Human rights museum removes Buffy Sainte-Marie from exhibit
By Steve Lambert -CP-The Canadian Museum for Human Rights has removed singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie from an exhibit because of questions about her First Nations identity. The musician and activist was among more than a dozen people featured in an exhibit at the Winnipeg museum titled “human rights defenders” until December. A museum official says the move was made following a CBC report that said Sainte-Marie has a birth certificate from Massachusetts and that family members in the U.S. indicated she doesn’t have Indigenous heritage. Matthew Cutler, the museum’s vice-president of exhibitions says that after the report there were extensive consultations with Indigenous communities and advisers. Sainte-Marie has said the report contained mistakes and omissions and that she has never lied about her identity. Sainte-Marie’s Order of Canada appointment was terminated...
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Arctic territories unite against U.S. annexation threats
By Matteo Cimellaro, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer For Nunavut Premier P.J. Akeeagok, comments from U.S. President Donald Trump about a possible takeover of Canada feel personal. Akeeagok sees them as a direct threat to the hard-fought sovereignty of the northern territory. His family was directly involved in the forced relocations of the 1950s, in which Inuit were taken from their communities and shipped to Resolute Bay and Grise Ford, “really as human flagpoles,” to claim Canada’s sovereignty, Akeeagok explains. “When I look back at my own history with my own family, and there are many families that are impacted that really have paid a heavy price in terms of asserting Canada’s sovereignty over the North, and so, it’s very personal,” Akeeagok said in an interview with Canada’s...
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Bronze statue of women’s rights pioneer cut off at ankles, stolen from Edmonton park
EDMONTON-A life-sized bronze statue of Canadian women’s rights pioneer Emily Murphy who said Indigenous people have noplace in the future, has been stolen from a city park. David Turnbull of the Edmonton Arts Council said Thursday only the shoes remain of the statue. He said it appears the statue was sliced off near the ankles with a power tool earlier this week. A plaque glued to the stone platform it stood on is also missing. Edmonton police are investigating. Murphy was Alberta’s first female judge and one of the so-called Famous Five women behind the 1929 Persons Case. The case successfully challenged laws that prevented women from being appointed to the Senate because they were not considered legal “persons.” Turnbull said Murphy was also controversial figure as she also had...
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Gov’t can’t override First Nation authority with mining: Fiddler
By Sandi Krasowski, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Chronicle-Journal During a visit to Thunder Bay late last week, Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford reiterated his election promise to speed up project approvals in the mineral-rich Ring of Fire by pushing Ottawa to remove what he called “unnecessary federal barriers and red tape” from major projects under provincial jurisdiction. Ford says his vision to unlock the economic potential of the critical minerals mined in the Ring of Fire is critical in the face of looming tariffs from the U.S., but it does not sit well with Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN). NAN Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler is calling on Ford and the Ontario government to “immediately retract these assertions and uphold the promises that the government made in treaty that respects...
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Iqaluit recovery centre road named Akausigiarvik Road
By Jeff Pelletier, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunatsiaq News Akausigiarvik Road, which means “to feel better road,” will be the name of the street that leads to Aqqusariaq, Nunavut’s new addictions recovery centre which is under construction in Iqaluit. City councillors voted in favour of the name Tuesday night. The city’s planning department proposed it after consulting elders. “By selecting a name that resonates with the centre’s purpose, it strengthens a sense of unity and intention behind both the road and the recovery centre,” said Maiya Twerdin, the city’s planning clerk, in a presentation to council. “The decision to have an Inuktitut street name is a clear demonstration of the city’s commitment to preserving and promoting Inuktitut, particularly in spaces that will be a positive healing space for Nunavummiut.” The...
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Clearwater Seafoods in Nova Scotia lays off workers at plant in Lockeport: mayor
Clearwater Seafoods has laid off about half its workers in Lockeport, N.S., where the local plant is the town’s largest employer, the mayor of the tiny southwestern community said Thursday. Derek Amalfa said the company has decided to shut down lobster processing at the plant, but he said the facility will continue to process scallops. The town is home to 480 people. Clearwater’s website says the plant, known locally as Pierce Fisheries, employs 145 people who process about four million kilograms of sea scallops and lobster annually. “It’s a lot of shock and sadness,” Amalfa said in an interview. “All of the people who lost their jobs are longtime employees, and they are all our friends and neighbours and family. This is going to have a deep in pact in...
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Ottawa announces $270-million agreement for Inuit-led conservation efforts in Arctic
-CP-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced a $270-million agreement for jobs and conservation projects in the Qikiqtani region, a majority-Inuit territory that is part of Nunavut. Trudeau told reporters today in Montreal the deal includes $200 million from the federal government and $70 million pledged by donors in Canada and elsewhere. The prime minister says the investment is projected to attract $318 million over 15 years to the region, where about 20,000 people live in 13 communities from Hudson Bay to Ellesmere Island. The SINAA deal — sinaa means the edge of the ice flow in Inuktitut — includes a network of proposed Inuit-led water and land conservation areas in the Arctic region. Trudeau was joined in Montreal by Olayuk Akesuk, president of the Qikiqtani Inuit Association, whose group is...
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‘It’s a heavy day’: Families react after potential remains found in Manitoba landfill
By Brittany Hobson Relatives of two murdered Indigenous women expressed shock, hope and anger Thursday, after receiving news that potential human remains have been found at a landfill where their loved ones were believed to have been taken. “I think the shock of everything has finally hit me,” Melissa Robinson, a cousin of Morgan Harris, said at a press conference sitting beside other relatives “To every one of you that said no (to a search), to every one of you that didn’t believe in us, do better,” said Harris’s daughter Elle Harris. “How could you say no to a little girl. That’s my mom in there.” Police believe the remains of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran were taken to the Prairie Green Landfill north of Winnipeg in May 2022. Jeremy...
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Manitoba becomes first province to join national pharmacare program with $219M deal
By Sarah Ritchie Manitoba became the first province to officially join Ottawa’s pharmacare program today, giving it access to federal funding to cover the cost of birth control and diabetes medications. Health Minister Mark Holland made the announcement in Winnipeg this morning. The federal government will spend $219 million on pharmacare coverage for Manitoba over four years and says contraceptives and diabetes medications will be provided “at little to no direct cost” to Manitobans. The Manitoba government launched a program last fall to cover the cost of birth control for its residents. The federal Pharmacare Act became law in October, setting the stage for Ottawa to begin negotiations with provinces and territories. The program was a key part of the supply-and-confidence agreement between the Liberals and the NDP that kept...
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Number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits rises to 242,000, highest level in 3 months
By Matt Ott Applications for U.S. jobless benefits rose to a three-month high last week but remained within the same healthy range of the past three years. The number of Americans filing for jobless benefits rose by 22,000 to 242,000 for the week ending Feb. 22, the Labor Department said Thursday. Analysts projected that 220,000 new applications would be filed. Weekly applications for jobless benefits are considered a proxy for layoffs. The four-week average, which evens out some of the week-to-week volatility, climbed by 8,500 to 224,000. Some analysts say they expect layoffs ordered by the Department of Government Efficiency to show up in the report in the coming weeks or months. Joseph Brusuelas, chief economist at tax and advisory firm RSM, said he doesn’t expect a “bursting of the...
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Two-time JUNO Award-winning Oji-Cree artist Aysanabee playing the Savoy Theatre
By Meghan Dewar, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cape Breton Post Glace Bay will have the opportunity to listen to the musical creations of two-time JUNO award-winning Oji-Cree artist Aysanabee at the Savoy Theatre on March 12th. The Indigenous artist will be stopping in during his first-ever Canadian headlining tour, ‘Now and Then.’ Aysanabee is an alternative indie artist who is a member of the Sucker Clan from the Sandy Lake First Nation in Northwestern Ontario. He is currently based out of Toronto and creates music under his mother’s maiden name. In March 2024, he made history and became the first Indigenous artist to win JUNO Awards for Alternative Album of the Year and Songwriter of the Year for his EP ‘Here and Now,’ released in 2023. The show will take...
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Premier Moe says pipelines that would cross Saskatchewan considered ‘pre-approved’
By Jeremy Simes Premier Scott Moe says Saskatchewan wants pipelines built and is encouraging other provinces and the federal government to get behind the cause. Moe says on social media that all pipeline projects that cross his province would be considered “pre-approved.” He says he supports pipelines that go across the country and into the United States. His office says federal regulations and politics have hindered development and that the energy industry requires certainty. Pipelines that cross provincial boundaries or the Canada-U.S. border are reviewed by the Canada Energy Regulator and approved by the federal government. Ottawa also has a legal duty to consult Indigenous groups whose treaty rights may be affected by projects. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 26, 2025. ...
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Trial begins in $300M lawsuit against Greenpeace over North Dakota pipeline protests
By Jack Dura MANDAN, N.D. (AP) — An attorney for a Texas pipeline company said Wednesday at trial that he will prove various Greenpeace entities coordinated delays and disruptions of a controversial oil pipeline’s construction in North Dakota, and defamed the company to its lenders. Attorneys for the Greenpeace defendants told a jury there is no evidence to back up the claims by Dallas-based Energy Transfer, which seeks potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in damages from Greenpeace. The case is tied to protests in 2016 and 2017 of the Dakota Access Pipeline and its controversial Missouri River crossing upstream of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s reservation. The tribe has long opposed the pipeline as a risk to its water supply. The pipeline was completed in 2017. Energy Transfer and...
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Trial begins in $300M lawsuit against Greenpeace over North Dakota pipeline protests
By Jack Dura MANDAN, N.D. (AP) — An attorney for a Texas pipeline company said Wednesday at trial that he will prove various Greenpeace entities coordinated delays and disruptions of a controversial oil pipeline’s construction in North Dakota, and defamed the company to its lenders. Attorneys for the Greenpeace defendants told a jury there is no evidence to back up the claims by Dallas-based Energy Transfer, which seeks potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in damages from Greenpeace. The case is tied to protests in 2016 and 2017 of the Dakota Access Pipeline and its controversial Missouri River crossing upstream of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s reservation. The tribe has long opposed the pipeline as a risk to its water supply. The pipeline was completed in 2017. Energy Transfer and...
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Timeline of 4 women slain in Winnipeg, demands to search landfill for remains
-CP-The Manitoba government announced Thursday that potential human remains have been found at a landfill north of Winnipeg, where search teams have been looking for two slain First Nations women. The women and two others were the victims of a serial killer in Winnipeg. Here is a timeline of the case: March 15, 2022 — Police say an unidentified woman is killed on or around this date. May 1, 2022 — Morgan Harris, a member of Long Plain First Nation living in Winnipeg, is last seen in the area of Main Street and Henry Avenue north of the city’s downtown. Police say the 39-year-old was killed on or around this date. May 4, 2022 — Police say Marcedes Myran, 26, also of Long Plain First Nation and living in Winnipeg,...
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Possible remains found in search for slain women at Winnipeg-area landfill
By Brittany Hobson WINNIPEG,MAN.-CP-Potential human remains were discovered Wednesday at a landfill north of Winnipeg where search teams have been working to find two slain First Nations women. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said he spent time with the families of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran at the Prairie Green landfill when the discovery was made. He later struggled to find words to describe the news. “I don’t think any of us are ever going to forget today,” Kinew told reporters. “I think all of us who were there — family, searchers, people from government such as myself — are still in the state of is this really happening.” Police have said they believe the remains of Harris and Myran — victims of a serial killer — ended up at the...
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Minister to apologize for relocations of Inuit decades ago
By Alessia Passafiume Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree will apologize on behalf of the federal government Thursday for its role in the Dundas Harbour relocations between 1934 and 1948. The relocations were part of Canada’s strategy to maintain a national security presence in the Arctic. More than 50 people were removed by the federal government from their ancestral homes, leaving impacts on Inuit communities that linger to this day. Isaac Shooyook, born in 1939 in Arctic Bay, is expected to be present to hear Anandasangaree deliver the apology at a ceremony Thursday afternoon in the hamlet where he was born, along with survivors’ descendants. Speaking in Inuktitut, Shooyook said while he is happy the minister is coming to apologize, he’s saddened many people who were affected have since died and...
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America First? Not when it comes to stock markets worldwide this year
By Stan Choe NEW YORK (AP) — When it comes to stock markets around the world, this year has clearly not been “America First.” The U.S. stock market has risen in 2025 and isn’t far from its all-time high set last week. But it’s climbed less than stock indexes in Mexico City, Paris and Hong Kong. The difference in performance has been so stark than an index of stocks from 22 of 23 developed economies around the world, excluding the United States, has trounced the S&P 500: a 7.5% rise through Monday versus 1.7% for Wall Street’s benchmark. The split in performance has many causes, and if it continues, it would mark a sharp reversal following years of U.S. exceptionalism. The U.S. stock market has been the clear winner for...
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Gene Hackman, prolific Oscar-winning actor, found dead at home at 95 years old
By Hillel Italie Gene Hackman, the prolific Oscar-winning actor whose studied portraits ranged from reluctant heroes to conniving villains and made him one of the industry’s most respected and honored performers, has been found dead along with his wife at their home. He was 95. Hackman was a frequent and versatile presence on screen from the 1960s until his retirement. His dozens of films included the Academy Award favorites “The French Connection” and “Unforgiven,” a breakout performance in “Bonnie and Clyde,” a classic bit of farce in “Young Frankenstein,” a turn as the comic book villain Lex Luthor in “Superman” and the title character in Wes Anderson’s 2001 “The Royal Tenenbaums.” He seemed capable of any kind of role — whether an uptight buffoon in “Birdcage,” a college coach finding...
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Trump cuts financial lifeline for Venezuela’s government by ending permit to export oil to US
By Regina Garcia Cano CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — A permit issued by the United States government allowing energy giant Chevron Corp. to pump and export Venezuelan oil will be terminated this week, President Donald Trump announced Wednesday, ending what became a financial lifeline for the South American country. Trump’s announcement in his Truth Social network accused the government of President Nicolás Maduro of not meeting democratic conditions for last year’s July presidential election as well as of not moving fast enough to transport back to Venezuela immigrants set for deportation. “We are hereby reversing the concessions that Crooked Joe Biden gave to Nicolás Maduro, of Venezuela, on the oil transaction agreement,” Trump wrote. Trump post did not specifically mention California-based Chevron nor the permit, formally known as a general license,...
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