Eby says B.C. is at a ‘pivot point’ as he promises future based on natural resources
By Wolfgang Depner British Columbia Premier David Eby used his appearance at the convention of British Columbia’s New Democrats to highlight several resource projects, while saying that the federal ban on tankers off B.C.’s northern coast is here to stay. Eby promised Saturday that B.C. will turn its natural resources into the wealth needed to “sustain strong public services for generations to come,” citing several projects his government is pursuing. They include the North Coast Transmission Line set to power mining and LNG projects in northwestern B.C., with Eby calling the line “one of the biggest, most transformational opportunities” in a century. He said the nation-building project, which Prime Minister Mark Carney this week listed for consideration for fast-tracking by Ottawa, will support new industries while “creating 10,000 good jobs...
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Inside the Labour Struggle at Massy Books
By Isaac Phan Nay, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Tyee After opening her bookstore eight years ago, Patricia Massy quickly became a star in the Vancouver arts scene. Massy Books has become a much-loved store, showcasing Indigenous, feminist and progressive books. While it was active, Massy’s associated art space offered about 140 community events a year. Publicly, Massy has made a commitment to fair treatment of employees and support for progressive causes. In 2022, it became the first B.C. bookstore to become a living-wage employer. But a contentious union drive, the departure of almost all the staff seeking a first contract and fierce criticism from some former employees have embroiled Massy Books in controversy for almost a year. In September 2024, a majority of about a dozen employees at the...
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Alberta wants to release treated oilsands waste into the Athabasca River. Mikisew Cree First Nation says it’s ‘unacceptable’
By Carl Meyer, The Narwhal Seven months after the Liberal Party vowed to “immediately introduce and pass legislation” affirming the right of First Nations to clean drinking water, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government says they’re still working on it. This comes as First Nations leaders call on the government to better protect the health of their communities from the threat of toxic waste in the Alberta oilsands. The Alberta government is looking closely at recommendations made in September to speed up the creation of standards, so oilsands companies can treat and release their giant reservoirs of wastewater, called tailings ponds, into the Athabasca River. The oil and gas industry has been asking for permission to release the treated wastewater. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has given Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz a...
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Federal and Manitoba governments announce more steps toward port project
By Steve Lambert One of the federal government’s proposed nation-building projects — the expansion of the Port of Churchill and the rail line that serves the remote northern community — will require a lot of work, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Sunday. “We’ll move forward in steps,” Carney said at the start of a 45-minute meeting with Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew in Kinew’s office. “It’s a very big project, very ambitious, and a lot of work to do, starting now,” he said in French. Manitoba has long touted Churchill, a town of 900 people on the shore of Hudson Bay, as a port with huge potential to ship goods via the Arctic Ocean to Europe and elsewhere. The project recently made a list of initiatives being considered as “transformative” by...
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TD Bank settles human rights complaint by B.C. Muslim-Indigenous man
By Brieanna Charlebois A human rights complaint has been settled between the TD Bank and a Muslim-Indigenous man who claimed he was racially profiled while trying to open a bank account at a Surrey, B.C., branch. Sharif Mohammed Bhamji, a member of the Heiltsuk Nation, said he hopes his case serves as example to others who have experienced similar injustices and encourages them to speak out. “It’s not the solution but it’s definitely part of it, and I’m glad to be part of a solution,” he said in an interview. Bhamji and TD executives took part in a traditional Heiltsuk washing ceremony on Sunday in Bella Bella, a healing ritual that the nation’s elected chief said sets the bar for corporate accountability. The monetary values of the settlement have not...
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Six Nations Police lift Ohweken Shelter-In-Place
OHSWEKEN, SIX NATIONS – Six Nations Police and the Haldimand Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), lifted a shelter-in-place advisory in the Fourth Line and Chiefswood Rd. area of Ohsweken at about 8 a.m. today (Nov., 17, 2025). Police have said there is no threat to public safety. Six Nations Police (SNP) issued the shelter-in-place advisory Monday, November 17, 2025, at around 4:00 a.m. in response to “an active incident involving an armed individual.” Police said as part of the initial response, members of the public in the affected area were urged to follow shelter-in-place precautions. “We recognize the significant emotional impact that receiving a shelter-in-place can cause and appreciate the public’s patience as officers worked to investigate and resolve the situation.” SNP said. “We thank members of the...
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There’s work to be done before Ring of Fire gets a spot on Major Projects list: Hajdu
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Thunder Bay Source THUNDER BAY — There’s work to be done before a project in the Ring of Fire could be added to the federal Major Projects Office’s list, Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu said Friday. Hajdu, MP for Thunder Bay-Superior North, was speaking a day after the government announced projects to be considered for streamlined approval processes. None of them are in Northwestern Ontario. “I think my role is to make sure that there are northern Ontario projects that are on the list,” Hajdu told Newswatch. “Ultimately, I think everybody is interested in seeing the Ring of Fire move forward,” she said, referring to mineral-rich lands where Australia-headquartered Wyloo wants to tap its Eagle’s Nest deposit. “I think the Ring of Fire has...
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Shelter-in-place order lifted after gun theft in northern Alberta: RCMP
A shelter-in-place order issued by RCMP after a firearm theft in northern Alberta has been lifted. Police say in a news release that shortly after noon on Saturday, unknown suspects committed a robbery near Red Earth Creek and that several guns were taken and suspects shot at a civilian who was in the area. They fled, but at 6 p.m., several sightings of the suspect vehicle were reported, and Mounties later located the vehicle and three suspects north of Peerless Trout First Nation where police said the suspects appeared to be using a jerry can to put gas in the truck but ran into the woods when officers arrived. They say it’s believed they took three firearms with them, and police issued the shelter-in-place issue for the area of Peerless...
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Prime Minister Mark Carney in Winnipeg for Grey Cup, Louis Riel ceremony
By Steve Lambert Prime Minister Mark Carney has paid tribute to Métis leader Louis Riel on the 140th anniversary of Riel’s execution. Carney joined other dignitaries at Riel’s grave site in Winnipeg, and said Riel fought for people’s rights while the Métis faced injustice. Carney said Riel’s execution divided a young nation but his legacy helps to unite a Canada determined to learn from history. The Manitoba Métis Federation said Carney is believed to be the first sitting prime minister to attend the annual ceremony at Riel’s grave. Riel fought for a list of rights that paved the way for Manitoba’s entry into Confederation. Riel was arrested after a later rebellion in what is now Saskatchewan, convicted of treason and hanged. This report by The Canadian Press was first published...
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Federal and Manitoba governments announce more steps toward port project
By Steve Lambert The federal and Manitoba governments say they are continuing to take steps toward a possible expansion of the Port of Churchill on Hudson Bay. The idea of improving the port and a railway that serves it is among several nation-building projects touted by Prime Minister Mark Carney. But it’s not clear when the project may come to fruition, as it is based on several requirements including a Crown-Indigenous corporation the province has yet to establish. Carney met with Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew today and announced funding for a study on the potential of specialized icebreakers, ice tugs and research vessels at the port. Kinew announced $51 million for improvements to the rail line and a new critical-minerals storage facility at the port. The two politicians also attended...
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Fact File: No ‘plan’ to ‘euthanize’ 15 million Canadians with Medical Assistance In Dying
By Marissa Birnie Podcast clips recently shared on social media claim that Health Canada plans to save money by “euthanizing” 15 million Canadians. The clips cite a journal article that presents a scenario in which members of specific vulnerable groups receive medical assistance in dying, (MAID) with or without consent. The authors estimate that from 2027-2047 that would result in a total of 16.7 million MAID deaths in Canada. There are no “plans” by Heath Canada to force MAID on patients, who must meet certain criteria to choose assisted dying, and a palliative care doctor says the article’s scenario overstates the number of expected MAID deaths. One of the article’s co-authors emphasized the paper was a “scenario analysis” and acknowledged its findings do not represent the current reality of MAID...
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Feds send Ksi Lisims LNG to Major Projects Office amid court challenges
By Natasha Bulowski, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer Months after promising that respect for Indigenous rights is fundamental to his major projects agenda, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the Ksi Lisims LNG project — which would require a new gas pipeline snaking through First Nations territory — will head to the Major Projects Office for possible fast-tracking. In Carney’s telling, Ksi Lisims is one piece of a trio of interlocking major projects: a floating liquefaction plant off the northwest coast of British Columbia, the estimated 900-kilometre Prince Rupert Gas Transmission (PRGT) pipeline to move gas from northern BC to the coast, and a new transmission line to power the export terminal with electricity. “LNG is an essential fuel for the energy transition,” he said. “We’re home to the...
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Ottawa fast-tracks Inuit-led hydroelectric project to power Iqaluit
By Sonal Gupta, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer A new hydroelectric project that promises to transform energy in Nunavut’s capital has been fast-tracked by the federal government as part of a broader nation-building push. For decades, Iqaluit’s electricity has relied on outdated and heavily polluting diesel power plants that emit roughly 130,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases each year and drive some of the highest power bills in Canada. “The fact that we have a capital city in Canada that’s still diesel dependent is an embarrassment and a reflection of colonialism,” said Jess Puddister, strategy and operations manager of Nunavut Nukkiksautiit Corporation, the territory’s first fully Inuit-owned clean energy developer, which will be leading the project. On Thursday in Terrace, British Columbia, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced federal support...
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Manitoba government seeking suppliers for new monument in front of legislature
By Steve Lambert The Manitoba government is looking for design teams to help build a new statue on the front lawn of the legislature. The government announced plans a year ago to have a monument of a mother bison and her child erected in the spot where a statue of Queen Victoria had been torn down by protesters in 2021. The province is now looking for submissions from design teams interested in drawing up the monument, and is hoping to have a shortlist of qualified teams by February. Premier Wab Kinew has said the mother and child bison will serve as a reminder of the harm residential schools inflicted on Indigenous communities by separating families. Kinew released an image, created by artificial intelligence, last year showing a possible version of...
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‘Backdoor dealing’: B.C. farmer decries omission of private owners from Cowichan case
By Nono Shen The co-owner of an eight-hectare farm on the Cowichan Tribes Aboriginal title lands said he and fellow private landowners were unfairly left out of the court case that confirmed the title claim. Gord Maichin said Friday that the decision of the B.C. Supreme Court not to inform landowners about the case that has set off a debate about its impact on private land ownership was “backdoor dealing” that left the owners unable to defend themselves. Maichin, speaking at a news conference about the case called by Richmond City Coun. Alexa Loo, said he and his cousins and uncles have owned the farm for 20 years. He said provincial and federal governments should have been more transparent and brought private owners to the table during the trial instead...
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Pope returns 62 artifacts to Indigenous peoples from Canada as part of reckoning with colonial past
By Nicole Winfield VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican on Saturday returned 62 artifacts from its vast ethnographic collection to Indigenous peoples from Canada, as part of the Catholic Church’s reckoning with its role in helping suppress Indigenous culture in the Americas. Pope Leo XIV gave the artifacts, including an iconic Inuit kayak, and supporting documentation to the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, which said it would return the items to Indigenous communities “as soon as possible.” A joint statement from the Vatican and Canadian church described the pieces as a “gift” and a “concrete sign of dialogue, respect and fraternity.” The artifacts are expected to land in Montreal on Dec. 6 and be taken first to the Canadian Museum of History in Ottawa, which will arrange for them to...
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B.C.’s NDP vote against leadership review for Premier David Eby
By Wolfgang Depner Almost 83 per cent of delegates attending a convention of British Columbia’s New Democrats signalled their support for Premier David Eby by not asking for a leadership review. Of the 740 delegates who cast ballots, 609 opted against calling for a review of Eby’s leadership. The announcement of the vote comes after Eby used his appearance at the convention to highlight several resource projects, while saying that the federal ban on tankers off B.C.’s northern coast is here to stay. Eby says B.C. will turn its natural resources into the wealth needed to “sustain strong public services for generations to come,” citing several natural resource projects which his government is pursuing. They include the North Coast Transmission Line set to power mining and LNG projects in northwestern...
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Two people charged after missing person in Kenora, Ont., confirmed dead
Provincial police say two suspects have been arrested in the death of a missing Kenora, Ont., resident, and one of them is facing a murder charge. Police say Mekhi Pelly of Grassy Narrows First Nation was reported missing on Oct. 26. They say the 21-year-old has since been confirmed dead. A 24-year-old suspect has been charged with first-degree murder and a 43-year-old suspect was charged with accessory after the fact to murder. Both suspects from Kenora remain in custody and are scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 4. Police say their efforts to find the victim’s remains are ongoing in collaboration with Grassy Narrows First Nation and Washagamis Bay First Nation. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2025. ...
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Kinew weighs in on killer’s release from prison, reaches out to prime minister
By Brittany Hobson Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew and First Nations organizations are calling for a review of the justice system after learning a man who killed two Indigenous women is being released from prison. Shawn Lamb pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the 2012 deaths of Carolyn Sinclair and Lorna Blacksmith and was sentenced to 20 years the following year. By law, most federal inmates are automatically released after serving two-thirds of their sentence, which is known as statutory release. Offenders serving life or indeterminate sentences are not eligible. Kinew told reporters Thursday that he was drafting a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney after learning Lamb had been granted statutory release. He said he didn’t plan on asking to discuss Lamb’s case with Carney but would touch on concerns about...
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Inukjuak band’s 2nd album hits the right notes with contest judges
By Dominique Gené, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunatsiaq News Inukjuak-based band Qimutjuit brought home the award for album of the year Indigenous languages from the 2025 Premier Gala de L’ADISQ. The 46th edition of l’Association québécoise de l’industrie du disque, du spectacle et de la video — or Québec Association for the Recording, Concert and Video Industries — celebrated the best of Quebec’s music and art at a ceremony Nov. 5 at Montréal’s Théâtre Wilfrid-Pelletier. The self-titled album Qimutjuit, the band’s second album, was released last December. It’s available on Spotify and Apple Music. The band, including singer and guitarist Charlie Iqaluk, singer and drummer Eric Atagotaaluk, keyboardist Pauloosie Kasudluak and bass player Jobie Oweetaluktuk, was formed in 1990. “We were pretty much dumbfounded. We were genuinely not expecting to...
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