Hawaii economists say Lahaina locals could be priced out of rebuilt town without zoning changes
By Andrew Selsky And Jennifer Sinco Kelleher THE ASSOCIATED PRESS HONOLULU (AP)-Residents who survived the wildfire that leveled the Hawaii town of Lahaina might not be able to afford to live there after it is rebuilt unless officials alter the zoning laws and make other changes, economists warned Friday. “The risk is very real,? Carl Bonham, executive director of the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization, told a virtual news conference ahead of the group’s release Friday of its quarterly state economic forecast. Soaring housing prices have already forced some Native Hawaiians to leave the islands and move to the U.S. mainland. The wildfire that claimed at least 97 lives and destroyed 2,200 buildings in the West Maui community of Lahaina, 86% of which were residential, amplifies that problem for...
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Teme Augama Anishnabai oppose Metis claims
By Darlene Wroe Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Up to 30 members of the Teme-Augama Anishnabai and the Temagami First Nation gathered outside the North Bay office of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) on September 18. They were there to protest the ministry’s support of a cabin built on N’dakimenan, the territorial land of the Teme-Augama Anishnabai (TAA). The cabin construction is supported by the Metis Nation of Ontario (MNO), and builders of the cabin claim membership in the MNO. The TAA and Temagami First Nation have now issued an eviction notice to the MNO and to the two men who constructed the cabin. TAA Second Chief John Turner related in a telephone interview he is a descendant of the original occupants of the land where the...
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New Prince Albert FNUC campus ready for construction pending funding approval
By Jayda Taylor Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Prince Albert’s new First Nations university campus is set for shovels to hit the ground, pending significant funding approval. The First Nations University of Canada (FNUC) has been waiting for a few months to hear back about a $25 million grant from Infrastructure Canada. This would fund almost half of the roughly $55 million build, according to President Jacqueline Ottmann. She said the upgrade would bring the campus’ student capacity up from about 300 students to 450. “That is significant growth for us and the building is also designed to host community events,” she said. “In the facility that we’re in right now, that can’t happen. We just don’t have the space there,” she said. The current FNUC campus in the city is located...
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Hire more Inuit and support them: NTI president
By Jeff Pelletier Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Employers have a responsibility under the Nunavut Agreement to hire more Inuit and support them at work, says Aluki Kotierk, president of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. Kotierk shared her call to action during her lunchtime keynote address Wednesday at the Nunavut Trade Show in Iqaluit. With a theme of resiliency being a major part of this year’s events, Kotierk said the many organizations and businesses that operate in Nunavut must contribute to resilience through sustainable employment. “In the creation of Nunavut, there was an expectation that Inuit would be fully engaged in contributing to a prosperous economy,” she said. Kotierk pointed to articles 23 and 24 of the Nunavut Agreement, which pertain to Inuit employment and assistance to Inuit employees, respectively. She said there...
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Destructive West Kelowna blaze that spurred B.C.’s wildfire crisis is under control
By Ashley Joannou THE CANADIAN PRESS WEST KELOWNA, B.C.- The large wildfire that destroyed dozens of homes in West Kelowna, B.C., and was a key front in the province’s most devastating fire season on record is now considered “held” after raging out of control since mid-August. The 139-square-kilometre McDougall Creek fire destroyed or damaged nearly 190 properties and forced the evacuation of thousands of people. The province’s wildfire service said that while holding the fire is an important milestone, there’s still much work ahead and multiple hazards are present in some areas. The classification means officials believe the blaze is not likely to spread past predetermined boundaries under current conditions. “The response to a fire of this scale requires strong teamwork and collaboration across jurisdictions,” an online statement by the BC...
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Ontario chiefs’ rally turns up the heat on Metis self government legislation
By Shari Narine Local Journalism Initiative Reporter First Nations chiefs and scholars in Ontario addressed a rally on Parliament Hill Sept. 20 and accused the federal government of “modern day colonialism”. The rally was in response to a bill that recognizes self-government for the Metis Nations of Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan. Bill C-53 awaits third and final reading in the House of Commons. “We are the rights holders and it is our territory protected by treaty,” said Chief Wilfred King of the Gull Bay First Nation. At issue is the proposed Act respecting the recognition of certain Metis governments in Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan, to give effect to treaties with those governments and to make consequential amendments to other Acts. The bill was tabled June 16 as a government motion...
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Manitoba party leaders square off in live, hour long televised debate
Progressive Conservative Leader Heather Stefanson, NDP Leader Wab Kinew, and Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont By Steve Lambert THE CANADIAN PRESS WINNIPEG- Manitoba’s three main party leaders squared off over health care, the cost of living and other issues during a one-hour televised leaders debate Thursday night in advance of the Oct. 3 provincial election. NDP Leader Wab Kinew, whose party is leading in opinion polls, was a frequent target of the other two leaders. Progressive Conservative Leader Heather Stefanson, aiming to lead her party to a third consecutive term, accused Kinew of promising $3 billion in new spending, which she said would require a hike in the provincial sales tax. The former NDP government raised the tax in 2013 and was voted out in the next election. Kinew flatly denied...
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B.C. First Nation research finds 158 child deaths at four facilities
MISSION, BRITISH COLUMBIA- An investigation into unmarked graves and missing children by British Columbia’s Sto:lo Nation has revealed at least 158 deaths, most of them at a hospital. But representatives from the Sto:lo Nation Chiefs’ Council and Sto:l? Research and Resource Management Centre said Thursday that their work has only just begun, and is being hampered by lack of access to information from the federal government and religious institutions that were involved in the schools. As part of the nation’s “Taking Care of Our Children” project, researchers provided Sto:lo members and the media with an update Thursday on archival research, field work involving ground-penetrating radar, and genealogical research into historical sites of three residential schools, cemeteries and a First Nation hospital. Researchers with the nation said the documents show most...
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Chiefs From Treaties 6, 7 And 8 Territories Oppose Controversial Metis Nation Self Governance Bill
By Jeremy Appel Local Journalism Initiative Reporter As Metis Nation of Alberta (MNA) members announce that Andrea Sandmaier has been elected president in their first election under the Otipemisiwak self-governance framework, First Nations are criticizing how the new MNA governance structure was foisted upon them without consultation. They are joining voices with several Metis groups who have also expressed concerns. Chiefs from Treaties 6, 7 and 8 announced they were joining Ontario First Nations in opposition to Bill C-53, which was tabled by the federal government on June 21. The proposed legislation formalizes the Canadian government’s recognition of “certain” Metis governments in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario as self-governing entities constitutionally on par with First Nations. Assembly of First Nations Interim National Chief Joanne Bernard called the bill a “colonial piece...
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Documentary `Soop on Wheels’ re released for National Truth and Reconciliation Day
By Cory Bilyea Local Journalism Initiative Reporter MIDWESTERN ONTARIO-Sandy Greer is upset about what she is calling a “resurgence of racism” in Canada, and she wants to do something about it. The former journalist and filmmaker spent years learning how to be a good Indigenous ally. She decided to re-release her 1998 film, Soop on Wheels, to keep the truth about residential schools out there and to keep fulfilling a promise she made to Everett Soop, the subject of her film. The film is the story of Soop, an Indigenous journalist, cartoonist and humourist. A tale of the “tenacity of the human spirit,” read the film synopsis. “It is a story of hope and healing, relating the life and contributions of Everett Soop (1943-2001).” Soop belonged to the Blackfoot Nation...
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Census shows 3.5 million Middle Eastern residents in US, Venezuelans fastest growing Hispanic group
By Mike Schneider THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The United States had 3.5 million residents who identify as Middle Eastern or North African, Venezuelans were the fastest-growing Hispanic group last decade and Chinese and Asian Indians were the two largest Asian groups, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The most detailed race and ethnicity data to date from the 2020 census was released Thursday more than three years after the once-a-decade head count, which determines political power, the distribution of $2.8 trillion in annual federal funding and holds up a mirror to how the U.S. has changed in a decade. The delay was caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the implementation of a new method to protect the confidentiality of participants. The Census Bureau says the 2020 census provided more details on the...
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RCMP charge three women for allegedly using Inuit status to defraud organizations
Amira and Nadya Gill have been charged with fraud IQALUIT, Nunavut- Nunavut RCMP have charged three women over a complaint they used Inuit beneficiary status to defraud two organizations. RCMP say that between October 2016 and September 2022, the Ontario-based women applied for and obtained Inuit beneficiary status as adopted children through Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated. Mounties allege the women used beneficiary status to defraud the Kakivak Association and Qikiqtani Inuit Association of funds that are only available to Inuit beneficiaries. The associations offer grants and scholarships to Inuit. Mounties charged Karima Manji, 59, and her twin daughters, Amira and Nadya Gill, who are 25. They each face two counts of fraud over $5,000 and are scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 30. ...
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Niagara Regional Native centre board members embroiled in contentious lawsuit
By Evan Loree Local Journalism Initiative Reporter A major legal battle is brewing between the board of the Niagara Regional Native Centre and board members who were ousted in February. The former board members of the centre are asking a Superior Court judge to dismantle the current board. The lawsuit pits former members, president Lacey Lewis and Wanda Griffin, Bobbi Jones Japp and Wendy Wilson, against their successors: Roxanne Buck, Audrey Clark, Fallon Farinacci, Eliana Jones, Brian MacAulay, Doug Paget and Sean Vanderklis. The native centre, located on Airport Road in Niagara-on-the-Lake, provides community support services for the Indigenous community. The centre also is named in the lawsuit. The former board is represented by Julie Mouris of Ottawa legal firm Conway Baxter Wilson LLP and the new board is represented...
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Bill for preserving site of Wounded Knee massacre in South Dakota passes U.S. House
WASHINGTON (AP), A bill to preserve the site of the Wounded Knee massacre, one of the deadliest massacres in U.S. history,cleared the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday. The Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act, introduced by Republican U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson of South Dakota in May, passed the House by voice vote. The Senate is considering companion legislation. More than 200 Native Americans, including children and elderly people, were killed at Wounded Knee in 1890. The bloodshed marked a seminal moment in the frontier battles the U.S. Army waged against tribes. The Oglala Sioux and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribes joined together last year to purchase about 40 acres around the Wounded Knee National Historic Landmark in South Dakota to ensure the area was preserved as a sacred...
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B.C. First Nation to provide update on probe into three former residential schools
MISSION, BRITISH COLUMBIA- A Fraser Valley, B.C., First Nation is expected to provide an update on its work into missing children and unmarked burials at three former residential school sites. The investigation was launched after ground-penetrating radar located what are believed to be more than 200 graves at a former residential school in Kamloops in May 2021, prompting similar searches and findings in several provinces. Stolo First Nation says its initiative focuses on St. Mary’s Residential School in Mission, Coqualeetza Industrial Institute/Residential School in Chilliwack and All Hallows School in Yale, and the Coqualeetza Indian Hospital. It says its Taking Care of Children team has been studying archival, oral historical and on-site remote sensing work in search of identifiable unmarked graves. A post to the Stolo Nation’s website, dated December 2021,...
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Preservation or exploitation? New film explores musicologist’s motivation in recording First Nations chief
By Odette Auger, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Acimow Media has wrapped up filming Forbidden Music for Knowledge Network. The feature-length documentary explores Indigenous music rights and ownership, and how Chief Mungo Martin (Kwakwaka’wakw) worked to protect 123 traditional First Nations songs from disappearing through government assimilation tactics. It is the fourth documentary by producer and director Barbara Todd Hager (Metis, Cree). Completing 16 days of filming in Austria, Canada and the United States, Windspeaker spoke to Hager as she entered post-production editing. The documentary tells the story of Austrian-born Jewish ethnomusicologist Dr. Ida Halpern and artist and singer Chief Martin, who worked together to record songs threatened by the potlatch ban as set out in the Indian Act from 1885 to 1951 and the removal of Indigenous children to residential...
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Cabot Trail Writers Festival to feature Indigenous writers in Wagmatcook First Nation
By Mitchell Ferguson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter SYDNEY- Every fall, Cape Breton hosts the Cabot Trail Writers Festival, bringing readers and writers together inside intimate venues on the scenic Cabot Trail. The festival, now in its 11th year, is set to welcome back literary fans again for a weekend of storytelling and workshops. Andrea Currie, one of the Cabot Trail Writers Festival’s co-chairs, said Cape Breton is the perfect setting for the connections they want this festival to create. “It’s a pretty amazing gathering, partly because we live in an amazing place here in Unama’ki,” Currie said. “The authors tend to love it too because I think the setting just gives it a whole different vibe.” Currie, who lives in Port Hood, is a member of the Metis Nation and...
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Teme Augama Anishnabai oppose Metis claims
By Darlene Wroe Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Up to 30 members of the Teme-Augama Anishnabai and the Temagami First Nation gathered outside the North Bay office of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) on September 18. They were there to protest the ministry’s support of a cabin built on N’dakimenan, the territorial land of the Teme-Augama Anishnabai (TAA). The cabin construction is supported by the Metis Nation of Ontario (MNO), and builders of the cabin claim membership in the MNO. The TAA and Temagami First Nation have now issued an eviction notice to the MNO and to the two men who constructed the cabin. TAA Second Chief John Turner related in a telephone interview he is a descendant of the original occupants of the land where the...
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`HEART WRENCHING’: Feds call for collaborative approach to potential landfill search
By Dave Baxter Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The federal Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations is facing increased criticism, after **>First Nations<** leaders say the minister told them this week the federal government was making no financial commitments towards a landfill search for the remains of two Indigenous women. “Despite the gravity of this crisis, the federal government’s commitment to fully fund critical landfill searches at Prairie Green remains non-existent,” AMC Grand Chief Cathy Merrick said in a statement reacting to a Monday morning meeting between Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Gary Anandasangaree and those who have been advocating for a landfill search of the Prairie Green Landfill for the remains of Marcedes Myran and Morgan Harris. “Through Treaty obligation, they are responsible for the health and wellness of First Nation People.” On...
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Poilievre introduces housing bill, plan focuses on getting cities to build more homes
By Nojoud Al Mallees THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA- Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre introduced a private member’s bill in the House of Commons Wednesday that outlines a plan to address the national housing crisis. The bill, which is unlikely to pass, centres around using federal infrastructure and transit spending to push cities to build more homes. It proposes requiring cities to increase home building by 15 per cent each year to receive their usual infrastructure spending. Cities that fail to meet that target would see a decrease in the federal dollars they receive, while those that exceed it would get additional money. Housing experts, advocates and industry groups generally agree that municipalities place many barriers to new developments, and city councils are often swayed by anti-development sentiment. For Poilievre, tying federal...
