Chiefs tell AFN meeting new federal clean water bill walks back hard-won rights
By Alessia Passafiume First Nations leaders and two opposition MPs are denouncing the Carney government’s new proposed clean water legislation, which drops wording in a previous version that would have explicitly recognized First Nations’ right to clean drinking water. Speaking on a panel at the Assembly of First Nations annual general assembly in Ottawa, NDP MP Leah Gazan and Conservative MP Billy Morin picked the bill apart alongside Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief Linda Debassige and Newfoundland Regional Chief Brendan Mitchell. Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty reintroduced legislation this summer that seeks to ensure First Nations have reliable access to clean drinking water in their communities. While the legislation is largely in line with a bill that failed to pass under the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, it leaves...
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Assets of Alberta separatist leader frozen in dispute with FirstNation
By Lisa Johnson An Alberta court has temporarily frozen up to $8.5 million in assets held by one of the province’s most recognizable separatist leaders. Justice Michael Marion granted an interim injunction last week preventing Jeffrey Rath and his law firm from transferring the assets until a Wednesday hearing. It’s part of an ongoing legal battle between the Tallcree First Nation and Rath, the First Nation’s former lawyer, over control of a multimillion-dollar trust fund established in 2017. Chief Rupert Meneen alleges in a legal brief that Rath misappropriated approximately $6.4 million from the trust in excessive and improper fees. Justice Marion says in the order that there are reasonable grounds to believe the assets would be “dissipated or removed” before the case is decided in court. In a June...
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La Ronge area fire ban takes effect amid wildfire, smoke concerns
By Nicole Goldsworthy, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, SaskToday.ca, SASKTODAY.ca LA RONGE — Residents across the La Ronge area are being urged to avoid all open fires after the Lac La Ronge Indian Band (LLRIB) and La Ronge Emergency Management imposed a local fire ban amid extreme wildfire conditions and deteriorating air quality. The fire ban took effect at noon Tuesday, July 14, and applies to the LLRIB communities of Sucker River, Stanley Mission, Grandmother’s Bay, Hall Lake, Kitsaki Reserve 156 and 156B, and Little Red. The ban will remain in place until significant precipitation is received. All open fires are prohibited under the order. However, traditional smokers, propane barbecues, propane-fuelled fire pits and briquettes are still permitted. Existing burn permits have been suspended until the ban is lifted. The LLRIB...
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Assembly of First Nations passes Residential School Denialism resolution on opening day
By Alex Murray Writer The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) passed an emergency resolution on the first day of their Annual General Assembly in Ottawa on Tuesday aimed at curbing the rising tide of Residential School denialism in Canada. Pimicikamak Chief David Monias, who was the mover on the resolution, said the resolution calls on Canada to work with First Nations to address residential school denialism, educate the public, and protect sacred burial and memorial sites. “When people deny or minimize this history, they do more than deny the past, they reopen the wounds of survivors, they dishonor the children, they fuel anti-First Nations racism. Reconciliation cannot exist if truth is questioned or erased,” Monias said. The resolution, which was carried by consensus, specifically calls for an amendment to the...
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As disasters worsen, Indigenous peoples threatened by a ‘crisis communication gap’
By Dionne Phillips, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, IndigiNews This story is published through the Indigenous News Alliance. In April, after an out-of-control wildfire threatened the remote Xeni Gwet’in First Nation in “B.C.,” local governments issued evacuation alerts. The fire quickly spread to 250 hectares, before being extinguished a few days later, and the evacuation alert was rescinded. Although Xeni Gwet’in’s nearly 500 residents were relieved, the crisis was a reminder of what many Indigenous leaders say is governments’ inadequate emergency communications with Indigenous communities. Authorities do not provide alerts in the Tŝilhqot’in language, the only one spoken by many Elders in Xeni Gwet’in, and the mother tongue of nearly 650 people in the larger Tŝilhqot’in Nation. This adds an additional layer of difficulty during disasters because many families look toward...
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LNG Canada equity option agreement with five FirstNations
LNG Canada has reached an agreement with five neighbouring First Nations in northern B.C. that would provide them an option to invest up to $1-billion in the project’s proposed second phase. The equity option agreement is with MNT Investments LP, which includes development organizations from the Gitga’at, Gitxaała, Haisla, Kitselas and Kitsumkalum. MNT would be able to buy a majority stake in a special-purpose entity that would in turn buy a storage tank to be built as part of LNG Canada’s second phase. The tank would then be leased back to LNG Canada for as long as the project in Kitimat, B.C., operates. LNG Canada, led by Shell Canada alongside four Asian companies, aims to make a final investment decision by year-end on an expansion project that would double the...
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Assets of Alberta separatist leader frozen in dispute with FirstNation
By Lisa Johnson An Alberta court has temporarily frozen up to $8.5 million in assets held by one of the province’s most recognizable separatist leaders. Justice Michael Marion granted an interim injunction last week preventing Jeffrey Rath and his law firm from transferring the assets until a Wednesday hearing. It’s part of an ongoing legal battle between the Tallcree First Nation and Rath, the First Nation’s former lawyer, over control of a multimillion-dollar trust fund established in 2017. Tallcree Chief Rupert Meneen alleges in a legal brief that there’s evidence Rath misappropriated about $6.4 million from the trust “in excessive and improperly taken fees which he concealed from the Nation and its beneficiaries.” “The nation does not know where the funds are currently located,” says the application, filed June 24....
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Whitesand First Nation members in city after sudden evacuation
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, SNnewswatch.com THUNDER BAY — Whitesand First Nation’s Steve Gustafson didn’t have much time on Monday night to prepare for his trip to the city. “Earlier in the day I saw nothing but smoke, cloudy and everything until about 6 o’clock in the evening we seen a posting from chief and council about getting ready to evacuate,” Gustafson told Newswatch Tuesday morning. He said officials with the First Nation, near Armstrong, told members they would need ID, clothes and medicine. “And then all of a sudden, 10:30 in the evening, that’s when I seen that (evacuation) posting.” While some came to Thunder Bay by bus, Gustafson gassed up his own vehicle in Armstrong and drove with family to the city. “I just grabbed some...
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B.C. warned of ‘significant wildfire event’ in coming days, as lightning raises risks
By Ashley Joannou Wildfire officials and crews across British Columbia were preparing for a potentially significant uptick in fire activity in the coming days as dry conditions collide with expected lightning, particularly in the southern two-thirds of the province. The director of wildfire operations for the BC Wildfire Service, Cliff Chapman, told a news conference on Tuesday that fuels on the landscape were “as dry as they can get,” making much of the province “highly susceptible” to wildfires. At the same time, there was potential for “dry” lightning over the next 48 hours, particularly in southern parts of B.C. near the United States border. “What dry lightning means is that we will see high winds, lightning hitting the ground, and it will come with very little or no precipitation leading...
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Residents in parts of northern Ontario ordered out because of growing forest fires
By Maan Alhmidi Residents of a handful of communities in northwestern Ontario have been ordered to leave their homes due to nearby forest fires. Ontario Provincial Police said on social media that evacuation orders are in place for Armstrong, Lac La Croix First Nation, Collins First Nation, Whitesand First Nation and Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation. These communities are under mandatory evacuation orders and parts of several highways in the area are closed, police said. Highway 11 — between Highway 633 and Highway 623 — has since reopened. The fire is also threatening other communities in the area, including Rainy River District and Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek, also known as Gull Bay First Nation. OPP confirmed it would help Gull Bay First Nation with a mandatory evacuation. “Individuals living in...
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Residents in parts of northern Ontario ordered out because of growing forest fires
By Maan Alhmidi Residents of a handful of communities in northwestern Ontario have been ordered to leave their homes due to nearby forest fires. Ontario Provincial Police said on social media that evacuation orders are in place for Armstrong, Lac La Croix First Nation, Collins First Nation, Whitesand First Nation and Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation. These communities are under mandatory evacuation orders and parts of several highways in the area are closed, police said. The fire is also threatening other communities in the area including Rainy River District and Gull Bay First Nation. The OPP said those in Ignace, Crystal Lake and the Highway 633 area should prepare for possible evacuations. Officials at Wabakimi Provincial Park said it will be closed until July 20 due to the extreme...
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Chiefs tell AFN meeting new federal clean water bill walks back hard-won rights
By Alessia Passafiume First Nations leaders and an opposition MP are denouncing the Carney government’s new proposed clean water legislation, which drops wording in a previous version that would have explicitly recognized First Nations’ right to clean drinking water. Speaking on a panel at the Assembly of First Nations annual general assembly in Ottawa, NDP MP Leah Gazan and Conservative MP Billy Morin picked the bill apart alongside Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief Linda Debassige and Newfoundland Regional Chief Brendan Mitchell. Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty reintroduced legislation this summer that seeks to ensure First Nations have reliable access to clean drinking water in their communities. While the legislation is largely in line with a bill that failed to pass under the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, it leaves...
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Six Nations water advisory lifted
Six Nations of the Grand River community members can once again drink and use their tap water without worry, as SNEC announced on July 14 that the boil water advisory that had been in effect for five days had been lifted. SNEC cautioned that residents should run all cold water taps and drinking fountains for a full minute before using them again. They also recommended removing any screens on taps and cleaning them with soap, water, and then another rinse. SNEC also said that community members that use their own water treatment systems in their homes should check their owner’s manual for any steps they should take before using their water. Six Nations of the Grand River went under a boil water advisory on July 9 due to a waterline...
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RCMP service dog aids in arrest after tracking suspect into swamp area
By Ashley Bochek, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The World-Spectator Virden RCMP have arrested a man with the help of a service dog named Czar after tracking the man through a large swamp area, and after a brief struggle between the suspect, the dog and the RCMP. On July 2, at 2:30 p.m., Virden RCMP responded to a report of a disturbance at a residence on the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation. RCMP learned a man had entered a residence he was legally not allowed to be in and refused to leave. When officers arrived at the home, the suspect exited out the back door and ran from the scene. RCMP, with the assistance of local First Nation Safety Officers, helped contain the area while RCMP Police Dog Services and the RCMP...
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AFN National Chief: No mega centres. no separation from Canada with First Nation Consent
OTTAWA-Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak told the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) national assembly here today that no mega centres will be built on First Nations lands without First Nation approval. She warned any proposed pipelines from Ontario to Alberta and Alberta to B.C. are major concerns for the AFN citing a lack of consultation with First Nations involved. She said clean water legislation has been watered down, and she warned any proposal from any province to separate from Canada is fundamentally unconstitutional without the informed consent from First Nations. She told the assembly in a nutshell “If they want to separate from Canada, they are not taking the land with them.” This week’s AGA is a hybrid style meeting with some chiefs joining virtually and electronic voting...
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Oilsands emissions on track to outpace reductions from Pathways project: economist
By Lauren Krugel The oilsands sector is on track for a big increase in greenhouse gas emissions, even with the Pathways carbon storage project moving forward, an environmental economist says. Emissions from the increased oilsands production that a new West Coast pipeline would enable far eclipse what Pathways would prevent from entering the atmosphere, said Dave Sawyer, with the Canadian Climate Institute. The think tank has estimated an average of 20 megatonnes a year in new emissions from the oilsands sector would come with the planned pipeline capacity. The Pathways Project envisions storing six megatonnes a year underground starting in 2035. It aims at another 10-megatonne reduction by 2045, either through carbon capture and storage or other technologies. An earlier iteration had a goal of storing 22 megatonnes a year...
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B.C. warned of ‘significant wildfire event’ in coming days, as lightning raises risks
British Columbia’s wildfire service has warned of a “potentially significant wildfire event” in the next 24 to 48 hours as parched conditions combine with the risk of lightning across the province. The service’s director of wildfire operations, Cliff Chapman, says high winds will add to the risk, particularly in the southern two-thirds of B.C. Chapman told a news briefing that fine fuels are “as dry as they’re going to be” in the south and northeast of B.C., making them highly susceptible to ignition and rapid spread. He says the southern half of the province has the potential for the “most extreme” fire behaviour in the next 48 hours, when there is also a high potential for lightning. That includes the risk of dry lightning in southern border areas, with the...
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First Nations to take part in first ministers meeting in October: AFN chief
By Alessia Passafiume A planned meeting this fall between first ministers and chiefs from across the country was hard to secure and must not be the only one of its kind, Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak said Tuesday. In her opening remarks at the AFN’s annual general assembly in Ottawa, Woodhouse Nepinak told chiefs the Prime Minister’s Office has confirmed the meeting will take place in October. “Securing this meeting didn’t come easy. And part of me, I’m not going to believe it until we are there,” Woodhouse Nepinak said. “Chiefs are united in saying that this national meeting can’t be one and done. That means establishing an ongoing federal-provincial accountability mechanism to ensure that socioeconomic gaps are addressed through deeds and not words.” Woodhouse Nepinak...
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B.C. issues water warning amid drought conditions and record-low stream flows
The government in British Columbia says forecasts predict elevated drought conditions across much of the province this summer and is asking people to conserve water. A statement from the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship is encouraging people to reduce water use wherever possible to help protect local watersheds and reduce the risk of water becoming scarce. The ministry says the southern coast and southern Interior remain under significant pressure as drought conditions persist and parts of Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland and the southern Interior have shown record-low stream flows. It says watersheds where risks to aquatic ecosystems and fish populations are increasing include the Koksilah River, Tsolum River, Salmon River and Bessette Creek. The BC Wildfire Service meanwhile warns that dry conditions risk an increase in fire...
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AFN: First Nations to take part in first ministers meeting in October
By Alessia Passafiume A planned meeting this fall between first ministers and chiefs from across the country was hard to secure and must not be the only one of its kind, Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak said Tuesday. In her opening remarks at the AFN’s annual general assembly in Ottawa, Woodhouse Nepinak told chiefs the Prime Minister’s Office has confirmed the meeting will take place in October. “Securing this meeting didn’t come easy. And part of me, I’m not going to believe it until we are there,” Woodhouse Nepinak said. “Chiefs are united in saying that this national meeting can’t be one and done. That means establishing an ongoing federal-provincial accountability mechanism to ensure that socioeconomic gaps are addressed through deeds and not words.” Woodhouse Nepinak...
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