Canada’s proposed east-west energy corridors should prioritize clean energy
By Andy Hira Professor of Political Science, Simon Fraser University and Andrew Simon Wright, Adjunct Professor, Department of Political Science, Simon Fraser University Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has made establishing east-west energy corridors a priority for Canada. He suggested that such corridors would include new oil and natural gas pipelines, designed to reduce dependence on the United States. Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson has gone even further in pushing for subsidization of carbon capture and storage projects that would effectively underwrite the long-term continuation of the fossil fuel industry at taxpayer expense. While there might be short-term political reasons for backing fossil fuels, such an approach goes against Canada’s long-term interests. Prioritizing fossil fuels undermines the country’s commitments to reduce emissions and takes away the investment needed...
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Grand Erie Public Health issues heat warning for region
The acting medical officer of health for Grand Erie Public Health is issuing an extended heat alert for the Grand Erie Public Health region (Brantford-Brant and Haldimand-Norfolk), effective July 14, 2025. An extended heat warning is issued when the daytime temperatures are expected to reach at least 31 degrees Celsius with overnight temperatures above 20 degrees Celsius for three or more days, or when the humidex is expected to reach 40 for three or more days. The warning will remain in effect until a cancellation notice is issued. While everyone is at risk from extreme heat, older adults, infants and young children, people with chronic illnesses, those working outdoors, and those without adequate housing or air conditioning are at greater risk of heat related illnesses. Symptoms of heat stroke and other heat related illnesses include: Dizziness or fainting Nausea or...
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Manitoba cabinet minister apologizes again for sign-language interpreter comments
The Manitoba government is promising new financial penalties to enforce rules aimed at removing barriers for people with disabilities. Nahanni Fontaine, the minister responsible for services for people with disabilities, says the NDP government will introduce changes to the Accessibility for Manitobans Act next spring. In a video posted to social media, she also says the government will work to ensure every public event is fully accessible with participation from sign language interpreters. Fontaine has apologized repeatedly for remarks she made last month while hosting a celebration for Indigenous women graduates in Winnipeg. While preparing to speak to reporters after, Fontaine told one of her staff that she was thrown off by a sign-language interpreter’s presence and that the woman should not have been on stage. Premier Wab Kinew has...
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Investigation: Are the Oil Sands killing First Nations?
By Jacob Cardinal, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Alberta Native News This is Part 2 of an investigative series on the Impact of Oil Sands on First Nations People On December 3, 2024, representatives for the First Nations of Mikisew Cree, Fort Chipewyan Metis Nation, and Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation (ACFN) provided testimony to the House of Commons. They alleged that the Governments and Departments of Canada were engaging in environmental racism against their Nations. Most notably, they claimed that the Government of Canada had attempted to offload ownership of a “dock” — and therefore fiscal responsibility and liability — onto the Nations without notifying them of the potential/confirmed environmental risks associated with the surrounding waters. COVER UP ALLEGATIONS They would cite a 2017 report, in which representative Taylor Bachrach stated:...
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Six Nations man killed in motorcycle crash outside Hagersville
By J.P. Antonacci, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Hamilton Spectator Police in Norfolk County are probing why a motorcycle driven by a Six Nations man left the road and crashed Thursday, leaving the driver dead. Norfolk OPP says the crash happened around 6:40 p.m. on Indian Line, a roadway northwest of Hagersville that marks the border between Norfolk County and the Six Nations of the Grand River reserve. Police say the 43-year-old victim died at the scene. Indian Line was closed for several hours between County Line and Cemetery Road for the investigation, which remains ongoing. Anyone who saw the fatal crash or has information about what happened can call the OPP at 1-888-310-1122. They can also submit an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers at helpsolvecrime.com or by calling 1-800-222-TIPS...
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Norfolk pulls plug on ambitious water plan after funding runs dry
By J.P. Antonacci, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Hamilton Spectator Four years ago, councillors and staff in Norfolk County were brimming with optimism about an ambitious plan to pipe clean water from a giant treatment plant in Nanticoke to communities throughout Norfolk and Haldimand counties, along with nearby Six Nations. Norfolk’s public works department said the interurban water system would have replaced treatment plants on the brink of failure and allowed for stalled housing development to proceed. But senior levels of government were unwilling to turn on the taps to fund the costly scheme, so the dream went down the drain. “We’re still adamant that interurban water is a viable solution for us,” Andrew Grice, Norfolk’s director of public works, told councillors at Tuesday’s meeting in Simcoe. “But in the...
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Grand Erie Public Health Issues Closure Order for Jepson’s Fresh Meats in Hagersville
Friday, July 11, 2025-On Friday, July 11, 2025, Grand Erie Public Health (GEPH) issued a closure order for Jepson’s Fresh Meats, located at 35 Main Street N, Hagersville, Ontario, under the authority of the Acting Medical Officer of Health. The order has been issued as a precautionary public health measure due to concerns about the safety of food products on site. Public Health has reason to believe that the premises have been without electrical power for a prolonged period. As a result, refrigeration systems are likely non-functional, and perishable food items may have spoiled. Spoiled food can pose a significant health risk if consumed. Efforts have been made to contact the business operator, a closure notice has been posted on the premises, and a formal closure order has been...
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Drug trafficking-related arrest made at Wunnumin Lake airport
By Matt Prokopchuk, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, TBnewswatch.com WUNNUMIN LAKE — Nishnawbe Aski police say they’ve made another drug trafficking-related arrest at Wunnumin Lake’s airport. In a news release issued Friday afternoon, police said a 32-year-old woman from Wunnumin Lake was charged with possessing cocaine for the purpose of trafficking two days prior. Police said, on July 9, they received a call for service at the airport in the remote community, which is located about 500 kilometres north of Thunder Bay. Officers were told a suspect entered the First Nation with a quantity of suspected crack cocaine, NAPS said, adding that the drugs were seized and the accused was arrested “without incident.” A similar situation unfolded in June, when a 22-year-old was arrested at the Wunnumin Lake airport and charged...
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Return of the Arctic ambassador: Here’s who might be up for the job
By Arty Sarkisian, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunatsiaq News More than six months after the federal government revived the position of Canada’s Arctic ambassador, the job remains vacant. The ambassador works with Canada’s Arctic allies, Indigenous Peoples and provincial and territorial governments to promote the country’s domestic and foreign policy agendas, advance Canada’s Arctic interests and raise awareness of Indigenous rights in the Arctic, according to Global Affairs Canada. “Canada’s Arctic ambassador will be announced in due course,” Charlotte MacLeod, a spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada, said in a June 25 email, when asked about the vacancy. The ambassador — to be named by the federal cabinet — was one of the key pillars of the federal government’s $34.7-million Arctic foreign policy announced in December. The role of an ambassador...
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Valemount Council: whistle cessation, Blue River mine, street paving
By Abigail Popple, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Rocky Mountain Goat Valemount Council discussed train whistle cessation, a mining project near Blue River and paving Dogwood Street during the June 24th regular meeting. Mayor Owen Torgerson called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Council amended the agenda to include a letter from the president of Capacitor Metals, a mining company working on a project near Blue River. Then, Council adopted the minutes of the June 10th regular and special meetings and moved on to hear the evening’s delegation. Whistle cessation presentation Two consultants with McElhanney Ltd., Caleb Marttinen and Joel Taker, presented a report on how the Village could safely implement a train whistle cessation policy. The Village contracted McElhanney to produce the report in November 2023, but the...
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Two charged with drug possession in Fort Simpson bootlegging bust
By Eric Bowling, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, NWT News/North Two people in Fort Simpson are facing possession and bootlegging charges after being caught with excessive volumes of alcohol. RCMP say police were on a patrol on the riverbank at 11 p.m. on July 5 when they came across a party of four consuming liquor. “RCMP members could observe three opened bottles of liquor that they disposed of immediately,” said NT RCMP media relations officer Julie Plourde. “Based on that amount of liquor, Fort Simpson detained the individuals and started an NWT Liquor Act investigation. They subsequently located an additional eight 20-ounce bottles of vodka and six beers. “While searching a bag belonging to a female suspect, RCMP members located two grams of crack cocaine and arrested her. During the arrest,...
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Historic Nova Scotia ship that led to wave of Scottish immigrants relaunched
By Keith Doucette Halifax (CP)-A restored replica of the square-rigged sailing ship that sparked a wave of Scottish immigration to Nova Scotia more than 250 years ago was relaunched Saturday with a mighty splash into Pictou harbour. After a restoration and public fundraising effort that began in 2019, the rebuilt hull of the Hector was eased into the water sideways during a colourful ceremony on the town’s scenic waterfront. During the launch, the vessel was guided down seven ramps, known as launchways, after supporting wedges were removed — a process master shipbuilder Vern Shea described as a sight to see. “It’s kind of nerve-wracking,” Shea said in a recent interview. “I’ve witnessed quite a few launches in my career, and you always get the hair on the back of your...
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Birch Island works to implement unique turtle incubation project
By Jacqueline St. Pierre, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Manitoulin Expositor WHITEFISH RIVER FIRST NATION—On a humid July morning, beneath the thick hush of a wetland waking to life, two women move with care and intention. One adjusts the thermostat on a humming incubator, the other weighs a tiny, glistening egg. The numbers have to be right. The moisture has to be right. The future of a species—centuries-old, sacred and under siege—depends on precision. This is not just science. This is care work. This is the Turtle Incubation Project, co-created between Whitefish River First Nation (WRFN) and two environmental researchers: PhD candidate Reta Meng of McMaster University and Alexis McGregor, a master’s student in environmental engineering at Carleton University. What started as a student partnership has become a community-led research...
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Military says over 1,000 people flown from fire-threatened Manitoba community
The Canadian Armed Forces says it’s evacuated over a thousand residents of a northern Manitoba community threatened by a wildfire, while towns and villages in the province are welcoming cooler weather they say is helping firefighters. The military began removing people from Garden Hill First Nation on CC-130 Hercules transport airplanes on Friday, and it says that as of Sunday afternoon, over 1,550 have been flown to Winnipeg. Capt. Wyatt Shorter with Joint Operations Command says there are no more people waiting to leave Garden Hill, but a Hercules is on standby in Winnipeg in case anyone else needs a flight out. The community is about 500 kilometres north of Winnipeg and is not accessible by road. Manitoba declared its second provincewide state of emergency of the year last week...
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Ottawa tells chiefs to submit questions before meeting with PM on major projects bill
By Alessia Passafiume Ottawa has asked First Nations chiefs to submit their questions in advance of their meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney next week to discuss his government’s controversial major projects bill. Bill C-5, the Building Canada Act, allows cabinet to quickly grant federal approvals for big industrial projects like mines, ports and pipelines by sidestepping existing laws. Carney promised to meet with First Nations after chiefs said their rights were not respected by the rush to push the bill through Parliament. The invitation to the July 17 meeting shared with The Canadian Press shows the government is giving chiefs until July 16 to submit questions they want answered, and says they will have the option to vote on which questions will be posed by their peers. The invitation...
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Evacuees arrive in Winnipeg as wildfires force thousands out, bring smoke advisories
By Steve Lambert Evacuees continued to arrive in Winnipeg by the busload Friday as a renewed round of wildfires put thousands out of their homes – some for a second time – while thick smoke shrouded much of Manitoba. More than 3,000 residents were being airlifted out of Garden Hill First Nation, 480 kilometres north of Winnipeg, ahead of out-of-control fires. Misty Harper said she left Garden Hill with her five children and husband Thursday morning. They spent up to nine hours at an airport before they got on a smaller plane to Winnipeg. “All the kids were getting tired and moody. Everybody was getting hungry, so it was really stressful,” she said about the journey to a Winnipeg recreation centre that is housing wildfire evacuees. She said Friday at...
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Ontario environment minister apologizes for ‘confusion’ over clean water bill letter
By Liam Casey Ontario’s environment minister has apologized to First Nation chiefs for any “confusion” his letter caused when he asked the federal government to not reintroduce a bill that would enshrine clean drinking water rights in law. But many First Nations are not accepting what they call a meaningless apology and still want Todd McCarthy fired. Anishinabek Nation Grand Chief Linda Debassige says McCarthy’s letter is insulting and the biggest issue is that he has not withdrawn his ask of the federal government. Last month, McCarthy and Alberta Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz wrote to federal Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin asking her to move away from legislation that they say would “delay project development and undermine competitiveness.” They singled out Bill C-61, legislation introduced in the last Parliament that sought...
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‘That is true reconciliation’: First Nation celebrates gift of land
By Matt Prokopchuk, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, TBnewswatch.com BIIGTIGONG NISHNAABEG — Chief Duncan Michano says Saturday will be an emotional day. That’s the day the chief of Biigtigong Nishnaabeg is scheduled to meet Martha Mason, the representative of a southern Ontario family that is formally donating to the community 165 acres of land in the North Shore First Nation’s traditional territory, which has been owned by her and her relatives for over a century. Michano told Newswatch on Thursday this is what reconciliation looks like in action. “They did that out of the kindness of their hearts,” he said. “I love those people — I haven’t met (Martha) yet, but I’m probably going to cry when I meet her.” “That is true reconciliation.” The Mason family will be honoured on...
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First Nations-owned housing project aims to have people moving in this fall
By Matt Prokopchuk, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, TBnewswatch.com DRYDEN — A new four-dozen unit development will help with a housing shortage in the Dryden area, says the head of the organization behind the project. The 48-unit housing build on Duke Street in Dryden is nearing completion and Jacob Dockstator, the executive director of the Sioux Lookout Friendship Accord Economic Development Corporation, says they’re expecting occupancy to begin in October or November. “It’s going to be addressing the … housing shortages in Dryden,” Dockstator said. “And also looking to the future with the (Nuclear Waste Management Organization) coming to the region, there’s going to be a lot of growth, so we want to be able to realize on that as well.” The economic development corporation is jointly owned by four area...
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Montreal will not agree to stop dismantling homeless encampments, despite new report
By Maura Forrest The City of Montreal won’t promise to stop dismantling homeless encampments, in spite of a recommendation from a study it commissioned to find solutions to the growing problem of homelessness in the city. City officials on Thursday said taking down encampments is a “last resort” but at times it’s necessary to protect the safety of people in and around the sites. “The encampments are a bit like the tree that hides the forest,” said Robert Beaudry, the city’s executive committee member responsible for fighting homelessness, during a press conference at city hall. “What is the forest? … It’s the glaring lack of resources in Montreal, in Quebec, for people experiencing chronic homelessness.” His comments followed the publication of a new report that decries a lack of leadership...
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