Sexual assault trial for Lake St. Martin First Nation chief begins in Winnipeg
By Brittany Hobson The trial for a First Nations chief in Manitoba who is accused of sexual assault has begun in Winnipeg. Christopher Traverse, who was the leader of Lake St. Martin First Nation at the time of his arrest last year, pleaded not guilty to sexual assault, sexual interference and child pornography Monday (March 13) morning in provincial court. Court heard from the complainant who was eight-years-old at the time of the alleged offences. In a video statement played in court, the girl claimed Traverse forced her into a bathroom in his home in Winnipeg in December 2023, took photos of her and sexually assaulted her. Investigators became aware of the allegations after the girl’s mother found one of the photos on the girl’s cellphone and reported it to...
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Trump’s tariffs will hit close to home
Imagine, if you can, deciding a decade ago to launch a business in your Indigenous community. Or even today. A chance to work within the community whether its construction to farming to retail to wholesaling. It’s yours and you get to work in your home community. A business that for some may be coming to an end…thanks to Trump’s tariffs. Trump’s tariffs are going to make life difficult not just for Canadians country wide but take a moment to image what it will do to Indigenous people. There isn’t a business owner anywhere that doesn’t fear a recession hitting or a trade war. Now take that fear and multiply it when it comes to Indigenous business. Indigenous people are launching businesses at five times the rate of non-Indigenous people in...
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Today in history
April 1 In 1999, dignitaries including Prime Minister Jean Chretien and Gov. Gen. Romeo LeBlanc dined on muskox, whale skin, Arctic char and raw seal to celebrate the creation of Nunavut in the eastern Arctic. Canada’s third territory gave the Inuit title to an area more than five times the size of Alberta. In 2011, five tiny First Nations on Vancouver Island began new chapters in their collective histories, when a land-claims treaty that took almost 20 years to negotiate took effect. In addition to 24,550 hectares and resource and program payments, it gave powers of self-government, including taxation rights, to the bands representing about 2,500 people near the communities of Bamfield, Port Alberni, Campbell River and Ucluelet. In 2019, a new scientific report from Environment and Climate Change Canada...
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UNDER THE NORTHERN SKY: Goodbye To The Hudson Bay Company
By Xavier Kataquapit The historic Hudson Bay Company has been diminished and the company is on its way to becoming lost to the history books. Starting this past month in March 2025, the company filed for creditor protection which forced it to liquidate all of its stores across the country except for six key flagship stores in major cities including the historic flagship location on Yonge Street in downtown Toronto. As an Indigenous person, who grew up in the shadow of this all consuming company in my home community of Attawapiskat, I am happy to see it disappear from the landscape. To many Canadians, the HBC conjures up nostalgic images of Hudson Bay blankets, Canadian store fronts and an historic name that occupied the history of Canada since before the...
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Six Nations Fire preparing for second season of operations
By Sam Laskaris Writer Representatives of the Six Nations Fire are confident things will be much better for the organization as it gears up for its second season. The Fire was an expansion entry in the First Nations Junior B Lacrosse League last season. The local club was the only Canadian entry in the league, which also included five American teams. “It should be smoother for us this year,” said Fire head coach Johnny Powless, who was a former junior and pro star player himself. The three others on the Fire coaching staff have also played in the professional National Lacrosse League. Powless’ brother Marshall will handle the Fire offence. Leo Stouros is in charge of the squad’s defence. And Nolan Clayton is the club’s goalie coach, who will also...
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Controversy After Naskapi Hunters Harvest Endangered Caribou
By Patrick Quinn, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter After the Cree Nation Government condemned the unauthorized hunting of caribou in the Nichicun and Lac Catalogne areas of Eeyou Istchee by members of the Naskapi Nation of Kawawachikamach, Quebec’s Ministry of the Environment announced it has opened an investigation into the incident. The province’s wildlife protection agency has requested action to document the alleged activities and “offence files could be filed for judicial consequences.” Although several sources confirmed that Naskapi hunters killed 200 caribou in mid-February, it’s unknown how many were from the endangered woodland Caniapiscau and Témiscamie herds as they’re known to mix with migratory caribou. “At this time of year, it is likely that the animals are a mixture of the two ecotypes,” said Martin-Hugues St-Laurent, professor of animal ecology...
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Brant County OPP charge one person after intimate partner violence investigation
BRANT, ON – The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Brant County Detachment has charged a Paris individual in an intimate partner violence investigation in Paris. Brnt County OPP said officers responded to a disturbance at a residence on Grand River Street North April 1, 2025, at about 6:30 a.m. As a result of the investigation, a 35-year-old individual from Paris was arrested and charged with: Failure to comply with an undertaking Assault – Choke, suffocate or strangle, cause bodily harm The accused was held for a bail hearing. Victim Services attended and support was offered. The OPP remains committed to preventing and responding to incidents of intimate partner violence. If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 9-1-1. Anyone with information related to this or any other investigation is...
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Tanya Talaga, Jane Philpott among finalists for Shaughnessy Cohen Prize Slugline: Books-Shaughnessy-Cohen-Prize
-CP-Journalist Tanya Talaga and former health minister Jane Philpott are among the authors shortlisted for this year’s Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing. The Writers’ Trust of Canada announced the finalists on Wednesday, while the winner will be named at the annual Politics and the Pen gala in Ottawa in September. Talaga, who previously won the prize in 2018, made the list for “The Knowing,” which jurors describe as “a searing new perspective on how this country’s most fundamental institutions are weaponized against Indigenous communities.” Philpott, meanwhile, is shortlisted for “Health for All: A Doctor’s Prescription for a Healthier Canada,” which the jury praises for its helpful description of the “overwhelmingly complex health-care issues at stake.” Two books about Canada’s prime ministers are in the running, including journalist Stephen Maher’s...
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‘Can’t imagine Alaska without Canada’: Resolution would affirm Canadian sovereignty
By Fakiha Baig America’s 49th state is showing support for the country that U.S. President Donald Trump wants to make its 51st. Republican Rep. Chuck Kopp of Alaska, which shares a border with the Yukon and is separated from the contiguous U.S. by Canada, says the state doesn’t support the president’s trade war and annexation bid against Canada. He has proposed a joint resolution in the state legislature that would affirm Canada’s sovereignty and recognize the enduring, centuries-old ties between Alaska and Canada. “This resolution, more than anything, is to present a unified voice of restoration and reconciliation among old allies and friends at a time when trade restrictions have jeopardized and challenged that relationship,” Kopp said in testimony this week before the Alaska senate resources committee. “The trust and...
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New CEO on the job at Matawa First Nations Management
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter THUNDER BAY – Matawa First Nations Management, an agency serving nine Anishinaabe communities in northern Ontario, has a new chief executive officer. Sharon Nate, an Eabamatoong First Nation member and Lakehead University education alumna, started in her new position Tuesday. She replaces David Paul Achneepineskum, who has opted for semi-retirement after 25 years as CEO. “I’d like to acknowledge David Paul and the legacy that he’s leaving behind here,” Nate said Tuesday in a Zoom interview from her office on Court Street S. “They are certainly big shoes to fill, and I’m looking forward to carrying on what was started and looking forward to starting new beginnings as well.” Nate brings over 20 years of experience in education, leadership, teaching and advocacy for...
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First Nations’ drinking water an issue ‘of utmost importance’
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Thunder Bay Source OGOKI POST — According to Indigenous Services Canada, 23 First Nations in Ontario are under long-term drinking water advisories. One such community is Marten Falls First Nation, at the junction of the Albany and Ogoki rivers. “Marten Falls has been under a boil water advisory for close to 20 years,” Chief Bruce Achneepineskum said Tuesday in a phone interview. “That’s a long time.” Achneepineskum agrees with the Chiefs of Ontario that clean tap water in First Nations is a highly important issue in the April 28 federal election. The chiefs organization wants the next federal government to revive Bill C-61, clean-water legislation for First Nations that died on the order paper the moment Parliament was prorogued in January. “Ensuring that...
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KDFN marks 20 years since signing of final and self-government agreements
By Talar Stockton, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Yukon News Chief Sean Uyenets’echᶖa Smith held a copy of Together Today For Our Children Tomorrow as he spoke to an audience assembled at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre on March 29, 2025. The small orange book is the same document Elijah Smith and a delegation of Yukon First Nations leaders presented to Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau in 1973. That document laid out a vision, Smith told the News. “It was a vision based on the dreams and aspirations of First Nation people in the Yukon, but as well as our individual nations, you know, that we came from and how to kind of create those opportunities for their children, for citizens, but their children and their grandchildren and for each and...
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Local fighters set to debut at Rumble in the Cage 69 in Alberta
By Ed Hitchins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. —Northern Combat Club’s Clint Parker is “really excited” for the debut of three of his fighters in a mixed martial arts (MMA) competition. Timber Bigfoot, Aiden Hoffmeyer, and Marc Schaefer will test their skills at Rumble in the Cage 69, slated for April 5th in Lethbridge, Alberta. The regional event in Southern Alberta was founded by MMA competitor Lee Mein back in 2000 and has featured top veterans in the sport – including Mein’s son, Jordan – in fights before they headed to sport’s top promotion, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). All three fighters have extensive experience in Parker’s Northern Combat Invitational (NCI), and Schaefer recently won gold at a grappling competition in Edmonton. “I’m basically bringing down a...
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Unsolved violent crimes in Native American communities to get more attention with FBI surge
By Susan Montoya Bryan ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The FBI is sending extra agents, analysts and other personnel to field offices in 10 states over the next six months to help investigate unsolved violent crimes in Indian Country, marking a continuation of efforts by the federal government to address high rates of violence affecting Native American communities. The U.S. Justice Department announced Tuesday that the temporary duty assignments began immediately and will rotate every 90 days in field offices that include Albuquerque, Phoenix, Denver, Detroit, Minneapolis, Oklahoma City, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Portland, Oregon, and Jackson, Mississippi. The FBI will be working with the Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit, tribal authorities and federal prosecutors in each of the states. “Crime rates in American Indian and Alaska Native...
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Dehcho Grand Chief wants Ottawa to speed up land talks
By Claire McFarlane, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cabin Radio Dehcho Grand Chief Herb Norwegian is calling on the federal government to speed up the Dehcho Process by increasing the frequency and duration of negotiations. Negotiations with Canada are suspended until a new federal government is sworn in and establishes a mandate following this month’s election. The Dehcho First Nations, or DFN, says federal negotiators have indicated that once talks resume, they will continue their previous schedule of meeting for three days every six weeks. “Canada’s policy is slowing talks down to a snail’s pace,” Grand Chief Norwegian was quoted as saying in a press release. “The new government should get serious about finishing an AIP” – agreement in principle – “within a year.” The Dehcho Process is the name given...
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Manitoba chiefs call for search of Winnipeg landfill for Tanya Nepinak
By Brittany Hobson -CP-First Nations leaders in Manitoba say the search of a Winnipeg landfill for the victim of a serial killer must include recovery efforts for another First Nations woman who went missing more than a decade ago. Tanya Nepinak was last seen in Winnipeg in September 2011 and police believe her body was dumped in a garbage bin and taken to the Brady Road landfill. “We need to bring Tanya home,” said Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Kyra Wilson in a statement Tuesday. “We need all levels of government and the Winnipeg Police Service to come together to discuss a plan to bring Tanya Nepinak home.” Police searched a small portion of the landfill for Nepinak in 2012 but were unsuccessful in recovering her remains and called...
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Gitanyow chiefs tell B.C. court LNG project threatens salmon rights
By Sonal Gupta, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer A proposed northern British Columbia liquified natural gas project threatens vital salmon habitat, and Gitanyow cultural practices and economic opportunities, the Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs argued recently in court. In a February hearing, following a petition filed in October, they told a B.C. Supreme Court Justice that the provincial government’s decision to exclude Gitanyow from consultations on the building of the LNG project violates their rights. The chiefs are seeking to overturn a decision by the B.C. Environmental Assessment Office that didn’t include the Gitanyow in discussions about the proposed Ksi Lisims LNG project which would see a terminal built at the mouth of the Nass River. This is critical salmon habitat for Chinook salmon, a species already at risk. An...
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Investors swap suits for boots in land restoration success
By Sonal Gupta, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer A group of investors traded their suits for boots to survey an area in southern Ontario where they listened closely to Indigenous communities and researchers about ways to repair the land. They were gathered in Ontario’s Carolinian Zone, a highly populated stretch of land between Toronto and Windsor, where the ecosystem has been seriously damaged by high levels of development. The money-holders were interested in setting up a so-called “conservation impact bond” in partnership with Chippewas of the Thames First Nation, whose members would be paid to repair the habitat. Beneficiaries of the improved lands — which could include local governments or insurance companies — would repay investors and ensure a fair profit. As a crucial first step, Diane-Laure Arjalies,...
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Costs will decide if Six Nations rebuilds or repairs its former health centre shut down by mold
Six Nations Gane’ Yohs Health Centre remains closed after mold infestation a year ago (Photos by Jim C. Powless) By Lynda Powless Editor OHSWEKEN, ON –Whether Six Nations gets a newly rebuilt federally funded health centre will depend on costs to either rebuild or remediate the former Gane’ Yohs Health Centre shut down last April when mold was found in the building. Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) communications coordinator Caitlin Court sent out an update Monday March 31, that said SNEC has directors and an executive team working with Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) representatives to address the mold found at Gane’ Yohs Health Centre a year ago. The community notice, sent out by the communication’s coordinator, said Six Nations of the Grand River (SNGR) wanted to remind the community not all...
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