Man, 49, jailed for sex with teenager
By Bob Mackin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Prince George Citizen A 49-year-old man who admitted to sexual intercourse with a 15-year-old girl was sentenced June 17 to 30 months in jail. In a hearing at BC Supreme Court in Smithers, Nathan Stanley Nicholas was also banned from possessing weapons for 10 years and placed on the national sex offender registry for 20 years. In her oral ruling, Justice Sandra Sukstorf said the Crown asked for a three-year sentence, emphasizing the seriousness of the crime, the age of the victim and her vulnerability and the invasive nature of the sexual assault. The defence proposed a conditional sentence order and probation. On Feb. 11, 2023, after they both consumed alcohol during a gathering at his house. Nicholas and the victim had sexual...
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Alberta separatists gain partial court win on referendum petition
By Jack Farrell The group pushing for a separation referendum in Alberta has won a partial victory in court. An Alberta Court of Appeal judge ruled on Monday that the signatures on their referendum petition can be counted and verified. Justice Alice Woolley, in a written decision, said not verifying the signatures now could create more problems later on should things change with larger issues that have yet to be decided in court. “People who signed the petition may move or die. They may change addresses or phone numbers. Trust and confidence in the security and integrity of the collected sheets will begin to erode (if they’re not verified now),” Woolley wrote. Wooley’s decision is the latest step in a long-running court fight over a referendum petition launched by the...
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Nominee Glenn Joyal tells MPs he wants to uphold public confidence in Supreme Court
By David Baxter Supreme Court of Canada nominee Glenn Joyal says he wants to uphold public confidence in the country’s top court. Joyal, nominated to the Supreme Court by Prime Minister Mark Carney last week, is taking questions from MPs on a House of Commons committee today. Joyal, who has been chief justice of the Court of King’s Bench of Manitoba since 2011, says fostering public trust in the judiciary involves demonstrating that judges understand the lived experience of people coming before the courts. Joyal says his time in Winnipeg helped him understand the judiciary’s relationship with Indigenous people and calls the experience “extremely humbling.” Justice Minister Sean Fraser, Federal Judicial Affairs Commissioner Marc Giroux and Maureen McTeer, chair of the independent advisory board tasked with reviewing Supreme Court nominations,...
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Food affordability in First Nations has people flying groceries in
By Maya Ekman, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, NWOnewswatch.com MUSKRAT DAM – “This is just the reality of living up here,” said Muskrat Dam community member, River Kakegamic, after scanning a box of burger patties for $60. “Recently, prices have gone up and it is a sad reality for people up North who rely heavily on our local stores,” she said. “A box of burgers was maybe $20 to $25, but recently it has jumped up to $60 a box.” Last week, Kakegamic travelled to Thunder Bay and brought groceries home with her for an additional $100 to $150 in freight fees on top of personal luggage. She said she brought back pantry food such as rice, pasta and spaghetti sauce. “Stuff that would cost me a lot more here,” she...
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First Nation in Manitoba orders residents to leave due to evacuation of nearby town
A First Nation in northern Manitoba is evacuating its residents due to a wildfire that’s threatening a nearby town. Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, an Indigenous advocacy group, says in a statement that the Marcel Colomb First Nation has ordered the evacuation because it relies on critical infrastructure and resources from Lynn Lake, a town about 25 kilometres to the west whose residents have already left. The statement says Lynn Lake, which began evacuation flights on Saturday, serves as a key supply and service hub for the First Nation and that it would be unsafe for its people to remain. The MKO statement says about 110 people are affected by the order. The wildfire that’s threatening Lynn Lake was late last week and grew quickly, with the Manitoba government’s wildfire information page...
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Wildfire forces evacuation of remote village in Northwest Territories
A remote community of the Northwest Territories was ordered late Sunday to evacuate as an out-of-control wildfire continues to burn nearby. The territorial government’s website says the Dehcho fire is roughly seven kilometres west of the Fort Simpson Airport. Wildfire officials say the fire is about 4.2 square kilometres in size. Officials with the Village of Fort Simpson said in a notice that the community’s roughly 1,300 residents should flee to the Multiplex Arena in Yellowknife, about 630 kilometres east of the village. The City of Yellowknife, in a social media post, confirmed the Multiplex’s gym will act as a reception and lodging centre. Fort Simpson officials said residents who wished to evacuate by plane should go to the local recreation centre. The last plane out was scheduled for early...
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Some Indigenous people wary of Order of Canada’s “colonial symbolism”: federal study
By Jim Bronskill Indigenous community members have encouraged federal officials to reflect on how the Order of Canada can overcome its “deep colonial symbolism and associations,” says an internal government presentation on efforts to modernize the Canadian honours system. The April presentation, prepared for the Order of Canada Advisory Council, says recent feedback indicates that accepting the honour “could bring feelings of discomfort or shame” to some Indigenous people due to its colonial associations. On the other hand, some said the Order of Canada offers an opportunity to advance reconciliation efforts by recognizing Indigenous strength and resilience. The Privy Council Office’s Impact and Innovation Unit has been working with the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General and the Rideau Hall Foundation to learn more about public awareness of...
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Archeologists accuse N.L. government of ‘colonial logic’ in dispute with Innu
A group of archeologists at Memorial University have voiced their support for the Innu Nation, saying the Newfoundland and Labrador government has undermined public trust and harmed Innu people. The comments were made in a letter signed by seven professors from Memorial’s archeology department and shared publicly by the Innu Nation on Thursday. The letter comes after the Innu Nation cancelled a cultural exhibit this week, saying the Newfoundland and Labrador government objected to the show’s timeline of Innu history in Labrador. The Indigenous group says the province subscribes to a “fringe theory” that Innu arrived in Labrador about 300 years ago, after the Europeans — a theory the archeologists opposed. Their letter said the theory rests on flawed assumptions and it accused the provincial government of “colonial logic” in...
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Mohawk Council of Kahnawake appeals to United Nations on S-2
By Marcus Bankuti, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eastern Door The Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) has sent an open letter to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, casting Parliament’s push to amend the Indian Act’s registration rules as a violation of Canada’s human rights obligations. “Nowhere else in the world does another government dictate who the citizens are of another people, so that’s why we felt it important to send it directly to the United Nations at this point because they need to start holding Canada to task,” said MCK grand chief Cody Diabo. If passed, Bill S-2 could enable thousands of people to regain status that was lost. Changes proposed by the bill include the elimination of the second-generation cut-off, which is when...
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Boy, 13, shot multiple times on First Nation in northern Manitoba
Manitoba police say a 13-year-old boy has been taken to hospital after he was shot multiple times on a northern First Nation. RCMP say officers responded to the shooting early this morning behind a building at Nisichawayasihk First Nation, about 850 kilometres north of Winnipeg. They found the boy with multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken to hospital and immediately underwent surgery. RCMP say the boy is in stable condition. They’re asking anyone with information about the shooting to call RCMP or Crime Stoppers. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 26, 2026. ...
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Universities have a vital role to play in tackling climate change
By Sarah Elizabeth Wolfe, and Philip Steenkamp Governments, corporations and other institutions must all play constructive roles in mitigating the impacts of climate change. Universities, too, can and must help with that effort. We are based at Royal Roads University in the south of Vancouver Island, a region that represents how communities need to plan for climate risks both big and small. This summer, El Niño means warmer seas and drier conditions. In June, early melting meant the island had already reached zero per cent snowpack reserve. The Canadian government’s drought assessment shows above-normal temperatures and lower precipitation across the Pacific Northwest this El Niño season. An early-season drought — which could affect Vancouver Island — will negatively impact farms, wetlands, wildfire risks and water demand from seasonal tourism. Higher...
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Great Peace of Montreal Treaty comes home
By Lucas-Matthew Marsh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Iori:wase The only known copy of the Great Peace of Montreal treaty is on display at Pointe-à-Callière for the first time in 25 years. Gerald Taiaiake Alfred, one of the exhibit’s interviewees, said that the return of the treaty presents an opportunity to educate the public on Indigenous history and the legacy of settler colonialism. “Our conceptions of peace were like the founding documents of this whole country,” Alfred said. To celebrate the grand opening, the Pointe-à-Callière Museum held an interpretive tour on Saturday. The tour guided attendees through the Éperon building and archaeological crypt before concluding at the Fort de Ville-Marie Québecor pavilion. The museum also hosted a free block party on Place Royale the following day in honour of National Indigenous...
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Osoyoos Indian Band set to restore native plants, species in wildfire-ravaged forests
By Aaron Hemens, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, IndigiNews Osoyoos Indian Band is working to revitalize forests in its territories that have been ravaged by wildfires — turning them into fire-resistent zones full of biodiversity, wildlife and medicinal plants for its members. The band-owned Nk’Mip Forestry is planning to revive two woodlands located above the First Nation’s reservation in the highlands between Oliver and Mount Baldy — making up just over 40 hectares combined. The forest tenure where the project is located is approximately 50,000 hectares in size, and is co-managed between the Osoyoos Indian Band and Gorman Bros. The two forests — a drier douglas fir ecosystem with ponderosa pine, and a montane spruce ecosystem dominated by dense lodgepole pile further up the hill — were both impacted by the...
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Traditional practices help patients heal at Selkirk Mental Health Centre
By Steven Sukkau, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Winnipeg Sun The growing demand for Indigenous-specific mental health supports has prompted continued expansion of culturally based programming at Selkirk Mental Health Centre, where staff say healing is strengthened when traditional Indigenous practices are integrated with clinical care. Ryan Thomas, manager of Indigenous Health Services for Mental Health and Addictions with Shared Health, said more Indigenous people accessing mental health services are presenting with increasingly complex needs, often while living with the lasting effects of intergenerational trauma, grief, substance use disorders, social isolation and housing insecurity. “The need for Indigenous-specific mental health supports has grown significantly in recent years,” Thomas said. He said there is also greater recognition that recovery is most effective when it addresses the whole person. “For many Indigenous patients,...
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Canada sending $5 million in humanitarian aid to those hit by Venezuelan earthquakes
By Dylan Robertson Canada is providing $5 million in humanitarian aid to support emergency relief efforts after Venezuela was hit with earthquakes. Global Affairs Canada says the money will go towards emergency food, water, sanitation and health services, as well as protection and logistics services. The department says the government continues to monitor the situation and remains in close contact with partners to assess and respond to evolving needs over the coming days and weeks. Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday Ottawa would send aid to the South American country after what he called “catastrophic earthquakes” overnight. “It’s a, obviously, fast-developing tragedy,” Carney told reporters on Parliament Hill. In a written statement, Carney expressed his condolences for the dead — who numbered at least 188 as of Thursday afternoon —...
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Innu community ‘moved to anger, to strength’ after accusing province of censoring history
By Frey Blake-Pijogge, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, IndigiNews Fallout continues from the last-minute cancellation of an exhibition of Innu culture and history in “Newfoundland and Labrador” — after its organizers said the province tried to censor it. After two years of planning, Innu Pakassiun (“Innu tools for survival”) was set to open on Sunday at the Labrador Interpretation Centre, on National Indigenous Peoples Day. The centre is run by The Rooms, the province’s official archives, museum and gallery — a Crown corporation overseen by provincial appointees, including the deputy minister of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation. But instead, the Innu Nation abruptly scrapped the long-awaited display. It accused the province of ordering the removal of all cultural items and timelines older than 300 years, contradicting the government’s preferred version of...
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Carney coming to Calgary Stampede, carrying message that separation is no magic wand
By Lisa Johnson Prime Minister Mark Carney is coming to next week’s Calgary Stampede, and plans to reiterate that quitting Canada will not be the magic wand separatists think it is. Carney, taking questions from reporters in Ottawa on Thursday, said the fallout from the United Kingdom voting to leave the European Union a decade ago should serve as a clear cautionary tale. “I saw firsthand what gets sold in these referenda, that everything’s gonna be easy, that you can keep your passport, the currency — you can stay in the country and leave it at the same time,” he said. Carney said Alberta’s vote comes when Canada is trying to be seen as a stable, reliable international trading partner. “At a minimum, it’s years of uncertainty before the subsequent...
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Province and Webequie break ground on supply road
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, SNnewswatch.com WEBEQUIE — The process of building the Webequie Supply Road, a key part of establishing road access to the Ring of Fire, has begun. Premier Doug Ford, Indigenous Affairs Minister Greg Rickford, Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria and Energy and Mines Minister Stephen Lecce joined Webequie First Nation Chief Lorraine Whitehead and other Webequie dignitaries on Thursday for a groundbreaking ceremony. “Ontario’s Ring of Fire is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create 70,000 good-paying jobs, access the critical minerals the world wants to buy, add $22 billion to our provincial economy and help northern Ontario reach its full economic potential,” Ford is quoted as saying in a government news release. Getting mines started in the Ring of Fire, a mineral-rich area in the James...
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Teachers’ union recognizes teacher group focused on climate-change issues
By Maggie Macintosh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Winnipeg Free Press Manitoba’s newest professional teacher group has a mandate to share tips for managing eco anxiety and deliver solutions-based lessons on climate change. The Environmental and Climate Action Education Network of Manitoba officially became an affiliate of the Manitoba Teachers’ Society this spring. For its co-founders, the union’s endorsement is especially timely, as school communities make sense of recent wildfire and flooding-related disruptions — symptoms of, in teacher Suzanne Simpson’s words, “the biggest existential threat facing humanity.” “We do a disservice to present scary facts without any hopeful action, without the opportunity for hopeful action,” said Simpson, a teacher-librarian who runs environmental clubs at two elementary schools in Winnipeg. A trio of teachers established the group, formerly known as Educators for...
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Fort St. John to showcase competition featuring province’s best Indigenous firefighters
By Edward Hitchins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Energeticcity.ca FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Indigenous fire departments from around British Columbia will descend on Fort St. John this weekend. The 41st annual Indigenous Firefighter Competition will take place all day on Saturday, June 27th, in Centennial Park, hosted by the First Nations Emergency Services Society of B.C (FNESS). Firefighting competitions are quasi-athletic events where first responders face challenges based on real-world scenarios they might encounter, testing strength, speed, skill, stamina, and technical skills. The society is a non-profit organization that partners with First Nations across the province through training programs in forest fire and emergency management, according to its website. According to FNESS’s media specialist, Richard Olak, the competition predates the organization’s formation, which occurred in 1986. “It started in 1984...
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