Family calls for probe of decision to grant parole to man convicted in woman’s death
By Alessia Passafiume Family members of the late Barbara Kentner are demanding that the Parole Board of Canada explain why it granted her attacker full parole without first meeting with them. Kentner was walking on a street in Thunder Bay, Ont., with her sister in 2017 when Brayden Bushby tossed a trailer hitch at her, striking her in the abdomen. The First Nations woman died six months later. Bushby, now 25, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault but was convicted of manslaughter for what the presiding judge described as a callous, misogynist attack. He was recently granted full parole after being sentenced in 2021 to eight years in prison. Kentner’s sister Connie Kentner says her family deserves to know why Bushby was granted full parole and wants systemic changes to ensure...
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National chief encourages eligible First Nation to submit claims
By Jacqueline St.Pierre, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Manitoulin Expositor OTTAWA—National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak stated on August 17 that more than 30,000 First Nations children who were removed from their homes have now received compensation through the First Nations Child and Family Services (FNCFS) and Jordan’s Principle Settlement. Over $1.2 billion has been provided in compensation to eligible claimants, marking an important milestone in one of Canada’s largest class action settlements. “Behind every claim is an experience that reflects Canada’s discrimination against First Nations children and families,” said National Chief Woodhouse Nepinak in a press release. “No amount of compensation can undo that harm. This milestone is important because it reflects the thousands of people whose experiences have now been acknowledged, while reminding us that others are still moving...
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Trump contacted Apple directly to change name of Lake Ontario to Lake America: Burgum
By Kelly Geraldine Malone U.S. President Donald Trump contacted Apple directly to get the company to change the name of Lake Ontario to “Lake America,” a top administration official said Monday. U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum told the Fox Business network the body of water’s name might soon change on Apple maps. Trump signed an executive order last week to rename the Great Lake as tensions between the two countries escalated following a breakdown in trade talks. Google Maps updated its service to identify the body of water as “Lake America” for users in the United States over the weekend. The company said in a post on its corporate website Saturday the change was made because the U.S. government’s geographic names database had formally renamed the lake. Users in Canada...
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Trump’s ‘renaming’ of Lake Ontario is emblematic of centuries of colonial erasure
By Nicole Rosen, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Language Interactions, University of Manitoba The ongoing economic spat between Canada and the United States took a strange turn after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order “renaming” Lake Ontario as Lake America. The lake is the second body of water to be renamed by Trump. In January 2025, he similarly ordered that the Gulf of Mexico be renamed the Gulf of America. That same order also officially changed Alaska’s Mount Denali to its colonial name, Mount McKinley. While many might view Trump’s renamings as comical or unserious, for Indigenous communities, they are reminiscent of centuries of settler-colonial erasure. What’s in a place name? The name Ontario can be traced to the Huron word ontarí:io, a Wyandot (Huron) word meaning...
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‘Implosion’: Warbus is seventh B.C. Conservative to quit caucus, blaming Findlay
By Chuck Chiang B.C. Conservative MLA A’a:liya Warbus, one of the Opposition’s most prominent legislators, has joined the exodus from the party’s caucus, saying she has lost confidence in it under new leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay. Warbus said in a statement on Monday morning she would sit as an Independent, becoming the seventh Conservative MLA to quit the caucus this month, including five last week. The Indigenous MLA and former House leader cited the cancellation of a caucus meeting she said had been called for Monday in light of a “reasonable cause for concern” about last week’s “implosion.” “The decision to postpone today’s caucus meeting for a month reflects the lack of value being placed on caucus members and their opinions,” she said in her statement. “It is one thing to...
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Connection to culture saves lives in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside
By Nora O’Malley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Ha-Shilth-Sa Vancouver, BC – Across the street from Pigeon Park in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES), a large orange feather pops into view from a storefront window. As one gets closer, the deep sound of traditional drumming bellows out the open door, inviting the country’s most marginalized in for a cup of coffee, a sandwich and a safe place for people to just sit and be. Welcome to Culture Saves Lives, a movement founded by Patrick Smith in response to the tragic death of a young Indigenous woman named Paige. Paige died in April 2013 of a drug overdose in a communal washroom adjacent to Oppenheimer Park in the DTES. She was just 19-years-old. A report entitled “Paige’s Story: Abuse, Indifference and a Young...
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Wiikwemkoong builds ‘Grandma’ houses
By Jacqueline St.Pierre, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Manitoulin Expositor Another seven coming soon WIIKWEMKOONG—Three new five-bedroom homes are taking shape near the Buzwah borderline, entering Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory, built with something more compelling than walls and windows in mind: the way First Nations families sometimes have to stretch, bend and gather themselves back together when life-altering circumstances threaten to pull the fabric of their families apart. For Grandmother Alison Recollet, one of the women who will soon move into one of those homes, the meaning of it can be summed up in a phrase that reaches far beyond housing. “No matter how the children can come and go, depending on what’s going on with their family, I’m the centre home fire for everybody there.” A home fire. The place...
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Ontario breaks ground on longest stretch of proposed Ring of Fire road network
Construction on the longest stretch of a road network to Ontario’s mineral-rich Ring of Fire region has begun. The provincial government announced today that ground has been broken on a road to eventually connect the remote Marten Falls First Nation to the provincial highway network. Chief Bruce Achneepineskum says the route will strengthen connections to health care and other essential services, while helping to accelerate the community’s growth. The provincial government says it’s part of a plan to unlock the economic potential of the Ring of Fire region and meet global demand for minerals. That plan has been met with pushback by some First Nations, notably in response to legislation giving the government powers to fast-track projects. The road to Marten Falls will span about 184 kilometres, or just over...
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Wikwemikong Tribal Police Service turns to innovation to make community safer
By Jacqueline St.Pierre, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Manitoulin Expositor Gain automated licence plate readers WIIKWEMKOONG—For some people, the words “automated licence plate reader” might conjure an image of an increasingly watched world. Cameras quietly recording who comes and goes, storing information about ordinary people simply going about their day. For Sgt. Mike Force of the Wikwemikong Tribal Police Service (WTPS), the reality has a less ominous intent. The force’s new automated licence plate reader (ALPR) is not designed to monitor the community indiscriminately, he explained. It is a public safety tool; one that allows officers to identify vehicles associated with specific police alerts while respecting the privacy of people who are simply driving through the community. “We are utilizing a technological advancement in ALPR that assists us in identifying...
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The B.C. Conservative caucus is down to 30. Here’s how it lost 14 members
By Canadian Press Staff The B.C. Conservatives came within three ridings of victory in the 2024 provincial election, winning 44 seats. But since then, the party’s caucus has been thinned to 30, amid differences over its ideology, and questions about its direction under both former leader John Rustad and new leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay. Here are the 14 legislators who have exited the party, and why. DALLAS BRODIE, JORDAN KEALY AND TARA ARMSTRONG Brodie (Vancouver-Quilchena) is thrown out of the caucus by Rustad on March 7, 2025, over remarks that Rustad says mocked residential school survivors. Armstrong (Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream) and Kealy (Peace River North) follow later that day, in sympathy with Brodie. Armstrong briefly joins Brodie as a member of the new OneBC party before they split. Because OneBC lacks official...
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Cardinal Marc Ouellet wins lawsuit against woman who accused him of sexual misconduct
By Morgan Lowrie Quebec Cardinal Marc Ouellet has won his civil defamation suit against a woman who accused him of sexual misconduct. Superior Court Justice Martin Castonguay ruled that Paméla Groleau’s accusations against the cardinal are unfounded and ordered her to pay him $100,000. Groleau had accused Ouellet of touching her without consent on three occasions between 2008 and 2010, while she was training or working as a lay pastoral agent for the church. Castonguay noted in his judgment that Groleau changed her story several times, including eventually saying that she only considered one of the alleged interactions to be a sexual assault. The judge noted that the damage to Ouellet was compounded by the fact that Groleau named him in a class-action lawsuit against the Quebec archdiocese that overwhelmingly...
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Community comes together to raise 40-foot-tall tipi
By Connor Luczka, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Stratford Times On a typical summer morning Aug. 18, community members and friends gathered on the grounds behind the Stratford-Perth Museum, bringing bags of equipment and rope, carved wooden poles about 44 feet long and a heavy canvas. With an area about 30 feet in diameter carved into the brush set out, the men and women went about their work: raising a tipi. “We had this tipi up at Gowanstown,” explained Christin Dennis, one of the organizers for the endeavour. “The tipi came to being by the Sixties Scoop (Healing) Foundation. I’m also a Sixties Scoop survivor, and I wanted to create a venue for people to come to learn about Indigenous culture and Indigenous ceremonies and traditions, and that’s how the tipi...
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‘Epic fighter’: Tributes for B.C. Indigenous leader and MLA Joan Phillip, dead at 74
By The Canadian Press British Columbia legislator and Indigenous leader Joan Phillip has died, with Premier David Eby honouring her as an “epic fighter.” The Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs said in a statement on Friday that the NDP MLA died peacefully Friday afternoon, surrounded by her family, including “the love of her life,” husband Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, their children and grandchildren. “Joan was a fearless warrior and inspirational leader, and we will miss her dearly,” the union said. She was 74. Phillip had been battling an illness for months, and the union’s post asked for donations to the B.C. Cancer Society in lieu of flowers. The organization said in a previous post on Thursday that Phillip was in hospital “courageously fighting kidney infection and septic shock.” Philip...
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Community comes together to raise 40-foot-tall tipi
By Connor Luczka, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Stratford Times On a typical summer morning Aug. 18, community members and friends gathered on the grounds behind the Stratford-Perth Museum, bringing bags of equipment and rope, carved wooden poles about 44 feet long and a heavy canvas. With an area about 30 feet in diameter carved into the brush set out, the men and women went about their work: raising a tipi. “We had this tipi up at Gowanstown,” explained Christin Dennis, one of the organizers for the endeavour. “The tipi came to being by the Sixties Scoop (Healing) Foundation. I’m also a Sixties Scoop survivor, and I wanted to create a venue for people to come to learn about Indigenous culture and Indigenous ceremonies and traditions, and that’s how the tipi...
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Court sides with Guardians Network in $6.2-million civil suit
By Claire McFarlane, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cabin Radio A Manitoba judge has ordered a former employee of the First Nations National Guardians Network to repay more than $6.2 million to the organization, funds which it says were misappropriated. In March, the non-profit launched a civil lawsuit against Melanie Desjarlais, the organization’s former director of finance, claiming she used funds earmarked for Indigenous Guardians programs for personal transactions, including flights, tickets to hockey games and purchases on Tiktok, PayPal and Apple. The First Nations National Guardians Network, or NGN, administered funds from the federal Department of Environment and Climate Change that paid for Indigenous Guardians programs across Canada, including in the Northwest Territories’ Sahtu region. In a statement of claim filed by NGN, the organization accused Desjarlais of falsifying at...
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‘Then, now and always’: Carney says it will always be Lake Ontario after Trump order
Lake Oniatari:io, the Haudenosaunee word for Lake Ontario By Kelly Geraldine Malone Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canadians know Lake Ontario will always be known by its original name, after U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order to change it to Lake America. In a post on social media, Carney said “we know that America is changing.” “Their trading relationships, their foreign policies, their national monuments, their hydronyms,” Carney posted. “Canadians also know that naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario — then, now and always.” Tensions between the two countries have escalated since trade negotiations fell apart on Friday. Both countries have accused each other of implementing eleventh-hour changes. Carney has said the agreement became untenable. The federal government unveiled its retaliatory measures, set to go...
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Jordin Tootoo and Attima Hadlari being inducted into new Nunavut Sport and Recreation Hall of Fame
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News Rankin Inlet’s Jordin Tootoo and Attima Hadlari, who was born on the land between Taloyoak and Kugaaruk, will become the first two inductees into the Nunavut Sport and Recreation Hall of Fame on Oct. 3. A ceremony honouring the two contributors to territorial sports is being held at the Nunavut Sport and Recreation Awards Gala at the Aqsarniit Hotel in Iqaluit. “The hall of fame will provide a lasting opportunity to recognize the athletes, coaches, officials, builders, volunteers, and community leaders who have shaped Nunavut’s sporting history and strengthened recreation throughout the territory,” said Scott Schutz, operations manager at the Nunavut Sport Federation. Jordin Tootoo became the NHL’s first Inuk player in 2003, suiting up for four teams until 2017....
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First wind turbine in Nunavut expected to get installed this September
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News Nunavut’s first windmill is nearing completion. A wind turbine in Sanikiluaq, Nunavut is scheduled to get installed in September, completing a construction project that began in 2023, according to Clara Phillips, development project manager for Nunavut Nukkiksautiit Corporation. Called the Anuriqjuak Nukkiksautiit Project, wind-powered electricity could start flowing to the community 2027. “We are targeting the end the calendar year for commercial date of operation, but this depends on many factors,” Phillips said. Rock anchors for the wind turbine have already been installed, according to Phillips. The turbine is expected to replace between 50 and 70 per cent of the diesel electricity Sanikiluaq currently relies on. Sanikiluaq’s one-megawatt turbine and battery storage system were put in place with $11.3-million in...
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‘Every single child:’ Manitoba making in-person gym mandatory for high-schoolers
By Brittany Hobson The Manitoba government is making it mandatory for students in grades 11 and 12 to take in-person gym class. A pilot program is to start this fall that would see schools implement the change on a voluntary basis. About 25 schools have signed up so far. The compulsory rollout of health curriculum changes for all schools would start in the 2027-28 school year. “The message of this curriculum is that physical activity and healthy living are for everyone, for every single child,” Education Minister Tracy Schmidt said Thursday. “The curriculum helps kids find movement activities that make them happy and healthy,” she said, “whether that be sports and weightlifting, whether that be yoga or walking, or many of the other creative solutions that we know that our...
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Treaty 6 at 150: Communities reflect on promises and future
By Nicole Goldsworthy, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, SaskToday.ca, SASKTODAY.ca FORT CARLTON, Sask. — First Nations leaders, government officials, Elders and community members gathered across Treaty 6 Territory this month to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Treaty 6, reflecting on its historic significance and the continuing responsibilities tied to the agreement signed Aug. 23, 1876. Commemorative events at Fort Carlton and cultural celebrations throughout the region highlighted both the history of Treaty 6 and its ongoing relevance to First Nations and non-Indigenous communities. The Prince Albert Grand Council’s (PAGC) 2026 Gathering of Nations, being held Aug. 25-28, features traditional foods, powwow dancing, drumming, hand games, arts and crafts, cultural workshops, youth activities and musical performances. Grand Chief Brian Hardlotte said the anniversary of Treaty 6 is central to this year’s gathering....
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