Fatal northern Quebec police shooting followed drunk driving call, watchdog says
A police shooting that left one man dead and another seriously injured in a northern Quebec village early Monday allegedly occurred after officers answered a call about someone trying to drive while intoxicated. But Quebec’s police watchdog released few other details on Tuesday about what happened around 4:10 a.m. that morning in Salluit, an Inuit fly-in community about 1,850 kilometres north of Montreal. The oversight agency — Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes — said Nunavik police received a 911 call about someone who was allegedly trying to drive while impaired. Based on preliminary information, the agency said two officers arrived at the scene a few minutes after the call and had a physical altercation with two men. The watchdog’s statement didn’t say whether either of the men was armed, but said...
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Brantford Police seeking information on two men in butter thefts
Brantford Police are seeking information on the two men above in relation to a theft of butter from a local store. (Brantford Police Supplied Photos) BRANTFORD, ONT-Brantford police are asking the public to help identify two men who stole over $1000 of butter. Two men were seen stealing around $1200 of butter from a grocery store located at Lynden Road and Wayne Gretzky Parkway October 29 at 8:25 pm. The suspects were wearing all black clothing and black baseball hats and fled the scene in a white van. Brantford police are seeking information from the public to identify the men. Brantford Police Services released pictures of the two suspects, hoping information from the public will assist them in identifying the men. Anyone with information related to this investigation is...
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Nearly 60 per cent of Quebec Inuit feel food-insecure, new data shows
By Cedric Gallant Local Journalism Initiative Reporter About 60 per cent of Quebec Inuit are facing food insecurity, with one-third indicating they have had to reduce food intake or disrupt their eating patterns because of it. Statistics Canada published results from its Indigenous Peoples Survey, conducted in 2022, in August. Respondents answered 18 questions meant to determine whether households both with and without children were able to afford the food they needed over the previous 12 months. Out of nearly 16,000 Quebec Inuit surveyed, approximately 9,500 felt they were in a state of food insecurity. Just over 3,000 respondents reported they felt severely food insecure. The question of food security in Nunavik goes beyond buying power, said Jordyn Stafford, food security manager with the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and...
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Indigenous broadcaster Dan Smoke co-founder of “Smoke Signals” has died
By Lynda Powless Editor LONDON-ONT- It was the familiar voice with a welcoming laugh that made us all smile. One of the longtime voices of Smoke Signals radio show, Indigenous broadcaster and educator, Dan Smoke died Monday Nov., 4, 2024. His wife, and fellow broadcaster Mary Lou Smoke announced the passing in a Facebook post Monday. Mary Lou Smoke, announced the death as “the love of her life,” had passed due to complications of pneumonia and Type 2 diabetes. “Dan committed his life to helping all people,” the post said. “He will be missed dearly.” Smoke Signals, was created and hosted by the couple launching in the early 1990s. It was Canada’s longest-running Indigenous campus radio show available Sundays on CHRW Radio Western 94.9 FM. The show featured...
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Company vows to sue over damages after New Mexico authorities destroy cannabis crops
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — State police have destroyed tens of thousands of pounds of marijuana plants at greenhouses in northwestern New Mexico, marking what regulators say is the largest seizure and destruction of cannabis in New Mexico since new possession and cultivation laws took effect in 2021. Authorities announced the operation Monday, saying dozens of agents were assigned to eradicate the plants in October. The state Cannabis Control Division had started the process of revoking the license of NNK Equity LLC, having filed a noncompliance order and a default order earlier this year. The company was accused of not posting its licenses on site, failing to obtain water rights for cultivation, not having cameras that could monitor certain areas of its operation and violating sanitation and health requirements. “The organization...
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Details revealed for B.C. solar facility which includes First Nations partners
By Sam Laskaris Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The Nlaka’pamux Nation Tribal Council (NNTC) is part of an historic solar facility that is being constructed in British Columbia. Details of the quA-ymn Solar project, which is being built just southwest of Kamloops, were announced on Nov. 4. The project is a partnership between the six NNTC member communities and BluEarth Renewables, a leading power-producing company which has lengthy experience in renewable energy projects across North America. The project is going ahead as it has secured a $35 million loan from the Canadian Infrastructure Bank (CIB). The new project will feature a 15-megawatt solar facility, which will connect into BC Hydro’s energy grid. The power generated will be sufficient enough to generate more than 2,000 homes annually. “This is not a project...
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Vancouver festival features collaboration between Indigenous and non-Indigenous performers
By Renée Sylvestre-Williams Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Urban Ink’s TRANSFORM Festival, co-presented with The Cultch, is set to return to the Vancouver Playhouse for its fifth anniversary celebration. The festival, showcasing a vibrant array of Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists, will run from Nov. 6-9. It is co-curated by Urban Ink artistic director Corey Payette and The Clutch’s executive director Heather Redfern. The festival is also guided by protocol keeper Quelemia Sparrow. This marks the first time the festival is back on stage after several years of digital and hybrid formats. Highlights include Canada’s Drag Race Season 4 winner, Venus, circus performer Sido Adamson, and dancer and ballroom performer Ralph Escamillan. The four-day lineup also features the world premiere of In Spirit, a concert honouring National Indigenous Veterans Day, with performances...
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Quebec police watchdog investigates shooting that left 1 dead, 1 injured in Far North
-Canadian Press-Quebec’s police watchdog is investigating after one person was killed and another injured in a shooting involving police in the northern territory of Nunavik. The watchdog, known as the BEI, says the altercation with police took place early Monday morning in Salluit, a remote village in the Far North. The watchdog says that according to preliminary information one person was killed and another suffered serious injuries. Five investigators will be dispatched soon to investigate further and meet with witnesses. Quebec provincial police will carry out a parallel criminal investigation. Salluit is an Inuit fly-in village of just over 1,400 people, about 1,850 kilometres north of Montreal. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2024. ...
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Premier to face leadership challenge Wednesday
By Jeff Pelletier, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Nunatsiaq News Nunavut Premier P.J. Akeeagok is expected to face a challenge to his leadership this week after MLA Solomon Malliki announced he plans to make a motion Wednesday to remove Akeeagok as head of the Nunavut government. In the legislature, Malliki, who represents the Aivilik riding, didn’t give any reason why he wants Akeeagok to be removed. But during an afternoon break in proceedings, Malliki told Nunatsiaq News he wants to oust Akeeagok over what he says is a lack of transparency. “There’s no transparency in this government. We weren’t getting our answers,” Malliki said. Malliki, who chairs the regular members’ caucus, added that he believes he has enough support from regular members to have the premier removed but acknowledged he “can’t...
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BRFN: Ousted Chief’s counsel disputes removal, alleges council errors
By Ed Hitchins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Legal counsel representing four Blueberry River First Nations (BRFN) councillors has alleged that ousted BRFN Chief Judy Desjarlais has overstepped her boundaries. Desjarlais posted a series of letters to Facebook on October 28th, with lawyer Naz Mitha, the counsel representing BRFN, pointing out an apparent series of violations. BRFN said an investigation concluded Desjarlais violated the First Nations’ bylaws, and she was removed in late September. Mitha claims a binder containing Band Council Resolutions, among other items, is missing. “While Ms. Desjarlais is challenging her removal, I anticipate that you will accept that,” said Mitha in the letter dated Friday, October 25th. “Until a court says otherwise, she is no longer Chief of the BRFN.” “We note that...
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Private member’s bill introduced today aims to make life better for Indigenous Albertans, sponsor says
A bill introduced earlier today in the legislature would give truth and reconciliation the standing it needs to improve the lives of Indigenous persons across Alberta, its sponsor said. Brooks Arcand-Paul, the NDP’s Indigenous relations critic, said his private member’s bill creates a framework for consultation, progress and accountability that’s lacking in the ruling UCP’s governance approach. Citing the child welfare system and drug poisonings as examples of failures, Arcand-Paul said: “I came into this job saying that my whole responsibility here was to make sure that my people stopped dying because of the UCP government’s inaction.” He continued: “That’s what I hope this legislation will do.” A lawyer who grew up in the Alexander First Nation near Edmonton, Arcand-Paul called the proposed legislation the first of its kind developed...
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New art piece honours past, present, and future
The past, the present and the future were celebrated at the unveiling of an art sculpture at the University of Guelph’s Ridgetown Campus on the afternoon of Thursday, October 24. A tree sculpture, made from vintage and reused agricultural equipment parts, was unveiled in front of the DJ Pestell Student Services Building. The artwork’s concept was developed with input from school staff and students to create a symbol of unity, diversity and community engagement on campus. Naomi Peters of Caldwell First Nations and Todd and Joan Phibbs of Blacksmith and Tin Christmas Tree Farm near Highgate brought the artwork’s vision to life through their artistic talent and metalwork. Ridgetown Campus Director Brett Shepherd said the art piece is a permanent reflection of diversity and inclusion, providing students the opportunity to...
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CP NewsAlert: Murray Sinclair, Truth and Reconciliation Commission chair, dies at 73
Murray Sinclair, who chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on residential schools, has died at the age of 73. Niigaan Sinclair says his father died this morning in a Winnipeg hospital. Murray Sinclair was the first Indigenous judge in Manitoba and the second in Canada. He was also a senator from 2016 to 2021. The member of Peguis First Nation was a father of five, as well as a grandfather. He limited public engagements in recent years due to his declining health. More coming. Canadian Press...
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‘Rebuilding trust between the police and the public’
By Kira Wronska Dorward Local Journalism Initiative This is the third instalment in a series on the campaign to have RCMP officers use body-worn cameras in Nunavut. The body camera pilot project in Iqaluit, which cost $93,619.10, was deemed a success overall, especially in terms of improving police-civilian relations. “I myself believe that you will find that there has been a reduction of both incidents and fatalities in Nunavut since the pilot was rolled out and that this program has affected both the conduct of police officers and citizens interacting with police, knowing that they are on camera and their behaviour is under scrutiny,” says former Nunavut senator Dennis Patterson. “This is a good news story, in my opinion. Faced with a very distressing situation, which seemed almost an...
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‘There are new milestones all the time’
By Kira Wronska Dorward Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Jane Flaherty-Lambe has had several incarnations in several communities throughout her life as a Nunavummiuq. Born and raised in Grise Fiord as the child of “human flagpoles” relocated from northern Quebec in 1955, she remembers the struggles inherent in her family’s situation. “A lot of people were struggling from being homesick, and I felt that with my parents,” she recalls. With 10 siblings, Flaherty-Lambe was adopted out to her grandmother because her mother, a residential school survivor, was too young to take care of so many young children. Flaherty-Lambe completed her own residential schooling in Iqaluit. “It was, a lot of times, lonely — wanting to be with our mother. Just being able to be home was too short. Just every Christmas...
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Wiidookdaadiwin Lookout offers ‘spectacular’ view of Springwater
By Wayne Doyle, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The view from Wiidookdaadiwin Lookout is amazing. On a clear day from the observation deck, about 30 metres above the ground, you can see forever — the horizon little more than a faint line in the distance. Below, the land spreads out in every direction. It disappears into the haze to the east and north and runs into the Niagara Escarpment to the west. Standing on the observation deck late Wednesday afternoon, Springwater Coun. Anita Moore was looking north, lost in the natural panorama before her, golden light from the setting sun bathing the landscape. “This is spectacular,” she said. “From this view, you get an incredible sense of how vast and beautiful this township really is.” Moore organized a tour of Wiidookdaadiwin...
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Here and abroad, health-care workers bear witness to the world’s worst atrocities
By Suzanne Shoush Indigenous Health Faculty Lead, University of Toronto As a physician, I remember the first time I saw a child dying. She was in the pediatric intensive care unit, flown in from a remote First Nations community with her family on the way. Intubated and sedated to cope with the blisters covering her little body, she’d had three of her four limbs amputated — the result of a horrific meningococcal infection. I remember standing rooted to the ground, unable to walk away from her bedside, wanting more than anything to undo her suffering. This was long before I became involved in academic medicine as Indigenous Health Faculty lead for the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto, yet it profoundly shaped my understanding of...
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‘Absolutely tragic’: RCMP identify remains of child found in Manitoba barn
RCMP have identified a toddler whose remains were found in a barn in Manitoba this past summer. Mounties said Xavia Skye Lynn Butler would have been between one and two years old at the time of her death but did not say when the girl died. Her remains were located in a barn on a property near Grahamdale, about 200 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg, on June 3. Her death is being investigated as a homicide. RCMP said the last time investigators have been able to physically place Xavia was approximately a year before her remains were found, and there were no missing person reports filed about her in that time. Sgt. Paul Manaigre said the girl was from Pinaymootang First Nation but had lived on the property at one point...
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Hajdu backs Marathon’s activity centre plan
THUNDER BAY – Thunder Bay-Superior North’s member of Parliament says Marathon has her support as it seeks federal funding for a $65-million sports and recreation centre “I’ve been working with the mayor of Marathon on a potential route towards getting some of the shortfall covered through federal investment,” Patty Hajdu said Friday after an unrelated announcement at Lakehead University. “The most likely pathway will be through the Infrastructure Canada funds,” she said. Marathon Mayor Rick Dumas confirmed Friday that the town has filed a funding application with the federal Green Municipal Fund for $35 million. A $15-million funding application with the Ontario government will be filed soon, he added. Designs for the two-storey, 100,000-square-foot Marathon Active Living Centre building include a lap pool, a leisure pool, a hockey rink, changing...
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Quebec religious group focused on suicide prevention files constitutional challenge
(CP)-A Quebec religious group headed by a man who lost his son to suicide has filed a constitutional challenge against the municipality of Waterloo after it was ticketed for going door-to-door to share its message about suicide prevention. Groupe Jaspe, a Christian group based in Magog, Que., received two tickets in February, worth over $900 after fees, for violating a city bylaw requiring non-profit groups to obtain a permit for “selling, collecting or soliciting in the municipality.” But rather than pay the tickets, Claude Tremblay, the group’s president and founder, is taking the municipality to court for what he said is a violation of his Charter rights. “The constitution gives us the right to share our faith,” Tremblay said in an interview. The challenge argues that the bylaw’s provisions “constitute...
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