Vancouver based restaurant captures national Indigenous culinary tourism award
By Sam Laskaris Local Journalism Initiative Reporter It’s a good thing that perseverance is one of Inez Cook’s traits. Cook, a former flight attendant who retired last year after more than three decades in the business, opted to become a restaurant owner back in 2010. Cook, a member of Nuxalk Nation in British Columbia, opened Salmon n’ Bannock shortly after the 2010 Winter Olympics began in Vancouver. The restaurant is on West Broadway, one of Vancouver’s best-known streets. “The Olympics were coming and it was a good time to do it,” Cook said. “I’ve lived all over the world and met all the cultures.” But there was one major problem. Visitors from around the globe who were taking in the Vancouver Olympics did not flock to Cook’s restaurant. That’s because while...
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Hai?zaqv takes legal action against `Canada’ after DFO shut down nation’s herring fishery (
By Meral Jamal Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Since time immemorial, the Hai?zaqv (Heiltsuk) Nation has sustainably harvested wan?ai (herring) in their waters. But in 2022, one month before the spawn-on-kelp harvesting season, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) shut down Hai?zaqv’s commercial fishery, prompting dismay from the First Nation’s leadership at the infringement of their rights to steward their own territories.Now, after unsuccessful negotiations with the DFO, Hai?zaqv is moving forward with a lawsuit against the federal government for banning the herring spawn-on-kelp fishery two years ago. “We did not take the decision to commence legal action lightly,” said elected Chief Marilyn Slett of launching the lawsuit in a news release on Feb. 27. “We have worked hard to build trust and collaboratively manage herring stocks in Heiltsuk territory with DFO....
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Coroner’s Jury concludes cocaine overdose caused Myles Sanderson’s death
By Ryan Kiedrowski Local Journalism Initiative Reporter A high-speed chase, risky vehicular takedown and fatal drug overdose. These aspects received hyper-focus during a four-day coroner’s inquest in Saskatoon last week. The goal of the inquest was to discover facts about the final hours of Myles Sanderson_the man solely responsible for the Sept. 4, 2022 mass killing on the James Smith Cree Nation and nearby Village of Weldon. Sanderson fatally stabbed 11 people during his rampage and was responsible for 17 attempted murders during that weekend. The inquest, presided by coroner Robert Kennedy, ran from Feb. 26 to 29, hearing from medical experts, responding police officers, and emergency responders that were in contact with Sanderson when he died in custody on Sept. 7. High-risk takedown During the early afternoon of Sept. 7,...
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Ottawa, Nunavut sign $36M deal to improve health care services in territory
Iqaluit, Nunavut -Nunavut and the federal government are spending nearly $36 million to improve access to health care in the territory. The agreement, announced in Iqaluit, is to increase the number of Inuit working in health care. It is to help recruit and retain nurses and to assist remote communities in determining their health-care needs. The deal is also to improve obstetric and addiction services. Ottawa has committed $23.6 million to the three-year program, with the remaining funding coming from the territory. A separate agreement will see the federal government contribute $12 million more to expand long-term care and home care in the territory. “These agreements … mean better care for the people who live here, in their communities,” federal Health Minister Mark Holland said Tuesday. “Nunavut has its own unique...
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Fire that destroyed nursing station forces Ontario First Nation to evacuate patients
CAT LAKE FIRST NATION, ONTARIO- A remote northwestern Ontario First Nation has evacuated people with specific medical needs after a fire destroyed its nursing station, the community’s chief said on Tuesday. Chief Russell Wesley of Cat Lake First Nation said people who need treatment for cancer, diabetes and addiction support were among those who left the community on Monday evening. “Those people were removed from the community,” he said. “There’s long-term planning happening now in terms of a long-term solution, our technical teams at the tribal council are working on that … there’s a lot of effort to resolve the situation very quickly.” The chief said the First Nation has established a team to work on restoring health services following the Saturday night fire in the Ojibway community of about...
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West Moberly First Nation ‘disheartened and frustrated’ by reactions to Land Act amendments
By Edward Hitchins Local Journalism Initiative Reporter West Moberly First Nation (WMFN) says negative reactions to the provincial government’s proposed Land Act amendments in late February before the proposals were put on hold caused “great concern and frustration” for the band. “After working diligently with the province and stakeholders, it is disheartening to learn that work on the amendments has been paused,” read a statement released by the First Nation on March 4th. The amendments would have allowed shared decision-making between the province and First Nations throughout B.C. as part of the NDP government’s work aligning their laws with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Those against the amendments believe First Nations can dictate how and what they can do with access to resources on...
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Supreme Court Approves Federal Indigenous Child Welfare Legislation
By Jeremy Appel Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Indigenous leaders expressed relief in early February when the Supreme Court of Canada upheld Bill C-92, which affirms First Nations, Metis and Inuit jurisdiction over child welfare. “This is a grand historic moment,” Confederacy of Treaty No. 6 First Nations Grand Chief Cody Thomas said in a Feb. 9 statement. “The Supreme Court’s ruling recognizes our inherent right to care for our children with our own cultures, traditions, and languages, and it affirms the principles of reconciliation and our inherent right to lawmaking and self-governance.” Quebec’s provincial government opposed the legislation, which first passed in June 2019, arguing that the federal government overstepped its authority, infringing on provincial jurisdiction. In February 2022, the Quebec Court of Appeal agreed with the government that aspects...
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Land settlement nets nearly $60 million for community in B.C.
By Marc Lalonde Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The federal government and a First Nations community in British Columbia announced late last month that the federal government would pay compensation to the community for taking its reserve lands without adequate compensation more than a century ago. The government will compensate the Matsqui First Nation near Abbotsford, B.C. to the tune of more than $59 million to compensate it for the taking of its reserve lands without adequate compensation and for severing access to reserve lands through the building of the Vancouver Power Company Right-of-Way on Sahhacum Indian Reserve 1 and Matsqui Main Indian Reserve 2. Matsqui First Nation chief Alice McKay said she was glad that Canada acknowledged its historic wrong and was glad to see it corrected. “Matsqui First Nation...
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Vancouver police, First Nation ties have ‘broken down’ since settlement: review
VNCOUVER B.C.-Vancouver’s police board and the Heiltsuk Nation both say they are committed to working together after a report found their relationship had “broken down” in the wake of a landmark agreement. But the B.C. First Nation says it is still owed an apology from two officers involved in the wrongful handcuffing of a Heiltsuk man and his granddaughter outside a Vancouver bank in 2019. B.C. Human Rights Commissioner Kasari Govender on Wednesday released a review of the September 2022 settlement stemming from the case. Govender said in the report that there were “significant shortcomings” in implementing the deal in the time since an agreement was reached. Behind the shortcomings were fractured ties between the Heiltsuk Nation and the Vancouver Police Board that “must be repaired” in order for the...
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Fort Nelson Literary Society assisting Prophet River First Nation with water settlement claims
By Edward Hitchins Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Prophet River First Nation (PRFN) members are receiving assistance filing claims as part of an $8 billion class-action lawsuit against the federal government over unclean water. The Fort Nelson Community Literacy Society (FNCLS) is heading to PRFN on March 7th to help out before the deadline for claims to be submitted later the same day. The nationwide settlement includes anyone affected by water advisories for at least one year in a **>First Nations<** community between late 1995 and mid-2021. PRFN is holding the workshop to assist individuals with paperwork to join the already 144,000 filed claims. The workshop will occur at the Prophet River School Department from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on March 7th. Wayne Kushamba, program coordinator for the FNCLS, says...
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Calls mount for crackdown on false fossil fuel ads
By Rochelle Baker Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The Gitanyow Nation is calling on both the provincial and federal governments to do something about deceptive ad campaigns that greenwash the climate impacts of liquified natural gas projects in B.C. Its concerns relate to a deluge of paid ads across the province touting claims by gas companies that LNG is somehow a green source of energy aligned with net-zero emissions targets. Ads like “BC LNG will reduce Global Emissions” are ubiquitous on social media, buses, airports and highway billboards, said Naxginkw, Tara Marsden, sustainability director for the Wilp, or house clans, of the Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs (GHC). Methane, LNG’s primary ingredient, is a powerful greenhouse gas that creates more than 80 times as much heat in the short term as carbon dioxide...
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Infrastructure Bank, First Nations Bank join forces to support smaller scale Indigenous development
By Shari Narine Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Indigenous communities looking to advance infrastructure projects now have access to a new pool of money. The Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) has provided the First Nations Bank of Canada (FNBC) with $100 million to offer as capital for smaller infrastructure projects. FNBC will be matching that amount. The money will be loaned to First Nations Bank’s clients at a low interest rate as it blends FNBC’s competitive market rate with CIB’s low-cost financing. The partnership, says CIB CEO Ehren Cory, allows CIB to be involved in projects that aren’t the bank’s usual billion-dollar infrastructure dealings. “FNBC has reached to communities big and small, First Nations communities, Metis and **>Inuit<** communities across the country in a way that we don’t,” said Cory. “They have...
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The Healthcare Crisis For Indigenous Peoples In Alberta
By Chevi Rabbit Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The healthcare system in Alberta fails Indigenous peoples, perpetuating a cycle of suffering and premature death. Structural racism pervades every aspect of care, from access to treatment to the attitudes of healthcare professionals. Countless examples across the country demonstrate Canadians turning a blind eye to the plight of dying Indigenous people within the healthcare and mental health systems. Indigenous individuals frequently encounter poor experiences, lack follow-up care, and fear the healthcare system due to poor outcomes, amplifying the urgency for Canada to address the injustices faced by Indigenous communities. Indigenous peoples in Alberta face significant barriers to accessing healthcare services, exacerbating health disparities. Geographical isolation, limited transportation options, and underfunded healthcare facilities on reserves present formidable obstacles to receiving timely and adequate...
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As disasters mount, First Nations’ safety has never been more pressing: Woodhouse
By Alessia Passafiume THE CANADIAN PRESS GATINEAU, Que.- First Nations leaders gathered Wednesday to discuss how they can better prepare for the wildfires, pandemics, floods and effects of climate change that disproportionately affect their communities. The Assembly of First Nations summit in Gatineau, Que., is the first such forum in seven years. It follows a record-breaking wildfire season that scorched 100,000 square kilometres of land and saw dozens of First Nations communities evacuated. It also comes four years after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, which found First Nations peoples and communities at a heightened risk of exposure. National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak said at no time has the safety of communities amid disasters been a more pressing concern. “The unpredictability has lead to recurrent emergency evacuations forcing our people to...
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Vancouver police, First Nation ties have ‘broken down’ since settlement: review
VANCOUVER- A review of a “landmark” agreement between Vancouver Police and a B.C. First Nation says the relationship has “broken down” and the way to move forward is to respect the nation’s laws. B.C. Human Rights Commissioner Kasari Govender says in her review that agreement between the police board, the family of Maxwell Johnson and the Heiltsuk Nation showed “significant shortcomings” in implementing the deal reached in 2022. The agreement came after police wrongly detained Johnson, a Heiltsuk Nation artist, and his then-12-year-old granddaughter, who were both handcuffed by police after they tried to open an account for the girl at a Vancouver bank. The nation cancelled an apology ceremony in October 2022 after the arresting officers failed to show up, which Johnson said limited the community’s ability to heal from...
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Sisterhood gathering: eclipse connected to founding of Confederacy
By Lisa Iesse Writer “Sisterhood is medicine” says Samantha Doxtator in anticipation of April’s total solar eclipse, projected to take an unprecedented path directly above the Haudenosaunee Nations. Doxtator is an astronomer from Oneida of the Thames and she tells the gathering her sister led her to study Haudenosaunee astronomy. Doxtator is continuing the work and research pf Sasha Doxtator, a Haudenosaunee astronomer who passed away in July 2021. Iehstoseranon:nha Dawn and Kelly Back joined Doxtator and a gathering of women who met in a “Celestial Sisterhood” of Haudenosaunee” women to honour the ancestors in the name of peace at the Woodland Cultural Centre Wednesday (February 28). Dawn is a Feather Keeper/Protector and artist practicing and sharing bird medicines. She is Akwesasronon, Wakhskaré:wake (Bear Clan), and the founder of the...
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Some SNEC members pushing for more council transparency
By Lynda Powless Editor Six Nations Councillor Helen Miller is getting help keeping items from going into closed sessions in this term of council thanks to some of the new councillors. Some Six Nations Councillors have been moving items from in-cameras sessions into open citing the need to be more transparent to the community. Councillors opted to move several items from the in-camera agenda into the open at the Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) Political Liaison committee meeting on February 26. Councillor Cynthia Jamieson said she didn’t see a reason to keep some of the items private, including an update from Trevor Bomberry on a potential visit to the Navajo First Nation, a funding agreement from the Assembly of First Nations to partake in a review of the 1965 Welfare Act...
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Six Nations Cannabis Commission at the “end” of its rope without bank account
The Six Nations Cannabis Commission (SNCC) is at the end of its rope with the banking system and wants Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) to advocate for it as a community safety measure. Kathy Mair, chief commissioner of the Six Nations Cannabis Commission (SNCC)’s presented its quarterly report at SNEC’s General Finance meeting, March 4th, after it was moved from the in-camera agenda. Mair said there’s not much left the SNCC can do to get itself, its producers or retailers on-reserve a bank account because the banks see them as criminals. “I need political advocacy for this,” she said. “Cannabis was legalized in 2018 and only cannabis businesses off territory can access banking. We can not. Whether we’re licensed or not. No First Nation in Canada is allowed to use...
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“Third World Conditions”: SN Public Works says SNEC needs to push for clean drinking water funding
The Public Works Department wants Six Nations to make clean drinking water a priority for funds and political advocacy. Mike Montour, director of public works told Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) at the Policial Liaison meeting on February 26, that if they have a surplus for the 2024-2025 budget he’d like them to consider making getting people connected to the water lines a priority. “I think we’ve done a great job to knock down barriers to give people the ability to connect to the water main,” Montour said. But he knows there are more barriers that exist and said some families on Six Nations are living in “third world conditions” without indoor plumbing or electricity and that makes hooking up to the watermain impossible until plumbing is installed in the...
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SN Elected Council to petition Enbridge to lower gas fees
Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) agreed to look into trying to get the community exempted from delivery fees being charged for natural gas to be delivered here. But stopped short of petition the federal government to remove the carbon tax now hitting community gas bills. The carbon tax is also expected to rise to 15 cents per cubic metre of natural gas on April 1. A Six Nations community member told SNEC he was unhappy with the cost of natural gas. Andrew Mark Hill told SNEC, at its Feb., 27th he wanted an explanation for why his Six Nations Natural Gas (SNNG) bill is “exorbitantly” high, in comparison to more expensive forms of fuel. “To me that’s unacceptable and so I met a few other people, they are concerned about the...
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