Carney announces $32B for northern defence and infrastructure projects
By David Baxter Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday the government is putting an additional $32 billion into military forward operating locations in Yellowknife, Inuvik and Iqaluit and Deployed Operating Base 5 Wing in Goose Bay, N.L. The prime minister made the announcement in Yellowknife on Thursday before taking off for a planned visit to Norway. “With this plan, we are taking control of our future,” Carney said. “We will no longer rely on others to defend our Arctic security or to fuel our economy. We’re taking full responsibility for defending our sovereignty.” The $32 billion is part of Canada’s 2022 commitment to Norad’s modernization, which at the time included plans to spend $38.6 billion over 20 years. The Norad spending includes the purchase of two over-the-horizon radar modules. A...
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B.C. appointed them to map old-growth. Now they say province is failing to save it
By Brenna Owen Every member of a former panel the British Columbia government appointed to identify old-growth for potential protection in 2021 now says they’re concerned about continued logging in those same rare and “irreplaceable” forests. The five former panellists say in a document sent to Premier David Eby and other officials this week the proposed old-growth deferrals were meant to be an interim measure to reduce the risks of logging, allowing time for long-term planning. But the process has not worked as intended, ecologists Rachel Holt and Karen Price, landscape analyst Dave Daust, veteran forester Garry Merkel and economist Lisa Matthaus say in the document provided to The Canadian Press. Instead, the B.C. government continues to approve logging in forests the panel identified, while long-term plans have yet to...
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Tomson Highway elevates humour and the Divine Feminine in NAC Indigenous Theatre’s production of Rose
By Odette Auger, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Windspeaker.com Conversation with Cree playwright and novelist Tomson Highway opens in laughter. His introduction includes describing the land, people and languages that birthed him, and then he adds, “One of these days I’m going to get outed. My answer to that is ‘Yes, it’s true. I am not Cree. I’m actually half Sasquatch’.” The joke sets the tone for the conversation that follows—a mix of humour, philosophy, language and stories that circle outward while explaining the ideas behind his play Rose, which is getting its professional world premiere at the National Arts Centre Indigenous Theatre March 25, to run until April 4. This will be the largest production to date that NAC Indigenous Theatre in Ottawa has undertaken with an all-Indigenous cast, including...
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Some B.C. appraisers adding land-claims clause after Aboriginal title court case
By Ashley Joannou An organization representing about 1,200 appraisers in British Columbia says some of its members are adding clauses to their reports noting that current, past, and potential future land claims have not been considered in their valuations. Allan Beatty, president of the B.C. branch of the Appraisal Institute of Canada, says in a statement that the recent Cowichan Aboriginal title court ruling in B.C. is contributing to speculation that private property rights could be affected. Beatty says the organization is preparing advice for its members on the appropriate limitation clauses, but discourages the use of “unsubstantiated adjustments that do not reflect the most relevant market data.” In an August 2025 ruling, a B.C. Supreme Court judge confirmed the Cowichan Tribes hold Aboriginal title over about 300 hectares of...
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Canada pays over $654 million to First Nations children removed from their families in historic FNCFS settlement
By Alex Murray Writer First Nations children that were separated from their families by Canada’s discriminatory child welfare system are finally being compensated by the Government of Canada. One year on from the opening of the first claims period for the First Nations and Family Services and Jordan’s Principle Settlement on March 10, 2025, more than $654 million has been paid out to eligible claimants from more than 136,000 claims. T “The Compensation delivered over the past year represents meaningful progress and important recognition for many First Nations children and families harmed by Canada’s discrimination,” said Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak in a statement. “These payments are an important step towards justice and accountability. We encourage Family Class Members to submit their Claim when they...
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Alberta’s chambers of commerce say separation talk not helping attract business
By Fakiha Baig Alberta’s chambers of commerce say talk of the province potentially quitting Confederation is bad for business, with one saying it’s time Premier Danielle Smith’s government move on from blaming former prime minister Justin Trudeau. The Alberta Chambers of Commerce says a recent survey of members and investors suggested more than half of participants say the provincial separation issue is affecting the provincial economy and making it hard to plan. “Alberta separation is the top business issue right now,” said Shauna Feth, the chamber’s chief executive, in an interview. “The concern isn’t about ideology so much as it is about the uncertainty that that discourse creates.” The move comes as Smith’s government makes headlines with the separation question. Smith has made clear she supports Alberta staying in Canada,...
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Sentencing delayed for ‘Dances With Wolves’ actor convicted of sexual assault
By Jessica Hill LAS VEGAS (AP) — The sentencing for Nathan Chasing Horse following his conviction for sexual assault of Indigenous women and girls has been delayed by a week. The sentencing was scheduled to take place Wednesday, but Judge Jessica Peterson agreed to move the hearing to March 18. It will bring to a close a case that sent shock waves through Indian Country. The sentencing of the “Dances With Wolves” actor comes about a month after a Nevada jury convicted him on 13 of the 21 charges he faced. Most related to his conduct with a victim who was 14 when he began assaulting her. Chasing Horse was acquitted of some sexual assault charges. He faces a minimum of 25 years in prison. Following the trial, Chasing Horse’s...
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Mounties not at fault in death of mass stabber on Manitoba First Nation: report
By Brittany Hobson Manitoba’s police watchdog has found RCMP officers were not at fault in the death of a man who stabbed eight people on a First Nation then rammed into a police cruiser. The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba says the police car was parked on a highway south of Hollow Water First Nation in September, when the man intentionally drove into it at more than 180 kilometres per hour. RCMP had heard that the man wanted to die at the hands of police. Mounties identified the attacker as 26-year-old Tyrone Simard, who was from the community of about 1,000 residents northeast of Winnipeg. They said Simard killed his 18-year-old sister and injured seven others at two separate homes on the First Nation before fleeing. The watchdog agency says...
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University of Winnipeg program helping fill Indigenous language teacher shortage
By Steven Sukkau, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Winnipeg Sun The University of Winnipeg is currently running Manitoba’s first degree-level immersion program for second-language learners of Anishinaabemowin, aiming to rebuild fluency, strengthen community connections and expand the number of qualified immersion teachers across the province. The Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe/Saulteaux) Language Immersion Program welcomed its first cohort of 17 students this winter. Participants will study the language year-round for approximately 15 hours per week, combining accredited university courses with mentor-apprentice learning, immersion field schools and community-based gatherings. University officials say the program is designed not only to produce fluent speakers, but also to help address a growing demand for Indigenous language teachers in Manitoba schools. Elder Harry Bone told students that language is central to sovereignty and identity, noting that a language carries...
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Idlout says she felt she was ‘betraying’ her constituents by staying with NDP
By Nick Murray Nunavut MP Lori Idlout said Wednesday feedback from constituents calling on her to join the Liberal government ultimately convinced her to cross the floor. In her first interview as a Liberal MP, Idlout told The Canadian Press staying with the NDP felt like she was “betraying” Nunavummiut. “It started to, every day, to feel like I was betraying the wrong people, that I was betraying my constituents,” she said. “And with leaving the NDP, I feel like I’m betraying them too, but at least I keep my focus on making sure that my constituents always come first.” Idlout was introduced as the Liberal party’s newest MP on Wednesday. She received a roaring ovation from her new Liberal colleagues, who chanted her name as she walked into their...
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Canada will ‘do its part’ to help IEA release of oil reserves: Hodgson
By Craig Lord Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson said Wednesday Canada will “do its part” to lower the cost of oil globally as a bloc of nations looks to tame the surge in energy prices triggered by the war in the Middle East. The International Energy Agency — an intergovernmental organization representing dozens of countries, including Canada — announced Wednesday it has agreed to release 400 million barrels of oil from member nations’ stockpiles. Hodgson said Wednesday Canada will support those efforts but didn’t said what form that would take. “Canada will do its part to contribute to the world’s (oil) supply. That will bring prices down for Canadians. That will keep prices affordable for Canadians,” he told reporters on his way out of the Liberal caucus meeting. Canada is...
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King Charles ‘expressed his concern’ over Alberta separatism in meeting: grand chief
By Jack Farrell and Lisa Johnson The grand chief of the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations says King Charles “expressed his concern” after hearing about Alberta’s separatist push in a face-to-face meeting with Indigenous leaders on Wednesday. Grand Chief Joey Pete, who was part of a delegation of Treaty 6 chiefs who went to Buckingham Palace, said in a news release that the King was “very interested” in what the Indigenous leaders had to say. “We made him aware of the separatism issue in Alberta and the threat to treaty it represents,” the chief said. “He expressed his concern and committed to learning more.” The meeting took place in response to invitations Indigenous leaders had sent to the King to attend an event this summer marking the 150th anniversary...
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Stanley Park’s stagnant Lost Lagoon closer to being reconnected to ocean
By Nono Shen Lost Lagoon at the entrance to Vancouver’s famed Stanley Park has become a swamp of green algae and stagnant water but the city’s board of parks is moving forward with a plan to reconnect the lagoon to the ocean after more than a century of being marooned. Board members endorsed exploratory work in a motion on Tuesday to reconnect the lagoon to Coal Harbour and Second Beach to improve its ecological health and restore it as a tidal ecosystem. Instead of a growing bloom of algae and worsening water quality — a result, the board says, of a century of infilling — a lagoon reconnected to the sea could see bird-rich mud flats at low tide, and marsh-like conditions at high tide. Chad Townsend, senior planner of...
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Carney travelling to Yellowknife, Norway for defence-focused northern trip
By David Baxter and Dylan Robertson Prime Minister Mark Carney is again heading overseas, this time to Norway to observe NATO Cold Response exercises as Canada deepens ties with Nordic countries. He will stop first in Yellowknife on Thursday. “In this time of global uncertainty, it’s really important that we strengthen the co-operation with Canada, with Norway and with the Nordic countries together,” Norwegian Ambassador to Canada Hanne Ulrichsen said in an interview Wednesday. She said Norway invited Carney to visit and has convened heads of government from Iceland, Denmark, Sweden and Finland to Oslo so that Carney can advance efforts to strengthen trade and energy ties with the so-called Nordic Five. But first, Carney will travel to Bardufoss, Norway on Friday to watch the military exercises, and senior government...
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Emergency first responder initiative expanding into more FirstNations
By Matt Prokopchuk, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, NWOnewswatch.com THUNDER BAY — An initiative that trains, pays and provides necessary medical equipment to first responders in First Nations continues to expand. The Emergency First Response Team program is an Indigenous-led partnership between Ontario’s Ornge air ambulance service and individual communities, funded by the province’s health ministry. It provides necessary training and equipment — including specialized vehicles — to first responders in First Nations, replacing a much more limited volunteer-based service. Effectively, it provides the necessary training for community members to stabilize and provide initial care to patients and get them to the local nursing station, then, if necessary, transport them to the airport so Ornge can fly them to larger centres. “When we looked at it, we made an early determination...
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Crown minister and Mi’kmaq chiefs respond to cannabis raids in Nova Scotia
By Rosemary Godin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cape Breton Post The Minister of Crown-Indigenous Affairs visited Cape Breton last week and was forced to dip her toe into the smokey waters of the cannabis tensions between Mi’kmaq and the provincial government. “I encourage the province to sit down with First Nations and find a way forward,” she said. “Because in discussions I had with both Membertou and Eskasoni, they were talking about looking to put in regulations and then working with the province to ensure that they’re adhered to.’ She said she suggests that the Mi’kmaq and the province sit down to discuss all the issues and the different ways they can be resolved. “Because in discussions with chiefs across the Atlantic region on this issue, they have ideas on...
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Whale sanctuary stirs fishing debate; Questions over access, environmental impact raised
By Joanne Jordan, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Guysborough-Antigonish Journal WINE HARBOUR – Plans to build a whale sanctuary at the Wine Harbour wharf and bay have drawn mixed reactions, with one long-time lobster fisher saying the project will not affect fishing activity in the area while a regional fisheries association cites serious concerns. Guysborough County Inshore Fisheries Association (GCIFA) executive director Ginny Boudreau told The Journal last week that those concerns include how netting enclosing the sanctuary will be managed and how build-up – including seaweed and mussels – will be prevented from restricting water flow. “How are the nets and the bay going to be kept clean; how are they going to keep the flushing of that bay – of the whale excrement and the feed that they feed...
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Mississaugas of Credit First Nation receive $183.4 million in Rouge River Valley Tract Claim
Mississaugas of Credit First Nation settle claim, receive $183.4 million for Rouge River By Alex Murray Writer The Mississaugas of Credit First Nation (MCFN) recently celebrated the signing of a nine-figure agreement with the provincial and federal governments that settled a 250-year-old land claim. But Chief Margaret Sault says they’re not stopping there. “We currently are negotiating. … We’ll be continuing on with Treaty 22 and Treaty 23,” Sault told Turtle Island News. “Then we do have other claims through our process, we’ve been working on some other things. So, we’re not done with claims yet. Just building that trust, building that relationship.” While, she said there is more work to do on Saturday, March 7, it was enough to celebrate the recent progress. Sault and other members of the...
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ISC Minister Mandy Gull-Masty under fire as First Nations frustrated by inaction
By Alex Murray Mandy Gull-Masty is not doing enough from Ottawa in her role as Minister of Indigenous Services. At least, that’s what Ontario First Nations are saying. Some have become so fed up with her inaction that they have called for her resignation. The Kashechewan First Nation in Northern Ontario recently put out a press release calling for Gull-Masty’s resignation. Despite a state of emergency being declared in that community over two months ago, the ISC Minister has yet to visit the community or its members. The state of emergency was declared for this fly-in community, which is located on the west coast of James Bay, about 650 kilometers due north from Sudbury, because of worries about the quality of the community’s water and its wastewater treatment plant. This...
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Moving at lightning speed on major projects OK if Nations are equipped
By Sam Laskaris, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Windspeaker.com While a prominent Indigenous business leader believes major project development in Canada is progressing at lightning-quick speed, he is doing his best to ease concern that it’s too quick and occurring at the expense of treaty rights. JP Gladu was a featured speaker at the Canadian Council for Indigenous Business (CCIB) Central Business Forum held Feb. 26 in Toronto. He was on a panel titled “Major Projects in Practice: The Future of Indigenous Participation in Major Projects in Canada.” Once the president and CEO of the CCIB, in 2020 Gladu founded Mokwateh, an Indigenous-led consultancy that provides economic development, sustainability and strategic partnership advice. This past fall Gladu was also one of 11 individuals named to the Indigenous Advisory Council that will...
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