Puppeteer hits the streets to document homelessness
By Alexandra Noad, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Lethbridge Herald A puppeteer from the Tsuut’ina Nation, located west of Calgary, well loved for his creation of a cast of Native characters, took to the streets to document life of the homeless population in several cities across the country, including Edmonton, Calgary and Lethbridge, which can be found in his novel “See-Me Street.” DeRic Starlight says he was inspired by the movie “Supersize Me”, which features someone who ate solely at McDonald’s for an entire month. Starlight wondered what it would be like to live in a homeless shelter for a month, and he spent a month living on the streets in Calgary. What was only supposed to be a one-month experiment became something much bigger. “I got to know a community...
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Tsawwassen backs K’ómoks and Kitselas ratification amid mounting territorial disputes
By Radha Agarwal, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Delta Optimist Drawing on nearly two decades of self-governance, Tsawwassen First Nation (TFN) is endorsing the ratification of the K’ómoks and Kitselas Final Agreements. The Nation asserts that the success of these new treaties is a vital legal precedent required to unlock TFN’s own pending treaty modifications. TFN became the first Nation to enter into a modern treaty under the B.C. process in 2009, and operates with its own constitution, laws, and elected government. While Kitselas and K’ómoks have navigated the treaty process since the early 1990s, ratification faces significant pushback. The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs and neighbouring Nations — including the Wei Wai Kum and the Lax Kw’alaams Band — have called for a legislative pause, citing unresolved territorial overlaps. Despite...
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Longtime Manitoba Métis Federation president runs uncontested for fourth time
The longtime president of the Manitoba Métis Federation has been acclaimed in the organization’s upcoming general election. The federation says David Chartrand was the only person to put his name forward to lead the group, which represents more than 60,000 Red River Métis. Chartrand has held the role since 1997, running unopposed the last four terms. There are 22 positions open in the election, including the president and vice-presidents for each of the seven regions in Manitoba. The federation says six other positions have also been acclaimed by incumbents. Voters head to polls on June 23. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 26, 2026. ...
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Failure to sign Nunavut Land Use Plan carries legal and financial risk, lawyers argue
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News Leaving the Nunavut Land Use Plan unsigned makes governments vulnerable to legal ramifications, according to an analysis commissioned by the non-profit Friends of Land Use Planning, which was released on May 26. The Recommended Nunavut Land Use Plan was finalized in June 2023 after 15 years of consultation. However, the document has not been signed by the federal government, the Government of Nunavut, nor Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI) since then. Serving as a guide for potential future development in the territory, the plan designates all of Nunavut’s land and waters as either limited use, conditional use, mixed use or outside the plan’s jurisdiction. Following the recommended plan’s release almost three years ago, the NWT and Nunavut Chamber of Mines said...
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The past, present and future of protecting Skeena salmon
By Matt Simmons, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Narwhal Wearing regalia bearing the raven crests of his mother’s clan, S’mooygyet (Chief) Algax’m Hax, Murray Smith, of the Gitwilgyoots Tribe, shared where he comes from. Sharing his lineage is a necessary precursor to welcoming visitors to his lands, he explained. “When I get up here to speak, I have to tell you who I really am,” he told a group gathered in Prince Rupert, B.C., earlier this month. “My grandfather is Haida. My mother’s mother was Ts’msyen from Lax Kw’alaams.” “There’s a word in my language called sg̱an,” he continued. “Sg̱an is a welcome mat made out of cedar and they place it at the bow of a canoe. When the Chief steps off, he doesn’t step on the ground, he...
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Two men shot on quad on northern Manitoba First Nation, RCMP searching for suspect
Two men are in hospital, and one has life-threatening injuries, after they were shot while on an all-terrain vehicle on a First Nation in northern Manitoba. Mounties say they received reports that a 21-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy were brought into the nursing station in Mathias Colomb Cree Nation, also known as Pukatawagan. The two were flown to Winnipeg for further treatment. An RCMP emergency response team is searching for a suspect. A shelter in place alert was issued, but police say the First Nation has lifted the lockdown order. Mathias Colomb is a fly-in community located more than 800 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 26, 2026....
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Sacred Bundles exhibit honours the grief of residential schools while celebrating the future
By Sam Laskaris, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Windspeaker.com When she heard in 2021 that the findings of an investigation indicated the presence of 215 potential burials at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation, B.C., Adele Arseneau decided to move into action. The Métis multidisciplinary artist created 141 miniature cradleboards that would represent a school named in the 2007 Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement. The result of that work titled wîskwêpitâkan: sacred bundle is now on display in Toronto at the Tangled Art Gallery. It runs until July 17. Arseneau, who lives in Duncan, B.C., first displayed the collection at Vancouver’s Pendulum Gallery in 2023. Arseneau first started working on the cradleboards with Xwalacktun (Rick Harry), who is a Squamish master carver....
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First Nations decry denialism on anniversary of suspected graves found at B.C. site
By Brieanna Charlebois Almost five years ago, the monument in front of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School was surrounded by flowers, cards, soft toys and other mementoes, echoing grief that had swept across Canada. On May 27, 2021, the Tkemlúps te Secwepemc First Nation had announced that ground-penetrating radar had found more the 200 suspected children’s’ graves on the grounds of the school. Now, a lone bouquet lays in front of the memorial, amid ongoing soul-searching, and what some First Nations leaders say is a wave of denialism about Indigenous suffering in residential schools. Robert Phillips, the political executive with the First Nations Summit, said he remembers the announcement vividly, calling it a “shocking discovery” for First Nations, Canadians and for people around the world. “From that, people wanted...
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Nunavik’s new police chief sworn in
By Dominique Gené, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunatsiaq News Jean-François (Jeff) Bernier is officially the chief of Nunavik Police Service. Bernier served as interim chief since Nov. 17, 2025. The permanent appointment allows Bernier to come up with and act on long-term plans for the police agency that serves the region’s 14 communities. He was sworn into the role virtually on March 17 by Quebec minister of public security Ian Lafrenière, who also made the trip to Kuujjuaq to do it in person during Monday’s Kativik Regional Government meeting. “It’s a complete honour for me to be serving the people of Nunavik,” Bernier said. “I’m going to be, God willing, five, six, seven, eight years, who knows? And I do want to make a difference for the good of the...
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Indigenous Explainers: The Tipi and the architectural history of First Nations peoples
By Energeticcity.caLocal Journalism Initiative Reporter FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Against the backdrop of post-secondary education, one Indigenous knowledge keeper showcased a piece of Indigenous architectural history. Known to settler communities as Teepees, the Tipi is known as a historic shelter of First Nations ancestors, according to the Canadian Encyclopedia. In fact, its English name is directly borrowed from the Indigenous languages Dakota and Lakota. Its cone-like shape was constructed from simple wooden poles, with the inside of the structure covered with bison skins. Traditionally, each pole represented themes such as obedience, respect and humility, according to Nathan Scott. Scott, an Indigenous knowledge keeper, took part in an annual tipi raising at Northern Lights College’s [NLC] Fort St. John campus on Thursday, May 21st, with another scheduled to take place...
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Majority of MPs vote down Conservative motion calling for private property protection
By Sarah Ritchie A majority of the House of Commons voted against a non-binding motion on Monday that called on the federal government to protect private property from First Nations land claims — a political issue the Crown-Indigenous Relations minister has said is rife with partisan rhetoric. The motion stems from a 2025 B.C. Supreme Court ruling that confirmed the Cowichan Tribes hold Aboriginal title over about 300 hectares of land in Richmond, B.C. The ruling led to questions about how Aboriginal title and private property rights can coexist. B.C. and the Cowichan Tribes have both said they do not want to invalidate any privately held fee simple titles on the lands covered by the court decision. The federal and provincial governments opposed the Cowichan Tribes’ claim. There are now...
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Stoney Nakoda First Nations applaud court ruling to shut down Alberta separation petition
By Leah Pelletier, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Rocky Mountain Outlook ÎYARHE NAKODA — Stoney Nakoda First Nations’ leaders are applauding the court’s decision to shut down an Alberta separation petition, ruling in favour of First Nations. Bearspaw, Chiniki and Goodstoney First Nations chiefs said in a joint statement released on Thursday (May 14), that the ruling made by Justice Shaina Leonard at the Alberta Court of King’s Bench on May 13 is a “clear and decisive victory” for First Nations’ Treaty rights. “Yesterday’s court decision confirms that provincial processes cannot ignore or override our Treaty rights,” said the Nations’ chiefs in the statement released by the Treaty 7 First Nations Chiefs’ Association, which also includes Tsuut’ina First Nation and the Blackfoot Confederacy. “We commend the court for recognizing that meaningful...
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As Alberta battles with separation, Saskatchewan’s Moe affirms party wants to stay
By Dayne Patterson Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says while separatist agitation bubbles away in Alberta – and even in his own province — his party stands with Confederation. “We support a strong and growing province of Saskatchewan with the united nation of Canada,” Moe told reporters Monday. “(But) again, those frustrations shouldn’t be discounted.” Moe made the comments on the first day of the western premiers meeting. He and six other premiers from Western Canada and the three territories have gathered at an upscale lodge near the Rocky Mountains west of Calgary for the meeting, which ends Tuesday. The annual get-together usually revolves around shared concerns and projects. This year’s event began on a tetchy note Monday when B.C. Premier David Eby publicly wondered why they should work on getting...
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Exceptionally early heat wave shatters records and brings deaths in Europe
By Jill Lawless LONDON (AP) — Temperature records have toppled as a spring heatwave continued to scorch parts of Western Europe on Tuesday, triggering government warnings about risks to life. Several drownings were reported in Britain and France as people tried to cool down. London recorded a rare “tropical night,” defined as one in which the temperature does not fall below 20 Celsius (68 Fahrenheit), and Britain’s Met Office weather service said the temperature in southern England could reach 35 C (95 F) on Tuesday. Monday was the U.K.’s hottest May day on record, with the temperature hitting 34.8 C (94.6 F) at Kew Gardens in London, smashing the previous record of 32.8 C (91.4 F) set in 1922 and 1944. Records also fell in France, where temperatures reached 36...
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Report shows uneven progress for women in Canadian sport leadership
By Donna Spencer A new report on women in Canadian sport leadership roles presents a mixed bag of progress, stalling and backtracking. The number of women on the boards of national sports organizations, which are unpaid positions, has jumped. The number of women who are paid chief executive officers has plummeted. Canadian Women and Sport released its 2025-26 “Women in Sport Leadership Snapshot” report Tuesday, saying women now hold a record 45 per cent of board seats and 48 per cent of board chair positions in national sport organizations. “It really shows that the sports system is capable of change,” CWS chief executive officer Allison Sandmeyer-Graves said. “This is a lot of individual organizations choosing to put the effort in to get that result.” Women make up 48 per cent...
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Majority of MPs vote down Conservative motion calling for private property protection
By Sarah Ritchie A majority of the House of Commons voted against a non-binding motion calling on the federal government to take action to protect private property from First Nations land claims. The Conservatives introduced and voted for the motion, while the Liberals, NDP and Bloc Québécois all voted against it. The issue stems from a 2025 B.C. Supreme Court ruling that confirmed the Cowichan Tribes hold Aboriginal title over about 300 hectares of land in Richmond, B.C. The ruling led to questions about how Aboriginal title and private property rights can coexist. B.C. and the Cowichan Tribes have both said they do not want to invalidate any privately held fee simple titles on the lands covered by the court decision. The federal Conservatives wanted to create a special committee...
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First Nation achieves perfect success rate in 1st local road tests
By Maya Ekman, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, NWOnewswatch.com SANDY LAKE – There are 68 new G2-licensed drivers who completed their testing in a remote First Nation thanks to a successful new initiative. Between May 12 and 14, four DriveTest examiners ran testing out of the radio station in Sandy Lake First Nation, 225 kilometres north of Red Lake. In order for to make testing possible in the fly-in community, the First Nation had to order speed limit and other traffic signs and have them posted around the community, said Una Gott, Sandy Lake’s emergency first response team coordinator, who spent four years working to bring testing to the community. “The cost alone just to fly out and do the test is a lot, it’s like $1,000 sometimes just for a...
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‘It really made me proud’: Youth bring Indigenous rights, concerns to United Nations forum
By Marissa Lentz-McGrath, Local Journalism Initiative, TimminsToday.com ATTAWAPISKAT – Earlier this month, four young advocates from Treaty 9 brought their concerns about the Ring of Fire and Indigenous rights to the United Nations in New York. Jeronimo Kataquapit from Attawapiskat First Nation and Ryan Fleming, a member of Attawapiskat First Nation living in Toronto, were among the youth delegates who spoke forum during the two-week event focused on Indigenous issues worldwide. For Kataquapit, the trip was part of his ongoing advocacy with Here We Stand, a youth-led grassroots movement he started in 2025 to raise awareness about development in the Ring of Fire and its effects on Treaty rights and the environment. Kataquapit explained that, unlike many official delegations, their group was not formally chosen or fully funded to attend...
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Ottawa launches national aerial firefighting fleet for 2026 wildfire season
By Craig Lord A helicopter works on the Dryden Creek Wildfire just north of Squamish, B.C. on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Tijana Martin The federal government has set up Canada’s first-ever reserve of firefighting aircraft to help provinces and territories respond to the 2026 wildfire season. The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, or CIFFC, has leased 10 aircraft and two unspecified support assets for 150 days starting this month, thanks to a $317-million spending allocation in the federal budget. The government said in a news release Monday that the Pan-Canadian Aerial Asset Program will boost national firefighting surge capacity by increasing provincial and territorial access to aircraft during periods of intense wildfire activity. Provincial and territorial wildfire agencies will be able to request the use of four...
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New Stepping Stones CEO highlights support for sexual assault, gender-based violence survivors
By Chantel Downes, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Lakeland This Week Kim Reed, the society’s new chief executive officer, brings two decades of human services experience in the Lakeland region, including work as a school counsellor and with Children and Family Services. Reed describes herself as a “Mom of three who has lived in the Lakeland region growing up, career and raising children.” She has worked throughout the Lakeland region for the entirety of her career in Human Services. Reed said she was drawn to Stepping Stones because of the opportunity to support people. She decided to take the “opportunity to be an advocate for women fleeing intimate partner violence, women and children fleeing domestic violence or women and children in crisis.” Helpline is a first step Stepping Stones offers emergency...
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