Finalized and updated joint-use agreement not coming to Whitehorse council until fall 2026
By Becky Zimmer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Yukon News Whitehorse city council approved another year waiting on an up-to-date joint-use agreement. City staff were unable to bring a finalized document to be approved by council before the end of this year, and have successfully asked council to extend the deadline to December 2026. The Joint-use Agreement is the framework for how different public facilities and selected school buildings are used by the community. According to the Administrative Report presented to council during the Nov. 17 standing committees meeting, the document “ensures fair, equitable allocation of space based on community benefits, prioritizing youth activities.” Keri Rutherford, Recreations manager for the City of Whitehorse spoke to this during the committee meeting saying the Yukon government entering caretaker mode during the territorial elections...
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Investments in Métis Nation–Saskatchewan drive economic growth amid self-government talks
By Aaron Walker, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Windspeaker.com A new socio-economic impact assessment shows Métis Nation–Saskatchewan (MN–S) has turned federal investments into significantly wider economic activity over the past seven years, generating hundreds of millions of dollars provincewide and supporting thousands of jobs. The independent report, MN–S invests in Métis citizens, provincial economy benefits two-fold, was released Nov. 22 by national accounting firm MNP and presented at the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly in Saskatoon last month. The report marks the first socio-economic impact assessment of the Nation since 2017. It concludes that investments into Métis citizens are “contributing to real economic growth and social outcomes that benefit everyone in Saskatchewan” while addressing long-standing gaps in health, housing, and education. MN–S chief operating officer Matthew Vermette said the analysis reinforces years...
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Cause of deadly trailer fire remains mystery
By Carl Clutchey, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Chronicle-Journal Provincial investigators say the probe into last weekend’s fatal trailer fire at Fort William First Nation continues, but a suspected cause of the blaze has yet to be released. “At this time, there is no update to share,” an Ontario Fire Marshal spokesman said on Friday. “The investigation remains ongoing,” he added. Fort William First Nation held three days of mourning after two young men were found dead inside the burnt-out trailer in the early morning of Dec.6. Thunder Bay Fire Rescue said the structure on Squaw Bay Road was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived around 3 a.m. When reached on Friday, the Fire Marshal’s office offered some general advice. “While we are not able to comment on the...
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Two senior care initiatives receive $5,000 grants from Greater Peterborough Health Services Foundation
By Natalie Hamilton, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, KawarthaNOW Two initiatives aimed at promoting improved well-being for Peterborough seniors — one through nutritional support and another in the realm of mental health care — have each received financial boosts. On Thursday (December 11), the Greater Peterborough Health Services Foundation (GPHSF) announced the recipients of its second annual senior care micro grant program, made available to support senior care projects and healthy aging initiatives within the Peterborough area. Curve Lake First Nation’s Home and Community Care and Mental Health Project and One City Peterborough’s Nutritional Support for At-Risk Seniors Project have each received $5,000. “Our hope for each senior care grant is to provide a positive impact on the quality of life for as many seniors as possible,” GPHSF executive director Vince...
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‘We’re not afraid’: Life goes on for Indigenous Colombians despite volcano eruption risk
By Astrid Suárez PURACE, Colombia (AP) — Oliverio Quira often goes to check on his cattle on a plot of land he owns less than a mile from the Purace volcano in southwestern Colombia. There he sits and watches the billowing ash column rising from the crater. Despite a recent alert indicating that an eruption is likely in the coming days or weeks due to increased seismic activity at the volcano and the emission of ash columns reaching up to 900 meters (nearly 3,000 feet), he is not afraid. “I’ve lived on the volcano, I grew up there … so I have no reason to fear it. I’ll keep going there, alert or not. I have to look after my animals,” Quira, 65, told The Associated Press. He is a...
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Canadian English supporters urge Carney to abandon federal shift to British spelling
By Jim Bronskill Promoters of Canadian English say the federal government is sending the wrong message to the world with its recent use of British spelling in official documents. In a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney, five linguistics experts and an editors association representative say the simplest way to keep national elbows up is to get Canadian style down on the page. The Dec. 11 letter, shared with The Canadian Press, notes the use of British spelling — such as utilisation, globalisation, catalyse (instead of utilization, globalization and catalyze) — in documents, including the 2025 federal budget. Canadian spelling is used widely and fairly consistently in Canada — in book and magazine publishing, in newspapers and other media, and in the federal and provincial governments and their legislatures, the...
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How does the rental office handle drug claims against tenants?
By Claire McFarlane, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cabin Radio The Northwest Territories’ rental office plays an important role in Scan legislation currently being drafted by the territorial government. In the N.W.T., the rental office acts as a court handling disputes between landlords and tenants. Rental officers have powers like issuing eviction orders to tenants or withholding rent if landlords don’t address maintenance issues. If the territory’s Scan legislation becomes law, the GNWT will create a new unit of Scan officers. They won’t be police officers but they’ll be tasked with investigating complaints about things like drug-related activity at homes in small communities. The Scan officers will have the power to either bring applications to the rental office if they think someone should be evicted, or help landlords do the same...
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Kanesatake Health Center speaks out on Bill 2
By Marcus Bankuti, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eastern Door The head of the Kanesatake Health Center (KHC) has joined the chorus of opposition to the Quebec law overhauling the province’s healthcare system, citing fears it could harm the health centre’s capacity to serve the community effectively. Among other changes, the legislation that was known as Bill 2, which passed on October 25 but did not immediately implement the new regime, ties compensation of doctors to performance targets in hopes of relieving the overburdened provincial healthcare system by pressuring medical professionals to take on a bigger load – or, in other words, to work faster. Doctors across Quebec have been united in opposition to the changes, with many even reportedly considering a move outside the province to flee its effects....
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Spending, funding don’t match for Indigenous police services
By Olivier Cadotte, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eastern Door A report from the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) outlined what Indigenous communities and their police forces already knew: that spending for the First Nations and Inuit Policing Program (FNIPP) has yet to catch up to the needs of these services despite recent increases in funding. That’s all while these services are still looking for official recognition as being essential in the eyes of the government. “I just wonder when the government’s going to get it and actually make true, meaningful changes, because the auditor general has made numerous reports saying that the FNIPP is failing to do what it’s supposed to do, and that the government fails in different areas to administer those funds,” said chief Kahnawake Peacekeeper Dwayne Zacharie...
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Fact File: Claim Canada ranks 8th in global homeless population is false
By Marissa Birnie A list posted to social media claimed to show a supposed global ranking of countries with the largest homeless population, in which Canada ranked number eight. The list actually shows data from countries that are part of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, plus three non-member countries, and is not a global ranking. As all countries use different methods to record homeless statistics, it is difficult to compare or rank them. THE CLAIM “Canada ranks 8th in the world for highest homeless population,” reads an Instagram post with more than 7,000 likes. The post includes a screenshot from a statistics account World of Statistics on the X platform, formerly Twitter, which ranked Canada at number eight on a list of countries with the highest homeless population....
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Flu season in full effect, three deaths in South zone so far
By Anna Smith, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Medicine Hat News As influenza season comes into full swing over the holidays, Albertans are encouraged to keep themselves safe and get immunized. The latest data available from the province’s respiratory virus dashboard is updated to include information as recent as Dec. 6. In the week of Nov. 30 to Dec. 6, there were 1,527 confirmed influenza cases, 216 hospitalizations, 18 ICU admissions and one death. The dashboard states that the reporting season begins in late August. Thus far, there have been 3,703 cases, 802 hospitalizations, 54 ICU admissions and 21 deaths. A total of 114 cases have been confirmed in the South zone since the beginning of the period, including 58 hospitalizations, 10 ICU admissions and three deaths. While vaccine effectiveness varies...
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Rural and Remote Recruitment Incentive Program Expands
By Carol Baldwin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Wakaw Recorder Saskatchewan’s Rural and Remote Recruitment Incentive (RRRI) program is expanding to three more towns: Edam, Battleford and Hudson Bay, extending the eligibility to a total of 73 communities. Positions in Wakaw became eligible under the program in April of this year for certain permanent full-time positions. The incentive of up to $50,000 for a three-year return-in-service is offered to new, permanent full-time employees in nine high-priority health occupations in rural and remote communities experiencing or at risk of service disruptions due to staffing challenges. These high-priority positions include Registered Nurses, Registered Psychiatric Nurses, Nurse Practitioners, Combined Lab and X-Ray Technicians, Licensed Practical Nurses, Medical Laboratory Technologists, Medical Radiation Technologists, Continuing Care Assistants, and Medical Laboratory Assistants. “The Rural and Remote Recruitment...
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House of Commons rises for six-week holiday break
By Alessia Passafiume The House of Commons has started its winter break — without the government’s lengthy budget implementation bill becoming law. House leader Steven MacKinnon told reporters outside the House of Commons Thursday the past 11 weeks of the fall sitting have seen “very hard work” by the government to protect jobs and reduce the cost of living. “For the last three months, the Conservatives have adopted and executed a clear political strategy that is self-serving and selfish,” MacKinnon said. “Their partisan strategy is simple: obstruct, obstruct, obstruct … But we did get results for Canadians, and we will continue to do that work when the House returns in the new year.” Just before the House rose, MPs passed two pieces of legislation — C-4 and C-12 — which...
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Racism, misunderstanding block Indigenous access to HIV care in Canada
By Sonal Gupta, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer Trevor Stratton recalls the day he wandered out of a pharmacy without paying last summer. The pharmacist chased him down and scolded him — only to later confirm there had been no charge at all. Stratton, who was recovering from a seizure and unclear on his medication coverage, describes the experience as “disrespectful,” but also painfully familiar. A member of the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation, Stratton is an HIV activist diagnosed with the virus in 1990. He serves as a board member for the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research and as the Indigenous leadership policy manager for Communities, Alliances and Networks. Experiences such as his, he said, are common for Indigenous people who face increased scrutiny in...
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BC First Nation calls on MP to cancel visit after he failed to reach out following grizzly attack
By Sonal Gupta, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer The Nuxalk Nation on British Columbia’s central coast is urging their federal representative to cancel a planned visit to Bella Coola, saying he ignored their leadership and instead arranged to meet with a local gun club in the aftermath of a grizzly bear attack that left three children and a teacher severely injured. Ellis Ross, the Conservative MP for the Skeena–Bulkley Valley riding, has not communicated with the First Nation since the Nov. 20 incident. The Nuxalk only learned of Ross’s planned visit when they heard he had scheduled a meeting with the Bella Coola Rod and Gun Club for Dec. 13 — without the Nuxalk leadership. The club promoted the event as a discussion on “the current bear situation...
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Cowichan case blamed for sinking B.C. property deals, including luxury hotel purchase
By Nono Shen and Darryl Greer An Ontario company that put down a deposit to buy a luxury hotel in Richmond, B.C., pulled out of the deal worth tens of millions of dollars weeks later because of “uncertainty” caused by the landmark Cowichan Tribes Aboriginal title ruling, according to the marketers of the property. Court documents show that the 14-storey Versante Hotel, close to Vancouver International Airport, was instead bought by a Hong Kong purchaser in October for the lower price of $51.5 million. The exact value of the withdrawn offer isn’t disclosed in documents related to the court-ordered sale, which was compelled by lenders to the project who said they were owed $113 million as of August. Commercial real estate firm Colliers says in a letter to the hotel’s...
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Court decision recognizes UNDRIP as law, but leads province to look at revising legislation
By Nora O’Malley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Ha-Shilth-Sa First Nations in B.C. may be entitled to raise their UNDRIP rights if they are not adequately consulted on natural resource projects within their territory, following a precedent-setting B.C. Court of Appeal decision released on Dec. 5. Ehattesaht Chief Counsellor Simon John says the court decision “provides important legal recognition of UNDRIP as a tool to help ensure that First Nations’ interests are respected and their role in decision making is realized.” “We know our lands, our waters here at home and want to be respected in how the Crown approaches us and want decisions to be made with us,” said Chief John in a media release. “We want investment, we want jobs and to grow our community, but mining here was...
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Handle with care: Moving centuries-old Hudson’s Bay charter a delicate operation
By Tara Deschamps In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the royal charter that created Canada’s oldest company was loaded onto a private plane in Toronto. Protected by a durable case that was not too hot, not too cold and sheltered from bright light, the 350-year-old document that birthed the Hudson’s Bay Co. made its way to Winnipeg aboard the aircraft. It was accompanied by a member of the retailer’s staff and a conservator specializing in paper documents — and its own armed security team, who never took their eyes off the artifact. When they landed, the charter was escorted to the Manitoba Museum, where more gloved conservators pored over every millimetre of the five-page vellum artifact and its wax seal, making detailed notes about the condition on arrival and...
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‘Systemic racism’: N.S. attorney general criticized by Mi’kmaw chiefs for cannabis crackdown
By Rosemary Godin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cape Breton Post Action taken by the attorney general of Nova Scotia last week against cannabis dispensaries is being called “systemic racism” by at least one of the 13 chiefs of Mi’kmaw First Nations in Nova Scotia. Meanwhile, the chief of Membertou First Nation – which is in the process of community consultation to create its own regulations and practices – says a non-collaborative approach to the issue “has never, nor will ever, be appropriate or acceptable.” On Dec. 4, Justice Minister and Attorney General Scott Armstrong directed police across the province to crack down on illegal dispensaries and prioritize cannabis law enforcement. Sipekne’katik (Indian Brook) Chief Michelle Glasgow and her council responded to Armstrong saying they are appalled by the direct threat...
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Membertou leads way to zero emission lobster fishing
By Rosemary Godin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cape Breton Post A groundbreaking initiative in the lobster fishing industry led by Membertou First Nation was announced in Halifax on Thursday as one of Canada’s Ocean Supercluster’s (OSC) five new ocean innovation projects valued at $34.5 million. The new Membertou project is a $4.4 million Membertou Electric Lobster Boat Commercial Demonstration Project known as Lektrike’l Walipotl and could create zero-emission commercial fishing in Canada. By integrating advanced electric propulsion systems and battery technology, the project hopes to transform the maritime industry’s approach to sustainability. Through a thorough operational trial, the project will demonstrate the reliability, efficiency, and economic viability of electric boats compared to traditional diesel-powered vessels. The Membertou project is in partnership with Allswater Marine, Oceans North, and Blue Grid, all...
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