Private citizen allowed to contest big Aboriginal title claim
By John Chilibeck, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Daily Gleaner A retired businessman in New Brunswick who says the Holt Liberal government has abandoned private citizens in a landmark case to decide Aboriginal title has convinced the province’s highest court to let him take part in the proceedings. Daryl Branscombe, who owns EMS Enterprises Inc., a real estate holding company, petitioned the New Brunswick Court of Appeal when he read in the newspaper that the Liberal government had decided not to pursue a defence on behalf of private owners whose properties are within the title claim filed by the Wolastoqey Nation of New Brunswick. “There didn’t seem to be anybody else taking this on,” Branscombe told Brunswick News in an interview. “Normally, it would be the Crown, or the province,...
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A new map, a new mood: North votes amid turbulent times
By Jacqueline St. Pierre, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Manitoulin Expositor MANITOULIN—Most people didn’t feel the ground shift under their feet when Canada’s federal map was quietly redrawn in 2022. It wasn’t until spring arrived — and election signs began sprouting like stubborn weeds along Island highways and main streets — that the new reality took hold: the landscape had changed, and with it, the stakes. The new Sudbury East–Manitoulin–Nickel Belt riding, stitched together from the remnants of three old constituencies, was born almost overnight. It now sprawls across 32,000 square kilometres, gathering Sudbury west of Highway 144, the full Manitoulin District, and part of Sudbury District near Lake Huron and stretching east to include Sturgeon Falls, while surrendering Nickel Centre and Wanup to a redrawn Sudbury riding. Northern Ontario,...
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Cochrane makes surprise cameo in final season of The Handmaid’s Tale
By Marissa Lentz-McGrath, Local Journalism Initiative, TimminsToday.com COCHRANE – When Jean-François Brisson opened his theatre’s doors to a group of unfamiliar visitors, he had no idea the impact their project would soon have on the small northern community. The visitors were part of the production crew behind The Handmaid’s Tale. While they were operating under the code name “The Light” to keep things under wraps, Brisson — the owner and operator of the Empire Theatre — quickly realized this was no ordinary shoot. Now, fans of the hit series might be surprised to learn that Cochrane and its surrounding landscapes are featured in the season premiere of the show’s sixth and final season, which premiered on April 8. “They were shooting here. Their production took them to where they were...
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Deaths of man, woman in Winnipeg ruled murder-suicide: police
WINNIPEG, MAN-CP-Homicide detectives say they have deemed the deaths of a man and a woman in Winnipeg as a murder-suicide. Police responded Monday to a domestic call at a home west of the city’s downtown, where they found the pair in medical distress. Officers administered emergency medical care until paramedics arrived and took the pair to hospital, where they later died. Investigators have identified the woman as a 22-year-old from God’s Lake First Nation who had been living in Winnipeg. The 27-year-old man was from Winnipeg. Police have said there are no outstanding suspects and that there’s no danger to the public. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 30, 2025. ...
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A town refuses to give up the school’s Native American mascot – and gets Trump’s support
By Philip Marcelo MASSAPEQUA, N.Y. (AP) — As a high school hockey player, Adam Drexler wore his Massapequa Chiefs jersey with pride. But as the Chickasaw Nation member grew up and learned about his Indigenous roots, he came to see the school’s mascot — a stereotypical Native American man wearing a headdress — as problematic. Now his Long Island hometown has become the latest flashpoint in the enduring debate over the place of Indigenous imagery in American sports: The Trump administration launched an investigation Friday into whether New York officials are discriminating against Massapequa by threatening to withhold funding. The town has refused to comply with a state mandate to retire Native American sports names and mascots. “There was no tribe east of the Mississippi that ever wore a headdress...
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First Nation lays claim to Turtle Mountain
By Connor McDowell, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Canupawakpa Dakota First Nation has filed a lawsuit claiming it owns Turtle Mountain Provincial Park and asking for the land, compensation and proceeds from the land to be transferred to it from Canada and Manitoba. The First Nation entered the claim against the Government of Manitoba and the Attorney General of Canada on April 22 in the Winnipeg Court of King’s Bench. It alleges the First Nation is entitled to the land that is now the provincial park because of its ancestral ties to the area. The federal government has previously disputed this claim. Turtle Mountain Provincial Park is south of Boissevain, near the Canada-U.S. border. Designated a provincial park by the Manitoba government in 1961, it is 186 square kilometres (72 square...
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Ontario considering change to length of teachers’ college, documents suggest
By Allison Jones The Ontario government is considering shortening the length of teachers’ college in order to address a worsening shortage of educators, documents obtained by The Canadian Press suggest. A freedom-of-information request on teacher supply and demand came back with research and jurisdictional scans the Ministry of Education conducted last year on the supply issue and the length of initial teacher education programs. Highlighted in the summary of the document on teachers’ college are findings that longer programs do not make better teachers. “There is little evidence that the amount of course work in ITE (initial teacher education) makes a difference in teachers’ effectiveness when they enter the profession,” the document says. Real in-class experience, however, does appear to make a difference. “Literature research shows that teachers who complete...
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Discover hidden gems in Brant County, Brantford and Six Nations through Doors Open Along the Grand
By Celeste Percy-Beauregard, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter More than 15 unique spaces that help tell the story of Brant County, Brantford, and Six Nations of the Grand River will be open to the public this spring. On May 10, the three communities will come together for Doors Open Along the Grand, giving free access to historical societies, museums, homesteads, and other spaces with notable architecture or community significance. One example is St. Paul’s Chapel (1159 Highway 54, Caledonia), a “living museum” on the banks of the Grand River. The 1868-built board-and-batten structure is the only public heritage structure that remains in Middleport. When it looked like the village might lose the landmark in 2018, the community came together and established the Middleport Heritage Society. It now stewards the building and...
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Ontario considering change to length of teachers’ college, documents suggest
By Allison Jones The Ontario government is considering shortening the length of teachers’ college in order to address a worsening shortage of educators, documents obtained by The Canadian Press suggest. A freedom-of-information request on teacher supply and demand came back with research and jurisdictional scans the Ministry of Education conducted last year on the supply issue and the length of initial teacher education programs. Highlighted in the summary of the document on teachers’ college are findings that longer programs do not make better teachers. “There is little evidence that the amount of course work in ITE (initial teacher education) makes a difference in teachers’ effectiveness when they enter the profession,” the document says. Real in-class experience, however, does appear to make a difference. “Literature research shows that teachers who complete...
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Matawa language program needs stable funding, CEO says
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter THUNDER BAY — Matawa First Nations’ CEO says its language revitalization program needs a long-term funding commitment to fulfill its mission. Funding of Matawa Waka Tere “needs to be ongoing” so that the program won’t again face the uncertainty it’s under now that a three-year funding arrangement has run out, Sharon Nate told reporters Thursday in an online news conference. Matawa Waka Tere (Indigenous Language Revitalization) has been running in all nine communities served by Matawa First Nations Management and in Thunder Bay, but it’s now in scaled-down operations due to a lack of sustainable funding. The 2019 Indigenous Languages Act says “the Government of Canada is committed to providing adequate, sustainable and long-term funding for the reclamation, revitalization, maintenance and strengthening of...
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Quebec Inuit representative wants investigation over voting problems in Nunavik
-CP-An organization representing Quebec Inuit wants Elections Canada to investigate reports that some people in Nunavik were unable to vote in Monday’s federal election. Makivvik says polling hours were inconsistent across the northern part of Quebec, and some communities were unable to vote altogether. The organization says some Nunavik Inuit were effectively denied their right to vote, which it says is “unacceptable in 2025.” Makivvik wants Elections Canada to ensure every Inuk in Nunavik is able to vote in future elections. Mandy Gull-Masty, former grand chief of the Cree Nation Government in Quebec, won the riding of Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou for the Liberals on Monday, taking it from Bloc Québécois incumbent Sylvie Bérubé. Makivvik says it’s pleased to see an Indigenous woman elected to represent the region, and says Gull-Masty’s victory is...
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First Nations leaders push for energy wealth and ownership at Canadian Hydrogen Convention
By Jeremy Appel, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter (ANNews) – Less than a week before Billy Morin was elected as the Conservative MP for Edmonton Northwest in the Canadian federal election, the former elected chief of Enoch Cree Nation moderated a panel on Indigenous opportunities in hydrogen. The Canadian Hydrogen Convention was held on April 23 and 24 at the Edmonton Convention Centre, with the second day including the panel, “Indigenous Partnerships for a Clean Energy Future.” Grand Chief Greg Desjarlais of the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations, Salish Elements chairman and co-founder Reuben George, and Xaxli’p (Fountain First Nation) executive director Andrew Mercer spoke on the Morin-moderated panel. Salish Elements, an Indigenous-run company that produces green hydrogen—meaning hydrogen that is made with water, rather than natural gas—signed a May...
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Memorial University names new president as school faces ‘horrible’ morale
-CP-Janet Morrison has been named the new president of Newfoundland and Labrador’s only university, which is grappling with crumbling infrastructure, financial shortfalls and low morale. Morrison is currently the president and vice-chancellor of Ontario’s Sheridan College, and will begin her new role at Memorial University in St. John’s in August. At a press conference today, Morrison acknowledged the university faces challenges and pledged to take them on by fostering a sense of “shared purpose” among staff and faculty. Nicolas Keough, a spokesperson with the university’s student union, says he is cautiously optimistic Morrison will be a turning point for the school, where he described morale among students and staff as “horrible.” Memorial has had a temporary president since 2023, when former president Vianne Timmons was removed from her role after...
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CBC, APTN quietly cancel planned comedy about Indigenous rap duo Snotty Nose Rez Kids
By Alex Nino Gheciu CBC and APTN have quietly cancelled plans for a buzzy comedy series about the rise of Indigenous hip-hop duo the Snotty Nose Rez Kids. Originally slated to premiere this year, the half-hour scripted show was billed as the “not even true, real life story” of how Quinton (Yung Trybez) Nyce and Darren (Young D) Metz found their way from Kitamaat Village to national fame. Following a report in the Globe and Mail, publicists for CBC and APTN issued identical statements saying the decision to withdraw from the series was not made lightly, citing “various creative, logistical, and financial factors.” Nyce and Metz were credited as the show’s creators, with “Little Bird” co-creator Jennifer Podemski attached as showrunner and executive producer. A representative for Podemski said she...
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Police watchdog investigating man’s death at James Smith Cree Nation in Saskatchewan
-CP-Saskatchewan’s police watchdog says it is investigating a man’s death after he was arrested on a First Nation northeast of Saskatoon. The Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team says Mounties were called to the James Smith Cree Nation for reports that the man was using bear spray in a home. The agency says the 29-year-old fled after officers told him he was going to be arrested under the Mental Health Services Act. It says officers briefly chased him and did not use a stun gun before handcuffing him. The man went into medical distress and died after they attempted life-saving measures, including administering naloxone several times. James Smith Cree Nation was the site of a mass stabbing nearly three years ago, which saw 10 people killed and 17 injured before Myles...
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Ancient DNA confirms New Mexico tribe’s link to famed Chaco Canyon site
By Christina Larson For the first time, a federally recognized Indigenous tribe in the U.S. has led research using DNA to show their ancestral history. The Picuris Pueblo, a sovereign nation in New Mexico, has oral histories and cultural traditions that link the tribe to the region of Chaco Canyon, one of the ancient centers of Pueblo culture and society. “We’ve been telling our stories as long as time immemorial,” said Picuris Lt. Gov. Craig Quanchello. But he said those traditions were often “overlooked and erased.” As members of the Picuris Pueblo seek a greater voice in shaping decisions about the future of Chaco Canyon, where debates about oil and gas drilling loom, leaders including Quanchello decided that using DNA sequencing to complement or corroborate their oral histories could be...
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Assembly of First Nations of Quebec/Labrador take message to Time Square
By Marc Lalonde, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Iori:wase Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador First Nations leaders took to Times Square with a billboard message themselves to bring th In a dramatic move that hit tens of thousands of onlookers the Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador’s (AFNQL) First Nations took a very visual message to the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues with a Time Square billboard. The billboard’s message “Indigenous Peoples Rights: A Call to Respect #UNDRIP in Quebec played for 24 hours on the Times Square billboard. The video was “a direct and unambiguous appeal to the governments of Quebec and Canada to uphold the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP),” the AFNQL said. AFNQL Regional Chief Francois...
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Red Dress Day; we must never forget
By Emily Plihal, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, National Red Dress Day is set to be upon us, with two walks planned to be held in Fairview and Peace River to honour missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and two spirit people. “Red Dress Day, held every May 5, originated in Canada as a movement to raise awareness about the high rates of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls,” says Peace River Aboriginal Interagency’s Wendy Goulet. “It was inspired by Métis artist Jaime Black’s REDress Project. While the project’s roots are primarily in Canada, Red Dress Day has gained recognition and is observed in the United States as well.” The Fairview walked will be held on May 4 at 3:30 p.m. starting at 10300-118 Street and ending at Hemstock Park....
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Ghislain Picard to take on Associate Professor role
By Marc Lalonde, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Iori:wase Former Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador (AFNQL) Chief Ghislain Picard will continue his work on behalf of the Indigenous community with a new role. Picard will be taking on the role of Associate Professor at the University of Montreal’s Hautes Etudes Commerciales (HEC) and the chair of the First Nations Executive Education (FNEE) advisory committee. His appointment to the position of Associate Professor, along with his greater involvement in FNEE, will enable a wider audience in the business community to benefit from his vast experience and expertise on both the historical and current issues facing Indigenous people, FNEE co-initiator Ken Rock said. “Ghislain Picard is a giant of modern Quebec history. Throughout his career, he has worked tirelessly for...
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Opportunity looking into Calling Lake daycare for one to five year olds
By Pearl Lorentzen, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter M.D. of Opportunity is looking at the feasibility of a two-room daycare in Calling Lake for kids aged one to five years old. The second survey into the daycare needs in Calling Lake focused on the need by age group. The survey received 25 responses, some for multiple children. Of these, 29 children aged five to 12 years old needed care before and after school. This would be an hour before school, a few hours after school, and days the school was closed. A further 12 needed full-time day care and four part-time day care. Of these, two part-time and three full-time were infants (under 12 months old). Council gave direction to administration on how to proceed at the April 23 council meeting....
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