As N.S. jail death toll mounts, father grieves son and calls for corrections reform
The Canadian Press 24/07/2024 A memorial plaque with a laser-etched image of Christopher Young wearing a Santa hat sits on a shelf at his father’s Halifax home. “That’s how I’ll always remember my son, as a happy guy,” said Gerry Young, 61. However, the grieving parent said his 33-year-old son’s suicide on April 26 — the fifth of six deaths in Nova Scotia jails in the past 18 months — should be remembered as an example of how the provincial corrections system is failing to protect inmates’ lives. “I guarantee you this could have been prevented,” he said during a recent interview in his home. Young said his son had tried and failed to kill himself years ago at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility — commonly known as Burnside...
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Physicality and endurance win the World Series of perhaps the oldest game in North America Slugline: US-Stickball-America’s-Oldest-Game
The Associated Press 24/07/2024 00:10 CHOCTAW, Miss. (AP) — As the drummers walk onto the field, the players behind them smack their hickory sticks to the beat. The rhythm envelops the stands and a palpable sense of anticipation flows through the crowd. Indigenous peoples have been playing stickball for hundreds of years, and every summer since 1975, teams have competed in Mississippi to become champion of perhaps the oldest game in North America. A game of physicality and endurance, stickball is often referred to as the grandfather of field sports and the annual tournament in Mississippi is the game’s premier event. The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians has been producing some of the country’s best players for generations. A team from Mississippi will almost certainly be the one to beat...
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Manitoba Chiefs decry reduced federal funds for residential school searches
The Canadian Press 23/07/2024 15:45 The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs is criticizing the federal government for reducing funds to search the grounds of former residential schools, saying they are profoundly disappointed and outraged. Communities could previously receive up to $3 million through the Residential Schools Missing Children Community Support Fund, but funding will now be capped at $500,000. Deputy Grand Chief Betsy Kennedy says the decision to cut back funding is not only disheartening, but disrespectful to the survivors and families affected by the system. Ottawa says the adjustment in funding was made in order to take a “sustainable approach” that provides money to as many community-led projects as possible. In a statement, Crown-Indigenous Relations says the funding adjustments will not apply to previously signed agreements, and highlighted the $216...
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The Haida-B.C. agreement was a landmark deal, but where was Canada?
By Ted Palys, Professor of Criminology, Associate Member of Dept. of Indigenous Studies, Simon Fraser University; and Michaela M. McGuire, PhD Candidate, School of Criminology, Simon Fraser University The Haida Nation and government of British Columbia recently signed the Gaayhllxid/Gíihlagalgang “Rising Tide” Haida Title Lands Agreement, which recognizes and affirms the Haida Nation’s title to the archipelago of Haida Gwaii. Indigenous scholars have described the agreement as “historic” and “an inspiration to Indigenous Peoples across Canada and around the world.” It’s approach to title departs from the racist assumptions underlying colonization. However, while this agreement between the Haida Nation and B.C. is laudable, we cannot help but wonder: why has Canada been so slow to get on board? Undermining Indigenous nationhood Early European explorers and settlers in what is now...
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Family members of 1998 Utah murder victim want ‘an eye for an eye’
The Associated Press 23/07/2024 13:51 Family members of a woman killed in a 1998 murder pressed Utah officials Tuesday to carry on with the perpetrator’s scheduled execution during emotional testimony about a crime that still traumatizes their close-knit Native American community. Taberon Dave Honie is asking Utah’s parole board to commute his death sentence to life in prison. He faces execution by lethal injection on Aug. 8. Relatives described the 49-year-old victim, Claudia Benn, as a pillar in their family and community — a tribal council member, substance abuse counselor and caregiver for her children and grandchildren. “Taberon, you robbed us,” said her cousin, Betsy China. “Twenty-five years of missing out on her knowledge, her ability to read at a higher level and comprehend and help us.” Honie, who had...
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Dryden OPP officer wins an award and gets promoted
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter DRYDEN – Receiving the Jim Potts Award was both an honour and a reflection of the valuable work of many collaborators, Sgt. Brittany Bembeneck says. Bembeneck said Monday in an interview that she feels “very honoured to be recognized for the work that I’ve done” and she appreciates her nominators “for taking time to recognize the work that I’ve done.” Award recognition is “honestly not my most favourite thing in the whole world,” she said. “I’m very fortunate that after starting my career in Sioux Lookout I was able to come back home to Dryden,” she continued. “And since coming home to Dryden, I’ve been able to, you know, be involved in the community and give back to the community that’s given me...
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Shovels in the ground as work begins on new $800-million arena for Calgary Flames
The Canadian Press 22/07/2024 17:58 Construction has begun on the new $800-million arena for the NHL’s Calgary Flames. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek joined others Monday picking up a chrome shovel to symbolically turn the sod to launch the multi-year process to replace one of the NHL’s oldest arenas. The new building – to be named Scotia Place — is being built in the shadow of the Saddledome and its iconic saddle-shaped concave roof. “Today is a big day for Calgary. After a decade of talking, Calgary is breaking ground on a new events centre…a project that promises to become a cornerstone of our sports and entertainment district,” said city councillor Sonya Sharp, the chair of the committee overseeing the project. “This is a place where...
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Microsoft Crash Throws BC Health Authorities Back to Analogue Age
By Michelle Gamage Local Journalism Initiative Reporter On Friday computers around the world running the Microsoft operating system Windows 10 suddenly faced what is colloquially known as the “blue screen of death” before having their computer systems turn off and then slowly reboot. This was not a cyberattack but a major tech failure. That same day, cyber-security company CrowdStrike said an update it made to its antivirus software for Microsoft Windows caused the crash. Many B.C. health authorities, hospitals, labs and urgent and primary care centres, were affected. B.C.’s emergency dispatch system, as well as paramedic, wildfire and police services were not impacted, Premier David Eby said at a press conference Friday. Health Minister Adrian Dix said most systems were back online by midday, though he added it might take...
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Documentary sparks conversation about Indigenous-led wildfire resilience
By Dionne Phillips Local Journalism Initiative Reporter A new documentary film, The Test, explores how the community of Logan Lake’s wildfire preparations were tested in 2021. A recent screening and panel discussion hosted in Williams Lake sparked more conversations about Indigenous-led wildfire resilience. Logan Lake began its fire mitigation decades ago, becoming the first official FireSmart community in Canada in 2013 by setting in motion a series of measures to help protect infrastructure and homes from wildfire damage. The Test shows how community leaders assessed forested areas for wildfire risk and employed youth to thin it out, piling twigs and dead branches on the forest floor to burn in the fall. Homeowners also mitigated wildfire risks by cleaning gutters and keeping firewood away from their homes. Just weeks after wildfire...
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WorkSafe investigating after death at turbine project near Sussex
By Andrew Bates Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 22/07/2024 WorkSafeNB is investigating after a person died Thursday at a construction site for a turbine project east of Sussex. A subcontractor working on the Neweg Energy Project, 29 kilometres east of Sussex, died following an incident on July 18, according to Amy Pellerin of Natural Forces, a Halifax-based private power company. Construction work on the six-turbine project was halted immediately and reopened Monday following approval from WorkSafeNB, Pellerin said Monday. “Neweg Energy Limited Partnership was made aware of the terrible incident after the emergency services were contacted and we offer our most sincere condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of the individual who has passed,” Pellerin, the company’s director of Canadian development, wrote in a statement. WorkSafeNB communications manager Lynn Meahan-Carson...
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University of Regina partners with tribal council to deliver camp for elite athletes
Local Journalism Initiative 23/07/2024 00:22 From Alex Decoteau, Sasktchewan’s first Olympian; to the trailblazing hockey career of Fred Sasakamoose; to current athletes like Brigette Lacquette, the first Indigenous woman on Canada’s Olympic hockey team; there’s a rich history of Indigenous athletic success in in the province and a new training camp aims to continue that excellence. The University of Regina (U of R) in partnership with the File Hills Qu’Appelle Tribal Council (FHQTC) created a new coaching and performance camp, designed to give athletes from the 11 FHQTC First Nations access to top athletic coaching and development. “I think the biggest thing is creating opportunities in sport and recreation for Indigenous athletes, especially those who don’t have access to these facilities and coaches,” said Jordynn Pewapsconias, KHS Indigenous...
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Fuel spill sparks evacuation worries for Nunavut community
The Canadian Press 22/07/2024 A gasoline spill in Nunavut prompted what some officials characterized as an evacuation, although the territory’s government says no evacuation was ordered. The Department of Community and Government Services says an estimated 5,000 litres of fuel spilled because of a tank overfill Monday afternoon in Sanikiluaq, an island community of about 1,000 people in southeast Hudson Bay. The department says the risk to the community is minimal and no fumes were detected beyond the facility’s containment area. Nunavut MP Lori Idlout said on Facebook she hoped “the gas leak they experienced forcing them to evacuate” was addressed safely. But the Nunavut government says it has not issued any form of evacuation notice regarding the leak. A First Nation in northern Quebec that had been prepared to...
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K’omoks First Nation signs draft treaty with B.C., federal governments
The Canadian Press 22/07/2024 Officials with the K’omoks First Nation and the B.C. and federal governments have signed a draft treaty in a step toward the nation’s self-governance. K’omoks Chief Ken Price says it was an “exciting, memorable, and emotional day” for the community on Vancouver Island as it marked another step toward a treaty. Price says in a statement that many K’omoks leaders have been part of negotiations over the last 30 years aiming to “build the best treaty possible.” He says treaties are “the highest form of reconciliation between nations.” The draft treaty must still be ratified by a vote among K’omoks members, and Price says the next step is to ensure questions are answered to ensure their community members feel they are making an informed decision. A...
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Manitoba First Nation says members without health care due to nursing shortage
The Canadian Press A First Nation in northern Manitoba says many of its residents, including infants, elders and people with chronic health conditions, are going without basic health care because of a nursing shortage in the community. Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation’s nursing station has been open only for medical emergencies since last year because the community has just two nurses to service its 3,500 citizens. Chief Angela Levasseur says members are forced to travel outside the community to get basic care like bloodwork or medication refills. She is calling on the federal government to provide funding for an additional three nurses for the nation. Government data shows that nursing stations in remote First Nations communities in Manitoba were facing a 67 per cent operational vacancy in the last fiscal year. Levasseur...
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Residents learn about the history of pemmican
By Alex Noad, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter When the Buffalo roamed the land which is now known as Canada, the Blackfoot people relied on it for all of their basic needs. A single buffalo could produce up to 500 pounds of meat. Without fridges to keep the meat cold how were they able to utilize it to nourish their bodies? The answer to this question is pemmican. Pemmican is a traditional food from ancient Indigenous culture. While each tribe used meat native to their areas, the Blackfoot people used primarily buffalo meat. The three components to pemmican were meat, fat and berries. Each component played a vital role in both nutrition and preservation. The meat was first dried, this was not only to preserve the meat, but it also made...
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Salluit man describes 8-month struggle to find home for family
By Cedric Gallant Local Journalism Initiative Reporter been in an eight-month battle with the Nunavik Housing Bureau to obtain a home for himself and his family. James Tarkirk, 24, lives with his partner, Alaku Poassie, who is seven months pregnant, and their two children ages three and four. He said he has moved from place to place while struggling to get answers for when the housing bureau will have a home ready for his family to move into. Currently, he’s staying at his mother’s place short-term while she is in Montreal. He might stay in the south permanently if he can’t get a house in Salluit soon, he said. The Nunavik Housing Bureau takes care of accommodation for nearly 98 per cent of Nunavik Inuit, under the Quebec Housing Corp....
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Wildfires erupt in B.C. with lightning, heat fuelling fire behaviour across province
The Canadian Press The mayor of a British Columbia Interior community says the area’s long-term care residents have been moved out as a fast-moving wildfire looms nearby. Barbara Roden, mayor of Ashcroft, B.C., located about 360 kilometres northeast of Vancouver, said Saturday that community remains under an alert to be ready to evacuate on short notice. Roden said the anxiety among residents is “settling down a little bit” as the nearby Shetland Creek wildfire appeared to push northward Saturday. “In the early stages of a fire, there is of course a lot of stress, a lot of fear, a lot of nervousness,” she said. “(But) we’ve seen that the fire has largely stayed in a northerly course, not veering off to the east towards Ashcroft or Cache Creek, the more...
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Feds release flood of conservation funding
By Natasha Bulowski, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Nearly $90 million in federal funding for a slew of nature conservation projects intended to reverse Canada’s biodiversity loss and protect more land and waters was announced Thursday. The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society’s British Columbia Chapter (CPAWS) celebrated the federal government’s news, which advances Canada’s goal to improve biodiversity and protect thirty per cent of lands and waters by 2030. Three separate projects totalling $49 million will be in British Columbia, federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault announced at a press conference in Whytecliff Park Beach in West Vancouver. “This funding has the potential to make a massive impact by protecting ecologically and culturally important ecosystems that hold and sequester carbon while benefitting clean water, air and wildlife,” said Tori Ball, conservation director...
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Fishing communities welcome B.C. intention to reform licensing and quotas
By Hope Lompe, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Fishing communities, harvesters and advocates are welcoming British Columbia’s intention to work with the federal government to reform the purchase system for fish licences and quotas for B.C.’s commercial fishing industry. As part of the Coastal Marine Strategy unveiled last week, the province says it’s moving toward an owner-operator system for quota and licences. Under the new system, licence and quota holders would also need to be active fish harvesters — something advocacy groups and First Nations have been requesting for years. The current individual transferable quotas (ITQ) system allows corporations and foreign investors with deep pockets to buy the right to catch fish for the highest price, making it increasingly difficult for individual harvesters, First Nations and generational fishing families to stay...
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Province commits to ‘new vision for child welfare’ after 11-year-old’s preventable death
By Cara McKenna Local Journalism Initiative Reporter CONTENT WARNING: This story details abuse and neglect in the child “welfare” system that may be distressing or triggering. Please look after your spirit and read with care. The provincial government is committing to “a new vision for child welfare” after an investigation exposed dozens of failures that led to the preventable death of an 11-year-old First Nations boy in a “Fraser Valley” foster home. The Representative for Children and Youth (RCY) released a report this week that delves into the story of Colby — whose real name and specific community have been withheld to protect his identity — and the horrific abuse he endured that led to his untimely passing. The mistreatment of Colby and his eight-year-old sister — which included starvation,...
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