Indigenous chiefs call for Alberta Premier Smith to stop stoking separatism talk
Two First Nations chiefs are accusing Alberta Premier Danielle Smith of “attempting to manufacture a national unity crisis” and are calling on her to stop stoking the fires of separatism. Smith’s government has proposed legislation that would make it easier for citizens to call for a referendum on seceding from Canada. Chief Sheldon Sunshine of Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation and Mikisew Cree Nation Chief Billy-Joe Tuccaro say in a letter that the premier is enabling a referendum on separation, and a “fanatical cell of individuals,” when Canadians need to unite against U.S. tariffs. Smith has said it would be up to Albertans, not her government, to put the separation question on a ballot and that she supports Alberta sovereignty within a united Canada. But the chiefs say even if Smith...
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Assembly of First Nations joins calls for Hudson’s Bay to return ceremonial items
By Brittany Hobson The Assembly of First Nations is joining calls for Hudson’s Bay to immediately halt the sale of artifacts and return any cultural, ceremonial and sacred items to the Indigenous communities that they belong to. National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak says some items may represent vital and genuine aspects of cultural heritage and identity. An Ontario judge has given Canada’s oldest retailer permission to move forward with an auction of the 4,400 artifacts and art pieces, along with the 355-year-old royal charter that launched the company. The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs first requested a stop to any sale without proper consultation with First Nations. An advocacy group representing some northern First Nations in the province has also joined in, saying its communities were instrumental in the development of...
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Kashechewan calls for helicopters after airport access cut off by flooding
By Marissa Lentz-McGrath, Local Journalism Initiative, TimminsToday.com KASHECHEWAN FIRST NATION – With floodwaters rising rapidly, Kashechewan First Nation is now conducting emergency helicopter evacuations after the community’s only road to its airport was submerged under water. In a post from Kashechewan First Nation Youth Advisory around 8 a.m. today (May 1), leadership confirmed that the airport road had been overtaken by floodwaters, a situation not seen since 2006. Community leaders are now calling for helicopters to airlift remaining residents, prioritizing families with children. “Just 30 minutes ago at 7:13 a.m., our airport road was compromised and has begun to flood, our flood coordinators in Kashechewan predict that the airport itself will begin to flood as well,” the statement reads. “The chief said in a live feed at roughly 7:40 a.m....
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Rapidly rising river has Fort Albany bracing for flooding
By Marissa Lentz-McGrath, Local Journalism Initiative, TimminsToday.com FORT ALBANY – As the Albany River continues to rise rapidly, residents of Fort Albany First Nation are preparing for the worst while hoping for the best. Martin Nakochee, a Fort Albany resident, Weeneebayko Area Health Authority employee, and First Nation councillor, lives along Riverside Road — about 50 to 60 feet from the riverbank. He said the water is rising at an alarming pace. “My wife was supposed to be going across — she works for Air Creebec — and not even five minutes later when I drove back, by the time we got to the bank there, it was already underwater,” Nakochee told TimminsToday. In case the river overflows, Nakochee has been taking precautions. He’s moved belongings from the basement, loaded...
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Mental health trouble leads to public safety issues, Vancouver’s mayor says
By Chuck Chiang People are “sick and tired” of inquiries and reviews into a recurring pattern of people in a mental health crisis becoming involved in violent incidents, Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said Wednesday. His comments came days after an SUV was driven at high speed through a crowd at a Vancouver festival held by the Filipino community, killing 11 people and injuring dozens more. Later Wednesday, the province announced it was declaring a provincial day of remembrance and mourning for the victims, to be held on Friday. The mayor said the man accused of the attack at the Lapu Lapu Day festival was under the care of a mental health team and on “extended leave,” a term referring to leave from involuntary treatment. “This is incredibly difficult to hear...
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Walk With Our Sisters returns to continue fight for MMIWG
By Ken Kellar, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Fort Frances Times While awareness has risen over the past three years, as long as there are missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls (MMIWG), there will be walks in their honour. The third annual Walk With Our Sisters event is scheduled for Monday, May 5, 2025. The event, which is held each year in order to raise awareness around the crisis of MMIWG, begins at the Fort Frances Senior Centre, then proceeds north on Victoria Avenue before turning west onto Scott Street and ending up at the United Native Friendship Centre (UNFC). Each year the walk aims to honour the lives of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, to acknowledge the grief and torment families of these women continue to suffer,...
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Squamish Nation players celebrate communal solidarity at softball tourney
By Ina Pace, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Squamish Chief Nation players and non-Nation players came together at the recent spring tournament, uniting as a ‘big, small family.’ Squamish Nation members celebrated community solidarity at this year’s slo-pitch softball spring league tournament in Squamish, in which they took third place. The Icebreaker Slo-Pitch tournament, hosted by the non-profit Squamish Slo-Pitch Association (SSPA), took place April 25 to 27, highlighting solidarity with a large community turnout and a “huge victory” for the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Ts’a’nsut. Ts’a’nsut’s creator and manager—and Nation councillor—Deanna Lewis described Icebreaker as one of this year’s best tournaments, explaining that whilst the fall tournament, dubbed ‘Fall Ball season’ is when new players are introduced, the spring league is the literal icebreaker for the teams, an opportunity to bond and...
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Split vote lifted Gunn to victory despite controversy
By Rochelle Baker and Sonal Gupta, Local Journalism Initiative Reporters, Canada’s National Observer Controversial Conservative candidate Aaron Gunn ended his successful campaign the same way he started it: by keeping his whereabouts secret and avoiding questions from the media. Gunn, whose inflammatory social media history drew national attention and widespread calls for his removal as candidate, was elected in North Island-Powell River with 39 per cent of the vote. He flipped the riding, defeating NDP candidate Tanille Johnston, who garnered 33 per cent of the vote. Liberal Jennifer Lash carried 26 per cent and Green Jessica Wegg drew 2 per cent. Early campaigning helped Gunn, when the Liberal Party was still looking for candidates in many BC ridings as late as December, said Mario Canseco, pollster and the president of...
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Elections Canada to investigate voting barriers in Nunavik
By Maura Forrest Elections Canada says it will investigate “shortcomings” that prevented some people in Nunavik from casting their vote in Monday’s federal election. In a statement Wednesday, chief electoral officer Stéphane Perrault apologized to residents of the northern region of Quebec, which is the homeland of Inuit in the province. “I deeply regret that some electors in Nunavik were not able to cast their vote,” he said. “Over the last three years, Elections Canada has engaged with Indigenous communities across the country and made it a priority to remove barriers and improve voting services for Indigenous electors. “Nevertheless, the shortcomings of our services in Nunavik during the general election underscore the importance of the work that remains.” Perrault said the agency will “review the circumstances that led to this...
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Group banished from Haida Gwaii in wake of man’s death by vehicle
By Radha Agarwal, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Prince Rupert Northern View Tensions have risen on Haida Gwaii following the death of Luke Pearson. Tyson Young was charged with second-degree murder on April 25 after he allegedly ran down Pearson with a vehicle on April 22. Staff Sergeant Kris Clark of the RCMP confirmed Young remains in the custody of BC Corrections until the matter concludes or he is granted bail in the Supreme Court. The incident, which took place on Haida Gwaii, has led to a series of protests and incidents of solidarity from other First Nations communities, with many northwest B.C. residents expressing their anger over what they perceive as growing drug-related issues and violence in the region. Videos shared on local Facebook groups show residents of Haida Gwaii...
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For Mi’kmaq fishers working within Ottawa’s baby eel rules, it’s a ‘peaceful’ season
By Michael Tutton Some Mi’kmaq harvesters say working within Ottawa’s quotas for the contentious baby eel fishery is helping calm the tense atmosphere in their river workplaces. In the shallows of the Gold River last Friday night, as the tiny, translucent eels known as elvers emerged from the mud, Jay Pennell — a member of the nearby Wasoqopa’q First Nation — swept his nets back and forth through the water and recalled past confrontations. “There’s been lots of incidents on rivers we’ve been on in prior years,” Pennell said. “But right here on Gold River, there’s been nothing this year …. It’s very peaceful.” By day he’s a carpenter in the community 75 kilometres southwest of Halifax; at night he dons hip waders and dips a mesh net in the...
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Erosion concerns raised over Wilmot land-grab site stripped of crops
By Ethan Braund, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Woolwich Observer Erosion on a portion of farmland stripped of crops is the latest concern raised by the region’s land grab in Wilmot Township. Municipalities downstream of the site – where the Region of Waterloo is looking to turn 770 acres of farmland into an industrial development– may suffer the consequences, says agrologist Ann Loeffler. A portion of the land acquired by the region was stripped of its healthy corn crop in the summer of 2024. Loeffler says she tried to warn the region of the possible negative effects. “I pointed this out to the region last fall and said this could be a real problem waiting to happen. The responsible thing to do here would be to put some silt fences or...
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Private citizen allowed to contest big Aboriginal title claim
By John Chilibeck, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Daily Gleaner A retired businessman in New Brunswick who says the Holt Liberal government has abandoned private citizens in a landmark case to decide Aboriginal title has convinced the province’s highest court to let him take part in the proceedings. Daryl Branscombe, who owns EMS Enterprises Inc., a real estate holding company, petitioned the New Brunswick Court of Appeal when he read in the newspaper that the Liberal government had decided not to pursue a defence on behalf of private owners whose properties are within the title claim filed by the Wolastoqey Nation of New Brunswick. “There didn’t seem to be anybody else taking this on,” Branscombe told Brunswick News in an interview. “Normally, it would be the Crown, or the province,...
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A new map, a new mood: North votes amid turbulent times
By Jacqueline St. Pierre, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Manitoulin Expositor MANITOULIN—Most people didn’t feel the ground shift under their feet when Canada’s federal map was quietly redrawn in 2022. It wasn’t until spring arrived — and election signs began sprouting like stubborn weeds along Island highways and main streets — that the new reality took hold: the landscape had changed, and with it, the stakes. The new Sudbury East–Manitoulin–Nickel Belt riding, stitched together from the remnants of three old constituencies, was born almost overnight. It now sprawls across 32,000 square kilometres, gathering Sudbury west of Highway 144, the full Manitoulin District, and part of Sudbury District near Lake Huron and stretching east to include Sturgeon Falls, while surrendering Nickel Centre and Wanup to a redrawn Sudbury riding. Northern Ontario,...
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Cochrane makes surprise cameo in final season of The Handmaid’s Tale
By Marissa Lentz-McGrath, Local Journalism Initiative, TimminsToday.com COCHRANE – When Jean-François Brisson opened his theatre’s doors to a group of unfamiliar visitors, he had no idea the impact their project would soon have on the small northern community. The visitors were part of the production crew behind The Handmaid’s Tale. While they were operating under the code name “The Light” to keep things under wraps, Brisson — the owner and operator of the Empire Theatre — quickly realized this was no ordinary shoot. Now, fans of the hit series might be surprised to learn that Cochrane and its surrounding landscapes are featured in the season premiere of the show’s sixth and final season, which premiered on April 8. “They were shooting here. Their production took them to where they were...
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Deaths of man, woman in Winnipeg ruled murder-suicide: police
WINNIPEG, MAN-CP-Homicide detectives say they have deemed the deaths of a man and a woman in Winnipeg as a murder-suicide. Police responded Monday to a domestic call at a home west of the city’s downtown, where they found the pair in medical distress. Officers administered emergency medical care until paramedics arrived and took the pair to hospital, where they later died. Investigators have identified the woman as a 22-year-old from God’s Lake First Nation who had been living in Winnipeg. The 27-year-old man was from Winnipeg. Police have said there are no outstanding suspects and that there’s no danger to the public. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 30, 2025. ...
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A town refuses to give up the school’s Native American mascot – and gets Trump’s support
By Philip Marcelo MASSAPEQUA, N.Y. (AP) — As a high school hockey player, Adam Drexler wore his Massapequa Chiefs jersey with pride. But as the Chickasaw Nation member grew up and learned about his Indigenous roots, he came to see the school’s mascot — a stereotypical Native American man wearing a headdress — as problematic. Now his Long Island hometown has become the latest flashpoint in the enduring debate over the place of Indigenous imagery in American sports: The Trump administration launched an investigation Friday into whether New York officials are discriminating against Massapequa by threatening to withhold funding. The town has refused to comply with a state mandate to retire Native American sports names and mascots. “There was no tribe east of the Mississippi that ever wore a headdress...
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First Nation lays claim to Turtle Mountain
By Connor McDowell, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Canupawakpa Dakota First Nation has filed a lawsuit claiming it owns Turtle Mountain Provincial Park and asking for the land, compensation and proceeds from the land to be transferred to it from Canada and Manitoba. The First Nation entered the claim against the Government of Manitoba and the Attorney General of Canada on April 22 in the Winnipeg Court of King’s Bench. It alleges the First Nation is entitled to the land that is now the provincial park because of its ancestral ties to the area. The federal government has previously disputed this claim. Turtle Mountain Provincial Park is south of Boissevain, near the Canada-U.S. border. Designated a provincial park by the Manitoba government in 1961, it is 186 square kilometres (72 square...
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Ontario considering change to length of teachers’ college, documents suggest
By Allison Jones The Ontario government is considering shortening the length of teachers’ college in order to address a worsening shortage of educators, documents obtained by The Canadian Press suggest. A freedom-of-information request on teacher supply and demand came back with research and jurisdictional scans the Ministry of Education conducted last year on the supply issue and the length of initial teacher education programs. Highlighted in the summary of the document on teachers’ college are findings that longer programs do not make better teachers. “There is little evidence that the amount of course work in ITE (initial teacher education) makes a difference in teachers’ effectiveness when they enter the profession,” the document says. Real in-class experience, however, does appear to make a difference. “Literature research shows that teachers who complete...
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Discover hidden gems in Brant County, Brantford and Six Nations through Doors Open Along the Grand
By Celeste Percy-Beauregard, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter More than 15 unique spaces that help tell the story of Brant County, Brantford, and Six Nations of the Grand River will be open to the public this spring. On May 10, the three communities will come together for Doors Open Along the Grand, giving free access to historical societies, museums, homesteads, and other spaces with notable architecture or community significance. One example is St. Paul’s Chapel (1159 Highway 54, Caledonia), a “living museum” on the banks of the Grand River. The 1868-built board-and-batten structure is the only public heritage structure that remains in Middleport. When it looked like the village might lose the landmark in 2018, the community came together and established the Middleport Heritage Society. It now stewards the building and...
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