2 Navajo men and a business partner are indicted for illegal marijuana grow operations
By Susan Montoya Bryan ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A federal grand jury has indicted a Navajo man, his father and a business partner on charges that they were running illegal marijuana growing operations in New Mexico and on the Navajo Nation to supply the black market. The indictment was unsealed Thursday, a week after local, state and federal authorities raided the home of one of the defendants and two farms in a rural area east of Albuquerque that were no longer licensed by the state. Items seized included 8,500 pounds (3,855 kilograms) of marijuana, some methamphetamine, two firearms, $35,000 in cash, illegal pesticides and a bullet proof vest. The charges against Dineh Benally, 48; Donald Benally, 74; and Irving Rea Yui Lin, 73, of California, include conspiracy to manufacture and...
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B.C. Premier Eby bemoans ‘chaos’ and ‘confusion’ as U.S. tariff threat looms
By Marcy Nicholson As economists met British Columbia’s Finance Minister Brenda Bailey around a Vancouver hotel conference table and online on Friday, one announced news fresh to hand, sending a ripple through the group as they discussed the fate of the province’s economy. He told the meeting of the Economic Forecast Council for B.C. that a report had emerged out of Washington — U.S. President Donald Trump’s promised 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian exports were said to be delayed by a month to March 1. But before Friday’s meeting even ended, it was told a new report had scotched that hope, and Trump was proceeding with the tariffs on Saturday after all, as originally threatened. The conflicting reports underscore what Premier David Eby would call the “chaos and confusion”...
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Man who attacked, set fire to homeless woman in Saskatchewan gets statutory release
By Bill Graveland A man who attacked a homeless woman and set her on fire in Saskatchewan has been granted statutory release from prison with special conditions. Leslie Black, now 39, pleaded guilty to attempted murder in the 2014 beating, burning and sexual assault of Marlene Bird in Prince Albert, Sask. Bird’s injuries resulted in the amputation of both of her legs. The Indigenous woman also lost much of her eyesight. She died in 2017 at the age of 50 from heart, liver and kidney failure. Court heard that Black set Bird’s shirt on fire then left to get candy at a store. He walked past the woman again and she was still on fire, but he ignored her. Bird was found several hours later with burns so severe her...
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Brant Local health unit warns of measles exposure in area
By Joshua Santos Writer Health officials are warning of a growing measles outbreak near Six Nations with 12 confirmed cases and concerns about further spread. “Measles is highly contagious,” Shawn Falcao, communications supervisor for Grand Erie Public Health told Turtle Island News. “Symptoms can include red rash, fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, and fatigue.” Measles spreads easily through the air. It is passed in droplets when an infected person coughs, sneezes or breathes. It can survive in the air for up to two hours. Grand Erie Public Health is investigating a second confirmed case of measles. The recent case involves a child from Haldimand-Norfolk who is currently recovering from home, according to a Six Nations of the Grand River news release on Jan. 29. Six Nations urges the community...
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Special Rapporteur Hears About First Nations Water Rights at International Seminar
By Jeremy Appel, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Alberta Native News Last week in Maskwacis, Samson Cree Nation and the International Organization of Indigenous Resource Development co-hosted the International Seminar on Treaties and Indigenous Laws, which featured presentations on upholding Treaty rights through national and international legal frameworks. Albert Barume, an international human rights law expert from the Democratic Republic of Congo who was appointed UN special rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples in December 2024, was in attendance via video-conferencing. On Jan. 24, the seminar’s final day, Kehewin Cree Nation Chief Vernon Watchmaker addressed the conference on behalf of the Chiefs Steering Committee on Technical Services, a group of chiefs from Treaties 6, 7 and 8 that has been harshly critical of the federal Liberals’ proposed Clean Water Act....
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With families ‘beyond their breaking point,’ watchdog calls on ‘B.C.’ to support young people with disabilities
By Amy Romer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, IndigiNews The province’s Representative of Children and Youth (RCY) says “B.C.” must do more to assist 83,000 young people with disabilities who aren’t receiving adequate supports as families are “beyond their breaking point.” On Wednesday, Jennifer Charlesworth released her latest report, Too Many Left Behind — the latest in several sparked by the tragic and preventable death of an 11-year-old First Nations boy in a “Fraser Valley” foster home four years ago. Referred to in her report as “Colby” — his name and community were withheld to protect his identity — the boy was born with severe, complex developmental disabilities and required ongoing, intensive medical care. Colby also needed special attention from his caregivers. He had difficulty swallowing and needed help eating; he...
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Chief Antoine urges flu-hit Dehcho to mask up and stay active
By Claire McFarlane, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cabin Radio Chief Kele Antoine of the Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kų́ę́ First Nation knows how you feel if you’re a Dehcho resident under the weather this week. On Thursday, the Northwest Territories’ chief public health officer issued an advisory warning of an increasing number of influenza A and B cases in the region. The office of Dr Kami Kandola said a “significant spike” of flu virus had been found in the wastewater of Fort Simpson, where the First Nation is based. Chief Antoine said he himself started to develop flu symptoms such as chest congestion, achy joints and lethargy on Sunday evening. “It kind-of hit me hard, but I’ve been in good spirits and just trying to stay active and keep the body moving, keep...
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2 Navajo men and a business partner are indicted for illegal marijuana grow operations
By Susan Montoya Bryan ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A federal grand jury has indicted a Navajo man, his father and a business partner on charges that they were running illegal marijuana growing operations in New Mexico and on the Navajo Nation to supply the black market. The indictment was unsealed Thursday, a week after local, state and federal authorities raided the home of one of the defendants and two farms in a rural area east of Albuquerque that were no longer licensed by the state. Items seized included 8,500 pounds (3,855 kilograms) of marijuana, some methamphetamine, two firearms, $35,000 in cash, illegal pesticides and a bullet proof vest. The charges against Dineh Benally, 48; Donald Benally, 74; and Irving Rea Yui Lin, 73, of California, include conspiracy to manufacture and...
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Indigenous Art Heads for the Moon
By Carol Baldwin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Two Saskatchewan artists submitted their work to be part of The Lunar Codex. Nigel Bell, a multiplatform musician from La Ronge, Sask., is one of the Indigenous artists already selected to be part of the project. The second, Teagan Littlechief, a singer/songwriter from White Bear First Nation, said that including Indigenous people is another step towards reconciliation. “The recognition that Indigenous people work so hard every day in their artistic ways and just to be recognized in such a manner is a humble [sic] experience.” Teagan Littlechief’s name is familiar, not only because she is a rising artist who appeared on the province-wide Telemiracle 2024, but she also sat down with Funky Moose Radio’s Joel Gaudet and Mark Poppin for ‘The Sit Down...
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Wendy Cocchia sworn in as B.C.’s 31st lieutenant-governor
-CP-Premier David Eby has introduced British Columbia’s new lieutenant-governor, saying Wendy Cocchia’s lifelong leadership and dedication to community service sets an example for everyone. Cocchia, a longtime businesswoman and philanthropist, was sworn in at a ceremony at B.C.’s Parliament buildings on Thursday before an audience of family, friends, Indigenous leaders, members of the legislature and other dignitaries. One of Cocchia’s first acts in her role was to inspect a 50-person Guard of Honour provided by Maritime Forces Pacific and Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt. The Naden Band of the Royal Canadian Navy played The Viceregal Salute, consisting of the six opening bars of God Save the King, followed by the four opening and four closing bars of O Canada. A 15-gun salute was fired by troopers of the 5th Field Regiment,...
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Diabo sends letters to Trump, Trudeau
By Marc Lalonde, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Iori:wase LJI is a federally funded program Mohawk Council of Kahnawake Grand Chief sent official letters to both United States President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau this week asserting Kahnawake’s independence from both countries. “It was an idea I got when Trump was elected last November,” Diabo said, and a lack of a good relationship with Canada’s federal government prompted the letter to Trudeau. “We have no interest in aligning ourselves with a government that has committed genocide upon us throughout history.” He called the community’s relationship with the federal government “non-existent.” Diabo added that the letter to Trudeau was sent in response to his call for First Nations communities to support the Canadian government’s efforts to lobby against Trump’s...
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B.C. fires Victoria School Board over ban on police in schools
By Marcy Nicholson -CP-British Columbia’s education minister has fired the entire Victoria School Board after a lengthy dispute over its refusal to allow police in schools except in emergencies, in a rare move the ousted chair called “profoundly undemocratic.” The elected board of School District No. 61 has said the ban, in place since 2023, was based on reports that some students and teachers — particularly those who are Indigenous or people of colour — did not feel safe with officers in schools. But B.C. Education Minister Lisa Beare said Thursday that students were at risk in the district from the board’s failure to implement a revised safety plan, as she fired the nine-member board and appointed a lone trustee to oversee the district until municipal elections set for the...
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A New Zealand mountain is granted personhood, recognizing it as sacred for Māori
By Charlotte Graham-mclay WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A mountain in New Zealand considered an ancestor by Indigenous people was recognized as a legal person on Thursday after a new law granted it all the rights and responsibilities of a human being. Mount Taranaki — now known as Taranaki Maunga, its Māori name — is the latest natural feature to be granted personhood in New Zealand, which has ruled that a river and a stretch of sacred land are people before. The pristine, snow-capped dormant volcano is the second highest on New Zealand’s North Island at 2,518 meters (8,261 feet) and a popular spot for tourism, hiking and snow sports. The legal recognition acknowledges the mountain’s theft from the Māori of the Taranaki region after New Zealand was colonized. It...
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Health minister calls on NDP to give Liberals more time to sign pharmacare deals
By Sarah Ritchie -CP-Health Minister Mark Holland is calling on the federal NDP to give the Liberal government more time in power to sign bilateral deals on pharmacare. “I would put it back to (NDP Leader) Jagmeet Singh … why are you in such a rush for an election? If pharmacare is the priority that you say it is, then why don’t you wait until October so that we can get the business of the nation done?” Holland told a news conference in Halifax, where he met with his provincial and territorial counterparts this week. Pharmacare and the national dental-care program were key parts of the supply-and-confidence deal that saw the NDP keep the minority Liberals in power for more than two years. The New Democrats pushed particularly hard for...
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Jaime Battiste drops out of running for Liberal leadership
By Kyle Duggan and Catherine Morrison Nova Scotia Liberal MP Jaime Battiste says he is dropping out of the Liberal party leadership race and backing former central banker Mark Carney. The MP for Sydney—Victoria made the announcement in a statement sent out late Thursday by his campaign. Battiste was the only Indigenous candidate in the running and sought to put First Nations issues on the agenda during the contest. He says the best way for him to advance the issues he cares about — reconciliation, the environment and affordability — is by supporting Carney’s leadership bid. “After careful consideration and many discussions, I believe that the best way forward to advocate and advance the priorities, which I outlined earlier this week during my campaign, of advancing reconciliation, protecting our environment,...
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Little NHL tournament to feature record number of participating teams
By Sam Laskaris, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Organizers of the Little Native Hockey League tournament will once again have an important reason to celebrate this year. Last March, the tournament which is often simply called the Little NHL, staged its 50th anniversary. A record number of 245 clubs participated in that event, which was primarily held in the Ontario city of Markham, located just north of Toronto. Another record will be established this year. That’s because a total of 276 squads have registered for the tourney, which will be staged Mar. 9-13. The majority of the games will once again be held at rinks throughout Markham. Arenas in nearby Stouffville will also be utilized for some matches. “It’s pretty amazing,” Chico Ralf, the president of the Little NHL executive said...
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Escalating costs for fans and venues strain Canadian live music industry: report
By Cassandra Szklarski -CP-An association representing the live music industry says budget-conscious concertgoers are getting pickier about which shows they go to and spending less money when they get there, posing “a worrisome trend” for an industry facing economic uncertainties and razor-thin margins. The Canadian Live Music Association released an economic report Thursday that touted $10.92 billion in contributions to gross domestic product in 2023, but also noted fan budgets are being squeezed by escalating ticket prices for top-tier acts, leaving them with less money to also see mid-range or smaller events. On top of that, the “Hear and Now Survey” found younger audiences drink less alcohol, putting a dent in what has traditionally been a steady revenue stream for venues, and that people are more frequently buying tickets last-minute,...
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New report focuses on how to achieve Indigenous sovereignty and shared prosperity
By Jeremy Appel, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter (ANNews) – A new report says Canada can advance Indigenous sovereignty by fostering respectful nation-to-nation relationships rooted in co-existence and non-interference, and giving Indigenous laws equal weight to Canadian law. The report, Honouring Indigenous sovereignty towards a future of collective prosperity, is the fifth and final edition of international consultancy firm Deloitte’s series that asked Indigenous youth leaders for their perspectives on various aspects of reconciliation beginning in 2022. The Indigenous youth leaders interviewed for this edition identified four priorities, which the report is divided into: Indigenous Peoples and Land, Self-Governance, Nationhood, and Truth-telling and Learning. Byron Jackson, the former CEO of Piikani Nation in Treaty 7, is Deloitte Canada’s director of nation building services. He told Alberta Native News that while there...
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Father convicted of manslaughter in killing of Métis hunters denied full parole
By Aaron Sousa -CP-An Alberta father convicted of manslaughter for aiding his son in the 2020 killings of two Métis hunters has been denied full parole. A trial heard that in March 2020, Roger Bilodeau and his son Anthony confronted Maurice Cardinal and Jacob Sansom, shot them and left them on the side of the road near Glendon, Alta. Anthony Bilodeau was convicted of second-degree murder and manslaughter, while his father was convicted of manslaughter. The Parole Board of Canada says the elder Bilodeau showed a “profound lack of judgment” on the day of the killings and made poor decisions based on unfounded assumptions. The board says he has shown good behaviour while on day parole, but to grant him full parole as he requested would be premature. Bilodeau is...
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Police issue warning fraudsters are posing as police to scam banking information
OTTAWA, ON – The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is warning the public fraudsters are using the OPP’s non-emergency telephone number in an attempt to legitimize fraudulent bank investigator scams. The scams see victims being misled into believing they must help catch a dishonest bank employee or resolve suspicious transactions by providing personal information or transferring funds. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) are also warning about ongoing phishing schemes where those behind the scams claim to represent the RCMP. The OPP has seen an increase in the spoofing of business, government and law enforcement telephone numbers, email addresses and websites. How the schemes work Individuals engaged in these fraudulent activities often impersonate financial institutions, claiming that unauthorized transactions have occurred on your account or...
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