Cocktail of pills, caffeine and fire retardant put B.C. chinook salmon at risk: study
British Columbia researchers found more than 200 contaminants in water and chinook salmon tissue samples collected from five sites in the Lower Fraser River estuary including everything from cocaine and antidepressants to caffeine and flame retardants. They say some of the “cocktail” that the juvenile fish are swimming in presents a possible risk to the young fish themselves and is concerning for the endangered whales that eat them. Researchers, primarily from the federal Fisheries Department and Simon Fraser University, completed a study slated for publication in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, which is believed to be the largest screening of its kind in the Lower Fraser River. Senior author Tanya Brown said of the contaminants found, 16 were deemed “priority contaminants,” meaning the amounts were high enough that they “had potential...
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Supreme Court of Canada to decide whether to hear B.C. appeal in mineral claims case
By The Canadian Press The Supreme Court of Canada is expected to say today whether it will hear British Columbia’s appeal of a ruling that found the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the provincial mineral claims regime are “inconsistent.” The B.C. Court of Appeal ruled in December that the provincial Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act should be “properly interpreted” to incorporate UNDRIP into the laws of B.C. with immediate legal effect. At the time, a statement from the Gitxaala Nation, one of two nations challenging the law, called the decision precedent-setting. The nation, along with the Ehattesaht First Nation, argued that the operation of an automated online registry permitting “free miners” to register claims to mineral rights on Crown land before consulting...
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First Nations relay raises awareness about addiction
By Alexandra Noad, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Lethbridge Herald Twenty-three runners spanning the four First Nations within Treaty 7 were welcomed home after completing a relay covering 611 kilometres in six days. One Goal, Many Nations Relay for Recovery, a grassroots initiative founded by Dustin Dick and organized by Red Road Reclamation Recovery Movement, focused on bringing awareness to addiction and unifying communities to fight back through support systems and aftercare. While their life experiences may have been different, each of them has been impacted by addiction in one way or another. Beginning in Siksika, the runners travelled to each of the Nations, picking up additional runners at each stop, before returning back to Siksika. Each runner ran two kilometres at a time before passing the banner to another. Justin...
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College celebrates successes while navigating enrolment shifts
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, SNnewswatch.com THUNDER BAY — Confederation College has seen a steep drop in enrolment by international students, but college president Michelle Salo says the province has come through with more money to help soften the financial blow. The college’s 2026 Report to Community says the eight-campus institution had 3,456 full-time students enrolled in post-secondary programs in 2025-26, down by 870 from the previous year. International student enrolment dropped by more than 1,000 in those years, to 947 in 2025-26 from 2,014 in 2024-25. Salo acknowledged there has been “a significant decline in the international enrolment,” and it’s had an impact on college finances. “It definitely has a negative impact,” she said after presenting the community report to an audience in a college lecture theatre,...
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Alberta legislature committee eyes separation vote as meeting hits bizarre roadblock
By Jack Farrell Alberta’s journey toward holding a fall referendum on separation took a bizarre turn Wednesday — straight into another roadblock. It occurred when the governing United Conservative members on a bipartisan legislature committee introduced a motion to formally ask Premier Danielle Smith and her cabinet to initiate a provincewide vote on Alberta’s status in Confederation this October. The motion was expected to pass, given the UCP members on the committee outnumber the Opposition NDP members on it three to two. But while the motion was still being debated, the UCP caucus published a news release announcing the vote had taken place and that the motion had passed. The news release even had laudatory quotes from committee chair Brandon Lunty, who is a UCP backbencher. The news release was...
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Ottawa seeking proposals from groups committed to cleaning up ‘ghost gear’ in water
The federal government has issued a request for proposals from partners committed to cleaning up lost, abandoned and discarded fishing equipment, otherwise known as ghost gear. Federal Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson made the announcement in Yarmouth, N.S., saying Ottawa has already set aside $15 million for project funding over the next three years. The lost and discarded equipment can harm marine mammals, fisheries and habitats, Thompson said in a statement released Wednesday. “Cleaning up this debris will help our fisheries to continue to thrive,” the minister said. “I want to thank our partners and Indigenous communities for their efforts so far to clean up and find solutions to tackle the issue of ghost gear.” The minister said that since the fund was launched in 2020, more than 2,500 tonnes of...
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Louis Riel division hires Manitoba’s first Indigenous woman superintendent
By Maggie Macintosh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Winnipeg Free Press The new leader of the Louis Riel School Division is a Métis teacher who has — not unlike the founder of Manitoba — dedicated much of her life to supporting Indigenous families. Jackie Connell has been named the incoming superintendent and chief executive officer of the St. Vital-based board office in charge of educating 17,000 students. The board of trustees announced her historic appointment, which begins Aug. 4, late Tuesday. “I feel Indigenous women are inherently built to lead. I don’t know that education systems always see or honour that leadership,” Connell said in an interview Wednesday. “And so, I am honestly so grateful to the board.” The 45-year-old is currently the inaugural assistant deputy minister of Indigenous Excellence, a...
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The Indigenous exhibit that Trump failed to stop
By Felicia Mello/berkeleyside A group of local Indigenous leaders and Lawrence Hall of Science researchers strolled through the lobby of the discovery-based UC Berkeley museum last week as workers put the finishing touches on its latest exhibit, “Yuutka” (The Place of the Acorn). Replicas of black oak trees towered overhead, while California poppies, wild roses, yarrow, and black sage plants were projected on the floor and a creek and bridge were under construction nearby. A cartoon version of East Bay Ohlone matriarch Dolores Lameira smiled encouragingly from one wall as she coached visitors to the mixed reality experience on how to gather virtual acorns using baskets equipped with 3D sensors. “It really looks like her,” commented Vincent Medina, her great-nephew and one of the project’s creators. Yuutka is both the...
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Tornado Warning Issued Tuesday for Six Nations area
By Alex Murray Writer Severe thunderstorms hit the area of Brantford and Six Nations on Tuesday night (May 19), causing Environment Canada to issue several weather warnings. Environment Canada sent out multiple tornado warnings between 5 and 7 p.m. for areas including Brantford, the County of Brant, London, Simcoe-Delhi-Norfolk, and Woodstock-Tillsonburg-Oxford County. Environment Canada said, “this is a very dangerous and potentially life-threatening situation” and warned of wind gusts up to 110 km/h as well as hail the size of ping pong balls. They encouraged residents to take shelter immediately. The warnings remained in place for areas east of Hamilton and in the Niagara region until about 8:20 p.m. At Six Nations of the Grand River, dark storm clouds could be seen over Chiefswood Road in downtown Ohsweken just before...
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Treaty No. 6 First Nations Welcomes Court Ruling Against Separatist Petition
By Chevi Rabbit, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Alberta Native News The Confederacy of Treaty No. 6 First Nations is welcoming a recent Alberta Court of King’s Bench decision that quashed the approval of Stay Free Alberta’s proposed “independence petition,” calling the ruling a reaffirmation of Treaty rights and constitutional law in Alberta. Justice Shaina Leonard’s decision effectively blocks the petition process tied to an Alberta separation question. Treaty No. 6 leadership says the ruling reinforces what First Nations have long argued: that any attempt to pursue Alberta separation must recognize and respect Treaties No. 6, No. 7, and No. 8 as legally binding agreements. The Confederacy expressed gratitude for the continued legal and political advocacy of Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, the Blackfoot Confederacy, and Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation, noting their...
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Carney lays out pipeline conditions as Eby flags negotiations on B.C.’s priorities
By Chuck Chiang and Brieanna Charlebois British Columbia Premier David Eby says he and Prime Minister Mark Carney have agreed to enter negotiations on B.C.’s priorities for developing the economy. Eby says ahead of a closed-door meeting with Carney, who’s visiting Vancouver, that part of friendship is telling each other the truth, including that developing the economy must go hand in hand with protecting the environment. He says that includes the moratorium on oil tanker traffic off B.C.’s north coast, that has been raised as a potential impediment to any new pipeline from Alberta to the B.C. coast. Carney says it’s important to build in the right way, in partnership with First Nations and with an emphasis on sustainability, and the priorities of British Columbians. He had earlier Wednesday laid...
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CN Rail pledges $100 million to fight homelessness across its North American network
By Charlotte Glorieux Canadian National Railway says homelessness is a growing problem along its North American rail network and has pledged $100 million over ten years to fund community groups and shelters that offer services to the unhoused. Non-profits in Canada and the United States, including groups running research projects on homelessness, will be able to apply online for funding, Olivier Chouc, CN senior vice-president and chief legal officer, said in an interview Tuesday. He said CN officials are increasingly witnessing homelessness across the railway system. ”We have large areas, vacant land, and they tend to be attractive to homeless people and all these encampments,” Chouc said. For Montreal, where CN is headquartered, the company is donating $1 million to four organizations that help the homeless: Le Chaînon womens shelter;...
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‘Historic victory’ for Piikani as court quashes separatist petition
By Somya Lohia, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Shootin’ the Breeze Piikani Nation is calling a recent Alberta Court of King’s Bench decision a “historic victory” for treaty rights. A May 13 ruling by Justice Shaina Leonard struck down the approval of a citizen-led petition that would have triggered a referendum on Alberta separating from Canada. Chief Troy Knowlton says the decision affirms that Treaty 7 is a “living, constitutionally protected agreement” that cannot be overridden by a citizen-led initiative or provincial referendum. Leonard’s decision quashed chief electoral officer Gordon McClure’s approval of the Referendum Relating to Alberta Independence petition, finding he made an error in law that rendered the approval unreasonable. The court also found the province failed in its duty to consult First Nations, including the Athabasca Chipewyan First...
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Sun shines on Bread and Cheese
Six Nations marks 160 years of celebrating Bread and Cheese Day By Alex Murray Writer Not even the scorchingly hot temperatures could keep Six Nations community members from showing up in the thousands to enjoy the midway rides and food vendors and most of all the Bread and Cheese at the 160th annual Bread and Cheese Day celebrations on Victoria Day Monday. The biggest draw of course was the Bread and Cheese giveaway inside Six Nations Sports and Cultural Memorial Centre. Six Nations elder Gerard Roberts, who said the early bird catches the worm, was among the first in line, arriving at 9am on the holiday Monday for noon give-away. Roberts was even able to find a wedding anniversary gift for his wife at the festival while friends held his...
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Mississaugas of Credit First Nation taking feds to court
Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation-The Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation (MCFN) wants to know how much money the federal government is spending to fight First Nations seeking increased education funding for their children. And they are going to go to court to find out. MCFN launched a launched a Federal Court application last week that could force Canada to release records detailing how much public money has been spent fighting against increased education funding for First Nations children. The move came after Canada refused to disclose records related to its legal costs in ongoing litigation concerning equitable education funding for First Nations students. MCFN maintains that the federal government is legally required to release the information under federal access to information laws. “Canadians deserve transparency from their government,”...
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Six Nations Elected council donation policy more “bureaucratic”
Six Nations passed a draft policy aimed at formalizing how funding requests over $15,000 are evaluated and approved. Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) approved the new Community Strategic Investment Fund policy and application framework during its May 12th meeting . The policy is designed to standardize how community funding requests are evaluated, scored and administered. . The recommendation came from the Finance Committee. Committee Chair Aaina VanEvery said. Councillor VanEvery presented the policy and said she had circulated the policy previously and received no feedback. “It’s now or never,” she said. VanEvery told council the policy was developed to address long-standing challenges in how funding requests are received and processed. She said that applications have often arrived “haphazardly and sometimes without the information,” creating what she described as “a lot...
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Indigenous Worldview Is “Foundational” In Creation of Toronto’s New Ookwemin Minising Island Project
By Alex Murray Writer “Foundational.” That’s how Metis architect Terence Radford describes the influence of Indigenous knowledge and worldviews on Waterfront Toronto’s new Ookwemin Minising Island project. “My position on this is, it’s foundational. Indigenous peoples have been on this land since time immemorial and are the original caretakers and stewards. And as a landscape architect, my practice involves working with the land,” Radford told Turtle Island News. Radford is the principal landscape architect and founder of Trophic Design, an Indigenous firm that is serving as the local landscape architect and Indigenous design advisor for the island’s design. The island’s name means “place of the black cherry trees” in Anishinaabemowin and was determined through a process led by the City of Toronto’s Indigenous Affairs office. Previously called Villiers Island, it...
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Six Nations woman details community projects at data sovereignty conference
By Sam Laskaris Writer Rachel VanEvery is doing her best to ensure Six Nations is not being exploited by others. VanEvery, a Six Nations member, is currently serving as the acting director of data, analytics and insights for the First Nation. She also serves as the community research co-ordinator and the secretary for the Six Nations Research Ethics Committee. VanEvery was in Toronto this past week as she was a speaker at the Chiefs of Ontario Powering Up Data Sovereignty conference. The three-day event, which ran May 12-14, was staged at the Chelsea Hotel. VanEvery was a panelist for an opening-day session titled Community-Level Initiatives: Challenges, Solutions and Innovations. During her presentation she told conference attendees about the work local research ethics committee has done developing capacity in the community....
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Editorial: Bureaucratic management has descended
Six Nations Elected Council has become, well, simply put, just too bureaucratic. That is, the councillors themselves appear to be creating more bloat and are making following the still newly created administrative procedures a priority and forgetting about common sense. The ballooning bureaucracy created by the past council and supported by the current one is in fact changing the council itself from community representatives to elected bureaucratic managers. Case in point. SNEC recently decided to take a look at their community funding policy. A policy aimed at cutting out the red tape in helping community groups get projects off the ground or simply keep running. Unfortunately, in cutting that red tape, they lengthened it. Let’s start with the name. Instead of a simple community donation fund we now have the...
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Today in History
May 17 In 2013, Elijah Harper, the Cree politician who clutched an eagle feather as he blocked the Meech Lake constitutional accord in 1990 and led Canadian indigenous people into a new era, died of cardiac failure due to diabetes complications. He was 64. May 19 In 1996, the RCMP stormed an armed barricade to end a five-week standoff at the Waterhen native reserve in Manitoba. Thirty-two people were arrested. May 20 In 2021, Nunavut’s sole MP said she would not seek re-election. New Democrat Mumilaaq Qaqqaq said after weeks of reflection and consultation with friends and family that she had decided not to run for a second term. The 27-year-old said federal institutions like the House of Commons are not easily changed and that governments fail to help Indigenous...
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