Critics slam Ontario for proposal to create zones where projects are exempt from laws
First Nations, civil liberty groups and environmentalists are slamming Ontario for a proposed bill that would give cabinet the power to create “special economic zones” and allow the government to exempt itself from following laws on certain projects. Critics say it’s a power grab designed to ensure projects like Premier Doug Ford’s proposed tunnel under Highway 401 and mining critical minerals in northern Ontario get done with little resistance. Several First Nation leaders from the Ring of Fire region visited Queen’s Park Monday and said they have yet to be consulted on the bill, despite pledges from the province it would fulfil its duty to consult. The Canadian Civil Liberties Association says the bill is alarming and such power should only be used in emergency situations such as a pandemic,...
Register
News Alert: Canada is not for sale Prime Minister Mark Carney tells U.S. President Trump
WASHINGTON D.C.- Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney told U.S. President Donald Trump in their first sit down face-to-face meeting “Canada is not for sale. It will never be for sale.” Prime Minister Carney told President Trump “You’re a transformational leader with a focus on American workers… I have been elected with the help of my collegues here, to transform Canada with a similar focus on Canada.” Prime Minister Carney said “we are the largest client of the United States.” He said “this is a bigger discussion,” and that it will take “some time and some discussions,” to resolve the trade dispute. “Some things about it are going to have to change,” Carney says. “And part of the way, you’ve conducted these tariffs, has taken advantage of existing aspects of USMCA,...
Register
The Latest: Canada’s prime minister in Washington for high-stakes meeting with President Trump
Canada’s new prime minister, Mark Carney, who won with a promise to confront U.S. President Donald Trump’s aggression, has the opportunity to do that in Tuesday’s face-to-face Oval Office meeting. The Trump administration sided with the Biden administration in asking a judge to toss out a lawsuitagainst telehealth access to the abortion medication mifepristone, effectively kicking the issue down the road. Another judge has ordered the Trump administration to admit some 12,000 refugees. And the White House says Harvard University will receive no new grants. The letter to Harvard’s president escalates Trump’s targeting of the Ivy League school. His administration also is pushing to strip the school of its tax-exempt status. The Latest: Canada’s new prime minister arrives at the White House for Trump meeting Carney received a handshake and...
Register
Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation’s Maria Clark named Tofino’s Business Leader of the Year
By Nora O’Malley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Ha-Shilth-Sa Tofino, B.C. – Maria Clark opened the door to her home in the First Nations community of Ty-Histanis with a warm smile. Caught on a day off as Tin Wis Resort’s assistant general manager, Clark was spending the day with her grandkids, family time she cherishes deeply. “Fortunately, a lot of young Indigenous women have come to me and said, ‘I like to see you speaking. I like to hear you speaking. I look up to you’,” says Clark. “I feel like I am breaking barriers and creating space for Indigenous People. That is a good feeling,” she continues. Clark was named the 2024 Business Leader of Year at the recent Tofino Business Excellence Awards gala hosted by the Tofino Beach Chamber...
Register
Don’t have a REAL ID yet? That could cause you travel headaches after May 7
By Bridget Brown NEW YORK (AP) — The deadline to get a REAL ID is almost here, after nearly two decades of postponements and delays. While it was initially said that you would not be able to fly domestically without a REAL ID or other TSA-approved form of identification once the May 7 deadline hits, the head of Homeland Security said Tuesday that travelers will still be able to fly, but should be prepared for additional steps at TSA. If you still don’t have your REAL ID and are confused about how to get one, or are wondering why you even need one in the first place, here are some things to know: What is a REAL ID? It’s a federally compliant state-issued license or identification card that the DHS...
Register
Province funding local projects against gender-based violence
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Thunder Bay Source THUNDER BAY – Nokiiwin Tribal Council officials say its project to address gender-based violence is community-focused and follows Anishinaabe teachings and values. The Ontario government announced last week that it is “investing” $2.9 million over three years in three projects relating to gender-based violence, Nokiiwin’s being one of them. Nokiiwin is to receive $569,600 in funding from the province. Matawa First Nations Management, serving nine First Nations, will receive $1.83 million while Thunder Bay Counselling is getting $508,200, the province said in a news release. Nokiiwin — which serves five First Nation communities north of Lake Superior in education, risk management and other areas of governance — has a strategic plan built around principles like love, trust, respect and bravery,...
Register
Red Dress more than just a day each year
By Alexandra Noad, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Lethbridge Herald On Monday, people across the nation commemorated Indigenous women and girls who have been missing and murdered. Organizations took part in the day with various events including an information session and a sunset walk hosted by the Southern Alberta Metis Association as well as many others shared their support for the day, including Lethbridge Police, Victim Services and the City of Lethbridge. Echo Nowak, Indigenous relation specialist for the City of Lethbridge, says nationally 24 per cent of homicides are Indigenous women, while they make up only four per cent of the population. “The numbers are outstanding and it is an emergency that needs to be taken care of.” In February of this year, the bodies of two women were found...
Register
The Latest: Canada’s prime minister in Washington for high-stakes meeting with President Trump
Canada’s new prime minister, Mark Carney, who won with a promise to confront U.S. President Donald Trump’s aggression, has the opportunity to do that in Tuesday’s face-to-face Oval Office meeting. The Trump administration sided with the Biden administration in asking a judge to toss out a lawsuitagainst telehealth access to the abortion medication mifepristone, effectively kicking the issue down the road. Another judge has ordered the Trump administration to admit some 12,000 refugees. And the White House says Harvard University will receive no new grants. The letter to Harvard’s president escalates Trump’s targeting of the Ivy League school. His administration also is pushing to strip the school of its tax-exempt status. The Latest: Treasury secretary says the United States ‘will not default’ Scott Bessent is testifying on the Hill this...
Register
Harvard economist reveals factors that help Indigenous Nations become commercial successes
By Sam Laskaris, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Windspeaker.com Not only is he a leading American economist but Dr. Joe Kalt also co-founded the Harvard Project on Indigenous Governance and Development in 1987. Kalt was in Toronto recently as a featured speaker at the First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference. Kalt spoke at an April 28 session titled Keys To Indigenous Commercial Success. During his presentation, Kalt provided insights into extensive research from his Boston-based university, which determined reasons behind the successes and the failures of Indigenous businesses worldwide. Kalt said governments around the globe destroyed communities and cultures and lives through colonization. “Apologies and reconciliation, they’re nice, but is that all,” said Kalt. “I’m sorry, but you can’t have your resources back? You can’t have the powers to run...
Register
New Manitoba Tory leader says sorry for campaign ads on landfill search
By Steve Lambert Manitoba’s new Opposition leader has apologized for his party’s campaign advertisements that touched on a landfill search for murder victims. Obby Khan stood in the legislature and apologized to the victim’s families and all Manitobans for any harm caused by the campaign. Khan also says he has instructed his staff to reach out to families and organizations, so he can apologize in person for the campaign the Progressive Conservatives ran in the 2023 election. The Tories, then in government, ran ads promoting the party’s decision not to search a landfill where the remains of two First Nations women were believed to be buried, citing safety concerns. The NDP government launched the search after winning the election and found the remains of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran. Khan...
Register
Canada’s resolve against U.S. threats should extend to human rights: Amnesty chief
By Dylan Robertson The global head of Amnesty International is calling on Ottawa to bring the same intensity it has used to call out U.S. tariffs and annexation threats to also call out breaches in human rights by Washington and other countries. “For many people around the world, Canada stood out for its determination to stand firm and to say no,” Amnesty Secretary-General Agnès Callamard told reporters Monday on Parliament Hill. “We are here today to ensure that this stand continues, and is deeper and stronger in terms of its values.” On a rare visit to Canada, Callamard urged the government of Prime Minister Mark Carney to stand up to “bullies” undermining global norms and institutions meant to uphold human rights. Though she acknowledged this could lead to blowback from...
Register
Study shows economic impact of diamond mines on Indigenous communities
By Eric Bowling, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, NWT News/North Diamond mining has brought 25 years of growth to the Northwest Territories, but a development corporation veteran is warning that more mines need to come online or the benefits will migrate elsewhere. An economic analysis of the impact of diamond mining on Indigenous communities over the past quarter century was commissioned by three Indigenous development corporations (IDCs) — and it’s been significant. “It’s been a very positive impact,” said Tlicho Investment Corporation CEO Paul Gruner, who noted he’s now worked for four IDCs and can say the impact is widespread. Findings from the report show mining activity created 675 jobs across the communities of Yellowknife, Ndilo, Dettah, Behchoko, Whatì, Wekweeti, and Gameti — ranging from jobs directly in the mining sector...
Register
Families demand coroner’s inquest into death of three Indigenous females in B.C
By Chuck Chiang -CP-The families of three Indigenous females found dead in 2022 in British Columbia are demanding the province launch an inquest into the cases, saying there are many unanswered questions about the deaths. Sue Brown, a lawyer for the advocacy group Justice for Girls, says it has sent a letter to Public Safety Minister Garry Begg asking for a coroner’s inquest into the deaths of Tatyanna Harrison, Chelsea Poorman and 13-year-old Noelle O’Soup. Brown says the group has a review by an independent forensic pathologist that says Harrison’s cause of death should have been ruled as “undetermined” rather than the official finding of sepsis after an autopsy by the coroner. The body of 20-year-old Harrison was found in Richmond, while Poorman’s body was discovered behind an abandoned home...
Register
Manitoba First Nation evacuated due to nearby wildfires, one home destroyed
-CP-A tribal council representing seven First Nations in Manitoba’s Interlake region has declared a state of emergency as wildfires have destroyed homes and continue to threaten some communities. The Interlake Reserves Tribal Council said homes in Pinaymootang and Peguis First Nations have burned down as nearby wildfires spread over the weekend because of high winds, hot temperatures and dry conditions. The tribal council said two wildfires on each side of the road into Kinonjeoshtegon First Nation are rapidly approaching and the community has begun evacuation efforts. Peguis First Nation declared a state of emergency on Sunday evening as nearby wildfires spread, resulting in the loss of at least one home and several garages and outbuildings. In a social media post Monday morning, Peguis said 340 evacuees were sent to Selkirk...
Register
B.C. seeks more clean power projects, hoping to reduce U.S. reliance
The British Columbia government says it’s seeking new clean energy projects to provide enough electricity to power 500,000 homes, helping protect the province and reduce reliance on the United States amid threats from President Donald Trump. The province is launching a second “call for power” to acquire up to 5,000 gigawatt-hours of energy per year from large renewable projects in partnership with First Nations and independent power producers. Premier David Eby says in a statement that the plan helps build a strong foundation for the province and Canada “at a time of external threats to our sovereignty and prosperity.” The government says it also wants companies to find ways to deliver electricity during peak demand periods and to provide intermittent energy resources to serve as backup, while ushering in an...
Register
Indigenous people raise awareness about their missing and murdered
By Susan Montoya Bryan And Michael Warren ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Indigenous people across North America are calling this week for sustained responses to the violence in their communities, much of it against women and girls. In prayer walks, self-defense classes, marches and speeches at state capitols, they are pushing for better cooperation among law enforcement agencies to find missing people and solve homicides that are among about 4,300 open FBI cases this year. Some parents said they were using Monday’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day to make sure children understand what’s at stake. Others — like Geraldine Toya of Jemez Pueblo, whose daughter Shawna was killed in 2021, and Lynette Pino of Tesuque Pueblo, whose son Darian Nevayaktewa disappeared in 2008 — showed up to demand answers...
Register
The quest for the finish line: Uttak wins the Nunavut Quest dog sled race for the second year
By Jill Westerman, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News Jinneal Nanuraq Uttak is the winner of this years’ 26th Nunavut Quest ( Pangaggujjiniq) dog sled race that saw eight participants and their dog teams travel for eight days and 513 kilometres across tundra, rough terrain, steep hills, and sea ice between Mittimatalik (Pond Inlet) and the Iglulik finish line. This is the second time Uttak was first in the race after last years’ win. It is also only the second time he has entered the Quest. The traditional race is held each year in the Qikiqtaaluk region and was started in 1999 to coincide with the creation of the territory of Nunavut, with the toal of celebrating and preserving the Inuit culture. The course changes each year and covers between...
Register
Indigenous people raise awareness about their missing and murdered
By Susan Montoya Bryan And Michael Warren ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Indigenous people across North America are calling this week for sustained responses to the violence in their communities, much of it against women and girls. In prayer walks, self-defense classes, marches and speeches at state capitols, they are pushing for better cooperation among law enforcement agencies to find missing people and solve homicides that are among about 4,300 open FBI cases this year. Some parents said they were using Monday’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day to make sure children understand what’s at stake. Others — like Geraldine Toya of Jemez Pueblo, whose daughter Shawna was killed in 2021, and Lynette Pino of Tesuque Pueblo, whose son Darian Nevayaktewa disappeared in 2008 — showed up to demand answers...
Register
They don’t vote in the conclave, but nuns leading the world’s Catholic orders gather in Rome
By Giovanna Dell’orto ROME (AP) — They don’t have a vote in the pope’s election, but nearly 900 superiors of the world’s female Catholic orders met in Rome on Monday to chart a course forward, a few miles from where cardinals will gather in a conclave to choose a successor to Pope Francis. Sister Mary Barron, president of the umbrella group of leaders of women’s religious orders, urged the superiors and the over 650,000 nuns worldwide to pray that the cardinals make the right choice and reflect on how to carry forward Francis′ vision. “We must be vigilant in doing our part to keep that flame of church renewal alive,” she told the assembly of sisters — some in regular clothes, others in traditional habits. The International Union of Superiors...
Register
On Red Dress Day, Northern premiers pledge $75,000 for national Truth and Reconciliation centre
By Eric Bowling, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, NWT News/North Canada’s three territories are pledging $25,000 apiece toward the creation of a new home for the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation in Winnipeg. A joint announcement was released on May 5 to commemorate Red Dress Day following the Northern Premier’s Forum, which was held in Haines Junction, Yukon, this year. The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation’s [NCTR’s] spirit name is Bezhig miigwan, which means “one feather.” “The North has been disproportionately impacted by the legacies of residential schools and colonialism and has played an important role in truth telling and reconciliation,” NWT Premier R.J. Simpson stated. “Supporting the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation as they build a permanent home for survivors’ stories will ensure those truths are never...
Register
