Government ignores paramedic calls
By Eve Cable, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 25/07/2024 While provincial government representatives were this month gloating about the addition of 351 new paramedic technicians to the province’s health services, Kanehsata’kehró:non Robert Bonspiel has been once again let down by the lack of attention given to Indigenous communities. Despite the influx of emergency personnel elsewhere in the province, Indigenous communities are still largely left to fend for themselves – and no matter how frequently Bonspiel brings their problems to light, the provincial government seems content to ignore the real-world impacts of underfunding services. “It’s prevalent, there’s an issue here, and it’s not taken care of,” said Bonspiel, president of First Nations Paramedics. Bonspiel said he was hopeful when the Viens Commission published 142 calls to action in its final report in...
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Lethbridge homeless shelter receiving expansion
By Justin Sibbet, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 25/07/2024 Living in the scorching heat and the bitter cold and everything in between, homelessness is a challenge faced by over 400 Lethbridge residents, but an expansion to the homeless shelter aims to reduce the issue. The Government of Alberta, in conjunction with the City of Lethbridge and Blood Tribe Department of Health, announced Wednesday a new construction project that will see over 100 new beds added to the city shelter. In addition to making the announcement, ground was also broken, officially beginning the construction process. In February of this year, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the province and Blood Tribe Department of Health to have the Blood Tribe remain in control of the shelter and have this project funded...
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Simpcw First Nation, Thompson-Nicola Regional District sign Memorandum of Understanding
By Abigail Popple, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 25/07/2024 Simpcw First Nation and the Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) last week, committing representatives from both communities to meet at least twice a year. Simpcw First Nation drafted and signed a similar MOU with the Village of Valemount in March. In an interview with The Goat, Simpcw First Nation Councillor Tina Donald said these agreements are a valuable tool for strengthening relationships with other governments. “Through MOUs, we commit to meeting on a regular basis. So if we have a project in the future, this is the time and place that we can sit down and talk,” Donald said. “It also gives an avenue to call up someone at TNRD if we have a question. It’s creating...
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BC Parks does not expect damage to Ancient Forest boardwalk
By Abigail Popple, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 25/07/2024 BC Wildfire Service has been battling fires in the Ancient Forest/Chun T’oh Whudujut Provincial Park, home to some of the oldest cedar stands and rarest lichen species in the province since its discovery on July 9th. As of writing on July 22nd, the fire is still out of control – meaning it may grow beyond its current size of 39 hectares. But the fire is unlikely to impact the boardwalk trails within the park, according to a statement BC Parks sent to The Goat last Thursday. “Fire is a natural ecosystem process. It is rare for a fire to occur in the type of forest in this park, but it can happen,” the statement reads. “The current fire location is not currently...
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All Nations volleyball squads to square off against Maori teams at Toronto event
By Sam Laskaris, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 25/07/2024 Indigenous volleyball players from five Canadian provinces will get a taste of some international action this weekend in Toronto. The All Nations Volleyball Showcase will be staged at Toronto’s York University on July 27-28. The six-team event will include both the women’s and men’s Maori national teams from New Zealand. Also taking part will be four All Nations clubs – two women’s and two men’s teams – comprised of Under-20 Indigenous players from Ontario, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia. Members of the All Nations teams were recommended to tournament organizers in part for their efforts at the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG), held last summer, primarily in Halifax. The eldest category for volleyball at the 2023 NAIG was Under-19 categories. Current...
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Defence seeking six-year sentence for former fashion tycoon Peter Nygard
The Canadian Press 25/07/2024 Former fashion tycoon Peter Nygard should receive a six-year sentence for his sexual assault convictions, his lawyer told a Toronto court Thursday, arguing a lengthier sentence would be “crushing” for a man of his age and condition. Defence lawyer Gerri Wiebe asked the court to give Nygard 1.5 days of credit for each of the more than 1,000 days he has already spent in custody since his arrest on the charges in October 2021, which would leave him with just under two years left to serve. That sentence would be appropriate given her client’s age and medical condition, the “harsh” conditions in which he has been detained so far, as well as mitigating factors such as his lack of a criminal record, Wiebe told the court....
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Final number not set on addiction response funding
By Carl Clutchey Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 25/07/2024 Indigenous Services Canada has clarified the breakdown of funding recently allocated to Fort William First Nation, including financial support for a new position to help the community cope with a drug-addiction emergency. A department spokesman said on Wednesday that funding approved last week for a public safety and emergency co-ordinator represents a new financial allocation for the community, although the amount is still being determined. “Given it is a new position, we do not have a confirmed funding number at this point in time,” the spokesman said in an email. The decision to fund the new position followed a meeting between FWFN band leadership and Indigenous Services Canada Minister Patty Hajdu (Thunder Bay-Superior North) regarding the addiction emergency. The department spokesman confirmed...
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Native Courtworker position in Kamloops left vacant, future of role uncertain
By Aaron Hemens Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 25/07/2024 Indigenous people involved in the criminal justice system who require legal guidance from a Native Courtworker at the “Kamloops” courthouse are currently without on-site support. Sources say the office has been vacant since the beginning of the month, with no clear timetable on when the Native Courtworker position will be filled, or if it will even resume. Speculation around funding and restructuring have left its future uncertain. Connie Allen had been serving as the Native Courtworker for “Kamloops” and “Merritt” in an interim role since November, working with around 80 clients over a period of seven months. By the time her tenure concluded at the end of June, she was still in the midst of supporting nearly 30 people, she said. “The...
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Former judge with disputed Cree heritage “most likely” has Indigenous DNA: report
The Canadian Press 25/07/2024 A DNA test shows a former judge and Order of Canada recipient accused of falsely claiming to be Cree “most likely” has Indigenous heritage, a report from the Law Society of British Columbia revealed Thursday. Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond previously served as B.C.’s representative for children and youth, and was well known as a lawyer on Indigenous rights. Her Indigenous identity was the subject of a 2022 CBC News investigation, which called into question her heritage, including claims her father was Cree. It also found Turpel-Laford misrepresented her credentials. The law society confirmed Thursday she did misrepresent certain credentials, and ordered her to pay $10,000 to a non-profit organization that supports Indigenous justice. But as part of its investigation, the law society says an independent geneticist found...
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Gang kills at least 26 villagers in remote Papua New Guinea, officials say
Associated Press 26/07/2024 MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — At least 26 people were reportedly killed by a gang in three remote villages in Papua New Guinea’s north, United Nations and police officials say. “It was a very terrible thing … when I approached the area, I saw that there were children, men, women. They were killed by a group of 30 young men,” acting Provincial Police Commander in the South Pacific island nation’s East Sepik province James Baugen told Australian Broadcasting Corp. on Friday. Baugen told the ABC that all the houses in the villages had been burned and the remaining villagers were sheltering at a police station, too scared to name the perpetrators. “Some of the bodies left in the night were taken by crocodiles into the swamp. We only...
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Investigation opened into circumstances of Salluit arrest
By Cedric Gallant Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Quebec’s police watchdog has launched an investigation of a Salluit arrest that recently went viral on social media. The Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes announced the investigation Wednesday in a news release. A video surfaced online July 18 showing Nunavik Police Service officers driving their vehicle in front of a moving car, while braking to slow it down. But the other vehicle ultimately crashed into a house. Another video appears to show officers pulling a woman from that vehicle and dropping her to the ground. The officers were responding to call about a 24-year-old woman suspected of driving while impaired, said Nunavik Police Service deputy Chief Shaun Longstreet. The woman was seen driving erratically, he added. “Officers responded immediately to the call,” Longstreet said...
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Can B.C.’s southern resident orcas be taken off the path to extinction?
The Canadian Press 25/07/2024 04:00 The southern resident killer whale known as Tahlequah captured global sympathy in 2018 when she pushed the body of her dead calf for more than two weeks in waters off British Columbia’s south coast. Some scientists and advocates called the scene a display of public grief. But the impact of the loss went beyond Tahlequah. It was a significant blow to the entire population that numbers just 74 individuals. Recent research suggests a baseline rate of population loss of roughly one per cent per year — based on modelling and 40 years of observations — putting the whales on a path toward a “period of accelerating decline that presages extinction.” Even that rate of loss is “optimistic,” the research says. The study lends urgency to...
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Getting the Michel Band back together
By Scott Hayes, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter There is a vibrant move afoot to re-establish the Michel Callihoo Nation. Everyone who believes that they are descendants or have a connection to Michel Band #472 are invited to attend a membership drive event at the Hinton Community Centre on Monday (July 29). “We’re trying to do a deeper dive into who the descendants are,” said Michel Callihoo Nation Society director Kim Beaudin. “Some people might not even know they actually are descendants of Michel. They probably know they’re connected somehow to Indigenous people, but they might not know if they are actually directly connected to Michel Callihoo or the Michel Band itself before it was enfranchised in 1958, so completely wiped right out in 1958.” Before Treaty 6 was signed in...
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New Banff art installation channels flow of glacial history
By Jessica Lee, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter It may be new to Bear Street, but the Town of Banff’s latest addition to its public art collection tells a story that predates human history, capturing the timeless beauty and power of glacial processes that shape the rugged Rocky Mountains. For inspiration, Métis artist Tiffany Shaw went straight to the source. “I look forward to amplifying conversations that identify past, present and future responses that the surrounding landscape is speaking to for the town of Banff,” said Shaw, who visited the Athabasca Glacier and several other sites to research place, the natural ecosystem and the character of the Rockies. The mountain tour left the artist with more than a mental and spiritual impression, but a physical one, too. While visiting the UNESCO...
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Cathy Merrick re-elected for second term as leader of Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs
The Canadian Press First Nations chiefs in Manitoba have voted to keep Cathy Merrick as the leader of the organization that represents the majority of First Nations in the province. Merrick, who was first elected grand chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs in 2022, secured another term in a landslide win during the advocacy group’s annual general assembly. She won on the first ballot with 35 of the 54 votes submitted. Merrick was being challenged by George Kemp, a lawyer and the former chief of Berens River First Nation, and Darrell N. Shorting, who is from Little Saskatchewan First Nation. Merrick made history two years ago by becoming the first woman to lead the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs in its 35-year history. Since taking office, she has stood by...
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‘We won’t stop’ Stanley Morris Peters Jr missing 37 years
By Roisin Cullen, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter In the early hours of Nov. 8, 1987, Stanley Morris Peters Jr. went missing. Then 34 years old, Peters was believed to be hitchhiking back to D’Arcy at the time near the railroad tracks. It wasn’t until 1992 that Peters’ loved ones found out what happened him, when Pemberton RCMP launched a full-scale investigation into the case after receiving a tip. His parents were told by RCMP officers he was hit by a car in Mount Currie, hurled 15 metres through the air, and buried in a shallow grave. Where, they couldn’t say. His three daughters have spent their entire adult lives looking for their late father’s remains. In May of this year, the sisters received an anonymous tip related to their dad’s...
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B.C. First Nation gets $147M from Ottawa for lost water rights 131 years ago
The Canadian Press The federal government has reached a $147-million settlement with a First Nation in British Columbia over a dispute about water rights that dates back to the late 1800s. Members of the Esk’etemc First Nation in the Cariboo region began hand digging an irrigation ditch to their reserve with picks and shovels in the 1890s, but the government forced them to stop just a kilometre from their goal to access water for their reserve. In 1925, the water rights from the nearby Vert Lake were taken from the nation and granted to settlers of the area and the Esk’etemc didn’t get water to its reserve #6. The nation filed a claim against the federal government with the Specific Claims Tribunal more than 20 years ago over the loss...
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Wildfires Force Full Evacuations Of Chipewyan Prairie And Little Red River FirstNations
By Jeremy Appel, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter (ANNews) – Wildfires in northern Alberta have led to the evacuation of two First Nations representing a combined population near 5,600 over the past two weeks. Members of the Little Red River Cree Nation, located 578 km northeast of Grande Prairie, who live in John D’or Prairie and Fox Lake were ordered to evacuate on July 20, with police officers going door-to-door and wrapping ribbons around the homes that have successfully been evacuated. Members who live in Garden River were ordered to evacuate on July 10. There are almost 5,200 members of Little Red River (LLRCN) who live on reserve. These evacuations were caused by the Semo Lake Complex, which consists of six wildfires, the largest of which is 96,181 hectares, burning out...
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Transcript: Biden’s speech explaining why he withdrew from the 2024 presidential rac
The Associated Press 24/07/2024 22:22 WASHINGTON (AP) — Transcript of President Joe Biden’s address to the nation on July 24, 2024: My fellow Americans, I’m speaking to you tonight from behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office. In this sacred space, I’m surrounded by portraits of extraordinary American presidents. Thomas Jefferson wrote the immortal words that guide this nation. George Washington, who showed us presidents are not kings. Abraham Lincoln, who implored us to reject malice. Franklin Roosevelt, who inspired us to reject fear. I revere this office, but I love my country more. It’s been the honor of my life to serve as your president. But in the defense of democracy, which is at stake, I think it’s more important than any title. I draw strength and I...
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Judge’s ruling temporarily allows for unlicensed Native Hawaiian midwifery
The Associated Press 24/07/2024 HONOLULU (AP) — A Hawaii judge has temporarily blocked the state from enforcing a law requiring the licensing of practitioners and teachers of traditional Native Hawaiian midwifery while a lawsuit seeking to overturn the statute wends its way through the courts. Lawmakers enacted the midwife licensure law, which asserted that the “improper practice of midwifery poses a significant risk of harm to the mother or newborn, and may result in death,” in 2019. Violations are punishable by up to a year in jail, plus thousands of dollars in criminal and civil fines. The measure requires anyone who provides “assessment, monitoring, and care” during pregnancy, labor, childbirth and the postpartum period to be licensed. A group of women sued, arguing that a wide range of people, including...
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