatic declines across the entire B.C. coast, said the leaders from the Tsartlip, Tseycum and Tsawout nations. Herring were once abundant in their traditional territory that includes the southern Gulf Islands, parts of southern Vancouver Island and the Saanich Peninsula, said Tsawout Hereditary Chief W̱IĆKINEM (Eric...
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Saskatchewan NDP urges Moe to address high food prices in light of scurvy cases
By Jeremy Simes The Canadian Press Saskatchewan’s Opposition NDP says Premier Scott Moe’s government needs to address high food prices and pause the gas tax in light of recent scurvy cases in the province’s North. News website larongeNow reported last week that doctors in the community had treated 27 cases of scurvy, caused by vitamin C deficiency, over the last six months. The doctors pointed to food insecurity as part of the problem. Northern affairs critic Jordan McPhail said Tuesday the cost of fresh produce and milk is exorbitant in Stony Rapids, a community near the Northwest Territories boundary. Photos provided by the NDP, which it says were taken Monday from a grocery store in the hamlet, show a jug of milk selling for $18, a bag of apples for...
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‘No disrespect to His Majesty’: Yukon council refuses to take oath to King
By Fakiha Baig Canadian Press DAWSON CITY, YUKON-Governance in Yukon’s second-largest municipality has been at a standstill since its newly elected mayor and council refused to pledge allegiance to King Charles during their swearing-in ceremony. Stephen Johnson, the mayor-elect of Dawson City, said he and the four-member council refused to take Canada’s official oath to the monarch on Nov. 5 because of the Crown’s history with Indigenous populations. He said council hasn’t been able to proceed with municipal duties and is eagerly waiting for the territory’s Department of Community Services to respond to its request to take an alternative to the Oath of Allegiance. “We can’t do anything legally required of us under the Municipal Act … so we are sort of, kind of council, and I’m sort of, kind...
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NDP MP calls on Boissonnault to resign over false claims to Indigenous identity
The Canadian Press-A Métis member of Parliament is calling on the employment minister to resign over what he calls harmful false claims to Indigenous ancestry. Randy Boissonnault, who had said his great-grandmother was a “full-blooded Cree woman,” has also been described as Indigenous multiple times in communications from the Liberal party. He has walked back those comments after it was revealed that a company he co-owned applied for government contracts while claiming to be Indigenous owned. NDP MP Blake Desjarlais, who is Métis, says Indigenous people have been victimized by what has happened, and that people in Boissonnault’s Edmonton Centre riding are “embarrassed” by what is going on. Desjarlais says Boissonnault should resign and if he doesn’t, the prime minister should remove him from cabinet. Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu...
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Human remains discovered again on Sugarloaf Street as investigations continue in Port Colborne
Investigations continue as human remains have been found again on Sugarloaf Street in Port Colborne, authorities say. The most recent discovery is at 112 Sugarloaf St. The story is complex. Niagara Regional Police were called to a condo building near the corner of Sugarloaf and Elm Streets following the discovery of human remains at a Port Colborne construction site. Authorities determined the situation was not a criminal matter and instead focused on the site’s historical significance. Journalist Dave Johnson reported that remains previously found nearby had been handed over to Ontario’s Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism, and Culture Industries for further investigation. The area, known as the location of cemeteries dating back to the 1800s, had already drawn attention earlier in the year. However, in May, members of Indigenous communities...
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Quebec politician offers mea culpa for comments on racism in provincial legislature
The Canadian Press-A Quebec legislature member says he doesn’t think his colleagues at the national assembly are racist, as his party prepares to face criticism from all sides for controversial comments he made earlier this month. Following an emergency caucus meeting Tuesday morning, Haroun Bouazzi published a statement on social media saying he will continue to represent the left-leaning Québec solidaire. “In this sense, I join them in saying that I do not consider that the national assembly and its members are racist and that this is not the party’s position,” he wrote on the social media platform X. Bouazzi also apologized to two cabinet ministers he singled out in an interview last week. The mea culpa came as the other three parties, including the governing Coalition Avenir Québec, prepared...
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Ontario First Nation declares state of emergency over gang and addiction crises
The Canadian Press-A northern Ontario First Nation declared a state of emergency Tuesday over concurrent crises involving crime, gang activity, addiction and mental health problems that have plagued the community for years. Netmizaaggamig Nishnaabeg First Nation has asked the province and the federal government for policing and mental health help, Chief Louis Kwissiwa said at a news conference at Queen’s Park. “Organized crime and drug trafficking has created an ever-growing crisis in our community,” Kwissiwa said. “Addiction, violence, and trauma is spreading. Overdoses are increasing. Mental health crises are pushing our resources to their breaking point.” The First Nation, about 350 kilometres north of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., is $5 million in debt after trying for several years to fix the problems, the chief said. They’ve installed security cameras, bought...
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The Wolastoqey Nations and N.B. government to meet at negotiating table on title claim, tax agreements
By Nathalie Sturgeon, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The New Brunswick government and the Wolastoqey Nations of New Brunswick have met and agreed to reinstate previous existing tax agreements while new ones are negotiated. It also comes as both sides pause litigation in the Aboriginal title claim in favour of negotiation outside the courts. “The Chiefs reiterated that negotiation is their preferred way to respect their Rights and account for other interests,” the release from WNNB said. “The first step to rebuilding a trusting and transformative Nation-to-Nation relationship is sitting down at the table in a respectful, equitable, and solutions-oriented way. Today’s meeting is a good first step down a long journey of reconciliation.” Tax agreements between the former Progressive Conservative government and Wolastoqey Nations were terminated. “The agreements had been...
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Town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay calls public meeting to discuss recent public safety report
By Evan Careen Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The mayor of Happy Valley-Goose Bay said he’s happy to see the recommendations outlined in a recent public safety review of his community, but he also questions some of the report’s findings. George Andrews, who has served as mayor of the central Labrador town since 2021, told The Independent town council was given a “quick and dirty” overview of the report, written by the provincial government-appointed Policing Transformation Working Group, before it was released to the public and media in late October. Then, on Nov. 6, the province announced a $20-million public safety investment that includes five new RCMP officers for Happy Valley-Goose Bay, citing recommendations from the Policing Transformation Working Group’s report. While Andrews and others on council agree with much of...
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Cree Youth Summit bridges generations to help shape the future
The Cree Youth Summit brought the Cree School Board and Cree Nation Youth Council to Montreal October 16. The two organizations signed a memorandum of understanding with the Cree Nation Government on how they will work together during the event, called “Building Bridges: Shaping Futures”. “My favourite part of working for Cree youth regionally is seeing how one idea becomes a big reality,” shared CNYC special projects coordinator Tania Richmond. “I remember a youth passing a resolution at the CNYC AGA in 2023 requesting an MOU. Here it is being signed today as a commitment to work together to support student youth councils. The future gets brighter the more we empower our current young leaders now!” The agreement will enable the CSB to better understand the services and improvements needed...
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FWFN opposes Kakabeka generating station redevelopment
FORT WILLIAM FIRST NATION — A $200 million project to modernize the Kakabeka Falls Generating Station has drawn opposition from Fort William First Nation. Chief Michele Solomon said Ontario Power Generation (OPG) has not completed any archaeological fieldwork at the Kakabeka Falls Generating Station site. According to the first nation, there is a non-Indigenous cemetery on the property. They are concerned about the potential for artifacts and other potential finds at the site, which has cultural and historical significance. Solomon told Dougall Media thats the “refurbishment” of the generating station is a misnomer because “it’s really a completely new project.” “They are leaving a building standing as a heritage site,” Solomon said. “By that action, that allows for them to go around certain responsibilities they would have if they didn’t...
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Tories call on Boissoneault to resign amid apology over Indigenous ancestry claims
The Canadian Press-Members of Parliament returned to Ottawa on Monday after a weeklong break with no sign of a resolution to the House stalemate, tempers ramped back up, and renewed calls for a Liberal cabinet minister to resign — or be fired. The House of Commons has been mired in a filibuster for nearly two months now, as the Conservatives demand the government hand over documents to the RCMP in a case of alleged government misspending on a green technology fund. That continued Monday but in question period Conservative attention shifted to Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault, who three days ago apologized for not being more clear about his Indigenous identity. He previously referred to himself as a “non-status adopted Cree” and said his great-grandmother was a “full-blooded Cree woman.” He...
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‘Building the business model’ for road and port project
The Grays Bay Road and Port project, which stretches from the Northwest Passage to near Kugluktuk, has entered the next stage of development. “There are several things going on here in parallel,” said Brendan Bell, CEO for proponent West Kitikmeot Resources Corporation. “[Last year] was really about proponent transfer, from KIA [Kitikmeot Inuit Association] to West Kitikmeot Resources; 2024 is about stakeholder engagement, community engagement, discussing the project with regulators and stakeholders and allowed us to confirm the project scope… We needed to update and confirm project scope, so we did that. “We also filed with regulators,” Bell continued. “Now we’re waiting to hear back from regulators. They could say one of two things: this should go to environmental assessment — now we’ve recommended it go to environmental assessment (EA)....
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Travel Nunavut brings back awards ceremony at annual conference
By Kira Wronska Dorward Local Journalism Initiative Travel Nunavut held its annual conference in Iqaluit from Nov. 6-8 and set aside some of that time to recognize extraordinary achievement. After two days of panel discussions, professional development courses and presentations covering the organization’s strategic plan, the importance of the cultural sector, community engagement and the future of the travel industry in the territory, attendees enjoyed an awards ceremony. “The conference aims to highlight the critical role that travel plays as a lifeline for the communities within the region,” said this year’s new Travel Nunavut president, Alex Stubbing. “The conference’s holistic approach to tourism development reflects the complexities inherent in the Arctic environment.” The evening began with an adventure film and presentation by Sarah MacNair Landry and Erik Boomer, airing a...
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