Archaeological digs in Amazon provide clues about Indigenous inhabitants before colonization
By Gabriela Sá Pessoa And Eraldo Peres MACAPA, Brazil (AP) — Paving roads in the Amazon rainforest has long brought deforestation that threatens the people who live there. The same roadwork, however, has also allowed archaeologists to get glimpses of the region’s past long before Europeans arrived to reshape it. The construction often requires archaeological surveys before the paving starts, and some of the latest discoveries have emerged along the BR-156 highway in Brazil’s northern state of Amapa. Among the findings so far from nine dig sites: pottery vases that may be funerary urns, as well as small artifacts that resemble human faces. “What we now about the region’s past is also tied to the opening created by these projects, which gives our relationship with them a somewhat ambivalent character,”...
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Local activists support the coalition’s legal challenge of Bill 5
By Meg Deak, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Woolwich Observer The Ford government’s Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act, has been a source of controversy since its introduction last June. Rolled out amid economic uncertainty, partially due to U.S. tariffs, the bill aims to accelerate development and major infrastructure projects, such as mining and electric vehicle projects. One of the most controversial portions of the bill is section 9, the Special Economic Zones Act (SEZA), which allows the cabinet and the environment minister to bypass any law within an area they deem a designated special economic zone. Citing the bill as a threat to democracy and environmental protections, a coalition of four public-interest and environmental organizations announced earlier this month that they would launch a collective legal...
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Coastal B.C. First Nation leaders go to Calgary to dissuade pipeline investors
By Lauren Krugel A delegation of First Nations leaders from British Columbia have come to Calgary to relay a message to pipeline executives face-to-face — steer clear of investing in a new bitumen pipeline to the northwest coast or risk a prolonged legal fight. Haida Nation President Jason Alsop, who also goes by Gaagwiis, said he and fellow community leaders are obliged to look after the ocean and the food security it provides. Crude tankers sailing northern B.C. waters would risk that, he said. “We are prepared to use all the tools available to us to uphold that responsibility,” he said in an interview Wednesday. “And that makes investment in a pipeline to the north coast a significant risk — legal risk, financial risk.” Chief councillor Arnold Clifton of the...
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Dene national chief supports call to end RCMP Indigenous surveillance programs
By Kody Ferron, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Yellowknifer The Dene Nation wants all police surveillance of Indigenous peoples to cease. In an April 20 statement, the Dene Nation expresses solidarity with Manitoba chiefs and the Assembly of First Nations, who began the call for action after learning of a secret RCMP surveillance program that targeted Indigenous groups and rights activists. ‘We demand an immediate end to these practices and a comprehensive investigation into their extent and impact,’ says the Dene Nation. The organization’s statement comes roughly a month after CBC broke the story of the RCMP Indigenous surveillance campaigns that operated during the 1960s and 1970s. At least six CBC articles detail evidence of RCMP spies, paid informants, physical surveillance, covert photography and filming, movement tracking and media monitoring. These...
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Sask. RCMP issue wanted-persons list
By Brook Wagner, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Medicine Hat News Saskatchewan RCMP has released its monthly list of wanted persons for April 2026. Ten people are being sought across Saskatchewan, with some believed to be in parts of Alberta as well. The RCMP publishes this list every month to ask the public for help finding people with active arrest warrants. This means a judge has officially authorized police to arrest them. The list is not every wanted person in the province, but rather those considered most important to find based on how serious their alleged crimes are according to the Crime Severity Index. Do not attempt to contact, approach or apprehend any wanted persons on your own. If you recognize any of these individuals and have information regarding their whereabouts,...
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Alberta panel report supports leaning into nuclear power, but province won’t commit
By Dayne Patterson Canadian Press Calgary-Alberta Utilities Minister Nathan Neudorf says a public feedback report that suggests support for nuclear energy is not a “slam dunk” for the industry given the report urges the pursuit of nuclear power while also doing the legwork to keep people safe. The report from Alberta’s Nuclear Energy Engagement panel heard from close to 6,000 people in a survey, with more than 400 tuning in to webinars on the topic. “We didn’t have a baked-in solution before we started. We want to hear from Albertans and, to be perfectly honest, they raised a lot of questions,” Neudorf told reporters Wednesday as he released the report. Those questions included where the water to cool the facilities would be drawn from and how the province would manage...
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B.C. premier asks for prayers for MLA Joan Phillip, saying she is ‘very ill’
-By Canadian Press-British Columbia Premier David Eby says New Democrat member of the legislature Joan Phillip is “very ill” and her colleagues are “all praying for her.” Eby told reporters at the legislature that Phillip is an “incredible fighter,” but he was asking others to join in the prayers and send best wishes for her “quick recovery.” He says Phillip is a “hugely respected member of many communities” and a “loved and valued” colleague of those in the legislature from across party lines. Phillip, a respected Indigenous leader, was first elected in Vancouver in a 2023 byelection, and won again in B.C.’s general election the following year. Eby’s governing NDP has 47 members, constituting a one-seat majority in the 93-seat legislature, while the Opposition Conservatives hold 38 seats, the Greens...
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Five remain in B.C. Conservative leadership race as membership swells to 42,000
By Wolfgang Depner The B.C. Conservative Party has confirmed a final list of five candidates vying for its leadership, in a contest that has swollen the party’s membership to more than 42,000. The party said in a statement that Iain Black, Caroline Elliott, Peter Milobar, Kerry-Lynne Findlay and Yuri Fulmer all paid a final fee of $60,000 to take part in the race to replace former leader John Rustad. The statement also said the party’s membership roll increased about six-fold from 7,000 in December to 42,000 by the April 18 deadline to sign up new members in time to take part in the vote. Executive director Angelo Isidorou said the party has “come incredibly far in just a few years,” going from a few hundred members to become what he...
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Five-year jail sentence for woman who killed partner
By Bob Mackin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Prince George Citizen A five-year jail sentence — one year more than the mandatory minimum — was imposed on a woman convicted of manslaughter with a firearm. Lona Lynette Cole, 53, learned her fate in BC Supreme Court in Quesnel on April 9, almost a year after Justice Marguerite Church found her guilty of killing her intimate partner, Robert Douglas, with a single shot from a Winchester rifle at his rural home on July 6, 2020. Cole had been charged with second-degree murder of the 58-year-old, but Church had reasonable doubt because she lacked intent and planning. She found her guilty of the lesser and included offence after determining there was a reasonable inference that Cole was either unaware the rifle was loaded...
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Brant County Mayor David Bailey announces won’t seek third term
“It is with a full heart and deep gratitude that I share that I will not be seeking a third term as Mayor of the County of Brant. Eight years feels like the right time for a transition. I’ve given this role everything I have, and I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished together. I also believe it’s healthy for any organization to welcome new energy and new leadership. When I was first elected in 2018, I didn’t come from a political background. What I brought instead was a genuine desire to serve this community that I care so deeply about. Two terms later, I can say without hesitation that these have been among the most rewarding years of my life. At the end of the day, the most meaningful part...
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First Indigenous-led recovery community in province opens
By Alexandra Noad, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Lethbridge Herald The Blood Tribe has opened the first of five Indigenous-led recovery communities, with the opening of the newly built Iitakamotsiipiohsopi (a place to recover) Recovery Community, a 75-bed recovery community. This recovery community centre will provide land-based treatment at no cost, to those struggling with addiction. Premier Danielle Smith says this recovery community, along with others opening across the province, will allow more Albertans to break the cycle of addiction and rebuild their lives. “This first-of-its-kind recovery community, led by the Blood Tribe, creates a space where people can heal, rebuild their lives and reconnect with their community.” The Government of Alberta provided the capital funding for the recovery community, but the building is owned and managed by the Blood Tribe....
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Turtle Island News’ annual Earth Day Tree Give-Away Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Turtle Island News’ annual Earth Day Tree Give-Away Wednesday, April 22, 2026. Come get a tree! Publisher Lynda Powless and Sales Manager Darren Doxtater are getting the trees ready for you! (Photo by Jim C. Powless)...
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Federal schools charge provincial rankings data outdated
By Lynda Powless Editor Federal schools on Six Nations are challenging the validity of widely circulated provincial rankings, arguing the data behind them is outdated, incomplete and fails to reflect the realities of First Nations education systems. The Director of Federal Schools, Travis Anderson outlined concerns with the Fraser Institute’s 2025 report at the Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) General Council meeting on April 14. The report uses 2023-24 standardized test data to rank Ontario elementary schools. Anderson said the report relies heavily on EQAO results from a single year, which was the first full return to in-person learning following the COVID-19 pandemic for the federal schools. “These results are a snapshot in time,” Anderson said. “Using any single measure to judge school success is over-simplifying and may be inaccurate.”...
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Six Nations dreams of a pool grown to possible aquatic centre
By Lynda Powless Editor It started with a chat by two Six Nations residents. Now, Six Nations may be closer to having its own aquatic centre. A long-envisioned community pool project has evolved into a large-scale proposal for a multi-use aquatic and recreation facility. The proposed $65 million project was unveiled at Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) General Council meeting on April 14. “I’m here to tell you the history of how this started,” Arlene Martin, chair of the Community Pool Committee said. Martin said she asked about the idea in February 2023 when she approached Steve Williams of Grand River Enterprises (GRE) about bringing a pool to Six Nations. “He said, ‘We need one letter from a community member.’ So I said, ‘Well, I’ll write that letter,’” Martin said....
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Iroquois Lodge residents’ move to Brantford is delayed by a month
Six Nations lodge residents are still awaiting a move to be closer to home after 10 months at a Delhi residential facility. Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) CEO Debra Jonathan provided an update to SNEC at its April 14th council meeting saying the planning and reporting structure to facilitate the move is complex. Councillor Kerry Bomberry asked Jonathan about the move. Six Nations lodge residents were relocated to the Delhi location after the flood in June 2025. Jonathan said while the move was initially anticipated for mid-April, it is now expected to take place in mid to late May. She said unlike the emergency relocation to Delhi, the move to Brantford requires a detailed transition plan and approval from the Ministry of Long-Term Care. SNEC was told the plan has...
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Late Six Nations Actor Graham Greene Celebrated At Woodland Cultural Centre Event
By Alex Murray Writer Half a year since his passing, Graham Greene still casts a long shadow over the Six Nations of the Grand River community he grew up in. The Oscar-nominated actor was recently honoured with a special event at the Woodland Cultural Centre (WCC) on Six Nations land near Brantford as part of Reel Canada’s National Canadian Film Day celebrations on April 15. 10 members of Greene’s family from across four generations were present at the screening of Greene’s 1991 film Clearcut, including his two older sisters, Pam Miller and Carol Hill. Miller said it was “weird” to still see her brother, who passed away at the age of 73 in September 2025 after a long illness. But she also said seeing him on screen—which she said she...
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Six Nations student named Loran Scholar
April 16, 2026 (Brantford) – Six Nations own Madison Davey,a student attending Assumption College in Brantford, has been named a 2026 Loran Scholar. The Loran Scholar Foundation selected 36 exceptional youth from 5,400 applicants from across Canada this year. Loran Scholars demonstrate the challenge of leaving the world better than they found it. The Foundation said this year’s graduating high school and Cégep students are driven by “their values-driven approach to leading and their dedication to uplifting their communities that distinguish them as Loran Scholars.” “Assumption College School is incredibly proud of Madison for being selected as a 2026 Loran Scholar,” said ACS Principal Darren Duff. “This remarkable achievement reflects her exceptional leadership, character, and deep commitment to serving others within our school community and beyond.” The Loran Award, offered...
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Editorial: Earth Day time to help a planet
By Lynda Powless, Editor It’s Earth Day!!! A day the world stops to remember the ground we all walk on. It’s an annual event every April 22nd to show support for the environment, for the world around us.. For the past 56 years the world has been pausing to mark the day by stopping to think about what are we all, and individually, doing to help the Mother Earth. There have been protests against oil spills. Polluting factories, raw sewage, pesticides, toxic dumps have all been on the list of what is no longer acceptable. We all fear the loss of wilderness and wildlife and the sadness that comes with the thoughts of a world without either. There are predictions of what is to come. The world’s population will hit...
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Today in History
April 26 In 2022, the university formerly known as Ryerson changed its name to Toronto Metropolitan University. The university, which had been named after an architect of Canada’s residential school system, faced growing calls to change its name. School president Mohamed Lachemi said the new name reflects that the school is located in the heart of Canada’s largest and most diverse city. In 2023, ten northern Ontario First Nations sued the province and the federal government, claiming the Crown tricked them into signing over their land in 1905 without their consent. The chiefs from Treaty 9 territory gathered at the Ontario legislature alleging that governments made decisions on their land without consulting or dealing with them as equal partners. The First Nations objected to mining, logging and developing the mineral-rich...
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Week 3: Heather Winterstein Inquest Peer Worker Says She “Should’ve Been In A Bed”
By Alex Murray Writer A peer support worker who interacted with Heather Winterstein on both December 9 and December 10, 2021, told a coroner’s inquest last Thursday (April 16) that he believed she was “too sick” to be in the waiting room on December 10 and should have been in a bed. Winterstein passed away from sepsis in a St. Catharines hospital, now called Marotta Family Hospital, after seeking medical care at the facility over the previous two days. An inquest into her death began on March 30. Scott Cronkwright, a peer support navigator working with the hospital and Quest Community Health Centre, was assigned to work with Winterstein on the first day she came to the hospital on December 9. While on shift on December 10, Cronkwright saw Winterstein...
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