First Nations reach a milestone in fire prevention
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter SIOUX LOOKOUT – Recent training from the Ontario Fire College is a “milestone step” for five First Nations in Ontario’s Northwest, according to Nicholas Rhone. Rhone is the integrated emergency services director and regional fire chief for IFNA, the Independent First Nations Alliance. He saw 14 trainees from Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug, Lac Seul, Muskrat Dam, Pikangikum and Whitesand graduate from the fire college’s Fire and Life Safety Educator course earlier this month. The training equips them to teach fire prevention in their communities – and thus, Rhone told Dougall Media, help make IFNA’s five First Nations safer. Each graduate will become a trainer in their community, allowing them to teach their new skills to others. Training the 14 individuals “was a milestone step in...
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Unpaid hydro bills: Quebec says Indigenous protest ‘not a good solution’
The Canadian Press Quebec’s minister responsible for relations with First Nations and Inuit says northern communities can’t opt out of paying their electricity bills. Ian Lafrenière was reacting to a Radio-Canada report that found that members of some Indigenous communities hadn’t paid their electricity for years, resulting in a $250-million bill the utility is reportedly unsure how to collect. The report said the 15 or so communities who are behind on payment are mostly Cree and Innu nations in parts of the province where Hydro-Québec operates dams or is planning wind farms. Hydro-Québec confirmed in a statement that it had decided not to cut service to any First Nation or Inuit communities as part of a wider reflection on “economic reconciliation.” Lafrenière told the legislature that there are communities who...
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‘Colonialist mentality:’ Indigenous groups challenge Quebec over new history museum
The Canadian Press Several Indigenous groups are calling on the Quebec government to distance itself from the “colonialist mentality” as it designs a new $92-million history museum project in the provincial capital. The Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador, the First Nations Education Council and an Innu cultural centre — Institut Tshakapesh — made their feelings known about the project in a brief submitted about a government bill to create the museum. They asked the government to distance itself from a colonialist point of view and include in the museum the stories, contributions and perspectives of Indigenous people. Denis Gros-Louis of the First Nations Education Council told a hearing at the legislature that the bill in its current form doesn’t clearly recognize the fundamental contributions of First Nations. The Assembly of...
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Online book about legendary artist Carl Beam is released
By Crystal St. Pierre Local Journalism Initiative Reporter An open-access online art book about trailblazer artist Carl Beam has been released. The book, which became available on Sept. 18, is part of a series titled The Canadian Online Art Book Project and was released by the Art Institute Canada and Beam’s daughter Anong Migwans Beam. The project is an online digital library by original authors commissioned by the Art Canada Institute highlighting artists who have made a significant contribution to Canada’s art history. “I wanted the chance to share a bit more about how he came to do the work that he did and what it meant to Canada and Canadian art in general,” said Beam about why she wrote the book about her father. “We live in a richer...
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Opportunity renews state of local emergency because of crime
By Pearl Lorentzen Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Last fall, the M.D. issued a state of local emergency (SOLE) for Calling Lake, because of crime. May 2024, it extended this to include the other hamlets: Wabasca, Sandy Lake, Red Earth Creek, and Chipewyan Lake. Since then, SOLEs for each community have been extended two weeks at a time. At the Sept. 11, 2024 meeting, council voted to extend the SOLE for two weeks for all four hamlets. Calling Lake Councillor Gerald Johnson made the motion. Council passed it without any discussion. After the motion passed and later in the meeting, crime came up in a few areas. Appearing virtually, Wabasca Councillor Darlene Jackson mentioned a recent meeting with the RCMP. “It’s (crime is) really getting out of hand again,” she said. Calling...
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Scientists use DNA to identify bones, find descendants of Franklin expedition sailor
The Canadian Press 24/09/2024 09:00 Human remains resting in a remote Arctic cairn, visible emblems of one of the North’s most enduring mysteries, finally have a name. Scientists have managed to identify bones belonging to a member of the Franklin expedition, a 19th-century voyage of exploration and discovery that ended in disaster, starvation and death. James Fitzjames — only the second member of the expedition’s crew to be identified by DNA — captained one of the expedition’s two ships and served as second-in-command after Sir John Franklin’s death. “It helps us ask new questions about what really transpired,” said Doug Stenton, an archeologist at the University of Waterloo whose paper on the identification was released Tuesday. Franklin’s ships, HMS Erebus and Terror, set out from England in 1845 in search...
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Nunavik, Montreal police team up to stop smuggling, violence against Inuit
By Cedric Gallant, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Nunatsiaq New Security has been increased for Inuit temporarily staying in Montreal, following reports of criminal groups harassing, intimidating and assaulting Nunavimmiut there. A two-week joint patrol involving Nunavik Police Service and the Montreal police department has been started and will run until Oct. 4, it was announced Monday at a news conference in Montreal. Nunavik Police Service Chief Jean-Pierre Larose told reporters that in May, members of criminal groups tried to illegally transport alcohol and drugs into Akulivik from Montreal. He said Nunavik police intercepted a cargo parcel destined for Akulivik containing a dozen 1.75-litre bottles of vodka. “They attempted to recruit Inuit sellers as mules to transport the illegal merchandise to Nunavik from Montreal,” Larose said in French, adding the Inuit...
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Conservation at the frontier of climate change
By Cedric Gallant, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Nunatsiaq News This is part one of a three-part series on the 20th anniversary of Nunavik Parks. Nunatsiaq News was invited to visit Kangiqsujuaq and experience parts of the Pingualuit National Park. Nunavik’s parks might be a destination for hikers, campers and tourists but behind the scenes there is battle ongoing against climate change through conservation, scientific research and cultural revival. Nunavik Parks is the custodian of four parks in the region: Pingualuit, which is near Kangiqsujuaq; Kuururjuaq and Ulittaniujalik, located near Kangiqsualujjuaq; and Tursujuq, in the vicinity of Umiujaq. The organization employs two conservation specialists. Corentin Chaillon takes care of Pingualuit and Kuururjuaq and Isabeau Pratte’s domain is Tursujuaq and Ulittaniujalik. “Tourism is only the small tip of the iceberg, it is...
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‘Scotch Tape and wet paper’: Healing fragile B.C. health system is key election issue
By Canadian Press Mike Goetz has added bill collector to his list of responsibilities as mayor of Merritt in British Columbia’s Interior. In June, Goetz sent the province an invoice for $103,831.87, the cost, he said, for closures of the Nicola Valley Hospital emergency room. He said the bill for the 19 closures last year and the first five closures this year includes a partial refund of what the city paid for hospital services, as well as the cost when firefighters respond to medical calls because paramedics are busy transporting patients to Kamloops, about 85 kilometres to the northeast. And GST, of course. Goetz said the costs would be equivalent to a one-per-cent increase in taxes for the community, unless the province picked up the tab, and came on top...
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Trudeau tells Stephen Colbert there’s frustration in Canada, but he’ll keep fighting
The Canadian Press Justin Trudeau’s interview on “The Tonight Show with Stephen Colbert” began with the expected jokes about bacon and Canadians saying sorry a lot, but the prime minister acknowledged it’s “a really tough time” in the country when the host asked about an expected confidence vote in Parliament this week. “People are hurting. People are having trouble paying for groceries, paying for rent, filling up the tank,” Trudeau said during the CBS program Monday in New York, where he has been meeting with world leaders attending the United Nations General Assembly. Trudeau admitted there’s frustration. He said the housing crisis “is a little sharper” in Canada than it is in the U.S. And even though he said Canada’s economy is performing better on a “macro” level than its...
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Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council declares state of emergency over opioid crisis: ‘Enough is enough’
By Amy Romer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Surrounded by photos of their kin who were lost to the unrelenting opioid crisis, Nuu-chah-nulth leaders declared a state of emergency in their 14 tribal council communities. “Today, we come before you Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council strong, to say — enough is enough,” said president of Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council (NTC) Cloy-e-iis Judith Sayers on Thursday. “This is a real emergency,” she added in a statement. “We are losing too many, especially young people, to this crisis.” c̓išaaʔatḥ (Tseshaht) First Nation Chief Councillor and NTC board member waamiiš Ken Watts sat behind seven framed photographs of community members who have died, and listed each of their names in remembrance. Other community members held banners and wore sweaters with photos of Lennox, a 20-year-old Nuu-chah-nulth man who...
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Court rules nearly 98,000 Arizonans whose citizenship hadn’t been confirmed can vote the full ballot
The Associated Press 20/09/2024 23:38 PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Supreme Court unanimously ruled Friday that nearly 98,000 people whose citizenship documents hadn’t been confirmed can vote in state and local races, a significant decision that could influence ballot measures and tight legislative races. The court’s decision comes after officials uncovered a database error that for two decades mistakenly designated the voters as having access to the full ballot. The voters already were entitled to cast ballots in federal races, including for president and Congress, regardless of how the court ruled. Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, a Democrat, and Stephen Richer, the Republican Maricopa County recorder, had disagreed on what status the voters should hold. Richer asked the high court to weigh in, saying Fontes ignored state law by advising...
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Foundation is in for new hotel in Fort Frances
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter FORT FRANCES – The foundation is in for a new hotel in Fort Frances that will open next summer, says the chief executive officer of the company building the hotel. Completion of the Studio 6 hotel project at 1108 Kings Highway (near Walmart and Canadian Tire) is scheduled for around Aug. 15, 2025, Ben Cohen said Friday in a phone interview from his office in Winnipeg. The 70-room hotel is will feature “extended-stay suites” with a kitchenette in each room, Cohen said. His company, Rideout Bay Developments, is managing construction of the hotel. Mitaanjigamiing First Nation, though an economic development corporation, is the property’s owner. Cohen said Rideout Management, a sister company to Rideout Bay, will manage the hotel. Also in the works...
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WATCH: Vessel interrupts killer whales as they hunt sea lion in Ucluelet harbour
By Nora O’Malley Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ, BC – A pod of transient killer whales recently ventured into the Ucluelet harbour, chasing a sea lion for dinner, but dinner got the best of the apex predators when a vessel seemingly interfered with the hunt. Ucluelet Aquarium curator Laura Griffith-Cochrane captured the exciting scene on her phone (https://studio.youtube.com/video/Yu1RNkjFNGs/edit) from Alder Park, which overlooks the harbour. “I think the sea lion was trying to use the boat as a refuge area and them moving definitely affected it, but it would be hard to say exactly what its affect was,” said Griffith-Cochrane, who witnessed the astonishing moment with her two children and husband. “But I think they took a very dangerous risk and they made a bad decision by moving. They should...
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Opportunities abound for Tseshaht First Nation-owned drone services company
By Nora O’Malley Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Port Alberni, BC – Professional drone pilot Kawliga Watts had just been laid off from a Port Alberni mill when he saw an opportunity pop up to fly drones for Tseshaht First Nation-owned Maktlee Drone Services. “I was already a recreational drone operator, so I was really happy to be part of this new venture and learn all this new technology,” said Watts at the first annual Indigenous Forestry Conference in Port Alberni in September. Watts enrolled with Coastal Drone out of Victoria for ground school before taking his Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) Certificate with Transport Canada. In Canada, anyone operating a drone with a maximum takeoff weight of up to 25 kg is required to pass the online drone pilot exam....
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Manitoba to encourage renewable energy while acknowledging fossil fuel use
The Canadian Press 20/09/2024 16:57 The Manitoba government has boosted plans for renewable energy with an announcement it will work with First Nations to develop wind power. Premier Wab Kinew said Friday the province will help Indigenous bands bring on 600 megawatts of new wind generation by providing them with loan guarantees. He said it’s the best way meet the province’s climate commitments while increasing the supply of affordable electricity, as well as creating jobs in First Nations communities. “We’re going to stand up a ton of new wind farms here in Manitoba,” he said. “Most important, we’re going to make sure your hydro bills stay affordable.” Kinew released the Manitoba Affordable Energy Plan, his government’s road map for balancing the need to supply more energy, fight climate change and...
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Fears linger as power line plan aims to mitigate risks
By Carl Clutchey, Local Journalism Initiative reporter Environmental concerns regarding the route for proposed new high-voltage power lines between Shuniah, Atikokan and Dryden continue to flare as the project’s proponent promises to “minimize” any impacts. Some Shebandowan residents recently posted on social media their fears that Hydro One’s Waasigan Transmission Line, if built as outlined, will “destroy” a wetland at the end of Shebandowan Lake’s Three Mile Bay. “Removing a 185-metre-long swath of trees along the waterline will have a devastating impact on the visual landscape at the end of Three Mile Bay, resulting in loss of forest habitat and runoff of nutrients into the lake,” one resident posted this month. The post added: “This does not have to be the case. We have repeatedly proposed that Hydro One utilize...
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A bitter fight between two tribes over sacred land where one built a casino
The Associated Press Published: 24/09/2024 13:42 WETUMPKA, Ala. (AP) — At the height of Muscogee power, thousands of people filled the tribe’s sprawling territory on the lush banks of the Coosa River in present-day Alabama. Oce Vpofv, or Hickory Ground, was a town, a ceremonial site, burial ground, and the last tribal capital before the Muscogee people were forcibly removed from the Southeast to Oklahoma on the Trail of Tears. Today in its place, the Wind Creek Casino and Hotel rises 20 stories above the winding river. The development is at the center of a long-simmering dispute between two tribal nations. The Muscogee Nation are descendants of people who called the land home and Alabama’s Poarch Band of Creek Indians is a separate tribal nation that shares ancestry with the...
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Arson investigation underway after teepee fire at Alberta RCMP detachment
The Canadian Press 24/09/2024 14:38 An arson investigation is underway after flames tore through a commemorative teepee that was a gift to an Alberta RCMP detachment from a local First Nation. Mounties say members of the public alerted Lac La Biche RCMP to the fire, which was quickly doused by officers and local fire crews on Monday night. Police say Beaver Lake Cree Nation gifted the teepee in 2021 to symbolize reconciliation between RCMP and Indigenous Peoples. The structure was hand-painted by Beaver Lake members and included the handprints of students from a local school. RCMP say evidence has been secured at the scene and an investigation is ongoing. Mounties are asking people to come forward if they have any information about the fire. This report by The Canadian Press...
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Oakville to commemorate National Day for Truth and Reconciliation with events and activities
By Shazia Nazir, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Oakville will join the rest of Canada on Sep 30 to mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day. This day serves as an opportunity to remember the survivors of residential schools and honour the Indigenous children who never made it home. Various events and activities are planned across the town, allowing residents to reflect on the history of these schools and celebrate Indigenous culture. “As we approach the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, I urge all residents to take the time to reflect on the lasting impacts of the residential school system on Indigenous peoples,” said Mayor Rob Burton. “This day serves as a reminder of the trauma and oppression faced by generations and the...
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