Unique vendors at 64th annual All Native Basketball Tournament
By Seth Forward, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter PRINCE RUPERT- For vendors at the All Native Basketball Tournament, the week-long tournament is about more than just selling products. Some have been coming for decades, while others are operating a stand for the first time in 2024. But all say the positive energy and strong camaraderie is what sets this tournament apart. Marlene Smith has made the annual trip to Prince Rupert from the Kitseguecla First Nation near Hazelton for 30 years now, selling Indigenous jewellery. Her favourite aspect of the tournament is reconnecting with old friends, though after the pandemic, many have not made it back. “I used to meet all my old friends here before, and most of them passed away due to COVID,’’ Smith said. “Most of them are...
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Metis speedskater hopes to represent Canada at 2026 Winter Olympics
By Sam Laskaris Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Alison Desmarais aspires to become an Olympian. The Metis Nation of Alberta member competes with the Canadian national NextGen (developmental) team in long track speedskating.She’s in her second season and trains in Calgary. Desmarais was a member of the Canadian national NextGen(developmental) short track squad from 2018 to 2020, but that group trains in Montreal. “I don’t speak French so the move to Montreal was really hard for me. And after a year I just decided I wanted to move back to Calgary,’’ she said. She was halfway through her studies at the University of Calgary, Desmarais explained, so it made sense to move back to western Canada. Desmarais, who is 26, believes she is making giant strides in long track speedskating, which...
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Indigenous leaders laud beautiful, happy Supreme Court ruling on child welfare jurisdiction
By Shari Narine Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that the federal government was within its constitutional right to pass jurisdiction to Indigenous communities for the care of their children and families through a federal statute. “I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t worried about (the Feb. 9 judgement) all week. I made sure we did ceremony this week to make sure that it went in our favour,” said Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak. In a 92-page unanimous decision penned by the entire panel of eight Supreme Court justices, which included Odanak First Nation member Justice Michelle O’Bonsawin, Canada’s highest court said C-92, An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Metis children, youth and families, “as a whole is constitutionally...
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First Nations group criticizes federal fish policies, conflict of interest in B.C.
OTTAWA-An Indigenous-led group is criticizing what it says is the “gross mismanagement” of aquaculture in British Columbia by the Fisheries Department, as it calls for a separation of its regulatory and promotional responsibilities. The First Nations Wild Salmon Alliance says the department is mired in conflict of interest stemming from its dual role, which the group’s chairman Bob Chamberlin described as like “marking your own homework.” Chamberlin says the group wants the department to stick to its primary obligation of looking after the environment and fisheries, and to implement “a truly independent” scientific body to help inform government decisions affecting marine life in B.C. A spokeswoman for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans says in a statement that scientific integrity guides and shapes how it generates advice to inform decision...
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Fisheries minister leaning toward suspending this year’s Maritime baby eel fishery
HALIFAX- Canada’s fisheries minister says she wants to shut down this year’s lucrative baby eel fishery with only weeks to go before the season opens in the Maritimes. But Diane Lebouthillier says she won’t make a final decision until she consults with licence holders and First Nations. Lebouthillier sent a letter today to commercial fishers saying the fishery should be shut down because illegal fishing in the past four years has led to a growing pattern of harassment, threats and violence on rivers in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. As well, the letter says the poaching is jeopardizing conservation measures aimed at saving the threatened species. The minster says these problems can be solved with new regulations covering Indigenous fishers, licensing, exporting and the tracking of legally caught baby eels,...
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UNDER THE NORTHERN SKY Valentine’s Day And The Power Of Love
By Xavier Kataquapit www.underthenorthernsky.com We celebrate Valentines Day with wishes for those we are romantically interested in or in general for good greetings to family and friends. However, the history of this day which is celebrated on February 14 is very different. Everyone grows up with the annual traditions that their parents followed without question. It is more strange to follow long standing European traditions when you come from an Indigenous background. We simply followed traditions like Valentine’s Day like the rest of the Canada because we were told so and no one ever wondered why. Early on it was viewed as a Christian holy day but over the past few generations it seems to have lost it’s Christian significance. My parents were born in the James Bay wilderness and...
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Tory MP says he’ll apologize to First Nation for ‘grossly disrespectful’ comments
By Alessia Passafiume THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA- A Conservative MP says he’ll apologize after facing demands that he retract comments he made last week about First Nations burning down water treatment plants because they’re frustrated with the Liberals. The office of Saskatchewan MP Kevin Waugh said Monday he has offered to meet with the chief of Piapot First Nation, along with elders, and tour the community. Chief Mark Fox issued a statement on the weekend saying they rejected Waugh’s comments as “grossly disrespectful,” calling for a formal apology and retraction of his “baseless claims.” Waugh made the comments during debate on a First Nations water bill last week, leading to swift pushback from First Nations and the minister of Indigenous services. “In my home province of Saskatchewan, I have seen...
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Less than one month left to submit claim for drinking water compensation
By Shari Narine Local Journalism Initiative Reporter With less than one month left for claims to be submitted for compensation under the First Nations Drinking Water Class Action Settlement, class counsel Darian Baskatawang says that as of the end of January, close to 90 per cent of the anticipated 160,000 claims had been received. “It’s important to note that the class size is an estimation,” said Baskatawang, associate with Olthuis, Kleer, Townshend LLP. “Our estimate of 160,000 individual class members was based on the best actuarial data at the time.” Baskatawang says proactive measures, including a communications campaign and inclusion of band council confirmation lists, has allowed them to reach 140,000 claimants as of Jan. 31. A joint order issued February 2023 by the Federal Court and the Manitoba Court of...
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Manitoba First Nations leaders applaud Supreme Court affirming Indigenous jurisdiction over child welfare
By Dave Baxter Local Journalism Initiative Reporter First Nations leaders are applauding last week’s Supreme Court decision that affirms Indigenous nations should have jurisdiction over child and family services (CFS) laws and policies in their communities. “The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) recognizes that this decision is positive for First Nations who are developing laws under this framework, with the goal of protecting their children,” AMC Grand Chief Cathy Merrick said in a media release reacting to a decision handed down by the Supreme Court of Canada last Friday to dismiss an appeal launched by the government of Quebec. Quebec’s appeal was centered around Bill C-92: An Act Respecting First Nations, Metis, and Inuit children, youth and families, which the Trudeau government enacted into law in 2020. The law affirmed...
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Opioid crisis and homlessness focus of Blackfoot Nation discussion
By Theodora Macleod LETHBRIDGE, ALBERTA-Community members from across Blackfoot Nation gathered on Friday at the Sandman Hotel to discuss the ongoing challenges of the opioid crisis and issues of homelessness. Hosted by the Sik-ooh-kotoki (Lethbridge) Friendship centre, it was a communing of hearts and minds featuring professor and knowledge keeper, Leroy Little Bear, Dr. Esther Tailfeather, and over 100 frontline workers, people experiencing addiction, people in recovery, and loved ones of those who have been lost to drugs. Gathered in a circle at the centre of the conference room, attendees shared their stories and answers to the question posed by Little Bear “What would you say to the Prime Minister and an opioid expert if you were sitting across from them?” Some said they’d have to bite back anger, while...
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Tla’amin Nation set to reclaim village of tisk?at 151 years after it was taken: `It’s like a long lost relative’
By Abby Francis Local Journalism Initiative Reporter For the Tla’amin Nation, the loss of their village site tisk?at has been like “a missing limb” for the community, according to Dillon Johnson. Their home and salmon fishing site was stolen and sold by “British Columbia” 151 years ago at a time when the community’s population was decimated by disease. For the next seven generations, Tla’amin people were separated from tisk?at. People were moved onto reserves, salmon runs were all but wiped out by construction of a new dam, and a paper mill began operating on the site. “I’ve always heard the Elders speaking about it, how you know, that this is tisk?at and our people lived there,” said Johnson, an executive council member for Tla’amin. “The way I’ve always kind of...
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‘Done being patient’: Treaty 4 First Nations suing Ottawa over $5 annuity payments
By Jeremy Simes THE CANADIAN PRESS REGINA- Chief Lynn Acoose says she’s taking a step elders and past Indigenous leaders in her community have long been reluctant to. The chief of Zagime Anishinabek, home to several First Nations in southeastern Saskatchewan, has filed a proposed class-action lawsuit against the federal government. The suit alleges Ottawa has not kept its end of the bargain over annuity payments after signing Treaty 4 nearly 150 years ago. Chief Derek Nepinak of Minegoziibe Anishinabe in west-central Manitoba is also a plaintiff in the lawsuit, filed this month in Federal Court. Chief Murray Clearsky of Waywayseecappo First Nation filed in January a similar proposed class-action against Ottawa in Manitoba Court of King’s Bench. “We are doing something our elders have counselled us against,” Acoose said in...
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Indigenous chief champions harmony: Record immigration numbers welcomed with open arms
By Michael Staples Local Journalism Initiative Reporter A staunch defender of Indigenous rights and culture in Canada says he’s not worried that a record number of immigrants are making their way into the country. Instead, Chief Allan Polchies Jr. of the New Brunswick-based Sitansisk (St. Mary’s) First Nation is embracing newcomers and applauding them for a willingness to learn about Aboriginal customs and for their overall commitment to make a better society. “It increased immigration certainly doesn’t appear to be a problem,” Polchies told New Canadian Media. “Indigenous Canadians, typically, stand behind immigrants.” According to Statistics Canada, an estimated population of 2.2 million non-permanent residents now outnumbers the 1.8 million Indigenous people enumerated during the 2021 Census. Polchies, who became the first LGBTQ2AI+ chief in Atlantic Canada in 2018, said...
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Supreme Court upholds Ottawa’s Indigenous child welfare law, denies Quebec’s appeal
By Alessia Passafiume THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA- Indigenous communities and leaders across the country cheered Friday as the Supreme Court of Canada upheld the federal government’s child welfare law, affirming that First Nations, Metis and Inuit have sole authority over the protection of their children. The unanimous decision is a setback for the Quebec government, which won a victory in 2022 when the Court of Appeal found that parts of the act overstepped federal jurisdiction. Indigenous leaders lauded the high court’s findings as dozens of the very children at the heart of the decision ran rampant around an Ottawa conference room. “Our peoples have compromised enough,” said Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador regional chief Ghislain Picard. A group of children wearing ribbon skirts, kokum scarves and ribbon shirts sat in...
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Winter roads are in a state of emergency: NAN
By Mike Stimpson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter THUNDER BAY- Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) chiefs declared a “winter roads state of emergency” in the concluding statement for their 2024 Chiefs Winter Assembly. The communique, released Thursday at the end of the three-day summit, also declared a “health state of emergency.” The mild winter has given Ontario’s northern remote communities little to no winter road season so far, Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler said. As a result, those communities haven’t received essential supplies that normally come in during winter road season. “The heavy tankers that deliver gas, they haven’t even been able to go up to any of our communities,” he told Dougall Media. What can’t be trucked in will have to be flown in, “and that’s way more expensive,” he said. NAN...
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Supreme Court upholds Ottawa’s Indigenous child welfare law, denies Quebec’s appeal
By Alessia Passafiume THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA- Indigenous communities and leaders across the country cheered Friday as the Supreme Court of Canada upheld the federal government’s child welfare law, affirming that First Nations, Metis and Inuit have sole authority over the protection of their children. The unanimous decision is a setback for the Quebec government, which won a victory in 2022 when the Court of Appeal found that parts of the act overstepped federal jurisdiction. Indigenous leaders lauded the high court’s findings as dozens of the very children at the heart of the decision ran rampant around an Ottawa conference room. “Our peoples have compromised enough,” said Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador regional chief Ghislain Picard. A group of children wearing ribbon skirts, kokum scarves and ribbon shirts sat in...
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Poll worker nun triggered some residents at Manitoba Indigenous seniors’ home: report
By Brittany Hobson THE CANADIAN PRESS WINNIPEG- The hiring of a nun to run a mobile voting poll at an Indigenous seniors’ centre during Manitoba’s provincial election did not violate any laws, an investigation by the province’s elections commissioner has determined. However, Bill Bowles did recognize there was distress for residents, many of whom were residential school survivors, at the KeKiNan Centre in Winnipeg’s North End. “It is clear that some of the KeKiNan residents found Sister B’s presence triggering and caused them to relive trauma they experienced in their youth. It is also clear that Sister B intended no harm and in fact had reason to think, on the basis of her previous visit, that she would be welcome,” Bowles wrote in his Feb. 6 decision. An investigation was...
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Mother of two sisters who claimed to be Inuit pleads guilty to fraud
Amira and Nadya Gill received almost $200,000 in grant and scholarship monies intended for Indigenous students. (Supplied photo) NUNAVUT-A Toronto mother involved in a case of Inuit identity fraud has pleaded guilty to one count of fraud after court was told two Inuit associations were defrauded of over $158,000 in education grants and scholarship dollars given to her twin daughters that were intended for Inuit students. John Scott Cowan said Karima Manji, the mother of Amira and Nadya Gill, entered the plea Friday morning and took “full responsibility for the matters at hand.” “This morning Karima Manji pleaded guilty before Justice Mia Manocchio in the Nunavut Court of Justice. In doing so, she took full responsibility for the matters at hand. We will make further submissions on...
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Supreme Court upholds Ottawa’s Indigenous child welfare act, denies Quebec’s appeal
OTTAWA- The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that the federal Indigenous child welfare act is constitutional, affirming that First Nations, Metis and Inuit have sole authority over the protection of their children. The unanimous decision is a setback for the Quebec government, which had made gains in 2022 when its Court of Appeal found that parts of the act overstepped federal jurisdiction. On Friday, Canada’s highest court upheld the entirety of Ottawa’s 2019 Act Respecting First Nations, Metis and Inuit Children Youth and Families, which affirmed that Indigenous Peoples have an inherent right of self-government that includes control over child and family services. “The act as a whole is constitutionally valid,” the court wrote in its 110-page decision, adding that it “falls squarely within Parliament’s legislative jurisdiction.” Ottawa’s law affirmed...
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Ontario temperature records broken as unseasonable warmth hits the province, northern roads impassable
TORONTO- Temperatures are soaring across Ontario with Toronto breaking a daily record and other cities poised to follow suit. The temperature cracked 11 C by 10 a.m. Friday at Toronto Pearson International Airport, busting a daily record set on the same day in 1938, when it reached a high of 10.6 C. It’s the latest record to fall across Canada, where forecasters had warned a strong global El Nino climate pattern paired with the effects of human-caused climate change was expected to lead to a warmer winter. Environment Canada meteorologist Peter Kimbell says it was nearly 5 degrees warmer than average in December and 3.4 degrees above average last month in Toronto. Kimbell says London, Windsor and Ottawa were among the other cities flirting with daily records, as unseasonable warmth brings...
