New major projects list has some Indigenous buy-in, Carney says OKs still needed
By Alessia Passafiume After an initial round of referrals to the new Major Projects Office that saw no Indigenous-led projects chosen, the second list of referrals includes some with Indigenous support, ownership or backing — including a liquefied natural gas project. The list of projects earmarked for fast-track approval includes the Crawford nickel mine in Ontario, the Ksi Lisims LNG project on B.C.’s northwest coast, and the North Coast Transmission Line to power projects in the region, including the Ksi Lisims LNG facility. Also up for fast-track consideration is a hydroelectric project in Iqaluit, the Nouveau Monde graphite mine in Quebec and the Sisson tungsten mine in New Brunswick. Speaking in Terrace, B.C., on Thursday, Prime Minister Mark Carney said these latest projects represent $56 billion in new investment. The...
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A shaky coalition and ‘near-death’ election put Eby under scrutiny at NDP convention
By Wolfgang Depner British Columbia Premier David Eby received approval from more than 93 per cent of delegates at the NDP’s convention two years ago, and he’s hoping for another “healthy majority” at this weekend’s convention in Victoria. But since 2023, the NDP eked out a majority with just one seat to spare in last year’s provincial election, and Eby’s government has been shedding support from First Nations and its union base. “Obviously, I want a healthy majority — obviously, I want 100 per cent — but a healthy majority and support for the hard work going ahead,” Eby said at an unrelated news conference on Thursday. The New Democrats took 47 seats in the 2025 election, the BC Conservatives 44 and the Green Party won two seats. Eby said...
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Indigenous Gross Domestic Income increased at faster pace than rest of Canadian economy, says StatCan rep
By Sam Laskaris, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Windspeaker.com Various surveys and the Canadian census have long collected information on Indigenous peoples, but it has only been in recent years that comprehensive data has been compiled on how much Indigenous peoples contribute to the Canadian economy. Some of those details were shared Nov. 5 during a webinar titled The contribution of Indigenous Peoples to the Canadian Economy: A Macroeconomic Perspective. The event was hosted by Statistics Canada’s Centre for Indigenous Statistics and Partnerships (CISP). Kathleen Crowe, an advisor for CISP’s Indigenous Liaison Program, served as the moderator for the webinar. She said CISP was established in 2019. Its goal is to assist Indigenous communities and organizations to build greater statistical capacity. “Engagement and collaboration are essential to data collection and research...
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Man charged with impaired driving at RIDE program
BRANT, ON -A Six Nations of the Grand River man is facing impaired driving charges after Brant County OPP conducted a stationary ride program at Cockshut Road, South of Oxbow, in the County of Brant Nov., 12, 2025 . OPP stopped a pickup truck during the program and while speaking to a male driver, police administered an approved roadside screening device test which resulted in a “fail”. Following a police investigation, Christopher Montour, 39, of Six Nations of the Grand, was taken into custody and charged with the following offences: Operation While Impaired – Alcohol and Drugs Operation While Impaired – Blood Alcohol Concentration Over 80 The accused was released from custody and is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Brantford in the near future. The OPP continues...
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A walk in her shoes marks November’s Family Violence Prevention Month
By Alexandra Noad, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Lethbridge Herald Blood Tribe First Responders along with other community members traded their everyday footwear for a dazzling pair of heels to bring awareness to domestic violence. November is recognized as Family Violence Prevention Month across Alberta. For the last 12 years, Kainai Women’s Wellness Lodge has hosted the Walk in Her Shoes event to bring awareness about how domestic violence is affecting the community. Statistics Canada says in a 2018 report that forty-four per cent of Indigenous women have experienced intimate partner violence in their lifetime, which is almost double the number of non-Indigenous women. According to the Blood Tribe Police, in the last 12 months they received 19 domestic violence reports, with 11 of the 19 files receiving criminal charges. Shayla...
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Iqaluit hydroelectric dam to be fast-tracked by federal Major Projects Office
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News Construction of an Iqaluit hydroelectric dam will get referred to the federal Major Projects Office to get fast-tracked, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Thursday in Terrace, B.C. The Major Projects Office is responsible for prioritizing future infrastructure development by granting project approvals. “Today we’re referring the Iqaluit-Nukkiksautiit hydroelectric project to the Major Projects Office. This is a breakthrough. This is a breakthrough for Arctic sovereignty and sustainability,” Carney said. “It will be a 100 per cent Inuit-owned hydro energy project,” the prime minister added. “It will save $1.9 billion in diesel costs over the next 50 years while providing affordable, reliable, emissions-free power in the Arctic.” Carney stressed that the infrastructure development projects his government is fast-tracking are being built...
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New Brunswick’s Sisson Mine added to Ottawa’s list of ‘nation-building’ projects
New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt is holding a news availability on the heels of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s announcement of the latest group of projects being submitted for fast-tracking consideration. A tungsten mine in Sisson Brook, N.B., is on the list, as is a nickel mine in northern Ontario, a hydroelectric project in Iqaluit, a transmission line and an LGN project both in northwest British Columbia and a graphite mine in Quebec. Tungsten is an exceptionally strong metal used in steel production for military and mining equipment, and for storing energy. The federal government says tungsten markets are highly concentrated, and this project has the potential to make Canada a reliable supplier of the critical mineral to domestic and international partners while creating hundreds of new jobs. Carney and Holt...
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What is Ksi Lisims LNG, B.C. project being fast tracked by Feds?
By Canadian Press Staff The Ksi Lisims LNG facility in northern British Columbia and the North Coast Transmission Line that is planned to power it are among major projects that Prime Minister Mark Carney says will be reviewed for fast-track permitting and approval. Here are some facts about Ksi Lisims LNG, which has already been prioritized by the B.C. government. What will Ksi Lisims LNG do? The project is designed to be a massive LNG export facility in waters off the province’s northwest, in Nisga’a Nation territory. Based on two floating platforms, it would process up to 22.4 billion cubic metres of gas per year resulting in exports of 12 million tonnes of LNG per year. That is almost as much as the 14-million-tonne capacity of the first phase of...
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Minister promotes rural, western and Indigenous pathways to continued tourism success
By George Lee, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Macleod Gazette A rich tapestry of western heritage unfolds beyond Alberta’s big cities and more famous destinations, providing amazing opportunities for tourists and rural entrepreneurs alike. That’s among the key messages offered up by Andrew Boitchenko, who joined cabinet last May as the province’s latest minister of tourism and sport. Boitchenko told The Macleod Gazette in a recent interview: “Rural Alberta is a chance to show visitors our communities’ connection to our western heritage, so they can actually see it and experience it.” Traditional farms and ranches are big in Alberta’s story, but there’s much more on offer. Among experiences worth exploring are glamping, hiking and snowshoeing adventures, Indigenous knowledge walks and corporate retreats. One destination success story Boitchenko points to is...
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Manitoba Hydro to Build Province’s First Public EV Charging Network Between Winnipeg and Thompson
By Steven Sukkau, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Winnipeg Sun On the long, lonely stretch of Highway 6, that endless ribbon of asphalt where the radio crackles and cell service is a rumour, something unlikely is coming. Electric vehicle chargers. Fast ones. The kind that can turn a battery from “stranded in the wild” to “rolling toward Thompson” in the time it takes to get a coffee. Manitoba Hydro has selected six northern and rural communities as the first sites for a publicly owned electric vehicle (EV) charging network, a project the Crown corporation says will finally fill the most significant gap in Manitoba’s EV infrastructure. The utility announced plans this week to install fast-charging stations along Highway 6, stretching from Winnipeg to Thompson. The first phase will include stations in...
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Among complaints resolved by Ontario’s patient ombudsman: a person who wasn’t told they had cancer for a year
By Hannah Alberga A growing number of people are filing complaints to Ontario’s patient ombudsman office, which says it wrapped a record number of investigations last year including a case where a person was discharged by a hospital without being told they had cancer. The Patient Ombudsman’s annual report released Thursday says there were 4,886 new complaints filed between April 2024 and March 2025, a 10 per cent increase over the year before. It also notes it resolved 4,863 complaints, some of which carry year-over-year. The report shows that many of the patients don’t feel heard and some left the emergency room prematurely, without followup. Others raised issues with use of force with challenging behaviours, as well as a lack of trauma-informed obstetrical/gynecological care, which The Canadian Press reported on...
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Kahnawake Grand Chief Cody Diabo: 2025 Federal Budget fails to uphold fiscal responsibility to First Nations
By Lucas-Matthew Marsh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Iori:wase While spared from the harshest austerity measures outlined in the 2025 federal budget, the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) is concerned about how upcoming cuts to Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) will impact the community. MCK Grand Chief Cody Diabo accused the federal government of failing to uphold its fiscal responsibility to First Nations with the budget. “One could see it as a way to starve us into submission,” Diabo said. Presented last week, the Liberal Party has touted the 2025 federal budget as an “investment budget,” reducing funding for social services in favour of increased spending on infrastructure projects. Professor Peter Graefe called the shift a clear break from the Trudeau-era approach to public spending. “Carney is changing the direction here, in...
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Kahnawake opposed to federal move to give status to over 3,500 people without consultation
By Lucas-Matthew Marsh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Iori:wase Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) Chief Jeremiah Johnson spoke out against the proposed Bill S-2 at the Standing Senate Committee on Indigenous Peoples last week. The bill aims to update the Indian Act by removing outdated terminology and creating a pathway for people to reclaim Indian status due to involuntary enfranchisement. But Johnson argued that Bill S-2 does nothing to address the deeper colonial framework that is embedded into the Indian Act. “It doesn’t dismantle the system; it simply changes its vocabulary,” Johnson stressed. Tabled last spring by Minister of Indigenous Services Mandy Gull-Masty, Bill S-2 would amend the Indian Act to align with the 2021 Supreme Court ruling in Nicholas v. Canada. The bill could allow an estimated 3,500 individuals to...
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Provincial healthcare provider doing Indigenous engagement in Slave Lake
By Pearl Lorentzen Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Lakeside Leader Indigenous residents of Slave Lake and area are invited to have their say on health care provided by Covenant. Covenant is a faith-based health care provider in Alberta, with four branches: Covenant Health, Covenant Care, Covenant Living, and Covenant Foundation. The Slave Lake engagement is Tuesday, November 25 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Slave Lake Native Friendship Centre. It is the last of a series of engagements held by Covenant throughout Alberta, over the last six months. “One of our goals is to build relationships with Indigenous communities,” says Adam North Peigan. Peigan is the lead for Covenant’s Indigenous Health Development & Community Engagement. Peigan is a member of the Piikani First Nation in Treaty 7. Piikani is...
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In Gitanmaax, new family services department is fighting to protect children
By Amy Romer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, IndigiNews This is the first story in a three-part series about child welfare jurisdiction in Gitanmaax. When a young girl handed Jim Woodworth a thank-you card, he hesitated to open it — knowing it might be emotional. As he read the card aloud, Woodworth’s voice caught. “I’m from Vancouver Island and I now know that I am also from Gitxsan, Hazelton,” the card reads. “I am so grateful to know about my Frog Clan and meet my family of which I belong. Thank you for bringing me home.” The card now sits on display inside the recently opened office for Gitanmaax’s new family services department, Wila Dildilsdi’m — which translates to “how we live.” Woodworth, Wila Dildilsdi’m’s director, shares the office with jurisdiction...
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Federal prison service ‘ill-equipped’ for long-term mental health care: watchdog
By Jim Bronskill Weak policies, insufficient training and a lack of specialized treatment are hindering the Correctional Service of Canada’s efforts to deliver mental health care, the federal prison ombudsman says in his latest annual report. Correctional investigator Ivan Zinger says it’s “abundantly clear” the prison service is fundamentally ill-equipped to provide long-term mental health care to people experiencing acute psychiatric distress, suicidal thoughts or chronic self-injury. In cases involving such serious mental illnesses, transfers to external, secure, community-based psychiatric hospitals are necessary, Zinger says in the report. The Correctional Service of Canada routinely transfers individuals requiring complex physical care — such as chemotherapy or heart surgery — to external hospitals, Zinger notes. “It would be unthinkable to attempt such procedures in-house,” he writes. “Yet, when it comes to mental...
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Lawsuits challenge land exchange aimed at allowing a road to be built in an Alaska wildlife refuge
By Becky Bohrer JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska Native tribes and conservation groups sued the federal government Wednesday, seeking in at least three separate lawsuits to overturn a land exchange aimed at allowing a road to be built through a national wildlife refuge. Legal challenges to the land exchange agreement reached last month between Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and an Alaska Native village corporation include claims that it was not properly analyzed, that it poses risks to sensitive habitats and that it could threaten migratory birds that some Alaska Natives rely on for food. King Cove, a community of about 870 people near the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, has for years pushed to have a road built through the refuge for access to an all-weather airport at Cold Bay, about...
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Ontario urban Indigenous students reclaim identity with Atlantic salmon restoration
By Sonal Gupta, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer Indigenous students in southern Ontario are raising Atlantic salmon eggs in classroom tanks, reviving a species lost for over a year and reconnecting with their culture in the process. Each January, classrooms welcome about a hundred tiny Atlantic salmon eggs nestled inside “fish condos.” Over the next few months, students in Grades 5 through 8 watch the eggs come to life as they learn about native biodiversity, ecosystem health and stewardship. When it’s time to release the young salmon into restoration streams such as Duffins Creek, the day becomes a ceremony — students lay tobacco and berries on birch bark to honour the fish’s return to local waters. “Throughout the program kids built relationships with the salmon. They help raise...
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Carney government reduces savings targets for some departments, agencies, includes Crown Indigenous Affairs
By Catherine Morrison Eight fewer departments and agencies are being asked to slash their budgets at least 15 per cent over the next three years, a move one economist says shows Ottawa’s cost cutting exercise was not “thought through.” Earlier this year, Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne directed most ministers to find ways to cut their departments’ program spending by 15 per cent over the next three years. At the time, the government said National Defence, the RCMP and the Canada Border Services Agency would have lower savings targets of two per cent. The federal budget proposes to add eight more departments to that list. They include the Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, Indigenous Services Canada and the Department for Women and Gender Equality. The other government bodies facing two...
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Addiction recovery program, wellness workshop being offered
By Carl Clutchey, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Chronicle-Journal Options for becoming sober and enhancing one’s well-being have surfaced. Fort William First Nation is offering affected band members a cost-free option for breaking free of addiction. “This program is open to band members who are ready and committed to their recovery,” a reserve bulletin said. “A detox bed will be reserved before departure to (a care facility) to ensure your safety and comfort as you begin your healing journey,” it added. Participants must first complete intake forms and other documents before being accepted into the program, the bulletin said. Those who are interested can contact the community’s mental health and addictions team by calling 807-622-8802. And later this month, Fort William First Nation is hosting a wellness workshop that aims...
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