‘My name is Taqqiq, I can read text’: Microsoft Translator adds Inuktitut text-to-speech
By Jeff Pelletier Local Journasm Initiative Reporter IQALUIT-Users of Microsoft Translator’s Inuktitut translation tool can now listen to the text they’re translating. Microsoft Canada and the Government of Nunavut announced Dec. 5 that Inuktitut text-to-speech is available now on Microsoft Translator. “With just a phone or a computer, text can come to life in Inuktitut,” said Chris Barry, president of Microsoft Canada, in a presentation at Iqaluit’s Aqsarniit hotel. The feature comes out of a partnership between Microsoft and the GN. It builds on the rollout of Inuktitut translations in 2021, followed by the additions of Inuinnaqtun and romanized Inuktitut in 2022. “My name is Taqqiq, I can read text,” said one of the voices users can choose in Inuktitut, during a demonstration. Taqqiq is the artificial intelligence-generated male voice...
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Ottawa is set to spend more than $1 billion on growing N.B.’s clean electricity grid
Canadian Press-Federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault says Ottawa will spend more than $1 billion on growing New Brunswick’s clean electricity grid. The federal minister told a media event in Dieppe, N.B., that Ottawa will support up to 670 megawatts of Indigenous-led wind projects with almost $1 billion in spending. It will also spend $25 million on the 25-megawatt Neweg Energy wind project in Kings County through a partnership with New Brunswick Mi’kmaq First Nations. The federal government will put another $25 million toward NB Power’s early development work to create up to 600 megawatts in energy capacity at the existing Point Lepreau Nuclear Generation Station. Guilbeault also said Ottawa has committed to supporting the conversion of the Belledune Generating Station from coal-fired power to biomass. The minister said Sunday that...
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Inuit call on federal government to end to postal strike
By Evan Careen, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Inuit governments and the national advocacy group for Inuit rights are calling for an end to the Canada Post strike. They say the stoppage of mail services is disproportionately impacting Inuit communities across the north. Both Nunatsiavut Government in Labrador and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK), the national organization representing Inuit across Inuit Nunangat, say the strike is having far-reaching impacts on Inuit since Canada Post is the only mail carrier service in much of the north. “Canada Post is a lifeline to each of the four regions of Inuit Nunangat,” ITK said in a Dec. 3 statement shared on social media. “No other carrier serves our communities, so Canada Post is the only provider of all mail and parcel delivery to tens of...
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In once tranquil N.S. town, intimidation in the lobster industry now all too common
Canadian Press-Standing by a bullet hole in his dining room wall, lobster buyer Geoffrey Jobert says such attacks have become an all-too-familiar reality in Nova Scotia’s largest fishery. Overnight on Nov. 23, someone fired a single shot that passed through three rooms in his Mavillette, N.S., home, with the shell ending its journey in a rocking chair where Jobert occasionally sits during the daylight hours. “It was pretty intense in the morning when I noticed the shot. My heart was beating … but at the same time it’s commonplace around the community for this to happen,” he said at his residence, as two security guards from his company Lobster Hub Inc. kept watch outside. The 30-year-old and his younger brother came to the area from Halifax to take over his...
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Two North Shore, Indigenous artists donate bentwood box for charity auction
By Abby Luciano, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Two North Shore artists thought outside the box when crafting pieces to donate for a charity auction in Vancouver Saturday evening. The Bentwood Box Charity Auction features 20 unique bentwood boxes created by Indigenous artists across B.C., with all proceeds collected supporting the Urban Native Youth Association (UNYA). Sammy Dawson is one of the artists who donated a box for the auction. Dawson is a Kwakwaka’wakw artist known for carving miniature and ceremonial masks, drums and bentwood boxes. “Crane,” the name of his piece of art, came from the inspiration of a mask carved by Mungo Martin at the Denver Art Museum. He always wanted to recreate the design and saw this as the opportunity. “It’s always a good feeling to help and...
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Canada’s Arctic policy draws on international collaboration to face emerging threats
Canada has unveiled an Arctic foreign policy that commits to increasing domestic and international collaboration to combat emerging foreign threats in the North. The policy, released by Global Affairs Canada on Friday in Ottawa, says the North American Arctic is “no longer free from tension” because of increased geopolitical instability following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has “shaken the foundations of international co-operation in the Arctic.” While the policy doesn’t commit to any new defence spending, it is aimed at helping Canada work more closely with its allies. “Canada is an Arctic nation, and we are at a critical moment. We live in a tough world, and we need to be tougher in our response,” Foreign Affairs Minister Joly said at a press conference on Friday. “I don’t think the...
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Federal fisheries proposal would slash commercial elver quota in 2025
Commercial elver fishers in the Maritimes are dismissing new quotas for the 2025 season, saying they would significantly cut their share of the lucrative baby eel fishery. In a letter obtained by The Canadian Press, the federal Fisheries Department said Thursday it wants to hand 50 per cent of the total allowable catch — 4,980 kilograms — to First Nations fishers. However, in a potentially contentious move, the department is proposing that another 28 per cent of the allowable catch — 2,812 kilograms — should go to a new pilot project. The department’s plan calls for distributing that 28 per cent among people who are already involved in the fishery, including those who are working for commercial elver fishing enterprises. That means the nine existing commercial licence holders will be...
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Remnants of COVID disruption could be driving rural Manitoba homicide spike: prof
By Dave Baxter Local Journalism Initiative A significant spike in rural homicides this year is raising alarm bells in rural Manitoba, but a local criminology professor says the numbers we are seeing might not be cause for panic just yet. “The questions are all the same, it’s, ‘what’s going on?’ And generally the answer is probably nothing is going on,” University of Manitoba Instructor of Sociology and Criminology Frank Cormier said on Friday. “The vast majority of homicides are disorganized kinds of crimes, it’s different if there’s a gang war going on and people are knocking off their rivals, but the majority of homicides in Manitoba are interpersonal issues.” According to RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Paul Manaigre, so far this year in areas serviced by Manitoba RCMP, there have been 55...
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Separated from their kids, this Dakelh couple journeyed across ‘B.C.’ for justice
By Amy Romer Local Journalism Initiative Reporter After what they say has been months of refused visits with their four children in foster care, Kimberly and Jordan Joseph packed their bags and decided to walk more than 1,500 kilometres from “Prince Rupert, B.C.” to “Victoria.” The couple — both Dakelh (Carrier) — say they’re raising awareness about the lack of support for birth parents resulting in too many kids in the country’s child welfare system. During their 75-day journey, they met dozens of people with lived experience of the child welfare system, visited a number of Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) offices, and earned the encouragement of hundreds of supporters. The Josephs live in Yekooche, a remote community of 87, northwest of “Fort St. James.” They said they...
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Federal fisheries proposal would slash commercial elver quota in 2025
Canadian Press-Commercial elver fishers in the Maritimes are dismissing new quotas for the 2025 season, saying they would significantly cut their share of the lucrative baby eel fishery. In a letter obtained by The Canadian Press, the federal Fisheries Department said Thursday it wants to hand 50 per cent of the total allowable catch — 4,980 kilograms — to First Nations fishers. However, in a potentially contentious move, the department is proposing that another 28 per cent of the allowable catch — 2,812 kilograms — should go to a new pilot project. The department’s plan calls for distributing that 28 per cent among people who are already involved in the fishery, including those who are working for commercial elver fishing enterprises. That means the nine existing commercial licence holders will...
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B.C. minister wants new safety plan for Victoria schools, threatens board removal
Canadian Press-British Columbia Education Minister Lisa Beare has appointed a special adviser to help the Victoria school board “revise and improve” its safety plan after it barred police from schools except in emergencies. Beare says former Abbotsford, B.C., school superintendent Kevin Godden will help with the changes, and if a plan isn’t reached by Jan. 6, she will consider using the School Act to replace the current school board. Police haven’t been allowed at district schools except in special circumstances since last year, and the board says it based that decision on reports that some students and teachers — particularly those who are Indigenous or people of colour — don’t feel safe with officers in schools. Victoria police Chief Del Manak has repeatedly criticized the board’s decision, citing concerns that...
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Canada’s Arctic policy draws on international collaboration to face emerging threats
Canadian Press-Canada has unveiled an Arctic foreign policy that commits to increasing domestic and international collaboration to combat emerging foreign threats in the North. The policy, released by Global Affairs Canada on Friday in Ottawa, says the North American Arctic is “no longer free from tension” because of increased geopolitical instability following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has “shaken the foundations of international co-operation in the Arctic.” While the policy doesn’t commit to any new defence spending, it is aimed at helping Canada work more closely with its allies. “Canada is an Arctic nation, and we are at a critical moment. We live in a tough world, and we need to be tougher in our response,” Foreign Affairs Minister Joly said at a press conference on Friday. “I don’t think...
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Government faces third Tory non-confidence vote ahead of potential fiscal hurdle
OTTAWA(CP)-The Liberals are set to face a third Conservative non-confidence vote today, but the government is likely to survive with the support of the NDP. Members of Parliament are supposed to vote on a motion that quotes NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh’s criticism of the Liberals and asks the House to agree with Singh and vote to bring down the government. Singh said last week he is not going to support the Conservatives, so the motion will likely fail. The House is also supposed to vote on an NDP motion calling on the government to expand the GST break and the $250 “working Canadians rebate” to fully retired seniors and people who rely on disability benefits. Those votes will come after MPs deal with a debate on a point of privilege...
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Earth’s lands are drying out. Nations are trying to address it in talks this week
AP-Much of Earth’s lands are drying out and damaging the ability of plant and animal life to survive, according to a United Nations report released Monday at talks where countries are working to address the problem. The report was released at the U.N. summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on combating desertification — once-fertile lands turning into deserts because of hotter temperatures from human-caused climate change, lack of water and deforestation. It found that more than three-quarters of the world’s land experienced drier conditions from 1970 to 2020 than the previous thirty-year period. “The drier climates now affecting vast lands across the globe will not return to how they were,” said Ibrahim Thiaw, chief of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, which is facilitating the Riyadh talks. “This change is...
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SCO grand chief hospitalized after fight in Ottawa
By Dave Baxter. Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Ottawa police (OPS) are investigating after a “disturbance” outside of a downtown bar in the nation’s capital earlier this week, while a source has confirmed the Grand Chief of the Southern Chiefs Organization (SCO) was involved in the incident, and was sent to hospital with injuries. “As a policy, the Ottawa Police Service does not confirm incidents by a victim’s name,” OPS media relations manager Julie Kavanagh said in a Friday email. “However, we can confirm that just after 2:30 a.m. on Tuesday, December 3, the OPS received a call for service in the 1-100 block of York Street for a disturbance. “A man was transported to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries,” Kavanagh said. A source has confirmed to The Winnipeg Sun that the...
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Conservatives intervene to delay debate on NDP motion in House of Commons
OTTAWA-(CP)The Conservatives are stalling an NDP opposition day motion in the House of Commons, after the New Democrats intervened in the Tories’ opposition day on Thursday. The NDP was set to begin debate on a motion calling on the government to expand the GST break to cover what they call essentials. Instead, Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantsman raised a point of privilege about a protest that happened earlier this week, saying three NDP members voiced support for protesters who blocked MPs from doing their work. On Tuesday, about 100 protestors held a sit-in at the Confederation Building, one of the buildings that houses MP offices, calling for an arms embargo against Israel. Most of this morning’s debate time was eaten up by Lantsman’s privilege motion and a series of points...
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Canada’s Arctic policy draws on international collaboration to face emerging threats
The Canadian Press-Canada has unveiled an Arctic foreign policy that commits to increasing domestic and international collaboration to combat emerging foreign threats in the North. The policy, released by Global Affairs Canada on Friday in Ottawa, says the North American Arctic is “no longer free from tension” amid increased geopolitical instability following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has “shaken the foundations of international co-operation in the Arctic.” A key part of the plan is to revive the role of Canada’s Arctic ambassador, which was removed in 2006 under the Harper government, and commits to opening consulates in Nuuk, Greenland, and Anchorage, Alaska. It also outlines commitments to share information with territorial and Indigenous leaders on foreign interference threats and to initiate Arctic-specific dialogue with NATO allies, though such measures are...
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Canada’s Arctic policy draws on international collaboration to face emerging threats
The Canadian Press Canada has unveiled an Arctic foreign policy that commits to increasing domestic and international collaboration to combat emerging foreign threats in the North. The policy, released by Global Affairs Canada on Friday in Ottawa, says the North American Arctic is “no longer free from tension” amid increased geopolitical instability following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has “shaken the foundations of international co-operation in the Arctic.” A key part of the plan is to revive the role of Canada’s Arctic ambassador, which was removed in 2006 under the Harper government, and commits to opening consulates in Nuuk, Greenland, and Anchorage, Alaska. It also outlines commitments to share information with territorial and Indigenous leaders on foreign interference threats and to initiate Arctic-specific dialogue with NATO allies, though such measures...
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Chief ‘disappointed’ to see clean water used as a political tactic by Conservatives
Canadian Press-Cowessess First Nation Chief Erica Beaudin accused Conservative House leader Andrew Scheer of using First Nations drinking water legislation as a political “tactic,” saying she’s disappointed in what transpired in the House of Commons on Thursday. Government legislation known as Bill C-61 recognizes that First Nations have an inherent right to clean drinking water, after amendments by the Indigenous and Northern affairs committee, and commits the government to providing “adequate and sustainable” funding for water services in First Nations. Liberal MP Jaime Battiste asked on Thursday for unanimous consent from members of Parliament to send the First Nations Clean Drinking Water Act to the Senate — but several MPs said no. Scheer, whose riding includes Cowessess, rose immediately afterward with a similar motion that also condemned the Liberal government...
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How mother’s diet affects baby’s health: What insights from different cultures can tell us
By Sandi Azab, Sonia Anand What happens in the womb and during the first 1,000 days of life is critical to shaping a baby’s future health, a fact that is becoming ever more apparent as research dives deeper into this period. A glaring example is gestational diabetes, a temporary form of diabetes that some women develop during pregnancy. Though gestational diabetes usually disappears after delivery, its presence during pregnancy doubles — and in some cases triples — the risk of future Type 2 diabetes for both the mother and her child. This problem deserves our attention, as do other factors in early childhood that also contribute to future risk of diabetes. These include low-quality diet, ultraprocessed foods and sedentary lifestyle due to heavy screen time, as well as pressures at...
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