Chiefs of Ontario say Ottawa acting unfairly in major projects meeting Thursday
By Alessia Passafiume The Chiefs of Ontario say Ottawa is levelling an unfair playing field for chiefs in a meeting planned with Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday to discuss the government’s controversial major projects legislation. Carney promised in June that he would meet with First Nations after chiefs said their rights were not respected by the rush to push the bill through Parliament. Bill C-5, the Building Canada Act, allows cabinet to quickly grant federal approvals for big industrial projects like mines, ports and pipelines by sidestepping existing laws. An email was sent to chiefs on July 9 opening up registration for the meeting and the Chiefs of Ontario said it was initially able to register chiefs as well as legal advisers, technical and support staff to attend. But...
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Advocate says progress being made since B.C. child torture death, more work required
By Ashley Joannou British Columbia’s representative for children and youth says some progress is being made to improve the child welfare system, but she’s concerned “fiscal limitations” will prevent timely help from getting to those most in need. Jennifer Charlesworth’s statement comes a year after her report on the myriad of failures that ended in the death of an 11-year-old Indigenous boy who was tortured by extended family members who had been approved to care for him by the government. Charlesworth credits the government with making progress on some of the recommended improvements that came out of the report, such as working toward a “child well-being strategy and action plan.” She says more needs to be done to support families — including basic income and housing support — and there...
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The Miccosukee Tribe of Florida wants to join a federal lawsuit against ‘Alligator Alcatraz’
By Kate Payne TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida is seeking to join a federal lawsuit aimed at halting the construction of a new immigration detention facility in the Everglades, which tribal members consider their sacred ancestral homelands. Miccosukee leaders had already condemned the facility. But the filing Monday of a motion to intervene in the case initially brought by environmental groups signals a new level of opposition by the tribe, which is also a major political donor in the state. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration rapidly built the facility, which state officials have dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” on an isolated, county-owned airstrip inside the Big Cypress National Preserve, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) west of downtown Miami. The Miccosukee have lived on and cared for...
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OPP: Annual Pottahawk weekend event sees 50 charges laid but no serious incidents
NORFOLK COUNTY, ON – More than 50 charges from stunt driving to speeding may have been laid at the popular Pottahawk weekend event at Pottahawk Point this past weekend but Ontario Provincial Police said all incidents were minor and there were no serious incidents. OPP estimated the crowd at the annual event in Norfolk County to include 450 boats and 2,500 people from Saturday to Sunday. The OPP’s marine unit laid 12 Liquor Licence and Control Act charges and 10 Canada Shipping Act charges . One person was charged with impaired operation. OPP also laid a total of 32 charges under the Highway traffic Act and two Liquor Licence and Control Act charges on land inclkuding a driver charged with stunt driving and 24 others faced speeding charges. “Norfolk County...
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Charges laid in domestic assault in Brant County
BRANT, ON – Brant County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have charged an individual with spousal assault after investigating a domestic disturbance at a Brant County residence, July 15, 2025, at approximately 12:44 a.m.. An OPP investigation at the scene concluded a physical altercation had occurred between individuals in an intimate relationship. As a result a 33-year-old individual from Brant County was arrested and charged under the Criminal Code with: Assault – Spousal The accused was processed and later released with a court appearance scheduled at the Ontario Court of Justice in Brantford. The OPP encourages anyone experiencing domestic violence or concerned about the safety of someone else to reach out. Support services are available, and no one has to face it alone....
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OPP arrest man in Brant County after breakin
BRANT, ON – A 35-year-old man is facing charges after Brant County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) investigated a complaint of a breakin at a commercial property. Brant OPP had received a call at about 6:13 a.m. Friday, July 11, 2025 of a suspicious person on a vacant commercial property on Old Onondaga Road West in Brant County. OPP arrived at the scene and located an individual on the property. Following investigation, police said an unauthorized entry had occurred, and items had been removed from the premises. As a result, Darcy Miller, 35 of Brantford, has been charged with: Break and Enter Theft Under $5,000 Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Under $5,000 Possession of Break-In Instruments Mischief Under $5,000 Failure to Comply with Probation Order The accused was held in...
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Sheshatshiu youth walking to Gull Island to join Innu land defenders
By Heidi Atter, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Independent Two Innu youth have begun a 125-kilometre walk from Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation to Gull Island in Labrador. Angel Jourdain McKay and Percey Montague are walking to highlight historical Innu connections to the region and advocate for the rejection of a proposed agreement between Innu leadership and Hydro-Quebec. The two began their walk from Sheshatshiu Monday and will be joined by supporters at different times throughout the walk. “I believe that this is very important, as it draws roots to our culture. Someone I know personally was born in Gull Island,” Montague said Monday after starting the walk. “I believe that this walk is a way for me to connect to my ancestors, who would have been trekking into and out...
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Native American teens kayak major US river to celebrate removal of dams and return of salmon
By Brittany Peterson KLAMATH, Calif. (AP) — As bright-colored kayaks push through a thick wall of fog, voices and the beats of drums build as kayakers approach a crowd that has formed on the beach. Applause erupts as the boats land on the sandy spit that partially separates the Klamath River from the Pacific Ocean in northern California. Native American teenagers from tribes across the river basin push themselves up and out of the kayaks and begin to cross the sand, some breaking into a sprint. They kick playfully at the cold waves of the ocean they’ve been paddling toward over the last month — the ocean that’s seen fewer and fewer salmon return to it over the last century as four hydropower dams blocked their ideal spawning grounds upstream....
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Amnesty joins Bill C-5 criticism
By Jeremy Appel, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Alberta Native News Human rights organization Amnesty International has joined First Nations leaders across Canada in expressing concern about recently passed legislation that allows the federal government to fast-track certain infrastructure projects. In a July 5 statement, Amnesty International Canada said that Bill C-5, also known as the One Canadian Economy Act, poses a “troubling threat” to Indigenous rights. In addition to reducing barriers towards inter-provincial trade, Bill C-5 enables the government to label infrastructure projects, including dams, mines, pipelines and ports, to be in the “national interest.” By doing so, the government is able to exempt the project from certain regulations, including the Fisheries Act, Marine Act, Species at Risk Act, Canadian Environmental Protection Act, Energy Regulator Act and Impact Assessment Act,...
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Chief of James Smith Cree Nation calls on FSIN to address audit findings
By Nicole Goldsworthy, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, SaskToday.ca, SASKTODAY.ca JAMES SMITH CREE NATION — In a July 14 press release, Chief Kirby Constant of the James Smith Cree Nation called on the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) to provide transparency to the Nations it claims to represent. The statement follows recent media reports citing a forensic audit conducted by Indigenous Services Canada and KPMG, alleging that more than $20 million in FSIN spending remains unaccounted for. “The FSIN has a mandate to represent 74 First Nations across Saskatchewan,” the release stated. “Its role is to protect Treaty rights, advocate for First Nations communities, and advance collective priorities through ethical and accountable leadership. When serious allegations involving public and Treaty-based funds arise, silence from leadership erodes the trust placed in...
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The tariff-driven inflation that economists feared begins to emerge
By Christopher Rugaber And Josh Boak WASHINGTON (AP) — Inflation rose last month to its highest level since February as President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs push up the cost of a range of goods, including furniture, clothing, and large appliances. Consumer prices rose 2.7% in June from a year earlier, the Labor Department said Tuesday, up from an annual increase of 2.4% in May. On a monthly basis, prices climbed 0.3% from May to June, after rising just 0.1% the previous month. Worsening inflation poses a political challenge for Trump, who promised during last year’s presidential campaign to immediately lower costs only to engage in a whipsawed frenzy of tariffs that have left businesses and consumers worried. Trump has declared that the U.S. effectively has no more inflation as he...
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Pre-evacuation alert issued for Waskesiu
By Michael Oleksyn, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Prince Albert Daily Herald From Prince Albert to Saskatoon smoke filled the air on Sunday evening as a wildfire has begun to encroach on the Prince Albert National Park and the Waskesiu townsite. Just after 6 p.m. on Sunday, Parks Canada issued a Wildfire Advisory for Prince Albert National Park. According to the alert, the Buhl Wildfire is currently 40 km from the townsite of Waskesiu. Waskesiu Community Council chair Jim Kerby Chair said on Monday they are watching the situation closely, but conditions have improved. “We have had a change in the smoke conditions over the last 24 hours this morning,” Kerby said. “It was actually kind of blue skies here. At the moment. I’d say that I can see about halfway...
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Young Indigenous leaders in Colombia’s violent Cauca gather to resist violence and elect new voices
By Steven Grattan LAS DELICIAS, Colombia (AP) — Adriana Pazu wiped away tears as she remembered a colleague who was shot dead earlier this year by an armed dissident group for defending their land. Pazu, an Indigenous authority from the Nasa territory of San Francisco, Toribío, was attending an Indigenous youth assembly this week in Las Delicias, Cauca, a region long affected by conflict. Despite years of threats and an official security detail, Pazu’s colleague Edgar Tumiña was killed — months after one of his bodyguards was killed in an earlier attack. “He gave everything to protect this land and our youth,” Pazu said, her voice breaking. “Now, there are only a few of us left, holding onto this responsibility.” She said she’s prepared to carry on, even at great...
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First Nations to launch legal challenge against Ontario, federal bills 5 and C-5
By Allison Jones Lawyers representing nine Ontario First Nations say they are launching a constitutional challenge against provincial and federal laws meant to fast-track infrastructure projects that the Indigenous communities say infringes upon their rights. Details of the legal challenge have not yet been made public, but the lawyers say they will reveal more at a press conference on Wednesday. The federal Bill C-5 allows cabinet to quickly grant federal approvals for big industrial projects such as mines, ports and pipelines by sidestepping existing laws, while Ontario’s bill allows its cabinet to suspend provincial and municipal laws through the creation of so-called “special economic zones.” Chief Sylvia Koostachin-Metatawabin of Attawapiskat First Nation, one of the communities involved in the legal challenge, says in a press release that governments are playing...
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Native American teens kayak major US river to celebrate removal of dams and return of salmon
By Brittany Peterson KLAMATH, Calif. (AP) — As bright-colored kayaks push through a thick wall of fog, voices and the beats of drums build as kayakers approach a crowd that has formed on the beach. Applause erupts as the boats land on the sandy spit that partially separates the Klamath River from the Pacific Ocean in northern California. Native American teenagers from tribes across the river basin push themselves up and out of the kayaks and begin to cross the sand, some breaking into a sprint. They kick playfully at the cold waves of the ocean they’ve been paddling toward over the last month — the ocean that’s seen fewer and fewer salmon return to it over the last century as four hydropower dams blocked their ideal spawning grounds upstream....
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Author encourages people to stand against residential school denialism
By Shari Narine, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Windspeaker.com Métis scholar Kristy McLeod is bracing for more hateful online comments when Decolonization and Me: Conversations about Healing a Nation and Ourselves hits the stores in mid-August. She wrote the book with Orange Shirt Day founder Phyllis Webstad. “I’ve made as many (of my social media accounts) private as I can so that it’s not coming at me unexpectedly. But I do expect it will happen and…I don’t really do well in very strong confrontation. I mean, I can stand up for myself, but it’s not my preference…There’s a part of me that’s a little nervous and afraid of what that will be like,” she said. McLeod and Webstad have already had a taste of the vitriol, ignorance and defensiveness that has...
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First Nations to launch legal challenge against Ontario, federal bills 5 and C-5
By Allison Jones Lawyers representing nine Ontario First Nations say they are launching a constitutional challenge against provincial and federal laws meant to fast-track infrastructure projects that the Indigenous communities say infringes upon their rights. Details of the legal challenge have not yet been made public, but the lawyers say they will reveal more at a press conference on Wednesday. The federal Bill C-5 allows cabinet to quickly grant federal approvals for big industrial projects such as mines, ports and pipelines by sidestepping existing laws, while Ontario’s bill allows its cabinet to suspend provincial and municipal laws through the creation of so-called “special economic zones.” Chief Sylvia Koostachin-Metatawabin of Attawapiskat First Nation, one of the communities involved in the legal challenge, says in a press release that governments are playing...
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Judicial review of Blueberry River First Nations council lies in hands of federal court
By Ed Hitchins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Energeticcity.ca FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The fate of a judicial review of a northeast B.C. First Nations council’s actions now lies in the hands of a federal court. A judicial review of the Blueberry River First Nations (BRFN) council filed by Elders Clarence and Joe Apsassin went before a court in Vancouver last week. The filing sought a review of the entire council after a separate investigation into the former Chief Judy Desjarlais was concluded. The Apsassin’s allegations include that the removal of Desjarlais, who was fired due to accusations of a conflict of interest, was not in conjunction with BRFN’s by-laws, and sought the removal of their family-appointed councillor, Shelley Gauthier. The duo said they wanted to give the BRFN members...
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Halfway River First Nations’ Arbor Days to return for 2025
By Ed Hitchins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Energeticcity.ca WONOWON, B.C. — A northeast B.C. First Nation’s event will return starting this week, as Halfway River First Nation (HRFN) presents its annual Arbor Days. The festival is described on an event poster as “a weekend of celebration, fun and community spirit,” and is free for all members of the public to attend. The idea to put together a cultural gathering was inspired by the story of Maizie Metecheah, who wanted an arbour where people in HRFN could gather, said executive assistant to HRFN council Joanne West. “A long time ago everybody used to gather,” explained West. “[So, council] approved to get an arbour [fundraising gathering] going. It was finished in 2024.” Arbor Days 2024 was named after Maizie Metecheah to honour...
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Premier offers condolences to Pond Inlet following 3 deaths
By Jeff Pelletier, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunatsiaq News Nunavut Premier P.J. Akeeagok offered his condolences to the hamlet of Pond Inlet as Nunavut’s coroner investigates three deaths in the community. “I want to extend my deepest sympathies to the community of Pond Inlet during this incredibly difficult time,” Akeeagok said in a statement Saturday morning. “Like many Nunavummiut, I am heartbroken by the tragic events that have shaken your community.” Akeeagok’s statement did not elaborate about the events he referred to. But the territory’s coroner said his office is looking into them. “I can confirm that we are investigating three deaths in Pond Inlet as coroner’s cases,” Dr. Michael Foote, the territory’s chief coroner, said in an email. Foote also did not provide additional information about the deaths. He...
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