‘We reject your bill:’ First Nations heads urge Quebec to scrap forestry reform bill
Representatives of the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador urged a provincial legislature committee on Tuesday to abandon a forestry reform bill that would reserve large swaths of the province’s forests for logging. AFNQL Chief Francis Verreault-Paul and three other leaders called on the government to work with them to develop a new bill from scratch because they say Bill 97 does not respect First Nations’ ancestral rights. The proposed legislation would divide the province’s public forest land into three zones: conservation zones, multi-purpose zones and forest development zones where the forestry industry is prioritized. Lucien Wabanonik, chief of the Anishnabe council of Lac Simon, said the idea of handing over a third of forests to industry is a non-starter in the eyes of First Nations. “We want to collaborate. But...
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Court hears arguments in historic treaty annuity case
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Thunder Bay Source THUNDER BAY – Gull Bay First Nation (Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek) Chief Wilfred King has a straightforward answer when asked what he hopes will come out of proceedings in Courtroom 206 this week. “We’re hoping that Justice Hennessy will agree with our position,” King said Tuesday from Toronto as legal arguments were presented in Thunder Bay Courthouse. Gull Bay and other First Nations in the Robinson-Superior Treaty are asking Superior Court Justice Patricia Hennessy to decide how much they’re owed in a historic treaty annuity case. At the heart of the case was a promise by the Crown in the 1850 treaty to share the wealth of the land with First Nations north of Lake Superior via annual payments. The annuity...
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Stanley Cup watch party celebrates Brant local
By Celeste Percy-Beauregard, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Hamilton Spectator Edmonton might be 3,000 kilometres away, but as the Oilers head into the Stanley Cup finals, Brant County will be watching. The municipality is hosting a free Game 1 watch party Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at the Burford Community Centre to cheer on hometown hero Adam Henrique. The Oilers’ centre got his start playing minor hockey in Burford, a rural community 60 kilometres west of Hamilton. He remains involved in the community, hosting the annual Henrique Montour Golf Classic in support of children in Brant and Six Nations of the Grand River each summer. “Wear your Oilers gear, bring your energy, and get ready for a great night of community spirit and playoff hockey!” the county posted on Facebook. The...
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Tarralik Duffy, Hangama Amiri among artists shortlisted for Sobey Art Award
By Nicole Thompson Multidisciplinary artist Tarralik Duffy and textile artist Hangama Amiri are among the six finalists for the prestigious Sobey Art Award. The Sobey Art Foundation and the National Gallery of Canada announced on Tuesday the short list for the $100,000 prize for contemporary visual art. Duffy is known for work that centres contemporary Inuit culture, while Amiri uses paint on textiles to explore ideas about gender and social roles. Also among the finalists are Tania Willard, a multidisciplinary artist whose practice includes land-based art, and Chukwudubem Ukaigwe, who creates immersive audiovisual environments. Rounding out the short list are multimedia artist Sandra Brewster and textile artist Swapnaa Tamhane. The winner will be announced at an event on Nov. 8 and the six shortlisted artists will have their work displayed...
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Opposition MPs defeat Liberals on vote calling for a spring economic update
By David Baxter Government whip Mark Gerretsen insists nothing went wrong Monday evening when opposition parties successfully amended the throne speech to call on the government to table an economic update before Parliament breaks for the summer. The Liberals were defeated 166 to 164 after four Liberal MPs did not vote because of paired abstentions. Paired abstentions happen when parties agree to have a member sit out a vote because someone from another party is not able to attend. Gerretsen told reporters on his way into a cabinet meeting Tuesday morning that everything went according to plan. “Every single person who was supposed to vote yesterday voted,” he said. The amendment, tabled by House of Commons Opposition Leader Andrew Scheer, added a passage to the throne speech calling for a...
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Premiers heap praise on meeting with Carney, but no specific projects identified
By Kyle Duggan and Jeremy Simes Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Monday’s gathering of the country’s premiers to talk over nation-building projects with Prime Minister Mark Carney was the “best” they have had in the last decade. The comments amount to a lightly veiled jab at former prime minister Justin Trudeau, who frequently had frosty relations with the group, especially prairie premiers looking to build out their energy sectors. Ford said the premiers, and the whole country along with them, stand united as Canada comes under attack from U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs — even as some in the group scrapped over well-worn pipeline politics. Provincial and territorial leaders sat down with Carney in Saskatoon on Monday and each premier came armed with wish lists of major projects they hope...
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Upwards of 7,000 more people flee Saskatchewan wildfires, says Premier Moe
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says thousands have fled a wildfire in the province’s north, almost doubling the number of people already forced from their homes. Speaking on a Rawlco Radio show, Moe said about 7,000 people have evacuated the town of La Ronge, nearby Air Ronge and the Lac La Ronge Indian Band. An evacuation order was issued for the area Monday due to an encroaching wildfire. Some buildings, including homes, have been lost in the northern part of La Ronge, the premier said. “(The fires) came down on La Ronge in a little bit different way, according to the mayor I chatted with last night, than they even expected,” Moe said Tuesday on The Evan Bray Show. “With the winds gusting and the dry conditions and just the veracity...
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‘We reject your bill:’ First Nations heads urge Quebec to scrap forestry reform bill
Representatives of the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador have told a provincial legislature committee that they reject the government’s proposed forestry reform. AFNQL Chief Francis Verreault-Paul said today that Bill 97 does not respect First Nations’ ancestral rights. The proposed legislation would divide the province’s public forest land into three zones: conservation zones, multi-purpose zones and forest development zones where the forestry industry is prioritized. Natural Resources Minister Maïté Blanchette Vézina wrote in a recent memo that the government hopes at least 30 per cent of public forests in each region will become development zones by 2028. The AFNQL says that premise is unacceptable and would amount to privatizing one-third of First Nations territories for industrial interests. The leaders are urging the government to scrap the bill in its present...
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Carney points to Grays Bay as key nation-building project
By Jeff Pelletier, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunatsiaq News After meeting with Canada’s premiers in Saskatoon Monday afternoon, Prime Minister Mark Carney name-dropped Nunavut’s Grays Bay road and port as a major project of national significance he wants to see get approved quickly. The comment came in response to a reporter asking why a joint news release from the prime minister and premiers did not list any specific projects. “I can give you, if I may, lots of examples of those projects, which range from Grays Bay port and road,” Carney said, before naming several other projects across Canada. “There is a long list of projects that bring the country together, diversify our markets, make us more resilient, create good jobs and growth, have very good prospects of Indigenous partnerships,...
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Norfolk OPP increasing presence for students’ “Beach Day” gathering
OPP’s Norfolk detachment is warning the many local students who are ditching school to attend “Beach Day” on June 6 to make smart decisions. While the unofficial tradition is not endorsed by police, schools or some parents, students ditch school to gather on the first Friday of June at beaches in Long Point, Turkey Point, and Port Dover. There will be increased police in and around local beaches and in surrounding communities and violations under the Highway Traffic Act, Liquor Licence and Control Act, Cannabis Control Act, Trespass to Property Act, and the Criminal Code will be strictly enforced. Officers will be focusing on behaviours that put people at risk, including underage drinking, impaired driving, trespassing, property damage, and any other unlawful or unsafe activity “We recognize that students may...
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About 15,000 have fled Saskatchewan wildfires and more coming: Premier Moe
As Manitoba grapples with wildfires that have forced more than 17,000 people from their homes, the premier of Saskatchewan said Tuesday the situation is becoming just as dire in his province. Scott Moe said upwards of 15,000 in Saskatchewan have had to leave their communities and more are likely in the coming days. “We didn’t have a very good day yesterday, with the weather the way it was, where the fires are and just how aggressive they are as they bear down on communities,” he told reporters at a wildfire update in Prince Albert, Sask. “We’re probably approaching in the neighbourhood of 15,000 people that have been evacuated across the province and being supported in communities throughout Saskatchewan, and more families are leaving their homes as we speak.” Moe said...
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Indigenous services minister says First Nations support for developments ‘critical’
By Alessia Passafiume The federal minister of Indigenous services says she and the other Indigenous members of cabinet support their party’s plan to fast-track infrastructure development — despite significant pushback from First Nations leaders. Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty says Prime Minister Mark Carney has “reaffirmed” First Nations will be included in discussions about projects the federal government could fast-track under pending legislation, and that their input is “critical” to allowing those projects to move forward. Assembly of First Nations National Chief Woodhouse Nepinak sent a letter to Carney on Friday about legislation the federal government is developing to speed up work on certain projects with a streamlined regulatory approval process. In it, she said she fears the proposed legislation could violate the rights of First Nations people and undermine...
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Environmentalists criticize Trump administration push for new oil and gas drilling in Alaska
By Becky Bohrer And Mark Thiessen ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Top Trump administration officials — fresh off touring one of the country’s largest oil fields in the Alaska Arctic — headlined an energy conference led by the state’s Republican governor on Tuesday that environmentalists criticized as promoting new oil and gas drilling and turning away from the climate crisis. Several dozen protesters were outside Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s annual Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference in Anchorage, where U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin were featured speakers. The federal officials were continuing a multiday trip aimed at highlighting President Donald Trump’s push to expand oil and gas drilling, mining and logging in the state. The trip has included meetings with pro-drilling groups and...
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Got heart, no equipment: First Nations left defenceless against Manitoba fires
By Sonal Gupta, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer As wildfires continue to burn across Manitoba, First Nations leaders say their communities remain “defenceless” due to a lack of proper firefighting equipment and resources. The province is experiencing one of its most severe wildfire seasons in decades, with 25 active fires. There have been a total of 106 already this season, far above the province’s 20-year annual average of 84 at this time of year. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew, at a press conference on May 30, explained that the province is throwing everything it has at the fires. “We are using every firefighter that we have,” Kinew said. But Gordie Bear, chief of Mathias Colomb Cree Nation (also known as Pukatawagan), said the province is overlooking a key resource:...
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Status of Alaska Highway could change quickly due to wildfire near Fort Nelson, B.C.
By Brieanna Charlebois A stretch of the Alaska Highway west of Fort Nelson, B.C., reopened to single-lane alternating traffic later Tuesday, but British Columbia’s driving information service says the status of the route could change quickly based on a nearby wildfire. The DriveBC website shows the out-of-control Summit Lake wildfire is affecting a roughly 162-kilometre stretch of the route, which is also known as Highway 97. The route between Grouse Trail and Toad Mountain Road has closed and reopened to single-lane alternating traffic multiple times since Monday. The BC Wildfire Service says that although maintaining access to the highway is a priority, the safety of crews and the public is its primary objective. It says the Summit Lake fire spans about 26 square kilometres and is one of two “wildfires...
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Igniting Awareness, Extinguishing Risk: Enhancing Fire Safety in Indigenous Communities Across Canada to Help Save More Lives
The National Indigenous Fire Safety Council, Firefighters Without Borders, and Kidde partner to provide smoke alarms and education, addressing critical home fire safety gaps. The following joint news release has been issued on behalf of the National Indigenous Fire Safety Council, Firefighters Without Borders and Kidde. TORONTO, June 04, 2025– In Canada, Indigenous people experience higher rates of fire-related deaths often due to insufficient access to fire safety resources and working smoke alarms 1, especially at home. To address these factors, a new initiative was developed in collaboration with the National Indigenous Fire Safety Council (NIFSC), Firefighters Without Borders (FWB), and Kidde , North America’s #1 home fire safety brand2. Through these important partnerships, Kidde will contribute nearly $400,000 CAD worth of smoke alarms to 16 First Nations communities, marking...
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There is no time to slow-walk reconciliation, says author of guidebook for next steps
By Sam Laskaris, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Windspeaker.com As wildfires force First Nations communities to evacuate in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, the easiest way for allies to step up is to donate to the Canadian Red Cross, says Rose LeMay, author of Ally is a Verb: A Guide to Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples. But allies can do even more. As accommodations in hotels become increasingly strained, LeMay says allies can call for universities and colleges to open up their student housing. And allies can lobby politicians for stronger, faster responses. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong at all with lobbying for effective government services. I’m guessing governments from provincial, territorial to federal governments, are overwhelmed. It seems that they are doing as best as they can,” said LeMay. “Governments...
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Carney says he’ll ‘take note’ of opposition motion to table a spring economic update
By David Baxter Prime Minister Mark Carney said he will “take note” of the successful opposition motion to add language calling for a spring economic update to the throne speech, but did not say when or how that will happen. “We take note of last night’s motion. But what Canadians deserve … what Canadian provinces deserve is a health care transfer, a transfer for child care, a transfer for dental care, a transfer for support affordability. That’s what’s in the main estimates and we expect the support of members opposite,” Carney said during question period Tuesday. The government last week tabled main spending estimates worth nearly $487 billion. MPs will be required to vote on the estimates to keep government operations running into the summer. Conservative and Bloc MPs used...
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‘Out from under the Indian Act’: Heiltsuk Nation, B.C., signs official constitution
By Andie Mollins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Williams Lake Tribune The Haíłzaqv (Heiltsuk) Nation has signed into effect its written constitution, passed through generations, during a ratification feast on Friday, May 30, in Bella Bella. “This is a monumental day,” said Marilyn Slett, Chief of the Haíłzaqv Nation, located on the Central Coast of B.C. “It’s been there, it’s been part of our DNA for as long as we’ve been Haíłzaqv people,” Slett said of the constitution. Putting the nation’s constitution into writing and having it ratified by the people affirms the nation’s decision to be governed by joint leadership. This includes the elected chief and council, the Yímás Council (hereditary council) and the W̓úm̓aqs du M̓ṇúyaqs Council. “That’s a good feeling to get out from under the Indian...
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Hagersville buzzing as Ag Day revival nears
By J.P. Antonacci, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Hamilton Spectator Organizers opted for a throwback to celebrate Hagersville’s 150th birthday. Ag Day — a beloved agriculture-themed festival held annually in the rural Haldimand County town in the 1980s and ’90s — returns on June 6 as the centrepiece of Hagersville’s sesquicentennial celebration. In its heyday, Ag Day attracted thousands looking to learn about farming in a fun way. Last year, with residents anticipating the milestone anniversary and pining for Ag Day’s return, chamber of commerce members Nancy Snyder and Lisa Mattice volunteered to lead the charge. “Our vision from the start was this was a community-based, free, interactive event, with agriculture and history,” Snyder said. The duo were “astounded” when more than 100 townsfolk stepped forward to help. “And we...
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