Assembly of First Nations National Chief says coming Prime Minister meeting to focus on First Nations
Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak kicked off the 2026 Annual General Assembly with a big announcement on the upcoming First Nations-First Ministers (FNFM) Meeting. During her opening remarks in Ottawa on Tuesday (July 14), Woodhouse Nepinak touched on several of the major topics on the agenda, including the FNFM meeting that did not yet have an official date. Now it does, as Woodhouse Nepinak told the near 3,000 delegates and 400 Chiefs in attendance at the Rogers Centre that her team and Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office had agreed on an October 26, 2026, date for this groundbreaking FNFM meeting. “Securing this meeting didn’t come easy. And part of me won’t believe it until we are there. We had tough discussions with the provinces last...
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Six Nations water ‘not safe to drink,’ health officials say
By J.P. Antonacci, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Hamilton Spectator Six Nations residents started the week still unable to drink the water from their taps. “The community water is not safe to drink,” residents of Canada’s most populous First Nation were told in a community bulletin on Monday. “You must boil the water from your community water supply before using it.” Six Nations has been under a boil-water advisory since Thursday after a watermain break caused a drop in water pressure for band members connected to the reserve’s water. Residents were told to brace for a boil-water advisory while public works staff searched for the break. The advisory came a few hours later, with residents and businesses told to bring all water used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth and...
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Chief says assembly will tackle effect of major projects push on First Nations rights
By Alessia Passafiume Major projects and a coming meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney and the premiers will be the main focus of the Assembly of First Nations annual general assembly this week, National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak said Monday. The AFN gathering begins Tuesday and runs for three days. Speaking alongside a handful of regional chiefs and First Nations representatives at a news conference, Woodhouse Nepinak blasted the federal government over its approach to major projects development and said it could threaten the rights of First Nations. She said First Nations are not opposed to economic growth and are simply asking for a seat at the table as the federal government attempts to shore up the economy. “First Nations are for economic growth that will drive Canada’s collective prosperity...
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Fire on Anarchist Mountain east of Osoyoos, B.C., triggers evacuation alert
By Darryl Greer in Vancouver The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen has issued an evacuation alert for dozens of homes and properties that are being threatened by a fire on Anarchist Mountain east of Osoyoos, B.C. The alert says residents on Cougar Court and the Sasquatch Trail should be ready to leave as crews battle a blaze on the mountain. The Anarchist Mountain Fire Department says that as of 4 p.m. the fire was being held, but people are being told to avoid the area “to allow emergency personnel to work safely and efficiently.” The local firefighters are battling the blaze with the help of the BC Wildfire Service and the South Okanagan Task Force, and the cause is under investigation. The properties covered by the alert are near the Crowsnest...
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Treaty 6, 150 years of history
By Troy Dumont, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Alberta Native News As National Indigenous History Month comes to a close and the Confederacy of Treaty 6 Nations is set to commemorate 150 years since the signing of Treaty 6, it is worth looking back at the treaty history that shaped Alberta. In 1905, Alberta became a newly minted province of Canada. Still, much of the region already had a long history, including the signing of the Numbered Treaties. Central Alberta, formerly part of the North-West Territories, and before that, Rupert’s Land, fell under Treaty 6. This agreement was negotiated and signed in 1876 at Fort Carlton, Duck Lake, and Fort Pitt, between the Crown and bands of the Cree and Alexis Nakota Sioux First Nations. Its boundaries stretched across a large...
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Residents in parts of northern Ontario ordered out by growing forest fires
Residents of a handful of communities in northwestern Ontario have been ordered to flee their homes due to nearby forest fires. The Ontario Provincial Police force says on social media that evacuation orders are in place for Armstrong and Cushing Lake, as well as Collins First Nation, Whitesand First Nation and Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation. An alert from Emergency Management Ontario says residents should leave the area and head south to Thunder Bay. Meanwhile, the OPP says those in Ignace, Crystal Lake and the Highway 633 area should prepare for possible evacuations. Photos and videos on social media appear to show large grey and black plumes of smoke and towering flames from wildfires. Environment Canada has much of northern Ontario under a severe heat warning, with forecasters predicting...
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Jean Marie River celebrates planting of 1.5 million trees
By Claire McFarlane, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cabin Radio The Tthets’éhk’édélı̨ First Nation in Jean Marie River, N.W.T., is marking the end of a two-week-long tree planting project that saw 1.5 million trees planted in recently burned areas. The project was a partnership between the First Nation and Windfirm Resources, a British Columbia-based planting company that employed people locally and from across Canada. It was funded through the federal government’s 2 Billion Trees program, which launched in 202`1 but was ultimately cut from last fall’s federal budget. “The chief and the council looked at this as a good opportunity for finding employment for a small community of Jean Marie River,” said Chief Melanie Norwegian-Menacho. Kevan Leach, operations manager at Windfirm, said members of the Tthets’éhk’édélı̨ First Nation did a lot...
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AFN to focus on major projects and meeting with Prime Minister
OTTAWA-Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak is addressing the opening of the AFN’s Annual General Assembly today. The AFN is expected to focus on major projects and a coming meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney and the premiers. Woodhouse Nepinak began the day Monday by participating in the first annual Water Walk along the Kichi-Zibi (Ottawa) River on “unceded and unsurrendered Algonquin Territory.” “Let us honour the water that sustains us. And let us carry that spirit with us throughout this Assembly and beyond,” Nepinak said to the throng of elders, knowledge keepers, water walkers, water protectors, youth, and community members gathered after the walk. At her press conference at the Rogers Centre, where the AFN AGA is being held this week, Woodhouse Nepinak noted that...
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B.C. wildfires expected to pick up after weather-induced lull on the weekend
Crews fighting out-of-control wildfires near Boston Bar, B.C., were taking advantage of favourable weather to attack the blazes directly, before fire activity is expected to pick up after tempered behaviour over the weekend. The size of the Brunswick complex of wildfires, consisting of the Brunswick Creek and Ainslie Creek blazes, has changed little since last week with a combined size of more than 188 square kilometres, after a weekend of rain and cooler weather. The BC Wildfire Service said in an overnight update that crews would take advantage of the reduced fire activity to directly attack the fires along with making sure the Highway 1 corridor through the area remained open. Crews were also working to protect structures near Boothroyd while establishing fire lines on the southwest flank of the...
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Mark Carney’s pipeline plan shelves emissions targets
By Anushka Yadav, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Pointer In 2021, a year before she would become Premier, Danielle Smith described on a podcast for the Alberta Enterprise Group, which lobbies on behalf of the oil industry, how she came to work for the organization. She had been recruited by a large organization that lobbies for the cattle production industry and said she liked their approach because “they recruited people from the energy sector; in fact, our chair was an oilman.” At the time, Smith was aggressively lobbying the provincial government on behalf of the Alberta Enterprise Group, trying to convince politicians that part of a proposed $20 billion taxpayer-funded incentive program should see money handed over to oil companies which would encourage them to clean up old abandoned wells,...
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Man presumed drowned after falling off inflatable tube on Okanagan Lake, B.C.
A man is missing and presumed drowned in the British Columbia Interior after falling off an inflatable tube while not wearing a life-jacket. Police in West Kelowna say the tube was being towed behind a boat on Saturday on Okanagan Lake. The 45-year-old man was thrown off and struggled in the water before disappearing, and the boat driver jumped in to try to save him. Police say the boat operator himself required rescue by those on another nearby boat. Police, fire crews, paramedics and Central Okanagan Search and Rescue have been deployed, but the man has not been found and police say he’s presumed drowned. This is at least the second drowning in Okanagan Lake since mid-June after an American kayaker capsized in windy conditions near the Westbank First Nation...
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NATO fact-finding delegation visits Iqaluit
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News Thirty MPs and representatives from 15 allied countries are visiting Iqaluit from July 13-17 on a NATO fact-finding mission. The group will receive briefings from the Government of Nunavut, Nunavut Tuunngavik Inc. and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK). Nunavut MP Lori Idlout is with the group, while ITK President Natan Obed will speak directly with the delegation. Canada’s approach to Arctic security, partnerships with Indigenous organizations, and climate change will all be discussed by the North Atlantic military alliance, which involves 32 countries. Site visits to observe military infrastructure and meetings with the Canadian Armed Forces and Canadian Coast Guard will take place during the week. “Canada is stepping up with historic investments and a clear resolve to take responsibility for...
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Six Nations Elected Council repeals its Cannabis Control Law
By Alex Murray Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) may be officially out of the cannabis control business but it doesn’t mean the cannabis industry at Six Nations of the Grand River will stop operating. Elected Chief Sherri-Lynn Hill announced the repealing of the Six Nations Cannabis Control Law and Cannabis Control Regulations effective immediately on July 9. According to the press release, accompanied by a video of Elected Chief Hill reading a statement, a lack of resources and enforcement of the Six Nations Cannabis Commission Corporation’s regulations and bylaws led to the decision. Elected Chief Hill said SNEC also took community feedback into consideration during a formal public comment period from May 29 to June 30 when making the decision. Elected Chief Hill’s office did not specify if the feedback...
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Call to reopen investigation into B.C. woman’s death after cause ruled undetermined
The mother of Tatyanna Harrison and advocacy groups including the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs are calling for the reopening of an investigation into her disappearance and death four years ago. The calls come after a coroner’s inquest last week ruled that the 20-year-old Indigenous woman’s cause of death on May 1, 2022, was undetermined, a finding the groups say conflicted with previous findings of the coroner’s service. Tatyanna Harrison’s body was found on a drydocked yacht in Richmond, B.C., and the groups say that while she was naked from the waist down, RCMP did not deem the death suspicious. Sue Brown, who is legal counsel for Harrison’s mother Natasha Harrison, says the case needs to be reviewed in light of the findings, and that the coroner’s service got it...
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AFN Chief says assembly will tackle effect of major projects push on First Nations rights
By Alessia Passafiume Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak says chiefs will focus on major projects and a coming meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney and the premiers when the AFN’s annual general assembly starts Tuesday. Woodhouse Nepinak says the federal government’s approach to major projects development is raising concerns about possible threats to the rights of First Nations. She says First Nations are not opposed to economic growth and are simply asking for a seat at the table as the federal government attempts to shore up the economy. Woodhouse Nepinak says chiefs will discuss an upcoming first ministers meeting and what they want to see on the agenda. She says that first ministers meeting, set to be held this fall, will be “a big test” for...
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Conservation internship launches for Indigenous adults
By David Briggs, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, BayToday.ca Beginning this week, 11 Indigenous adults are embarking on a 15-month environmental internship with a focus on water and resource management. The 11 chosen for the program are part of the Waabnoong Bemjiwang Association of First Nations (WBAFN). The WBAFN services the First Nations communities of Dokis, Henvey Inlet, Magnetawan, Wahnapitae, Nipissing and Wasauksing. The WBAFN is working with Water First Education and Training Inc. (Water First) to facilitate the internship. Ashley Zelionka, the executive director of WBAFN, elaborated on the partnership. In a release, she said, “Our partnership with Water First is helping build local environmental capacity by creating meaningful employment opportunities for members of our First Nation communities. Through hands-on experience and mentorship, interns are developing the skills needed to...
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Cold Lake First Nations marks 150 years of Treaty 6 during annual Treaty Days celebration
By Chantel Downes, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Lakeland This Week Taking place July 9 to 12, the four-day celebration features pipe ceremonies, cultural presentations, traditional games, canoe races, community feasts, live music and family activities. The official opening ceremony on July 10 reflected on the legacy of Treaty 6 while recognizing the leaders and community members who have helped shape the nation over the past century and a half. Opening the ceremony, Chief Kelsey Jacko thanked the pipe carriers and elders for beginning the day in a good way before reflecting on the significance of the milestone. “Ceremony is important to me. As we come together this year to mark the 150th anniversary of our people entering into treaty, it is a reminder of the resilience of our families and...
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Six Nations opens cooling station, Grand Erie Public Health urges precautions for latest heat alert
SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND RIVER-People in southern Ontario may have thought they were through the worst of this scorching hot summer after the Canada Day heat wave. Unfortunately, another heat alert has been issued by the Medical Officer of Health for Grand Erie Public Health (GEPH), effective July 13. A Yellow heat warning has been issued by Environment and Climate Change Canada for the entire southern Ontario region. Heat warnings are issued when Environment and Climate Change Canada forecasts 2+ days in a row with a maximum daily temperature of 31 degrees Celsius or higher during the day and a minimum temperature of 20 degrees Celsius or higher during the evening, or when there is a humidex of 40 degrees Celsius or more. At Six Nations of the Grand...
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Regulated iGaming market goes live in Alberta, government aims to box out grey market
By Jack Farrell Alberta’s regulated iGaming system is now live, starting the race for private sports betting companies and online casinos to stake their shares in the provincial gambling market. It makes Alberta the second province to officially open the doors to private online gambling operators, behind Ontario. Nearly 50 companies paid $200,000 in registration and permit fees leading up to Monday’s launch. Service Alberta Minister Dale Nally said 22 are ready for customers. A spokesperson for the provincial gambling regulator, the Alberta Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Commission, or AGLC, said “all systems are a go” as of midnight. The new system stems from legislation passed last year by Premier Danielle Smith’s government. Nally, who oversees the AGLC, has said the goal is to protect online bettors in the province....
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Call to reopen investigation into B.C. woman’s death after cause ruled undetermined
The mother of Tatyanna Harrison and advocacy groups including the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs are calling for the reopening of an investigation into her disappearance and death four years ago. The calls come after a coroner’s inquest last week ruled that the 20-year-old Indigenous woman’s cause of death on May 1, 2022, was undetermined, a finding the groups say conflicted with previous findings of the coroner’s service. Tatyanna Harrison’s body was found on a drydocked yacht in Richmond, B.C., and the groups say that while she was naked from the waist down, RCMP did not deem the death suspicious. Sue Brown, who is legal counsel for Harrison’s mother Natasha Harrison, says the case needs to be reviewed in light of the findings, and that the coroner’s service got it...
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