Wall Walk show strong performances for Catholic Division
By Michael Oleksyn, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Prince Albert Daily Herald School Divisions need to know what is happening in many areas. To this end the Prince Albert Catholic School Division board of education looks at School Division Achievement Data through something called a “Wall Walk”. The board of education did their first Wall Walk at their regular meeting on Monday. The report from director of education Lorel Trumier and Superintendents Wade Mourot and Charity Dmytruk included Faith, Priority Action plans that focused on demographics and grad rates, mental health and wellbeing, reading, and other topics. The division aligns with provincial targets in some cases but also has its own targets. Trumier said improvements in reading results and graduation rates are the highlight of the report. However, she also said...
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Child killed in crash on Nova Scotia highway mourned in Eskasoni, Antigonish
By Rosemary Godin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cape Breton Post Mi’kmaq communities on Cape Breton Island and in the Antigonish area are mourning the death of a seven-year-old boy who was involved in a motor vehicle collision while travelling with family Saturday night on Highway 104, in Antigonish County. The other vehicle involved in the collision left the scene but is believed to be a large farm or construction vehicle. Aidan Roy Denny died at the scene and others in the vehicle were injured, with one child remaining in hospital. He was the son of Sulian Denny and Adrienne Peters of Eskasoni and Paqtnkek First Nations. According to RCMP, on Nov. 1 at approximately 9:50 p.m., police, fire services, and EHS responded to a report of a collision on Hwy....
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Sisters graduate together, contribute to Mi’kmaq health care
By Rosemary Godin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cape Breton Post The valedictorian at this Wednesday’s Cape Breton University Fall graduation enjoyed her nursing studies so much, she chose to continue on in the field of medicine and is already a student in the Dalhousie University Medical School. Shareeve Gould won’t be alone on stage Wednesday. She graduates along with her sister Jada, who has been going through the CBU experience with her. Born and raised in Eskasoni First Nation, the sisters began their post-secondary studies together through Cape Breton University’s in-community bachelor of science in nursing pathway cohort that helps Indigenous students learn in a culturally sensitive manner. The university’s School of Nursing will be celebrating a milestone at this year’s Fall convocation when its bachelor of science, nursing (BScN)...
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Mi’kmaq crafter helping to reclaim what was once thought lost
By Rosemary Godin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cape Breton Post The proliferation of skilled Mi’kmaw art forms available all over Unama’ki in the last few years has not just “sprung up” on its own. Creative and concerned L’nu (the people) are taking back their traditional livelihoods that were nearly wiped out during a dark period in Canada’s history of the residential school system, which the United Nations refers to as genocidal. Whycocomagh First Nation member Tina Bernard knows the history and the struggle Indigenous people have had maintaining their culture ever since colonization came to Unama’ki (Cape Breton). She is the Mi’kmaw craft education co-ordinator with the Cape Breton Centre for Craft and Design. Her role is to implement educational programming based on Mi’kmaq culture, history and traditions. For the...
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Fort St. John, Dawson Creek mill owner to continue investment in ‘next generation of forestry professionals’
By Ed Hitchins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Energeticcity.ca FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — More investment in education will come for a building products company with a heavy presence in the Peace region. LP Building Solutions, a company with mills in both Fort St. John and Dawson Creek, announced during National Forest Products Week in Nashville, Tennessee that it will expand its partnerships with ForestryWorks and the First Nations Forestry Council on Wednesday, October 22nd. Founded in the 1970s, LP Building Solutions has had a presence in Dawson Creek with an oriented strand board (OSB) wood plant siding mill since 1987, which was converted into a siding plant in 2019, and an OSB mill in Fort St. John since 2005. ForestryWorks is part of the Forestry Workforce Training Institute, founded in...
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Manitoba early reading screening legislation passes final test
By Maggie Macintosh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Winnipeg Free Press Manitoba’s poor literacy rate has prompted MLAs of all political stripes to unanimously endorse a private member’s bill to increase teacher monitoring and support for struggling readers. Bill 225 requires elementary schools to systematically screen elementary students for early signs of struggle, immediately act on warning signs and document findings in report cards. Tyndall Park MLA Cindy Lamoureux first tabled the legislation — now named the Public Schools Amendment Act (Early Reading Screening) — on March 26. Lamoureux, the lone elected official representing the Manitoba Liberals, drafted it with parents and dyslexia advocates. On Tuesday, following repeated pleas for the government to collaborate on adjustments, an updated version of it passed third reading. “Unfortunately, here in Manitoba, literacy rates are...
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SLRD adopts reconciliation guide charting a ‘living’ path forward
By Luke Faulks, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Pique Newsmagazine The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) has formally adopted Truth & Reconciliation: In Practice, A Guide for Working in a Good Way, a document outlining how the organization intends to translate nearly a decade of reconciliation pledges into daily governance. Since declaring itself a “Regional District of Reconciliation” in 2016, the SLRD Board has endorsed several Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and committed to aligning its work with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Board Chair Jen Ford called the new guide “just the next step of that declaration,” offering a pathway for how staff and elected officials “intend to show up in a good way.” “It’s not a binding contract. It’s not...
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Strong opposition to proposed 50 tiny homes in Penticton expected at Tuesday’s council meeting
By Keith Lacey, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Penticton Herald Public opposition to a proposal to bring 50 tiny homes to Penticton’s industrial park was expected to be voiced loudly and clearly during Tuesday’s regular meeting of Penticton council. Since the City of Penticton, Penticton Indian Band and provincial government announced a couple of weeks ago that a deal has been reached to place 50 tiny homes at 616 Okanagan Avenue, there have been several articles, letters to the editor and columns written in the Herald and other media outlets. Council was expected to discuss the proposal in depth early in Tuesday’s (Nov. 4) council meeting, which began at 1 p.m. in council chambers at City Hall. Numerous letters opposing the proposal have been forwarded to members of council in advance...
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B.C. cabinet ministers, First Nation leaders gather amid tensions over Cowichan case
Two days of meetings in British Columbia between provincial officials and First Nations leadership are under way amid tensions over a landmark Aboriginal-title court ruling. The province says the 10th B.C. Cabinet and First Nations Leaders’ Gathering will involve more than 1,300 meetings aimed at advancing government-to-government relationships. Those relationships have been strained after a B.C. Supreme Court judge ruled in August that the Cowichan Tribes have Aboriginal title over about 750 acres on the Fraser River, that Crown and city titles on the land are defective and invalid, and the granting of private titles on it by the government unjustifiably infringed Cowichan title. Premier David Eby says getting clarification from the Court of Appeal is important when it comes to more than just the affected landowners, saying the land...
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Don’t complain, get paid: Kitimat resident offered thousands from LNG Canada
By Matt Simmons, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Narwhal LNG Canada offered thousands of dollars in financial compensation to at least one Kitimat, B.C., resident for their discretion around “additional incremental flaring and noise” from the gas liquefaction and export facility, according to a document reviewed by The Narwhal. In return, the resident would agree to “not make any complaints or raise any concerns or objections with respect to LNG Canada, the LNG facility or the works with any third parties, including but not limited to members of the media, the [BC Energy Regulator] or the District of Kitimat” related to operations for around one week at the beginning of November. The document, shared with The Narwhal by a source who asked that their name not be published, details how...
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Arctic ambassador’s tough role begins by listening at home
By Sonal Gupta, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer Canada’s new Arctic ambassador is stepping into a challenging diplomatic role at a time when the North is facing shifting geopolitical and climate realities. Appointed in July 2025, Virginia Mearns, a respected Inuit leader, enters her role as Ottawa enacts an ambitious $35 million Arctic foreign policy initiative designed to protect Canada’s northern frontier while weaving stronger bonds with Arctic allies and Indigenous communities. Mearns told Canada’s National Observer in an exclusive interview on Wednesday, that she will focus on strengthening relationships at home for the remainder of the first year, starting with consultations next week. Discussions will focus on priority issues for northerners, including security, climate change, infrastructure, resource management and land-use planning. “It’s really important for me to...
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Federal budget includes significant promises for the North
By Claire McFarlane, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cabin Radio Federal finance minister François-Philippe Champagne has proposed a 2025 budget that includes big investment in northern infrastructure, sweeping cuts to the public service and an increase in military spending. Mark Carney’s minority Liberal government must now convince at least one other political party to help the budget pass by November 17, when a vote is expected to be held. If the budget fails, that will trigger a new federal election within a year of the last one. Tuesday’s budget contained some significant commitments for the North. For example, Ottawa is promising to create an Arctic Infrastructure Fund that would invest $1 billion over four years. The fund would be spent on major transportation projects such as airports, seaports, all-season roads and...
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Ontario First Nations waiting on billions in delayed child welfare funding
By Sonal Gupta, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer For First Nations in Ontario, a multi-billion dollar child welfare agreement could be a lifeline for their communities, allowing them to run their own child welfare programs and raise their children closer to home and culture. But months after the signing, communities are still waiting for the funding to flow. “The Chiefs in our region have been clear: our children cannot wait,” said Abram Benedict, Ontario regional chief for the Chiefs of Ontario in a press release. “We have a strong mandate from the Ontario Chiefs-in-Assembly to pursue this agreement and any attempts to delay its implementation will be considered unacceptable interference in our communities’ inherent jurisdiction.” The Ontario deal stalled out because of opposition from the First Nations Child...
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First Nations will face funding cuts while feds look to strike tax agreements on fuel, alcohol, tobacco
OTTAWA-The Liberal minority government is cutting Indigenous Services Canada and the Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada budgets by $2 billion and is looking to strike tax agreements on fuel, alcohol, cannabis, tobacco and vaping with interested Indigenous governments. Spending reductions in Mark Carney’s first budget as prime minister will see Indigenous spending cut by amost $2.3 bilion by the spring of 2023. The Liberal minority government’s 2025 spending plan, was tabled Tuesday afternoon in the House of Commons. The cuts weren’t as deep as previously sugested in July. ISC warned then of “difficult decisions” coming. on the way to then what was thought to be a reduction of up to 15 per cent over three years. What the budget does show that investments is coming including $2.3 billion...
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Federal budget forecasts $78B deficit as Liberals shift spending to capital projects
By Sammy Hudes This year’s federal budget contains a deficit nearly twice the size forecast by the Liberals a year ago, as Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government prioritizes capital project spending over programs and services. The budget tabled Tuesday projects a $78.3-billion total deficit — the amount of money spent by the government beyond its revenues — for this fiscal year. The figure would steadily decrease to $56.6-billion by 2029-30. Ottawa’s fall economic statement tabled late last year had projected a deficit of $42.2 billion for this fiscal year. But that estimate was issued before U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada and countries across the world, which turned economic forecasts upside down. Ottawa said the effects of the Canada-U.S. trade war and uncertainty over future trade rules have weighed...
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Some key highlights from the Liberal government’s 2025 federal budget: Indigenous funding cuts
Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne introduced the 2025 federal budget on Tuesday. Here are some key highlights from the first federal budget under Prime Minister Mark Carney: AI and quantum computing The budget allots $334.3 million to strengthen Canada’s quantum ecosystem. The money will be provided through the Defence Industrial Strategy over a five-year time period. The emerging technology uses the principles of quantum mechanics for applications like computing. The budget also sets aside money to build large-scale sovereign public AI infrastructure. Indigenous cutbacks The Carney government is freezing its annual base funding for Indigenous health and social services, saying this amounts to a two per cent cut for the Indigenous Services department. The government tasked most government departments to come up with a 15 per cent cut. Crown-Indigenous Relations and...
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National Inuit Women’s Association chair on leave less than a month after assuming position
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News The chair of the Pauktuutit board of directors has taken a voluntary leave of absence from the organization less than one month after assuming the role. Looee Mike was only appointed to the role on the national Inuit women’s association on Oct. 7. Mike said “there are many, many things I would say,” but declined to specify any of them because she said she could not comment on her leave. “Board chair Looee Mike has voluntarily taken a leave of absence. Vice-chair Laisa Audlaluk-Watsko has assumed the role of interim board chair. Out of respect for individuals’ privacy, we will not comment further on personnel matters,” stated Catherine Whittaker, communications advisor at Pauktuutit. The leave is the latest change in...
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ROPE Squad seeking public’s help in tracking federal offender Jason Kane
Hamilton, ON – The Repeat Offender Parole Enforcement (R.O.P.E.) Squad is requesting the public’s assistance in locating a federal offender wanted on a Canada Wide Warrant as a result of a breach of his Statutory Release. Jason Kane is described as a Caucasian male, 49 years of age, 5’8” (173cm), 160 lbs (73 kgs) with brown hair and green eyes. He has the following Tattoos; Right Hand – Cross Upper Back – ‘Kill Em All’ Left Arm – Grim Reaper Jason Kane is serving 2-years, 8-months and one 1-day for; Possession of Prohibited/restricted Firearm with Ammunition Possession of a Weapon Contrary to Prohibition Order The offender is known to frequent Hamilton, Toronto, and Brantford, Ontario. Anyone having contact with this offender or information in regards to their whereabouts is asked...
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Long-standing Doig River First Nation Chief will not seek re-election
By Ed Hitchins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Energeticcity.ca DOIG RIVER FIRST NATION, B.C. — Doig River First Nation’s (DRFN) election scheduled for later this month will not include its incumbent Chief on the ballot. In a letter posted to DRFN’s Facebook page on October 31st, Trevor Makadahay says he will not be considered for the top job in the election on November 20th. Makadahay was first elected Chief in 2014, and previously served on council for seven years from 1996 to 2003. In the letter, he cited spending more time with his family as the primary reason, calling his time representing DRFN as Chief “an honour.” “I want to take a moment to thank each and every one of you for the support you have shown me during my time...
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Haldimand County OPP “Operation Trick or Treat”
HALDIMAND COUNTY, ON – An Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) “Operation Trick or Treat” has seen 114 notices, warnings and criminal code charges along with RIDE events held over the Halloween weekend. The Haldimand detachment OPP and West Region Highway Safety Division conducted enforcement on area roads and highways as part of a safe streets and highways campaign aimed at promoting public compliance with road safety laws through high-visibility enforcement and education. “Operation Trick or Treat”, ran from Friday, October 31, 2025, until Sunday, November 2, 2025, and focused on the leading driving behaviours that contribute to death, injury and property damage on our roads and highways: impaired driving due to alcohol, drugs, and fatigue, speeding/aggressive driving, distracted/inattentive driving and non-use of occupant restraints. The following are results of the traffic...
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