QC Police investigate murder-suicide in a First Nation community
Quebec provincial police say they are investigating a murder-suicide in a First Nation community northeast of Montreal. The investigation is being led by Manawan police in collaboration with Quebec provincial police. The local police say they were called to a private residence in the Atikamekw community of Manawan on Sunday, and discovered two bodies. Police say they found the bodies of a 44-year-old man and 36-year-old woman. The woman’s death would be the fifth femicide reported this month in Quebec. The Atikamekw Council of Manawan expressed its solidarity for the community in a social media post. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 28, 2026....
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Ontario investing $4.2 million in critical water upgrades at Mitaanjigamiing First Nation
By Liam Oliver Neilson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Fort Frances Times Mitaanjigamiing First Nation will be getting $4.2 million in funding towards critical water infrastructure upgrades for its water treatment plant. Kenora-Rainy River MPP Greg Rickford made the announcement on Jan. 22, 2026. According to the province, the investment comes from the Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program’s (MHIP) Health and Safety Water Stream. Plant upgrades will enhance drinking water quality, plant resilience, protect public health and enhance long-term community development. “This expanded funding for critical water infrastructure will contribute to strengthening the safety and reliability of water services in Mitaanjigamiing First Nation,” Rickford said in a press release. “The Health and Safety Water Stream is ensuring the safety, functionality and longevity of the water of the treatment plants that communities rely...
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Emo to get $1.4 million for sewer system upgrades
By Liam Oliver Neilson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Fort Frances Times Emo will be getting more than $1.4 million from the province to upgrade its wastewater treatment equipment, Kenora-Rainy River MPP Greg Rickford announced on Jan. 22. The investment is part of $700 million in provincial funding announced last week to assist 127 municipalities and First Nations communities in upgrading and expanding critical water infrastructure. “Emo, the centre of this beautiful Rainy River District, received $1.4 million for the construction of a new sanitary holding tank with duplex pump systems,” Rickford said. “There’ll be upgrades to electrical, mechanical and other systems. People in emo can expect clean, safe water in some of the most modernized control systems and upgrades to the actual machinery and equipment that takes their water and...
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Bigstone Cree Nation bans illegal drugs on reserve
By Pearl Lorentzen, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Lakeside Leader In January, Bigstone Cree Nation issued a ban on illegal drug use within community boundaries. It was announced at a membership meeting on Jan. 19 and published on bigstone.ca on Jan. 20. However, not everyone agrees with the approach. Dr. Josie Auger has a PhD in public health sciences. She is a Bigstone member and lives in Wabasca. She works hybrid-remotely for the University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry with a focus on Indigenous Health. She attended the Jan. 19 meeting and has some concerns. The letter from Bigstone council says, “We are choosing a path that prioritizes healing, safety, and collective responsibility.” Referring to this clause, Auger says, “I want to talk about the healing … recovery from...
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Inuit call for a larger role in Canada’s Arctic defence surge
By Dylan Robertson The leader of the national organization representing Inuit says the federal government must bring them to the table when it makes its plans to surge defence spending in the Arctic. While Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says Ottawa’s growing focus on defending the Arctic will boost living standards in the region, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami head Natan Obed says Canada still isn’t treating the Inuit as equal partners. Obed says the defence infrastructure constructed in the North early in the Cold War was “built based on agreements that the Canadian government made with the U.S.” and “radically changed” Inuit lives by allowing the “Canadian government to coerce Inuit off of our lands into settled communities.” Obed also warns that American rhetoric about Denmark not doing enough to develop...
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Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump heritage site enjoys boost after shout out on ‘The Pitt’
By Lisa Johnson A UNESCO World Heritage Site in Alberta is enjoying a recent uptick in interest spurred by a shout out on a popular American television show — and its head of marketing hopes that curiosity translates into a bustling summer season. Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump was mentioned in a recent episode of the Golden Globe-winning TV medical drama “The Pitt.” In it, Dr. Michael (Robby) Robinavitch, played by actor Noah Wyle, announces he’s going on sabbatical to the landmark in the foothills of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. “I’ve never seen the badlands,” he says in the episode that aired Jan. 8. Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump is about 185 kilometres south of Calgary. It was used for thousands of years by Indigenous people to channel bison herds and send the animals...
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Loss of independence of U.S. Fed would particularly affect Canada: BoC’s Macklem
By Ian Bickis The head of the Bank of Canada says the risk of a loss of independence at the U.S. Federal Reserve is also a threat to Canada. Speaking Wednesday at a news conference after the latest rate decision, bank governor Tiff Macklem said the pressure the U.S. central bank has faced is contributing to wider uncertainty. “The U.S. Federal Reserve is the biggest, most important central bank in the world, and we all need it to work well,” said Macklem. “A loss of independence of the Fed would affect us all. And for Canada, our financial markets are particularly integrated with the United States, so it would particularly affect us.” Macklem’s comments come as U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized U.S. Fed chair Jerome Powell and the...
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Man injured in Salluit police-involved shooting now appears to face assault, obstruction charges
By Dominique Gené, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunatsiaq News Police have laid charges against 27-year-old Garnet Papigatuk, who appears to be one of the twin brothers shot by police in Salluit in 2024. Both he and his brother Joshua were shot by Nunavik Police Service officers. Joshua died, but Garnet recovered from his injuries. Nearly a year after the incident, it appears that police laid charges against Garnet. On Nov. 4, 2024, two Nunavik Police Service officers responded at 4:10 a.m. to a report of someone attempting to drive while impaired, Quebec’s police watchdog, the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes, said in a news release issued at the time. An altercation broke out between police and two people and officers used a stun gun and pepper spray to try to control...
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Ottawa conditionally approves export of Marineland belugas, dolphins
By Dominique Gené, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunatsiaq News The federal government has conditionally approved Marineland’s plan to transfer its remaining whales and dolphins to the United States. The move appears to end what one Inuk man hoped would have been an Inuit-led solution to release them into the Arctic Ocean. The Niagara Falls, Ont. amusement park — which has been closed since late 2024 — asked the federal government last week for urgent approval to move the mammals to American institutions. Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson met with Marineland representatives Monday to discuss the plan and provided conditional approval for the export permits, she said in a statement posted on X. “I will issue the final permits once final required information is received from Marineland,” she said. “My focus throughout...
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Toronto vigil held for man killed by U.S. Border Patrol in Minneapolis
TORONTO, ONT-Dozens of people gathered outside the U.S. Consulate in Toronto on Tuesday for a vigil in memory of Alex Pretti, who was killed by a U.S. Border Patrol officer in Minneapolis on Saturday. The 37-year-old was an intensive care nurse at a veterans affairs hospital and his family said he took part in protests against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minneapolis. U.S. officials have said that Pretti, who had a permit to carry a gun, was armed and officers fired defensively after he approached them. But bystander videos do not appear to show Pretti holding a weapon before he was shot and his death has sparked widespread outrage and further protests. Organizers of the vigil in Toronto said there were at least 150 people in attendance at one...
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Arctic sovereignty, collaboration key takeaways from Dene National Assembly, says AFN national chief
By Kody Ferron, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, NWT News/North Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak condemned U.S. President Donald Trump and emphasized Arctic sovereignty at the 2026 Dene National Assembly. “It was a beautiful assembly. We talked about the Dene, Dene sovereignty, their work in the North, their work in keeping Canada together, and being on the land,” said Woodhouse Nepinak. “Canada needs to remember that they have to include the Dene in everything that’s related to Arctic sovereignty, and to make sure that they’re included in those discussions.” In regards to other issues that arose during the assembly, held from Jan. 20-22 in Fort Good Hope,Woodhouse Nepinak said, “It was good to hear the language, good to see (Dene) hand games, and talk about many issues...
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Canadian, US First Nations defend caribou habitat from Trump’s Arctic oil plans
By Sonal Gupta, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer Pauline Frost grew up without running water, flush toilets, roads or television in Old Crow, Yukon, about 800 kilometres north of Whitehorse. Residents, mainly members of the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, depended on the Porcupine caribou migration, which had sustained the community for generations. “Caribou was always around. I don’t recollect growing up ever being without caribou,” said Frost, now 63 and the First Nation’s chief. But in recent years, the herd has been declining: heavy snow has buried the lichen the caribou feed on, more calves are dying and the animals have remained on the Alaska side of their range. Earlier this month, the Gwich’in Steering Committee, which represents Gwich’in communities across Alaska and Canada, updated its 2020 lawsuit...
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Shooting of swimming bull moose costly for men
By Carl Clutchey, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Chronicle-Journal Three Wisconsin men have collectively been fined more than $27,000 and banned from hunting in Ontario for several years after a bull moose was shot while it was swimming in a remote area north of Pickle Lake. A provincial investigation determined that in late September of 2023, the trio were out hunting on Skinner Lake. Conservation officers had flown into the area at the time “in response to unlawful hunting practices documented in remote outpost camps,” a Ministry of Natural Resources news release said on Friday. According to the news release, on Sept. 25, 2023 Ben Droessler and fellow hunter Jeffery Gassman “shot and killed a . . . bull moose from a motorboat while it was swimming.” Gassman did not...
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Edjericon calls for economic reconciliation with Indigenous people
By Kody Ferron, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, NWT News/North Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh MLA Richard Edjericon is championing the need for economic reconciliation as the Deninu K’ue Fist Nation seeks territorial government backing to provide an edge in procuring private-sector contracts. Edjericon said he’s been in close contact with Deninu Chief Louis Balsillie about a letter that Balsillie recently sent to the GNWT over losing out on a bid to a southern-based entity to provide core boxes to a mining company. “This situation highlights the need for the economic component of reconciliation. Economic development on our traditional territory must be guided by a culture of mutual respect and shared benefit,” Edjericon said. “Businesses must partner with our communities, and we require leadership from the territorial government through strong policies and collaborative partnerships...
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Auditor General gives Northland a clean bill of health
By Pearl Lorentzen, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Lakeside Leader Northland School Division has successfully implemented all requirements from the Auditor General of Alberta. In December 2025, the Auditor General presented his report to the Alberta Legislature. The report said, “We completed our assessment of implementation of three recommendations from our March 2015 audit of the Systems to Improve Student Attendance in Northland School Division. We found that all three recommendations have been implemented. We previously reported on the progress of these recommendations in 2018.” The three recommendations were that Northland develops a plan to improve student attendance, Northland monitor and enforce student attendance, and the Department of Education and Childcare oversee Northland’s progress. The Auditor General’s report says, “Since making our recommendations in 2015, the percentage of students regularly attending...
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Legal experts, advocates slam Niagara Falls Council for sending $4K bill to silence resident
By Ed Smith, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter & Joel Wittnebel, The Pointer The decision by Niagara Falls council members was made in a matter of minutes, without legal advice, without guidance from senior staff, and has left many residents, advocates and legal experts stunned. Niagara Falls City Council voted last week to send resident Joedy Burdett a bill for $4,000 after he filed a Code of Conduct complaint to the municipality’s controversial integrity commissioner who summarily dismissed it without investigation. For Burdett, his saga took a bizarre turn on October 28 when he filed a Code of Conduct complaint against all members of council for refusing to allow him to speak at two separate public meetings. Burdett maintains that staff blocked his participation on September 16 and October 7, and...
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Greenstone power line upgrade now provincial ‘priority project’
By Matt Prokopchuk, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, TBnewswatch.com AROLAND — Provincial officials say they’re taking a significant step toward completing a long-planned upgrade to regional energy infrastructure. On Wednesday, the Ford government announced it is designating the Greenstone transmission line a provincial “priority project” and is clearing the way for Hydro One to develop and construct it. “Ontario is giving the green light to, not only build, but to accelerate the Greenstone transmission line, which will help displace diesel power, and yes, it will connect us to the gateway to the Ring of Fire,” Stephen Lecce, Ontario’s Minister of Energy and Mines told a news conference in Etobicoke. “This will deliver the energy backbone and the infrastructure to unlock, and to improve, the quality of life for so many northerners...
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Six Nations hit with major snow storm
Six Nations Public Works digs out from record breaking snow storm When the storm hits and the community hunkers down to wait it out, Six Nations Public Works gets to work. Environment Canada predicted more than 50 centimetres of snowfall Sunday as the storm moved through Ontario and Six Nations got its share. But while families waited it out at home, Six Nations’ small army of public works employees went to work sanding and clearing roadways. Six Nations councillor Helen Miller had nothing but praise for the crews. “I thought they did a good job and I never got one complaint about the roads which is unusual. So they must have done a good job,” she said. She said mostly people stayed off the roads. “I never heard of a lot...
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Six Nations Elected council supports tribunal drawing awareness to Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action
Six Nations will support an international opinion tribunal to bring awareness to what it calls Canada’s lacklustre response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action. Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) voted to support a request for a letter of endorsement for the Permanent People’s Tribunal at its General Council meeting on January 13. The move hopes to force an examine crimes against humanity related to Indian Residential Schools, to allow Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal to secure funding for the project. They are seeking funding from the Future Generations Fund to support the Permanent People’s Tribunal, which is scheduled to hold public hearings in Montreal from May 25 to 29, 2026. Nakuset, Executive Director of the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal formally invited...
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Cold Weather Alert issued January 23
Six Nations community members needing help during the cold weather alert can find access to a number of warming centres in the community. The alert came Friday Jan. 23 after the Medical Officer of Health (MOH) for Grand Erie Public Health issued a cold weather alert Jan 22. The alert warned temperatures were expected to drop below -15C or reach wind chill values of -20C. With temperatures of -15C or colder, the MOH warned unprotected skin could freeze in less than 30 minutes and there is a high risk of developing hypothermia Six Nations of the Grand River has opened warming centres at: – The Family Gathering Place, 18 Stoneridge Circle – The Jamieson Elementary School Portable next to the school at 1613 Chiefswood Road. Water and warm drinks will...
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