Civil society leaders call for halt to Canada-Ecuador free trade agreement
By Catherine Morrison Several Canadian organizations and civil society leaders are calling for a halt to a Canada-Ecuador free trade agreement, which they say will pose a risk to the environment and exacerbate a human rights crisis in the South American country. Negotiations on the trade pact concluded in early 2025 and the proposed deal would see Ecuador remove tariffs effectively on all Canadian goods. But critics say the deal aims to increase Canadian mining investment. Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada Ketty Nivyabandi said in a news release published by MiningWatch Canada that Indigenous women in Ecuador worry it will exacerbate human rights concerns related to mining operations. Amnesty said in 2024 that more than a dozen Canadian mining companies had active operations in Ecuador. It said many were...
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Arctic Inspiration Prize awards $1.4 million to cultural healing initiatives
By Kody Ferron, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Yellowknifer Six groups from the North won nearly $1.4 million dollars in the 14th annual Arctic Inspiration Prize on May 5. Winners from the NWT included The Land Remembers Us, Dene Language Workshops, and Earth, Fire and Flood. The Land Remembers Us was awarded $500,000 for the creation of three new regional on-the-land camps, and one territorial on-the-land gathering. These locations will bring together survivors of “Indian residential and day schools,” along with their families, Elders, youth, artists and wellness workers. The goal of these camps is to address the long-lasting, negative impacts of residential schools and day schools, by restoring family relationships, cultural knowledge and connections to land, through collective healing, Northern expertise and creativity. Members of The Land Remembers Us include...
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‘Earliest ever’ fire ban takes effect in B.C. Coastal Fire Centre
By Nora O’Malley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Ha-Shilth-Sa Vancouver Island, B.C. – As of Thursday, May 7 at noon, camping trips on B.C.’s coast will entail empty fire pits. The provincial government says open fires throughout the Coastal Fire Centre’s jurisdiction, with exceptions for Haida Gwaii, are prohibited. The prohibition will be in place until October 31, 2026, or until the order is rescinded. “It’s the earliest ever, but at the same time it’s certainly dry out there. After last year we certainly don’t want any more wildfires,” said Sproat Lake Volunteer Fire Department Chief Mike Cann. B.C.’s Coastal Fire Centre covers the Lower Mainland, Sea-to-Sky corridor, the Sunshine Coast, Vancouver Island, the Central Coast and Haida Gwaii. Last year, the Coastal Fire Centre’s campfire ban didn’t take effect until...
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Sentence hiked for man who cut off woman’s finger and forced her to eat it
By Rob Drinkwater An appeal court in Alberta has nearly doubled the sentence for a man who cut off a woman’s finger and then forced her to eat her own severed digit, saying in a ruling that the original judge downplayed the victim’s suffering and terror. Stephen Ralph Potts was convicted of aggravated assault after inviting an Indigenous woman to his home in the northern community of Chateh and attacking her in April 2024. Court heard during trial that Potts, who is also Indigenous, punched the woman repeatedly in the face without warning or provocation, breaking bones. He then ordered her to splay out her fingers, saying he was going to cut off her finger. When she relented, he severed the upper joint in her pinky and then made her...
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Suspect faces 5 years in unsolved 2021 disappearance of Navajo elder Ella Mae Begay
By Savannah Peters EDGEWOOD, N.M. (AP) — The only person ever charged in the unsolved 2021 disappearance of Navajo elder Ella Mae Begay, whose case became a symbol of the nationwide crisis of violence against Native Americans, is scheduled to be sentenced Friday in federal court. Under the conditions of a plea agreement, Preston Henry Tolth, 26, faces a maximum of five years in federal prison with credit for three years of time served. He pleaded guilty to robbing Begay and driving off in her pickup truck. If U.S. District Judge Douglas Rayes in Phoenix approves the agreement, that will effectively close the government’s yearslong case against Tolth, which has been troubled by a lack of physical evidence and the suppression of a confession from Tolth. Family members said they’ll...
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Classical music gets a boost of Indigenous energy in upcoming performance of the Amadeus Choir
By Crystal St.Pierre, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Windspeaker.com A performance of the works of Indigenous composers Andrew Balfour, Cris Derksen and Sherryl Sewepagaham by the Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto will be staged May 9 in the city. Wanuskewin: Seeking Peace of Mind begins at 7:30 p.m. at The Playground located at 388 Carlaw Ave. The performance will explore themes of reconciliation and harmony through a blend of contemporary choral music with Indigenous storytelling, cultural expression and artistic collaboration. “It’s pretty unique to have these three really important voices in the same room performing together with a hundred voice choir and a chamber ensemble,” said award-winning Canadian conductor Kathleen Allan. “It’s a really exciting event. It’s going to be like no concert I’ve ever conducted before. The music itself is...
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‘Threat’ of Bill C-5 is making bill work as intended, Dawn Farrell says
By Nick Murray The head of the federal government’s major projects office says just the “threat” of Ottawa having Bill C-5 at its disposal is enough to spur government departments to move quickly on project permitting. Dawn Farrell made the remarks last week at a joint parliamentary committee hearing, which is evaluating the government’s performance with Bill C-5 — formally titled the Building Canada Act. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government fast-tracked Bill C-5 through the House of Commons last year, with support from the Conservatives, which gave Ottawa the power to designate projects as in the “national interest” in order to skirt certain environmental laws to get those projects approved faster. At the committee hearing on April 28, Bloc Québécois MP Patrick Bonin pressed Farrell on why Bill C-5 even...
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Manitoba declares rising cases of HIV a public health emergency
By Brittany Hobson The Manitoba government is sounding the alarm over rising HIV rates, as the province continues to document new cases of the virus at levels more than three times higher than the rest of Canada. The province has declared a public health emergency, and is planning to raise awareness and work on new measures to stop the rise. “This emergency, it’s not about creating fear, it’s about acknowledging the reality that individuals and communities are facing right now and to address that with a level of urgency,” Dr. Brent Roussin, chief provincial public health officer, said Thursday. The province said new cases have been steadily increasing over the last six years, with 328 detected in 2025 compared to 90 in 2019. Numbers for 2026, so far, are comparable...
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Waterlogged municipality puts bounty on beavers
By Connor McDowell, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Brandon Sun GLENBORO — The Municipality of Glenboro-South Cypress is trapping beavers as the most recent effort to fix water backup that has flooded farmland, basements and roads in the area for years. The municipality put out a request for trappers in March, and brought on three trappers, Coun. Dale Fisher told the Sun. Trapping will continue until the middle of May, removing beavers from a crucial channel to the Souris River. Water needs to flow through — and out — of the community faster, Fisher told the Sun during a recent interview. Glenboro receives a large amount of water that is finding its way to the Souris and eventually the Assiniboine River, but Glenboro has been unable to pass that water quickly...
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Northern airports’ condition ‘unacceptable,’ Kiiwetinoong MPP says
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, SNnewswatch.com THUNDER BAY — Remote First Nations deserve better airports, says Bobby Narcisse. As a deputy grand chief of Nishnawbe Aski Nation, the Aroland First Nation member has travelled to communities across Ontario’s far north and seen the short gravel runways and basic terminal buildings for himself. So has Kiiwetinoong MPP Sol Mamakwa, the province’s only First Nations legislator, and they both say Premier Doug Ford’s cabinet should see it for themselves and do something. “There’s times where we couldn’t land in a community, because of weather or because of other obstacles that were there,” Narcisse told Newswatch in a phone interview. “I know at times we hear of Ornge being unable to land to get individuals who needed to be (transported) to...
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Former Saskatchewan NDP member sitting as Independent says she was muzzled
By Jeremy Simes The leader of Saskatchewan’s Opposition swapped accusations of bad-faith dealing with a former caucus member Wednesday, but both agree Betty Nippi-Albright’s decision to quit the party can’t be undone. NDP Leader Carla Beck said she won’t welcome Nippi-Albright back into the caucus, and Nippi-Albright said she has no plans to return. “Trust has been broken,” Beck told reporters. “(But) I do wish her all the best. I have never doubted her desire to do better for the people of this province.” Nippi-Albright, a two-term member for Saskatoon Centre, announced Tuesday she was quitting the NDP to sit as an Independent. She had been the critic for mental health and addictions. On Wednesday, she said the break centred around a report she commissioned on concerns with forced drug...
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Indigenous-led rugby club hosts West Brant match
By Kimberly De Jong, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Brant Beacon Twenty-four members of the Iroquois Roots Rugby team helped bring women’s rugby to West Brant for an inter-squad match at Walter Gretzky Park on Saturday, May 2, 2026. An Indigenous-led program, Iroquois Roots Rugby works to promote the sport to First Nations Youth in Ontario. Melanie Squire co-founded the program alongside her daughter, Meagan Wilson, in late 2017 before officially bringing it to fruition in 2018. “We had very humble beginnings, we had maybe two or three kids, but we kept pushing along. When the pandemic hit, we were the only ones offering programming because we could still make it work being three metres apart. I think because we kept going, we just continued to grow.” Meisha Porter and Olivia...
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Indigenous people should look beyond specific section in economic statement: Minister
By Alessia Passafiume Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty is defending the government’s spring economic update’s lack of Indigenous-specific funding. She says Indigenous Peoples need to look beyond the sections specifically labelled for them, pointing to measures to crack down on financial crimes as one example. “This is something that elders are a victim of,” Gull-Masty said in an interview with The Canadian Press. “This is how we’re protecting elders in community. This totally applies to them.” Funding for sports is another area Gull-Masty said Indigenous people should flip to in the document, and efforts to protect the environment. Her office has repeatedly told journalists a table of zeros in the fall budget was nothing for Indigenous communities to be concerned about. She said her office was conducting a review of...
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Closing arguments begin in Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation’s education funding case at rights tribunal
Margaret Sault, Chief of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation By Rianna Lim The chief of an Ontario First Nation pursuing legal action against Canada for its alleged underfunding of on-reserve schools told the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal on Wednesday that the case is an opportunity for “meaningful, lasting change.” Closing submissions began in the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation’s complaint before the tribunal accusing the federal government of systemically underfunding and neglecting on-reserve schools in Ontario. The First Nation alleges the education funding formula implemented by the federal government in 2019 substantially underfunds on-reserve schools, fails to meet First Nation students’ needs and perpetuates historic disadvantage. The case originated from a 2009 complaint involving special education costs for two children of the Mississaugas of the Credit First...
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New Blood Tribe recovery centre brings care closer to home
By Somya Lohia, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Shootin’ the Breeze For anyone struggling with addiction, a new recovery community on Blood Tribe land may offer a treatment option closer to home and closer to culture. The Blood Tribe Iitakamotsiipiohsopi Recovery Community began accepting clients April 20, offering no-cost treatment that combines clinical support with Indigenous traditions, ceremony and community-based healing. The 75-bed facility is the first of five Indigenous-led recovery communities funded by the province to open this year. The program creates what the Blood Tribe department of health describes as a circle of care grounded in respect, dignity and connection. This includes Blackfoot teachings and land-based healing along with evidence-based treatment. “The facility offers a full continuum of care, including prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery,” says Blaire Russell, communications...
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B.C.’s DRIPA drama — explained
By Shannon Waters The showdown over B.C.’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act is not over, but the future of the landmark law is now on hold until the fall. For several months, B.C. Premier David Eby claimed the Declaration Act — also known as DRIPA — had to be changed, and quickly. First he said the law would be amended, then paused, and now he’s said legislation to change the law can wait until the fall session. “It is absolutely possible, as a leader, to move off confidently in the wrong direction,” Eby told reporters at the legislature on April 20. Eby has moved in many directions on DRIPA this year. Initially, he maintained that changing the law was non-negotiable because of legal liability, and something that...
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Algonquin Park opening delayed: 187 reservations cancelled as park remains under ice
By Rebecca Hudescu, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, muskokaregion.com Algonquin Park has delayed its opening due to lingering ice on lakes. Originally set to open on April 24, the park is now aiming to welcome campers in early May. In a social media post, Friends of Algonquin Park said the opening of Achray, Kiosk Campground and Tea Lake Campground has been delayed to May 1. Opening for Brent, both for day use and campground, is delayed until May 8. A portion of Cedar Lake’s backcountry has delayed opening through Brent access point. Dave Hunt, market development specialist of Ontario Parks, said Algonquin Park is experiencing early spring conditions leading to persistent ice and about 50 per cent snow ground coverage in forests. There are 187 reservations that have been impacted by...
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A gold-fueled mining rush scars Brazil’s Amazon, spiking deforestation and mercury risks
By Gabriela Sá Pessoa SAO PAULO (AP) — The surge in gold prices in recent years has fueled a renewed mining rush in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest, accelerating deforestation in protected areas and driving mercury contamination to hazardous levels, officials and experts say. A study released Tuesday by the nongovernmental organization Amazon Conservation, in partnership with Brazilian nonprofit Instituto Socioambiental, found illegal mining sites drove clear-cutting inside three conservation areas in the Xingu region, one of the world’s largest expanses of protected forest, spanning the states of Para and Mato Grosso. The analysis combined satellite imagery with ground research. The Terra do Meio Ecological Station recorded its first cases of illegal mining in September 2024. By the end of 2025, mining-related deforestation there had spread to 30 hectares (74 acres). At...
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Island Coastal Economic Trust seeks modernization in effort to stay afloat
By Hope Lompe, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder The Island Coastal Economic Trust is a local-government led fund founded by the province in 2006 with the goal of expanding economic growth for Island and coastal communities. It started with $50 million, and had another injection of $10 million in 2023, with the mandate for the Trust to use the funds to support economic growth projects. Since then they have put about $2 million into the economy annually. This has included things like GIRO on Gabriola Island and the Vancouver Island Convention Center in Nanaimo. However, with funds dwindling, and independent review of the Trust concluded without intervention it would be set to close by 2028. The Trust has proposed a governance modernization of the Trust, which will allow First...
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Finalists for the Amazon Canada First Novel Award
By Nicole Thompson “Endling” author Maria Reva and “Small Ceremonies” writer Kyle Edwards are among the finalists for this year’s Amazon Canada First Novel Award. Last year, Reva took home the Atwood Gibson Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize for her novel about the Ukrainian bride business and Russia’s invasion of that country, and Edwards won the Governor General’s Literary Award for Fiction for his book about a team of Indigenous hockey players from north-end Winnipeg. Also in the running for the $60,000 award, now in its 50th year, is Kate Cayley for “Property,” which takes place over the course of a single day in a gentrifying Toronto neighbourhood. Jon Claytor is a finalist for his graphic novel “Nowhere,” about a 12-year-old boy who moves to a small town where zombies and...
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