Could it work? A guaranteed liveable basic income
By Brenda Sawatzky, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Leah Gazan is the NDP Member of Parliament (MP) for Winnipeg Centre. She’s also the primary reason Bill C-223 is currently being considered by the federal government. Introduced as a private member’s bill in 2021, Bill C-223 calls for the federal government to create a national Guaranteed Liveable Basic Income (GLBI), a model which she and others believe would help end poverty in the country. The bill would ensure that not a single Canadian lives below the poverty line. The primary objective of Bill C-223 is to put pressure on the Canadian government to create a national framework for implementing the GLBI within one year. The bill has since passed first reading and is scheduled to go to its second reading later this...
Register
Fire destroys 105-year-old post office on Standing Rock Reservation
The Associated Press 17/09/2024 17:25 SELFRIDGE, N.D. (AP) — A fire destroyed the 105-year-old post office in Selfridge, North Dakota, early Monday. State and federal authorities are investigating the cause of the fire, KFYR-TV reported. Five trucks, a tanker and multiple volunteers responded to the fire. No one was injured and the fire did not spread to anything else, said Selfridge Rural Fire District Secretary Debbie Vollmuth. A video she filmed shows flames leaping out of the building’s roof and windows. The Associated Press left a phone message with the Sioux County sheriff, and emailed a spokesperson for the state attorney general as well as a spokesperson for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Selfridge is a town of about 125 people on the Standing Rock Reservation,...
Register
After four-year negotiation, Sts’ailes reaches child welfare agreement with ‘B.C.’ and ‘Canada’
By Amy Romer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter IndigiNews After wrapping up a long and sometimes frustrating four years of talks to regain child welfare rights in his community, Sts’ailes Grand Chief William Charlie felt a weight lift off his shoulders. “People have told me I look much better this week,” Charlie, who is chief executive officer of Sts’ailes First Nation, told IndigiNews in an interview earlier this month. On Sept. 3, Sts’ailes signed a co-ordination agreement with “Canada” and “British Columbia,” supporting the First Nation’s inherent rights to care for its children and families through its own law — Snowoyelh te Emi:melh te Sts’ailes. Siyam te Sts’ailes (Sts’ailes leadership) signed the agreement along with Patty Hajdu, federal minister of Indigenous Services, and Grace Lore, the province’s minister of Children and...
Register
Health Canada approves updated Moderna COVID-19 vaccine
The Canadian Press Health Canada authorized Moderna’s updated COVID-19 vaccine that protects against currently circulating variants of the virus on Tuesday. The mRNA vaccine, called Spikevax, has been reformulated to target the KP.2 subvariant of Omicron, the agency said. It replaces the previous version of the vaccine that was released last year, which targeted the XBB.1.5 subvariant of Omicron. Health Canada recently asked provinces and territories to get rid of their older COVID-19 vaccines to ensure the most current vaccine will be used during this fall’s respiratory virus season. Health Canada is also reviewing two other updated COVID-19 vaccines but has not yet authorized them. They are Pfizer’s Comirnaty, which is also an mRNA vaccine, as well as Novavax’s protein-based vaccine. Like Moderna’s vaccine, the Pfizer vaccine under review targets...
Register
Prisoner advocacy group calls on Nova Scotia to launch independent review of jails
The Canadian Press 17/09/2024 16:40 A prisoner rights group is calling on the Nova Scotia government to pass a law requiring independent monitoring of the province’s jails. In a report released Tuesday, the East Coast Prison Justice Society says provincial inmates complain of issues such as prolonged lockdowns and poor access to health care. The group’s annual report is a compilation of comments gathered from nearly 800 phone calls with inmates in the jail system from Sept. 1, 2022, to Aug. 31, 2023. Its findings also come after six people died while in provincial custody since January 2023. “Nova Scotia’s provincial government should no longer be permitted to enjoy executive discretion on whether to hold a public inquiry when a death in custody occurs,” the report reads. The report criticizes...
Register
Prisoner advocacy group calls on Nova Scotia to launch independent review of jails
The Canadian Press A prisoner rights group says the Nova Scotia government must pass a law requiring independent monitoring of the province’s jails. In a report released today, the East Coast Prison Justice Society says provincial inmates complain of issues such as prolonged lockdowns and poor access to health care. The group’s annual report is a compilation of comments gathered from nearly 800 phone calls from Sept. 1, 2022, to Aug. 31, 2023, with inmates in the jail system. Inmates also complained of little access to cultural and spiritual support programs, particularly for African and Indigenous Nova Scotians. The group issued 42 recommendations, including that the province launch an independent review to identify necessary changes to the jail system, including on issues such as health care. Barbara Adams, the province’s...
Register
Health Canada approves updated Moderna COVID-19 vaccine
The Canadian Press 17/09/2024 13:28 Health Canada authorized Moderna’s updated COVID-19 vaccine that protects against currently circulating variants of the virus on Tuesday. The mRNA vaccine, called Spikevax, has been reformulated to target the KP.2 subvariant of Omicron, the agency said. It replaces the previous version of the vaccine that was released last year, which targeted the XBB.1.5 subvariant of Omicron. Health Canada recently asked provinces and territories to get rid of their older COVID-19 vaccines to ensure the most current vaccine will be used during this fall’s respiratory virus season. Health Canada is also reviewing two other updated COVID-19 vaccines but has not yet authorized them. They are Pfizer’s Comirnaty, which is also an mRNA vaccine, as well as Novavax’s protein-based vaccine. Moderna’s vaccine is approved for adults and...
Register
Arizona tribe fights to stop lithium drilling on culturally significant lands
The Associated Press PHOENIX (AP) — Members of an Arizona tribe are trying to persuade a federal judge to extend a temporary ban on exploratory drilling for a lithium project near lands they have used for religious and cultural ceremonies for centuries. Leaders of the Hualapai Tribe and supporters appeared Tuesday in U.S. District Court before the judge who issued a temporary restraining order last month for work at a site halfway between Phoenix and Las Vegas. Demonstrators gathered outside the courthouse before the hearing. Duane Clark, chairman of the Hualapai Tribe, said the fight to protect the tribe’s ceremonial waters is about ensuring a future for his people. “As we look to our future, we look to our past, to our ancestors, and this is the biggest threat that...
Register
MPs to discuss deaths of First Nations people by police in emergency debate
The Canadian Press MPs will hold an emergency debate in the House of Commons tonight on the recent deaths of First Nations peoples during interactions with Canadian police forces. Six First Nations peoples have died in the last two weeks at the hands of police officers, which NDP MP Lori Idlout characterizes as a “disturbing pattern.” She wrote a letter to Speaker Greg Fergus calling for the emergency debate, while lambasting what she calls a lack of media coverage of the deaths and inaction by the government to pass legislation on First Nations policing. She says that as parliamentarians, they must show leadership and keep institutions accountable. She says a debate will allow discussion of potential measures that could save Indigenous lives. The deaths occurred in Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario...
Register
MPs to discuss deaths of First Nations people by police in emergency debate
By Canadian Press MPs will hold an emergency debate in the House of Commons tonight on the recent deaths of First Nations peoples during interactions with Canadian police forces. Six First Nations peoples have died in the last two weeks at the hands of police officers, which NDP MP Lori Idlout characterizes as a “disturbing pattern.” She wrote a letter to Speaker Greg Fergus calling for the emergency debate, while lambasting what she calls a lack of media coverage of the deaths and inaction by the government to pass legislation on First Nations policing. She says that as parliamentarians, they must show leadership and keep institutions accountable. She says a debate will allow discussion of potential measures that could save Indigenous lives. The deaths occurred in Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario...
Register
Energy minister says public money could help finance Alberta energy cleanup
The Canadian Press 16/09/2024 17:16 Alberta’s energy minister is promising strong action by next fall to clean up the province’s growing backlog of unreclaimed oil and gas sites. “There are many oil wells to reclaim and the current system is unlikely to see them reclaimed,” Brian Jean said in an interview with The Canadian Press. But Jean said industry might need help from public finances to live up to its legal obligations, as well as lower municipal tax burdens and a lighter regulatory approach. “I don’t like sticks. I like carrots,” Jean said. “Without changes to how we approach fixed costs and we approach financing well closure, we won’t make the required progress. We need to find new ways to do liability financing, and we need to change the approach...
Register
MPs to discuss deaths of First Nations people by police in emergency debate
The Canadian Press 16/09/2024 17:18 Members of Parliament will hold an emergency debate in the House of Commons Monday night on a string of recent deaths of First Nations people during interactions with Canadian police forces. Six First Nations people have died in the last two weeks at the hands of police officers, which NDP MP Lori Idlout characterizes as a “disturbing pattern.” She wrote a letter to House Speaker Greg Fergus calling for the emergency debate, lambasting what she called a lack of media coverage of the deaths and inaction by the government to pass legislation on First Nations policing. “As parliamentarians, it is on us to show leadership and take responsibility to keep our institutions accountable. People across Canada must know their Parliament is addressing the institutional violence...
Register
B.C. mayors seek ‘immediate action’ from governments on mental health crisis
The Canadian Press Mayors, First Nations leaders, and law enforcement officials are pleading with the federal and provincial governments to take “immediate action” to address what they call dual “crises” of public safety and mental health issues in communities across British Columbia. At a news conference Monday, Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim and several other politicians from around B.C. announced the request to senior levels of government, touting a letter sent to Premier David Eby and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau calling for action on “three critical fronts.” The letter, signed by 10 mayors, three First Nations leaders, Vancouver’s police chief and others, calls on the governments to bring in “mandatory care” for people with severe mental health and addiction disorders, reform the bail system for repeat offenders and the “bolstering” of...
Register
Oregon tribe sues over federal agency plans to hold an offshore wind energy auction
The Associated Press 16/09/2024 1 EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — A tribe in Oregon whose culture is tied to the ocean is suing the U.S. government over plans to hold an offshore wind energy auction next month, saying the environmental analysis underpinning the sale was too narrow and based on a “predetermined political decision.” The lawsuit, filed by the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians, alleges the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management “failed to take a hard look at the impacts to the environment from private offshore wind energy development,” including those stemming from building and operating wind energy facilities, plus potential effects on aquatic and cultural resources and viewscapes. “The lifestyle and culture of the Tribe is tied to Oregon’s rich coastal and marine waters, which...
Register
Intimate Partner Violence Investigation results in charges
(HALDIMAND COUNTY, ON) – The Haldimand detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have charged a 47-year-old Caledonia resident after launching an investigation into an incident of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) in the town of Caledonia. As a result of the investigation, a Caledonia resident has been charged with the following offences: Assault – Spousal (two counts) Forcible Confinement Uttering Threats – Cause Death or Bodily Harm Possession of Firearm or Ammunition Contrary to Prohibition Order (two counts) Take Motor Vehicle Without Consent Fail to Comply with Probation Order (three counts) The accused remains in custody and is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Cayuga on a later date. Victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) are not alone. If you or someone you know needs...
Register
Quebec premier visits Cree community displaced by hydro project in 1970s
The Canadian Press 16/09/2024 13:26 François Legault has become the first Quebec premier to visit a Cree community that was displaced by a hydroelectric project in the 1970s. Legault was greeted in Nemaska on Sunday by men and women who arrived by canoe to re-enact the founding of their new village in the Eeyou Istchee James Bay region, in northern Quebec, 47 years ago. The community was forced in the early 1970s to move from their original location because they were told it would be flooded as part of the Nottaway-Broadback-Rupert hydro project. The reservoir was ultimately constructed elsewhere, but by then the members of the village had already left for other places, abandoning their homes and many of their belongings in the process. George Wapachee, co-author of a book...
Register
Northland focused on reconciliation; so Indigenous students feel represented at school
By Pearl Lorentzen Local Journalism Initiative Reporter In response to community engagement, Northland School Division has made connections that support reconciliation with its Indigenous communities and students its number one priority. Northland runs schools in northern Alberta, including in Wabasca, Calling Lake, Chipewyan Lake, Grouard, Métis settlements, and other communities. The majority of Northland students are Indigenous, says Cal Johnson, Northland superintendent. About 10 to 20 per cent of the teachers are Indigenous, but a higher percentage of education assistants and support staff are Indigenous community members. In an effort to get more teachers from the local communities, Northland has a program with the University of Calgary for education assistants who want to study to become teachers while living in their own community. Last year, Northland did community engagement in...
Register
Energy minister says public money could help finance Alberta energy cleanup
Canadian Press 16/09/2024 12:53 Alberta’s energy minister is promising strong action to clean up the province’s growing backlog of unreclaimed oil and gas sites. Brian Jean says the effort might involve using public finances, even though industry is already legally required to clean up its mess. Jean tells The Canadian Press that municipal governments have to recognize that the industry needs competitive taxes if it’s going to be able to pay any taxes at all. He says the industry may also need a lighter regulatory burden. Jean says talks with industry, landowners and some First Nations are already being organized. He expects legislation to be ready by fall of next year. The issue of how to fund the cleanup of tens of thousands of pieces of energy infrastructure at a...
Register
The election race is on in the Carleton ridings
By Jim Dumville Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Even before the writ officially dropped, candidates for most political parties hit the campaign trail in the three Upper St. John River Valley encompassing Carleton County and portions of York and Victoria Counties. The ridings of Carleton-York, Woodstock-Hartland and Carleton-Victoria provide the ruling Progressive Conservatives with one of the strongest footholds in the province. All three incumbents hold seats in Premier Blaine Higgs’ cabinet. Carleton-York MLA Richard Ames has served as Transportation and Infrastructure Minister since replacing former Minister Jeff Carr in June 2023. Carr moved to the backbenches after falling out with Premier Higgs over disagreements regarding the government’s proposed changes to the Education Department’s Policy 713, which affected how schools dealt with trans students. Woodstock-Hartland (formerly Carleton) incumbent MLA Bill Hogan,...
Register
UN official says between 20 and 50 people have been killed in Papua New Guinea violence
The Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Between 20 and 50 people have been killed in violence among illegal miners in Papua New Guinea, a United Nations official said Monday. The fighting started days ago and is continuing in the Porgera Valley, near the site of a landslide in May estimated to have killed more than 2,000 people, according to the South Pacific island nation’s government. The U.N.’s humanitarian adviser for Papua New Guinea, Mate Bagossy, said the death toll of at least 20 as of Sunday was based on information from community members and local authorities in Enga province in the nation’s mountainous inland. “We have confirmed that at least 20 people have been killed, but as per the last news that I have, it’s likely up to 50...
Register
