Carney holds closed door meeting with First Nations on major projects legislation
By Alessia Passafiume Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was at a summit with First Nations leaders on Thursday to listen to their concerns about the government’s major projects legislation but almost all of the meeting is being held behind closed doors. The Assembly of First Nations advocated for the entire meeting to be made public, but the government organizers only permitted the Prime Minister’s opening remarks in the room at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Que., to be public. Carney and several of his cabinet ministers met Thursday with hundreds of First Nations leaders about the Building Canada Act, which allows the government to fast track major projects. “I will say a few words at the start and answer questions at the end but I’m here to...
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Carney says he’s ready to listen to First Nations on major projects legislation
By Alessia Passafiume Prime Minister Mark Carney said he’s “here to listen” to First Nations leaders about their concerns with the government’s major projects legislation. Carney and several of his cabinet ministers are meeting with hundreds of First Nations leaders in Gatineau on Thursday about the Building Canada Act. “I will say a few words at the start and answer questions at the end but I’m here to listen, engage and move forward from that,” Carney told reporters before the meeting began. He was greeted with cheers as he took the stage Thursday morning to give opening remarks. “The economic value of these projects will be shared with First Nations as partners who will help build the prosperity of your communities for generations to come,” Carney said as he began...
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Carney says he’s ready to listen to First Nations on major projects legislation
By Alessia Passafiume Prime Minister Mark Carney says he’s “here to listen” to First Nations leaders about their concerns with the government’s major projects legislation. Carney and several of his cabinet ministers are meeting with hundreds of First Nations leaders in Gatineau today about the Building Canada Act. The closed-door meeting was promised in June after chiefs said their rights were not respected by the rush to push the legislation through Parliament. The law allows cabinet to quickly grant federal approvals for big industrial projects like mines, ports and pipelines by sidestepping existing laws. Many First Nations leaders said Wednesday they have low expectations for the meeting and are warning it should not be seen as the full and fair consultation required on major projects. Carney says today’s meeting is...
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The Latest: Senate passes $9 billion in spending cuts to public broadcasting, foreign aid
Just after 2 a.m. ET, the Senate passed about $9 billion in federal spending cuts requested by President Donald Trump, including deep reductions to public broadcasting and foreign aid, moving forward on his top priorities despite concerns from several Republican senators. The legislation, which now moves to the House, would have a tiny impact on the nation’s rising debt but could have major ramifications for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and U.S. food aid internationally. It also could complicate efforts to pass additional spending bills this year, as Democrats and even some Republicans voice objections to broadly ceding congressional spending power with little idea of how the White House Office of Management and Budget would apply the cuts. The 51-48 vote came after Democrats sought to remove many of the...
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Government, First Nations had been preparing to move problem bear, B.C. minister says
By Nono Shen A suitable bear trap had arrived on British Columbia’s Texada Island on Tuesday, meant to hold a grizzly that had caused a ruckus among the island’s residents. It came too late, B.C.’s minister of water, land and resource stewardship said on Wednesday. Tex, as the bear became known, was found dead by conservation officers, Randene Neill said. “Unfortunately, we learned that same morning that someone had shot the bear,” said Neill, “It was horribly sad.” Neill said they had been working on a plan for a month with three coastal First Nations to relocate the four-year-old grizzly bear. Neill said Tla’amin First Nation in Powell River reached out to her, asking if they could make a plan for the bear alongside the Shishalh and Homalco nations. Tex...
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One year after scathing report into 11-year-old’s death, watchdog says not enough has changed
By Amy Romer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, IndigiNews One year after the province promised a “new vision” for child welfare following a scathing report into an 11-year-old boy’s death, the B.C. Representative for Children and Youth (RCY), says not enough has been done to fix the system. Jennifer Charlesworth says some progress is being made one year after she released Don’t Look Away on July 16, 2024 — but expressed concerns about “fiscal limitations” and other challenges standing in the way of advancement. “For some reason, it’s very difficult to shift a system in the way it needs to shift,” said Charlesworth during a media event on Tuesday. “So we’re committed to keep reminding the sector that we can do so much better for children and families.” Don’t Look Away...
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‘The general public should be alarmed’: Legal fight against economic development bills begins
By Matt Prokopchuk, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, TBnewswatch.com TORONTO — A group of Ontario First Nations is asking the courts to declare two new laws unconstitutional. Nine First Nations in Ontario, including three in the Northwest, have filed an applicationin Ontario Superior Court that seeks to strike down Ontario’s Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act ( Bill 5) and sections of the federal Building Canada Act (Bill C-5). The application says, in both cases, the legislation “authorizes the Crown to unilaterally ram through projects without meaningful or any engagement with First Nations.” “Canada and Ontario … need to provide proper infrastructure and economic participation requirements to First Nations,” Ginoogaming Chief Sheri Taylor told a press conference at Queen’s Park in Toronto Wednesday morning. “These are the partnerships and initiatives...
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First Nations chiefs worry Bills 5 and C-5 will enable environmental destruction
By Allison Jones First Nations chiefs behind a legal challenge to a pair of federal and provincial laws meant to fast-track infrastructure projects say they are turning to the courts because they worry the laws will lead to environmental destruction. Nine Ontario First Nations want the court to declare the federal law known as Bill C-5 and the Ontario law known as Bill 5 unconstitutional and are seeking an injunction that would prevent the governments from using some of the most contentious aspects. Chief June Black of Apitipi Anicinapek Nation in northeastern Ontario became emotional at a press conference Wednesday, when saying that her people have been on those lands “since time immemorial.” “We have a sacred responsibility to protect the lands,” she said. “What’s about to happen is going...
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Slave Lake Métis local transitions to interim district council
By Pearl Lorentzen, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Lakeside Leader People in the Slave Lake and High Prairie area may have gotten used to the fact that Métis Region 5 is now District 21, as programming has continued during the transition. However, the legalities were finalized in April and an election for district captain will be held in the fall. The Métis Nation of Alberta has been in the self-government process for many years and held the first election of the Otipemisiwak Métis Government: Métis Nation Within Alberta (MNA) in the fall of 2023. The transition included changing six regions to 22 districts. Region 5 was divided into District 21 and 22, with a bit of land added in the south. From west to east, District 21 goes from Donnelly to...
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Land Grab – Quebec’s forestry reforms meet widespread resistance
By Patrick Quinn, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Nation Resistance continues to mount against Quebec’s proposed forestry reforms in Bill 97. The latest in a series of demonstrations saw 100 protesters march from Montreal’s Olympic Stadium June 22. Tabled in April by Natural Resources Minister Maïté Blanchette Vézina, the legislation would divide forests into three categories: conservation zones, multi-purpose zones balancing conservation and development, and intensive logging zones. By 2028, Vezina suggested, at least 30% of Quebec’s forests would be used exclusively by industry. While forestry corporations support it, Bill 97 is opposed by Indigenous leaders, environmental groups, unions and forestry researchers. Unions affiliated with the CSN say empowering industry to manage intensive forestry zones would rapidly deplete the resource, threatening long-term employment. Professor Christian Messier, an expert on forest...
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Solstice Splashes – Sunny celebrations for National Indigenous Peoples Day
By Patrick Quinn, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Nation Celebrations across Canada marked National Indigenous Peoples Day June 21, when the sun in the northern hemisphere travels its longest path across the sky. The summer solstice is a time of spiritual renewal and historically a time when Cree families returned from winter and spring camps. Cree communities recognized the day with cultural activities. The Cree and Inuit of Whapmagoostui-Kuujjuaraapik celebrated at First Point (Tikiraq) with a fishing derby, photo hunt, traditional food, fashion contest and log games. Waskaganish commemorated “the languages reclaimed from silence, and the storytellers, young and old, who carry them forward.” As Robin Gull-Saganash from Waswanipi said, “We honour those who came before us, and we walk proudly as the ones who carry our culture forward.” And...
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Canada to target steel originating from China with new tariffs
By David Baxter Canada is moving to shore up its domestic steel industry amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s ongoing global trade war, with new tariffs targeting China and other countries around the world. During a visit to a steel manufacturing company in Hamilton on Wednesday, Prime Minister Mark Carney said all steel originating in China will be subjected to higher tariffs and there will be tariffs of 50 per cent on non-U.S. steel imports above newly established quotas. The visit comes more than a month after Trump hiked tariffs on steel and aluminum to 50 per cent from 25, but for now Canada is still not adjusting its retaliatory tariffs on some U.S. steel and aluminum products that have been in place since the spring. Carney said the new Canadian...
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Big comeback anticipated for international heritage and culture festival
By Ina Pace, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Squamish Chief A celebration of multiculturalism and community spirit is returning to Squamish with the second edition of the Mosaic Mountain Heritage Festival set for July 19. Pieces of the world are literally joining together this Saturday, as the Mosaic Mountain Heritage Festival returns. The festival, hosted by the International Heritage Cultural Centre Society (IHCCS), celebrates culture and the arts from all nationalities in one place. It will be the second year Squamish is hosting the celebration. IHCCS founder Cathy Arguzon explained that whilst last year’s festival took place in Totem Hall, it is being moved this year to the larger outdoor space of Junction Park and O’Siyam Pavilion to accommodate the festival’s anticipated popularity. She estimated that the number of attendees...
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Trees to be planted in joint First Nation and BC Energy Regulator restoration project to restore caribou habitat
By Ed Hitchins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Energeticcity.ca BUICK, B.C. — A northeast B.C. First Nation finalized details about a new restoration project tied to a 2023 implementation agreement with the province. Blueberry River First Nations (BRFN) and the BC Energy Regulator (BCER) have unveiled plans for its large-scale Pink Mountain Seismic Line Restoration Project, according to a press release on Wednesday, July 16th. The project involves the restoration of 93 hectares of seismic line disturbance near the Sikanni Chief River. BRFN identifies the area as one of “cultural significance,” which is also the homeland of southern mountain caribou herds. Focusing on restoring habitat and connectivity between caribou herds from Chinchaga and Pink Mountain areas, the process will involve the construction of brush fences, tree planting and constructing tree piles....
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Inside the high-stakes battle to win a New York City casino license
By Philip Marcelo NEW YORK (AP) — A Caesars Palace casino in the heart of Times Square. A sprawling gambling hall along Coney Island’s iconic boardwalk. A Hard Rock casino complex next to the home stadium of baseball’s New York Mets. Eight projects are bidding for a state license to operate a casino in the lucrative New York City market, each dangling the prospect of generational investment in America’s largest metropolitan region. But one — a Bally’s casino proposed on a Bronx golf course once run by President Donald Trump’s company — may have already run out of luck, after city lawmakers denied it a key approval this week. All of the proposed casinos, in application materials submitted in recent days, promise to create thousands of new jobs, flashy new...
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Carney to meet with First Nations today on major projects legislation
By Alessia Passafiume Prime Minister Mark Carney will meet today with First Nations leaders about his government’s controversial major projects legislation. The closed-door meeting was promised by Carney in June after chiefs said their rights were not respected by the rush to push the Building Canada Act through Parliament in June. The legislation allows cabinet to quickly grant federal approvals for big industrial projects like mines, ports and pipelines by sidestepping existing laws. An agenda for today’s meeting shared with The Canadian Press shows Carney will deliver opening remarks for 10 minutes in the morning, followed by the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations. Carney does not appear on the agenda again until later in the afternoon, where he will sit alongside a handful of ministers for an...
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B.C. First Nation says plan to move Tex the grizzly was underway before it was killed
A First Nation on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast says it is “deeply saddened” by the shooting death of a grizzly bear on Texada Island this week. The Tla’amin First Nation says in a statement that it was working on a co-ordinated relocation effort for the bear with two other area nations before the bear, nicknamed Tex, was “illegally shot, maimed and killed.” It says it held a ceremony on Tuesday to honour the spirit of Tex after taking custody of his remains. The B.C. Conservation Officer Service says it received a report from the RCMP on Tuesday that someone had shot and wounded the bear and it later reported finding the bear dead. The service said last month that the bear was not a good candidate for relocation because it...
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Governor General visit to Nunavut ‘like coming home’
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News Canada’s Governor General Mary Simon wrapped up her four-day visit to Iqaluit on July 9 as part of her final stop on her Mental Health Learning and Listening Tour. But the trip was also personal for the first Inuk to hold the position of Canada’s official head of state. “I don’t get to go to the north very often anymore, but it’s like coming home,” Simon told Nunavut News in a phone interview. Simon visited Iqaluit’s Tukisigiarvik Centre and Qaujigiartiit Health Research Centre on July 7 and 8 respectively, which blends both Inuit traditions and western science to treat patients with wellness programs. The Tukisigiarvik Centre offers everything from parka making and hunting skills training to laundry and resume writing...
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First Nations chiefs worry Bills 5 and C-5 will enable environmental destruction
By Allison Jones First Nations chiefs behind a legal challenge to a pair of federal and provincial laws meant to fast-track infrastructure projects say they are turning to the courts because they worry the laws will lead to environmental destruction. Nine Ontario First Nations want the court to declare the federal law known as Bill C-5 and the Ontario law known as Bill 5 unconstitutional and are seeking an injunction that would prevent the governments from using some of the most contentious aspects. Chief June Black of Apitipi Anicinapek Nation in northeastern Ontario became emotional at a press conference Wednesday, when saying that her people have been on those lands “since time immemorial.” “We have a sacred responsibility to protect the lands,” she said. “What’s about to happen is going...
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Siksika challenges province in court over coal mining moratorium
By John Watson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Strathmore Times Siksika Nation is challenging the Province of Alberta in court over their decision to end a moratorium on coal development in the Rocky Mountains. In May 2020, Siksika Nation filed a legal challenge against the province’s decision to rescind the 1976 Coal Policy, which had protected approximately 14,000 square kilometers of land in the Rocky Mountains from coal development. The lawsuit ended in May 2021 when the Coal Policy was reinstated. The province’s Coal Policy Committee was to engage with the public and consult with First Nations about coal development in the Rockies. “We are filing a judicial review on the decision to lift the coal moratorium on the eastern slopes specifically. Siksika, before they lifted that moratorium, was able to...
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