‘All about collaboration’: John Main emerges as Nunavut’s new premier
By Jeff Pelletier, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunatsiaq News It was a nearly three-hour-long job interview for John Main and David Akeeagok on Tuesday. But after 26 questions from their MLA colleagues, Main, the MLA for Arviat North-Whale Cove, emerged victorious as the man who will serve as Nunavut’s seventh premier. “It feels a bit surreal, to be honest,” Main said in his first comments to reporters Tuesday evening. “Maybe it’ll sink in in a couple of hours, but I’m just so thankful [for] all the support I’ve gotten from my colleagues.” Under Nunavut’s consensus government, one of the first things MLAs do after an election is meet among themselves to decide who will be premier and who will be cabinet ministers. Main and Akeeagok were nominated by their colleagues...
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Ministers discuss mandate letters in rural media roundtable
By Heather Cameron, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Taber Times Minister of Arts, Culture and Status of Women Tanya Fir, Minister of Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration Joseph Schow, Minister of Tourism and Sport Andrew Boitchenko, and Minister of Forestry and Parks Todd Loewen recently held a joint virtual rural media roundtable discussion. “As Minister of Arts, Culture, and Status of Women, I’m proud of the strong foundation our government has laid, and I’m excited to tackle the key priorities in my updated mandate letter from Premier Danielle Smith to continue serving Albertans,” said Minister Fir. The government, Minister Fir stated, is working on many things to help Albertans, including a ten-year strategy to end gender-based violence that will continually bring more awareness, prevention and supports to Albertans in every...
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B.C. Liberal MPs say tanker ban changes would need provincial, First Nations consent
By David Baxter B.C. Liberal MPs say the tanker ban on the northern B.C. coast can’t change without provincial and First Nations consent. The Globe and Mail is reporting that the federal government, which is in talks with Alberta on the prospect of building a new pipeline, is considering allowing some tanker traffic on the northern B.C. coast. Jonathan Wilkinson, a B.C. Liberal MP and a former federal environment minister, said today that “a number of things” would need to happen before the tanker ban could change, including discussions with the B.C. government and coastal First Nations. Gurbux Saini, another B.C. Liberal MP, said before the weekly caucus meeting that “there will be no pipeline” unless First Nations and the B.C. government give their consent. B.C. Premier David Eby has...
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Rural, First Nations Communities to see Nurse Practitioners
By Steven Sukkau, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Winnipeg Sun Prairie Mountain Health (PMH) has welcomed four new nurse practitioners (NPs) to communities across western Manitoba, strengthening front-line primary care and improving access to health services in both rural and First Nations communities. The new practitioners have begun seeing patients in Rossburn/Shoal Lake, Melita, Canupawakpa First Nation, the Brandon Minor Injury and Illness Clinic, and the Dauphin Primary Care Outreach Clinic. PMH officials say the additions are part of ongoing efforts to recruit and retain health-care professionals while expanding the region’s Graduate Nurse Practitioner program. “Along with our health partners and stakeholders, which include our communities, we continue to look for ways to support, recruit and retain healthcare staff within PMH,” said CEO Treena Slate. “By having NPs provide services from...
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The lost child: A sex assault, a secret and a family’s fight for justice for residential school abuse
By Bethany Lindsay, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Ninah Hermiston, Rochelle Becker, Investigative Journalism Foundation Terry Chase was 54 years old when he met his biological father for the first time. He’d always known he was adopted and had been searching for his birth parents since he was a teenager. But each time he tried to find out more information, the Penticton, B.C., man would come to a dead end. That all changed in 2023, when his adoptive sister came up with an idea — she decided to post on Facebook about his search. Within two hours, Chase was connected with a man who appeared to be his biological father. “The power of the internet, right? It’s crazy,” Chase told the IJF. DNA testing would later confirm that his father was...
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The Latest: Bill to release Epstein files passes in Senate, heads to Trump for signature
The Senate immediately passed a bill Wednesday morning to force the Justice Department to publicly release its files on the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In an unusual move, Republicans and Democrats in the Senate agreed Tuesday evening to pass the bill as soon as it was sent over from the House, which passed it 427-1 earlier in the day. Formerly a fierce opponent to the proposal, President Donald Trump in recent days bowed to political reality, saying he would sign it into law. The decisive, bipartisan effort showed the pressure mounting on lawmakers and the Trump administration to meet long-held demands that the Justice Department release its case files on Epstein, a well-connected financier who killed himself while awaiting trial in 2019 on charges he sexually abused and trafficked...
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amaSioux Valley election officer says vote is ‘nullified’zon
By Connor McDowell, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Brandon Sun The electoral officer for Sioux Valley Dakota Nation has filed a report disputing the election results for chief and council that were announced Monday. Former chief Jennifer Bone was declared winner by a vote of 371 to 212 against incumbent chief Vince Tacan after a tumultuous vote-counting process late last week. Electoral officer Burke Ratte told the Sun Tuesday that he submitted a six-page report to Indigenous Services Canada after the federal agency requested a status update on the election. Ratte said he told the agency that the First Nation’s improvised ballot count on Friday should be considered null. “She asked when I can complete (the election). I responded back with my report: ‘I can’t. And the election is nullified,” Ratte...
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Santa Claus rides through Six Nations
Santa Claus Parade brings a country Christmas to Six Nations By Carly McHugh Writer The Six Nations community gathered for a fun-filled ho-ho-holiday hoedown this past Saturday, at Community Minded Spirits in Action’s (CMSA’s) 37th annual Santa Claus Parade. Eager parade goers bundled up and secured their spots on Chiefswood Road and Fourth Line, to catch a glimpse of Old Saint Nick, get some holiday goodies and see how participants put their spin on this year’s float competition theme: A Country Christmas. Clad in lumberjack plaid, the New Credit Fellowship Centre’s first place and people’s choice winning display featured Frosty the Snowman commanding a sleigh pulled by a wild stallion. Also tied for first place was the Department of Well-Being’s decked-out barn, complete with colourful lights and a Christmas tree....
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Six Nations Elected Council takes audit to the community
Audit meeting public after Councillors intervene Last Thursday’s public presentation got off to a rocky start when Elected Chief Sherri-Lyn Hill told Turtle Island News (TIN) they would not allow taping or posting of the public meeting. TIN editor Lynda Powless objected asking if SNEC approved the move. Elected Chief Hill met with Councillors who overrode the decision and could be heard questioning why it could not be broadcasted. Elected Chief Hill had received advice from the new CEO to stop the videoing. A smiling Elected Chief told Turtle Island News “I was advised by staff not to allow it and that’s why I took it to Council who said no, it’s a public meeting.” By Lynda Powless Editor The audience may have been small but the message behind the Six Nations Elected...
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Kahnawake Chief Diabo says feds fail to uphold fiscal responsibility
By Lucas-Matthew Marsh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Iori:wase While spared from the harshest austerity measures outlined in the 2025 federal budget, the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) is concerned about how upcoming cuts to Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) will impact the community. MCK Grand Chief Cody Diabo accused the federal government of failing to uphold its fiscal responsibility to First Nations with the budget. “One could see it as a way to starve us into submission,” Diabo said. Presented last week, the Liberal Party has touted the 2025 federal budget as an “investment budget,” reducing funding for social services in favour of increased spending on infrastructure projects. Professor Peter Graefe called the shift a clear break from the Trudeau-era approach to public spending. “Carney is changing the direction here, in...
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MCFN human rights case revolves around student inequity
By Carly McHugh Writer MISSISSAUGA CREDIT FIRST NATION-Lack of comparability remains at the heart of the MCFN human rights case. With evidence presentations now past their midpoint, one of the key concepts continuously resurfacing in the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation’s (MCFN’s) human rights hearing is a lack of comparability for First Nations’ educational needs in Ontario. Since proceedings began on Oct. 27, the goal of the MCFN has been to prove to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (CHRT) that First Nations students across the province have been subject to educational inequity and inadequate funding, in an effort to ensure they are provided with the same opportunities as the rest of Ontario’s children to reach their full potential. The main argument in the case continues to be that the...
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Shelter in Place in Ohsweken lifted
OHSWEKEN- Six Nations Police Service, along with the Haldimand Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), has lifted a shelter-in-place advisory in the area of Fourth Line and Chiefswood Rd. in Ohsweken, Six Nations early Monday (Nov. 17th) morning, saying there was no threat to public safety. The shelter-in-place advisory was issued on 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 their 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,” the statement read. “We thank members of the public for their...
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One down…one to go?
Six Nations Elected Council took the unusual move to take back control of their own public meeting last week. After calling a public meeting on their annual audit, their first under the current Elected Chief and the first since former Elected Chief the late Bill Montour was in office, they found themselves facing an usual circumstance. In the past, SNEC public meetings have always been pretty straight forward. The council members all sit at a long table at the front of the room, read any statement and open the floor to questions. Members of the public walk up to microphones or have it brought to them and ask their question. Last week’s audit session didn’t follow that norm…at least not right away. First the auditors weren’t on hand to introduce...
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Today in History
Nov 16 In 1885, Metis leader Louis Riel was hanged in Regina for his involvement in the Northwest Rebellions. Riel’s lawyer proposed to defend him on grounds of insanity, but Riel repudiated this and he was found guilty of treason. The execution was postponed several times and pleas for clemency came from many parts of the world. Nov 17 In 2021, this year’s Governor General’s Literary Award for fiction was given to an Inuk writer and academic from Edmonton. Norma Dunning received the $25,000 prize for her book of short stories, “Tainna: The Unseen Ones.’’ The book centres on the experiences of modern-day Inuit living outside their home territories. In 2023, the Canadian government announced the launch of a new $10-million program aimed at providing grants to small businesses involved...
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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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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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Six Nations Ironmen hitting midway point in northern league
By Sam Laskaris Writer The Six Nations Ironmen are on the verge of hitting the midway mark of their inaugural season in the Northern Premier Hockey League. The brass of the Senior A men’s club is relatively pleased with how things have been transpiring thus far. The Ironmen will play the 10th match of their 20-game regular season schedule this Saturday, on the road versus the host Stratford Irish. The match will be held at the William Allman Memorial Arena. The opening faceoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. “If we could pull it off Saturday, we’ll be back to .500,” said Darrell Anderson, who is the Ironmen owner and general manager. The Six Nations club is currently sporting a 4-5 record. “A couple of games could have gone either way,”...
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Littlechild delivers opening address at Hockey Canada summit
By Sam Laskaris Writer Dr. Wilton Littlechild has what he believes would be some sage advice for Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. Littlechild, a former MP who also served as the Grand Chief of the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations, delivered the opening address at Hockey Canada’s Beyond The Boards summit in Toronto on Nov. 13. Littlechild, a member of Ermineskin Cree Nation in Alberta, also served as the commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Before arriving to the summit, Littlechild said earlier that morning he was exercising and listening to the national news. “I heard Prime Minister was going to be announcing four new national interest projects,” he said, as he received laughter when he added he would get briefly political since he was wearing...
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B.C. police complaint commissioner’s office gearing up for systemic investigations
By Darryl Greer British Columbia’s police complaint commissioner says his office is gearing up to conduct systemic investigations in an expanded mandate that would go beyond individual cases of police misconduct in hopes of reducing complaints and improving public confidence in law enforcement. The Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner released its latest annual report this week, outlining how the oversight body dealt with more files in the last fiscal year than at any time since 2020. The office handles complaints about police misconduct for 15 jurisdictions in B.C., most of them municipal, including Vancouver, Surrey, New Westminster, Delta, Abbotsford and four municipal departments on Vancouver Island. Commissioner Prabhu Rajan said in an interview Tuesday that the increase in files was due, in part, to the Surrey Police Service replacing...
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‘It’s finally time to upgrade:’ Bearspaw First Nation to build travel centre in Eden Valley
By Leah Pelletier, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Rocky Mountain Outlook EDEN VALLEY — Bearspaw First Nation has been given the go ahead to build a new travel centre including a gas bar, convenience store and retail space at the entrance of the Eden Valley reserve. The development, decades in the making, received the green light from the MD of Foothills on Nov. 5, after a zoning change from agriculture to community commercial was approved for the five-acre plot of land adjacent to Highway 541, west of Longview. “It’s going to be a tremendous opportunity for the Eden Valley reserve,” said Rob Shotclose, CEO of Bearspaw First Nation. “It’s finally time to upgrade that community’s commercial centre, retail centre and also move it out from across the river right up to...
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