Vancouver approves high density Jericho Lands project criticized by some residents
Vancouver’s city council has approved a high-density development concept for a 36-hectare site on the city’s west side, involving13,000 new homes. The Council says the Jericho Lands Policy Statement sets the direction for development of the land owned by a joint venture that includes three First Nations. It says the project unfolding over 25 to 30 years will potentially house 24,000 residents and include 8 hectares of parks and 4 hectares of public space. The land is owned by the Canada Lands Company and MST Nations, Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh. The council voted to advance the proposal after two hours of public comments at a meeting Wednesday, according to posts by the Vancouver City Clerk on social media. The project had been opposed by some residents, including the group Jericho Coalition...
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Church ringing bells each morning for six killed in N.W.T. plane crash
FORT SMITH, N.W.T. -People in the Northwest Territories town of Fort Smith continue to support each other and mourn after six people died in a plane crash. The Anglican Church in the community of 2,200 is planning to ring its bells every morning for six minutes. The town’s three churches came together for a candlelight vigil Wednesday night, which included prayer, song and calls from community leaders to support each other and stay strong. The charter plane had just taken off from Fort Smith and was en route to the Diavik Diamond Mine on Tuesday morning, when it hit the ground and caught fire. The territorial coroner’s office has not identified the victims of the crash, but some family members have. Clayton Balsillie says his sister Diane Balsillie was among...
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Conservative leader takes direct aim at Skeena Bulkley Valley in campaign style visit
By Seth Forward Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Federal opposition leader Pierre Poilievre continued his tireless campaigning ahead of an unscheduled election, holding a “Bring it Home” rally at the Lester Centre in Prince Rupert on Jan. 23. The Conservative Party leader used the opportunity to showcase Skeena MLA Ellis Ross as the next federal Conservative candidate for the Skeena-Bulkley Valley riding after the announcement was first made on Jan. 22. Poilievre said he was delighted to have Ross, a long-time fixture in Northwest politics, as the candidate to take on NDP MP Taylor Bachrach in the next federal election. “What an incredible victory for us, he is probably the most respected member of the B.C. legislature,” said Poilievre in an interview with The Northern View. “He is deeply respected, he...
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B.C. Supreme Court overturns Indigenous mother’s $150K discrimination award
By Brielle Morgan Local Journalism Initiative Reporter An Afro-Indigenous mother may no longer receive a $150,000 discrimination award after a B.C. Supreme Court judge overturned a ruling that found social workers violated her human rights. Justine (whose real name is protected by a publication ban) filed a complaint with the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal in 2017, after Vancouver Aboriginal Child and Family Services Society (VACFSS) social workers took her four daughters and separated them into three different foster homes. In 2022, the tribunal found that VACFSS discriminated against “Justine” based on her Indigeneity and disabilities, violating section eight of B.C.’s Human Rights Code. Then VACFSS asked the B.C. Supreme Court to review the decision and consider tossing it out. In 2023, Justice Geoffrey Gomery spent five days hearing arguments from...
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Addictions and mental health are connected
By Mike Stimpson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter FORT FRANCES -Any discussion on mental health needs to include addictions, a regional Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) administrator said on Bell Let’s Talk Day. “We know that now we can’t separate addictions from mental health,” Charlene Strain, chief executive officer of the CMHA’s Fort Frances branch, said in an interview Wednesday. “Addiction is within the DSM-5 (reference book on mental disorders), so it’s a diagnosable mental health condition.” People with mental health issues are more likely than the general population to have substance use issues, according to the CMHA. Strain said there has been great progress in “reducing stigma in regards to mental health issues” but “we have a long way to go to reduce stigma in regards to substance use and...
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Montana man convicted of killing eagles is sentenced to 3 years in prison for related gun violations
By Matthew Brown THE ASSOCIATED PRESS BILLINGS, Mont. (AP)- A Montana felon previously convicted of killing eagles to sell their parts on the black market was sentenced to three years in federal prison on Wednesday for related gun violations. U.S. District Judge Susan Watters in Billings sentenced Harvey Hugs, 60, after he pleaded guilty in September to being a felon in possession of firearms. Prosecutors said the Hardin, Montana, man used the guns to shoot federally protected eagles over more than a year and then sold the birds’ parts to an informant for profit. A 2021 search of Hugs’ home and vehicles found eagle parts, two rifles and ammunition, according to court documents. Investigators recovered parts of 21 different eagles, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. “While it is unknown how...
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New Democrats say housing policy must address needs of lower income households
By Mickey Djuric THE CANADIAN PRESS EDMONTON- Federal New Democrats spent Wednesday seeking guidance from Albertans, who the party said are on the front lines of Canada’s housing crisis, to help them form policies around addressing the needs of lower-income households. NDP members of Parliament met with local housing experts in Edmonton seeking solutions for how Ottawa can respond. The city declared a state of emergency earlier this month amid a higher rate of homelessness following the COVID-19 pandemic. “It reinforced something that we’ve really believed for a long time, that when it comes to where we’re at with housing, we didn’t get here by chance,” NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said to The Canadian Press on Wednesday. “This is decades of neglect.” He said Liberal and Conservative housing policies favour...
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Trial for First Nations unregulated cannabis stores could have larger impacts
By Jacqueline St. Pierre Local Journalism Initiative Reporter SUDBURY-next week, the Ontario Superior Court will hear a precedent-setting case involving 10 First Nations defendants facing cannabis-related charges dating back to the early days of the legalization of recreational cannabis. Ontario made the substance legal on October 17, 2018. The caveat on the legalization was that permits from the Ontario provincial government must be filed for and granted to business owners. The constitutional challenge initiated nearly four years ago has faced delays in reaching trial, with the pandemic and a general backlog contributing to the prolonged process. All 10 defendants logged into a virtual trial of the Superior Court of Justice on Monday, January 15. Nine of the 10 who stand accused owned or worked at a cannabis dispensary on a...
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Lots of ground covered in first few days of inquest into James Smith Cree Nation, Weldon deaths
By Ryan Kiedrowski Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The Kerry Vickar Centre in Melfort was transformed last week from a community recreation centre into a formal courtroom, accommodating the needs of a coroner’s inquest the likes the entire country has never seen. The inquest is seeking to not only provide a glimpse into the mass murder event on the James Smith Cree Nation and nearby community of Weldon during the 2022 September long weekend, but to come up with recommendations to possibly avoid a similar situation from ever occurring again. The Sept. 4, 2022 rampage had global attention focussed on an evolving situation in east-central Saskatchewan as conflicting reports about Myles and Damian Sanderson emerged. Fear gripped many across the province with unverified reports that the brothers had locations such as...
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First Innu nurse shares insights at Inquiry into the Treatment, Experiences and Outcomes of Innu in Child Protection in N.L.
By Sanuda Ranawake Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Mary Pia Benuen is no stranger to alcoholism. She’s lived through it, experienced it in her parents, and community, she told the Inquiry into the Treatment, Experiences and Outcomes of Innu in Child Protection, which resumed sessions Jan. 22. Benuen is the primary health director in Sheshatshiu, with over 30 years of experience in public health nursing under her belt. Benuen is also Labrador’s first Innu nurse. Before that, she had a much different life. “It really saddens me; I followed that route with them in my earlier years,” Benuen told the inquiry, referring to the alcoholism in her family and herself. “If there’s anything I could change about that, I probably would not drink.” Benuen also knew fear too well. She says while she...
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Mi’kmaq centre with huge waitlist for mental health services receives funding
By John Chilibeck Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Five First Nations with long waitlists for mental wellness programs will see nearly half a million dollars flow from the province to a special centre dedicated to serving Indigenous people. The Higgs Progressive Conservative government announced on Monday it would put $480,000 into the expansion project at the Natoaganeg (Eel Ground First Nation) Community Development Centre. The small blue building on the main drag of the First Nation beside Miramichi looks like a modest house from the outside, but inside it has several crammed offices. The provincial funds will allow it to double in size, with a groundbreaking in the spring and a completion date later in the year. “We have a 1,000 people in our database, so this extra space will be...
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Federal court set to determine the validity of Kwantlen First Nation vote to oust hereditary chief
By Cara McKenna Local Journalism Initiative Reporter A lawyer representing Kwantlen First Nation’s longtime chief and council told a federal court judge last week that there was “no good faith” by members who led a vote to oust their hereditary leader in November of 2022. However, representation for the Kwantlen people who prompted the vote told the court on Friday that a decision to remove Chief Marilyn Gabriel through a s???n?q (general assembly) was “an example of custom in action” and that community members were acting based on their Coast Salish law. Kwantlen’s system is unique in that its unelected chief and council are the sole leaders and the chief generally rules for a lifelong term. Most other First Nations with hereditary governments also have an elected government operating concurrently....
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Rio Tinto says Diavik diamond mine employees were on crashed NWT plane
By Amanda Stephenson THE CANADIAN PRESS The plane that crashed Tuesday near Fort Smith, N.W.T. was on its way to Rio Tinto’s Diavik Diamond Mine. The mine is one of four operating diamond mines in Canada. The Diavik mine is located 300 kilometres north of Yellowknife and 200 kilometres south of the Arctic Circle. It sits on a 20-square-kilometre island within a lake called Lac De Gras. Due to its remote location, workers at the mine site commute to the island by plane. As of November 2023, the mine had 1,230 employees, according to Rio Tinto’s website. Approximately 17 per cent of its workforce in 2021 was Northern Indigenous people. The mine produces diamonds from three kimberlite pipes through an open pit method. In 2020, it produced 6.2 million carats...
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Councillor posts anti Indigenous sign; P.E.I. minister orders quick inquiry
CHARLOTTETOWN- A Prince Edward Island cabinet minister has asked a law firm to conduct an inquiry into a village councillor’s decision to display a sign denying the existence of residential school graves. Communities Minister Rob Lantz issued a statement Wednesday saying Murray Harbour Coun. John Robertson had failed to comply with a ministerial directive to pay a $500 fine and issue an apology or resign, sanctions that were first imposed by the rural municipality. Lantz said that under provincial legislation, however, he couldn’t take action until an independent inquiry investigates Robertson’s conduct, even though the municipality has completed its own probe. As a result, Lantz has appointed Michael Drake, a partner with the law firm McInnes Cooper, to carry out an inquiry, saying such a move is unprecedented. “As a...
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Patty Hajdu attending emergency meeting with NAN
By Austin Campbell Local Journalism Initiative Reporter THUNDER BAY — The mental health of youth and residents living in First Nations communities is an ongoing battle. Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler will attend an emergency meeting with the Minister of Indigenous Affairs, Patty Hajdu, this afternoon in Ottawa, along with several other federal ministers, to discuss next steps in addressing what has been described as a suicide crisis. There are a number of elements, of course, that contribute to this ongoing crisis. Speaking to Dougall Media, Hajdu said major contributors to the crisis are the long-lasting effects of colonization, intergenerational trauma, and systemic racism. She made it clear that the impact of all of these combined elements to the well-being of Indigenous Canadians and First Nations communities cannot...
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Winter Storm hits area
Six Nations schools were cancelled, the post office is open, several businesses had people working from home as a winter storm hit the area Monday dumping 15 centimetres on the streets followed by rain overnight for a slushy day today. (Photo by Jim C. Powless)...
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OPP now investigating Gen7 Fuel founder for missing documents that may be connected to millions in OTE losses
By Lynda Powless Editor It’s a tale of private jets, yachts, island homes and over $300 million in unpaid federal and Ontario taxes. And now Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) are investigating the former president of Original Traders Energy (OTE) for missing computer data. The OPP investigation comes after the court appointed monitor overseeing the insolvency of OTE, claims “significant books and records’ owned by OTE are missing. OTE imports and blends fuel products sold to gas stations n First Nations communities in Ontario. The Indigenous fuel supplier, headquartered in Six Nations of the Grand River Territory, was granted protection under the Companies’ Creditor Arrangement Act from creditors last January. Now the multi-million dollar court case not only alleges a non-Indigenous man misappropriated millions of dollars from OTE, but used the money to...
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Brantford population count: 50% of homeless are First Nations
BRANTFORD – In a city where over 50 per cent of people experiencing homelessness are Indigenous, advocates fear what will happen to 680 people on a 15-year-waitlist for Indigenous housing support. Brantford-Brant’s 2023 “Point in Time” count found 52 per cent of people experiencing homelessness in Brantford are Indigenous, as reported to city council on December 6. Point in Time (PiT) counts are a measure of the number of homeless people in targeted areas on a given day or night. It found Brantford’s total population numbered 104,685 residents. According to 2021’s count, 36 percent of those surveyed in the city of Brantford self-identified as Indigenous, and 2018’s PiT showed 35 percent, said Maria Visocchi, Brantford’s communications director. That’s a disproportionate figure, since 5.25 percent of people living in Brantford identified...
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Six Nations Housing signs agreement to provide loans for Tiny Home purchase
Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation (SNGRDC) and Six nations Housing have signed an agreement to “collaborate” on the Tiny Homes project. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed Jan. 8th will streamlines the process to attain a tiny home through the Six Nations Housing Program. SNGRDC says the MOU will help address the housing crisis at Six Nations. The MOU means Six Nations band members interested in purchasing a “Tiny Home” can now access the bands housing program to buy one and follow Six nations Housing’s payment terms. “For Six Nations members who are accessing the Six Nations Housing loan programs and are ready to purchase a tiny home, a pre-approved loan letter from Six Nations Housing can be used to initiate the purchase from SNGRDC,” the release...
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Indigenous Services Canada costs First Nations by holding up land transfers: King Charles visit may be needed
By Lynda Powless Editor It may take a visit from King Charles to get the federal government’s Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) department to move forward on getting Six Nations lands added to the community. Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) is trying to add two parcels of land it bought to the federal government’s Additions To Reserve (ATR) process despite warnings from Six Nations Councillor Helen Miller. The two parcels have already been in the ATR process for three decades. Six Nations Councillor Helen Miller warned keeping the170 acres in the federal government’s ATR is buying land “and giving it back to the thief.” The veteran councillor told SNEC they need to find a new process to add land to the community. “When we buy land like we bought these properties,...
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