Canada becoming ‘energy superpower’ as 4 Nunavut projects get federal funding, Idlout says
By Arty Sarkisian, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunatsiaq News Nunavut will get $17.2 million in federal funding for four clean energy projects that will be part of the country’s Arctic sovereignty push, Nunavut MP Lori Idlout says. “It clearly shows that we are on the road to becoming an energy superpower,” the Liberal politician said at a funding announcement on Monday at the Iqaluit power plant. “Inuit and Indigenous peoples are leading the way.” The money, which comes from the federal departments of Natural Resources and Crown–Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs, will help fund wind turbines and solar energy projects. Nunavut Nukkiksautiit Corp., which is owned by the Qikiqtani Inuit Association, will get $4.8 million for feasibility and engineering design studies of solar and wind projects in Sanirajak, Kinngait and...
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As Native American boarding schools project ends, survivors describe feeling honored and restored
By Nancy Marie Spears/the Imprint Hundreds of Indigenous people have testified. They’ve sobbed, cursed and laughed in spite of it all. Many told stories about their time in boarding schools that they’ve kept inside for decades, finally able to begin recovering from childhood trauma. An oral history project led by the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition is wrapping up in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Friday. To date, the nonprofit’s historians have collected video testimony from more than 360 Indigenous survivors in 19 states — stories set to be preserved in the Library of Congress for years to come. Iona Mad Plume, who is Blackfeet and grew up on her tribe’s reservation in Montana, said she “can’t emphasize enough” how healing her experience was. She testified in front of a...
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‘They failed her:’ Indy’s hospital to jail pipeline
By Mary Claire Molloy/mirror Indy Adilah Patton went to the emergency room at Eskenazi Health. After being discharged, the 21-year-old spent the night in the waiting room. It was January 2018. Patton was trying to stay warm that winter; the temperature outside was 34 degrees and she had no home of her own. Hospital police arrested her for trespassing. Eskenazi’s officers wrote in their report that Patton had previously caused “a disturbance” at the hospital by loitering. They gave her another trespass card with orders: unless seeking medical treatment, stay away. “Eskenazi was her safe space,” said Patton’s mother, Ebony Chisholm. “I took her there so many times for mental health evaluations. I wanted help getting her committed.” But the family said Eskenazi didn’t help. Instead, the city’s lone public...
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U.S. kayaker dead after capsizing in wind on B.C.’s Okanagan Lake
A kayaker has drowned after capsizing in windy conditions on Okanagan Lake in the British Columbia Interior. West Kelowna RCMP say the accident happened Friday evening, when two kayakers went into the water near the Westbank First Nation beach. Police say the pair encountered sudden wind conditions on the lake and one went under while trying to swim to shore. Rescuers on nearby vessels were quickly on the scene and helped one of the kayakers to safety but couldn’t find the other person. Central Okanagan Search and Rescue was able to find the person’s body several hours later. The victim has been confirmed as an American citizen, and their identity has not been released as next of kin are being notified. This report by The Canadian Press was first published...
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Many Nunavut MLAs face the law but not political consequences
By Arty Sarkisian, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunatsiaq News Nanulik MLA James Arvaluk had battled his criminal charges for two years before a judge found him guilty of assaulting his former girlfriend in Coral Harbour. “I’m not worried about the sentence,” Arvaluk said shortly after the ruling in 2003, “but my political career is over.” He was wrong. In 2004, a judge sentenced him to nine months in jail. Two years later, Arvaluk went on to win a byelection in Tununiq, the riding that encompasses Pond Inlet. He won the seat again in 2008. In the end, it was bad health that forced Arvaluk out of politics. He resigned from his seat in 2011 following a heart attack and stroke. Arvaluk’s story is not unique. Since the territory’s creation in...
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Women leadership trending in First Nations across Westman and Canada
By Connor McDowell, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Brandon Sun One month after Birdtail Sioux First Nation member Tréchelle Bunn was elected chief of her community, she was described on a podcast called Matriarch Movement as a woman “who truly embodies what this movement is all about.” “At just 25 years old, Tréchelle is making history while balancing law school, community leadership and national advocacy,” the podcast said. “Her journey reminds us that the next generation isn’t just preparing to lead — they are leading.” Bunn was the first woman and youngest person ever to be elected chief of the First Nation in Westman. It was a historic moment in her community, but also part of a larger story of the changing role of women in First Nations today. Assembly of...
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Some evacuees allowed to go home as crews continue fighting fire near Lytton, B.C.
Fire crews are working on two barriers to slow the spread of a wildfire near Lytton, B.C., as many residents in the area are allowed to return home after being forced out last week. The provincial wildfire service says some of the 150 firefighters working on the Saw Creek wildfire are establishing a 15-metre control line along the north flank on the fire, while a barrier twice that size is being built between the Trans-Canada Highway to the Fraser River. The seven-square-kilometre fire is classified as out of control and set off multiple evacuation orders after it was discovered on Friday. By late Sunday the Thompson-Nicola Regional District and Village of Lytton had lifted evacuation orders for 47 properties but left the order in place for about a dozen others...
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Wiikwemkoong woman’s story of human trafficking brings home reality of MMIWG2S+
By Jacqueline St.Pierre, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Manitoulin Expositor EDITOR’S WARNING: This story contains descriptions of human trafficking, gendered violence, coercive control, and the exploitation of Indigenous people, particularly women. Readers may wish to approach this material with care. MANITOULIN—Somewhere between the language of policy and the lived geometry of fear, journalism becomes less about extraction and more about witness. The facts do not always sit neatly in court records or neatly indexed databases. It is often these accounts that create the record. Sometimes they surface as pattern, as repetition, as the echo of similar accounts told by people who have never met but recognize each other’s terrain. For the purposes of this report, a 29-year-old Anishinaabek woman from Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory will be identified only as “Faith.” What...
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Canada looks to build up to 10 new nuclear reactors, sell more Candu reactors abroad
By Nick Murray Canada is looking to build up to 10 new nuclear reactors over the next 15 years, sell Candu reactors to more countries and double uranium exports, Energy Minister Tim Hodgson said Monday as he released a new national strategy for nuclear power. Hodgson called it a plan for a “new civilian nuclear renaissance” as the federal government looks to double the capacity of the electrical grid by 2050. “If our goal is to double our grid and build a low-carbon economy in less than 25 years, there is no credible plan to do that without nuclear energy and the clean, reliable baseload power it provides,” Hodgson told a news conference in Newmarket, Ont. “There is no credible plan for Canada to become an energy superpower if we...
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Embassy West does not have a monopoly on Elder care contracts in Nunavut: Territorial government
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News Questions over Elder care management raised by the non-profit Iqaluit Elders Society are being answered by the Government of Nunavut. On May 14, Premier John Main said he wanted to expand at-home Elder care in the territory, an issue the non-profit has campaigned for. Currently, 87 per cent of the GN’s Elder care budget goes to long-term care homes, while only two per cent of Nunavummiut Elders use the facilities, the Iqaluit Elders Society argues. Embassy West operates a long-term care facility in Ottawa for Nunavummiut and the Rankin Inlet long-term care facility with Sakku Investments Corporation. The Iqaluit Elders Society asked Nunavut News to find out if Embassy West had a monopoly over Elder care services in Nunavut, or...
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Nunavut Inuit association spending $6.8 million on Inuit youth support; distributes $18.7 million in housing funds
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI) has approved $6.8 million to strengthen Inuit youth programs and services and to establish a Nunavut Youth Council over the next three years, the organization announced on June 10. The money comes from the federal government’s Youth Mental Health Fund. “Our young people have told us they want to be heard, involved and supported,” said NTI President Gloria Uluqsi. Buildings for youth services, wellness programs, mental health services and leadership opportunities will all receive funding. Additionally, $18.7 million federal housing dollars will be distributed from the 2022 Housing Funds. The Qikiqtani Inuit Association (QIA) will receive $6.6 million to build homes, NTI will receive $5.7 million, the Kivalliq Inuit Association will receive $3.6 million and the...
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Cold Lake First Nations acts on stray dog concerns under animal control bylaw
By Chantel Downes, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Lakeland This Week In a May 26 notice to members, Cold Lake First Nations said enforcement of the Cold Lake First Nations Animal Control Bylaw would begin June 1 in response to public safety concerns involving uncontrolled dogs throughout the community. The bylaw permits a maximum of four domestic animals per dwelling and requires dogs to remain under the owner’s control at all times. “The issue of stray dogs has been a concern for Cold Lake First Nations for some time. More recently, a small number of dogs were the subject of repeated complaints from community members and guests due to aggressive behaviour and concerns for public safety. These incidents, combined with ongoing concerns regarding dogs running at large, prompted an immediate response,”...
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Beyond the Land Acknowledgement: Indigenous Access to Local Lands in Halton
By Kezia Royer-Burkett, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter June is National Indigenous History Month in Canada, a time to recognize and celebrate the rich histories, cultures, traditions, and contributions of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples. It is also an opportunity for Canadians to reflect on the relationships Indigenous communities continue to have with the lands they have stewarded for generations. Over the past several years, land acknowledgement statements have become a familiar part of life across Canada. They are spoken before public events, printed in programs, and displayed on municipal websites, including here in Burlington. Many residents have heard the words, but fewer understand what they truly mean for Indigenous communities living and working throughout the Halton Region today. On the City of Burlington website, the city acknowledges that Burlington...
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Six Nations man charged in collision
HALDIMAND COUNTY, ON – A man is facing charges after a motor vehicle collision in Cayuga in Haldimand County. The Haldmand County Ontario Provincial Police said a single vehicle collision occured Sunday, June 21, 2026, at about 6:10 a.m., on Dry Lake Road, Cayuga, Ont.,. As a result of the investigation a man was placed under arrest. OPP said Brian Porter, 65 of Six Nations of the Grand River has been charged with: Operation while impaired – alcohol and drugs Operation while impaired – blood alcohol concentration (80 plus) The accused is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Cayuga on August 4, 2026....
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Building wealth, keeping culture: inside the economic evolution of Tsawwassen’s entrepreneurs
By Radha Agarwal, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Delta Optimist Seventeen years after making history with British Columbia’s first urban treaty, the business landscape of the Tsawwassen First Nation (TFN) is undergoing a profound generational shift. From major regional economic drivers like the Tsawwassen Mills shopping centre to independent small business creators, the community’s economic footprint is expanding. “The focus has shifted from survival-based entrepreneurship toward long-term wealth creation, employment, and Nation-building,” said Jodaye Garner, TFN’s community business development coordinator. There are currently about 30 member-owned businesses ranging from traditional artisans and food caterers to heavy equipment operators, contractors and professional service providers. “More importantly, both the number of businesses and the scale and ambition of their operations continue to grow,” said Garner. She emphasizes that the 2009 treaty fundamentally transformed...
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Supreme Court nominee Joyal cites access to justice, outreach as key contributions
By Jim Bronskill Supreme Court of Canada nominee Glenn Joyal describes himself as a “candid and constructive spokesperson” for Manitoba’s highest trial court and the judiciary. Prime Minister Mark Carney has tapped Joyal, chief justice of the Court of King’s Bench of Manitoba since 2011, to fill the vacancy on the country’s top court left by the retiring Sheilah Martin. Before becoming a judge, Joyal practised criminal law, constitutional law and civil litigation in Manitoba. The Prime Minister’s Office praised his work on improving access to justice, modernizing court operations and advancing reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples. In his Supreme Court candidacy submission, Joyal says his most significant contributions to the law are his efforts to make justice more accessible and to engage with the public on the role of the...
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Innu Nation axes exhibit, says N.L. government believes ‘fringe theory’ about history
By Sarah Smellie The Innu Nation in Labrador has cancelled an important cultural exhibit after it accused the provincial government of disputing the Innu’s account of their own history. Innu Cultural Guardian Jodie Ashini says she got a call from officials with the provincial art gallery days before the Innu Pakassiun exhibit was set to open in Labrador on National Indigenous Peoples Day. Ashini says the art gallery team relayed the wishes of the provincial government that the exhibit not include an Innu timeline, nor make any links between the stone tools on display and the Innu. University student Bailey Andrew is shown in this handout photo holding up an artifact at The Rooms provincial art gallery in St. John’s, N.L., on Jan. 28, 2026, in preparation for the...
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‘It makes no sense’: Local MP takes aerodrome fight to House of Commons
By Danielle Pitman, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, OrilliaMatters.com The voices of fustrated residents living along the shore of Lake Couchiching echoed in the halls of the House of Commons in Ottawa this week. Simcoe North MP Adam Chambers brought a petition about the aerodrome on Lake Couchiching to the federal halls of power Thursday. “Petitioners would like to see the aerodrome reviewed for safety regulations and ensure that consultations take place between the many residents, boaters and camps and all recreational users of Lake Couchiching including those of Rama First Nation who call this place home,” he said in a social media post. “They also want future laws and regulations to be changed to require consultations for these types of aerodromes going forward,” he said on social media. The petition...
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Learning through art: South Niagara murals showcase Indigenous culture
By Laura Barton, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, NiagaraThisWeek.com ust in time for National Indigenous History Month, three murals bringing awareness to Indigenous culture, history and people have been installed in south Niagara. The murals can be found in Port Colborne, Wainfleet and Fenwick, with a fourth intended to go up in Fort Erie. Greg Higginbotham, tourism officer for Niagara’s South Coast Tourism Association (NSCTA), said the initiative was born from a larger year-long, government-funded project to develop Indigenous tourism experiences in South Niagara. “What kept coming up again and again, a recurring theme of sorts, was art,” he said. He said when it initially applied for funding for that larger project, the NSCTA saw there was an absence of Indigenous tourism experiences for people visiting Niagara. Working alongside Indigenous communities,...
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Manitoba police watchdog investigates fatal shooting after domestic call
By Ian Bickis Manitoba’s police watchdog is investigating after an officer fatally shot a man while responding to a domestic problem at a Winnipeg home. The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba says a woman had requested help as her boyfriend had been fighting with her and had an edged weapon. The woman also told police that the man had a history of violence, she had a protection order against him and there were four children in the home. The watchdog says soon after police arrived, the armed man confronted them and an officer fired a gun. Officers provided medical care to the man, who was transported to hospital in critical condition and died. Police Chief Gene Bowers told a press conference that one of the officers was wearing a body...
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