‘Dismissing our ‘Dismissing our Mi’kmaw voices’: Passage of bill angers Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw leaders
By Rosemary Godin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cape Breton Post In a strongly worded press release sent out late Friday afternoon, the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Chiefs expressed anger with the Nova Scotia government over its lack of attention to environmental matters and treaty rights. The assembly spoke out quickly Friday when the Nova Scotia Legislature wrapped up its fall session after sitting for only eight days. The session ended with the passing of Bill 127, which, among other things, makes way to criminalize Mi’kmaw land protectors and others seeking to save the environment from logging practices. Premier Tim Houston defended the short sitting, saying the government was “efficient and productive” in bringing forward several pieces of legislation he says will benefit the public. Members of the Assembly of...
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Northwestern Ontario forestry, energy interests advance regional priorities
By Matt Prokopchuk, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, TBnewswatch.com THUNDER BAY — A number of stakeholders, largely from the forestry and energy sectors, got to provide regional input into a series of ongoing cross-province talks about energy policy. The Vaughn and Thunder Bay Chambers of Commerce held a roundtable discussion in the city on Oct. 2. The goal, said Thunder Bay chamber president Charla Robinson, was for regional interests to provide requested input into an issues paper on energy being developed by the Toronto-based business lobby. “They reached out to us to talk about what’s the Northwestern Ontario perspective,” Robinson said. “Vaughan has, very much a GTA-centric perspective on what is needed for the GTA, but northern Ontario is very different.” Those differences, Robinson said, include both the major industries that...
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After secretly working to destroy it, Ford government silent on long overdue review of Ontario’s Greenbelt
By Anushka Yadav, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Pointer “I resigned from the government in 2017 because the Ford administration was coming to power, and I knew I couldn’t work for them.” Victor Doyle’s worst fears have come true. Over the past twenty years since Ontario created the Greenbelt, the world’s largest protected landscape of its kind, the man known as one of its central architects admits he’s relieved not to be inside the province’s planning offices anymore. One of Ontario’s former senior planners and the co-designer of the Greenbelt legislation, recently spoke with The Pointer. His instincts were prescient. Doug Ford was working his key donors ahead of the 2018 election, when he promised to open a “big chunk” of the Greenbelt to “some of the country’s biggest developers,”...
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First Nation seeks to ensure Ring of Fire developed on nation-to-nation basis
By Matt Prokopchuk, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, TBnewswatch.com MARTEN FALLS — Marten Falls First Nation is taking legal action with the aim to make sure any resource development in its traditional territory is done as a nation-to-nation partnership, says the community’s chief. The remote First Nation, located about 430 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay, has filed a notice of claim against Canada and Ontario over hydroelectric dam diversion projects in the 1940s and 50s that the community says was done without consent. The First Nation is claiming the projects irreversibly altered water flows in its traditional territory for the benefit of others and to the detriment of the community, said Marten Falls chief Bruce Achneepineskum. According to multiple reports when the initial notice of claim was first filed, the filing...
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Quebec LNG proposal not of ‘national interest’ at this point, says federal minister
By Miriam Lafontaine Federal Energy Minister Tim Hodgson says it’s too early to say whether a liquefied natural gas facility pitched for Quebec meets the bar of being in the national interest. “My sense is this is not a project that is at a scale where we need to be looking at it,” the minister said. “It’s certainly not a project of national interest at this point.” The minister made the comment in Montreal on Friday during an announcement Canada would be investing $22 million to boost the country’s battery production capacity. Marinvest Energy Canada had been lobbying Hodgson’s department in recent months regarding a possible natural gas pipeline and export facility near Baie-Comeau, Que, just as the Liberal government was preparing to table legislation to fast-track major projects. The...
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Embattled figure in Native American politics resigns as chairman of pueblo governors coalition
By Morgan Lee SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — An embattled figure in Native American politics has resigned as chairman of the All Pueblo Council of Governors and ended his outside consulting work for the state of New Mexico days after he was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Records obtained by The Associated Press show James Mountain submitted his resignation letter Tuesday to the council, a prominent advocacy group for 19 Native American communities in New Mexico and another in Texas. He noted it was effective immediately. Also on Tuesday, Mountain terminated his work as a contract adviser to the state Indian Affairs Department, said Jodi McGinnis Porter, a spokesperson for New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. Pojoaque Pueblo police arrested Mountain a week ago on suspicion of driving...
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Embattled figure in Native politics resigns as chairman of pueblo governors council in New Mexico
By Morgan Lee SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — An embattled figure in Native American politics has resigned as chairman of the All Pueblo Council of Governors and ended his outside consulting work for the state of New Mexico days after he was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Records obtained by The Associated Press show James Mountain submitted his resignation letter Tuesday to the council, a prominent advocacy group for 19 Native American communities in New Mexico and another in Texas. He noted it was effective immediately. Also on Tuesday, Mountain terminated his work as a contract adviser to the state Indian Affairs Department, said Jodi McGinnis Porter, a spokesperson for New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. Pojoaque Pueblo police arrested Mountain a week ago on suspicion of driving...
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Indigenous Peoples grapple with claims downplaying the history of residential schools
By Alessia Passafiume As Indigenous Peoples marked the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation this week, they also had to confront a persistent problem: public figures claiming the history of residential schools has been exaggerated or falsified. It’s a problem community leaders say poses a real challenge to reconciliation efforts across the country. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, mandated out of a legal settlement between the federal government and survivors of residential schools, concluded the goal of the schools was to erase Indigenous cultures. Between 1857 and 1996, 150,000 Indigenous children were forced to attend church-run, government-funded schools. They were barred from speaking their languages in institutions often rife with abuse and located far away from their families and communities. An estimated 6,000 children died while attending the schools, although...
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Northwest residents encouraged to get flu, COVID and RSV shots
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Thunder Bay Source KENORA — With respiratory illness season underway, the Northwestern Health Unit is encouraging residents to get their influenza, COVID-19 and RSV shots. Getting flu and COVID vaccines “with the most up-to-date strains is your best defence against severe illness and can prevent unnecessary visits to the hospital,” according to a news release from the health unit. Additionally, the vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, is available to everyone 75 and older in the region. RSV is a seasonal virus that usually causes only mild illness but sometimes requires hospitalization, according to Health Canada. RSV symptoms include coughing, sneezing, wheezing, fever and a runny nose. One RSV outbreak in a facility was reported to the Northwestern Health Unit in 2024,...
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Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside: Nasal naloxone spray: nowhere to be found
By Julie Chapman, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Megaphone Magazine Pharmacies in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, both big and small, are out of nasal naloxone — the life-saving spray that reverses opioid overdose. London Drugs confirmed the shortage over the phone, while Owl Drugs and Jeff’s Pharmacy confirmed in person. When Megaphone asked why, it was told there hadn’t been enough people wanting to purchase the life-saving spray. Instead, those who are wanting to access naloxone are typically given one option — the injectable version. But for many people, injectable naloxone can be intimidating to use. The free kits require several steps: giving rescue breaths, drawing the medication into a syringe, locating an appropriate injection site — usually a thigh or upper arm — and inserting the needle. In the high-stress moments...
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Montrealers gather to honour missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls
By Miriam Lafontaine Shirley Pien spends a lot of time in Cabot Square, a park in downtown Montreal where many homeless people gather. The woman works as health navigator for an Indigenous-led health clinic in the city and makes it a priority to come to gathering spot on weekly basis. It’s a site many missing Indigenous women she knows used to frequent — until they disappeared. “In the last few months, there’s women we used to see regularly that we don’t see anymore. Nobody knows where they are,” said Pien, who hails from Naskapi Nation in northern Quebec. She was among many that turned out to the march held in Montreal on Saturday in recognition of the overrepresentation of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in the country. “Hopefully...
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Family remembers teen as a loved son as police believe Samual Bird is victim of a homicide
By Jeremy Appel, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Alberta Native News Samuel Bird’s mother says she wants people to remember her son for the way he lived, not how he is believed to have died. “I want people to remember Samuel not as a headline, not as a case file, but as a loved son, a brother, a cousin and a friend. His laughter, his spirit and his love are what define him, not the circumstances of his disappearance,” Alanna Bird said at an Oct. 1 news conference with the Edmonton Police Service (EPS). Four months to the day the 14-year-old Indigenous Edmontonian went missing and a day after National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, police announced that Bird is suspected to have been a homicide victim. Bird’s Cree name is...
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Public gets a say on Ontario plan for Special Economic Zones
By Abdul Matin Sarfraz / Canada’s National Observer / Local Journalism Initiative, Canada’s National Observer For the first time since passing its contentious Bill 5, the Ford government is proposing rules for how Special Economic Zones will work and asking for public comment. The move comes after months of pushback from municipalities, experts, First Nations and advocates who warned the law is one of the most sweeping environmental rollbacks in Ontario’s history, sidelining science, public input and Indigenous rights. Under Bill 5, which is widely seen as favouring developers and extractive industries, Special Economic Zones gave the government sweeping powers to override provincial laws, environmental assessments and consultations to fast-track major projects. In its draft framework posted Thursday, the government says the criteria are meant to ensure Special Economic Zones...
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Chief Osceola and Renegade have dazzled Florida State fans with tribe’s approval for nearly 50 years
By Mark Long TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — It’s minutes before kickoff at Doak Campbell Stadium, and all eyes are on Chief Osceola and Renegade. With Florida State’s famous war chant echoing from the bleachers and Seminoles players holding their helmets high, Chief Osceola directs Renegade toward midfield while carrying a flaming spear. Renegade, a speckled Appaloosa horse, pauses on the Seminoles logo and rears its front legs, positioning Osceola to thrust the 8-foot, garnet-and-gold-feathered spear into the ground. The crowd erupts into a frenzy as Osceola and Renegade gallop off the field and into a tunnel. The iconic scene has played out flawlessly — with approval from the Seminole Tribe of Florida — hundreds of times over nearly five decades. It’s must-see theater at FSU home games and one of...
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‘He was full of spirit, promise and love’: Police confirm Samuel Bird is presumed dead as search area narrows
By Cara McKenna, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, IndigiNews Content warning: This story contains details about a missing teenager and a homicide investigation into his case. Please look after your spirit and read with care. The father of Achakapis (Samuel Bird) shed tears this week as he recalled the moments spent with his son before the teen went missing earlier this year. “Samuel and I used to hang out in my living room before he went to bed, snacking, watching movies or TV shows — and now his spot sits empty,” said Justin Bird, who spoke publicly about the case for the first time at a press conference at Edmonton Police Service (EPS) headquarters. “On car rides, certain songs break me down in tears because they remind me of my Sammy...
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More than $122M worth of illicit cannabis seized in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory
TYENDINAGA MOHAWK TERRITORY-Provincial police say they’ve seized cannabis plants worth more than $122 million as part of an investigation into illicit cannabis production sites on Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory in eastern Ontario. Ontario Provincial Police and Tyendinaga police say the production sites were controlled by non-Indigenous organized criminal networks, aided by a “limited” number of community members. OPP say 10 people, six of whom are not members of Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, are now facing charges under the Criminal Code and the Cannabis Act. Police say they seized more than 72,000 illicit cannabis plants, three firearms, ammunition and other items as they executed search warrants. They say an “unlawful diversion” of water from the Bay of Quinte to the cannabis production sites was also stopped. Chris Brinklow, the acting chief of Tyendinaga...
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Federal shutdown hurts services for Native Americans and they worry worse is coming
By Graham Lee Brewer OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Native Americans watched the shuttered government on Friday and braced for damage to health care, education, infrastructure and other services funded by Washington under treaties struck more than a century ago. Tribal nations with casinos, oil and gas leases and other independent revenue sources said they expect to sustain operations for several months. Tribes more dependent on government money were already furloughing workers. Many tribal leaders said they feared that the Trump administration would use the shutdown to lay off federal workers responsible for ensuring that trust and treaty responsibilities are honored. The U.S. agreed many decades ago to protect the security, health and education of tribal citizens in return for ceding their lands. Shuttered museums and children’s services The Pyramid Lake...
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Non-profit dog rescue society delivers relief for Eskasoni
By Rosemary Godin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cape Breton Post A non-profit company from Antigonish is stepping in to help out with the stray dog problem in Eskasoni First Nation. It’s not the only community with a dog problem these days. In a sad turn of events, the provincial SPCA is so overwhelmed with homeless dogs that it can no longer provide services for capturing and kenneling them. Coastal K-9 staff visited Eskasoni last week to collect stray or surrendered animals. They can’t take any dogs that have owners, but at least two dogs were handed over to them by people no longer able to give adequate care. The Nova Scotia SPCA recently cancelled half of its municipal contracts for bylaw enforcement or kennel services, saying it must focus resources...
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Teenager facing weapon charge after altercation in Hagersville
HALDIMAND COUNTY – A 17 year-old-youth is facing a series of charges after Haldimand Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) responded to a weapons complaint on Railway street in Hagersville September 25, 2025, at about 4:20 p.m.. OPP said the investigation determined that two people under the age of 18 years of age, were involved in an altercation earlier that day. As a result, a 17-year-old youth has been charged with the following Criminal Code offences: Pointing a Firearm Possession of a Prohibited Device or Ammunition Unauthorized Possession of a Prohibited or Restricted Firearm Possession of Weapon for Dangerous Purpose Knowledge of Unauthorized Possession of Firearm Carrying Concealed Weapon Uttering Threats – Cause Death of Bodily Harm Assault Failure to Comply with Release Order – Other than to Attend Court The youth’s identity...
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Kate Dickson’s Orange Shirt Day Talk in Burlington Calls for Action, Not Apologies
By Jack Brittle, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Burlington Local-News.ca On September 30, the Burlington Public Library (BPL) hosted an event led by Indigenous educator Kate Dickson, titled “Understanding Orange Shirt Day.” The name of the event refers to the custom of wearing orange shirts on September 30, National Truth and Reconciliation Day, in remembrance of the children who died at residential schools throughout Canada’s history. The talk was held at the Central Branch of the BPL, in its Centennial Hall. Before the talk, Parampreet Khanuja, BPL’s events coordinator, introduced Dickson to the room and gave her a traditional tobacco offering. “Tobacco is called sacred currency by the way,” Dickson said. “So when an elder, particularly, is asked to do something, you give a tobacco pouch. And when you give that...
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