Manitoba First Nations call for alcohol restrictions after violence prompts curfew
The Canadian Press-First Nations chiefs in northern Manitoba are calling for restrictions on alcohol purchases following an uptick in violent crimes, including a series of stabbings in one community over the weekend. “When someone goes into a liquor store and they purchase a case of 60-ounce bottles … they’re obviously bootlegging,” Acting Grand Chief Angela Levasseur, with Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, said Tuesday. “Where is the regulation? Why is the government aiding and abetting bootleggers by allowing people to purchase these mass quantities of alcohol without a permit?” The advocacy group for some northern Manitoba First Nations said it has seen a 40 per cent increase in violent acts in the communities it represents since 2021. Levasseur is calling on the federal and provincial governments to stop the flow of illicit...
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Manitoba chiefs call for PM to rescind Charles Adler’s appointment to Senate
The Canadian Press First Nations chiefs in Manitoba are calling for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to rescind the appointment of veteran broadcaster Charles Adler to the Senate. The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs says Adler’s past comments toward Indigenous Peoples are “grossly offensive” and perpetuate stereotypes. In 1999, while working on a radio show in Winnipeg, Adler called Indigenous leaders “uncivilized boneheads” and “intellectually moribund,” among other names. Grand Chief Cathy Merrick questioned how Adler, who was appointed to the Senate to represent Manitoba on Trudeau’s advice on Saturday, could advocate for First Nations in a respectful way given his previous words. “For comments like that to be made from someone that is going to be appointed into the Senate is not acceptable because you carry those thoughts,” she said. “It...
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Brantford man and woman facing drug charges
By Austin Evans Writer BRANTFORD,ONT- The Brantford Police Services (BPS) has seized over $24,000 in illicit drugs in just two arrests. Members of the BPS conducted an investigation to locate and arrest an unnamed 23-year-old Brantford man wanted for multiple offences. The investigation was led by members of the BPS High Enforcement Action Team and the BPS Tactical Intelligence Generated Enforcement and Response Unit. As a result of the investigation, members of the BPS Emergency Response Team and the BPS K-9 Unit arrested the man at Colborne Street and King Street at approximately 5:45 pm on August 14. Officers searched him and found a concealed and loaded handgun, roughly 79 grams of suspected Fentanyl, a digital scale, multiple cell phones, and a large amount of cash. An unnamed 33-year-old Brantford...
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A B.C. First Nation burned down — now it’s building back bigger
A year ago, a wildfire tore through a First Nation in the interior of British Columbia, destroying 32 structures. And yet, Skwlāx te Secwepemcúl̓ecw is celebrating. James Tomma, Kukpi7 (Chief) of the First Nation that sits around 60 kilometres east of Kamloops, told Canada’s National Observer that there was a sense of despair right after the climate catastrophe during last year’s historic wildfire season. Skwlāx was one of more than 90 First Nations who were evacuated last year. Tomma lost his own home to the fire. He and his brothers tried to stave the fire off of their old family home, but it too burned to the ground. Community members whose homes were also lost were housed across the region, some in towns 45 minutes away, including in nearby Kamloops...
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Manitoba chiefs call for PM to rescind Charles Adler’s appointment to Senate
Canadian Press 20/08/2024 14:46 First Nations chiefs in Manitoba are calling for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to rescind the appointment of veteran broadcaster Charles Adler to the Senate. The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs says Adler’s past comments toward Indigenous Peoples are “grossly offensive” and perpetuate stereotypes. In 1999, while working on a radio show in Winnipeg, Adler called Indigenous leaders “uncivilized boneheads” and “intellectually moribund,” among other names. Grand Chief Cathy Merrick questioned how Adler, who was appointed to the Senate to represent Manitoba on Trudeau’s advice on Saturday, could advocate for First Nations in a respectful way given his previous words. Adler wrote on social media that being criticized is nothing new for him, and that he expects the same while serving in the Senate. Assembly of First Nations...
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Criticism of new Senate appointment includes that of a federal cabinet minister
Canadian Press The appointment of longtime broadcaster Charles Adler to the Senate is being criticized in some quarters, including by a member of the federal cabinet. Adler, who spent decades hosting talk-radio shows, was named to the Senate on the weekend by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and will represent Manitoba. Dan Vandal, the minister of northern affairs, has issued a brief one-sentence statement that says there are many Manitobans better suited to represent the province. The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs is calling on the prime minister to revoke the appointment and is accusing Adler of having used grossly offensive language about Indigenous people on air. Adler declined an interview request and said he would not comment. The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs complained in 1999 about Adler using terms such as...
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Tseshaht officials urge households to be prepared for emergencies
By Nora O’Malley Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Port Alberni, BC – When a wildfire broke out near Tseshaht’s main reserve on Aug. 6, elected Councillor Leisa Hassall says she could almost instantly smell the smoke. “My house is actually 1.6 kilometres away,” said Hassall. “We have infrastructure that is close too, like the Maht Mahs (Gym), the NTC building and a few other buildings are all within less than two kilometres (of the fire).” Thanks to the quick response from BC Wildfire, the Sproat Lake Volunteer Fire Department and Mosaic Forest Management, the wildfire was unofficially classified as ‘being held’ the same night it was reported. “We ended up with three different bodies responding to this one fire, which is fantastic. As far as I know, Mosaic remained on site...
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B.C. police drop surnames in missing person alerts to avoid ‘negative lasting impact’
The Canadian Press It could be a weekend teenage runaway. An elderly loved one, lost and disoriented. Or it could be the first indication of murder. The first call to a police department to report a missing person sets in motion a series of investigative and public actions to find them, then, once found, protect their identity from becoming part of a permanent public record, said Insp. Drew Robertson of the Saanich Police Department. The department that polices Greater Victoria’s largest municipality recently moved to exclude surnames from public alerts requesting help finding missing people, in a bid to avoid causing them future harm. In so doing, it joins a growing number of law enforcement agencies across Canada, and has drawn praise from British Columbia’s privacy commissioner. Others, including the...
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Indigenous fisher from Maine claims treaty rights after arrest
By Andrew Bates, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter An Indigenous lobster fisher from Maine is claiming treaty rights after being charged with illegally fishing in Passamaquoddy Bay. Erik D. Francis, 54, of Perry, Maine, is charged with Coastal Fisheries Protection Act offences relating to two incidents in November 2022 and September 2023 where he is accused of fishing from a foreign vessel in New Brunswick waters. In a statement, Fisheries and Oceans Canada spokesperson Lauren Sankey, fisheries officials arrested and released one person on Nov. 15, 2022, after seizing 36 lobster traps during a patrol of Passamaquoddy Bay. The same person was charged with two others on Sept. 20, 2023, after 12 traps were seized during patrol of the bay, Sankey wrote. According to court documents, Francis asserts constitutional rights to...
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Kenzie Allen’s debut poetry collection a treasure trove of pop culture references
Scattered throughout Kenzie Allen’s debut poetry collection are familiar names: Indiana Jones, Pocahontas, Yoko Ono. “The pop culture figures are not just fun, weird foils for me, which they are, but they’re also a shared reference point,” she said. For a long time, she said, she felt like she had to include those reference points in her work – to name the stereotypes about Indigenous women so she could challenge them. “I felt like I couldn’t speak to lived experience — true lived experience — without speaking to those stereotypes first.” The Toronto-based Haudenosaunee poet said her poems are a way for her to reclaim her Indigeneity from those who labelled her too much or not enough — people in the publishing industry who encouraged her to move the more...
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Esk’etemc First Nation celebrates $147M federal settlement for broken water promises
By Dionne Phillips, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Esk’etemc First Nation is celebrating a victory more than two decades in the making, after receiving a $147-million settlement from “Canada” for the loss of water rights in Tsqewt more than a century ago. The Secwépemc community — located about 50 km south of Williams Lake — held an event Aug. 6 to mark the success of its specific claim. Tsqewt is a 1,100-acre parcel of land located above the “Fraser River,” one of Esk’etemc’s 19 reserves that make up a total of approximately 3,800 hectares in Esk’etemculucw. “After the celebration … I really get a sense that we’re coming back together,” Kúkwpi7 Fred Robbins told IndigiNews after the event. He said the community has spent many years proving its rights were violated...
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Low water levels affecting salmon migration in B.C. streams: DFO
The Canadian Press Low water levels brought on by years of severe drought, paired with meagre snowpack and rainfall, are leaving B.C.’s salmon in a compromising position during their spawning migration, a fisheries expert warns. Researchers are also trying to understand the effects of last year’s devastating wildfires in B.C. Salmon need a steady stream of cool, fresh water to survive and reach their spawning grounds, but Murray Manson, the section head of the Fisheries Department’s Habitat Restoration Centre of Expertise, told a briefing Friday that he is expecting fish to start appearing in some low-water areas. “We’re trying to be prepared for some of the issues that might arise,” he said. Concerns persist despite a cool spring that left B.C. in a more “fortunate” position than expected, Manson noted....
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Anicinabe Park occupation remembered, 50 years later
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter KENORA – Donald Kelly Sr. remembers Aug. 7, 1974, as the day his daughter was born, and the day he ceased participating in the armed occupation of Anicinabe Park. Kelly said his brother, also among the Anishinaabe occupiers, told him police wanted to have a word with him at the park’s perimeter. “Anyway,” Kelly recalled 50 years later, “I go over and the police – I don’t know who it was, the police chief or one of the superintendents or whatever you call them, but he was talking to the leadership at the gate and when I got over there, he says ‘Are you Donald Kelly?’ “I said ‘Yeah, who wants to know?’ “Anyway, they said ‘Mr. Kelly, this morning a daughter was...
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Black bears to be evicted for nuclear waste site
By Matteo Cimellaro Canada’s National Observer Local Journalism Initiative As many as eight black bears are facing eviction from their homes by Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, the company building a nuclear waste facility near the Ottawa River. A letter sent to the Kebaowek First Nation and obtained by Canada’s National Observer says the company is taking action to block the bears from their dens. The letter was sent after representatives from the First Nation found evidence of at least three active bear dens during a tour of the area three weeks ago, Lance Haymond, chief of Kebaowek First Nation, said. Evidence of those bear dens traces back to data collected for the Algonquin-led environmental assessment of the waste facility published in 2023. The timing of CNL’s decision to evict the bears,...
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Yukon minister says there’s still ‘hope’ for gold mining to continue at disaster site
The Canadian Press The Yukon government hopes mining can eventually restart at the site of the Eagle Gold mine disaster, despite calls from the Na-Cho Nyak Dun First Nation to halt mining activity on its traditional territory. Yukon Justice Minister Tracy-Anne McPhee said Friday that the mine site could still be viable after environmental mitigation work is completed, though the mine’s owner, Victoria Gold, was ordered into receivership this week. An Ontario court appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers Inc. as receiver over the company after the Yukon government “lost confidence” in Victoria Gold’s ability to handle clean-up efforts, court documents say. McPhee said the receiver’s work “will be to discover and assess the assets of Victoria Gold, wherever they may be held, and determine how those funds can be used to mitigate the...
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‘We failed’: Manitoba health authority admits to error that led to burial mix-up
The Canadian Press A northern Manitoba First Nations community and the province’s health authority are searching for answers after a family received — and buried — the remains of the wrong person. “Shared Health accepts full responsibility for this error,” Lanette Siragusa, the CEO of the provincial health agency, told reporters Friday. “It is our job to provide dignity, respect and compassion to all those who come into our care as well as to their loved ones. In this instance, we failed. “For that I offer, my sincere apologies to the family and community members.” Siragusa said they have launched an internal investigation to determine not only what caused the error but also the steps needed to ensure it doesn’t happen again. Shared Health confirmed Friday the body was under...
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Ignace council gives panel members the boot
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter IGNACE – The Township of Ignace has dismissed three longtime members of its nuclear willingness committee. Willingness Ad Hoc Committee chair Roger Dufault and two other members received a letter Monday from the township informing them that the town council “is terminating your role on the Committee effective immediately.” The letter, signed by Mayor Kim Baigrie, reminds them that they signed an “oath of confidentiality” in April and says legal action will be taken if they share confidential information. No explanation for their dismissal was given. Baigrie confirmed to Newswatch that the trio have been removed from the willingness committee, then quickly added “I can’t really speak of it.” Township councillors had issues with certain committee members’ conduct, she said this week –...
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Joint investment of $19.9 million to improve lower Coquitlam and Fraser rivers’ diking systems announced
By Patrick Penner, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter A $19.9 million funding package has been announced to improve the diking systems along the lower Coquitlam River and Fraser River. Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart, Kwikwetlem First Nation Coun. John Peters, Coquitlam–Port Coquitlam MP Ron McKinnon, and Port Moody MLA Rick Glumac announced the joint investment on Aug. 15 at ƛ̓ éxətəm Regional Park, formerly known as Colony Farm Regional Park. Stewart said the local governments and First Nations are the “front lines’ with respect to climate change, as seen through recent flooding events across the province. “Our collective action in planning and preparing for flood events underscores our shared commitment to safeguarding our communities and reducing the risks they face,” Stewart said. Rising water levels and increased rainfall from climate change are...
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Violence prompts curfew for everyone on Manitoba First Nation, Indigenous group says
An organization representing Indigenous peoples in Manitoba says a First Nation in the northern part of the province is imposing a curfew for all residents following a night of stabbings in the community. Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak says in a statement that its grand chief stands with O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation Chief Shirley Ducharme and her council in their declaration of a state of emergency. RCMP say one stabbing victim was taken to Thompson, Man., with non-life-threatening injuries and a suspect was arrested, while another person was treated at the community’s nursing station for a reported stab injury to their hand. The statement from MKO says that based on advice from RCMP and the community nurse in charge, the First Nation will enforce a curfew of 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. for...
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Following criticism, Ottawa removes funding caps for residential school searches
The Canadian Press The federal government is backtracking on a move to limit funding for searches of former residential school grounds. Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree said in a statement Friday the government has heard concerns from Indigenous leaders and communities “loud and clear.” Communities could previously receive up to $3 million per year through the Residential Schools Missing Children Community Support Fund, but the government had moved to cap funding at $500,000. Anandasangaree said the government will now lift that cap and remove planned restrictions on the funding, which goes toward locating burial sites at former residential schools and identifying children who never returned. The recent changes, he said, “fell short of our solemn commitment to finding the children.” The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs was among the groups that...
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