Manitoba becomes first province to join national pharmacare program with $219M deal
By Sarah Ritchie Manitoba became the first province to officially join Ottawa’s pharmacare program today, giving it access to federal funding to cover the cost of birth control and diabetes medications. Health Minister Mark Holland made the announcement in Winnipeg this morning. The federal government will spend $219 million on pharmacare coverage for Manitoba over four years and says contraceptives and diabetes medications will be provided “at little to no direct cost” to Manitobans. The Manitoba government launched a program last fall to cover the cost of birth control for its residents. The federal Pharmacare Act became law in October, setting the stage for Ottawa to begin negotiations with provinces and territories. The program was a key part of the supply-and-confidence agreement between the Liberals and the NDP that kept...
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Number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits rises to 242,000, highest level in 3 months
By Matt Ott Applications for U.S. jobless benefits rose to a three-month high last week but remained within the same healthy range of the past three years. The number of Americans filing for jobless benefits rose by 22,000 to 242,000 for the week ending Feb. 22, the Labor Department said Thursday. Analysts projected that 220,000 new applications would be filed. Weekly applications for jobless benefits are considered a proxy for layoffs. The four-week average, which evens out some of the week-to-week volatility, climbed by 8,500 to 224,000. Some analysts say they expect layoffs ordered by the Department of Government Efficiency to show up in the report in the coming weeks or months. Joseph Brusuelas, chief economist at tax and advisory firm RSM, said he doesn’t expect a “bursting of the...
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Two-time JUNO Award-winning Oji-Cree artist Aysanabee playing the Savoy Theatre
By Meghan Dewar, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cape Breton Post Glace Bay will have the opportunity to listen to the musical creations of two-time JUNO award-winning Oji-Cree artist Aysanabee at the Savoy Theatre on March 12th. The Indigenous artist will be stopping in during his first-ever Canadian headlining tour, ‘Now and Then.’ Aysanabee is an alternative indie artist who is a member of the Sucker Clan from the Sandy Lake First Nation in Northwestern Ontario. He is currently based out of Toronto and creates music under his mother’s maiden name. In March 2024, he made history and became the first Indigenous artist to win JUNO Awards for Alternative Album of the Year and Songwriter of the Year for his EP ‘Here and Now,’ released in 2023. The show will take...
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Premier Moe says pipelines that would cross Saskatchewan considered ‘pre-approved’
By Jeremy Simes Premier Scott Moe says Saskatchewan wants pipelines built and is encouraging other provinces and the federal government to get behind the cause. Moe says on social media that all pipeline projects that cross his province would be considered “pre-approved.” He says he supports pipelines that go across the country and into the United States. His office says federal regulations and politics have hindered development and that the energy industry requires certainty. Pipelines that cross provincial boundaries or the Canada-U.S. border are reviewed by the Canada Energy Regulator and approved by the federal government. Ottawa also has a legal duty to consult Indigenous groups whose treaty rights may be affected by projects. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 26, 2025. ...
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Trial begins in $300M lawsuit against Greenpeace over North Dakota pipeline protests
By Jack Dura MANDAN, N.D. (AP) — An attorney for a Texas pipeline company said Wednesday at trial that he will prove various Greenpeace entities coordinated delays and disruptions of a controversial oil pipeline’s construction in North Dakota, and defamed the company to its lenders. Attorneys for the Greenpeace defendants told a jury there is no evidence to back up the claims by Dallas-based Energy Transfer, which seeks potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in damages from Greenpeace. The case is tied to protests in 2016 and 2017 of the Dakota Access Pipeline and its controversial Missouri River crossing upstream of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s reservation. The tribe has long opposed the pipeline as a risk to its water supply. The pipeline was completed in 2017. Energy Transfer and...
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Trial begins in $300M lawsuit against Greenpeace over North Dakota pipeline protests
By Jack Dura MANDAN, N.D. (AP) — An attorney for a Texas pipeline company said Wednesday at trial that he will prove various Greenpeace entities coordinated delays and disruptions of a controversial oil pipeline’s construction in North Dakota, and defamed the company to its lenders. Attorneys for the Greenpeace defendants told a jury there is no evidence to back up the claims by Dallas-based Energy Transfer, which seeks potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in damages from Greenpeace. The case is tied to protests in 2016 and 2017 of the Dakota Access Pipeline and its controversial Missouri River crossing upstream of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s reservation. The tribe has long opposed the pipeline as a risk to its water supply. The pipeline was completed in 2017. Energy Transfer and...
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Timeline of 4 women slain in Winnipeg, demands to search landfill for remains
-CP-The Manitoba government announced Thursday that potential human remains have been found at a landfill north of Winnipeg, where search teams have been looking for two slain First Nations women. The women and two others were the victims of a serial killer in Winnipeg. Here is a timeline of the case: March 15, 2022 — Police say an unidentified woman is killed on or around this date. May 1, 2022 — Morgan Harris, a member of Long Plain First Nation living in Winnipeg, is last seen in the area of Main Street and Henry Avenue north of the city’s downtown. Police say the 39-year-old was killed on or around this date. May 4, 2022 — Police say Marcedes Myran, 26, also of Long Plain First Nation and living in Winnipeg,...
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Possible remains found in search for slain women at Winnipeg-area landfill
By Brittany Hobson WINNIPEG,MAN.-CP-Potential human remains were discovered Wednesday at a landfill north of Winnipeg where search teams have been working to find two slain First Nations women. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said he spent time with the families of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran at the Prairie Green landfill when the discovery was made. He later struggled to find words to describe the news. “I don’t think any of us are ever going to forget today,” Kinew told reporters. “I think all of us who were there — family, searchers, people from government such as myself — are still in the state of is this really happening.” Police have said they believe the remains of Harris and Myran — victims of a serial killer — ended up at the...
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Minister to apologize for relocations of Inuit decades ago
By Alessia Passafiume Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree will apologize on behalf of the federal government Thursday for its role in the Dundas Harbour relocations between 1934 and 1948. The relocations were part of Canada’s strategy to maintain a national security presence in the Arctic. More than 50 people were removed by the federal government from their ancestral homes, leaving impacts on Inuit communities that linger to this day. Isaac Shooyook, born in 1939 in Arctic Bay, is expected to be present to hear Anandasangaree deliver the apology at a ceremony Thursday afternoon in the hamlet where he was born, along with survivors’ descendants. Speaking in Inuktitut, Shooyook said while he is happy the minister is coming to apologize, he’s saddened many people who were affected have since died and...
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America First? Not when it comes to stock markets worldwide this year
By Stan Choe NEW YORK (AP) — When it comes to stock markets around the world, this year has clearly not been “America First.” The U.S. stock market has risen in 2025 and isn’t far from its all-time high set last week. But it’s climbed less than stock indexes in Mexico City, Paris and Hong Kong. The difference in performance has been so stark than an index of stocks from 22 of 23 developed economies around the world, excluding the United States, has trounced the S&P 500: a 7.5% rise through Monday versus 1.7% for Wall Street’s benchmark. The split in performance has many causes, and if it continues, it would mark a sharp reversal following years of U.S. exceptionalism. The U.S. stock market has been the clear winner for...
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Gene Hackman, prolific Oscar-winning actor, found dead at home at 95 years old
By Hillel Italie Gene Hackman, the prolific Oscar-winning actor whose studied portraits ranged from reluctant heroes to conniving villains and made him one of the industry’s most respected and honored performers, has been found dead along with his wife at their home. He was 95. Hackman was a frequent and versatile presence on screen from the 1960s until his retirement. His dozens of films included the Academy Award favorites “The French Connection” and “Unforgiven,” a breakout performance in “Bonnie and Clyde,” a classic bit of farce in “Young Frankenstein,” a turn as the comic book villain Lex Luthor in “Superman” and the title character in Wes Anderson’s 2001 “The Royal Tenenbaums.” He seemed capable of any kind of role — whether an uptight buffoon in “Birdcage,” a college coach finding...
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Trump cuts financial lifeline for Venezuela’s government by ending permit to export oil to US
By Regina Garcia Cano CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — A permit issued by the United States government allowing energy giant Chevron Corp. to pump and export Venezuelan oil will be terminated this week, President Donald Trump announced Wednesday, ending what became a financial lifeline for the South American country. Trump’s announcement in his Truth Social network accused the government of President Nicolás Maduro of not meeting democratic conditions for last year’s July presidential election as well as of not moving fast enough to transport back to Venezuela immigrants set for deportation. “We are hereby reversing the concessions that Crooked Joe Biden gave to Nicolás Maduro, of Venezuela, on the oil transaction agreement,” Trump wrote. Trump post did not specifically mention California-based Chevron nor the permit, formally known as a general license,...
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Wabasca RCMP responded to 252 reports of spousal abuse in 2024
By Pearl Lorentzen Local Journalism Initiative Reporter In 2024, the Wabasca RCMP detachment’s most frequent ‘common police activity’ was responding to spousal abuse. In 2024, the Wabasca RCMP responded to 252 reported cases of spousal abuse. For the Athabasca RCMP, the number of reported cases was 93. For the Athabasca, RCMP this was the third highest common police activity, below suspicious person/vehicle/property (408) and false or abandoned 911 calls (99). These and the following statistics are from the Wabasca and Athabasca RCMP third quarter (October to December) reports in the M.D. of Opportunity February 12 Council agenda package. The statistics are divided into several sections including, Criminal Code, drugs, and common police activities. Spousal abuse takes many different forms, so within the criminal charges it can show up in different...
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Man facing charges after three vehicle collision
OHSWEKEN,ONT- Six Nations Police (SNP) have charged a local man after a three-vehicle collision on Chiefswood Road last month. SNP and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) all responded to a three-vehicle collision Tuesday, January 28th, 2025, at approximately 6:05 a.m. on Chiefswood Road. Police said Wednesday (Feb. 26, 2023) they found three vehicles at the scene, all with heavy damages, blocking the roadway. EMS assessed all drivers at the scene and one driver was transported to a local area hospital with minor injuries. SNP said officers spoke with the driver’s involved and learned a truck was travelling northbound on Chiefswood Road when it collided with two other vehicles. During the investigation police learned the driver of the truck was prohibited from operating a motor vehicle. Police said no signs of impairment...
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Chiefs granted intervenor status in border-crossing lobster case
By Andrew Bates, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Telegraph-Journal An Indigenous nation has been granted intervenor status in a case involving a U.S.-based lobster fisher accused of illegally fishing in Passamaquoddy Bay. Erik D. Francis, 55, of Perry, Maine, faces charges under the Coastal Fisheries Protection Act alleging that he illegally fished from a foreign vessel in New Brunswick waters. According to court documents, he was stopped on Nov. 15, 2022, off the coast of Deer Island by fisheries officials, who seized 36 lobster traps owned by Francis. Francis, who is self-represented, has claimed Indigenous fishing rights as a part of the Peskotomuhkati (Passamaquoddy) Nation, which has two communities in Maine including Sipayik (Pleasant Point), where Francis lives, and the community known as Skutik in Charlotte County. The Peskotomuhkati people, which...
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Trio of King Charles III Coronation Medals awarded in Tofino
By Nora O’Malley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Ha-Shilth-Sa Tofino, BC – Joe Martin, Levi Martin and Dr. Ricardo Manmohan were awarded King Charles III Coronation Medals on Feb. 21 in front of an intimate gathering of friends and family at the newly renovated Clayoquot Sound Community Theatre in Tofino. Courtenay-Alberni NDP MP Gord Johns presented the honour on behalf of the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada. Johns was tasked with nominating 20 individuals from his riding for the Kings Charles II Coronation Medal, an award that recognizes outstanding individuals who have made a difference in their community. “It wasn’t easy to pull all these individuals together at the same time,” said Johns. “They are extremely busy individuals that are constantly giving everything they’ve got, and when I...
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Chiefs in Ontario vote in favour of federal child welfare reform deal
By Alessia Passafiume -CP-First Nations chiefs in Ontario voted overwhelmingly Wednesday in favour of a child welfare reform deal with the federal government. The Ontario-specific deal to allow First Nations to take control of child welfare was supported by 76 chiefs in assembly, with four objections and three abstentions. As the vote concluded, Ontario Regional Chief Abram Benedict said the decision will allow First Nations to end discrimination in their communities and offer better support to families. “We can’t wait for a national agreement. It’s too important in our communities,” he told the chiefs gathered in Toronto. “Yes, there’s a lot of work to do, but I believe today is a very momentous moment. Not only are we stopping discrimination in our communities — in your communities — we’re advancing...
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A Safer Future – Cree Nation and Ontario fire departments launch unique fire prevention program
By Patrick Quinn, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The Cree Nation partnered with Ontario fire departments on January 31 to launch a Fire Prevention Officer (FPO) Mentorship Program in Orillia, Ontario. With 10 FPOs from Cree communities working for a month in conjunction with 11 fire departments across Ontario, the program is the first of its kind in Canada. “Fire prevention is so vital for our communities, especially with the unique challenges we face,” stated Cree Grand Chief Mandy Gull-Masty. “This mentorship program will give our Fire Prevention Officers the knowledge and support needed to better protect our communities and build a safer future for all in Eeyou Istchee.” The Cree Nation faces similar high fire risks as do other First Nations, including overcrowded housing and socioeconomic inequities. A 2021 report...
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Francis Verreault-Paul picked by Assembly of First Nations as Quebec-Labrador chief
-CP-Francis Verreault-Paul has been elected the new regional chief of the Assembly of First Nations for Quebec and Labrador. Verreault-Paul, 37, from the Innu community of Mashteuiatsh in Quebec’s Lac-St-Jean region, takes over from Ghislain Picard, who stepped down after 33 years in the role and 11 terms as chief. “I commit to be a unifying voice, to listen, to act and to carry our claims forward with conviction,” Verreault-Paul, who before the vote served as chief of staff at the assembly, said in a news release on Wednesday. After a vote Tuesday in Lac-Beauport, Que., north of Quebec City, Verreault-Paul beat three other candidates: Constant Awashish, grand chief of the Atikamekw Nation council; Cathy Martin, council member of the Listuguj Mi’kmaq government; and Monik Kistabish, chief of the Abitibiwinni...
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Discrepancies over funding: Survivors Secretariat warns of closure
By Joshua Santos Writer A financial dispute between the federal government and the Survivors’ Secretariat has placed the future of critical residential school investigations at risk. The organization is warning that it can be forced to fold by the end of March. Ottawa claims the Secretariat still has $4.2 million in unspent funds while the organization insists that money has already been allocated, leaving it without resources to continue its work. “They are denying us funding because they say we have a surplus,” said Laura Arndt, secretariat lead. “Canada knows we do not have a surplus. We have been essentially begging them for funding since June. The hardest part is Canada is not being honest about our financial resources, and they are using that to say they are not funding...
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