Three First Nations will co-host the 2025 Little NHL tournament
By Sam Laskaris Writer Six Nations teams now know where they will have to travel to compete in the 2025 Little NHL. It was officially announced this past Saturday that the tournament, like this year, will once again primarily be staged in Markham. It was also announced that next year’s tournament, which will run from Mar. 9-13, will be co-hosted by the Chippewas Tri-Council, which consists of the First Nations of Rama, Beausoleil and Georgina Island. The Little NHL has become the largest Indigenous youth tournament in the province. Tournament officials traditionally award hosting rights to various First Nations throughout the province. But the Little NHL executive hosted the event this year as it marked the 50th anniversary of the tourney. The tournament was first held in 1971 in Little...
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Mine review begins in Yukon despite First Nation concerns
The Canadian Press The Yukon government says an independent review of a catastrophic ore slide and cyanide solution spill at a gold mine in June is now underway, in a process that’s going ahead despite concerns raised by the local First Nation. A statement from the Ministry of Mines says the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyak Dun has reviewed draft terms of reference and there’s an “open invitation” for it to participate. But the First Nation this week accused the government of trying to “erase” its role in the process, saying it would only support the review looking into what happened at the Eagle Gold mine if it could “co-manage” the process and appoint its own advisers alongside three experts now named by the Yukon government. The First Nation has...
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Final season of Friday Night Thunder to begin airing next month
By Sam Laskaris Writer The final season of Friday Night Thunder will soon start airing on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN). The fourth and final season of the series, filmed at the Ohsweken Speedway, will commence on Sept. 6. As in previous seasons, there will be 13 half-hour episodes. They feature the Indigenous drivers that compete in sprint cars races at the local track. “Audiences keep coming back to Friday Night Thunder because the drivers’ passion for what they do is infectious,” said Adam Garnet Jones, APTN’s director of TV content and special events. “With fast cars, big characters and high stakes at Ohsweken Speedway, the show is all grit, grease and heart. We are sad to see it go but it will have a long life on our...
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Workers breach key Klamath dams, allowing salmon to swim freely for the first time in a century
The Associated Press Workers breached the final dams on a key section of the Klamath River on Wednesday, clearing the way for salmon to swim freely through a major watershed near the California-Oregon border for the first time in more than a century as the largest dam removal project in U.S. history nears completion. Crews used excavators to remove rock dams that have been diverting water upstream of two dams, Iron Gate and Copco No. 1, both of which were already almost completely removed. With each scoop, more and more river water was able to flow through the historic channel. The work has given salmon a passageway to key swaths of habitat just in time for the fall Chinook, or king salmon, spawning season. Standing at Iron Gate Wednesday morning,...
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NTI lawsuit over Inuktut education to proceed; GN out of appeals
By Kira Wronska Dorward Local Journalism Inititiative Reporter The Nunavut Court of Appeal has upheld the previous decision by the territory’s court to deny the Government of Nunavut’s motion to dismiss the Inuktut education rights case filed by Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated (NTI), Bernice Clarke and Lily Maniapik, ensuring that it will proceed to trial. NTI President Aluki Kotierk stated, “It is disappointing that Inuit must use the courts to ensure fair treatment of Inuit students, from a government created by Inuit, and that the government has used its resources to delay and stall the hearing. However, we are pleased that the courts have sided with NTI again in affirming that this case has merit and should proceed.” “In our view, whether NTI’s claim is limited to protecting language rights (as...
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Revised no-cost Calgary to Banff rail deal hinges on province’s rail master plan
By Jessica Lee Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Proponents of a commuter rail connecting Calgary to Banff hope to sweeten a deal with the province in response to Alberta’s rail master plan which envisions tying the Rocky Mountain parks to Calgary, Edmonton and surrounding communities via passenger rail. In a move it hopes will help facilitate this, Banff-based Liricon Capital and its development partner, Plenary, say if the province builds a rail line from the Calgary International Airport to a central terminal in downtown Calgary, connects regional rail with the city’s Green Line and fixes a downtown pinch point, Liricon and Plenary will develop, build, and operate a line from the city to Banff at no cost to the province. The proposal also requires the Calgary airport to downtown track to...
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Search persists for woman swept away by flash flooding in the Grand Canyon
The Associated Press Published: 23/08/2024 15:56 PHOENIX (AP) — Search and rescue crews at Grand Canyon National Park were looking Friday for an Arizona woman who has been missing since she was swept into a creek during a flash flood near where other stranded hikers were rescued on Thursday. The woman was hiking and not wearing a life jacket when she was swept into Havasu Creek about a half-mile (0.8 kilometers) from the confluence with the Colorado River after the flash flood struck at about 1:30 p.m. Thursday. She was identified as 33-year-old Chenoa Nickerson of Gilbert, the National Park Service said Friday. She had camped overnight at Havasu Campground and was hiking to the confluence when she was swept away, the service said. The flood trapped several hikers in...
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Nova Scotia group wants a court to declare a First Nation’s lobster fishery illegal
The Canadian Press A commercial lobster fishing group in southwestern Nova Scotia is seeking a court to have a lobster fishery run by a First Nations community declared illegal. The United Fisheries Conservation Alliance says it also wants the court to define the scope and limits that should apply to a fishery operated by the Sipekne’katik First Nation in St. Mary’s Bay. The group’s lawyer, Michel Samson, says a notice of action was filed Thursday with the Nova Scotia Supreme Court. Samson says the alliance is suing because a separate court case — filed by Sipekne’katik First Nation against the federal and Nova Scotia governments — was paused in order to mediate a resolution. The Sipekne’katik First Nation had gone to court in 2021 to have its lobster fishing rights...
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First Nation and feds hatch plan to save sockeye
By Hope Lompe Local Journalism Initative Reporter More than 50 years after the Gitanyow first raised concerns over the diminishing Kitwanga sockeye salmon population and halted harvest of the vulnerable species, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is building a hatchery to be operated by the nation. The Gitanyow and DFO have been working on a rebuilding plan for 25 years and this week announced they will start construction in the fall, with hope that the hatchery will help increase numbers of the salmon that are a vital food source and cultural touchstone for the Gitanyow people. Funding for the project is coming from the ministry’s Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative, a five-year plan to support the rebuilding of salmon stocks. The Gitanyow hatchery has a $10 million budget for associated costs...
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Business lender allows more flexibility, more risk
By Sandi Krasowski, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Obtaining loans — for some entrepreneurs — can be the best way to start businesses, and there are many options for them to finance the lending. Thunder Bay Ventures, which is a community futures development corporation, offers several different loan programs that provide loans of up to $600,000. Maria Vidotto, a manager at Thunder Bay Ventures, said they are an “alternative or a partner” to a traditional bank. “We differ from traditional lenders as we can offer payment flexibility without penalties and can also take on more risk,” she said. “Our loan approvals are made by a group of dedicated local investment committee members, formed by our board of directors, who understand the needs of the entrepreneur and our community.” Thunder Bay Ventures...
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Senators demand the USDA fix its backlog of food distribution to Native American tribes
The Associated Press 23/08/2024 12:21 A bipartisan group of senators is demanding immediate action from USDA Secretary Thomas Vilsak after several tribal nations reported that a federal food distribution program they rely on has not fulfilled orders for months, and in some cases has delivered expired food. Last spring, the USDA consolidated from two contractors to one for deliveries of its Food Distribution Program in Indian Reservations. In a letter sent to Vilsak on Friday, the senators expressed concern that Native American families across the country are experiencing “extreme disruptions.” “Participating households have not had consistent food deliveries for over four months,” the senators wrote. “This is unacceptable.” The Associated Press obtained a copy of the letter exclusively Thursday, before it was sent the USDA leader. Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley...
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‘Milestone’ bridge announcement made in Pikangikum
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter PIKANGIKUM – It’s “a momentous milestone” for seven First Nations, said Greg Rickford. The Ontario cabinet minister and Kenora-Rainy River MPP was referring to the province’s partnership with the federal government and First Nations organization to build a permanent bridge across the Berens River and an all-season road from the bridge to Pikangikum First Nation. Once completed, the bridge and road will benefit Pikangikum’s Whitefeather Forest wood harvesting business and give people in the remote Ojibwe community year-round access to the provincial highway system and Red Lake to the south. Six other First Nations – Poplar Hill, McDowell Lake, Deer Lake, North Spirit Lake, Sandy Lake and Keewaywin – stand to benefit through improved winter road connections, according to the Ontario government. The...
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Indigenous academics, artists speaking out after U of W professor’s Métis identity questioned
By Maggie Macintosh Local Journalism Initiative Reporter WINNIPEG, MAN-Indigenous academics and artists are calling on the University of Winnipeg to take swift action to address an open identity fraud case and update campus hiring policies so applicants who say they are First Nations, Métis or Inuit back up their claims. Three genealogy reports — one completed by the St. Boniface Historical Society in 2021 and two subsequent searches in 2021 and 2022 by post-secondary researchers with expertise in building family trees — challenge Prof. Julie Nagam’s claims that she is Métis. Nagam, an art professor in the U of W’s history department whose online biography states she is “Métis/German/Syrian,” has not responded to requests for comment. “Everything is called into question with this in terms of academic integrity,” Audra Simpson,...
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Regulator issues penalty, conditions on Imperial Oil amid ongoing Kearl investigation
The Canadian Press 22/08/2024 Imperial Oil has been fined $50,000 after the province’s energy regulator concluded the company broke environmental laws when wastewater containing oilsands tailings seeped outside its lease boundary in 2022. The fine is accompanied by requirements for mitigation plans and research into the environmental effects of such wastewater and represents only the first part of the regulator’s inquiry. “These findings and resulting compliance and enforcement decisions do not encompass all potential contraventions that may have occurred at Kearl,” the regulator said in a statement. “The investigation remains ongoing.” Although the fine for two contraventions is the maximum allowed under Alberta law, environmental groups scoffed at its size. Imperial reported $1.1 billion in income in the second quarter of 2024. In May 2022, Imperial told the regulator that...
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B.C.’s rental protection fund helps non-profits secure nearly 1,500 homes, says Eby
The Canadian Press A British Columbia government fund to help non-profits buy rental buildings to protect tenants from eviction and maintain affordable rents is on track to exceed its target of 2,000 homes. Premier David Eby says the government’s $500 million rental protection fund has so far approved funding to provide 1,500 affordable homes under the project, with many more applications being considered. The government introduced the rental protection fund last year as part of its homebuilding and affordability agenda, to help preserve existing affordable rental properties and protect tenants from large rent increases. Eby says the latest projects include a 35-unit apartment in North Vancouver and a 40-unit multi-family building in Squamish that have been purchased by Indigenous-led non-profit housing agencies. He says both properties have rents that are...
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Preparations for the $46 million Walpole Island land claim delays vote
By Lynda Powless Editor WALPOLE ISLAND-Walpole Island’s planned community vote on a $46-million land claim offer has been delayed as a result of procedural discussions with the federal government involving scheduling and preparing for the vote. The Enniskillen ratification vote was scheduled to take place Saturday August 24. A notice was sent out to the community earlier this week that reads, the vote has been ” “postponed due to a recent federal government discussion that has impacted the scheduling and preparation of the electoral process.” The notice goes on to say, “These changes, imposed at the federal level, have created unforeseen complications that necessitate a delay to ensure all procedures are correctly followed and the vote is conducted fairly. We regret an inconvenience it may cause and are working to...
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Wiikwemkoong chooses Tim Ominika as chief in upset election victory
By Jacqueline St. Pierre Local Journalism Initiative Reporter WIIKWEMKOONG—Changes are afoot in Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory as a new chief and seven new councillors were elected Saturday. The First Nation held its bi-annual election for the two-year term, naming Tim Ominika as the new chief. Mr. Ominika, a mental health and addictions specialist with the Anishinabek Nation, ran on a four-pillar platform: economic development and sovereignty; cultural preservation and revitalization; education and youth empowerment; and health and wellbeing. Mr. Ominika won with 418 votes, topping former chief Rachel Manitowabi by 58 of 1,050 eligible votes cast. Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory elects one chief and 12 councillors for two years under the Indian Act’s electoral system. The community is working on implementing its own election law. In 2014, the First Nation ratified its constitution,...
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Worried about eels going extinct, Passamaquoddy call for end of fishery
By John Chilibeck, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The Indigenous nation whose traditional area has been at the heart of the lucrative trade in baby eels is calling for a moratorium to allow the threatened species to recover. Paul Williams, the lead negotiator for the Peskotomuhkati or Passamaquoddy Nation in southwestern New Brunswick, says the season should be closed until scientists can prove the delicate creatures, often called elvers or glass eels when they are young, aren’t at risk of being wiped out. “For the past three years, the Peskotomuhkati council has been saying, ‘suspend the harvest completely, nobody should be harvesting these critters.’” Williams told Brunswick News, referring to the three-member council led by Chief Hugh Akagi, himself a former scientist with the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans, or DFO....
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Planned ambulance station shuffle a symptom of long-running difficulties
By Ken Kellar, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 21/08/2024 15:48 Following news of the planned restructuring of ambulance services in the Rainy River District, the president of the local union representing area paramedics said it’s the latest result of a long-running complex issue that has no easy answer in sight. Malcolm Daley is a professional paramedic and the president of CUPE Local 4807, the union representing paramedics in the Rainy River District. The Fort Frances Times reached out to him for comment following last week’s news that the District of Rainy River Services Board (DRRSB, formerly RRDSSAB) was planning to temporarily relocate ambulance services in the area, removing emergency paramedic services from Emo to Rainy River and Fort Frances, and bringing the Community Paramedicine program to the station in its stead....
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Addressing dike issues to help Kwikwetlem First Nation move past historical grievances
By Patrick Penner, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter For the Kwikwetlem First Nation, upgrading the dikes along the lower Coquitlam River means much more than protecting its slakəyánc community from flooding. Band Coun. George Chaffee said its partnership with the City of Coquitlam will help the Nation move past historical colonial grievances, and towards understanding and reconciliation. Chaffee noted it was the first time in the Nation’s history where they were approached first by another government regarding the flooding issue. “You have to understand how big that is,” he said. “We can’t fix … what’s happened in the past, but we can make it better going into the future.” On Aug. 15, the federal and provincial governments, City of Coquitlam, and the Nation announced a joint investment of $19.9 million to...
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