AMC grand chief remembered as a strong leader and ‘fierce advocate’
By Dave Baxter is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter Cathy Merrick will lie in state at the Manitoba Legislature on Wednesday, while tributes continue to pour in for the late-grand chief who some are calling a “powerhouse” as a leader and an advocate. The province has announced that Merrick will lie in state between noon and 5 p.m. and members of the public are invited to pay their respects at the Manitoba Legislative Building. A book of condolences will be placed at the base of the Grand Staircase, while flags at the Legislative Building will stay lowered to half-staff until after Merrick’s funeral, which is planned for Saturday in her home community of Pimicikamak Cree Nation (PCN) where she previously served as chief. Merrick was first voted in as Grand...
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First Nation says it won’t recognize some moose hunting licenses
By Dave Baxter, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter A northern Manitoba First Nation has taken out newspaper ads warning licensed non-Indigenous moose hunters not to hunt within its traditional territory. On Sunday, the Pimicikamak Cree Nation (PCN) placed notices in a few papers that say PCN will “not recognize” hunting tags issued for non-Indigenous people for game hunting areas 9A and 10, which both include parts of PCN territory. The notice also asks that non-Indigenous licensed moose hunters return moose tags for those areas to the provincial government. In the notice, the community said they “do not provide any consent or permission for use of the license” and claimed use of licenses to hunt moose in those areas violate PCN’s Treaty rights and the Northern Flood Agreement. On Aug. 26,...
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ONE TO GO! Six Nations Chiefs one win away from capturing another Mann Cup championship
The Six Nations Chiefs one to go to another Mann Cup (Photo by Darryl Smart.) By Sam Laskaris Writer The Six Nations Chiefs did not have a good start on Tuesday night. Or a decent finish either. But as it turned out, neither of those things mattered. Thanks to an outstanding second period, in which they outscored the visiting Victoria Shamrocks 8-2, the Chiefs managed to register a 12-9 triumph in Game 4 of their Mann Cup series, which is being held entirely at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena (ILA). And with that victory the Six Nations squad managed to take a 3-1 lead in its best-of-seven championship series to determine national Senior A bragging rights. The Chiefs, the defending Mann Cup champs, can win their second consecutive title on Wednesday....
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Chiefs hoping to defend Mann Cup title at home
By Sam Laskaris Writer It still remains to be seen which club will be crowned 2024 Mann Cup champions. But the one thing that is for certain is that local lacrosse fans have certainly been entertained with some exciting action by a pair of highly talented clubs in recent days. The host Six Nations Chiefs and British Columbia’s Victoria Shamrocks are currently engaged in a best-of-seven series to decide national bragging rights. All matches are being held locally at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena. The Chiefs, the defending Mann Cup champs, earned the right to host this year’s Canadian championship series by capturing the Ontario-based Major Series Lacrosse title. Victoria qualified by winning the B.C.-based Western Lacrosse Association. Game 5 will be contested on Wednesday night. The opening faceoff is...
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TC Energy says sale of minority stake in pipeline to Indigenous groups is delayed
The Canadian Press 10/09/2024 14:12 A deal that was billed as Canada’s largest-ever Indigenous equity ownership agreement has hit a snag. TC Energy Corp. said Tuesday the $1-billion agreement, announced in July, that would see it sell a minority stake in its Western Canadian natural gas transmission network to a consortium of Indigenous communities has been delayed. The deal is meant to enable 72 communities to take a 5.34 per cent stake in the Nova Gas transmission system and Foothills pipeline assets, which comprise a combined 25,000-kilometre network of natural gas infrastructure. But TC Energy said the deal has been delayed “due to an identified transaction structuring issue within the NGTL partnership.” Bloomberg News reported Monday that a $1-billion bond deal to finance the deal did not close as planned....
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‘Unshackled’ NDP MPs in Montreal for caucus retreat days after breakup with Liberals
The Canadian Press 10/09/2024 14:39 New Democrats are huddling in Montreal to strategize a new path forward ahead of the fall parliamentary session — one that doesn’t include the Liberals at their hips and ideally makes them a credible alternative to the Conservatives at the next election. The three-day caucus retreat kicked off Tuesday, less than a week after NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh announced the end of the supply-and-confidence agreement with the Liberals. It’s also taking place in one of the two cities where the NDP is hoping to win a byelection on Sept. 16. Singh said on Sept. 4 that he had “ripped up” the agreement with the governing Liberals, and tried to position himself as the progressive alternative to Pierre Poilievre. He argued the Liberals are too weak...
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Haldimand County youth charged after Interpol warns threat to local high school
HALDIMAND COUNTY, ON – A teenager has been charged by Haldimand Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) after Interpol received information about a threat to a Haldimand County school Details of which school or youth have not been released. OPP said early Wednesday ( September 10, 2024,) morning at about 4:00 a.m., the Haldimand Detachment OPP after investigating the threat said it had been made through a social media platform that has since been removed, and police believe there is no further threat to public safety. As a result, a 15-year-old is facing the charge of uttering threats, contrary to the Criminal Code. The identity of the youth is protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. The accused has been released from police custody and is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court...
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Poilievre pledges to reward communities for building more houses
By Jeff Pelletier, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says municipalities should be rewarded for building more homes, and territorial governments should also be able to collect more revenues from the extraction of their natural resources. “I want keys in doors, and the only way to make that happen is to speed up the permitting, free up the land to build, build, build,” Poilievre said in an interview at the start of his visit to Iqaluit on Monday. Poilievre, who hopes to become prime minister after the next election, outlined some of his plans for governing ahead of a rally at the Frobisher Inn, scheduled for Monday afternoon. The Opposition leader visited an NCC Development Ltd. construction site of a mixed-use housing and commercial development in Lower...
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N.B. Liberal leader says death of Indigenous man during wellness check ‘inexplicable’
The Canadian Press 10/09/2024 13:03 A New Brunswick First Nation is calling for a “thorough investigation” after an RCMP officer fatally shot an Indigenous man during a wellness check. The Serious Incident Response Team, which is investigating the Sunday shooting at Elsipogtog First Nation, says that when two officers “were approached by a male carrying weapons,” one of the Mounties used a stun gun, which proved to be ineffective. The police oversight agency says the other officer shot the man with his gun, killing him. In a statement posted to social media, Elsipogtog First Nation says it is doing its best to gather information and understand what happened. The statement says the First Nation in northeastern New Brunswick is doing everything it can to ensure that justice is served. Meanwhile,...
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Under the Northern Sky: We Need To Stick Together
By Xavier Kataquapit www.underthenorthernsky.com I have been working in media as an Indigenous journalist, columnist and videographer for more than a quarter century at this point. This has been such an incredible experience and continues to be for so many reasons. Perhaps the biggest reason I love this work is because I continually learn from every story I must research and all of the amazing Elders, Chiefs, council members, Indigenous and non Indigenous people that I interview. This is not always an easy job and some issues are difficult as they deal with political realities, community issues that are sometimes tragic and historic racist and oppressing government policies. Still, most of the time it has to do with learning and getting an education on the Indigenous and non Indigenous communities...
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B.C. sets up a panel on bear deaths, will review conservation officer training
The Canadian Press The British Columbia government is partnering with a bear welfare group to reduce the number of bears being euthanized in the province. Nicholas Scapillati, executive director of Grizzly Bear Foundation, said Monday that it comes after months-long discussions with the province on how to protect bears, with the goal to give the animals a “better and second chance at life in the wild.” Scapillati said what’s exciting about the project is that the government is open to working with outside experts and the public. “So, they’ll be working through Indigenous knowledge and scientific understanding, bringing in the latest techniques and training expertise from leading experts,” he said in an interview. B.C. government data show conservation officers destroyed 603 black bears and 23 grizzly bears in 2023, while...
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Groups want Alberta coal hearings adjourned while Appeal Court considers applications
The Canadian Press 09/09/2024 At least three requesters want Alberta’s energy regulator to call off hearings on coal exploration in the Rocky Mountains while the province’s top court considers whether the proposal’s applications are legitimate. “It makes no sense, while the actual validity of this application is in question, that we should be asked to prepare for this and spend time on something that may be null in the end,” said Laura Laing of the Pekisko Group, an organization of ranchers in southwest Alberta near where Northback Holdings wants to revive coal mining. Pekisko’s, filed Monday, is the second such request. On Friday, the Municipal District of Ranchland also asked the regulator to delay the hearing. “The (district) requests that the panel adjourn the proceeding, including all upcoming submissions deadlines...
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Amid the worst drought in Brazil history, wildfires rage and the Amazon falls to a record low level
The Associated Press 09/09/2024 BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Brazil is enduring its worst drought since nationwide measurements began over seven decades ago, with 59% of the country under stress — an area roughly half the size of the U.S. Major Amazon basin rivers are registering historic lows, and uncontrolled manmade wildfires have ravaged protected areas and spread smoke over a vast expanse, plummeting air quality. “This is the first time that a drought has covered all the way from the North to the country’s Southeast,” Ana Paula Cunha, a researcher at the National Center for Monitoring and Early Warning of Natural Disasters, said in a statement Thursday. “It is the most intense and widespread drought in history.” Smoke on Monday afternoon caused Sao Paulo, a metropolitan area of 21 million...
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Mark Carney to lead Liberal economic task force ahead of next election
The Canadian Press Former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney will chair a Liberal task force on economic growth, the party announced Monday as Liberal MPs meet to strategize for the upcoming election year. Long touted as a possible leadership successor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Carney was already scheduled to address caucus as part of the retreat in Nanaimo, B.C., this week. The Liberals say he will help shape the party’s policies for the next election, and will report to Trudeau and the Liberal platform committee. “As chair of the Leader’s Task Force on Economic Growth, Mark’s unique ideas and perspectives will play a vital role in shaping the next steps in our plan to continue to grow our economy and strengthen the middle class, and to urgently seize...
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Peter Nygard sentenced to 11 years for sexual assault convictions
The Canadian Press 09/09/2024 11:21 TORONTO,ONT-Former fashion mogul Peter Nygard has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for his sexual assault convictions in Toronto. His time behind bars will work out to 6.7 years after accounting for credit he received for time already spent in custody. Nygard’s lawyer had argued for a six-year sentence, citing the 83-year-old’s age and poor health, while the Crown sought a sentence of 15 years. Nygard was convicted of four counts of sexual assault last November but acquitted of a fifth count as well as one of forcible confinement. The charges stemmed from allegations dating from the 1980s until the mid-2000s, as multiple women accused Nygard of sexually assaulting them at his company’s headquarters in Toronto. Nygard’s lawyer previously argued in court that a...
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Chiefs react to AMC leader’s death with shock and disbelief
By Connor McDowell Local Journalism Intitiative Reporter In the wake of Grand Chief Cathy Merrick’s sudden death, Westman First Nation leaders reacted with shock and disbelief. Chief Vincent Tacan of the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation had a unique relationship with Merrick. His nephew was married to her, he said. And her leadership built a bridge for his people this year, leading the band to rejoin the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs. “She had a message of hope,” Tacan told the Sun on Friday. “It’s going to be difficult going forward with her passing. I was shocked to hear that today.” The band had left the AMC more than a decade ago after the handling of a casino development in southwestern Manitoba caused a rift between the two organizations. Earlier this year,...
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“I was really shocked,”: Potlotek’s Isaiah Bernard elected as new AFN Youth Council Co-Chair
By Meghan Dewar is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Potlotek’s Isaiah Bernard will represent First Nations youth nationally as the new Youth Council Co-Chair on the Assembly of First Nations. Bernard is the 3rd Mi’kmaw individual to hold this position, and the 2nd Mi’kmaq from Nova Scotia, following Jaime Battiste who held the position from 2001 to 2006. Bernard shared that it wasn’t long after his nomination that he was elected. “I’m on the Wabanaki Youth Council, I’m the co-chair for that, and through that I got appointed to be on the AFN National Youth Council. This past July, I got nominated and then I got elected probably 10 minutes after that,” Bernard recalled. “I did a little laugh because I was really shocked. I didn’t think I would get...
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Man dead, police officer injured in shooting on Saskatchewan FirstNation
The Canadian Press 09/09/2024 04:15 A man is dead and a police officer is in hospital after a shooting in central Saskatchewan Sunday morning. Shellbrook RCMP say officers were called out to a reported assault at Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation, located about 65 kilometres northwest of Prince Albert. Mounties say when they arrived and approached a residence, they had a confrontation with an adult male, which led officers to seek cover and the man fled inside the home with children in it. The scene was secured, and during the police response, police say a firearm was discharged and the adult male was injured. Officers initiated life-saving efforts until paramedics arrived, but the resident of the First Nation was later pronounced dead at the scene. A police officer was treated for non-life-threatening...
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Justin Trudeau may be in for an earful as he meets with caucus in B.C.
The Canadian Press 09/09/2024 04:00 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau may be bracing for an earful from his caucus when Liberal MPs gather in Nanaimo, B.C. today to plot their strategy for the coming election year. It will be the first time he faces them as a group since MPs departed Ottawa in the spring. Still stinging from a devastating byelection loss earlier this summer, the caucus is now also reeling from news that their national campaign director has resigned and the party can no longer count on the NDP to stave off an early election. “They should be giving the prime minister a rough ride,” said strategist Ginny Roth, who served as director of communications for Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s leadership campaign. She’s skeptical they will, though. “This is a...
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A remote tribe is reeling from widespread illness and cancer. What role did the US government play?
The Associated Press 09/09/2024 03:46 OWYHEE, Nev. (AP) — The family placed flowers by a pair of weathered cowboy boots, as people quietly gathered for the memorial of the soft-spoken tribal chairman who mentored teens in the boxing ring and teased his grandkids on tractor rides. Left unsaid, and what troubled Marvin Cota’s family deep down, was that his story ended like so many others on the remote Duck Valley Indian Reservation. He was healthy for decades. They found the cancer too late. In the area, toxins are embedded in the soil and petroleum is in the groundwater — but no one can say for sure what has caused such widespread illness. Until recently, a now-razed U.S. maintenance building where fuel and herbicides were stored — and where Cota worked...
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