PM Carney expected to name new governor general today
By The Canadian Press Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to name a new governor general today at a press conference in Ottawa. The governor general is appointed by the Sovereign on the advice of the prime minister and usually holds office for five years. Mary Simon, Canada’s first Indigenous governor general, will reach the five-year mark of her tenure in July. Whit Fraser, the viceregal consort, told the Globe and Mail newspaper last month that he and Simon were apartment hunting. Following controversy over Simon’s struggles with French, Carney said the next viceregal representative would speak both official languages. Simon speaks English and Inuktitut and has improved her French but she is not fluent, despite taking lessons. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 5, 2026....
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Vigil to be held on Parliament Hill today for missing and murdered Indigenous women
By The Canadian Press Family and friends of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people are set to gather on Parliament Hill today. Participants plan to hold a press conference and a vigil for Red Dress Day. The event will be led by Bridget Tolley, founder of Families of Sisters in Spirit. Speakers will commemorate lost loved ones and comment on Canada’s progress 10 years after the launch of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Métis artist Jaime Black inspired the use of red dresses to represent missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls with an exhibit in 2010. Black displayed more than 100 red dresses around the University of Winnipeg campus to raise awareness of the issue. This report by The Canadian...
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Alleged defamation: Cape Breton fiddler Ashley MacIsaac files lawsuit against Google
By Michael MacDonald Cape Breton fiddler Ashley MacIsaac has launched a civil lawsuit against Google, claiming the online giant defamed him by falsely identifying him as a sex offender in an AI-generated summary. In December, the Juno Award-winning musician said he learned about the misinformation after a First Nation north of Halifax confronted him with the summary — known as an “AI overview” — then cancelled one of his concerts. The Sipekne’katik First Nation later issued a public apology to MacIsaac. In a statement of claim filed in February with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, MacIsaac says the summary falsely asserted he had been convicted of a series of offences including sexual assault, internet luring involving a child and assault causing bodily harm. As well, the summary wrongly stated...
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Yukon First Nation decries American push for oil and gas in the Arctic
By Noah Korver, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Yukon News The Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation expressed their continued opposition to oil and gas development in Northern Alaska on April 30, releasing a statement denouncing the planned sale of oil and gas leases within critical habitat for the Porcupine Caribou Herd. On April 20, the Alaska Bureau of Land Management released a Detailed Statement of Sale announcing the opening date for bidding on oil and gas lease tracts within the Coastal Plains area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). The refuge sits along the northern coast of Alaska and abuts the border with the Yukon on its eastern side. Encompassing an area nearly double the size of Switzerland at 19.9 million acres, the ANWR is the largest designated wildlife refuge in...
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Inter-agency training teaches Yukon’s firefighters how to work together
By Noah Korver, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Yukon News Firefighters from across the Yukon are in Whitehorse this week as the city plays host to expert trainers who have come to share their experiences and knowledge with the territory’s first responders. Training kicked off on Monday with personnel from the Whitehorse Fire Department, Yukon Wildfire, Yukon First Nations Wildfire, and several regional volunteer fire departments. The training is focused on improving inter-agency operation during a large scale fire response. The City of Whitehorse occupies a very niche place in firefighting, with many of its sprawling neighbourhoods abutting vast expanses of wilderness on all sides. The transitional area where these developed lands meet undeveloped forest is known as the wildland-urban interface and presents unique challenges for firefighting. Interface fires often require...
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4 big water projects underway in South Dakota
By Bart Pfankuch/south Dakota News Watch In a wooded site along the west shore of the Missouri River, an engineering marvel was taking shape one afternoon in March that will eventually help provide fresh water to hundreds of thousands of people. Contractors hired by the Lewis & Clark Regional Water System had positioned 16-foot concrete rings above a structure known as a Ranney well that will draw water from an aquifer 140 feet below the surface. To form the sides of the giant well, workers jam several of the sleeves into the caisson structure that collects water through a series of pipes that extend outward at the bottom. The new well is part of a $150 million expansion of the Lewis & Clark system that provides 44 million gallons of...
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Poilievre: Carney should state what ‘leverage’ Canada has in trade talks
By The Canadian Press Prime Minister Mark Carney should spell out to Canadians what leverage the country has over the United States in coming trade negotiations, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre asserted on Sunday. That comes after Carney rejected characterizing energy and critical minerals as “leverage” in talks to renew the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, also known as CUSMA. Poilievre said Carney should explain how he intends to secure an end to sectoral tariffs and a renewal of the free-trade pact. “If energy and minerals are not going to be leveraged for Canada in these negotiations, what leverage does Mr. Carney claim to have?” Poilievre said while speaking with reporters at a press conference in Toronto. “He can’t tell us what leverage we have, what demands he’s making, what tariffs he wants...
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Federal audits into accessibility, First Nations funding set to be released
Two federal watchdogs are set to release a series of audits today, including probes into federal workplace accessibility and funding arrangements for First Nations. Auditor General Karen Hogan will reveal the findings of her investigation into whether Indigenous Services Canada effectively put into place its “New Fiscal Relationship” with First Nations. That refers to measures brought in under former prime minister Justin Trudeau, who made resetting Canada’s relationship with Indigenous peoples a priority for his government. Hogan is also expected to reveal whether her office found several federal organizations created an accessible workplace for public servants with disabilities. Jerry DeMarco, the commissioner of the environment and sustainable development, is also set to release several reports, including one that looks into whether departments ensured government assets can withstand climate change. Another...
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‘It’s the future:’ Drone training equips Stoney Nakoda Nation members for high-demand jobs
By Leah Pelletier, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Rocky Mountain Outlook ÎYÂRHE NAKODA – The future of Canada’s drone industry is taking off within Îyârhe (Stoney) Nakoda First Nation. With drone operators in high demand across Canada, Southern Alberta-based drone operation and training company, IN-FLIGHT Data, is clearing the way for Stoney Nakoda members to earn their drone pilot licence through a free training program. “In the next 10 years there’s going to be a wave of high-tech aviation jobs that are going to come into the Canadian marketplace,” said Chris Healy, president and CEO of IN-FLIGHT Data and member of the Métis Nation. “Indigenous communities should be fully included in the future of that technology and not just watching it from the sidelines.” The course gives Stoney Nakoda Nation members...
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B.C.’s legislature looks into changes as MLA avoids censure after using Nazi slogan
By Wolfgang Depner Politicians in B.C.’s legislature say they are looking into whether they can close a loophole that has allowed a member to avoid a censure motion after she used a slogan associated with Nazi Germany. Independent MLA Tara Armstrong last month used the term “blood and soil” in her attack on a First Nations treaty, a phrase frequently used by German Fascists before and during the Second World War. But an attempt by the B.C. Greens to censure Armstrong and force her to apologize failed because she, along with another member of the legislature, prevented the motion from coming up for debate. Government house leader Mike Farnworth says he is working with the official Opposition and B.C. Greens to deal with Armstrong’s “abhorrent” comments inside and outside the...
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Poverty rate holds steady at 11%, well above 2020 levels: StatCan
-CANADIAN PRESS-Statistics Canada says the country’s poverty rate barely budged in 2024, remaining more than 50 per cent above 2020 levels. The agency says 11 per cent of Canadians — about 4.5 million people — lived in poverty in 2024 versus 11.1 per cent in 2023 and seven per cent in 2020. It says Nunavut recorded the highest poverty rate at 31.7 per cent due to the high cost of living in much of the North, followed by British Columbia at 13 per cent and Ontario at 12.5 per cent. As in previous years, Quebec notched the lowest poverty rate at seven per cent. The agency says racialized groups, Indigenous peoples and Canadians living with disabilities continue to experience higher levels of poverty. Statistics Canada calculates the poverty rate based...
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Tribes sue to halt exploratory drilling in Black Hills near sacred ceremonial site
By Sarah Raza SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Nine Native American tribes in South Dakota, North Dakota and Nebraska are suing the federal government in a bid to stop exploratory drilling for graphite near a sacred site in the Black Hills. A small group of demonstrators has been protesting at the drilling location and at the mining company’s headquarters since they learned ground was broken on the drilling project in late April. The tribes filed their federal lawsuit Thursday in South Dakota against the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Department of Agriculture, alleging that the agencies violated federal law by greenlighting a project near a site called Pe’Sla, a meadow in the central Black Hills used for tribal ceremonies, prayer and youth camps year-round. The project is the latest point...
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Alberta separatists set to deliver thousands of signatures on petition for referendum
A group of Alberta separatists gathering signatures to trigger a referendum on pulling the province out of Confederation is set to hand in its petition sheets today. Mitch Sylvestre, the head of Stay Free Alberta, says it plans to deliver the thousands of names to Elections Alberta’s head office in Edmonton. More than a month ago, Sylvestre said the group had already collected much more than the approximate 178,000 signatures required since it started in January. The question of separation could go on a provincewide ballot as early as October, as Premier Danielle Smith has said she would move forward if enough names are gathered and verified. However, the petition could face another hurdle. An Edmonton judge is expected to rule this week on a court challenge launched by a...
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Lawyers say ban on naming man in sex assault case ‘illegal’
By Arty Sarkisian, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunatsiaq News A court-ordered ban on naming a man accused of sexual assault is an infringement on the free press, lawyers argued in court Friday. “This is a very serious issue,” said Alyssa Holland, a lawyer for the Canadian Broadcasting Corp., who appeared virtually to request the ban be struck down. The man is facing historical criminal allegations but the Youth Criminal Justice Act prohibits media from publishing his name or any identifying details. He also faces charges as an adult. Alan Regel, the man’s lawyer, argued the ban should apply to the adult charges as well. Justice of the Peace Amanda Soper placed the publication ban on naming the man on all charges after hearing an oral request April 11 from the...
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Crown-Indigenous Relations outlines how it will deliver $4 billion in housing investments
By Kody Ferron, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Yellowknifer Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Rebecca Alty travelled to Behchoko on April 24 to announce how the Urban, Rural and Northern Indigenous Housing Strategy would deliver on its promise to build homes for Indigenous communities. The Urban, Rural and Northern Indigenous Housing Strategy, created in Budget 2023, which allotted $4 billion over seven years starting 2024-25, was founded to support Indigenous housing in urban, rural and Northern communities. The Canadian government says its strategy is built on a “balance of Indigenous-led funding agreements and open, project-based funding for Indigenous housing projects.” An estimated $1.7 billion will be delivered by Build Canada Homes, the federal agency launched in September 2025, to build affordable housing in Canada. Almost $2 billion will be allocated for “distinctions-based agreements”...
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Kanesatake council attends education meeting
By Hadassah Alencar, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eastern Door Last week, caretaker council member Serge Otsi Simon and Kanesatake Education Center (KEC) education director Watsenniostha Nelson attended the First Nations Education Council’s (FNEC) annual general meeting in Quebec City, where they discussed ways to fund and strengthen Indigenous education. At the meetings on April 21 and 22, the FNEC revealed it is attempting to secure a 10-year funding agreement with the federal government, double the current five-year term. “I feel like 10 years would give a little bit more time for all of our communities to really settle in and then really get things done without having to go back and start renegotiating again so quickly,” said Nelson. Current funding ends in 2027, said Nelson. However, while supportive, Simon...
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PIB marks Denim Day, ‘A refusal to stay silent’
By Keith Lacey, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Penticton Herald More than two dozen members of the Penticton Indian Band proudly wore denim to observe the global campaign held during Sexual Assault Awareness Month to protest against victim-blaming and show solidarity with survivors of sexual violence. The PIB members recognized 2026 Denim Day on Tuesday with a hearty meal, followed by speeches from social workers about the importance of this day, which began in 1999 following a ruling by the Italian Supreme Court that overturned a rape conviction after judges reasoned that because the victim wore tight jeans, she must have consented. Outraged, millions of Italian women wore denim as an act of solidarity. A huge Denim Day event was held in Los Angeles in 1999 and has since then become...
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Years in Brooklyn / Tsi Niiohserá:ke Ne Brooklyn Nonkwá:ti
By Arthur Diabo The Eastern Door I really didn’t want to go to Brooklyn; that’s a rite of passage at 12 years old. At the time, I was leaving the formative years. I lived life on the reserve but now I’m in the big city. Everybody’s trying to hustle you and take your money and whatever you have on you. I was in my teens when I grew up there. We lived in a little area, called Little Caughnawaga. There were Indians everywhere in downtown Brooklyn. We didn’t live next to each other, but we all lived in a big area. There were a lot of other Mohawks there and I knew them. They were my friends from Kahnawà:ke. I met one close friend in the lunch line at school....
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Hyggen exhibit spotlights threatened northern muskegs
By Nicole Goldsworthy Local Journalism Initiative Reporter/SASKTODAY.ca HUMBOLDT — A new exhibition at the Humboldt and District Gallery is bringing northern Saskatchewan’s muskeg landscapes into focus, highlighting both their ecological richness and the risks they face from resource extraction. “ôma askiy âpacihcikâtîw (this land is in use)” by Vanessa Hyggen runs May 1 to June 23, at the gallery, located on the second floor of 601 Main Street. The Humboldt Gallery said the body of work explores the diversity, beauty and importance of muskeg ecosystems, while drawing attention to the growing threat of peat and strip mining in northern regions. Peat mining typically involves draining water from muskeg areas and removing vegetation, including species such as sundews, pitcher plants, Labrador tea, black spruce, birch, willows, alders and various berry plants....
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Man charged in Edmonton officers’ deaths being used a scapegoat: defence
By Daniela Germano A man charged with manslaughter for selling a gun to a teen who killed two Edmonton police officers is an easy scapegoat in a case the Crown hopes can be used to expand criminal liability for gun violence, his lawyer argued Thursday. Court of King’s Bench Justice John Little heard closing arguments in the case against 21-year-old Dennis Okeymow, who faces more than a dozen charges from the shooting that claimed the lives of Const. Travis Jordan and Const. Brett Ryan. The trial heard that the officers were killed while responding to a domestic violence call in March 2023. Roman Shewchuk, 16, had strangled his mother until she lost consciousness. When she woke up, she ran to a nearby apartment building where she called police. Jordan and...
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