Lawmakers stage Māori protest in New Zealand’s parliament during fraught race relations debate
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A vote in New Zealand’s parliament was suspended and two lawmakers ejected on Thursday when dramatic political theater erupted over a controversial proposed law redefining the country’s founding agreement between Indigenous Māori and the British Crown. Under the principles laid out in the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi, which guide the relationship between the government and Māori, tribes were promised broad rights to retain their lands and protect their interests in return for ceding governance to the British. The bill would specify that those rights should apply to all New Zealanders. The bill has scant support and is unlikely to become law. Detractors say it threatens racial discord and constitutional upheaval, while thousands of New Zealanders are traveling the length of the country this week to...
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Alberta Treaty Chiefs slam feds over Clean Water Act as Ottawa denies legal duty to provide safe drinking water
By Jeremy Appel Local Journalism Initiative Chiefs from Treaty First Nations in Alberta met last month with the minister of Indigenous Services Canada to reiterate their concerns with the First Nations Clean Water Act. The meeting was held one week after government lawyers argued in court that their client has no legal obligation to provide First Nations with drinkable water. The act, known also as Bill C-61, completed its second reading on June 5, and is in the process of being studied by the Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs. The legislation, according to Indigenous Services Canada, establishes “minimum national standards for the delivery of drinking water and wastewater services on First Nation lands,” and commits the feds to make “best efforts to provide adequate and sustainable funding...
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Carey Price launches foundation supporting access to recreation
The Anahim Lake hockey legend Carey Price has launched a charitable foundation with his family. The Price Family Foundation is accepting donations which will be used to support organizations such as Special Olympics British Columbia (SOBC) and Elevation Outdoors. Carey Price shared the announcement on Facebook Nov. 13, noting the foundation’s mission is to nurture community and create meaningful change. “The initiative comes from a deeply personal place for us, shaped by our values and experiences over the years…We believe that together, we can foster a sense of belonging and resilience in our communities,” Price wrote in his post. The foundation’s website said the family wanted recreation, athletics and community to be at the core of their work, which led to a partnership with SOBC. The foundation is also in...
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Manitoba government to permanently fund program aimed at curbing retail theft
The Canadian Press-The Manitoba government says it will provide permanent funding for 12 new Winnipeg police officers as part of its public safety strategy. The government previously funded those officers under its temporary Retail Crime Initiative, but it is expected to continue to address a rise in retail theft and violent crime in some parts of the provincial capital. Justice Minister Matt Wiebe told reporters Thursday that the new officers will continue working with community members and businesses. “These folks understand that if you can get in, speak with business owners, with customers, with people, make your presence felt, you’re going to have a better, higher impact,” he said. The province allocated $1.1 million in July to pay for police to work overtime in hot spots in Winnipeg such as...
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Wisconsin agency issues first round of permits for Enbridge Line 5 reroute around reservation
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has issued the first round of permits allowing Enbridge to reroute an aging pipeline around a tribal reservation. DNR officials announced Thursday they have issued the first construction permits for the Line 5 reroute around the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa’s reservation. The energy company still needs discharge permits from the DNR as well as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The DNR issued the construction permits with more than 200 conditions attached. The company must complete the project by Nov. 14, 2027, hire DNR-approved environmental monitors and allow DNR employees to access the site during reasonable hours. The company also must notify the agency within 24 hours of any permit violations or hazardous material spills affecting wetlands...
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Whistleblower sounds alarm about destruction of tribal sites in North Carolina
Associated Press-Spear points, hammer stones and picks lost to history under layers of leaves, roots and rocks — it was the evidence Scott Ashcraft was looking for. The ancient tools were inadvertently unearthed in 2021 by a bulldozer fighting a wildfire along a steep slope in western North Carolina. Ashcraft, a career U.S. Forest Service archaeologist, knew these wooded mountainsides held more clues to early human history in the Appalachian Mountains than anyone had imagined. He tried for years to raise the alarm to forest managers, saying outdated modeling that ignored the artifacts sometimes hidden on steep terrain — especially sites significant to Native American tribes — needed to be reconsidered when planning for prescribed fires, logging projects, new recreational trails and other work on national forest lands. Instead, Ashcraft...
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Company gets $400K to increase modular home construction
By Clint Fleury, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter THUNDER BAY — No matter where you are in Northwestern Ontario, CEO of Smart Modular Canada Bill Boulton told Newswatch, they are seeing a need for affordable housing . “Everywhere is in the same problem. Even our own little area, Fort Frances has no housing or you buy, rent or whatever… And Nipigon has the same problem. Geraldton has got the same problem. And even Rainy River was here yesterday and they have the same issues,” Boulton said. Smart Modular Canada is a local company that produces residential and commercial modular buildings. They received a $400,000 grant from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation to help ramp up production of modular buildings for rural communities and first nations. Thunder Bay-Atikokan MPP Kevin Holland...
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Indigenous youth leaders urge Canada to prioritize health, education and cultural representation
By Jeremy Appel, Local Journalism Indigenous Reporter The Senate Standing Committee on Indigenous Peoples heard testimony on Oct. 30 from young Indigenous leaders representing communities from British Columbia to Nova Scotia. The testimony was split into two sittings, with the first occurring from 11:45 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. and the second from 6:45 to 8:45 p.m. Participants were aged 18 to 35 and selected based on the leadership role they’ve taken “in driving meaningful change in their communities,” explained committee chair Sen. Brian Francis of Prince Edward Island, who is the former chief of Abegweit First Nation. Breane Mahlitz, a health policy advisor to the Métis National Council, told the committee that Métis people need “distinction-based health legislation that reflects our right to health as section 35 rights holders,” referring...
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On Strike! Postal Workers off the job
Six Nations Ohsweken Post Office is now opened but no mail is moving after CUPW announced a nation wide strike (Photo by Jim C. Powless) By Lynda Powless Editor Canada’s postal workers are on strike! They walked off the job at 12:01 Friday. A sign is posted on the door of the Ohsweken Post Office announcing a potential delay in service but inside workers are still working in Ohsweken although no mail is moving.. After a year of negotiations, a total of 55,000 workers members of Canadian Union of Posta; Workers (CUPW) walked off the job at 12:01 a.m. Ontario time Friday and is expected to disrupt mail service across the country. Canada Post has yet to lock out workers Depending on the length of the strike Canadians could...
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‘Bullyish’ behaviour will stop, says new Indigenous Affairs minister
By John Chilibeck • Local Journalism Initiative Reporter New Brunswick’s Indigenous Affairs minister is eager to mend relations with First Nations and repair the damage he says was done by the Higgs Progressive Conservative government over the last six years. Less than two weeks into his new role, Keith Chiasson told Brunswick News he’s scheduled to meet with eight of the nine Mi’gmaq chiefs at Metepenagiag, or Red Bank First Nation, near Miramichi on Friday. “These first meetings are really important because we have to hash out details on areas of concern, and I need to hear feedback from the chiefs,” the Liberal minister said, before mentioning former Progressive Conservative premier Blaine Higgs. “The last few years have been hard on different communities in the province. There was more of a bullyish...
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Flag flies at Alstom: ‘this is Fort William First Nation territory’
Local Journalism Initiative THUNDER BAY — The flag of Fort William First Nation now flies at the Thunder Bay Alstom plant. “The reality is they’ve chosen to fly a Fort William First Nations flag, which clearly delineates that this is Fort William First Nation territory,” said Michelle Solomon, chief of Fort William First Nation. “And, that is part of their act of reconciliation.” “I think that flags are certainly a symbol and anywhere you go, if there’s a flag raising it’s a symbol of the land that you’re on and the place that you are,” she said. By raising the Fort William First Nation flag at their plant on Montreal Road, Alstom aims to demonstrate a commitment to strengthening the bond between the first nation and the company. Justin Roberts,...
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Indigenous groups, government and industry launch $375M for conservation initiatives
-Canadian Press-A new $375-million conservation fund being created in the Northwest Territories is the largest single investment in Indigenous-led conservation and stewardship in the territory. The Our Land for the Future fund is a collaboration between government, industry and Indigenous Peoples and includes $300 million from the federal government and $75 million from private donors. That fund, announced today, will be used for Indigenous-led conservation and stewardship, ecotourism, traditional economic activities and climate research, among others. Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree says the “historic agreement” will move the government closer to its goal of conserving 30 per cent of lands and waters by 2030. Grand Chief Herb Norwegian of Dehcho First Nations says the fund will allow Indigenous governments to create and protect the “sacred paradises” their ancestors have “long...
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Supreme Court declines to hear appeal of man convicted in Alberta hunters’ deaths
-Canadian Press-Canada’s top court has declined to hear the appeal of one of two men found guilty in the fatal shooting of two Métis hunters in eastern Alberta. As is usual, the Supreme Court did not give reasons for its dismissal Thursday of Anthony Bilodeau’s leave to appeal. A trial heard that in March 2020, Bilodeau and his father had been concerned about a truck parked at the end of their rural property, so they chased down the vehicle and there was a confrontation. Bilodeau was convicted of second-degree murder in the death of Maurice Cardinal and of manslaughter in the death of Cardinal’s nephew Jacob Sansom. Sansom, 39, and Cardinal, 57, had been moose hunting before they were shot and left on the side of the road near Glendon,...
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SCO partners to fund 150 education awards for health care students
A new partnership will look to give a leg up to First Nations Manitobans hoping to pursue careers in health care. The Southern Chiefs’ Organization (SCO) announced it has partnered with the Business Council of Manitoba and the provincial government, and a total of $450,000 in funding will be used to provide 150 education awards over the next five years to members of SCO nations. The awards will be provided to those looking to pursue careers and post-secondary opportunities in the health care field, as SCO said it continues to look for ways to increase Indigenous representation in health care in Manitoba. According to SCO, less than 1% of physicians in Canada identify as Indigenous, while approximately 1.5% of nurses in Canada are First Nations. SCO said the award will...
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Chair of Liberal Indigenous caucus says identity ‘complicated’ as members questioned
-Canadian Press-The chair of the Liberal party’s Indigenous caucus says Indigenous identity is “complicated” after questions have been raised about the claims of two Liberal MPs who currently sit with the group and one cabinet minister who is no longer a member. “It’s a very complicated issue, and there’s no right answer,” said Jaime Battiste, who is Mi’kmaq from Eskasoni First Nation. “It’s not biological or mathematical. It’s a social construct, and that’s why there are challenges.” Others say it’s not so complicated, and want answers as to why Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault, who has claimed to be Cree, sat on the party’s Indigenous caucus and was touted as an Indigenous member of the party for years, is now changing his tune. In 2018 at a Canadian heritage committee meeting,...
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Ontario signs $100M deal with Elon Musk’s Starlink system
-CP-Premier Doug Ford’s government has signed a $100-million deal with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to deliver high-speed internet to remote residents in rural and northern Ontario. The new program called ONSAT — which stands for Ontario Satellite — will bring SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet system to 15,000 premises, said Infrastructure Minister Kinga Surma. “These communities will gain access to high-speed satellite internet capable of supporting streaming video calls, online gaming and more activities that have become second nature to so many of us,” Surma said. The service will be used to connect people in the hardest-to-reach areas of the province to the internet, she said. The system will go live next June with eligibility and registration starting in the spring. The province will cover equipment and installation costs, but not monthly...
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Students helping to build a brighter future for their FirstNation
It started, with just a hole in the ground and a pile of lumber. Now, thanks to the work of a handful of high school students, Canoe Lake Cree First Nation (CLCFN) has a newly built safe house for kids and families in need of refuge. “It brings me joy to know I worked on something that people are going to use,” said Sydney Lariviere, grade 12 student at Canoe Lake Miksiw School. “It’s not going to be thrown out, it will be taken care of.” The housing project is something the youth can be proud of for years to come. “I’ll come back in 20 years and tell my kids, ‘I helped build this, to help kids in need,’ ” she said. This unique three-year building program, Kanaweyiminan ‘take...
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Lawmakers stage Māori protest in New Zealand’s parliament during fraught race relations debate
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A vote in New Zealand’s parliament was suspended and two lawmakers ejected on Thursday when dramatic political theater erupted over a controversial proposed law redefining the country’s founding agreement between Indigenous Māori and the British Crown. Under the principles laid out in the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi, which guide the relationship between the government and Māori, tribes were promised broad rights to retain their lands and protect their interests in return for ceding governance to the British. The bill would specify that those rights should apply to all New Zealanders. The bill has scant support and is unlikely to become law. Detractors say it threatens racial discord and constitutional upheaval, while thousands of New Zealanders are traveling the length of the country this week to...
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Ford announces $8.5 million for Geraldton hospital
GREENSTONE — The Geraldton District Hospital will be getting $8.5 million in provincial funding for renovations. Premier Doug Ford made the surprise announcement at a media event on Wednesday. The premier told assembled reporters, local dignitaries and First Nations representatives he had visited the hospital earlier in the day and was asked about the progress of its funding application. The renovations funding will happen, Ford told Newswatch. In addition to the $8.5 million for the renovations, he said the province will also fund the hospital’s nurse practitioner program. Ford was in Greenstone to mark the completion of highway upgrades that could support an eventual road to the Ring of Fire mineral deposits. Further updates to come on this story. ...
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Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew shuffles cabinet, creates technology portfolio
MANITOBA CP-Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew shuffled his cabinet Wednesday, adding three new faces and sharpening the focus on the province’s growing tech sector. Kinew introduced the Department of Innovation and New Technology at a swearing-in ceremony for the new ministers. The innovation portfolio will be headed up by Mike Moroz, a first-time MLA who was elected in 2023 to represent the former Liberal stronghold riding of River Heights. Moroz will be tasked with growing the province’s tech industry and modernizing government services. “I think it is important for us to have a future-focused new technology department that really is all about innovation,” said Kinew. “It’s good for the economy, but it also impacts so many aspects of our lives here.” The department will also be in charge of developing an...
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