Trump hosts top crypto investors as some industry leaders fear he’s putting personal profits first
By Will Weissert And Alan Suderman WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump rewarded top investors in one of his cryptocurrency projects with a swanky dinner on Thursday night, an event that showed the ascendance of an emerging financial industry — and also the president’s willingness to mix public office with personal profit. Some 220 of the biggest investors in the $TRUMP meme coin were invited to Trump’s luxury golf club in Northern Virginia, where they dined on filet mignon and halibut. According to participants’ posts on social media, Trump spoke for about half an hour before dancing to the song “YMCA.” Despite the White House insisting that Trump would be attending the event “in his personal time,” he stood behind a lectern with the presidential seal as he touted an...
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Emergency reserves, high prices, rationing. How did Japan’s rice crisis get this far?
By Mari Yamaguchi TOKYO (AP) — Rice is essential to Japanese culture, tradition and politics. People take pride in the oval-shaped sticky Japonica grain, which is still a staple even though total consumption has fallen over the decades. But since last summer, prices have soared as supplies have fallen short of demand. The government has long paid farmers to cut back on rice acreage, and change to other crops to keep rice prices relatively high. To cope with shortfalls this year, the government has released rice reserves. But the grain has been slow to reach supermarket shelves. Anger over that was part of the reason the agriculture minister quit this week. Consumers are frustrated and wondering where’s the rice? Why did the farm minister resign? Agriculture Minister Taku Eto resigned...
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Ottawa has to allow home prices to fall to make housing more affordable, experts say
By Craig Lord Housing experts are pushing back against a federal cabinet minister’s recent claim that home prices don’t need to go down in order to restore housing affordability. Gregor Robertson, the former mayor of Vancouver who was elected to the House of Commons in April, sparked the debate after he was sworn in as housing minister earlier this, when a reporter asked him whether he thinks home prices need to fall. “No, I think that we need to deliver more supply, make sure the market is stable. It’s a huge part of our economy,” he said. Robertson added that Canada lacks affordable housing and championed Ottawa’s efforts to build out the supply of homes priced below market rates. Mike Moffatt, founding director of the Missing Middle Institute, had a...
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Coalition urges Carney to drop nuclear from energy plan
By Abdul Matin Sarfraz / Local Journalism Initiative/ Canada’s National Observer A coalition of First Nations, physicians and environmental organizations is ramping up pressure on Prime Minister Mark Carney to drop nuclear energy from his “energy superpower” strategy, warning it comes with high costs, long delays and long-term risks. In an open letter, dozens of organizations urge the federal government to halt funding for nuclear development and instead prioritize renewables, energy efficiency and storage. The letter warns that new nuclear projects are likely to increase electricity costs while delaying meaningful climate action. “We are concerned that you may be unduly influenced by the nuclear and fossil industry lobbies,” reads the letter. During the federal election campaign, Carney pledged to make Canada “the world’s leading energy superpower,” focusing on clean and...
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Fort Simpson is getting a new health centre. Where should it go?
By Claire McFarlane, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cabin Radio A new regional health centre is set to be built in Fort Simpson. The question is now how the centre’s location should be decided. Which plot of land should be used for the project has been a topic of discussion at recent council meetings in the Northwest Territories village. Last week, councillors expressed concern and frustration over the handling of the process so far, describing a lack of communication between the mayor and some council members. Councillor Troy Bellefontaine said he had seen emails showing GNWT staff contacting the village on December 10 last year about a meeting to discuss potential locations for the new health centre. A meeting was eventually scheduled for February 10, Bellefontaine said, but only Mayor Les...
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Tribes say the U.S. misappropriated funds to pay for Native American boarding schools
By Graham Lee Brewer Two tribal nations filed a lawsuit Thursday saying that the federal government used the trust fund money of tribes to pay for boarding schools where generations of Native children were systematically abused. In the lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, the Wichita Tribe and the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California said that by the U.S. government’s own admission, the schools were funded using money raised by forcing tribal nations into treaties to cede their lands. That money was to be held in trust for the collective benefit of tribes. “The United States Government, the trustee over Native children’s education and these funds, has never accounted for the funds that it took, or detailed how, or even whether, those...
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Youthful candidate seeks Eskasoni Council seat
By Rosemary Godin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cape Breton Post He just turned 21 years old in March. But Cole Stevens has goals to improve the future for his family and community. Last month he took a first step by accepting the nomination for a place on the Eskasoni First Nation band council. The election is May 26 and Stevens is running against 67 other people for one of 12 council positions. Despite his youth, Stevens is not a new name to the community of just over 4,700 people. He has been a sports star in the fields of baseball, hockey and golf, receiving awards and accolades since he was about 13 years old. He looks forward to competing again in the 2025 Mi’kmaq Summer Games to be hosted by...
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The race to adapt ancient wild rice practices in a changing environment
By Sonal Gupta, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer Traditionally, wild rice — or manoomin — is harvested by paddling into shallow waters and gently knocking the ripe grains into the canoe using cedar sticks. It’s a time-honoured practice central to Anishinaabe culture and ceremonies. “This wild rice is part of our migration story,” said Jyles Copenace, cultural coordinator for Kenora Chiefs Advisory Youth and Family Wellness Camp. “It ties us to where we ended up in northwestern Ontario and to the Great Lakes.” Historically, manoomin thrived in the shallow waters of lakes and rivers. But hydroelectric production, invasive cattails and climate change have made traditional harvesting difficult. “[Wild rice] used to last a month, but now, because of climate change, the rice becomes brittle and must be harvested...
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Vancouver Island land returned to Lyackson First Nation and Cowichan Tribes
A stretch of culturally significant land in the Cowichan Valley has been returned to the Lyackson First Nation and Cowichan Tribes communities. The British Columbia government says the return of the Vancouver Island lands historically used by First Nations for gathering and harvesting represents a reconciliation landmark. The Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation says in a news release the 312-hectare land parcel is worth about $8.6 million. Lyackson Hereditary Chief Shana Thomas says in the release that the land is a former village site and the community has been fighting for its re-establishment over four generations. The government had purchased the land from Mosaic Forest Management, and Thomas says the return would not have been possible without the company being a “willing seller.” The incremental treaty agreement on the...
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‘I put a lot of hard work into what I own’: Vandals smash windshield of Fort St. John man’s Indigenous-inspired vehicle
By Ed Hitchins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Energeticcity.ca FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — A local Indigenous resident is appreciative of the positive messages he’s received from the community after his car was vandalized earlier this month. Dan Prince has owned his Dodge Challenger since 2021 and it has a black exterior adorned with First Nations decals. He said his front windshield was smashed on Monday, May 12th. Since that time, an outpouring of support for Prince’s wheels has surfaced, including one resident who paid for the damage to be repaired. Prince admits he “wasn’t a car guy” before purchasing the vehicle. While Prince says he had eagle art on his previous car, this art is more Indigenous-based. “Originally, it was actually originally to be white [decals] to go on [the]...
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Ontario insists it will consult with First Nations on controversial mining bill
By Liam Casey Ontario is insisting it will consult with First Nations over a proposed bill that would suspend provincial and municipal laws in areas it designates as so-called special economic zones. But many First Nations across the province are livid with the government over the proposed law, known as Bill 5, which is being studied at committee on Thursday. The province says it intends to declare the Ring of Fire in northern Ontario as one such zone. Energy and Mining Minister Stephen Lecce says the province is rewriting the law’s preamble to clarify and reinforce the province’s constitutional duty to consult with Indigenous people. New Democrat deputy Leader Sol Mamakwa says the province has failed in its duty to consult. Mamakwa tabled a motion to add one day of...
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‘Now is the time for action,’ says Kashechewan chief
By Marissa Lentz-McGrath, Local Journalism Initiative, TimminsToday.com With states of emergencies called due to serious flooding risks, First Nations leaders are urging upper levels of government to respond. Mushkegowuk Council is calling on Prime Minister-elect Mark Carney and Ontario Premier Doug Ford to visit flood-threatened communities in Northern Ontario, as rising waters force full-scale evacuations in both Kashechewan and Fort Albany First Nations. Kashechewan Chief Hosea Wesley said his community gas endured near-annual evacuations during spring breakup. The federal government has promised to relocate the community to a safer location upstream, but those plans remain stalled. “It is unacceptable that the lives of our people continue to be put at risk every spring,” wrote Wesley in a statement Friday (May 2). “We have enough studies, we have enough promises, now...
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‘Unleashing Change’: Hard work pays off for pageant winner
By Marissa Lentz-McGrath, Local Journalism Initiative, TimminsToday.com COCHRANE – For Sydney Echum, pageants have never just been about the sash and crown, they’ve been a way to speak up and champion causes close to her heart. The 16-year-old from Moose Factory, now living in Cochrane, was crowned Teen Regional Canada 2025 at a competition held at Collège Boréal in Sudbury over the weekend. “It felt so good,” Echum told TimminsToday. “Like all the work that I’ve done paid off. I competed last year and I got third runner-up, and I knew that I wanted to go back right away. So putting in that hard work really made it feel worth it.” Echum is no stranger to the spotlight. She was crowned Miss Chimo 2024. The pageants, she said, have helped...
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B.C. municipalities join First Nations in criticism of tariff bills
By Wolfgang Depner Municipal leaders from across British Columbia have joined First Nations to ask the provincial government to withdraw or delay proposed legislation to fast-track major projects in response to U.S. tariffs. But the president of the Union of B.C. Municipalities says there’s no sign the government is changing course, after Infrastructure Minister Bowinn Ma fronted an online meeting last Friday with more than 120 local officials. Union president Trish Mandewo says members want the bill delayed until proper consultation can take place or “cancelled altogether.” That echoes the concerns of First Nations leaders who met Premier David Eby last Thursday and said they were deeply disappointed by the government’s refusal to withdraw the proposed legislation, which they described as unilateralism. Mandewo says local officials’ response to their own...
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Prestigious posthumous recognition for work of Inuk artist Annie Pootoogook
By McMichael Collection exhibition, Nunavut News The artwork of the late Inuk artist Annie Pootoogook continues to leave an enduring legacy after recent international recognition was given to one of her drawings. ARTnews, one of the most trusted sources of news in the art world, named Pootoogook’s 2002 coloured pencil and ink drawing Man Abusing His Partner one of the 100 best artworks of the 21st century. For William Huffman, the executive manager of the West Baffin Eskimo Co-Operative in Kinngait, Nunavut, it is a recognition well-deserved for the artist who died in 2016 under suspicious circumstances in Ottawa. “It’s not a surprise to us that she would be selected as one of the most significant artists of the 21st century. I mean, she did have a meteoric career,” Huffman...
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Ontario launches $3.1-billion critical minerals plan
By Abdul Matin Sarfraz / Canada’s National Observer / Local Journalism Initiative Ontario’s new $3.1-billion plan for a critical minerals supply chain created in partnership with First Nationsis raising concerns about weakened environmental protections and inadequate Indigenous consultation. Announced Wednesday, the provincial initiative will create a “made-in-Ontario” supply chain and boost First Nations equity, according to the government. But critics say environmental protections and First Nationsconsultation will be sidelined in the rush to develop the Ring of Fire — a vast region about 500 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay. The new provincial funding includes $3 billion in loan guarantees through an expanded First Nations Opportunities Financing Program, $70 million over four years to strengthen First Nations capacity in mining-related regulatory processes, and $10 million in scholarships for First Nations students...
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First Nations want feds to block landfill ear Dresden
By Pam Wright, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Chatham Voice Walpole Island First Nation Bkejwanong Territory officials are asking the federal government to step in to stop the York1/Whitestone Fields dump expansion north of Dresden. On behalf of the band and nearby communities, Chief Leela Peters has sent a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney calling for an “immediate moratorium” on the York1/Whitestone Fields project. Dated May 9, the five-page letter states the proposal “threatens critical ecosystems; First Nation sovereignty; public health and safety; and reinforces an increasingly visible pattern of environmental racism, injustice and constitutional neglect.” The letter outlines various threats posed by the expansion, including the potential to pollute the water that 30 million users on Great Lakes depend on; the threat to 88 species at risk in the...
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Ottawa claims child welfare talks stalled over AFN’s ‘unreasonable’ requests
By Alessia Passafiume The federal government has told the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal that negotiations with the Assembly of First Nations on reforming the child welfare system are stalled and the AFN’s requests are “unreasonable.” In a May 15 filing to the tribunal, Ottawa said it has made “intensive and meaningful efforts” to reform the system since 2016 — when the tribunal concluded that the federal government had discriminated against First Nations children by underfunding the on-reserve child welfare system. But Ottawa told the tribunal that negotiations with the AFN are “no longer working” and there is no “practical utility” to continuing them. “Canada has met its obligations under the Tribunal’s consultation orders, which do not require that Canada consult indefinitely or until the complainants obtain the variable outcomes they...
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Wabun Tribal Council picks up leadership and innovation award
By Marissa Lentz-McGrath, Local Journalism Initiative, TimminsToday.com A northern tribal council has received provincial recognition for its leadership in helping shape inclusive energy policy in Ontario. At the Power of Water Canada Technical Conference in Niagara Falls on May 8, Wabun Tribal Council (WTC) was presented with the Ontario Waterpower Association’s 2025 Leadership and Innovation Award. Mattagami First Nation Chief Jennifer Constant said the award reflects the progress being made in First Nations leadership across the region. “Wabun received it on behalf of the communities for their participation in developing policy,” she said. “So it feels great. It feels great to be one of the communities that’s fortunate to have such leaders in those areas, in helping shape new ways of inclusion for First Nations.” WTC is a non-profit regional...
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New study reveals massive carbon stores in Hudson and James Bay peatlands
By Marissa Lentz-McGrath, Local Journalism Initiative, TimminsToday.com As debate around the Ring of Fire intensifies, new research is bringing fresh urgency to the conversation. The Hudson and James Bay lowlands, home to some of the most expansive peatlands on the planet, contain an estimated 30 billion tonnes of carbon, enough to meaningfully shape global climate trajectories if released, according to the new study. The five-year collaboration between WWF-Canada, Mushkegowuk Council’s Department of Lands and Resources, and McMaster University’s Remote Sensing Lab was published in Geophysical Research Letters. It maps peat depth and calculates carbon storage across a vast region of muskeg, wetland, and subarctic forest. James Snider, vice president of science, knowledge and innovation at WWF-Canada, said the findings reinforce the global importance of protecting the area. “The headline message...
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