Today In history
Oct 20 In 1960, Sir John A. Macdonald Hall, the law school of Queen’s University, was officially opened by prime minister John Diefenbaker. (Queen’s removed Macdonald’s name from the building in October 2020 at the end of a months-long process that began after a petition to change the name gathered support. The first prime minister of Canada played a key role in setting up the residential school system that removed Indigenous children from their families.) In 2021, the Newfoundland and Labrador government was getting rid of the term “savages’’ from its official description of the Indigenous people depicted on the province’s nearly 400-year-old coat of arms. Premier Andrew Furey said amendments to the Coat of Arms Act were introduced for second reading in the legislature. The amendments included replacing “savages’’...
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Six Nations to build its own hospice
By Austin Evans Writer Six Nations will be building the first Indigenous-led and Indigenous-operated hospice in Canada with Ontario’s support. Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC), who will be providing the majority of the funding, unveiled their plans for the hospice, currently named Six Nations of the Grand River Community Hospice at its future site on 2144 Fourth Line Road. The hospice will house five residents at a time, providing them end-of-life care which incorporates traditional Haudenosaunee teachings. “Having our own hospice will be amazing for our members to be taken care of our way,” said Elected Chief Sherri-Lyn Hill. “Our members will be able to live out their lives with loved ones and family surrounding them.” The Ontario Ministry of Health (MoH) is investing up to $1.25 million to support...
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‘You are not my king,’ Indigenous Australian senator yells at visiting King Charles
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — An Indigenous senator told King Charles III that Australia is not his land as the British royal visited Australia’s parliament on Monday. Sen. Lidia Thorpe was escorted out of a parliamentary reception for the royal couple after shouting that British colonizers have taken Indigenous land and bones. “You committed genocide against our people,” she shouted. “Give us what you stole from us — our bones, our skulls, our babies, our people. You destroyed our land. Give us a treaty. We want a treaty.” No treaty was ever struck between between British colonizers and Australia’s Indigenous peoples. Charles spoke quietly with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese while security officials stopped Thorpe from approaching. “This is not your land. You are not my king,” Thorpe yelled as she was...
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First Nations player continues to have a leading role with another OHL club
By Sam Laskaris Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Many thought that Dalyn Wakely would be moving on after he racked up more than 100 regular season points a year ago with the North Bay Battalion of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Well, those folks would be half right. Wakely, a 20-year-old forward who is a member of Curve Lake First Nation in Ontario, is no longer with the Battalion. But instead of commencing his pro career, Wakely, who was selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the National Hockey League’s Entry Draft this past June, is now a member of the OHL’s Barrie Colts. Wakely spent slightly more than two weeks at the Oilers’ training camp. There was plenty of talk he might be sent to the Oilers’ top minor league affiliate,...
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Six Nations Intermediate Three-Pitch tournament sunny skies bring out the smiles
By Austin Evans Writer The aggressive gameplay at the Intermediate Three-Pitch Tournament led to a win for the defending champs. Six schools from Six Nations and Mississaugas of the Credit brought their best softball players from Grades 7 and 8 to compete in the Intermediate Three-Pitch Tournament on October 3. Just as the junior teams had two weeks prior, Kawenni:io and Oliver M. Smith-Kawenni:io (OMSK) were set to face off in the championship game. It was an explosive, heavy-offense championship match. Kawenni:io got three batters home off a homerun at the bottom of the third inning, only for the first OMSK batter to score his own homerun at the top of the fourth inning. Kawenni:io’s team included some players from Lloyd S. King Elementary, but Coach Emily Longboat said the...
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Indigenous Australian who confronted King Charles III says she won’t be ‘shut down’
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — An Indigenous senator has intensified her criticism of King Charles III, again accusing the British monarch of complicity in the “genocide” against Australia’s First Nations peoples and declaring on Wednesday she will not be “shut down.” Sen. Lidia Thorpe’s comments followed an encounter with the monarch at a parliamentary reception Monday where she was escorted out after shouting at him for British colonizers taking Indigenous land and bones. Despite facing political and public backlash, Thorpe was resolute in a television interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and said she would continue to press for justice. “The colonial system is all about shutting black women down in this country,” Thorpe said from Melbourne. “For those that don’t agree with what I have said and what I have...
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‘For the good of all Indigenous people’: N.L. government discussing implementing United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) – a piece of legislation that was over 25 years in the making – wasn’t adopted in Canada until 2016. That’s nearly a decade after it was passed by the United Nations in 2007. At the time, Canada, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand were the only four countries that voted against it, explained Keith Cormier, former western vice-chief of Qalipu First Nation. Now the push is on to have Newfoundland adopt it as well. UNDA Following its adoption in Canada in 2016, Cormier said, came The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, or UNDA, which is the act to implement UNDRIP in Canada. “Back in the fall of 2022, I think it was,...
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Families call for inquiry after nine Indigenous people killed in police interactions
A group of Black and Indigenous women say they want a national public inquiry into a recent spate of police-involved deaths, after nine Indigenous people were killed in interactions with police in August and September. About two dozen people gathered on Parliament Hill on Tuesday, including the families of eight people who died. The families say accountability and justice for the deaths of their loved ones is difficult to get, and that concrete actions need to happen to address police brutality and to offer support and resources for the people affected. Laura Holland, a Wet’suwet’en woman and the mother of Jared Lowndes, said police-involved killings are a state of emergency for Indigenous people. “We’re being killed on the streets, in our homes, everywhere, and no one is saying anything,” she...
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RCMP introduce body-worn cameras this winter
By Nora O’Malley Local Journalism Initiative Reporter In effort to increase transparency in policing and improve accountability, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Canada’s federal police force, will soon be equipped with body-worn cameras. Frontline general duty officers that work in the communities of: Ucluelet, Ahousaht, Tofino, Mission, Prince George, Cranbrook and Kamloops will be amongst the first to start recording evidence from the first-person perspective or point of view (POV), according to B.C. RCMP, or “E” Division, senior media relations officer Staff Sgt. Kris Clark. “This initiative will see more than 10,000 cameras rolled-out across the country when rollout is complete. E Division will rollout over 3,000 cameras to the frontline beginning this winter,” said Clark. “The RCMP is committed to taking the necessary steps to enhance trust between the...
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NCN warns parents kids shouldn’t be “running around terrorizing” the community
By Dave Baxter Local Journalism Initiative A 13-year-old boy struck by a bullet in his bedroom was the victim of a “targeted” shooting over the weekend, in a community that continues to grapple with violence, fears of dangerous weapons and youth crime. According to RCMP, around 2:25 a.m. on Saturday morning, they got a call about someone being shot inside a home on the Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation (NCN). According to police, shots were fired at the house from outside, and bullets passed through a wall in the living room and into the victim’s bedroom where he was struck while lying on his bed, while five other people who were in the home at the time, including three other youth, were not injured. The boy was transported to a Winnipeg hospital...
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Marathon Active Living Centre in the works
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter MARATHON – This town along Lake Superior has big plans for a multi-use complex that includes a hockey rink, pickleball courts, a playground, basketball courts and swimming pools. Two nearby First Nations – Biigtigong (Pic River) and Netmizaaggamig (Pic Mobert) – have committed to providing a combined $1.5 million to help finance construction of the Marathon Active Living Centre, a news release from the Town of Marathon said. “These projects have been on the books for Marathon for close to a decade,” Mayor Rick Dumas told Newswatch Tuesday. The town talked with Biigtigong about a partnership to build a rink for both parties five years ago, he said. “Now we’ve worked out a plan with Biigtigong and Netmizaaggamig with financial support recognizing their...
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Mixed reactions to Manitoba premier’s wind power plan
By Connor McDowell Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Premier Wab Kinew’s announcement last month that Manitoba would work with Indigenous partners to create wind power has brought mixed reactions among local First Nations and Métis. In September, the premier announced the province will help Indigenous bands create 600 megawatts of new wind power. The intent, he said, was to bring affordable, clean energy to Manitoba and produce jobs for the Indigenous bands — an idea that has brought mixed reactions from local bands. Waywayseecappo First Nation chief Murray Clearsky says he’s interested in moving forward with wind turbines, partially because the current cost of electricy is a significant portion of their expenses. “I think we have to start looking at stuff like this,” Clearsky told the Sun on Friday. “Because right...
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Search warrant finds cache of firearms in Cold Lake FirstNations
By Chantel Downes Local Journalism Initiative In a public statement released on Monday, Daniel McLaughlin, Communications Manager for Cold Lake First Nations (CLFNS), said CLFNS was aware of the police activity in the LeGoff townsite. He noted that CLFNS leadership had been in communication with the RCMP, closely monitoring the situation and cooperating with law enforcement to ensure all necessary steps were taken during the ongoing investigation. McLaughlin assured the public that the community was not in immediate danger and urged calm while the investigation continued. “At this time, the community can be assured that there is no immediate danger. We ask residents to remain calm and allow the RCMP to complete their investigation,” he said, adding, “Further details will be shared as they become available.” Cst. Cory Riggs, Public...
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Oil removal work begins on ‘fragile’ Second World War-era wreck in coastal B.C.
An oil salvage operation is underway on the fragile wreckage of a U.S. army transport ship that sank almost 80 years ago off coastal British Columbia in a race to head off an eruption of thousands of litres of oil that a coast guard official says is “near imminent.” The Canadian Coast Guard said the 77-metre-long Brigadier General M.G. Zalinski has been burping up “slow but consistent drops of oil” since the fall of 2022 at the shipwreck site in Grenville Channel, part of the Inside Passage off northern B.C. Jeff Brady, superintendent of marine environmental hazard response in the west for the coast guard, said the discovery comes after 44,000 litres of heavy fuel oil and 319,000 litres of oily water was successfully extracted from the sunken ship in...
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First Nation calls for all-season road amid rising winter temperatures
By Angela Amato Local Journalism Initiative Reporter With the winter months nearing, many First Nations communities across the country are worried that shorter and shorter seasons for ice roads are increasingly threatening the livelihood of their people. “We rely on winter roads to bring in fuel, heavy structures for construction, groceries, housing supplies, everything,” said Athabasca Chipewyan Chief Allan Adam in an interview. “Everything for the community … It’s how we survive.” Many Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation members live in the town of Fort Chipewyan on the southwest edge of Lake Athabasca in northern Alberta, approximately 224 kilometres north of Fort McMurray. Access to the town of nearly 800 is limited to boat and aircraft in the summer months, and winter roads when it is cold enough for ice to...
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Families call for inquiry after nine Indigenous people killed in police interactions
The Canadian Press-Black and Indigenous women gathered in Ottawa to demand action following a spate of police-involved deaths, including nine Indigenous people who were killed in interactions with police in August and September. The families, who often spoke through tears about their loved ones, say the federal government must launch a national inquiry into the deaths of them and others. Laura Holland, a Wet’suwet’en woman and the mother of Jared Lowndes, says it’s impossible to get justice for her son, saying politicians are not listening to victims and are refusing to meet with them. She says there must be systemic change to the way police services operate. The minister of Crown-Indigenous relations earlier called the string of deaths troubling and said he encouraged police services to ensure accountability and build...
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Ottawa asked to amend policing program
The Assembly of First Nations and Premier Danielle Smith are calling on the federal government to implement amendments to the First Nations and Inuit Policing Program. This program would commit sustainable funding for Indigenous-led law enforcement. In a joint news release from AFN and the premier, they said both parties have advocated for police services which reflect community values, cultures and needs, but to achieve this, First Nations need to have jurisdiction and authority over their police frameworks. “It is essential First Nations have clear jurisdiction and authority over their own policing frameworks, underpinned by equity funding from both federal and provincial governments. Such funding must be sustainable and sufficient, ensuing First Nations-led police services have the resources they need to deliver a high standard of community policing,” the release...
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First Nations protest ‘morbid’ situation in Nipigon
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter LAKE HELEN – As roughly 200 Red Rock Indian Band members and allies walked from Gas Road to the Nipigon Bridge on Monday, the words on a picket sign put their sentiment succinctly: “Give us back our people!” The First Nation north of Nipigon has been at loggerheads with Parks Canada since the 600-year-old remains of four Anishinaabek ancestors were found at a site where parks officials to build a visitor centre. The remains have been treated with indignity and nearly 60 dug-up loads of earth have been moved from the excavation site to unknown locations, according to the First Nation. It’s clear that Parks Canada did not have an archaeologist on site during excavation and did not follow their own rules for...
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Child welfare reform is in the hands of the AFN after deal voted down, minister says
-CP-Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu says it is up to the Assembly of First Nations to come back to the federal government with a clear message about how it wants to proceed after chiefs voted against a $47.8 billion child welfare reform agreement last week. Hajdu says she is sure AFN National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak is “listening very closely” to concerns chiefs have about how the AFN handled negotiations for that agreement. Chiefs rejected the 10-year reform deal at a gathering in Calgary last week after many of them blasted the AFN and Canada for lacklustre consultations that resulted in a weak deal. Hajdu says the government is waiting for the AFN to come back with a plan but says they’ll be looking at every option they can to...
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What’s going on at Lindberg Landing?
Relations between people connected to a small cluster of homes beside the Liard River are deteriorating amid rumours and accusations. By Simona Rosenfield Local Journalism Initiative In 2019, five new families moved to Lindberg Landing, a collection of land leases just north of Nahanni Butte off Highway 7 in the Northwest Territories’ Dehcho region Clinton Leussink’s family made the move after buying into leases with Sue Lindberg, a longtime leaseholder in the area and its namesake. The two had become friendly through Leussink’s work trucking supplies into isolated northern communities. “I stopped by Lindberg Landing one day having heard about it, and there was Sue, living in the bush all alone,” Leussink told Cabin Radio. “She was definitely getting to that point in her life where she needed support, or...
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