A century after Native Americans got the right to vote, they could put Trump or Harris over the top
RED SPRINGS, N.C. (AP) — Native American communities were decisive voting blocs in key states in 2020, and with the 2024 race remaining stubbornly close both campaigns have tried to mobilize Native voters in the final weeks of the presidential election. But when it comes to messaging, the two campaigns could not be more different, many Native voters said. It’s been 100 years since Native Americans were given the right to vote, with the passage of the Snyder Act in 1924, and whichever campaign is able to harness their power in this election could swing some of the most hotly contested counties in the country. In swing states like Arizona, North Carolina, Michigan, and Nevada, the candidates — particularly Vice President Kamala Harris — have been targeting Native Americans with...
Register
Canadian Indigenous leaders call Biden’s apology for residential schools ‘first step’
(CP)-Canadian Indigenous leaders say U.S. President Joe Biden’s apology for his country’s residential school system is only the first step toward healing generations of harm. On Friday, Biden apologized for the U.S. boarding school system that for more than 150 years separated Indigenous children from their parents, calling it “one of the most consequential things” he’s done as president. The apology comes 16 years after former prime minister Stephen Harper apologized for Canada’s residential school system. It follows an investigation of boarding schools driven by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, the country’s first Indigenous cabinet secretary, which was prompted by the discovery of 215 suspected unmarked graves at a residential school site in Kamloops, B.C. “The federal Indian boarding school policy and the pain it has caused will...
Register
Havasupai Tribe set to receive federal aid for severe flood damage
The Associated Press SUPAI, Ariz. (AP) — The Havasupai Tribe is set to receive federal emergency aid to help repair damage caused by severe and deadly flooding this summer. President Joe Biden on Friday approved a disaster declaration for the Havasupai, whose reservation at the southwestern edge of Grand Canyon National Park is one of the most remote in the continental U.S., accessible only by foot, mule or helicopter. Flash flooding in late August swept an Arizona woman into Havasu Creek above the Colorado River confluence, killing her. The rushing waters also sent hikers scrambling for high ground and trapped several in the area above and below Beaver Falls, one of a series of usually blue-green waterfalls that draw tourists from around the world to the scenic site. The area...
Register
Finding peace and friendship, 264 years on
By John Chilibeck Local Journalism Initiative Reporter During his 25 years as a criminal prosecutor, Brett Vottero spent plenty of time reviewing the details of arson and murder cases in western Massachusetts, trying to establish the grisly facts of what had happened. Little did he know these skills would come in handy with the St. Andrews Historical Society, established by a small group from the town in southwestern New Brunswick last year. The group wanted to do a public launch with a splash. One of their goals was to assist the Peskotomuhkati, also known as the Passamaquoddy, in researching and education about their history. After all, the Indigenous people had been in the area for thousands of years before Loyalists, lumberjacks, fishermen and tourist guides even showed up. “At one...
Register
Man has straightened out his life since gun incident more than five years ago
By Keith Lacey Local Journalism Initiative Reporter A young man from the Osoyoos Indian Band in Oliver who engaged in a momentary lapse of reason during a drunken argument where he ended up firing a shotgun more than five years ago was given a one-year suspended sentence Thursday. Hunter Terrence Styles Kruger, now in his early 30s, pleaded guilty to one count of possessing a shotgun dangerous to the public peace before Judge Shannon Keyes Thursday morning at the Penticton courthouse. Court heard that on May 17, 2019, Kruger got into an argument with another man over the First Nations tradition of who should be the “firekeeper” or person responsible for ensuring a fire is set and remains burning once a First Nations person is pronounced dead. They are responsible...
Register
Keeping renewable project information public
With five large renewable projects in various stages of planning and approval, MD of Willow Creek administration is continually informing council and rural ratepayers on the status of these applications. “It’s on the agenda for public information,” chief administrative officer Derrick Krizsan said, referring to the Oct. 9 municipal planning commission meeting. “These are really large projects for our community. It’s important to keep people and council informed on the status of these applications. So, we included them on our agenda as discussion items, and in particular, some of the Alberta Utilities Commission’s (AUC) requests for information.” “We wanted some council feedback on some of those requests for information, but we include that information as a matter of transparency,” Krizsan said. On the MPC agenda under miscellaneous, three of the...
Register
US Navy will apologize for the 1882 obliteration of a Tlingit village in Alaska
The Associated Press ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Shells fell on the Alaska Native village as winter approached, and then sailors landed and burned what was left of homes, food caches and canoes. Conditions grew so dire in the following months that elders sacrificed their own lives to spare food for surviving children. It was Oct. 26, 1882, in Angoon, a Tlingit village of about 420 people in the southeastern Alaska panhandle. Now, 142 years later, the perpetrator of the bombardment — the U.S. Navy — is set to say it is sorry. Rear Adm. Mark Sucato, the commander of the Navy’s northwest region, will issue the apology during a ceremony on Saturday, the anniversary of the atrocity. While the rebuilt Angoon received $90,000 in a settlement with the Department of...
Register
MAiD and marginalized people: Coroner’s reports shed light on assisted death in Ontario
By Karandeep Sonu Gaind Professor of Psychiatry, University of Toronto Earlier this month, the Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario released new reports highlighting some of the reasons some Canadians have chosen medical assistance in dying (MAiD, which in Canada involves euthanasia — meaning medically-administered injection rather than self-administered — over 99.9 per cent of the time). The reports have received international attention for what they highlight, including patients being euthanized despite untreated mental illness and addictions, unclear medical diagnoses and suffering fuelled by housing insecurity, poverty and social marginalization. Some are shocked by what these reports reveal, but none should be surprised. This is what happens when you let the foxes run the henhouse, as Canada has arguably done by allowing right-to-die advocacy to shape policy and replace...
Register
Toxic waste project on hold amid environmental concerns and unified resistance from area leaders
By Jacqueline St. Pierre, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The Manitoulin Expositor AGNEW LAKE—The contentious plan to transport niobium tailings to the Agnew Lake Tailings Management Area (ALTMA) has been halted for further environmental assessment following a united outcry from both First Nations and local municipalities over a lack of consultation. A recent town hall meeting in Nairn Centre underscored the anxiety surrounding the project, which seeks to ship approximately 34,000 tonnes of processed niobium tailings to a site with a history of uranium mining. Chief Rodney Nahwegahbow of Whitefish River First Nation articulated the concerns of his community, stating, “Nairn Centre is in the heart of our traditional territory. We should have been consulted long before any plans were made public.” His sentiments reflect the deep-rooted frustration among First Nations...
Register
Documentary returns to Inukjuak 100 years after ‘Nanook of the North’
By Jeff Pelletier Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Inuit have come from the Ice Age to the Space Age in one lifetime. That’s one observation included in documentary A Century After Nanook, which premièred in front of nearly 200 viewers Oct. 19 at Inukjuak’s Pinguavik Recreation Centre. The film takes viewers to the community 100 years after Nanook of the North, a 1922 American silent film that follows a man named Allakariallak (in the film dubbed Nanook) as he hunts, traps and trades. Kirk French, a Pennsylvania State University anthropologist and documentary filmmaker, said the inspiration for A Century After Nanook came from the realization that the historic film was about to hit the 100-year mark. “We had never worked in the North before, so we’re joking around about Nanook of...
Register
Salluit 4-year-old suffers months-long eye infection with no referral south
By Cedric Galant/Local Journalism Initiative Reporter A Salluit family fears four-year-old Isaiah Tayara Saviadjuk might have lasting complications from an eye infection after struggling for two months to get adequate medical care. “The service here is very poor,” Maggie Tayara said about the care her grandson Isaiah received at the community’s health centre, a clinic run by the Inuulitisivk Health Centre. The Puvirnituq-based health centre provides health care for all the Hudson Bay communities in Nunavik. “They just said they did not know what to do.” In August, Isaiah started suffering pain and swelling in his eyes. He couldn’t open them, tolerate light, or get a good night’s sleep. “The regular cloudy daylight is too bright for him, so we have no choice but to have our curtains closed,” Isaiah’s...
Register
Biden visits Indian Country and apologizes for the ‘sin’ of a 150-year-old boarding school policy
LAVEEN VILLAGE, Ariz. (AP) — President Joe Biden on Friday formally apologized to Native Americans for the “sin” of a government-run boarding school system that for decades forcibly separated children from their parents, calling it a “blot on American history” in his first presidential visit to Indian Country. “It’s a sin on our soul,” said Biden, his voice full of anger and emotion. “Quite frankly, there’s no excuse that this apology took 50 years to make.” It was a moment of both contrition and frustration as the president sought to recognize one of the “most horrific chapters” in the national story. Biden spoke of the abuses and deaths of Native children that resulted from the federal government’s policies, noting that “while darkness can hide much, it erases nothing” and that...
Register
Family fears drug dealers may have abducted missing M’Chigeeng woman amid Island’s growing drug crisis
M’CHIGEENG—The disappearance of Juanita Migwans, a 30-year-old First Nations woman last seen on October 2 in M’Chigeeng First Nation, has her family fearing the worst. Her loved ones believe she may have been abducted by drug dealers from the Greater Toronto Area who have been infiltrating First Nations such as M’Chigeeng. Ms. Migwans, who was reported missing on October 7, had struggled with addiction in recent years. “There’s been no activity on her bank account,” said her aunt, Mary Ashcroft, who took to social media to urge anyone with information to come forward. “Our fear is they may have taken her against her will. She could be anywhere.” Her father, Morris Ashcroft, voiced his concern as well, highlighting the alarming presence of big-city drug traffickers on First Nations reserves. “Urge...
Register
Brazil reaches $23 billion settlement with mining firms over 2015 environmental disaster
SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s federal government on Friday reached a multibillion-dollar settlement with the mining companies responsible for a 2015 dam collapse that the government said was the country’s worst-ever environmental disaster. Under the agreement, Samarco — a joint venture of Brazilian mining giant Vale and Anglo-Australian firm BHP — will pay 132 billion reais ($23 billion) over 20 years. The payments are meant to compensate for human, environmental and infrastructure damage caused by the release of an immense amount of toxic mining waste into a major river in southeastern Minas Gerais state, killing 19 people and ravaging entire villages. “We are fixing a disaster that could have been avoided, but wasn’t,” President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said in a hall of the presidential palace, surrounded by governors...
Register
Biden at last visits Indian Country, where he will apologize for 150-year-old boarding school policy
PHOENIX (AP) — President Joe Biden is using his long-promised first presidential visit to Indian Country to formally apologize to Native Americans on Friday for a government-run boarding school system that for decades forcibly separated Indian children from their parents. Democrats hope Biden’s visit to the Gila River Indian Community’s land on the outskirts of metro Phoenix in Arizona will also provide a boost to Vice President Kamala Harris’ turnout effort in a key battleground state. Biden, whose presidency is winding down, had promised tribal leaders nearly two years ago that he would make a visit to Indian Country. The president, in an exchange with reporters Thursday before departing for Arizona, said an apology for the U.S. government’s role in the abuse and neglect of Native children was “something that...
Register
Fort France town council loses second councillor with Olson resignation
By Ken Kellar Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Fort Frances town council has lost another sitting councillor, the second resignation to rock council so far this term. Former councillor Mandi Olson announced her resignation in a letter posted to Facebook on Friday, October 18, 2024. The resignation was officially accepted by Town of Fort Frances municipal clerk Gabrielle Lecuyer on Monday, October 21, 2024. Olson marks the second councillor to resign their position during this most recent term of council, which began in November 2022. Former councillor David Kircher resigned in May 2024, and Kaleb Firth was subsequently appointed to council to fill that vacancy. In her letter, Olson noted the decision to resign as a councillor was “not easy,” but stemmed from challenges she encountered at the council table regarding...
Register
Ontario’s highest court sides with young activists, paves way for reexamination of Ford’s climate policies
By Anushka Yadav Local Journalism Intiative Reporter Because of seven young environmental activists and their sheer determination, Ontario’s lower court will have to reconsider whether the Doug Ford PC government’s policies have increased emissions, in breach of Charter rights that protect their safety. “I’m feeling really great. I also feel like it hasn’t fully set in yet…because it’s been so long,” Beze Gray, one of the appellants, told The Pointer. Growing up, Gray, an Aamjiwnaang First Nationsmember, was taught by elders to think of the seven generations who lived before and the next seven generations who will live in the future, when making decisions. This deeply ingrained Indigenous value which had helped protect the land and air and water for thousands of years was under threat as they witnessed the...
Register
Canada wide warrant issued for federal offender serving time for Sexual Interference conviction
Roy Rogers Crawford BRANTFORD, ON – The Repeat Offender Parole Enforcement (R.O.P.E.) Squad is seeking the public’s help in locating a federal offender convicted of Sexual Interference charges now wanted on a Canada Wide Warrant after breaching his Statutory Release. Roy Rogers CRAWFORD is serving a five year six months and 15 days sentence for Sexual Interference Person Under 16 years of age and Luring a Child Under 16 years of age He is described as male Caucasian, 44, 5’8” (173cm), 150 lbs (68 kgs) with black hair and green eyes and usually has facial hair. Rogers has the several Tattoos; Left Forearm – Mom and Dad Left Hand – Snake Head Left Index finger – L Left Middle finger – O Left Ring Finger – V Left...
Register
Veterinarian and team come to northern FirstNation
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter EABAMET LAKE – Chief Solomon Atlookan says he’s always had a dog in his life. Nowadays, that special canine is his daughter’s chocolate lab, named Domi after a retired NHL player. But veterinary services have historically been hard to come by in their home community, 300 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay. And so the Eabametoong First Nation chief was happy to see the Matawa Animal Services pilot project come to his Ojibwe community. From Oct. 16 to Oct. 20, 176 animals were seen by a veterinarian, 97 were spayed or neutered, 79 had wellness exams and 348 got vaccinated. In addition, 40 dogs were transferred to adoption agencies – an important measure as the First Nation tries to control its animal population, according...
Register
Grassy Narrows elects its first female chief
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter GRASSY NARROWS – There’s a new chief in the Asubpeeschoseewagong First Nation, better known as Grassy Narrows, And, for the first time since introduction of the band system, the new chief is a woman. Sherry Ackabee won against longstanding incumbent Rudy Turtle in the race for the Anishinaabe community’s top job, winning on Monday by a slim margin. Ackabee edged Turtle by a margin of 10 votes, 109 to 99, in an election that also had other candidates for chief. “My priorities are to work with the community,” Ackabee told Newswatch in a conference call with her councillors in the room. “And, you know, I find the children are a very important part of the community, and so are the elders. Everybody is...
Register
