Trudeau’s uphill battle to save — and sell — carbon pricing
By John Woodside Analysis, Politics January 12th 2024 Since the carbon price carveout for home heating oil was announced in October, political pressure to further unravel the centrepiece of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s climate policy has grown. Now the federal Liberals face tough choices over the future of this signature policy. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is hammering Trudeau’s government day in and day out over the levy, and virtually every region of the country (aside from Quebec and British Columbia, which have their own provincial carbon price policies) is also calling for exemptions. The premiers of Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick have written letters to the federal government calling for the carbon price to be removed from all forms of home heating. Most recently, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said his province has a...
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SIU updates on investigation into death of 21 year old woman in Thunder Bay
THUNDER BAY, Ont.-Ontario’s police watchdog says a woman found dead in a Thunder Bay home after police did not respond to an initial domestic disturbance call was not the 911 caller. But the Special Investigations Unit’s limited update does not shed any light on how 21-year-old Jenna Ostberg died on Dec. 30 or offer details about the initial autopsy results. The SIU now says the first 911 call came from a woman asking police to remove Ostberg, who was reported to be an “unwanted visitor,” from her home because there was a court condition preventing her son and Ostberg from seeing one another. The SIU says the same caller later contacted police to cancel the call for service, reporting Ostberg had left the home. But the SIU update does not...
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`Housing is healthcare’: Huupsitas helps to make housing affordable for seniors
By Alexandra Mehl Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Port Alberni, BC – In just over a year, a new 48-unit independent living apartment building located on the Tsawaayuus Rainbow Gardens Campus of Care in Port Alberni has helped low-to-moderate income Indigenous elders and seniors with disabilities overcome housing barriers while building a community. “There is definitely a community developing amongst the residents that were new to each other when they moved in, and now they’re friends,” said Art Van Volsen, building manager of the apartment complex, Huupsitas. Residents of Huupsitas can be found in the outside gardens socializing or meeting in the amenities area where they host games and bingo nights, he shared. “The catchphrase that comes to mind is, `housing is healthcare’,” said Van Volsen. “The folks that are coming...
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MMIW :Mother honours daughter’s life with donation to Wawak Food Bank
By Carol Baldwin Local Journalism Initiative Reporter WAWAK,SASKATCHEWAN-On Jan. 5th, Karen Daniels. a mother and grandmother from One Arrow First Nation, came to Good Neighbours Food Centre to present a donation in memory of her daughter, Monique. This is a very heartfelt gesture, and she invited an opportunity to have media coverage as she wants to do something meaningful in her daughter’s memory and to draw attention to the whole issue around missing and murdered Indigenous women. “She’s not a woman of tremendous financial means and yet she had this in her heart and her mind that she wanted to honour her daughter’s memory and her daughter’s kindness,” Betty Rudachyk said. As a single parent with five small children on Social Assistance, Karen Daniels used to come to Good Neighbours...
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BC Hydro must pay up for overcharging remote First Nations
By Rochelle Baker Local Journalism Initiative Reporter BC Hydro has been ordered to repay a small coastal First Nation more than $700,000 after unfairly charging them an extra annual fee for electricity for nearly a decade. The $85,000 yearly fee, embedded in a 2014 electricity service agreement between the utility company and the tiny Gitga’at First Nation of Hartley Bay, wasn’t approved and was ruled as “unjust, unreasonable and unduly discriminatory” by the province’s energy regulator this fall. During the complaint process, it was revealed that four other remote Indigenous communities, the Kwadacha, Uchucklesaht, Tsay Keh Dene, and Dease River First Nation, were also charged various extra fees in addition to their electricity rates. No non-Indigenous remote communities getting similar services were charged additional fees. The individual contracts with each...
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Prescribing safer alternatives to potentially deadly street drugs saved lives: B.C. study
By Camille Bains THE CANADIAN PRESS VANCOUVER- Researchers in British Columbia have published a study that suggests prescription opioids prevent overdose deaths among people with an addiction to potentially toxic street drugs. They found that those who were prescribed at least one day’s supply of opioids were 55 per cent less likely to die from overdose in the following week when compared with a similar group without a prescription. Those who had a four-day or longer prescription cut their risk of death by 89 per cent. The study focuses on prescribing guidance that British Columbia introduced in March 2020 for people who could fatally overdose during the pandemic as they sought a diminishing supply of illicit substances and risked COVID-19 transmission. British Columbia is Canada’s only jurisdiction to launch such...
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Five more Indigenous justice centres expand culturally safe support in B.C.: Eby
VANCOUVER- British Columbia must do things differently to break the cycle where Indigenous people comprise five per cent of the population but about 30 per cent of those incarcerated, Premier David Eby and First Nations leaders said Thursday. “So much of this work is at its most acute in our justice system,” Eby said at a news conference announcing the establishment of five new Indigenous justice centres over the past year. The centres are part of the government’s work with the First Nations Justice Council to build safer communities and help change lives, he said at the new Vancouver facility. B.C. now has nine such centres, with the latest facilities opening in Vancouver, Victoria, Nanaimo, Surrey and Kelowna. They were already in operation in Chilliwack, Prince Rupert, Prince George and...
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First Nations, Metis settlements join forces for deal backed by Indigenous Opportunities Corporation
By Shari Narine Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation (AIOC) has expanded its reach into northern Alberta with oil and gas infrastructure assets. The newly-formed Wapiscanis Waseskwan Nipiy (WWN) Limited Partnership comprises nine First Nations and three Metis settlements that are participating for the first time in a transaction backed by AIOC. The $150 million loan guarantee, which is AIOC’s second largest commitment in its seven deals to date, was announced Dec. 13. It will allow WWN to acquire an 85 per cent non-operated working interest in Clearwater Infrastructure Limited Partnership for a purchase price of $146.2 million. Clearwater is a partnership between WWN and Tamarack Valley Energy Ltd. Tamarack owns an interest in midstream assets, such as strategic oil batteries, gas process facilities and key in-field...
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Upholding protections big on AWA’s to do list
By Scott Hayes Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Legislated protections for the natural world were among some of the key concerns of 2023 to the Alberta Wilderness Association (AWA). “I feel like the first question we’re always looking at is, `does the province have in place the appropriate legislation, regulations and protocols to protect the environment and the public’s best interest?”’ said AWA conservation specialist Kennedy Halvorson. “For example, when you look to the forestry sector, the AWA has long been advocating for reform of the Forestry Act, as its current purpose is to maintain sustainable yields of lucrative tree species rather than actually protecting the forest ecosystems as a whole.” The law isn’t based on either Indigenous knowledge or Western science, she continued. It allows for management practices that destroy...
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Archeologists map lost cities in Ecuadorian Amazon, settlements that lasted 1,000 years
By Christina Larson THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON (AP)- Archeologists have uncovered a cluster of lost cities in the Amazon rainforest that was home to at least 10,000 farmers around 2,000 years ago. A series of earthen mounds and buried roads in Ecuador was first noticed more than two decades ago by archaeologist Stephen Rostain. But at the time, “ I wasn’t sure how it all fit together,” said Rostain, one of the researchers who reported on the finding Thursday in the journal Science. Recent mapping by laser-sensor technology revealed those sites to be part of a dense network of settlements and connecting roadways, tucked into the forested foothills of the Andes, that lasted about 1,000 years. “It was a lost valley of cities,” said Rostain, who directs investigations at France’s National...
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Cocopah Indigenous leader killed in northern Mexico border state
MEXICO CITY (AP)- Authorities in the northern Mexico border state of Sonora said Wednesday that a local Cucapah Indigenous leader, Aronia Wilson, has been found dead. Known in Mexico as Cucapahs, members of the Cocopah Indian Tribealso live across the border in Arizona, near Yuma. Sonora state prosecutors said they are questioning a person of interest in the death of Wilson, and that initial investigations point to motives related to her immediate circle of friends, family or acquaintances. Prosecutors said they had ruled out Wilson’s “political or similar activities” as a motivating factor. They did not give a cause of death. In 2020, the Cocopah Indian Tribe complained about a border barrier on their land, which they said would cut access to tribal members in Mexico....
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Six Nations man shot and killed in Miami
Six Nations man shot after verbal altercation in Miami By Lisa Iesse Writer A family and community is in mourning following the senseless shooting of a young Six Nations man in the city of Miami this weekend. Dylan Isaacs, who was just 30 years old, died after being fatally shot by an unknown man. The man reportedly tried to hit Isaacs and others with a vehicle before pulling out a gun. According to police the violent attack happened in Miami Gardens on Sunday (January 7), a few blocks from the Hard Rock Stadium. Isaacs was a Buffalo Bills fan who attended the game with a group of family members and friends. Earlier in the evening, Isaacs had posted photos on social media of himself with family enjoying their time at...
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Sexual assault at Iroquois Lodge never reported to police
By Lynda Powless Editor While Six Nations of the Grand River (SNGR) says it will “review” policies and process at the Iroquois Lodge and Nursing Home (ILNH) it has yet to contact Six Nations Police over an alleged sexual assault that occurred at the lodge last fall. Six Nations Police Chief Darren Montour told Turtle Island News they still have not received a complaint or report of a sexual assault occurring at the ILNH from anyone. “No, we are not investigating anything there. Nothing has been reported to us since we last spoke about this,” Police Chief Darren Montour told Turtle Island News, Friday Jan., 5 2024. SNGR public relations and communications officer Darryl Smart confirmed SNGR had not reported the assault as of press time. “Out of respect for the residence and...
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SNEC signs MOU with development corporation ensuring Tiny Homes built to standards
Six Nations is trying to give community members the tools to beat the housing crisis by offering affordable options. Six Nations Elected Council approved a motion to allow Lily-Anne Mt. Pleasant, director of housing, to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation (SNGRDC) for its Tiny Homes Project on January 8 at the Political Liaison Committee meeting, but some councillors didn’t seem to understand the need for the MOU, the request from housing or modular housing. Mt. Pleasant explained the housing department wanted to add the SNGRDC to its list of approved contractors for the loan program. Which would allow community members who are approved for a Six Nations Housing loan of up to $300,000 to use the program to purchase a...
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Troy Greene: Weather events, a factory and political changes all coming
By Lynda Powless Editor A factory to build racing cars may be in the making, a memorial to Six Nations traditional Seedkeepter the late Terrylynn “Será:sera” Brant and two local politicians could be resigning. That’s what may be coming this year says Six Nations seer Troy Greene. Troy is rejoining us this year after a two year break to tell us what he sees for the coming year while reminding events are always changing. He said the community could be benefitting from plans to bring a high tech motorsport factory at Six Nations. He said plans are in the works now to bring the factory that will feature vehicles with Artificial Intelligence being aimed at the racing market. “It will be a highly technical state of the art factory,” he said....
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Welcome little Sandy Alvin Staats, Six Nations first baby of 2024
By Lisa Iesse Writer Six Nations New Year’s baby is back home with glowing mama Jenna Bomberry and proud papa Evan Staats. Sandy Alvin Staats was born bright and early in the wee morning hours of January 2nd. “He’s named after his uncle, his dad’s brother,” Bomberry told the Turtle Island News. “He passed away in the 1980s,” said Staats. He is also named after his great grandpa and his grandpa named Alvin. Sandy is getting plenty of attention and love from everyone he meets. Jenna, who works for Six Nations Health Services says everything is going smoothly. “We are doing great! “she told Turtle Island News on January 2nd. The newborn is also being recognized in Hamilton for being the first Indigenous baby born at McMaster hospital said Bomberry....
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City of Toronto
A Toronto construction crew has unearthed an Indigenous burial site outside a public school where a plaque designating the area as an Indigenous site already exists. Let’s say that again. Where a plaque designating the site already exists. So simply… how? How could the city not know that they had placed a plaque on the wall of the school designating it as the Withrow Archaeological site. A site the plaque notes of Indigenous campsites for over 4,000 years. A site used by Indigenous people rediscovered in 1885 and raised so much interest from the public the city brought it Ontario’s first professional archaeologist to the site. Salvaging what they thought they could from the site the city would go on to see it designated as one of the few...
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Six Nations hoping Auditor General will focus in on aggregate mines
SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND – Six Nations’ consultation team hopes a recent report by Ontario’s Auditor General will call attention to concerns about aggregate mines, including one in Hagersville set to reopen in 2025. Peter Graham, supervisor of the Consultation and Accommodation Process (CAP) Team, said a collective response by the Chiefs of Ontario could better press for needed protections. On December 6, the Auditor General released a report of its findings on the management of aggregate resources in Ontario. The report calls on Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) to have a long look at its failings to implement protective safety measures for communities and the natural resources they rely on. According to the auditor general’s report, Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) is...
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Six Nations squads eagerly anticipating Little NHL tournament
By Sam Laskaris Writer Dennis MacDonald is not surprised with the amount of Six Nations interest for this year’s milestone Little Native Hockey League tournament. As of this past weekend organizers of the tournament, often simply called the Little NHL, announced that 21 clubs from Six Nations had registered for the 2024 tournament. The 50th annual Little NHL will be staged Mar. 11-14 in Markham. “It’s a big event,” said MacDonald, the president of the local association called Six Nations Minor Hockey. “Everyone wants to be there.” More than 200 clubs have signed up to participate in the tournament, which began in 1971 and has become the largest Indigenous youth hockey event in Ontario. The final number of entrants for this year’s tournament will not be known for several more...
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