Province fast-tracks Great Bear gold project near Red Lake
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, SNnewswatch.com RED LAKE — The Great Bear gold mine project 24 kilometres southeast of Red Lake is getting fast-tracked under the province’s “One Project, One Process” framework. “Ontario is proud to designate this project under ‘One Project, One Process,’ unlocking one of Canada’s largest mines that will create over 1,000 good-paying jobs,” Energy and Mines Minister Stephen Lecce told reporters Tuesday in Mississauga. Toronto-headquartered Kinross Gold Corporation wants to develop its Great Bear property into a combination open-pit and underground mine that could produce more than 5 million ounces of gold over a 12-year period. Great Bear is the second Northwestern Ontario mine project to get the fast-tracking “1P1P” treatment, after Lecce announced in October that Frontier Lithium’s PAK project north of Red...
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Poilievre says he’s spoken with Jivani about U.S. trip and MP ‘speaks for himself’
By Sarah Ritchie and Catherine Morrison Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Tuesday Ontario MP Jamil Jivani does not speak for the party after Jivani told a right-wing U.S. news site that Canada is harming itself with an “anti-America hissy fit.” In a scrum with reporters, Poilievre was peppered with questions about Jivani’s recent trip to Washington, D.C., and comments made to Breitbart News that Canadians would be “shooting ourselves in the foot if we continue this anti-America hissy-fit.” When asked if he agreed with Jivani’s characterization, Poilievre said “no.” “Canadians are legitimately upset by the unjustifiable tariffs and the comments that the president has made,” Poilievre said. Poilievre said that is also the message he gave to Jivani when he spoke to him about the trip and the comments, but...
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Brantford Police seeking help locating “Ryan”
BRANTFORD,ONT-The Brantford Police Service are asking the public for help in locating missing man Ryan, 33. Brantford Police Service (BPS) said Ryan was last seen in the area of Stanley Street and Henry Street around 9:00pm on Tuesday February 17, 2026. He is described as an Indigenous male, about 6ft tall, brown hair, brown eyes, and has a medium build and was last seen wearing a blue jacket, black track pants, and black shoes with red laces. Ryan is known to frequent various areas within the downtown core and around local shelters for unhoused persons. The BPS would like to verify Ryan’s location and well-being and are seeking assistance from anyone who may have information regarding his location. Anyone with information is asked to please contact the Brantford Police Service...
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NDP leadership candidates look to break out from the pack as final debate approaches
By David Baxter The memberships have been sold, entry fees have been paid and now the NDP leadership candidates are preparing for their second and final party-organized debate in B.C. on Feb. 19. This second debate will be held in English. The first debate, held in November, was supposed to be a French-language debate — but since most of the candidates are not fluently bilingual, much of it was held in English. While the candidates share a broad range of benchmark social democratic values — such as support for labour unions — the debate gives them a chance to distinguish themselves from their rivals. The final vote will be held using a ranked ballot and the new leader will be announced on March 29 at a leadership convention in Winnipeg....
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Cold Lake charts social roadmap, council accepts needs assessment
By Rosemary Godin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cape Breton Post EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first of a two-part series about the history of the Membertou First Nation community that will be a core part of the Kings Road Reserve Specific Claim to be filed against the federal government later this year. Mi’kmaq elder Katy Macewan opened a meeting with prayer recently when members of Membertou First Nation gathered to hear the history of the King’s Road Reserve – the site their ancestors called home for centuries. It was fitting for Macewan because she is a surviving member of the last family that was forced to leave the Sydney reserve by the federal government in 1929. The forced move resulted in the formation of Membertou First Nation where it sits...
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Cold Lake charts social roadmap, council accepts needs assessment
By Chantel Downes, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Lakeland This Week The report is a comprehensive, evidence-based report designed to guide policy, planning, and investment decisions. The assessment, completed in October 2025 in partnership with Moorhouse & Associates Consulting Inc. and Objective Research and Evaluation Inc., offers a data-driven snapshot of the community’s strengths and emerging social pressures. The report now moves from consultation to implementation planning, with administration aligning future work to its findings, according to the City of Cold Lake. Data-driven community snapshot Cold Lake is shaped by its proximity to CFB Cold Lake, Indigenous Nations and Métis Settlements, the energy sector, and a growing regional service population, according to the document. While the city benefits from strong volunteerism, recreational amenities and collaborative service networks, the assessment confirms mounting...
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World class ice carvers go head to head in Banff’s first Art of Ice competition
By Leah Pelletier, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Rocky Mountain Outlook BANFF — Chisel in hand and an untouched block of ice as a canvas in front of him, Ross Baisas gets to work. There’s eight hours on the clock, and along with his brother Tony Baisas, the seasoned carvers are up against 10 other ice artists to create a sculpture from seven, 300-pound blocks of ice on day one of a three-day carving competition during the debut of Banff’s Art of Ice on Friday (Feb. 6) — part of the SnowDays festival. “My advantage is I can draw (well),” said Ross, a Montreal-based carver originally from the Philippines. “I’ve done drawing when I was young, before I did sculpting, and it’s almost like if I can draw it, I can...
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A Greenland sled dog champion fears for his culture as climate change melts the ice
By Emma Burrows, Evgeniy Maloletka And Kwiyeon Ha ILULISSAT, Greenland (AP) — Growing up in a village in northern Greenland, Jørgen Kristensen’s closest friends were his stepfather’s sled dogs. Most of his classmates were dark-haired Inuit; he was different. When he was bullied at school for his fair hair — an inheritance from the mainland Danish father he never knew — the dogs came to him. He first went out to fish on the ice with them alone when he was 9 years old. They nurtured the beginning of a life-long love affair and Kristensen’s career as a five-time Greenlandic dog sled champion. “I was just a small child. But many years later, I started thinking about why I love dogs so much,” Kristensen, 62, told The Associated Press. “The...
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Committee endorses declaring ‘humanitarian crisis’ on homelessness
By Clint Fleury, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, TBnewswatch.com THUNDER BAY – “This city cannot do this work alone,” Mayor Ken Boshcoff told the quality of life standing committee on Tuesday. The committee unanimously endorsed administration’s recommendation to declare a humanitarian crisis on homelessness in Thunder Bay. The recommendation will go to city council in March. “I look forward to working with Indigenous partners, service providers and other orders of government on concrete collaborative actions for our community and our neighbouring region. We are moving forward, and our action will reflect our sincere response,” Boshcoff said. Boshcoff met with Chief Michele Solomon of Anemki Wajiw (Fort William First Nation) and Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler to discuss the loss of life in the city’s homeless population after Solomon and...
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No outreach from N.S. minister of addictions, mental health to First Nation in crisis
By Lyndsay Armstrong Nova Scotia’s minister for addictions and mental health says he has not reached out to the First Nation community that announced this week it would declare a state of emergency over a crisis of illicit drugs and addiction. Brian Comer told reporters after a cabinet meeting Thursday his department does everything it can to support folks living with addiction and mental health issues, but said he’s not had direct contact with Sipekne’katik First Nation. “There has not been a reach-out to us directly, although that door is always open for further conversations,” he said. Comer said the province funds three clinical therapists who offer care to Mi’kmaq communities in the northern health zone, which covers Sipekne’katik First Nation, and recently opened a recovery centre in Truro, N.S.,...
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Fast-track laws impact First Nations governance, conference told
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Thunder Bay Source THUNDER BAY — The provincial and federal “Bill 5s” are undermining Indigenous governance and treaty rights, political scientist Ryan Fleming says. They “treat Indigenous rights as an issue to navigate around” rather than a promise to be honoured, he told Newswatch after delivering a presentation to Neeganii-Iishawin Gathering 2026. Provincial Bill 5 and federal Bill C-5, both designed to get major projects such as new mines and power plants started quickly, both became law in June against opposition from First Nations. The province and the feds decided “to treat Indigenous rights as an issue to navigate around, and these bills do essentially exactly that,” said Fleming, an Attawapiskat First Nation member and PhD candidate at the University of Toronto. “And...
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Quebec’s Minister of Public Security and Indigenous Affairs pledges plan on crime surge
By Marcus Bankuti, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eastern Door The province will soon announce a strategy that is set to help confront organized crime that has taken root in First Nations, Quebec’s minister of public security and Indigenous affairs told The Pines Reporter. While the minister, Ian Lafrenière, assured these plans will be revealed in the coming weeks, he provided few details about what the strategy will entail. However, he signalled he is well aware that Kanesatake is facing an increasingly challenging public safety situation. “I do understand community members, why they’re writing me, asking that we do something, because I can’t imagine raising my kids in an environment like that. This is not easy,” said Lafrenière. Just in the past couple months, The Eastern Door has documented the...
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First Nation buys own backup generators, saying governments and utility failed them
A Manitoba First Nation whose residents were evacuated for months last summer due to a wildfire and an extended power outage says it has bought its own backup generators, after it says governments and the province’s Crown-owned electric utility failed them. The Mathias Colomb Cree Nation says it has moved forward, on its own, to arrange private financing for the $8-million purchase of generators it says were meant to be installed last summer to bring wildfire evacuees home. More than 2,000 residents of the First Nation, in northwestern Manitoba, remained evacuated for 128 days due to an extended Manitoba Hydro outage that the community says the backup generators would have resolved. In a news release, Mathias Colomb Chief Gordie Bear chastised Canada and Manitoba for not supporting or cost-sharing the...
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Building a visitor centre in Clyde River could attract cruise ships, says hamlet employee
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News Joshua Akavak, acting economic development officer for Clyde River, said he sees cruise ships as an economic opportunity for the community. Clyde River has struggled to build infrastructure, Akavak said, and cruise ship passengers could bring in much-needed money. Nunavut Arctic College’s Piqqusilirivvik Inuit Cultural Learning Facility could become a tourist destination in Clyde River, he suggested, but the community still needs a visitor centre to attract cruise ships. “There’s a cultural school there… but to have a visitors centre, even though it’s season seasonal, I think it’s got a very big potential for certain times of the year, for people to be working during that time,” Akavak said. Akavak has lived in Clyde River since 2009, and he hasn’t...
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Nunavut charity for babies and moms shutting down after 10 years
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News Iqaluit-based charity One Plane Away is shutting down after 10 years of delivering essentials and gifts to Nunavummiut mothers and children. One Plane Away has delivered 1,690 care boxes to Nunavummiut babies in all of the territory’s communities since 2015. The charity said on Jan. 25 that losing its most significant source of funding was behind the decision to end its operations. But the One Plane Away board members told Nunavut News via email that there were other factors involved in their closing. “While our closing announcement referenced the loss of a major funder, in reality, there are other significant factors that led us to this decision,” the board members stated without identifying themselves by name. “For a number of...
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Inuit women’s organization names new president and CEO but won’t reveal selection process
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News National Inuit women’s organization Pauktuutit has named its new president and CEO, three months after ousting its previous leader. Nancy Etok took over as president and CEO of Pauktuutit, as announced in a Jan. 29 Facebook post from the organization, where she was photographed greeting Government of Nunavut ministers in Ottawa. Pauktuutit refused to elaborate on how Etok was chosen as president and CEO, and wouldn’t disclose how long her term will last at the non-profit. “Internal staffing and human resources matters are confidential, and it would be inappropriate for us to comment publicly,” stated Catherine Whittaker, a communications manager for Pauktuutit. On Etok’s LinkedIn profile, she lists her current position as “interim president.” Etok was chair of Pauktuutit’s board...
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Inquest continues into Winnipeg police shooting death of Eishia Hudson, 16
By Crystal Greene, Local Journalism Initiative reporter, IndigiNews Eishia Hudson, a 16-year-old member of Berens River First Nation in ‘Manitoba,’ was fatally shot by a Winnipeg police officer in 2020. Holding up an eagle feather, the father of Eishia Hudson — a teenage girl killed by Winnipeg police officers six years ago — remembered his daughter as “loved beyond words, missed beyond measure.” William Hudson, the late teen’s father, gave an emotional opening statement earlier this month at the start of an inquest into the circumstances of her 2020 shooting. The inquest launched with ceremonial protocols and drumming. Hudson spoke of his daughter’s impact, pausing at times to compose himself from emotionally breaking down during his appearance. “The dreams she would’ve chased in her life, she deserved to live,” he...
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Double murder, suicide in western Quebec First Nation, provincial police say
Quebec provincial police say a father fatally shot his two children before taking his own life in a First Nation community in the province’s western region. Provincial police say local officers in the community of Kitigan Zibi were called to a home around 2:15 a.m. where they found the three people. Sgt. Nancy Fournier says a firearm was used by the father, who was 41-years-old and the two children were aged 10 and 12. Local police say the victims are all members of Kitigan Zibi, an Algonquin First Nation community northwest of Ottawa. Earlier, provincial police said one of the three was declared dead at the scene and the other two were taken to hospital where their deaths were confirmed. Quebec Premier François Legault, Public Security Minister Ian Lafrenière and...
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Man removed from Wiikwemkoong under community bylaw believes he has the right to stay
By Lori Thompson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Manitoulin Expositor WIIKWEMKOONG—A lone pickup truck has idled at the edge of Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory since January 15, its occupant staging a one-man protest where reserve land meets the municipality of Assiginack. Inside rests Evan Lewis, a non-First Nations man who has been formally trespassed from the Territory one day earlier, insisting that his connection to the community — and to an unborn First Nations child — entitles him to remain. The scene is quietly unsettling: a pickup truck plastered with handmade signs, a flashing green light and questions that bears asking and demands attention. Mr. Lewis had been living in Wiikwemkoong since the fall of 2023. During that time, he and his then common-law partner became pregnant; a tragic miscarriage occurred...
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Elected Chief says former patients of former Lady Wellington Hospital can seek compensation for abuse
Six Nations Elected Chief Sherri Lyn Hill highlighted a newly approved federal settlement for survivors of Indian hospitals, recent advocacy work with provincial ministries, and emerging partnerships aimed at supporting Six Nations programs and services. Elected Chief Hill updated the community during Six Nations Elected Council’s (SNEC) meeting Jan., 27. She said the Federal Court has approved a settlement agreement in Hardy v. Attorney General of Canada, class action. The case addressed abuses experienced by Indigenous patients at federally operated Indian hospitals, including the former Lady Wellington Hospital, which was in Ohsweken. “The settlement is meant to address claims for psychological, verbal, physical and/or sexual abuse,” Hill said. Under the settlement, eligible class members can receive direct compensation ranging from $10,000 to $200,000. To qualify, individuals must have been patients...
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