Bearspaw First Nation looking to strengthen relationship with Calgary
By Leah Pelletier, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Rocky Mountain Outlook ÎYÂRHE NAKODA – Bearspaw First Nation is looking to bolster its relationship with neighbouring City of Calgary. Plans to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that would lay the foundation for future collaboration between Bearspaw and the city were set in motion at a July 16 Calgary council meeting. “These memorandums of understanding … set the framework, the map so to speak, for us to be able to continue on the journey of more substantive developments,” said Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas in a scrum following the meeting where council unanimously voted in favour of pursuing the agreement. “Things like mutual interest in economic developments, potentially shared service provision.” While the MOU is not legally binding, it serves as a commitment...
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Residents seek moratorium on Toronto data centres, as Mississauga approves pause
By Elissa Mendes Some Toronto residents are demanding a one-year moratorium on two proposed data centre projects, as a neighbouring city has voted to block any such new developments for a year. Councillors in Mississauga, Ont., voted Wednesday in favour of a data centre moratorium while the city studies their impact and how they would be regulated. The city will also consult residents, Indigenous Peoples and the industry. On the same day, protesters gathered outside Toronto City Hall ahead of a multi-day council meeting that’s expected to weigh motions seeking a closer look at the impacts of two data centre projects in the city’s Etobicoke and Scarborough areas. Chanting and holding up signs, demonstrators emphasized the climate implications of the proposed data centre projects, especially as Toronto has been enduring...
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Alberta ‘settled on Ontario-like structure’ for online gambling, says industry analyst
By David Boles, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, St. Albert Gazette Alberta’s regulated online gambling market is now live, opening the door to a new industry that analysts say could generate significant revenue while raising questions about consumer protections and gambling addiction. The market officially launched July 13 after legislation passed by the Alberta government earlier this year. While nearly 50 operators have registered ,Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction Minister Dale Nally said, fewer than half were ready to begin offering services when the market opened. Industry analysts say Alberta’s model closely mirrors Ontario’s — the only other Canadian province with a regulated competitive online gambling market — giving the province a roadmap for both the financial opportunities and the regulatory challenges ahead. “They’re very similar structures,” said Geoff Zochodne,...
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$7 million worth of federal renewable energy funding going to projects in six Nunavut communities, one in NWT, and two in Yukon
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News The federal government is putting $7 million into eight renewable energy projects across Nunavut, the Northwest Territories and Yukon. Minister of Environment Julie Dabrusin made the announcement on July 29 in Whitehorse. Planning and construction of a future wind power development in Baker Lake received $1.4 million, which includes tests for windmill operations in Chesterfield Inlet and Whale Cove. Inuit-owned Nunasi Corporation received the federal contract for the project, which uses a portable wind speed measurement device to determine the feasibility of wind power in the communities. Solar panel installation on Chesterfield Inlet’s Noel Nuvak Arena received $729,434. The money will go to the Hamlet of Chesterfield Inlet, which installed a 134-kilowatt solar array on the roof of the rink....
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Six Nations Police seize cocaine in Highway 54 property search
SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND RIVER- A Six Nations man and a Brantford woman are facing drug trafficking charges after a Six Nations Police (SNP) raid on a property on Highway 54. The SNP Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) launched the drug trafficking investigation Tuesday (July 28) executing four search warrants under Section 11 of the Controlled Drugs & Substances Act. SNP officers executed the search warrants on multiple vehicles as well as a Dundas Street property in Brantford and a Six Nations property on Highway 54 near Chiefswood Road. SNP said one adult male was taken into custody without incident, while an adult female was arrested and charged later. Police seized about 307 grams of cocaine, about $15,000 in currency, and one imitation firearm as a result of the searches....
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Memorandum of understanding and official community plan included in gathering in Sun Peaks
By Hollie Ferguson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Wren Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality hosted a gathering July 20 with leadership from local First Nations, the provincial government and local stakeholders to discuss a variety of topics, including a memorandum of understanding, cultural acknowledgements and the Sun Peaks 2026 Official Community Plan. The memorandum of understanding was signed by Adams Lake Indian Band, Neskonlith Indian Band and Skwlāx te Secwepemcúl̓ecw as well as the provincial Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport and the Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation. Neither Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality or Sun Peaks Resort LLP were signatories on the memorandum. “The renewed [memorandum of understanding] will continue to guide discussions on a collaborative, coordinated and sustainable approach to stewardship of land and...
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Bill C-21 delay won’t halt Red River Métis self-government, MMF says
By Aaron Walker, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Windspeaker.com Officials of the Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF) say their pursuit of self-government continues despite Parliament’s summer adjournment delaying legislation to implement its governance treaty. The House of Commons adjourned before Bill C-21, the Red River Métis Self-Government Recognition and Implementation Act, could receive second reading. While supporters view the legislation as another milestone in the Red River Métis’ decades-long pursuit of self-government, several First Nations leaders say questions remain about consultation, treaty rights and jurisdiction. For MMF President David Chartrand, however, the legislation represents only one step in a much broader effort to build the institutions of self-government — an effort he says continues regardless of Parliament’s legislative timetable. Introduced in the House of Commons on Feb. 12, the legislation known as...
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Sitting along Hwy. 400 ‘our community members are at risk,’ says Parry Sound Friendship Centre ahead of human trafficking workshop
By Shania Tabobondung Local Journalism Initiative reporter ParrySound.com. On July 30, the Parry Sound Friendship Centre will host a community presentation on human trafficking and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2-Spirit People (MMIWG2S). The event, led by antihuman trafficking expert Suzanne Smoke, is raising awareness and equipping the community with resources to fight human trafficking. Smoke is an Anishinaabe Kwe (woman), a member of Mississauga’s of Rice Lake and Alderville First Nation and she sits with the Bear Clan. “I have worked in antihuman trafficking and sexual assault for past nine years in a professional capacity. And as an Auntie and Knowledge Keeper, I have been hearing and listening and supporting disclosures in our lodges for over 30 years,” Smoke said. The presentation coincides with the United Nations’...
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Separation petition clears signature threshold, but court fight continues
By Somya Lohia, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Shootin’ the Breeze A citizen initiative petition proposing a referendum on Alberta becoming an independent country has been declared successful after Elections Alberta verified enough signatures to satisfy the requirements of the Citizen Initiative Act. The agency announced Friday that statistical verification estimated 222,597 valid signatures from an initial submission of 286,593 signatures, surpassing the required minimum of 177,732. Despite the successful verification, the process cannot move forward until the courts decide an appeal stemming from an earlier ruling that quashed the petition. The petition, titled A Referendum Relating to Alberta Independence, asks whether Alberta “should cease to be a part of Canada to become an independent state.” It was organized by proponent Mitch Sylvestre. Chief electoral officer Gordon McClure determined the petition...
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FedNor flows $90,360 into Latchford dam project
By Sue Nielsen, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Temiskaming Speaker LATCHFORD — The hard work to turn the Latchford power dam into a power producing facility has been electrified by a $90,360 FedNor funding boost. Latchford, Coleman Township, the Timiskaming First Nation (TFN) and the Teme Augama Anishinabek are all involved in the project’s development. Provided through the FedNor Northern Ontario Development Program, this non-repayable funding will be used to hire a project coordinator to update a feasibility study and concept design to confirm the project is economically viable and ready to proceed, said information in a FedNor press release. The project was the brainchild of the Communities of the Montreal River Power Corporation group, made up of former Latchford mayor George Lefebvre, Coleman Township Mayor Dan Cleroux, project coordinator Jeff...
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Dene Nation frustrated by GNWT’s ‘diluted’ approach to Indigenous procurement policy
By Kody Ferron, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Yellowknifer The Dene Nation is expressing its “profound disappointment and frustration” in the GNWT’s failure to implement an Indigenous procurement policy. In 2021, an independent panel made recommendations to the GNWT to revise and better implement its Indigenous procurement policy. As of July 2026, the GNWT has announced that it will not implement any such policy. Instead, it has modified its definition of an Indigenous business and has scrapped plans to implement an Indigenous procurement policy entirely. On July 28, the Dene Nation expressed its deep disappointment in the GNWT for its decision to abandon plans for a proper Indigenous procurement policy — something First Nations in the NWT have been championing for years. “The Dene Nation, led by National Chief George Mackenzie,...
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NWT Art Centre Initiative signs agreement to establish non-commercial art gallery
By Kody Ferron, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Yellowknifer The NWT Art Centre Initiative and the GNWT have signed memorandum of understanding (MOU) to explore the future site of a non-commercial art gallery in Yellowknife. The proposed gallery will provide art exhibition space, supports for NWT artist career building, community space for public programming, and would act as a means to preserve the territory’s artistic and cultural heritage, according to a joint GNWT/ NWT Art Centre Initiative news release issued on July 24. “The vision also includes a resource library, a permanent art collection and space for learning about the history and impacts of residential schools in the Northwest Territories,” reads the release. The MOU has identified the former Akaitcho Hall residential school site, adjacent to Sir John Franklin High School,...
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Darcy Whitecrow: Author, horse breeder, steward of Ojibwe culture
By Liam Oliver Neilson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Fort Frances Times Darcy Whitecrow considers it his duty to preserve his culture, planting its seeds through traditional language and a connection to nature. A member of Seine River First Nation, Whitecrow says he is here to pass on the lessons he has learned through family, a traditional Ojibwe upbringing and life experience. “You’re owned by the Creator, and He puts you down here for a purpose,” Whitecrow told The Times. Whitecrow has been true to that purpose, preserving and teaching Anishinaabemowin in words through the children’s books he has authored and breeding Ojibwe horses to help save them from extinction. “We’re kind of preserving both these things at once, the language and the horses. It’s the most important thing because once...
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Nevada program waives college costs for Native American students. It’s facing a murky future
By Rocío Hernández/the Nevada Independent Ronica Spute always wanted to go back to college to get her bachelor’s degree, but life kept getting in the way. Two years ago, her path was finally cleared thanks to a Nevada program that allows certain Native American students to attend college virtually for free. As a member of the Moapa Band of Paiutes, the waiver along with a scholarship from her tribe allowed Spute, 57, to pursue a criminal justice degree at UNLV and graduate in two years. It was one year less than it took her to get an associate’s degree from the College of Southern Nevada when she could only afford to take a few classes at a time. “I don’t think I could have done it if I wasn’t able...
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It was Pow Wow time at Six Nations
Six Nations Welcomes Thousands To Grand River Pow Wow By Alex Murray Writer With a record 639 dancers in colorful dancing regalia and thousands of attendees from across Turtle Island converging on Six Nations this past weekend, the Grand River Champion of Champions Pow Wow is bigger than ever. For Pow Wow Committee member and lead organizer Charlene Bomberry, who has helped put the pow wow on since its first edition in 1980, that growth speaks to how the Grand River Pow Wow has been adopted across the continent and across cultures. “The Pow Wow is not Haudenosaunee culture, it’s kind of grown into overall, all across North America,” she said as the drum circles serenaded dancers in the background. “But it’s adapted. A lot of people have adopted it...
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Multi-million-dollar Birkett Lane Development draws questions
By Alex Murray Writer Plans to build over 1,000 housing units on unceded Six Nations lands along the Grand River in Brantford is sparking both anger and concerns from community members. Over 50 Six Nations community members attended the July 20th Six Nations Lands and Resources (SNLR) engagement session on a proposed Birkett Lane development to be built on unceded Six Nations lands in Brantford. Six Nations band member Starla Myers questioned why the development was going forward. “Here we are again, entertaining people who are not from here, they have no connections to the land,” Myers said during a passionate plea. “They don’t care about who we are, or what we want to do to the land. What about just not doing anything with it, just healing?” Myers was...
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Chief Joel Abram wins 4th Straight Term As Grand Chief At AIAI 2026 General Assembly
By Alex Murray Writer The Association of Iroquois and Allied Indians (AIAI) selected incumbent Joel Abram during their Grand Chief selection process on Day 2 of their Annual General Assembly on July 22. Abram, who has been AIAI’s Grand Chief since 2017 when he was selected despite being the youngest candidate at the time, said he has learned a lot in his nine years as Grand Chief. “I am grateful to the member Nations for their continuing support and the confidence they have in selecting me for the position of Grand Chief of AIAI,” Abram told the 57th annual AIAI general assembly at the Mohawk Community Centre on Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory. “I have learned much in my time here, and I will continue to advance our rights protection mandate as...
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OPP “Project Time”: 63 people arrested in major Ontario Child Exploitation ring
By Alex Murray Writer A province-wide multi-agency probe into child exploitation in Ontario resulted in charges being laid against 63 people and the identification of 51 victims.The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) announced the charges on Wednesday (July 22). The joint initiative, called “Project Time,” includes 25 other police services and was executed through the Provincial Internet Child Exploitation Strategy (PICES). Project Time is a coordinated provincial effort to target individuals making, possessing, and distributing child sexual abuse material.OPP said identified victims were safeguarded and given the appropriate support. All told, Project Time resulted in 213 charges and the seizure of 814 electronic devices. 264 criminal investigations were conducted, with 154 still ongoing. The investigation found that two of the accused were people that were in a position of trust and/or...
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“Startling and Depressing”: AIAI Looks to Bootstrap Struggling Indigenous Languages Sector
By Alex Murray Writer The Association of Iroquois and Allied Indians (AIAI) Language Lead Kimberly Snake told the AIAI General Assembly last week the low number of high proficiency speakers of Indigenous languages is “startling” and “depressing.” “It really makes all of us think and take a step back,” Snake told the assembled delegates during Day 3 of the assembly on Thursday (July 23) at the Mohawk Community Centre on Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory. “We want to normalize the language in our communities. Normalize it, make it every day,” she added. Snake was presenting an update from AIAI’s Language Committee, which has representation from seven of AIAI’s eight member nations, with Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation (MCFN) the only one without a representative on the committee. Snake showed the assembly...
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New Iroquois Plaza roof on hold SNEC questions bidding process
A proposed $408,000 roof replacement for the Iroquois Plaza was put on hold after Six Nations councillors raised concerns about the tender process, project oversight, warranties and whether local contractors had been fully considered. The project came to the Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) July 20th, from the Housing Department seeking approval to replace the aging roof on the commercial plaza. Housing had deemed replacing the deteriorating roof necessary to protect and extend the life of the building. The tender process, facilitated by Garland DVS Canada Inc., identified Edward Roofing Inc. as the lowest qualified bidder. Funding for the project is included in the proposed 2026-27 Housing Operations and Maintenance capital budget. Before SNEC could vote, others questioned both the procurement process and the role of Garland DVS Canada Inc....
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