Hundreds of Kashechewan First Nation evacuees arrive in Niagara Falls, Ont.
By Maan Alhmidi Niagara Falls, Ont., is now hosting hundreds of Kashechewan First Nation evacuees after a water crisis in the northern Ontario community forced many to leave their homes, the city’s fire chief said on Monday. Jo Zambito said 858 people from Kashechewan are currently living in two Niagara Falls hotels and the city is ready to welcome more evacuees who could arrive in the coming days. “They’re doing well. They’re well under the circumstances,” he said in an interview. “They’ve had to evacuate their homes and they are in a different community than they’re used to back home. They’re in a community that has highrises and they’re in a tourist area, lots of vehicular traffic, something that they’re not used to.” Kashechewan First Nation’s executive director, Tyson Wesley,...
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Discovery of asbestos shuts John N.A. Janvier School, Cold Lake First Nations outlines next steps
By Chantel Downes, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Lakeland This Week ISC confirmed the closure was ordered on Dec. 18, 2025, following the receipt of a testing report. Suzanna Su, speaking for ISC, said, “The presence of asbestos was identified as part of a hazardous materials assessment process conducted in support of a work plan to replace the air handling units in the school.” Cold Lake First Nations and Indigenous Services Canada are developing temporary measures to support students and staff, including portable classrooms, to allow in-person learning to resume as early as Jan. 14, 2026, while mitigation and repair work continues. The assessment found no airborne asbestos at the time of testing, but surface contamination was detected in limited areas. “Air sample testing at the school determined that there was...
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First Nation calls for closure of N.B. RCMP detachment after man shot and killed
RCMP shot and killed a man on a First Nation in northwestern New Brunswick on Sunday evening, prompting the chief to call for the closure of the Mounties’ detachment on the Indigenous territory. The police oversight agency that serves Nova Scotia and New Brunswick says it’s investigating a “police-involved shooting” on Neqotkuk, also known as Tobique First Nation, near the province’s border with Maine. But neither the Serious Incident Response Team nor the RCMP have released any details about what led to the shooting. A statement issued late Sunday from Neqotkuk First Nation Chief Ross Perley and council identified the deceased as Bronson Paul and extended condolences to his family and friends. “Bronson was a son, father, brother, partner, nephew and so much more,” the statement said. Perley and council...
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Part 1: The ‘Big Bet’ on Carbon Sequestration—scientist warns Carney’s gamble might be ‘too risky’
By Anushka Yadav, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Pointer Seven years after the 2015 Paris Agreement came into effect, Mark Carney said Canada should make a “big bet” on carbon capture to meet its emissions reduction goals. “For Canada as a whole, we need to make a big bet, or I should say investment rather than a bet, in carbon capture in Western Canada to address the 25 percent of our emissions that come from the oil and gas sector,” Carney remarked in 2022 at a conference in Montreal. That year, the oil and gas industry had emitted 216.7 megatonnes (Mt) of carbon, accounting for 31 percent of Canada’s total emissions. Three years later, as Prime Minister, Carney included Pathways Plus, a carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) proposal in...
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Firearms damage found near power line that led to days-long outage: Manitoba Hydro
Manitoba Hydro says a preliminary examination into a days-long power outage that led to a water catastrophe in a northern First Nation found there was firearm damage near the power line. The Crown-owned utility says an inspection of the wire that broke at the end of last month in Pimicikamak Cree Nation showed there was shotgun pellet damage to portions of the infrastructure, including the power line itself. Manitoba Hydro says while it has not been determined that the shotgun pellets caused the line to break, it is warning hunters and other firearm owners that shooting at any electrical infrastructure can shorten its lifespan, cause outages and create safety risks. The definitive cause of the break on the line remains under investigation. The First Nation was without power for about...
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Edmonton Welcomes Delegates from Around the World to the Largest Indigenous Tourism Conference
By Chevi Rabbit, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Alberta Native News (ANNews) – Edmonton will host the International Indigenous Tourism Conference from February 17 to 19, bringing together Indigenous tourism leaders, entrepreneurs, cultural knowledge keepers, and industry partners from across Canada and around the world. The conference is being organized in partnership with Indigenous Tourism Alberta, Travel Alberta, and Explore Edmonton, and will highlight Indigenous cultural offerings from communities throughout the region. “We are partnering with Indigenous Tourism Alberta, Travel Alberta, and Explore Edmonton, and featuring some of the cultural offerings in the area,” said Keith Henry, President of Indigenous Tourism Canada and a respected Métis leader in Indigenous cultural tourism. “We expect over 1,100 delegates from probably around 11 countries to attend this conference in Edmonton from February 17 to...
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With Oneida battery farm humming, bidders line up to build power storage in Haldimand-Norfolk
By J.P. Antonacci, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Hamilton Spectator Last year’s sweltering summer strained the power grid as Ontarians struggled to keep cool. But the province had a powerful ace up its sleeve. Stored inside 278 giant lithium-ion batteries — each the size of a tractor-trailer — in rural Haldimand County was enough energy to instantly power tens of thousands of homes when temperature spiked and electricity demand surged. “Some of those really hot days we had this past summer, Oneida was key to keeping the lights on,” said Scott Matthews, vice-president of projects with energy storage developer NRStor Inc., a partner in the Oneida Energy Storage Project along with majority owner Northland Power, Aecon, Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation and the Mississaugas of the Credit...
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Group of First Nations secure equal stake in one of Saskatchewan’s largest solar farms
By Sonal Gupta, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer Last November, heavy, wet snow hit northeast Saskatchewan, snapping power lines and leaving Felix Thomas’s community without power. For a full day, homes stayed cold and dark. Many residents gathered at the local school, where a newly installed backup generator kept the heat on. “Members were saying, ‘How can we be less reliant on outside power? Can we look at solar for our homes?’” said Thomas, chief of Kinistin Saulteaux Nation. With solar panels already powering community buildings and charging electric vehicles in Kinistin, he said residents are familiar with how renewable energy could support their community. Their enthusiasm for the clean energy sources in their community led the Nation to expand their investment in solar initiatives. Now, Kinistin Saulteaux...
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Five face trial in Peru in rare prosecution over the killing of an Amazon defender
By Steven Grattan BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — The trial is due to start Tuesday for five men over the killing of an Indigenous Amazon leader, in a rare legal case that prosecutors and advocates say could test whether Peru can hold perpetrators accountable for violence linked to illegal logging and drug trafficking in one of the world’s most dangerous regions for environmental defenders. Kichwa tribal leader Quinto Inuma Alvarado, 50, was killed on Nov. 29, 2023, after repeatedly denouncing illegal activity within his community’s territory. Prosecutors are seeking life sentences under charges of contract killing, a first in a case involving the murder of an Indigenous environmental defender in Peru. The trial is being closely watched by Indigenous groups, environmental advocates and international observers as a test of whether Peru...
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Rama takes ‘very unique’ empathy-first approach to policing
By Danielle Pitman, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, OrilliaMatters.com The Rama Police Service (RPS) is one of nine standalone First Nation police services in Ontario. Last November, the Anishinabek Nation declared a state of emergency over public safety due to a lack of funding and a rise in crime rates. It cited increases of drug trafficking, organized crime, and violent crimes targeting elders and youth, as well as a growing mental health and addictions emergency. “We see similar challenges when it comes to the influx of drugs in our community,” said Rama Police Chief Jerel Swamp. These severe crimes are often from outside sources, he explained. Crimes like drug trafficking stem from metropolitan areas and transfer to First Nations communities, where they then thrive. Fewer police officers and a greater geographical...
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Nuclear site review could ‘prejudice’ legal case, says FirstNation
By Matt Prokopchuk, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, TBnewswatch.com EAGLE LAKE — A First Nation challenging the Nuclear Waste Management Organization in court says the ongoing assessment of a proposed nuclear waste site should be suspended. Eagle Lake First Nation filed an application for judicial review of the nuclear industry-funded not-for-profit’s site selection for the deep geological repository in December 2024. It’s arguing it wasn’t considered as an option to be a host community when the waste management organization deliberated its options leading up to the eventual selection of Ignace and Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation as hosts. “We are concerned that, as the impact assessment moves forward, it will prejudice our hearing on judicial review,” said Kate Kempton, legal counsel for Eagle Lake. “It’s just simply human nature that the more...
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Skeena Sawmills forest licence transfer quashed
By Bob Mackin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Prince George Citizen A BC Supreme Court judge has set aside the Minister of Forests’ approval of the Skeena Sawmills forest licence transfer to a numbered company owned by the Kitsumkalum First Nation. The Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs applied for judicial review because the licence area of the Terrace-based company includes land claimed by the Gitanyow. Kitsumkalum does not have Aboriginal rights to harvest in the area. In a Jan. 7 decision, Justice Matthew Kirchner agreed with the nine hereditary chiefs that the province failed in its legal duty to consult and accommodate Gitanyow when it approved the licence transfer to 1355387 BC Ltd. “The matter must be reconsidered by the minister following proper consultation in accordance with these reasons,” Kirchner ruled. The matter...
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Skeena Sawmills forest licence transfer quashed
By Bob Mackin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Prince George Citizen A BC Supreme Court judge has set aside the Minister of Forests’ approval of the Skeena Sawmills forest licence transfer to a numbered company owned by the Kitsumkalum First Nation. The Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs applied for judicial review because the licence area of the Terrace-based company includes land claimed by the Gitanyow. Kitsumkalum does not have Aboriginal rights to harvest in the area. In a Jan. 7 decision, Justice Matthew Kirchner agreed with the nine hereditary chiefs that the province failed in its legal duty to consult and accommodate Gitanyow when it approved the licence transfer to 1355387 BC Ltd. “The matter must be reconsidered by the minister following proper consultation in accordance with these reasons,” Kirchner ruled. The matter...
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Time served, fine and another driving ban after man fled from police
By Bob Mackin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Prince George Citizen A Prince George Provincial Court judge sentenced a man to 134 days’ time served after he pleaded guilty Jan. 7 to fleeing from a police officer and driving while prohibited. Crown prosecutor Astitwa Thapa said Jason Matthew Ryan Farquhar would probably have received only a Motor Vehicle Act violation ticket for broken taillights Jan. 2, 2025. “He turned a simple traffic stop into a dangerous incident when he met with an accident,” Thapa told the court. “Thankfully, he was not injured and the passenger in his car was safe.” Judge David Simpkin agreed with the Crown and defence proposal of 120 days’ time served for flight from police and 14 days’ time served for driving while prohibited. Farquhar had served...
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Blueberry River First Nation school fire caused ‘tremendous loss’ to community
By Wolfgang Depner Leaders of the Blueberry River First Nation in northeastern B.C. say the community has suffered a “tremendous loss” after a Saturday morning fire destroyed a local school, but they are also planning to rebuild it as soon as possible. A statement from the First Nation’s council says that the multi-use Blueberry Community School has hosted everything from community gatherings and funerals to adult education and cultural events for more than 30 years. It says that the building could not be saved, because of a lack of water, adding that the First Nation has no agreement with the City of Fort St. John for firefighting due to the distance. The statement says that council is thankful nobody was hurt during the fire, but won’t speculate about its cause...
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Few hundred people remain in Kashechewan as water crisis force evacuations
By Maan Alhmidi Only a few hundred people remain in a northern Ontario First Nation community after failures of local water supply and sewage systems forced many to evacuate their homes. Kashechewan First Nation’s executive director Tyson Wesley said about 400 people will be left in the 2,200-member community by Sunday. Officials at the fly-in community that’s located on the western shore of James Bay declared a state of emergency on Jan. 4 after infrastructure damage had created an urgent public health and safety issue, with sewage creeping into people’s homes and contaminating fresh water systems. “I think four planes are flying out today, and we’ve been getting five to six planes a day,” Wesley said in an interview on Saturday. “We had issues with the sewage infrastructure and the...
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N.B. opens new anti-racism office, but leaves examination of police racism in limbo
The New Brunswick government’s first official response to a 2022 report on systemic racism includes the creation of a new anti-racism office, but the province is not committing to moving ahead with key recommendations related to racism in policing. On Friday, Jean-Claude D’Amours, minister of post-secondary education, training and labour, highlighted the new office tasked with tracking the government’s response to 86 recommendations made by former systemic racism commissioner Manju Varma three years ago. “Our immediate goal for the office is to continue the work to address the recommendations in the report while building key partnerships,” D’Amours told reporters. “In the longer term, we will develop a more robust anti-racism action plan in collaboration with those partners.” D’Amours was vague about which of the recommendations the government would pursue, however....
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Killer of Lapu Lapu suspect’s brother calls festival attack a ‘ripple effect’
By Brieanna Charlebois The murderer of a man whose brother was later arrested for the Lapu Lapu festival attack that killed 11 people in Vancouver last April has called it a “ripple effect” from his own crime 15 months earlier. Dwight Kematch, who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the January 2024 killing of Alexander Lo in July, told his British Columbia Supreme Court sentencing hearing that what followed was a “horrendous tragedy.” “I deeply apologize for what I’ve done,” he told the court Friday, before Justice F. Matthew Kirchner handed him a sentence of life imprisonment with no eligibility to apply for parole for 13 years. The hearing in Vancouver was attended by video by Adam Kai-Ji Lo, who is charged with 11 counts of murder and 31 charges...
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8-year-old girl who went missing on Navajo Nation found dead
TUBA CITY, Ariz. (AP) — An 8-year-old girl who went missing on tribal lands in northern Arizona was found dead Friday, authorities said. Navajo Nation officials say Maleeka Boone was last seen Thursday evening in the Coalmine Canyon area, located 240 miles (386 kilometers) north of Phoenix. A spokesperson for the FBI, which is conducting the investigation with tribal police, declined to provide details of her death. A Navajo Police Department spokesperson said they did not have any further information. In a social media video, Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren said Maleeka’s death was devastating. “This tragedy weighs heavy on my heart,” Nygren said. Her disappearance led to the issuance of a Turquoise Alert, an alert system for Native Americans who have gone missing. In Arizona, the legislation creating the...
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Border mayors react to First Nation’s ICE advice
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Thunder Bay Source FORT FRANCES — Mayor Andrew Hallikas said Friday he hasn’t heard of any of his border town’s residents having negative experiences with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, so far. “We do have an excellent relationship with International Falls, Minn.,” he said in a phone interview. “They’re our sister city and we have very close ties with them, so people from Fort Frances are back and forth all the time. And nobody has reported any incidents or any issues where they’re concerned. “But that’s not to say that can’t happen, right?” Hallikas said he saw the post Rainy River First Nations’ chief made on Facebook, advising members to “be careful” and always carry ID when south of the border,...
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