Advocate says progress being made since B.C. child torture death, more work required
By Ashley Joannou British Columbia’s representative for children and youth says some progress is being made to improve the child welfare system, but she’s concerned “fiscal limitations” will prevent timely help from getting to those most in need. Jennifer Charlesworth’s statement Tuesday comes a year after her report on the myriad of failures that ended in the death of an 11-year-old Indigenous boy who was tortured by extended family members who had been approved to care for him by the government. She credits the government with making progress on some of the recommended improvements that came out of the report, such as working toward a “child well-being strategy and action plan.” She said more than 90 per cent of young people are now being seen within 90 days as per...
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Biggest salmon barbecue in B.C. booked for inaugural Celebrate BC festival in Coquitlam
By Patrick Penner, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Tri-Cities Dispatch A new event is set to make a splash this B.C. Day. Celebrate BC is a free all-ages festival at Town Centre Park in Coquitlam scheduled for Aug. 4 and featuring what organizers are calling the largest salmon barbecue in B.C. history. Announced July 8, the one-day festival will be hosted by S.U.C.C.E.S.S. in partnership with the City of Coquitlam and guided by the Kwikwetlem First Nation. It aims to honour the diverse cultural heritage of the province through music, food, art, and storytelling. At the heart of the festival will be a massive culinary undertaking: 2,000 pounds of wild salmon, barbecued on-site by some of B.C.’s top chefs in a tribute to the province’s Indigenous traditions and coastal roots. The...
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Wildfires spark demand for Indigenous fire stewardship
By Rochelle Baker, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer Danny Masuzumi Sr. shakes his head, recalling the jumble of emotions he experienced as a raging wildfire bore down on the remote K’ahsho Got’ine community of Fort Good Hope, NWT. A year ago, local leaders, other emergency personnel, Masuzumi and his team of Indigenous Guardians had to make a terrifying decision to evacuate with most of the community living alongside the east bank of the Mackenzie River — or stay and fight the fire along with territorial wildfire crews. They chose to stay. “We had no hoses, no pumps, no nothing,” said Masuzumi, executive director of the K’ahsho Got’ine Foundation that manages the protection of the community’s new Indigenous and Territorial Protected Area with the help of its Guardian team...
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Native American radio stations at risk as Congress looks to cut $1B in public broadcasting funding
By Margery A. Beck OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Dozens of Native American radio stations across the country vital to tribal communities will be at risk of going off the air if Congress cuts more than $1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, according to industry leaders. The U.S. Senate is set to vote this week on whether to approve the Department of Government Efficiency’s plan to rescind previously approved public broadcasting funding for 2026 and 2027. Fear is growing that most of the 59 tribal radio stations that receive the funding will go dark, depriving isolated populations of news, local events and critical weather alerts. The House already approved the cuts last month. “For Indian Country in general, 80% of the communities are rural, and their only access to...
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Smith, Alberta Next panel’s first town hall hears support, calls for separation vote
By Lisa Johnson Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and her hand-picked panel heard from several Albertans Tuesday who argued the only way to get the province a fair deal from Ottawa is to leave confederation. The event in Red Deer was the first in a series of town halls to address public concerns with the federal government. Some 450 people showed up to put questions to Smith and the 15 other members of her Alberta Next panel about the grievances inspiring separatist sentiment in the province. Most of the attendees lauded Smith and the panel’s strategies to wrest more control from the federal government, including pulling out of the Canada Pension Plan and creating a provincial police force to replace the RCMP. Jon Sedore came from the town of Trochu, about...
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Chiefs of Ontario say Ottawa acting unfairly in major projects meeting Thursday
By Alessia Passafiume The Chiefs of Ontario say Ottawa is levelling an unfair playing field for chiefs in a meeting planned with Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday to discuss the government’s controversial major projects legislation. Carney promised in June that he would meet with First Nations after chiefs said their rights were not respected by the rush to push the bill through Parliament. Bill C-5, the Building Canada Act, allows cabinet to quickly grant federal approvals for big industrial projects like mines, ports and pipelines by sidestepping existing laws. An email was sent to chiefs on July 9 opening up registration for the meeting and the Chiefs of Ontario said it was initially able to register chiefs as well as legal advisers, technical and support staff to attend. But...
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Advocate says progress being made since B.C. child torture death, more work required
By Ashley Joannou British Columbia’s representative for children and youth says some progress is being made to improve the child welfare system, but she’s concerned “fiscal limitations” will prevent timely help from getting to those most in need. Jennifer Charlesworth’s statement comes a year after her report on the myriad of failures that ended in the death of an 11-year-old Indigenous boy who was tortured by extended family members who had been approved to care for him by the government. Charlesworth credits the government with making progress on some of the recommended improvements that came out of the report, such as working toward a “child well-being strategy and action plan.” She says more needs to be done to support families — including basic income and housing support — and there...
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The Miccosukee Tribe of Florida wants to join a federal lawsuit against ‘Alligator Alcatraz’
By Kate Payne TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida is seeking to join a federal lawsuit aimed at halting the construction of a new immigration detention facility in the Everglades, which tribal members consider their sacred ancestral homelands. Miccosukee leaders had already condemned the facility. But the filing Monday of a motion to intervene in the case initially brought by environmental groups signals a new level of opposition by the tribe, which is also a major political donor in the state. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration rapidly built the facility, which state officials have dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” on an isolated, county-owned airstrip inside the Big Cypress National Preserve, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) west of downtown Miami. The Miccosukee have lived on and cared for...
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OPP: Annual Pottahawk weekend event sees 50 charges laid but no serious incidents
NORFOLK COUNTY, ON – More than 50 charges from stunt driving to speeding may have been laid at the popular Pottahawk weekend event at Pottahawk Point this past weekend but Ontario Provincial Police said all incidents were minor and there were no serious incidents. OPP estimated the crowd at the annual event in Norfolk County to include 450 boats and 2,500 people from Saturday to Sunday. The OPP’s marine unit laid 12 Liquor Licence and Control Act charges and 10 Canada Shipping Act charges . One person was charged with impaired operation. OPP also laid a total of 32 charges under the Highway traffic Act and two Liquor Licence and Control Act charges on land inclkuding a driver charged with stunt driving and 24 others faced speeding charges. “Norfolk County...
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Charges laid in domestic assault in Brant County
BRANT, ON – Brant County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have charged an individual with spousal assault after investigating a domestic disturbance at a Brant County residence, July 15, 2025, at approximately 12:44 a.m.. An OPP investigation at the scene concluded a physical altercation had occurred between individuals in an intimate relationship. As a result a 33-year-old individual from Brant County was arrested and charged under the Criminal Code with: Assault – Spousal The accused was processed and later released with a court appearance scheduled at the Ontario Court of Justice in Brantford. The OPP encourages anyone experiencing domestic violence or concerned about the safety of someone else to reach out. Support services are available, and no one has to face it alone....
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OPP arrest man in Brant County after breakin
BRANT, ON – A 35-year-old man is facing charges after Brant County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) investigated a complaint of a breakin at a commercial property. Brant OPP had received a call at about 6:13 a.m. Friday, July 11, 2025 of a suspicious person on a vacant commercial property on Old Onondaga Road West in Brant County. OPP arrived at the scene and located an individual on the property. Following investigation, police said an unauthorized entry had occurred, and items had been removed from the premises. As a result, Darcy Miller, 35 of Brantford, has been charged with: Break and Enter Theft Under $5,000 Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Under $5,000 Possession of Break-In Instruments Mischief Under $5,000 Failure to Comply with Probation Order The accused was held in...
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Sheshatshiu youth walking to Gull Island to join Innu land defenders
By Heidi Atter, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Independent Two Innu youth have begun a 125-kilometre walk from Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation to Gull Island in Labrador. Angel Jourdain McKay and Percey Montague are walking to highlight historical Innu connections to the region and advocate for the rejection of a proposed agreement between Innu leadership and Hydro-Quebec. The two began their walk from Sheshatshiu Monday and will be joined by supporters at different times throughout the walk. “I believe that this is very important, as it draws roots to our culture. Someone I know personally was born in Gull Island,” Montague said Monday after starting the walk. “I believe that this walk is a way for me to connect to my ancestors, who would have been trekking into and out...
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Native American teens kayak major US river to celebrate removal of dams and return of salmon
By Brittany Peterson KLAMATH, Calif. (AP) — As bright-colored kayaks push through a thick wall of fog, voices and the beats of drums build as kayakers approach a crowd that has formed on the beach. Applause erupts as the boats land on the sandy spit that partially separates the Klamath River from the Pacific Ocean in northern California. Native American teenagers from tribes across the river basin push themselves up and out of the kayaks and begin to cross the sand, some breaking into a sprint. They kick playfully at the cold waves of the ocean they’ve been paddling toward over the last month — the ocean that’s seen fewer and fewer salmon return to it over the last century as four hydropower dams blocked their ideal spawning grounds upstream....
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Amnesty joins Bill C-5 criticism
By Jeremy Appel, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Alberta Native News Human rights organization Amnesty International has joined First Nations leaders across Canada in expressing concern about recently passed legislation that allows the federal government to fast-track certain infrastructure projects. In a July 5 statement, Amnesty International Canada said that Bill C-5, also known as the One Canadian Economy Act, poses a “troubling threat” to Indigenous rights. In addition to reducing barriers towards inter-provincial trade, Bill C-5 enables the government to label infrastructure projects, including dams, mines, pipelines and ports, to be in the “national interest.” By doing so, the government is able to exempt the project from certain regulations, including the Fisheries Act, Marine Act, Species at Risk Act, Canadian Environmental Protection Act, Energy Regulator Act and Impact Assessment Act,...
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Chief of James Smith Cree Nation calls on FSIN to address audit findings
By Nicole Goldsworthy, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, SaskToday.ca, SASKTODAY.ca JAMES SMITH CREE NATION — In a July 14 press release, Chief Kirby Constant of the James Smith Cree Nation called on the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) to provide transparency to the Nations it claims to represent. The statement follows recent media reports citing a forensic audit conducted by Indigenous Services Canada and KPMG, alleging that more than $20 million in FSIN spending remains unaccounted for. “The FSIN has a mandate to represent 74 First Nations across Saskatchewan,” the release stated. “Its role is to protect Treaty rights, advocate for First Nations communities, and advance collective priorities through ethical and accountable leadership. When serious allegations involving public and Treaty-based funds arise, silence from leadership erodes the trust placed in...
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The tariff-driven inflation that economists feared begins to emerge
By Christopher Rugaber And Josh Boak WASHINGTON (AP) — Inflation rose last month to its highest level since February as President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs push up the cost of a range of goods, including furniture, clothing, and large appliances. Consumer prices rose 2.7% in June from a year earlier, the Labor Department said Tuesday, up from an annual increase of 2.4% in May. On a monthly basis, prices climbed 0.3% from May to June, after rising just 0.1% the previous month. Worsening inflation poses a political challenge for Trump, who promised during last year’s presidential campaign to immediately lower costs only to engage in a whipsawed frenzy of tariffs that have left businesses and consumers worried. Trump has declared that the U.S. effectively has no more inflation as he...
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Pre-evacuation alert issued for Waskesiu
By Michael Oleksyn, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Prince Albert Daily Herald From Prince Albert to Saskatoon smoke filled the air on Sunday evening as a wildfire has begun to encroach on the Prince Albert National Park and the Waskesiu townsite. Just after 6 p.m. on Sunday, Parks Canada issued a Wildfire Advisory for Prince Albert National Park. According to the alert, the Buhl Wildfire is currently 40 km from the townsite of Waskesiu. Waskesiu Community Council chair Jim Kerby Chair said on Monday they are watching the situation closely, but conditions have improved. “We have had a change in the smoke conditions over the last 24 hours this morning,” Kerby said. “It was actually kind of blue skies here. At the moment. I’d say that I can see about halfway...
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Young Indigenous leaders in Colombia’s violent Cauca gather to resist violence and elect new voices
By Steven Grattan LAS DELICIAS, Colombia (AP) — Adriana Pazu wiped away tears as she remembered a colleague who was shot dead earlier this year by an armed dissident group for defending their land. Pazu, an Indigenous authority from the Nasa territory of San Francisco, Toribío, was attending an Indigenous youth assembly this week in Las Delicias, Cauca, a region long affected by conflict. Despite years of threats and an official security detail, Pazu’s colleague Edgar Tumiña was killed — months after one of his bodyguards was killed in an earlier attack. “He gave everything to protect this land and our youth,” Pazu said, her voice breaking. “Now, there are only a few of us left, holding onto this responsibility.” She said she’s prepared to carry on, even at great...
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First Nations to launch legal challenge against Ontario, federal bills 5 and C-5
By Allison Jones Lawyers representing nine Ontario First Nations say they are launching a constitutional challenge against provincial and federal laws meant to fast-track infrastructure projects that the Indigenous communities say infringes upon their rights. Details of the legal challenge have not yet been made public, but the lawyers say they will reveal more at a press conference on Wednesday. The federal Bill C-5 allows cabinet to quickly grant federal approvals for big industrial projects such as mines, ports and pipelines by sidestepping existing laws, while Ontario’s bill allows its cabinet to suspend provincial and municipal laws through the creation of so-called “special economic zones.” Chief Sylvia Koostachin-Metatawabin of Attawapiskat First Nation, one of the communities involved in the legal challenge, says in a press release that governments are playing...
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Native American teens kayak major US river to celebrate removal of dams and return of salmon
By Brittany Peterson KLAMATH, Calif. (AP) — As bright-colored kayaks push through a thick wall of fog, voices and the beats of drums build as kayakers approach a crowd that has formed on the beach. Applause erupts as the boats land on the sandy spit that partially separates the Klamath River from the Pacific Ocean in northern California. Native American teenagers from tribes across the river basin push themselves up and out of the kayaks and begin to cross the sand, some breaking into a sprint. They kick playfully at the cold waves of the ocean they’ve been paddling toward over the last month — the ocean that’s seen fewer and fewer salmon return to it over the last century as four hydropower dams blocked their ideal spawning grounds upstream....
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