‘A dire need for services’: Tŝilhqot’in Nation to open treatment facility amid toxic drug crisis
By Dionne Phillips, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, IndigiNews After declaring a state of emergency over the toxic drug crisis in April, the Tŝilhqot’in Nation will open a new Indigenous-led treatment facility later this year. Services will be offered at two properties located about 100 kilometres west of Williams Lake, funded by $8.3 million from the province, according to a recent announcement. The Red Road River Tŝilhqox Healing & Wellness Model will be the fifth location for Red Road Recovery, which is headquartered in “Sorrento, B.C.” and combines traditional healing practices with the 12-step recovery program, according to their website. The new facility will be opened in partnership with Tŝilhqot’in National Government. In an interview, Yuneŝit’in Nits’ilʔin (Chief) Lennon Solomon reflected on his own sobriety journey, which led to him looking...
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Over 350 Greenlandic women and girls forcibly given contraception by Danish officials, report says
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — More than 350 Greenlandic Indigenous women and girls, including some 12 years old and younger, reported that they were forcibly given contraception by Danish health authorities in cases that date to the 1960s, according to an independent investigation’s findings released Tuesday. The Inuit victims, many of them teenagers at the time, were either fitted with intrauterine contraceptive devices, known as IUDs or coils, or given a hormonal birth control injection. They were not told details about the procedure, or did not give their consent. The victims described traumatic experiences that left some with feelings of shame as well as physical side effects, ranging from pain and bleeding to serious infections. The governments of Denmark and Greenland officially apologized in a statement last month for their roles...
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Cree, Métis artist reflects on life and identity in West Vancouver gallery exhibit
By Abby Luciano, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, North Shore News Family, home, and a little bit of sassiness feature prominently in the newest exhibition at the Ferry Building Gallery in West Vancouver. Cherish, a collection from Cree and Métis artist Michelle Sound, offers a glimpse into her life through the art she’s created since 2021. A collection of photos of her aunt moving to B.C. from Alberta, elk-hide medicine print drums and another collection of drums inspired from the 1980s are just some of the works in the exhibition. “I think family is a big thread throughout this, but so is connection to place,” Sound said. “Thinking about where you live is really important.” Sound is a member of the Wapsewsipi Swan River First Nation in Treaty 8 Territory in...
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Court rules Lisa Cook can remain a Fed governor while fighting Trump’s attempt to fire her
By Christopher Rugaber And Lindsay Whitehurst WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal court has ruled that embattled Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook can remain in her position while she fights President Donald Trump’s efforts to fire her. The ruling, which will almost certainly be appealed, is a blow to the Trump administration’s efforts to assert more control over the traditionally independent Fed, which sets short-term interest rates to achieve its congressionally mandated goals of stable prices and maximum employment. Congress has also sought to insulate the Fed from day-to-day politics. U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb late Tuesday granted Cook’s request for a preliminary injunction blocking her firing while the dispute makes its way through the courts. Cobb ruled that Cook would likely prevail in the lawsuit she filed late last month...
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LU researcher co-leading ‘trust-based’ project to improve Indigenous youth mental health
By Matt Prokopchuk, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, TBnewswatch.com THUNDER BAY — A Lakehead University expert on Indigenous mental health and addictions is behind a Canada-wide initiative to improve those services. Christopher Mushquash is co-leading a national project aimed at bettering mental health among Indigenous youth. The initiative has received an additional $10.8 million from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Lakehead University said in a media release. Mushquash is a Canada Research Chair in Indigenous mental health and addiction and a professor in the Department of Psychology at Lakehead University. He’s also the vice president of research at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre and the chief scientist at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute. He said the goal is to bring diverse perspectives to existing mental health...
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First Nation says it was shortchanged by millions for land in 2002 settlemen
A First Nation in British Columbia says it was underpaid by millions of dollars in a 2002 settlement with the federal government over land that was given to a different band then sold to a railway more than a century ago. The Lax Kw’alaams Band says in a Federal Court lawsuit that its settlement was valued at $17.75 million, while the Metlakatla Band got $150 million — more than eight times more — for the illegal sale of the same land, in a 2023 settlement. The lawsuit filed this month says the land in northwest B.C. was illegally divided in 1888 then unlawfully sold to the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway Company in 1907. The Lax Kw’alaams Band says the Metlakatla settlement was based on “historical wrongs” by the Canadian government...
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Mann Cup gets ugly after violence erupts among fans
NEW WESTMINISTER B.C.- The Mann Cup has released a statement condemning violence and warning it is installing security checks after a fight erupted in the stands at the Queen’s Park Arena in New Westminister B.C. Monday night. The Six Nations Chiefs, who looked the two times Mann Cup champs they are known to be, took the game 19-9 in a slick winning Chiefs’ style and are out for more with a game Tuesday night. But things got touchy in the stands when a brawl broke out that soon saw The 19 goals saw eight in the first period alone with 60 shots on goal before the buzzer sounded. With Dhane Smith taking four goals and six assists, Lyle Thompson hitting three goals and six assists and Ryan Smith and Randy...
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Battle that led to Haiti’s independence among names of new Montreal metro stations
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante has unveiled the names of five new stations that will extend the subway system into the city’s east end. Plante says the names were chosen to celebrate women and communities that have made important contributions to Montreal’s history. Vertières station is a nod to Montreal’s Haitian community, named after the 1803 battle that led to the independence of Haiti. Mary Two-Axe-Earley station bears the name of an Indigenous women’s rights activist from the Montreal-area Mohawk community of Kahnawake. Césira-Parisotto station is named after a nun from Montreal’s Italian community who founded schools and a hospital, while Madeleine-Parent station honours a trade unionist and feminist activist. The final station along the planned extension of the Montreal subway system’s “blue line” will be named for the eastern borough...
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Ford, transport minister make string of misleading claims as Highway 413 construction ‘begins’
By Anushka Yadav, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Pointer Any mention of Highway 413, first proposed almost a quarter-century ago as a massive transportation corridor immediately below and through parts of Ontario’s protected Greenbelt, has always been accompanied by a giant question mark. Claimed by supporters to be a solution to congestion in the Greater Toronto Area, the project has been mired in political wrangling between successive Liberal and PC governments. That did not stop some of Ontario’s most powerful developers from buying up huge tracts of farmland along the highway’s proposed route in and around the Greenbelt, in hopes of a ten-fold increase in value if (or when) the project was approved. After PC supporters and Party leaders first floated the idea in the ‘90s, with the encouragement of...
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Pickleball peacekeeping project comes to Caledonia
By J.P. Antonacci, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Hamilton Spectator Leave it to the legion to stop a war — or at least, a skirmish over court time between Caledonia’s tennis and pickleball players. “They were having some trouble at Kin Park,” said Ron Winegard from the Royal Canadian Legion Caledonia Branch 154. “The pickleball players and the tennis players were having some arguments.” As racquet-toting residents jostled for space on the two tennis courts in Kinsmen Park, the need for more pickleball courts in Caledonia came up at seemingly every community meeting. Winegard, a Caledonia businessperson with a long track record of fundraising for recreational facilities, approached legion past president Brian Haggith in the spring of 2024 about collecting donations to build a four-court pickleball complex in McKinnon Park...
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Liberal MPs meet in Edmonton to prepare for fall sitting, major projects agenda
By Alessia Passafiume Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal caucus is meeting in Edmonton this week ahead of the fall sitting of Parliament. It’s the first time the caucus has met since June, and the first caucus retreat held outside Ottawa since Carney took over the party’s leadership last March. It comes as Carney has a lofty fall agenda to move on his major projects legislation that was passed in a hurry in June. Carney has been promising for weeks to unveil his short list of initial projects he wants to fast track using the bill, and has hinted in recent days about big announcements coming on ports and housing. The retreat began Monday with a meeting of the women’s caucus, with rural, Indigenous, economic and regional meetings scheduled for today....
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Over 350 Greenlandic women and girls forcibly given contraception by Danish officials, report says
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — More than 350 Greenlandic Indigenous women and girls, including some 12 years old and younger, reported that they were forcibly given contraception by Danish health authorities in cases that date back to the 1960s, according to an independent investigation’s findings released Tuesday. The Inuit victims, many of them teenagers at the time, were either fitted with intrauterine contraceptive devices, known as IUDs or coils, or given a hormonal birth control injection. They were not told details about the procedure, or did not give their consent. The victims described traumatic experiences that left some with physical side effects, ranging from pain and bleeding to serious infections. The governments of Denmark and Greenland officially apologized last month for their roles in the historic mistreatment in an apparent attempt...
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At Assembly of First Nations, one chief feels ‘sidelined’ by Manitoba’s approach to development
By Jon Thompson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Ricochet When Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew spoke to the Assembly of First Nations last week, he positioned his NDP government as taking the unique approach of engaging Indigenous communities in major project development. But one chief in the crowd who claims his First Nation has been sidelined on a highway project says the way the Kinew government behaves has only proven to be more of the same, despite the premier’s personal popularity among First Nations people. Kinew told the assembly that while many jurisdictions are rushing toward infrastructure and resource projects, his government stands apart by applying the constitutional and respectful approach to ensuring Indigenous relationships and foresees it will be both effective and efficient.“We kind of have an idea lab, a test...
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B.C. orders forage farmers to stop using water to protect endangered chinook salmon
By Wolfgang Depner The British Columbia government has ordered forage-crop farmers in the province’s south to turn off their irrigation taps, because “severe low flows” are threatening endangered chinook salmon. Randene Neill, B.C.’s minster of water, land and resource stewardship, said “when stream flows drop to critical levels, and vulnerable species are at risk,” government must take regulatory action. “Temporary protection measures are always issued as a very, very last resort after voluntary measures, because we recognize the huge impact it has on water users, including farmers and their businesses,” Neill said. She added that protection orders like the ones issued Monday are “guided by science, Indigenous knowledge and local knowledge, and economic analysis as well,” she said. “They are targeted and they are short-term, to restore flows as quickly...
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Manitoba grand chief calls for better cell service after mass stabbings
By Steve Lambert Ensuring First Nations communities have cellular coverage would help responses to emergencies such as the mass stabbing on Hollow Water First Nation, a Manitoba grand chief said Monday. “That should just be a no-brainer. We have to have connection to emergency services,” Grand Chief Jerry Daniels said in an interview. An 18-year-old woman was killed and several others were hospitalized last Thursday after a series of stabbings on the reserve. The suspect — Tyrone Simard, 26 — fatally stabbed his 18-year-old sister, wounded seven others, and later died after driving a stolen vehicle and colliding with an RCMP officer responding to the tragedy, RCMP have said. Hollow Water is not a remote community. It is about 200 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg and connected by road. But it...
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DFO ‘legacy of neglect’ leaves North Coast salmon to flounder
By Rochelle Baker Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer –Fisheries and Oceans Canada cut the monitoring of salmon streams along BC’s North and Central Coast, leaving critical stocks uncounted at the height of spawning season. Seasonal “creek walkers” — contractors for the fisheries department (DFO) who trek along streams to record salmon returns — haven’t been hired as stocks return along the coast from Bella Bella to the Alaskan border, including major watersheds like the Skeena, Nass and Kitimat systems, says a coalition of conservation groups. Assessing returns to key streams is critical for estimating stocks, managing fisheries and conservation, said Misty MacDuffee, wild salmon program director at Raincoast Conservation Foundation. “Not having contracts in place as salmon are returning to rivers is unprecedented,” she said. “Budget cuts have...
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Federal Court rules for BZA chief
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Thunder Bay Source ROCKY BAY — A Federal Court judge has granted Chief Gladys Thompson an injunction to resume work as the top elected official of Biinjitiwaabik Zaaging Anishinaabek (BZA). The decision came two days after Thompson and her legal counsel appeared before the court via Zoom to make their case for her reinstatement. Band councillors in BZA, formerly Rocky Bay First Nation, had suspended her without pay in July pending an investigation into her conduct as chief. Justice Patrick Gleeson granted an injunction on Sept. 5 for Thompson to continue as chief “pending final disposition” of her application for a judicial review of the suspension. A July 14 band council resolution to suspend her and appoint Coun. Myles Becker as acting chief...
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NCC Development lacked ‘full team’ to deliver on Nunavut 3000 agreement: CE
By Jeff Pelletier, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunatsiaq News When NCC Development Ltd. signed on to build 2,000 homes as part of the Nunavut 3000 initiative, it lacked a “full team,” CEO Clarence Synard said. Synard made the remarks before the Nunavut legislature’s government oversight committee Friday, where MLAs have been reviewing the auditor general’s 2025 report on public housing in Nunavut. Part of that report noted that Nunavut Housing Corp. is facing “challenges to meet its public housing targets under the Nunavut 3000 Strategy by 2030.” While committee members were examining that issue, Netsilik MLA Joseph Quqqiaq asked Synard if NCC had the “resources, personnel, equipment, corporate structure to deliver” on Nunavut 3000. “At the time of the signing of the agreement, we did not have a full team...
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Kanesatake comes together at the powwow
By Olivier Cadotte, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eastern Door This year’s Kanehsatà:ke Traditional Powwow was a time for Kanehsata’kehró:non and non-locals to come to town and spend a positive weekend of dancing, drumming, crafts, and good food – all the good things you’d expect in a powwow. Shirley Bonspille, one of four members of the organizational committee, said that apart from the stress of putting together a powwow with a small team and a couple small incidents, it was a good time to be at the powwow grounds on August 30-31. She said the big reason why was all the people who participated: volunteers, dancers, vendors, and the event emcee Lance Delisle, among many others. “It was just absolutely amazing. Everybody loved it. We had good feedback from the...
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New agreement for former offenders
By Eve Cable, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eastern Door A memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) and the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) will see nearly $200,000 flow into the community over the next two years, in an agreement that could serve as a model for other First Nations across Turtle Island. “A non-Native parole officer has no idea what it’s like to be a Mohawk, to be Kahnawa’kehró:non,” said Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) chief Ryan Montour, who is the lead portfolio chief on community safety. “They have no idea, they don’t know the cultural aspect to it, they just have no idea what it means.” Montour said that Kahnawake has been developing a program focused on social reintegration for offenders since...
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