$375M announced for Indigenous-led conservation in Northwest Territories
The Canadian Press-K’ahsho Got’ine guardians Twyla Edgi-Masuzumi, John Tobac and Buddy Gully pulled more than 300 fish out of the waters last week, distributing them to community members in the Northwest Territories who often struggle with the high cost of food. “It’s very expensive to live here … There’s a lot of people struggling out here,” said Edgi-Masuzumi. Gathering food for communities is just the start of the work they do: they locate missing boaters, help with hide tanning and language camps, started their own water-monitoring initiative and are working to revitalize the trails their ancestors used to travel on. “They’ve walked thousands and thousands of miles, and just having that feeling of walking in their footsteps is amazing,” Edgi-Masuzumi said. But their work through the Indigenous Guardians program, while...
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Squamish Nation designers showcase empowering collections at Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week
By Abby Luciano Local Jouranlism Initiative Reporter Every piece of clothing tells a story. Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) Chief Chepximiya Siyam (Janice George) carefully wove mountain goat wool together for hours to create a hood as worn by her grandfather when he received his ancestral name. George’s work is just one of the pieces featured at Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week (VIFW) from Nov. 20 to 23. Nearly 30 designers will have their collections on the runway, each telling a story that reflects identity, land and community through art. “I think it’s really special,” George said. “That’s probably the most meaningful piece, they all are. When you’re weaving, you’re putting your energy and love, whatever you’re feeling at the time.” This year marks George’s second time in the fashion show. George...
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Sudbury companies can tap into Ontario’s gold rush, chamber told
Agnico Eagle Mines Limited is planning to spend billions developing gold mines in Ontario – a fact that should benefit mining services and supply companies based in Sudbury. That’s one of the messages Andre Leite, Ontario vice president of Agnico Eagle Mines Limited, brought to a Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce President’s Series Luncheon last week. Agnico Eagle’s business is gold production and Sudbury is the home base for Leite. His company is recognized globally for its leading environmental, social and governance practices. “We are by far the largest gold-producing company in Canada,” Leite said in an interview. “We take a leadership role in conversations to realize our full potential. We are the largest gold producer in Canada and third largest in the world. “The merger of equals, with Kirkland...
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Attorney general asks First Nations to pause legal fight
By John Chilibeck Local Journalism Initiative New Brunswick’s attorney general says he’s calling off the lawyers who were hired by the provincial government to fight Aboriginal title claims in court. Fulfilling a promise made by the Liberals during the election campaign, Rob McKee announced in a news release on Monday his office had instructed lawyers representing the provincial government that in most cases involving questions of Aboriginal title or treaty rights, they are to seek consent from counsel representing First Nations to pause all litigation while the two sides pursue negotiated settlements. It’s a marked departure from the previous Progressive Conservative government led by Blaine Higgs, which fought tooth and nail over the last several years to challenge the First Nations’ claims for all New Brunswick’s territory. Higgs had warned...
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Federal Offender Wanted on Canada Wide Warrant
John Francis Curtin is Wanted on a Canada Wide Warrant (HAMILTON, ON) – The Repeat Offender Parole Enforcement (R.O.P.E.) Squad is requesting the public’s assistance in locating a federal offender wanted on a Canada Wide Warrant as a result of a breach of his Statutory Release. John Francis Curtin is described as a 69 year old Caucasian male, 5’10” (178cm), 150 lbs (68 kgs) with long grey/brown hair and hazel eyes and usually has facial hair (grey beard). CURTAIN has a noticeable Scar on his nose. John Francis Curtin is serving a 5 year, 1 month and 20 day sentence for; Armed Robbery x2 Robbery x2 Possess Weapon or Imitation Break and Enter x4 Theft Over x4 Theft Under x2 Used Forged Document Forgery Possession of Property Obtained...
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Ontario tables bill that bans supervised consumption sites near schools, daycares
The Canadian Press-Ontario tabled a bill Monday that aims to shutter 10 supervised consumption sites the government deems too close to schools and daycares. The bill, if passed by Premier Doug Ford’s majority Progressive Conservative government, would also require municipalities to get the health minister’s approval to apply for an exemption from the federal government to launch new supervised consumption sites. Health Minister Sylvia Jones said there is no situation in which she would approve a new one anywhere in the province. “I want to be very clear, there will be no further safe injection sites in the province of Ontario under our government,” Jones said at a news conference about the bill. Previously, municipalities could apply directly to the federal government for consumption site approval and the province would...
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New Zealand’s founding treaty is at a flashpoint. Why are thousands protesting for Māori rights?
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A proposed law that would redefine New Zealand’s founding treaty between the British Crown and Māori chiefs has triggered political turmoil and a march by thousands of people the length of the country to Parliament to protest it. The bill is never expected to become law. But it has become a flashpoint on race relations and a critical moment in the fraught 180-year-old conversation about how New Zealand should honor its promises to Indigenous people when the country was colonized -– and what those promises are. Thousands of people were gathering in the capital, Wellington, on Tuesday morning for the final stretch of the weeklong protest — a march through the city streets to Parliament. It follows a Māori tradition of hīkoi, or walking, to...
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No home for new books in Kahnawake
By Miriam Lafontaine Local Journalism Initiative Well over 1,000 books were recently donated to the Kahnawake library. Unfortunately for community members, those 78 boxes of books remain locked up at the old water filtration plant across from the hospital, as the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) has yet to open a temporary location to re-open the essential service missing since the summer. The generous donation of books came out of an Orange Shirt Day initiative organized by Canada’s Privy Council Office (PCO) in late September. The week-long book drive in Ottawa came together thanks to Todd Kuiack, the Indigenous champion there. “I thought perhaps we could get one book for every employee that works here at the Privy Council Office, and we certainly exceeded that,” Kuiack said. Both he and...
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Northern Ontario First Nation says yes in referendum on possible nuclear waste site
The Canadian Press-A northern Ontario First Nation has decided it is willing to continue with the process to potentially become host to a deep geological repository for Canada’s nuclear waste. The Nuclear Waste Management Organization plans to select a site this year where millions of bundles of used nuclear fuel will be placed in a network of underground rooms connected by cavernous tunnels. The process for the $26-billion project has already been narrowed down to two far-apart sites, and the organization has said it would require approval from both the municipality and the local First Nation. The town council of Ignace, between Thunder Bay and Kenora, voted in favour earlier this year, and its counterpart Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation has now also voted yes. The First Nation says in a...
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Quebec party supports member who accused fellow politicians of denigrating minorities
The Canadian Press-A Quebec political party has voted to support one of its members facing backlash for saying that racialized people are regularly disparaged at the provincial legislature. Québec solidaire members adopted an emergency resolution at the party’s convention late Sunday condemning the hate directed at Haroun Bouazzi, without endorsing his comments. Bouazzi, who represents a Montreal riding, had told a community group that he hears comments every day at the legislature that portray North African, Muslim, Black or Indigenous people as the “other,” and that paint their cultures are dangerous or inferior. Other political parties have said Bouazzi’s remarks labelled elected officials as racists, and the co-leaders of his own party had rebuked him for his “clumsy and exaggerated” comments. Bouazzi, who has said he never intended to describe...
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Immigration pilot targets rural municipalities
An immigration pilot program designed to bring labour to rural areas has been announced in a partnership between the Province of Manitoba and several Westman municipalities. The province on Friday announced a three-year pilot called the West-Central Immigration Initiative, in which the province will partner with seven rural municipalities and Gambler First Nation to address labour market needs and stimulate economic growth, the province said. “By working together, we’re responding to the local needs for skilled workers in rural Manitoba and ensuring Manitoba continues to be a welcoming province,” said Labour and Immigration Minister Malaya Marcelino. The estimate is that between 240 to 300 people will be needed to meet labour needs in the next three years. This is according to a survey of 85 employers in the region and...
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Nova Scotia senator wants to help Nunavut as Senate vacancy lingers
By Jeff Pelletier, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Nunatsiaq News While Nunavut’s sole Senate seat remains vacant, a Nova Scotia senator hopes to help Nunavummiut in the upper chamber on issues such as infrastructure and national defence. Sen. PJ Prosper was in Iqaluit last week for meetings with local and territorial government officials and Inuit organizations. A lawyer, he was appointed to the Senate in 2023 following a lengthy career in Mi’kmaq leadership and governance. “For Mi’kmaq people, we have a word — L’nu — which is inclusive of, certainly, Mi’kmaq people. But all Indigenous people, we consider to be L’nu,” Prosper said in an interview. “I want my work in the Senate to help all L’nu people.” Prosper’s tenure overlapped with the final months of former Nunavut senator Dennis Patterson,...
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‘The Energizer Bunny’: Chief Terry Paul celebrates 40 years as Chief
By Meghan Dewar, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Cape Breton Post MEMBERTOU FIRST NATION-Chief Terry Paul is one of Canada’s longest-serving consecutive politicians and believed to be the longest consecutively elected chief. Chief Paul started his career with Boston Indian Council before returning home to Membertou where he joined the Membertou Band Council as the Economic Development Officer and then Band Manager. He was elected as Chief in 1984 and took on the additional role of C.E.O. in 2012. Chief Terry Paul has a long list of accomplishments under his belt. He was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2017, he has tripled the land base for the Membertou reserve and increased employment rate to approximately 80% in the community. He has also increased community’s graduation rate from 30% to...
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New Zealand’s founding treaty is at a flashpoint. Why are thousands protesting for Māori rights?
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A proposed law that would redefine New Zealand’s founding treaty between the British Crown and Māori chiefs has triggered political turmoil and a march by thousands of people the length of the country to Parliament to protest it. The bill is never expected to become law. But it has become a flashpoint on race relations and a critical moment in the fraught 180-year-old conversation about how New Zealand should honor its promises to Indigenous people when the country was colonized -– and what those promises are. Tens of thousands are expected to throng the capital, Wellington, for the final stretch of the weeklong protest march on Tuesday. It follows a Māori tradition of hīkoi, or walking, to bring attention to breaches of the 1840 Treaty...
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Judge releases private land owners from Aboriginal title fight
By John Chilibeck Local Journalism Initiative In what’s being described as a landmark decision, a judge has ordered that several big industrial defendants and everyday private property owners must be removed from a lawsuit launched by the Wolastoqey Nation. But there’s a big catch. If the Aboriginal title claim is proven in court, Indigenous leaders could still demand reparations for the taking and transfer of their land by the Crown – or today’s provincial and federal governments – more than 200 years ago. “We are thrilled by this decision and so happy the court put an end to the attacks on our claim,” said Chief Allan Polchies of Sitansisk, or St. Mary’s First Nation, in a release on Friday. “We applaud the Honourable Justice Gregory for her courageous and well...
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New Indigenous-owned mining royalty company a first in Canada
The Canadian Press-In June of this year, a new company called Nations Royalty Corp. began trading on the TSX Venture Exchange. With minimum fanfare, the new company quietly hit a milestone on the road to Indigenous economic reconciliation in this country, becoming the only mining royalty company in the world that is majority-owned by Indigenous people. Backed by billionaire Canadian mining financier Frank Giustra, Nations Royalty aims to lure investors with the promise of exposure to Indigenous-owned royalties, which company executives say is the last untapped pool in Canada. But for the Nisga’a Nation — the self-governing B.C.-based First Nation that owns 77 per cent of the company — Nations Royalty is also a key part of the path to economic independence. “One of the goals of our Nation is...
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Salmon return to lay eggs in historic habitat after largest dam removal project in US history
The Associated Press-A giant female Chinook salmon flips on her side in the shallow water and wriggles wildly, using her tail to carve out a nest in the riverbed as her body glistens in the sunlight. In another moment, males butt into each other as they jockey for a good position to fertilize eggs. These are scenes local tribes have dreamed of seeing for decades as they fought to bring down four hydroelectric dams blocking passage for struggling salmon along more than 400 miles (644 kilometers) of the Klamath River and its tributaries along the Oregon-California border. Now, less than a month after those dams came down in the largest dam removal project in U.S. history, salmon are once more returning to spawn in cool creeks that have been cut...
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Power station plans colliding with First Nation’s concerns
By Carl Clutchey, Local Journalism Initiative reporter A proposed multimillion-dollar upgrade to Ontario Power Generation’s Kakabeka Falls generating station is being planned without Fort William First Nation’s input, recalling an outdated and painful era that left Indigenous people being “bulldozed,” the community warned on Friday. “The existing hydroelectric facility was originally developed over 120 years ago without consultation with the Nation, and resulted in flooding, changes to waterways, and irreparable damages to Fort William First Nation’s cultural heritage and ways of life,” the community said in a news release. Work on the 118-year-old station is anticipated to begin next year. The project is expected to take two years, bumping up the power station’s output by 13 per cent to 27 megawatts. Once the upgrade is complete, the station — which is...
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Decision on hold regarding stance on nuclear waste transport
Oliver Paipoonge Mayor Lucy Kloosterhuis says her council will hold off mulling a potential resolution opposing the transportation of spent nuclear-fuel rods through their municipality “until after we hear both sides of the story.” Kloosterhuis said council heard at Tuesday’s meeting from environmental-group reps who oppose the transportation of the rods, but made no decision on a resolution. She said the municipality expects to hear from the project’s proponent, the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO), but no date for that presentation has been set. There are only two more council meetings before the annual Christmas break, Kloosterhuis noted. Under the Nuclear Waste Management Organization’s plan, fuel rods would be transported by truck or rail to a proposed underground storage facility either west of Ignace, or to another candidate location in...
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String of three murders in Nova Scotia raises alarm about intimate partner violence
Canadian Press-Groups working to help victims of domestic violence in Nova Scotia say a recent string of murders of women provides just a glimpse of the extent of intimate partner violence in the province, and they say more action is needed to protect victims. Miia Suokonautio, executive director of the YWCA Halifax, says that while the three killings in the past month have shocked the public, gender-based violence is much more prevalent than what is reported publicly. “Whether it’s zero (deaths reported) or one or two or three, we know based on our experience that gender-based violence is happening all the time,” Suokonautio said. Since Oct. 18, three murder-suicides involving couples have been reported by police in Nova Scotia, and in each case a man killed his female partner before...
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