CANCELLED: Cold notification issued for Grand Erie Public Health region
UPDATE: DEC 5 2025- The cold notification issued by the Medical Officer of Health on December 4, 2025 for the Grand Erie Public Health region has been cancelled as temperatures are no longer forecasted to be -15 C or -20 C with windchill . To learn more about preventing cold-related illnesses during extreme cold weather, please visit www.geph.ca. BRANTFORD, ONT-The Medical Officer of Health (MOH) for Grand Erie Public Health is issuing a Cold Notification for the Grand Erie Public Health region (Brantford-Brant and Haldimand-Norfolk), effective December 4, 2025. A Cold Notification is issued, by the MOH, when parts or all areas of the region are expected to reach temperatures below -15 ºC, or when wind chill values reach -20 ºC. The notification will remain in effect until a...
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USask Prince Albert campus to offer Kanawayihetaytan Askiy programming
By Michael Oleksyn, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Prince Albert Daily Herald The University of Saskatchewan (USask) recently announced that students can complete the Kanawayihetaytan Askiy Certificate at their Prince Albert campus. Kanawayihetaytan Askiy means “let us take care of the land” in Cree. According to the university, the program was developed in collaboration with First Nations, the Kanawayihetaytan Askiy Certificateexamines environmental, legal and economic aspects of land and resource management in Indigenous communities. Students can now take the certificate’s courses without having to travel to the main campus in Saskatoon. “There are so many advantages to offering the Kanawayihetaytan Askiy programming at the USask Prince Albert campus,” Jordie Gagnon, senior strategic officer, Indigenous programs and partnerships of the USask College of Agriculture and Bioresources (AgBio) said in a press release....
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Probation after teen caught during masked liquor store theft
By Bob Mackin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Prince George Citizen A 14-year-old boy with no prior criminal record was sentenced Nov. 26 to a conditional discharge and one-year probation after pleading guilty to stealing liquor. The teen, who cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, and two others wore medical masks to the Noble Spirits Liquor Store on March 2. One youth held the door open while the other two stole liquor. Court heard that one of the males who fled dropped a backpack that contained four bottles of vodka: two Smirnoff and one each of Finlandia and Pink Whitney. The youth who remained on scene was the one before the court. Judge Cassandra Malfair accepted the joint Crown and defence sentence proposal. Evidence before Malfair said the...
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First Nation grapples with ‘epidemic of grief’
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Thunder Bay Source ONIGAMING — As chief of Ojibways of Onigaming, Jeffrey Copenace goes to many funerals. Copenace’s First Nation, which has about 850 members living on and off reserve, has lost 52 members since he became chief in August 2021. “It’s like an epidemic of grief that’s in our community,” he said in an interview. Recently the Anishinaabe community had “back-to-back funerals, a mother and a daughter,” he said. “It’s just so overwhelming and something that I never ever expected to go through, but I’m hearing more and more chiefs are going through times like this.” He said the situation appears to have taken a toll on Onigaming children and youth, partly because of where funerals were frequently held. A child psychologist...
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Nova Scotia wants crackdown on illegal cannabis, asks Mi’kmaq chiefs for support
By Lyndsay Armstrong Nova Scotia’s justice minister has directed police across the province to crack down on illegal dispensaries, prompting criticism that the government may be interfering with law enforcement to target Indigenous communities. In a directive issued Thursday, Justice Minister Scott Armstrong called on all Nova Scotia police agencies to prioritize cannabis enforcement by identifying and disrupting illegal operations and distribution networks. He also wrote to 13 Mi’kmaq chiefs Thursday, requesting their co-operation as they tackle the “growing public safety problem” of illegal cannabis sales. In response, some Indigenous activists say the moves are racist, and one legal scholar says the justice minister appears to be infringing on police independence. Wayne MacKay, professor emeritus of law at Dalhousie University in Halifax, said the justice minister has the authority to...
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Kuujjuaq confronts rise of hard drugs in community
By Dominique Gené, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunatsiaq News Kuujjuaq council held a town hall meeting Wednesday evening to confront the rise of drugs in the community and how it’s impacting youths and families. Crack cocaine — an impure form of cocaine that is smoked instead of snorted — and the highly addictive stimulant crystal methamphetamine have made their way into Nunavik from southern Quebec, the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services said in a news release Monday. Crack cocaine was almost absent in the region more than two years ago but it can now be found in all communities. Crystal meth started circulating this year and is present in some communities in Nunavik, the release said. “The rate of drug and addiction is too high and it’s...
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NTI president declines comment after being charged with assault
By Jeff Pelletier, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunatsiaq News Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. has placed president Jeremy Tunraluk on leave after he was charged with assault this week. Tunraluk’s name is on the Nunavut court docket for a single charge of assault with a weapon or causing bodily harm. He is charged under section 267(c) of the Criminal Code which makes it an offence to choke, suffocate or strangle someone. Reached by phone Thursday afternoon, Tunraluk declined to comment on what happened, stating he’s not taking questions about the charge. Tunraluk, 39, was charged by Iqaluit RCMP on Wednesday, said spokesperson Sgt. George Henrie in an email. Police would not provide more information because the matter is before the courts, he said. Henrie, when pressed for more details, such as the...
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Key ministers address Assembly of First Nations in Ottawa after Hodgson is bumped
By Alessia Passafiume Several key federal cabinet ministers addressed the Assembly of First Nations gathering in Ottawa Thursday, including Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne. But Energy Minister Tim Hodgson — who is helping to advance Prime Minister Mark Carney’s major projects agenda — was taken off the agenda, despite being previously scheduled to appear before the chiefs Thursday. Hodgson’s office said he would still take part in a midday meeting with B.C. chiefs but would not be speaking on the panel he was initially slated to join. His office said at first that the decision was made by “organizers” — and later clarified that it meant organizers from the federal government’s side. “There was a shuffling of the agenda by organizers from the federal government, not at (Natural Resources Canada). Minister...
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Why was ‘incredible’ giant cedar cut down, despite B.C.’s big-tree protection law?
By Brenna Owen Joshua Wright says a yellow cedar tree he photographed last year was “incredible,” the largest he’d ever seen in a decade of hiking around Vancouver Island. The monumental cedar stood in what was one of the few intact or nearly intact old-growth valleys left on the island, says Wright, an advocate who also recorded the sounds of marbled murrelets — a threatened species under federal law — within the same forest. Wright measured the cedar’s diameter at 2.79 metres, a size that should have ensured protection for the tree, along with a one-hectare buffer under provincial law. But when he returned to the area south of Gold River in June, Wright says the tree had been felled as part of a logging operation approved by the province....
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Minister says government launching review of firearms classification regime
Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree says the federal government is launching a review of Canada’s firearms classification regime that will include consultations with Indigenous communities on the SKS rifle. The government has been heavily criticized by gun control advocates for not including the semi-automatic SKS in its list of banned firearms. The SKS is commonly used in Indigenous communities to hunt for food and has also been used in police killings and other high-profile shootings in recent years. PolySeSouvient, a gun control organization formed after the 1989 mass shooting at Montreal’s École Polytechnique, has asked Ottawa to prohibit the weapon but include an exemption for Indigenous hunters who use the rifle primarily for sustenance. Anandasangaree says in a news release the classification review will take a broad view of the...
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MCK raises concerns over Quebec Constitution
By Lucas-Matthew Marsh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Iori:wase As the Coalition Avenir Quebec pushes forward with its proposed Quebec Constitution, First Nations leaders are warning that the legislation contains language that undermines Indigenous sovereignty. Tabled in the National Assembly in October, Bill 1 sets out to establish a constitution for the province, with 51 articles codifying “fundamental values” of Quebec society. But several human rights groups and First Nations have raised concerns about the contents of the bill ahead of its introduction. Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) Grand Chief Cody Diabo stated his primary concern is that the constitution lacks any references to the inherent sovereignty of First Nations. “They’re all saying: it’s not taking away your rights and all that; but when you read it in its entirety, it...
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Vatican commission again says no to ordaining women as deacons, but urges other ministries
ROME (AP) — A second Vatican study commission has determined that women should not be ordained as deacons, dealing another setback to Catholic women who hope one day to be able to preside at weddings, baptisms and funerals. The Vatican on Thursday took the unusual step of publishing a synthesis of the commission’s findings, including the members’ votes on specific theological questions. The report left open the possibility of further study but proposed instead the creation of new lay ministries for women outside the ordained diaconate. Deacons are ordained ministers who perform many of the same functions as priests, presiding at weddings, baptisms and funerals. They can preach but cannot celebrate Mass. For male seminarians, the diaconate is a transitional ministry on their way to being ordained as priests. Married...
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N.S. premier wants crackdown on illegal cannabis, asks Mi’kmaq chiefs for support
By Lyndsay Armstrong The Nova Scotia government is directing police to crack down on illegal cannabis stores and wants help from Mi’kmaq chiefs to shut down on-reserve sales. Justice Minister Scott Armstrong sent a letter to the province’s 13 Mi’kmaq chiefs saying there are at least 118 illegal dispensaries operating in their communities. However, when questioned by reporters today Armstrong said he didn’t know how many illegal stores were actually on First Nation land or elsewhere in the province. But he said there are in fact 118 illegal stores across Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia law strictly controls the sale of cannabis in the province, but an Indigenous cannabis advocate says the government’s crackdown is “blatantly racist” and an attack on Mi’kmaq sovereignty. Thomas Durfee says he has a legal right...
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Canadian Business Hall of Fame names inductees for 2026
The founders of the company behind Ace Bakery, Simple Joys and naan brands Stonefire and Santosh, are among the inductees that have been named to the Canadian Business Hall of Fame. The hall says Soham Ajmera, the founding chairman of the FGF Group of Cos., as well as co-founders and co-chief executives Ojus Ajmera and Tejus Ajmera will be added to the hall of fame for 2026. They will be joined by Terry Paul, chief and chief executive of the Membertou First Nation, as well as Anthony von Mandl, founder, owner and chief executive of the Mark Anthony Group of Cos., who helped pioneer B.C.’s high-end winemaking industry in the province’s Okanagan Valley. The hall of fame will also induct Hartley Richardson, chief executive of James Richardson & Sons Ltd.,...
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Judge dismisses motion to postpone Blueberry River First Nations election
By Ed Hitchins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Energeticcity.ca FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — A former Chief’s motion to postpone her nation’s upcoming elections has been dismissed. Judy Desjarlais, the former Chief of Blueberry River First Nations (BRFN), filed a motion to postpone the nomination meetings for the next elections in the First Nation on November 25th. She had asked a federal court to delay the meeting until the decision on her judicial review regarding her removal from office was made, at which time she could enter the next election for Chief and council. Desjarlais was removed after an independent review found she had violated the BRFN’s bylaws by unilaterally granting permit approvals to the energy company Petronas for work on traditional lands without consulting or obtaining the required approval from...
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Petitioner looking to recall Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says application approved
By Jack Farrell A woman looking to launch a recall petition to oust Alberta Premier Danielle Smith from her seat in the legislature says her campaign has been officially approved. Heather VanSnick says she has received a letter from Elections Alberta saying she will be getting the go-ahead to start the petition drive against Smith. Smith will have a week to file a response before it’s expected that Elections Alberta would formally issue the petition and kick-start a three-month signature collection process. A spokesperson for the agency said it was prohibited from commenting until after petitions are issued. Once it goes ahead, it’s a lengthy, multistage process — and 14 other members of Smith’s United Conservative caucus are already facing recall campaigns. VanSnick, in an interview Wednesday, said she was...
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Carney meets with Prairie chiefs outside Assembly of First Nations gathering
By Alessia Passafiume and David Baxter Prime Minister Mark Carney met Wednesday with chiefs representing Treaties 6, 7 and 8 on Parliament Hill, who expressed openness to the idea of pipeline ownership days after Carney signed a memorandum of understanding with Alberta that opens the door to get one to B.C.’s coast. Piikani Nation Chief Troy Knowlton, speaking to reporters outside the door where he and other chiefs met with Carney, said First Nations need a stake in any project proposed on their lands. “We’re not against economic growth or benefits to the region, to our people, to the greater population,” Knowlton said. What he is against is harms to the environment and potential health impacts caused by destruction of the waterways. “But if we’re real co-owners, then the concerns...
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Consultations set to begin on controversial Quebec constitution bill
By Maura Forrest A draft constitution tabled two months ago by the Quebec government was supposed to be a unifying declaration of Quebecers’ common values, but it has instead been denounced as ill-conceived, divisive and authoritarian. Critics say the constitution bill would erode human rights and limit dissent, and could reopen an unnecessary debate on abortion. Some civil society groups are calling for it to be withdrawn outright. Wide-ranging consultations on the draft legislation will begin on Thursday and will continue into the new year. Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette agreed to open the consultations to the general public as a gesture of goodwill, after being criticized for drafting the bill behind closed doors. More than 200 individuals and groups are scheduled to appear. Still, the Coalition Avenir Québec majority does...
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Why was ‘incredible’ giant cedar cut down, despite B.C.’s big-tree protection law?
By Brenna Owen Joshua Wright says a yellow cedar tree he photographed last year was “incredible,” the largest he’d ever seen in a decade of hiking around Vancouver Island. The monumental cedar stood in what was one of the few intact or nearly intact old-growth valleys left on the island, says Wright, an advocate who also recorded the sounds of marbled murrelets — a threatened species under federal law — within the same forest. Wright measured the cedar’s diameter at 2.79 metres, a size that should have ensured protection for the tree, along with a one-hectare buffer under provincial law. But when he returned to the area south of Gold River in June, Wright says the tree had been felled as part of a logging operation approved by the province....
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Amalgamation would be better for Brant County than Brantford, study shows
By Celeste Percy-Beauregard, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Hamilton Spectator Brantford’s mayor ordered an amalgamation study the County of Brant didn’t ask for — and the results suggest the county would cash in while the city pays up. On Friday afternoon, Mayor Kevin Davis of Brantford released a study he commissioned with strong-mayor powers — despite the county’s opposition to becoming one with the city it surrounds. The 29-page report by Hemson Consulting is a “fiscal analysis of current state assessments, and 10-year financial forecasts,” the city wrote in a Facebook post. It shows that county residents could stand to see combined tax and utility fees decrease by around seven per cent annually in an amalgamation scenario. City residents, meanwhile, would pay around four per cent more on average by...
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