‘Miraculous’: Watay completes electrification of 16 First Nations
By Maya Ekman, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, NWOnewswatch.com MUSKRAT DAM – After more than 20 years and 1,800 kilometres of transmission lines, the work to connect 16 northern First Nations to the power grid is officially complete. “This is not vacant land, this is our land,” said Muskrat Dam First Nation Chief Carla Duncan. On Tuesday, the Muskrat Dam celebrated their connection to the provincial power grid through Wataynikaneyap (Watay) Power and said goodbye to the constant upkeep of its diesel generator station. Watay Power, which is owned in majority by 24 First Nations, has experienced many challenges since the project began said CEO Margaret Kenequanash. “Covid, forest fires, in the timeline that we were able to accomplish this project, I think it’s a miraculous project.” Muskrat Dam is the...
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First meeting held for new leadership table focused on growing homelessness crisis
By Marissa Lentz-McGrath, Local Journalism Initiative, TimminsToday.com TIMMINS — First Nations and municipal leaders hope that a new regional leadership table will help address homelessness by bringing decision-makers together in a way that has not happened before. On June 23, Mushkegowuk Council held the first meeting of the new community leadership table. The event brought together First Nations leaders, mayors, and regional organizations to talk about homelessness in the district. The effort comes at a time when homelessness is rising across the region. Mushkegowuk Council reported that the number of people experiencing homelessness in the district has gone up by about 137 per cent since 2023. By late 2025, nearly 500 people were unhoused, yet only about 140 shelter beds were available. “This approach has never really been done before,...
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Northern Ontario First Nation begins building road to the Ring of Fire mining region
By Liam Casey Construction has begun on one Ontario First Nation’s road to the Ring of Fire mining region. Premier Doug Ford is visiting Webequie First Nation today to mark the milestone, his first visit to a region he has spoken about often since taking power in 2018. Webequie is one of two remote fly-in First Nations that have signed partnership deals with the province in order to connect them to both the proposed mining area and to the provincial highway system. The proposed road and mine has angered a number of other First Nations in the area that are opposed to development in a largely untouched part of the province. Webequie has already cleared part of the road that sits on its reserve, which is on an island about...
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Osoyoos Indian Band set to restore native plants, species in wildfire-ravaged forests
By Aaron Hemens, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, IndigiNews Osoyoos Indian Band is working to revitalize forests in its territories that have been ravaged by wildfires — turning them into fire-resistent zones full of biodiversity, wildlife and medicinal plants for its members. The band-owned Nk’Mip Forestry is planning to revive two woodlands located above the First Nation’s reservation in the highlands between Oliver and Mount Baldy — making up just over 40 hectares combined. The forest tenure where the project is located is approximately 50,000 hectares in size, and is co-managed between the Osoyoos Indian Band and Gorman Bros. The two forests — a drier douglas fir ecosystem with ponderosa pine, and a montane spruce ecosystem dominated by dense lodgepole pile further up the hill — were both impacted by the...
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Canada prepares to send aid to those hit by Venezuelan earthquakes
By Dylan Robertson Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday Ottawa will send humanitarian aid to support Venezuelans after what he called “catastrophic earthquakes” overnight. “It’s a, obviously, fast-developing tragedy,” Carney told reporters on Parliament Hill. In a written statement, Carney expressed his condolences to the dead — who number at least 164 — and the hundreds of injured and displaced people. He said Canada is preparing to deliver humanitarian assistance. “You can expect further communication on that later today,” the prime ministers told reporters Thursday morning. “We’re working with our partners directly and we will scale things as appropriate to move forward.” The 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes were among the strongest to strike Venezuela in more than a century, and could be felt throughout the region, The Associated Press reported....
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Swiss collector wants thousands of Indigenous artifacts returned to communities
By Brittany Hobson A Swiss collector who has amassed thousands of Indigenous artifacts said he is eager to have his collection repatriated back to the communities it came from. Vincent Escriba has accumulated 3,500 ceremonial and traditional items, including cradleboards, sacred pipes and firearms, believed to be associated with the period of the Battle of the Little Bighorn. The 67-year-old previously housed the items in a museum he ran in Switzerland that closed last year after Escriba decided to retire. Escriba has been speaking with a group of First Nations leaders and advocates in Manitoba about transferring the collection to Indigenous groups in the United States and Canada for a cost. “I don’t have any successors, no children, nothing. So I have to do something with the whole museum,” Escriba...
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Federal funding helps Long Plain fix water system issues
By Renee Lilley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Portage Graphic Leader Long Plain First Nation has completed a multi-million-dollar expansion of its water treatment plant, marking a significant milestone in a broader federal initiative to improve safe drinking water access across Manitoba First Nations. The community, approximately 20 kilometres southwest of Portage la Prairie, celebrated the completion of the upgrades Tuesday, June 23 alongside regional leaders and federal representatives, including Minister Rebecca Chartrand, on behalf of Indigenous Services Canada (ISC). The project is part of a combined $122.2-million federal investment spanning five Manitoba First Nations, including Tataskweyak Cree Nation, Berens River First Nation, Misipawistik Cree Nation, and Tootinaowaziibeeng Treaty Reserve. Long Plain First Nation Chief David Meeches estimates the water treatment plant upgrades cost between $20 million and $30 million. The...
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‘Father of the Northern Games’ honoured with commemorative stamp
By Dylan Follett, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Yellowknifer Canada Post has announced a new stamp in honour of Edward Lennie, known as “the father of the Northern Games.” Lennie was chosen to be on one of three stamps for his lifetime of commitment to coaching, growing and preserving Inuit sports, according to a June 17 Canada Post release. Lennie, who passed away in 2020, helped found the Northern Games and get Inuit sports in the Arctic Winter Games. The stamp is part of an annual collection Canada Post makes of Indigenous sports leaders for National Indigenous Peoples Day. Lennie was born near Imaryuk, and spent much of his life in Inuvik. There, he began teaching traditional games to youth after worrying they were being forgotten. He personally coached athletes in...
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Kananaskis council building on fireguard efforts in region’s high risk areas
By Leah Pelletier, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Rocky Mountain Outlook KANANASKIS – With the threat of wildfire top of mind, Kananaskis Improvement District (KID) council is planning to continue fireguard work around important infrastructure and high-risk areas in the region. Building on the existing Lower Kananaskis Lake Subdivision cabin fireguard that surrounds 70 dwellings, council is zeroing in on phase two of the project that looks at thinning and clearing another 42.3 hectares in the area. “This is on that priority list as a high-risk community, so that is why it’s first on the list,” said CAO Jeff Genung during a June 4 council meeting. Partnering with the Forest Resource Improvement Association of Alberta (FRIAA) on funding for the project, KID council gave their stamp of approval to a grant...
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Stoney chiefs, First Nations leaders calling for treason investigation into premier, UCP
By Leah Pelletier, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Rocky Mountain Outlook STONEY NAKODA – Stoney Nakoda First Nation chiefs are among Indigenous leaders across Alberta calling on RCMP and the auditor general for a treason investigation into Premier Danielle Smith and the United Conservative Party over the upcoming referendum. At a June 16 meeting in Calgary, Stoney Nakoda leaders representing Bearspaw, Goodstoney and Chiniki First Nations, alongside the Assembly of Treaty Chiefs, took part in a unanimous vote to pass the resolution. “We call for this investigation on the basis of the intentional violation of the Treaties; of calling a referendum in the face of severe risks to Canada’s sovereignty and the Treaty relationship and of failing to take action on the violation of privacy rights of millions of people,” said...
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Police looking into suspect’s motivations after Montreal shooting: official
By The Canadian Press A federal official says police from various jurisdictions are looking into the suspect’s possible motivations after three people were killed Monday in a shooting in Montreal. Montreal police officer Mohamed Lamine Benredouane, civilian bystander Michel Mizrahi and alleged gunman Seth Scott Hatfield died in the incident. Media have reported the 25-year-old suspect from Lethbridge, Alta., wrote a manifesto outlining a wide range of grievances against capitalism, pornography and bourgeois society, and a hatred of women aligned with the incel or “involuntarily celibate” mindset. Quebec’s police watchdog is investigating the shooting, while Quebec provincial police have launched a parallel criminal probe. A federal official said police from various jurisdictions are investigating whether the attack targeted police officers and the online pornography company Pornhub and whether any conclusions...
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Yukon pens letters to minister, CRTC and Bell Canada over poor cellular service
The Yukon government is pleading with the CRTC and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada to flex their regulatory muscles to improve cellular service in the territory that it says is plagued by persistent “deficiencies.” The territory’s government sent letters to Bell Canada CEO Mirko Bibic, CRTC chair Vicky Eatrides, and Industry Minister Mélanie Joly last week outlining long-standing concerns about “coverage gaps and service instability” in the Yukon. The letters decry the negative implications for public safety, emergency response and economic activity after continually receiving complaints about dropped calls, “significant coverage gaps” on major and remote travel routes and “degradation during peak usage periods and emergency events.” The letter to Bibic said mobile services in the territory are not discretionary, but rather “essential public infrastructure” due to Yukon’s climate...
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Gun control group repeats call for end to sales of SKS rifles after Montreal shooting
A prominent gun control advocacy group is repeating its call for an immediate end to new sales of SKS rifles following deadly shootings in Montreal. Police have not identified the type of firearm used to kill Montreal police officer Mohamed Lamine Benredouane and civilian bystander Michel Mizrahi this week. But images circulating online indicate a long gun lying on the ground at the shooting scene appears to be an SKS. In a media statement today, the group PolySeSouvient urges the federal Liberals to halt new sales of SKS models, saying it would close an obvious gap and send a clear signal. Since May 2020, Ottawa has outlawed about 2,500 types of firearms on the basis they belong only on the battlefield. It has not banned the SKS rifle, which is...
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Pangnirtung leaders worry proposed hydro plant will raise local sea levels
By Arty Sarkisian, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunatsiaq News A $500-million hydro project under development for Iqaluit has opponents in a community that lies approximately 245 kilometres to the northeast of Nunavut’s capital city. Pangnirtung is 245 kilometres away from the main dam of the proposed Iqaluit hydro plant. (Map created by Nunatsiaq News) The proposed plant, backed by Nunavut Nukkiksautiit Corp., is one of Nunavut’s two federally anointed “major projects,” which means government officials are working to “fast track” it through regulatory approvals. If approved, the 50-metre-high dam would be built along the Kuugaluk River, about 60 kilometres northeast of Iqaluit, with the goal of it being completed by 2030 – three years sooner than initially estimated. But leaders in Pangnirtung are concerned that damming the south-flowing Kuugaluk River...
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Norman Bernard acclaimed as Wagmatcook chief
By Rosemary Godin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cape Breton Post Wagmatcook First Nation Chief Norman Bernard has secured a four-year term – this time by acclamation. The band council election will be held on July 4 and 30 people are running to fill the eThe election signs are going up in Wagmatcook First Nation, but Chief Norman Bernard won’t have to do the heavy labour of putting any of his signs on front lawns after he was acclaimed this year for another term as chief. “I am deeply humbled to have been reinstated as Chief for another four-year term,” he said in an open letter to band members earlier this month. “I view this acclamation as a reflection of the trust that our community has placed in me and for...
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Some Fête nationale celebrations cancelled as police probe deadly Montreal shooting
By The Canadian Press A Montreal neighbourhood is grieving three people killed this week in a horrific shooting as police try to determine the suspect’s motives and find clues in a sprawling manifesto. The Côte-des-Neiges Business Development Corporation said it had cancelled planned Fête nationale celebrations “out of respect” for the community. The city also ordered municipal facilities in the borough closed after the Monday shooting that killed Montreal police officer Mohamed Lamine Benredouane, civilian bystander Michel Mizrahi and alleged gunman Seth Scott Hatfield. Media have reported the 25-year-old suspect from Lethbridge, Alta., wrote a manifesto outlining a wide range of grievances against capitalism, pornography and bourgeois society, and a hatred of women aligned with the incel or “involuntarily celibate” mindset. Quebec’s police watchdog is investigating the shooting, while Quebec...
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Unearthing the truth about residential schools goes beyond digging up potential mass graves, experts say
By Ghazal Azizi Kashi, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Investigative Journalism Foundation On the fifth anniversary of the harrowing discovery of potential unmarked graves in Kamloops, B.C., experts at a survivor-led organization say finding the truth isn’t as simple as digging up bodies. Through ground-penetrating radar (GPR) surveys, Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation discovered 215 anomalies at the site of Kamloops Indian Residential School in May 2021. The news sparked a wave of investigations looking into missing children and unmarked burials. Archeologist Scott Hamilton of Survivors’ Secretariat, an Ontario-based organization documenting residential school experiences, says a simplistic frenzy for geophysical technologies also caught on like wildfire. “Just about every other search team bought into the notion that gee-whiz science was going to solve the problem. All you do is roll these...
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Comment period opens for planned liquefied petroleum gas facility on B.C. coast
Ottawa has begun taking public comments on a proposed liquefied petroleum gas facility on British Columbia’s north coast. The Impact Assessment Agency says in a statement that comments on the proposal by Trigon Pacific Terminals at the Port of Prince Rupert must be submitted by July 24. The agency is also taking applications from different parties to participate in the planning phase of the project’s assessment. Trigon is proposing a liquefied petroleum gas storage facility where the fuel would be loaded on ships for export. It would involve construction of up to 20 rail-loading racks at the port to receive fuel shipments, which would be stored up to 158,000 cubic metres of tanks before being shipped out. Trigon is partially owned by two First Nations in northwestern B.C., the Lax...
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Arctic roads, nuclear repository first to be designated as national interest projects
By Nick Murray Almost a year after the federal government’s Bill C-5 was rushed through Parliament, Ottawa is finally looking to use its new powers to expedite projects deemed to be in the national interest. At an announcement in Yellowknife on Wednesday, three federal ministers identified two Arctic roads and a nuclear waste repository in Ontario as the first three proposals the federal government intends to designate under the Building Canada Act — though construction of those projects is still years away. They include the Grays Bay road and port project, the Mackenzie Valley highway project and the Nuclear Waste Management Organization’s geological repository. They need to go through a consultation process before the designation is confirmed, something Ottawa hopes to have done by the fall. The nuclear waste storage...
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Swiss collector wants thousands of Indigenous artifacts returned to communities
A Swiss collector who has amassed thousands of Indigenous artifacts says he is eager to have his collection repatriated back to the communities it has come from. Vincent Escriba has accumulated roughly 3,500 ceremonial and traditional items, including cradleboards, sacred pipes and firearms believed to be associated with the period of the Battle of the Little Bighorn. He previously housed the items in a museum he ran in Switzerland that closed last year after Escriba decided to retire. Escriba estimates the whole collection is valued at $12 million to $14 million, and says it is not feasible to donate it. A group of First Nations leaders and advocates in Manitoba are trying to raise the funds to purchase the entire collection, and is calling for federal, First Nations and tribal...
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