Canada’s biggest off-grid solar project coming to B.C.’s Chilcotin
By Andie Mollins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Williams Lake Tribune The Ulkatcho Energy Corporation (UEC) hosted a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday, June 11 as construction begins on the Anahim Lake Solar Project. Located at the western edge of B.C.’s Chilcotin, Ulkatcho First Nation will soon access solar generated power from Canada’s largest off-grid solar project, expected to complete construction in October 2025. 100 per cent owned by UEC, a member of the nation’s Ulkatcho Group of Companies (UGoC), the project is expected to reduce the use of diesel in the remote community by 64 per cent, about 1.1 million litres per year, and to significantly reduce carbon emissions in the region. “This solar project in Anahim Lake marks a new path for the Ulkatcho First Nation, creating significant lasting...
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Liberals under fire for rushing bill through Parliament to speed up resource projects
By Kyle Duggan Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government is coming under fire for seeking to rush through a major piece of legislation that grants cabinet sweeping powers to quickly approve major projects. Government House leader Steven MacKinnon put a motion on notice Thursday that would push Bill C-5 through the House of Commons by the end of next week — leaving just one day to hear from civil society groups, stakeholders and experts. Critics charge the move is anti-democratic. In a fiery exchange in question period, Bloc Québécois House Leader Christine Normandin accused Prime Minister Mark Carney of trying to “steamroll” a bill through the House that would greatly expand his own powers. “The prime minister has no right to impose C-5 under closure when the bill gives him exceptional...
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Protests at G7 summit in Alberta set to be largely peaceful, targeting Trump policies
By Fakiha Baig Protests during the upcoming G7 leaders summit in Kananaskis, Alta., may be starkly different than demonstrations happening this week against immigration crackdowns in the United States. A University of Toronto research group that has been monitoring the meetings of world leaders since 1998 says its analysis shows Canadian protests are more peaceful and smaller. But similar to the recent demonstrations in Los Angeles, they’re likely to be against the policies of U.S. President Donald Trump. “The Los Angeles protests will add another (issue) the protesters going there already care about, but it won’t do anything much more than that,” said John Kirton, director of the G7 Research Group. “I don’t think it’ll bring more protesters, too. Nor will the L.A. protests delay Trump from coming here.” Prime...
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Continued failure to consult on uranium exploration a harmful mistake: Mi’kmaw Chiefs
By Lyndsay Armstrong Nova Scotia’s continued failure to consult with First Nations on uranium exploration is a mistake that will further erode the province’s relationship with Mi’kmaq communities, says the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Chiefs and a lawyer from Sipekne’katik First Nation. Pictou Landing First Nation Chief Tamara Young said the Mi’kmaq people were neither consulted nor notified when Nova Scotia introduced then passed a bill that opens the province up to potential uranium mining and fracking. “The lack of consultation is unacceptable and goes against the UNDRIP (United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples),” Young said in a statement to The Canadian Press on Wednesday. The assembly has said they will continue to oppose both uranium exploration and hydraulic fracturing until their environmental concerns have been...
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Alberta to explore injecting oilsands tailings underground as one management option
By Jack Farrell The Alberta government says it is considering letting oil companies inject wastewater deep underground as a way to manage the toxic tailings that are accumulating in the oilsands. The idea is one of five policy recommendations being put forward by a government-appointed committee tasked with studying potential tailings management options. A new report from the committee, which was formed over a year ago and is chaired by United Conservative MLA Tany Yao of Fort McMurray, says injecting mine water underground is a practical solution — but considering over 1.4 trillion litres of tailings exist as of 2023, it can’t be the only option. “The accumulation of (oilsands mine water) represents a management challenge, particularly in the absence of established water release standards,” the report reads. “This approach...
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Protesters urge government to ‘Kill Bill 5’
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Thunder Bay Source THUNDER BAY – Kevin Holland, the MPP for Thunder Bay–Atikokan, says the new Protect Ontario act doesn’t take away Indigenous rights. Lucille Atlookan sees it differently. “Yeah, that’s bullshit,” the Eabametoong First Nation member said Thursday. Atlookan was among more than 100 protesters outside the Progressive Conservative MPP’s constituency office on James Street calling for the repeal of Bill 5, the recently passed Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act. Her picket sign read “Protect the Land.” Others implored Premier Doug Ford’s government to honour treaties and “Kill Bill 5.” Caro Whipp, a self-described “settler” who co-organized the flash rally against Bill 5, said “if (Holland) was in his office today, he would see the constituents out here today who...
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B.C. Independent MLAs start new party to ‘combat the globalist assault’
By Ashley Joannou Two former members of the B.C. Conservatives who have been sitting as Independents for months say they are launching a new provincial political party. Dallas Brodie, the MLA for Vancouver-Quilchena, posted on social media Thursday that she is the interim leader of the party called One BC, along with house leader Tara Armstrong, who represents Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream. In a post on Instagram, Brodie said she built the new party for British Columbians who are “proud of their history and aren’t afraid to fight for a prosperous and beautiful future.” “I knew it was time to build something new, to reverse the flight of capital, talent, and young people, to combat the globalist assault on our history, culture and families, to rebuild our corrupted institutions and crumbling infrastructure,”...
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Removal of hundreds of illegal cattle in the Amazon sparks protests and divides residents
By Fabiano Maisonnave BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — The removal of hundreds of cattle raised illegally on public land designated for sustainable forest use in Brazil’s Amazon has sparked protests and divided residents, with some seeking to preserve rubber-tapping and Brazil nut harvesting and others wanting to consolidate livestock farming. The removal operation started last week in one of the country’s most renowned Amazon conservation units, the Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve, named for the famed rubber tapper and environmentalist killed in 1988. Federal agents working with police and military officials seized around 400 heads of cattle from two farmers who had failed to comply with judicial eviction orders. The raids are set to continue in the coming weeks. But dozens of residents of the reserve protested the action, seeking to create...
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Canada steers global push to quell ocean noise pollution at UN summit
By Rochelle Baker, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer Canada is launching an international effort to tackle the swell of ocean noise pollution harming marine life across the globe — sparking hope among conservation groups for quieter Canadian waters. At the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France, delegates from Canada and Panama partnered this week to launch the high-ambition Coalition for a Quiet Ocean, the first global declaration devoted solely to reducing human-caused ocean noise. The voluntary declaration, with 35 other nations on board, suggests turning down the volume underwater by reducing noise in marine-protected areas (MPAs), sharing data and building global knowledge, protecting vulnerable ocean life and pushing for quieter ships through new rules at the International Maritime Organization. “The declaration sends a really important message that a...
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Prophet River First Nation starts voluntary evacuations for vulnerable community members
By Ed Hitchins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Energeticcity.ca PROPHET RIVER, B.C. — Battered by wildfires within the area, Prophet River First Nation (PRFN) has started voluntary evacuation of Elders, youth and at-risk residents with health concerns. Several wildfires, including one near Pocket Knife Creek, have already prompted the First Nation community on mile 233 on the Alaska Highway to issue cancellations for several events. PRFN’s latest update issued to LinkedIn on Tuesday, June 10th said while there was no “immediate threat” with fires being as far as 50 kilometres away, preparations were already underway as it does acknowledge “shifting winds may change conditions.” “Transportation and accommodations are being coordinated,” the post reads. “Please stay prepared.” PRFN has posted daily updates from Chief Valerie Askoty on its LinkedIn page. Check Energeticcity.ca’s...
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Trump administration pulls US out of agreement to help restore salmon in the Columbia River
By Gene Johnson SEATTLE (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday pulled the U.S. out of an agreement with Washington, Oregon and four American Indian tribes to work together to restore salmon populations and boost tribal clean energy development in the Pacific Northwest, deriding the plan as “radical environmentalism” that could have resulted in the breaching of four controversial dams on the Snake River. The deal, known as the Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement, was reached in late 2023 and heralded by the Biden administration, tribes and conservationists as historic. It allowed for a pause in decades of litigation over the harm the federal government’s operation of dams in the Northwest has done to the fish. Under it, the federal government said it planned to spend more than $1 billion over...
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Fort St. John Métis Society elects new board with focus on ‘programs that forward culture’
By Ed Hitchins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Energeticcity.ca FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The Métis community of Fort St. John has elected a new board to represent residents. The Fort St. John Métis Society announced its board in a Facebook post on June 8th. Seven board members, including director and proposal writer Bailie Copeland, were elected at the society’s annual general meeting on Sunday for a two-year term. Copeland will join her mother Alana, who serves as president. Also included are bingo committee chair Nancy Desjarlais; Elder representative Shirley Salmond; vice-president Peggy Olanski; women’s representative Coreen Stevens; and secretary-treasurer Candace Peever. Additionally, Desjarlais, Salmond and Stevens will also serve as directors. Copeland told Energeticcity.ca it’s “business as usual” for the board, which includes initiatives such as around food security for...
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Doig River First Nation acquires majority stake in ecological restoration company
By Ed Hitchins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Energeticcity.ca FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Doig River First Nation (DRFN) has made a massive step forward in furthering its environmental goals across northeast B.C. by its investment in an ecological restoration company. According to a press release submitted to Energeticcity.ca, DRFN has acquired a majority interest in Fort St. John-based Blackbird Environmental on Wednesday, June 11th. Financial terms of the arrangement were not disclosed. DRFN Chief Trevor Makadahay said the acquisition gives his community “a direct role in how restoration happens on our territory – with our knowledge, our values and our standards at the forefront.” “Healing the land means more than reclamation,” said Makadahay. “It’s about restoring the balance between our people, the animals and the environment.” Focusing on progressive reclamation,...
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Haida filmmaker’s documentary shares story about Indigenous basketball and sovereignty
By Abby Luciano, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, North Shore News A Northern B.C. basketball team is fighting for more than a championship title on the court. Saints and Warriors, the debut documentary from Haida filmmaker Nang Ḵ’uulas (Patrick Shannon), captures the story of the Skidegate Saints and their journey competing in the 2024 All Native Basketball Tournament in Prince Rupert, but also the present-day fight for the Hadia Nation’s sovereignty and getting land back. “I felt compelled to tell the story of Haida basketball because even though I didn’t play basketball growing up, it’s still something that has shaped every single person on Haida Gwaii,” Shannon said. “I knew that sports was always a great vehicle to tell a much larger story of culture revitalization, resilience and it’s also an...
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Kinew says Manitoba hotel owners should step up for wildfire evacuees
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew says some hotel owners in the province are not doing enough to help wildfire evacuees. Kinew said on Thursday after touring some fire-hit areas that while a large majority of hotel operators have been great, some need to open up rooms as there are evacuees still sleeping in cots in emergency shelters. About 21,000 people in Manitoba have had to evacuate including from Flin Flon, Pimicikamak Cree Nation and other areas. There’s a fire burning about five kilometres away from the First Nation, while the one near Flin Flon is the biggest one in the province at about 3,000 square kilometres. A smaller fire is burning south of Cranberry Portage, but the community’s 600 residents are being allowed to return home starting Saturday morning. Officials in...
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Works inspired by Inuit and Viking cultures on display
By Crystal St.Pierre, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Windspeaker.com The work of Inuit artist Abraham Anghik Ruben will be featured in the Winnipeg Art Gallery’s (WAG) – Qaumajuq space until May 31, 2026. The exhibition marks the first ever solo show in WAG’s Qilak gallery, the main gallery within Qaumajuq, which is the largest exhibition space dedicated to Inuit art in the world. With more than 50 years and 100 pieces of Ruben’s artwork showcased, visitors will have the opportunity to travel through the artist’s lifelong journey of reconnecting with his roots and view his interpretations of some of the traditional stories he grew up with. The master sculptor was born in 1951 in a camp south of Paulatuk, N.W.T. and east of the Mackenzie River Delta. It was a time...
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Thousands of fry released in fourth annual chinook salmon event
By Abigail Popple, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Rocky Mountain Goat Nearly 9,000 chinook salmon fry swam free at this year’s salmon release day in Valemount. Organized in tandem with Simpcw First Nation, Tourism Valemount and Prince George-based Spruce City Wildlife Association, the annual event allows locals to watch as salmon are released into Swift Creek with the goal of replenishing the local salmon population. This year’s event included some changes that will allow organizers to better track growth in the salmon population, said Dustin Snyder, president of the Spruce City Wildlife Association. Organizers cut off the fry’s adipose fin – a small, fleshy fin three quarters of the way down a fish’s back – a technique that marks hatchery fish. When hatchery fish are caught, fishers send their heads...
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Nunavut News briefs
By Jill Westerman, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News Securing Canada’s Arctic Arctic security was of concern to MLA Kaernerk during the May 30th sitting of the Legislative Assembly. Kaernerk expressed disappoint to Premier Akeeagok about the announcement that Iqaluit would be the new headquarters under Arctic security and sovereignty, as he was advocating for Sanirajak. “I would like to know how was this decision made. I know it was done federally, but did the premier at least advocate for my constituents of Amittummiut?” Kaernerk asked. Akeeagok said the prime minister did not announce the headquarters would be located in Iqaluit, but he did announce a northern operation hub in the capital city – one of three that were identified, the other two being located in Inuvik and Yellowknife. “I...
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The Latest: California challenges Trump’s use of military in Los Angeles
-AP-Opponents of President Donald Trump ’s administration are set to rally in hundreds of cities on Saturday during the military parade in Washington for the Army’s 250th anniversary — which coincides with Trump’s birthday — as protests grow in response to his immigration policies. The “No Kings” protests have been called, organizers say, to protect America’s democracy as Trump vows to increase his deployment of military forces inside the United States. A federal court hearing is scheduled for Thursday challenging Trump’s use of the National Guard and Marines to support immigration raids in Los Angeles. California Gov. Gavin Newsom warns that the military intervention is the onset of a much broader effort by Trump to overturn norms at the heart of America’s political system. Testifying Thursday before Congress, New York...
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The reverence for Old Glory that inspired Flag Day arose decades after Betsy Ross sewed her first
By John Hanna TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The woman often credited with sewing the first national U.S. flag — at the request of George Washington himself, her descendants claimed — might have been puzzled by Saturday’s modern Flag Day. In Betsy Ross’ day, flags marked ships and told soldiers where they should move in the confusion of battlefield smoke and noise. The intense reverence many Americans feel for Old Glory arose from the Civil War, when the need to keep the banner aloft in battle led the Union army to treat the deadly job of flag bearer as a high honor — and men responded with fatal heroics. The first, local Flag Day observances came after the Civil War and eventually a federal law designated June 14 as Flag Day...
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