Norfolk County man facing sexual assault charges
NORFOLK COUNTY, ON – A 46-year-old Norfolk County man has been charged in connection with an ongoing Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) historical sexual assault investigation. OPP said at about 8:35 a.m. on Thursday, November 21, 2024, the OPP Norfolk County Detachment launched an investigation into a report of a sexual assault that took place between 2016 and 2019 at a Norfolk County address. As a result, a man was taken into custody without incident. Aaron Mitro, 46, of Norfolk County has been charged with the following alleged offences: Sexual assault, Sexual interference, Invitation to sexual touching under 16 years of age. The accused has been held in custody and is scheduled to appear for a bail hearing at the Ontario Court of Justice in Simcoe on Friday, November 22, 2024....
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Every seed has a story that needs to be heard
Don’t throw away your seeds, because they hold valuable ancient agricultural knowledge. It’s one of the key messages from the 13 Moons Food and Seed Sovereignty learning circle project from SAGE – ē kanātahk askiy (it is a clean earth), which is focused on seed and food sovereignty for the Indigenous people living on the prairies. “A seed is like us,” said Glenda Abbott, with the International Buffalo Relations Institute. “What we go through in life can weather us. A seed can hold a memory if they go through a period of drought or are impacted by insects, it holds those different types of stories.” SAGE is a collaborative project between the International Buffalo Relations Institute and the University of Saskatchewan and is funded by the Weston Family Foundation. The...
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B.C. RCMP detachments begin rollout of body worn cameras
Canadian Press-The officer in charge of the RCMP detachment in Mission, B.C., says he’s grateful that Mounties in his community will be among the first to wear body cameras to record police interactions with the public. Insp. Ted Lewko says 44 cameras will be used by his officers starting next week, and he’s “very hopeful” that they will improve officer safety, strengthen trust with the public and help resolve complaints more quickly. Police announced the rollout of the cameras in Surrey on Thursday, detailing how thousands of Mounties across the province will soon be fitted with the devices. Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald, commanding officer of the RCMP’s E Division in B.C., says the initiative is the “largest and most ambitious rollout of body cameras across the province.” McDonald says calls...
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Liberal MP accuses opposition MPs of wasting time on another Boissonnault probe
Canadian Press-A Liberal MP says his committee colleagues are wasting time by launching a third inquiry into the former employment minister instead of focusing on important legislation for Indigenous Peoples. Jaime Battiste, who is Mi’kmaq, said there has been an “attack” on fellow Liberal MP Randy Boissonnault, who left his position as employment minister on Wednesday after allegations of shifting claims of Indigenous identity and questions around his past business dealings. Boissonnault has been the subject of two parliamentary probes, and Battiste said a third one by the Indigenous and northern affairs committee is “a waste of time, and it seems to be the Conservatives’ way of ensuring that nothing gets done in the House of Commons.” The Conservatives, NDP and Bloc Québécois all supported pushing ahead with the third...
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New study shows voting for Native Americans is harder than ever
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (AP) — A new study has found that systemic barriers to voting on tribal lands contribute to substantial disparities in Native American turnout, particularly for presidential elections. The study, released Tuesday by the Brennan Center for Justice, looked at 21 states with federally recognized tribal lands that have a population of at least 5,000 and where more than 20% of residents identify as American Indian or Alaska Native. Researchers found that between 2012 and 2022, voter participation in federal elections was 7 percentage points lower in midterms and 15 percentage points lower in presidential elections than among those living off tribal lands in the same states. Earlier studies show voter turnout for communities of color is higher in areas where their ethnic group is the majority, but...
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Cariboo Gold Mine in Wells, B.C., gets approval, but a First Nation is opposed
Canadian Press-An operating permit has been granted for the Cariboo Gold Mine in central British Columbia, a project that’s expected to process 1.1 million tonnes of gold-bearing ore a year but is still opposed by a First Nation. The B.C. government says in a news release that Barkerville Gold Mines, owned by Osisko Development Corp., was issued the permit for the underground mine in a process that took 13 months to complete. The mine will employ more than 630 people during construction with an initial $137-million investment and another $918 million over the life of the mine. It says waste rock from Cariboo will be stored at the Bonanza Ledge Mine near Barkerville, which is also owned by Osisko. The release says this is the first project entirely assessed under...
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National Indigenous council report seeks to lead Canadian renewable energy transition
This morning, the national Wah-ila-toos Indigenous Council published a first-of-its kind report. “Kinship and Prosperity: Proven Solutions for a Clean Energy Landscape,” outlines guidelines for incorporating Indigenous voices into Canada’s climate strategy, policy, and legislation. “As Canada continues to grapple with the impact of climate change, the effect it has on Indigenous communities is felt across the country,” stated the report. The council noted that despite the federal government adopting a climate change policy and committing to carbon reduction, Canada still has a long way to go. The country is currently near the bottom of the Climate Change Performance Index, ranked 62nd out of 67 countries. The Index is a collaboration of several international climate organization and an independent monitoring tool assessing nations’ progress toward climate change targets. In 2022,...
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Report offers options for using Indigenous knowledge to guide climate policy
By Cedric Gallant, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The Canadian government must make it easier for Indigenous groups to access funding and prioritize their ability to be environmental stewards. That’s according to an Indigenous-led clean energy report published Thursday that offers the federal government a policy roadmap to integrating Indigenous expertise and voices into Canada’s climate strategy. The report, called “Kinship & Prosperity,” was penned by the Indigenous Council for Wah-ila-toos, of which six representatives and energy experts from across the country are members. The council provides the federal government guidance on clean energy policy development in rural and remote Indigenous communities. Alex Cook, who is from Baker Lake, sits on the council. He adds his experience as founder of net-zero housing company ArchTech and board member of the Quilliq Energy...
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Residents call proposed peat mine a ‘threat’ to Lake Winnipeg’s Washow Bay
By Dave Baxter Local Journalism Initiative A petition asking the province to put a halt to a proposed peat mine expansion near Lake Winnipeg has almost 1,000 signatures, as residents express concerns about the project and what damage it could bring to the community and to the lake. “Lake Winnipeg’s Washow Bay area, a vital ecosystem supporting diverse wildlife and local communities, is under threat from the expansion of peat mining operations,” reads a statement posted on a petition set up on Change.org in July by residents of the Washow Bay area. According to the petition, SunGro Horticulture, which operates several peat mines in Manitoba’s Washow Bay region on the western shore of Lake Winnipeg, is seeking environmental approval to mine an additional 8.5 square kilometres of wetlands over the...
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Quebec auditor general says school system failing Indigenous students
Quebec’s auditor general says the province has taken little action in the past two decades to help Indigenous students in Quebec, whose graduation rates lag behind those of Indigenous students in other provinces. In her report published Wednesday, Guylaine Leclerc says the Quebec government knew about a major gap in the success rates between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students since at least 2005, but failed to seriously address the issue. She says that as of 2021, Quebec had the highest rate among the provinces of Indigenous people between the ages of 25 and 34 without a diploma or certificate. The report also finds that Indigenous students in Quebec are given insufficient support, such as French-language training, when they transfer from schools in their communities to the province’s education system. Leclerc’s recommendations...
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Which items will be tax-free under the Liberals’ promised GST/HST break?
Canadian Press-The government on Thursday announced a sweeping promise to make groceries, children’s clothing, Christmas trees, restaurant meals and more free from GST/HST between Dec. 14 and Feb. 15. “Our government can’t set prices at checkout, but we can put more money in people’s pockets,” Trudeau said at a press conference announcing the measures. The government says removing GST from these goods for a two-month period would save $100 for a family that spends $2,000 on those goods during that time. For those in provinces with HST, a family spending $2,000 would save $260. Thursday’s announcement also included a rebate for Canadians who worked in 2023 and made less than $150,000, totalling $250 per person. Here are the items that will be GST/HST-free if the Liberals’ legislation passes. Groceries Many...
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Kahnawake Grand Chief Diabo having high-level discussions about AFNQL
By Marc Lalonde, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter In the wake of a recent two-day conference organized by the Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador, Mohawk Council of Kahnawake Grand Chief Cody Diabo said he’s having “high-level” discussions about further participation in such bodies. “Right now, those discussions are very, very high-level discussions,” he said. Diabo said he’s also reach out to other Iroquois communities, “because I feel like we have more in common with those communities than with some of the others.” Diabo was in attendance for the first day of a two-day AFNQL conference held last week in downtown Montreal. “I was unable to make the second day because we had a meeting here to figure out what to do about the Asbestos Containing Materials (ACM),” Diabo said,...
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Acho Dene Koe First Nation looks to lift alcohol restrictions
Boyd Clark, the First Nation’s acting band manager, said the nation is exploring the prospect of opening a liquor store and a cannabis store – the proceeds from which would fund addictions services and counsellors in the community. “The intent of the First Nation is to move forward with this, with at some point in time seeking a plebiscite in the community to gain support where the bylaw is changed or removed in its entirety, which will allow the full sale of alcohol,” said Clark. He said the First Nation has looked at similar models that exist in British Columbia and Alberta. According to the current restrictions, no one is permitted to purchase, sell or transport more than three of the following types within one week: 1,140 ml of spirits,...
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Liberals to offer GST break on toys, restaurant meals but need help to pass it
The federal Liberals are seeking to temporarily take the federal sales tax off a slew of items just in time for Christmas. A senior government official who was not authorized to speak publicly about the announcement says the move would affect a number of items including toys, diapers, restaurant meals and beer and wine. A last-minute cabinet meeting is underway virtually this morning to discuss the proposal. The move is similar, though less extensive, than what NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said last week that he would do if his party wins the next election. Singh is taking credit for forcing the Liberals to take today’s action, saying in statement late Wednesday that the NDP won a “tax holiday” for Canadians. The Liberals will need the NDP’s help to pass the...
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Papuan women’s mangrove forest in Indonesia is increasingly threatened by development and pollution
JAYAPURA, Indonesia (AP) — On the southeastern coast of the city of Jayapura, Petronela Merauje walked from house to house in her floating village inviting women to join her the next morning in the surrounding mangrove forests. Merauje and the women of her village, Enggros, practice the tradition of Tonotwiyat, which literally means “working in the forest.” For six generations, women from the 700-strong Papuan population there have worked among the mangroves collecting clams, fishing and gathering firewood. “The customs and culture of Papuans, especially those of us in Enggros village, is that women are not given space and place to speak in traditional meetings, so the tribal elders provide the mangrove forest as our land,” Merauje said. It’s “a place to find food, a place for women to tell...
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Opportunity council split on wolf bounty
By Pearl Lorentzen Local Journalism Initiative Reporter A motion to end a wolf incentive program in two M.D. of Opportunity hamlets was defeated by a tie of five to five. At the November 13 Opportunity council meeting, Councillor Leo Alook added the wolf incentive program in Peerless Lake and Trout Lake to the agenda. “Do we continue with it?” he asked. “I’ve been called about it.” Alook didn’t directly say but implied that community members wanted the program. A wolf incentive (sometimes called a bounty) runs during hunting and trapping season, the end October to the end of March. Trappers or hunters provide proof that they killed a wolf, and the M.D. pays them $250. Earlier, the M.D. had stopped the wolf incentive across the M.D. Spring of 2023, it...
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Blood Tribe first responders take a ‘Walk in Her Shoes’
Members of the Blood Tribe Police Force and Fire Department strapped on their heels to raise awareness for domestic violence at the 11th annual Kainai Women’s Wellness Shelter Walk in Her Shoes event on a cold Wednesday morning. November is recognized as Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Canada, with many organizations bringing awareness to the cause. Doris Low Horn, manager for the Kainai Women’s Wellness Shelter, says they do the walk to help raise awareness that domestic violence is still prevalent in the communities on the reserve. “The awareness is for the women (who) come through our shelters and that we make sure people are aware out there that domestic violence is still alive and well in our communities and on our reserves,” said Low Horn. Const. Kuljeet Khangura, a...
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New Brunswick First Nations can claim title over privately owned land: court
NEW BRUNSWICK-(CP)-A New Brunswick court has found that First Nations can seek title to vast areas of privately owned land in the province, but to do so they have to go through the Crown rather than the companies that own it. The Nov. 14 decision by Justice Kathryn Gregory of the Court of King’s Bench is in connection with a lawsuit launched in 2021 by six Wolastoqey Nations seeking a declaration of Aboriginal title over more than 50 per cent of the land in the province. The land in question includes areas held by major timber and oil companies, but Gregory’s decision removes the seven industrial defendants from the lawsuit and says only the Crown — represented by the federal and provincial governments — has a direct legal relationship with...
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Police watchdog clears Manitoba RCMP in custody death
MANITOBA- (CP)-Manitoba’s police watchdog has cleared RCMP officers in the case of a man who died after he was taken into custody for public intoxication. The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba says the actions of officers and guards did not lead to the man’s death in July 2023. The man, found incapacitated on a road on Peguis First Nation, was picked up by a First Nations safety officer and transported to the Fisher Branch RCMP detachment. The report says while in custody, the man complained of having trouble breathing but declined medical attention. Emergency services were eventually called and the man was transported to a Winnipeg hospital, where he died two days later. The civilian director of the investigation unit, Roxanne Gagné, says in her report she can’t make recommendations...
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New study shows voting for Native Americans is harder than ever
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (AP) — A new study has found that systemic barriers to voting on tribal lands contribute to substantial disparities in Native American turnout, particularly for presidential elections. The study, released Tuesday by the Brennan Center for Justice, looked at 21 states with federally recognized tribal lands that have a population of at least 5,000 and where more than 20% of residents identify as American Indian or Alaska Native. Researchers found that between 2012 and 2022, voter participation in federal elections was 7% lower in midterms and 15% lower in presidential elections than among those living off tribal lands in the same states. Earlier studies show voter turnout for communities of color is higher in areas where their ethnic group is the majority, but the latest research found...
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