Claiming the right to our stories
By Nicolas Crier, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Megaphone Magazine I was adopted. My non-Indigenous family, all good people who treated me with respect and dignity, did not raise me on the reserve, but in the urbanized city of Calgary, Alberta. It’s the same province that the graphic novelThe Rez Doctor takes place in. But unlike its central character — young Ryan Fox — I didn’t grow up facing the realities of reserve life. I was sheltered. I didn’t have to navigate the racism, segregation and systemic barriers baked into on-reserve health care. I don’t know what it means to leave a reserve and enter the very system that’s historically excluded your people, and then fight tooth and nail just to build a life within in — as Ryan Fox had...
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B.C. Coastal First Nations write to Carney, asking him to reject any new pipeline
By Brieanna Charlebois Coastal First Nations in British Columbia have issued an open letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney, asking him to reject any new proposal for a crude oil pipeline to the northwest coast. The move comes as Alberta Premier Danielle Smith pushes for a new private-sector pipeline that would send crude oil to the northern B.C. coast for export to Asia. Marilyn Slett, president of the Coastal First Nations-Great Bear Initiative, says in a news release that there is no pipeline or oil tanker project that would be acceptable to their group, and any proposal to send crude oil through their coastal waters is a “non-starter.” The group is asking Carney to uphold the 2019 Oil Tanker Moratorium Act, which prohibits oil tankers carrying more than 12,500 metric...
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First Nations call off talks on forestry bill, say Quebec disrespecting rights
By Maura Forrest First Nations in Quebec have walked away from talks with the provincial government on a forestry bill they say would pave the way to privatizing public land. The Assembly of First Nations Quebec–Labrador says the province has not shown “genuine political will” to collaborate with Indigenous communities on the government’s forestry reform, which they say does not respect their rights. “We cannot lend credibility to a process that fails to recognize our status and responsibilities as Indigenous governments,” the assembly said Tuesday in an open letter. The Quebec government tabled a bill last spring aiming to protect communities that depend on the forestry industry. The legislation would divide public forests into zones designated for conservation, multi-purpose use or forestry. According to the bill, actions that “restrict the...
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Two Squamish Nation members honoured in 2025 Indigenous Business Award program
By Abby Luciano, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, North Shore News Two Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) members have scored honourable titles in the 17th annual Indigenous Business Award program run by the BC Achievement Foundation. Harold Calla is the recipient of the Award of Distinction for Lifetime Achievement, while (Himikala) Pam Baker’s fashion company Touch of Culture won Business of the Year in the one-to-two-person enterprise category. Calla said he was stunned when he heard his name on this year’s list. “I got a phone call, actually. I was at a car dealership looking at getting my car repaired,” Calla said about how he heard the news. “It came out of the blue for me and was a very humbling and rewarding experience.” The lifetime achiever has worn many hats throughout...
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A timeline of sexual assault allegations against former Hockey Canada junior players
A timeline of events that led to former Canada world junior hockey team players Michael McLeod, Alex Formenton, Carter Hart, Dillon Dube and Cal Foote being charged with sexual assault. Jan. 5, 2018 — Canada’s world junior hockey team defeats Sweden in the gold-medal final in Buffalo, N.Y. June 18, 2018 — Hockey Canada Foundation Gala & Golf event begins in London. June 19, 2018 — A woman’s stepfather informs Hockey Canada she alleges she was sexually assaulted by eight players, including members of the world junior team, while intoxicated the previous night following the event. Hockey Canada says it spoke with its insurance provider and then informed London police, which opened an investigation. Hockey Canada subsequently opened its own third-party investigation using a Toronto law firm. June 2018 —...
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‘We have to improve or we’ll die’: B.C. ranchers seek water solutions in long drought
By Chuck Chiang Rancher John Parkes wants more water storage in B.C.’s Interior, which is suffering the impacts of a multi-year drought. But Parkes, manager of Nicola Ranch near Merritt, says it’s not just for irrigation — water from dams is released into drying rivers to maintain flows and river ecosystems. “My predecessors, over the last 100 years, built plenty of upland water storage for irrigation. What we need right now is we need water storage for conservation use, for fish flows.” Ranchers in B.C.’s Interior say they have asked the province to consider reducing red tape around building and expanding water-storage dams to help them cope with the ongoing drought. Parkes said ranchers in the area have already been working with First Nations to control water use to make...
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Lawyer says tenants ‘crushed’ by court ruling they must leave B.C. mobile home park
By Darryl Greer A lawyer for tenants of a mobile home park on Songhees First Nation reserve land on Vancouver Island says his clients are “absolutely crushed” after losing a lawsuit challenging their evictions. A ruling posted Tuesday says the residents of E. George Estates Manufactured Home Park have lived there for decades, and believed they’d have a “long-term or perpetual interest” in the lands even though they didn’t own the properties. The park was established in the 1970s and the Songhees First Nation took control of it in 2019, then moved two years later to end tenancies of the plaintiffs who are not members of the nation. The ruling says the reserve is overcrowded and the First Nation wants to develop the lands for “much-needed housing for its members,”...
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Prime Minister Mark Carney set to visit birthplace in N.W.T.
Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to stop today in the town where he was born as he travels across the Northwest Territories. Carney also spent his early childhood in Fort Smith, located south of Yellowknife along the Alberta boundary, before he moved with his family to Edmonton. He is scheduled to talk to locals in Fort Smith about affordability and food insecurity, and discuss wildfires with community leaders, before heading to Inuvik in the territory’s northwest corner. He is set to co-host the Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee on Thursday with Natan Obed, president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, a national organization representing Inuit. It will be Carney’s second meeting with Indigenous groups on Ottawa’s major projects bill. The legislation would give Ottawa the ability to fast-track projects deemed to be in...
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OPP shuts down large Haldimand County Cannabis Grow-Op seizing $55 million in product
HALDIMAND COUNTY – Several individuals have been arrested, over 100,000 cannabis plants seized valued at over $55 million and an illicit cannabis grow operation investigation in Haldimand County shut down after a combined Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) units raided a Highway 3 property in Jarvis, Ont., July 18, 2025. Combined OPP units including the Provincial Joint Forces Cannabis Enforcement Team (PJFCET), West Region Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Emergency Response Team (ERT), OPP Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau (OCEB), and several OPP Community Street Crime Units (CSCU), executed a Cannabis Act search warrant at a property on Highway 3, Jarvis. In ddition to the more than 100,000 cannabis plants over 900 pounds of dried cannabis bud and a large quantity of marihuana processing equipment and other property was seized. The total value of...
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Whales, bear bangers and freedom dips: Pachena Bay Music Festival opens synergies between humans and nature
By Nora O’Malley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Ha-Shilth-Sa Anacla, B.C. – There’s a lull on Saturday morning and Ben Howells finds himself with time to be loquacious. Pachena Bay Music co-founders Ben Howells and Katreena Bennett were married on Brady’s Beach near Bamfield, planting the strongest seed for the special festival. He’s relaxed after the game of “human Tetris” his crew played to negotiate over 700 festivalgoers plus roughly 150 volunteers into Huu-ay-aht’s Pachena Bay Campground was completed early Friday evening. Moreover, he shared that whales swam into the bay on Thursday afternoon during his own DJ performance, which stirred a feeling of significance. “If going to the abandoned warehouses in Chicago or the shipyards in New York is synonymous with early rave culture, part of our culture is bringing...
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Carney says getting best possible deal with U.S. more important than Aug. 1 deadline
Prime Minister Mark Carney downplayed the importance of a looming Aug. 1 deadline in trade talks with the U.S. on Tuesday, saying the objective is to get the best possible deal for Canadians. “They’re complex negotiations and we’ll use all the time that’s necessary,” he told reporters after meeting with premiers at the Council of the Federation gathering in Huntsville, Ont. Carney said the government will agree to a deal “if there’s one on the table that is in the best interests of Canadians.” He described such a deal as one “that preserves, reinforces and stabilizes” the trade relationship between Canada and the U.S., and “also one that doesn’t tie our hands in terms of other things that we can do.” Carney was invited to join the premiers in Ontario’s...
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B.C. Coastal First Nations issue open letter to Carney opposing suggested pipeline
By Brieanna Charlebois Coastal First Nations in British Columbia have issued an open letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney, asking him to reject any new proposal for a crude oil pipeline to the northwest coast. The move comes as Alberta Premier Danielle Smith pushes for a new private-sector pipeline that would send crude oil to the northern B.C. coast for export to Asia. Marilyn Slett, president of the Coastal First Nations-Great Bear Initiative, says in a news release that there is no pipeline or oil tanker project that would be acceptable to their group, and any proposal to send crude oil through their coastal waters is a “non-starter.” The group is asking Carney to uphold the 2019 Oil Tanker Moratorium Act, which prohibits oil tankers carrying more than 12,500 metric...
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Indigenous governments finalize $375M land protection deal
By Sonal Gupta, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer Indigenous governments in the Northwest Territories are at the centre of one of the world’s largest land protection efforts, following the signing on Monday of a landmark $375 million agreement. The “Our Land for the Future” grant will put about 30 per cent of the territory — or two per cent of the entire country, an area of 380,000 square kilometres — under Indigenous care. The grant brings together leaders from Tłı̨chǫ, Délı̨nę Got’ınę, and 19 other Indigenous governments, alongside federal and territorial representatives and philanthropic funders. The agreement’s negotiations started in 2021 and were strengthened by a public pledge made last November. “Today was really about taking that next step, and making all those commitments come into reality and...
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First Nations call off talks on forestry bill, say Quebec disrespecting rights
First Nations in Quebec are suspending consultations with the government on its planned forestry reform because they say the province is not respecting their rights. The Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador says in an open letter that Quebec’s minister of natural resources has failed to recognize the status of its members as Indigenous governments. The Quebec government tabled a bill last spring that would divide public forests into three zones, including one that would prioritize forestry. But the assembly says the zoning approach paves the way for a form of land privatization, and it accuses the government of refusing to engage on the issue. The group, which represents 43 First Nations communities, had agreed to consultations with the government after the bill was tabled in April. The minister has said...
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Anti-TMX land defenders’ appeal dismissed, court finds judge ‘did not err’ in trial
By Aaron Hemens, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, IndigiNews Three land defenders convicted in 2023 for their opposition to the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion (TMX) in Secwépemcúl’ecw have been denied a retrial, but say they intend to further escalate their appeal. On Friday, the provincial Court of Appeal dismissed attempts to overturn criminal contempt sentences for Secwépemc land defender April Thomas, Nlaka’pamux land defender Red Deer Billie Pierre and settler ally Romilly Cavanaugh. The decision by the province’s highest court comes more than four months after a lawyer for the trio argued that they were upholding Indigenous law when they were arrested for breaching a TMX construction area protected by an injunction three years earlier. Their lawyer argued that B.C. Supreme Court Justice Shelley Fitzpatrick — who tried and sentenced the...
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The Latest: Trump deflects questions about Epstein files and revives old grievances instead
President Donald Trump on Tuesday deflected questions over the Justice Department’s decision to interview Jeffrey Epstein’s former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of helping the financier sexually abuse underage girls and is now serving a lengthy prison sentence. Trump instead lashed out at old grievances following a new report from his intelligence director aimed at casting doubt on long-established findings about Moscow’s interference in the 2016 election. Trump is under pressure from conspiracy-minded segments of his political base to release more about the Epstein case. He’s tried to move on, which Democrats say is because of his association with Epstein. Trump has denied knowledge or involvement of Epstein’s crimes and said he ended their friendship years ago. Meanwhile, Trump said after meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at...
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As Canada’s economy faces serious challenges, the Indigenous economy offers solutions
By Mylon Ollila Hugo Asselin Canada faces economic headwinds due to geopolitical change, including a trade war with its closest economic partner, the United States. Canada’s policymakers are searching for new, sustainable sources of economic strength. One such source is already here and is being overlooked: the emerging Indigenous economy. It has the potential to boost Canada’s economy by more than $60 billion a year. But Indigenous Peoples are still largely seen as an economic liability to manage instead of an opportunity for growth. It is time for a mindset shift. For it to happen, the federal government should remove unfair economic barriers and invest in closing the employment and income gap. Canada’s future depends on Indigenous Peoples Economic growth is projected to decline over the coming years for developed...
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First Nations take Mark Carney, Doug Ford to court over ‘dishonourable and unconstitutional’ Bills C-5 & 5
By Anushka Yadav, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Pointer “Absolute power corrupts absolutely,” lawyer Kate Kempton repeated as she declared nine First Nations are taking the Ontario and federal governments to court over recent legislation promoted as critical for the country’s economic growth. The plaintiffs argue the new laws “severely threaten their rights to self-determine their ways of life on their homeland territories, the environment and fundamental human freedoms”. On July 16, chiefs from four of the nine First Nations and senior counsel Kate Kempton of Woodward and Company LLP announced a fast-tracked constitutional challenge against Ontario’s Bill 5, which passed on June 5, and key sections of the federal government’s Bill C-5, which received royal assent on Jun 26, arguing these laws grant provincial and federal cabinets sweeping, unchecked...
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Scattered rain helping wildfire situation in Manitoba, but more needed: officials
Parts of northern Manitoba have seen a scattering of rainfall with more expected, but flames driven by hot, dry conditions over the weekend are encroaching on several communities. Officials say less than one millimetre of rain has recently fallen in fire areas, and if more doesn’t come fire activity will remain active in those areas over the coming days. The government is keeping an eye on the communities of Leaf Rapids, Snow Lake and Garden Hill First Nation where blazes are in close proximity to those areas. Officials say Leaf Rapids is surrounded by fires, but that a fire guard was built up around the town and crews are ready to go should any of the fires reach the community. Smoky conditions over the weekend hampered firefighting abilities in some...
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Inmate charged with first-degree murder in death of serial killer Robert Pickton
A federal inmate has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of serial killer Robert Pickton last year. Martin Charest, 52, was charged on July 3 for allegedly attacking Pickton at Quebec’s Port-Cartier maximum security prison. Pickton died in hospital on May 31, 2024, 12 days after he was assaulted, but no charges were laid at the time. An investigation report released earlier this month revealed Pickton was assaulted by a fellow inmate who broke a broom handle and thrust it into his face, and a separate report by an independent observer named Charest as the suspect. Pickton was convicted in 2007 on six counts of second-degree murder but was suspected of killing dozens more women at his pig farm in Port Coquitlam, B.C. Charest will appear in court...
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