Michigan appeals court upholds permits for Great Lakes pipeline tunnel project
By Todd Richmond Enbridge Energy’s plans to build a protective tunnel around an aging pipeline that runs beneath a channel connecting two Great Lakes can continue, a Michigan appeals court ruled. The state Public Service Commission properly issued permits for the $500 million project, the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday in rejecting arguments from environmental groups and Native American tribes that commissioners failed to consider the overall need for the pipeline. Tunnel would encase pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac Enbridge wants to build a protective tunnel around a 4-mile (6-kilometer) section of its Line 5 pipeline that runs along the bottom of the Straits of Mackinac, which link Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. Enbridge has been using the pipeline since 1953 to transport crude oil and natural gas...
Register
Boy charged with murder in quadruple homicide on Saskatchewan First Nation
-CP-A 15-year-old boy is facing first-degree murder charges in the shooting deaths of four people on a First Nation in southern Saskatchewan. The teen cannot be identified due to the Youth Criminal Justice Act. He is scheduled to appear today in Regina court. Police say the boy and 18-year-old Darrius Racette were arrested Tuesday for the killings of two women and two men at a home on Carry the Kettle Nakoda Nation in early February. Racette also faces four counts of first-degree murder and is to appear in court today in Yorkton, Sask. Mounties say investigators are confident the home was targeted but have not provided details about whether the two accused knew the victims or a possible motive for the killings. This report by The Canadian Press was first...
Register
Supreme Court dismisses appeal for Alberta man convicted in Métis hunter killings
-CP-Canada’s top court has dismissed the appeal of an Alberta man convicted of manslaughter for aiding his son in the killings of two Métis hunters. Roger and Anthony Bilodeau confronted Maurice Cardinal and Jacob Sansom in 2020, shot them and left them on the side of a road near Glendon, Alta. The pair were found guilty of manslaughter, and Anthony Bilodeau was also convicted of second-degree murder. Roger Bilodeau was sentenced to 10 years. The Supreme Court of Canada says it dismissed his conviction appeal for the same reasons outlined by the Alberta Court of Appeal in 2024. Lawyers had argued the trial judge made errors in instructions to the jury, but the Appeal Court found the errors benefited Roger Bilodeau and there was no miscarriage of justice. A dissenting...
Register
Helpline for Indigenous women gets funding from province
By Marc Lalonde, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Iori:wase The creation of a 24/7 helpline for Indigenous women in Quebec will see the light of day after a recent government investment into the project. The province committed nearly $900,000 into the creation of a helpline for Indigenous women experiencing violence or who find themselves in “precarious” positions that could end in violence, the government announced. The government has committed $882,979 over three years to create the Quebec First Nations Women’s Space (QFNWS), which will support the” implementation of psychosocial and referral services for First Nations women who have experienced domestic, family, and sexual violence,” the government said. Statistics show Indigenous women are at higher risk of being subjected to domestic violence and experience more serious forms of violence that non-Indigenous women....
Register
Federal government moving ahead with high-speed rail in Toronto-Quebec City corridor
By Jim Bronskill and Sidhartha Banerjee -CP-The federal government is moving ahead with the next phase of a high-speed rail network between Quebec City and Toronto, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Wednesday. The planned rail network will be 100 per cent electric, span approximately 1,000 kilometres, and reach speeds of up to 300 kilometres an hour. There will be stations in Toronto, Peterborough, Ottawa, Montréal, Laval, Trois-Rivières and Quebec City. On Wednesday, Trudeau announced $3.9 billion over six years, starting in the 2024-25 fiscal year, to iron out specifics, including where the stations will be located in each city and the trajectory of the network, before the final phase of the project — construction — can begin. Officials say it’s too soon to estimate the final cost of the project...
Register
No charges yet from RCMP investigation into brawling hockey parents
By Dave Baxter, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Winnipeg Sun The RCMP investigation into a brawl that broke out at a First Nations hockey arena in November continues, as police try to piece together what happened and who is at fault. “The investigation is still very much ongoing,” RCMP spokesperson Paul Manaigre said in Wednesday in an email to The Winnipeg Sun about a November incident on the Sagkeeng First Nation. On Nov. 10, RCMP were called to the Sagkeeng Arena Multiplex in the community to break up a brawl that had broken out at a U18 hockey game between the Sagkeeng Hawks and the La Broquerie Habs. The game involved hockey players between the ages of 15 and 17. Police say they arrived after getting reports that a fight had...
Register
Native American activist Leonard Peltier, freed from prison, is welcomed on North Dakota reservation
By Jack Dura And Steve Karnowski BELCOURT, N.D. (AP) — Native American activist Leonard Peltier was defiant toward the government but grateful for his supporters as they welcomed him home to North Dakota on Wednesday, a day after his release from a Florida prison where he had been serving a life sentence in the 1975 killings of two FBI agents. Peltier, 80, grew emotional as he addressed about 500 people who gathered at the festive event that included food, a drum circle and dancers at a center in Belcourt. The small town is just south of the Canadian border on the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians’ reservation. “I’m so proud of the showing and support you’ve given me,” Peltier said. “I’ve got a hard time keeping myself from crying....
Register
Suspect in stabbings on Saskatchewan First Nation arrested after days-long search
SASKATCHEWAN-CP-A man has been arrested days after stabbings at three different homes on a northern Saskatchewan First Nation. Ryan Lachance had been wanted by RCMP for charges including aggravated assault and robbery in the stabbings last Saturday on Big River First Nation. The 29-year-old was arrested at a home on the First Nation and is now facing additional charges. RCMP said on Tuesday that the third stabbing victim was determined to be a suspect in the first two stabbings. Twenty-five-year-old Jacky Lachance of Big River First Nation was arrested after being released from hospital. He was charged with aggravated assault, robbery with a weapon, and break and enter. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 19, 2025. ...
Register
Trump wants to know if there’s gold in Fort Knox. (There is)
By Chris Megerian WASHINGTON (AP) — While flying back to Washington aboard Air Force One on Wednesday night, a reporter asked President Donald Trump whether Elon Musk would pursue budget cuts at the Pentagon. His response might be confusing to anyone who hasn’t spent the last several days monitoring Musk’s account on X. Trump said Musk would be looking at Fort Knox, the legendary depository for American gold reserves in Kentucky. Why? “To make sure the gold is there,” Trump said. Another reporter seemed puzzled. Where would the gold have gone? “If the gold isn’t there, we’re going to be very upset,” Trump said. Musk, the world’s richest man, who was traveling with the Republican president aboard Air Force One, has spent days posting about this issue. “Who is confirming...
Register
Operation Nanook about to begin in Inuvik and elsewhere
By Aastha Sethi, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cabin Radio A large contingent of Canadian soldiers arrived in Inuvik earlier this month to conduct elements of 2025’s Operation Nanook. The annual Canadian Armed Forces operation – full name Operation Nanook-Nunalivut – involves a series of military activities in locations like the NWT, Yukon, Nunavut and Labrador. The operation tests the forces’ ability to carry out exercises under the “harshest conditions” of the High Arctic. It will run from February 23 to March 9, though some participants arrived in Inuvik on February 4 and will stay until mid or late March to clean up. LCol Darren Turner told Cabin Radio this year’s Operation Nanook-Nunalivut includes nearly double the 350 personnel who took part last year, along with allied forces from the United...
Register
Music producer Bob Ezrin, actor Graham Greene among Governor General’s performing arts laureates
By Cassandra Szklarski -CP-Music producer Bob Ezrin and actors Graham Greene and Patrick Huard are among the latest recipients of Canada’s highest honour in the performing arts. The Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Foundation announced the laureates this morning for its lifetime artistic achievement award. They include Sandra Laronde, the founding artistic director of the Indigenous performance company Red Sky Performance, and classical composer Denis Gougeon, whose array of works include music for solo instruments, chamber groups, orchestra, ballet and opera. Ezrin earned the distinction for a lengthy career that included work with Pink Floyd, U2, Deep Purple, Peter Gabriel, Rod Stewart, Andrea Bocelli, Taylor Swift, Alice Cooper and Nine Inch Nails. Meanwhile, Greene was lauded for a stage and screen career spanning more than five decades and credits around...
Register
Some First Nations in Kiiwetinoong have no voting locations yet
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter SIOUX LOOKOUT – Cat Lake has a polling location lined up for the Ontario election, but it seems a lot of other First Nations in the Kiiwetinoong riding do not. The campaign manager for one of Kiiwetinoong’s candidates said Tuesday in a post on Facebook that voting locations have not been confirmed yet for many First Nations in the sprawling electoral district that includes many remote reserves. Cat Lake First Nation Chief Russell Wesley told Newswatch that’s not the case for his fly-in reserve, population 470 or so, about 180 kilometres northwest of Sioux Lookout. The polling location is set but the person to oversee the local vote won’t be on the job until later this week as he is in firefighter training,...
Register
Nuu-chah-nulth dancers get ready to ring in the Nisga’a new year at Hoobiyee 2025
By Nora O’Malley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Ty-Histanis, BC – Excitement is building for Hoobiyee 2025, a two-day celebration of Indigenous dance and culture set to illuminate Vancouver’s PNE Forum on Friday, Feb. 28 and Saturday, March 1. Pronounced HOO-bee-yay, the event is guided by the emergence of the first crescent moon in late winter and marks the beginning of the Nisga’a new year. The Nisga’a people have lived in the Nass River Valley of British Columbia’s northwest coast since before recorded time. In Vancouver, the Nisga’a Ts’amiks Vancouver Society represents over 2,000 Nisga’a citizens who reside within the Greater Vancouver, Victoria and Vancouver Island regions. Each year, the Nisga’a Ts’amiks Vancouver Society hosts Hoobiyee, extending invitations to dance groups from other Nations to join the festivities. Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation...
Register
Guns, Fentanyl, and Teddy Bear-Shaped Drugs Seized in Six Nations Police Bust
Six Nations Police seized weapons, bulk ammunition, cocaine and fentanyl as part of Project Neo (Six Nations Police Photo) By Joshua Santos Writer SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND-Four people are facing a series of drug charges after a lengthy Six Nations Police (SNP) drug trafficking investigation, dubbed Project Neo, resulted in 60 charges being laid, the seizure of firearms, fentanyl and other illicit drugs and the arrest of a man suspected of delivering drugs to Six Nations in a taxi. The arrests over two days saw two men from Brantford and two others from the Toronto area arrested . Project Neo arrests began on Feb., 13th when SNP arrested a man who arrived at a Chiefswood Road address by taxi. Police investigators searched the vehicle and seized a loaded...
Register
Driver charged following traffic stop in Brantford
BRANTFORD, ONT-A routine traffic stop by Brant County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) led to several charges against a driver Tuesday (Feb. 18 2025) morning in Brantford. OPP said officers stopped a vehicle on Erie Avenue at about 10:18 a.m and while conducting an investigation and determined the driver was operating the vehicle despite having a suspended license and in breach of a court-ordered condition. A 32-year-old Brantford woman was charged with failure to comply with an undertaking and driving while under suspension. Police say the accused was released from custody and is scheduled to appear in court at a later date. The OPP reminds all motorists of the importance of complying with court-ordered conditions and ensuring they are properly licensed before operating a motor vehicle. Anyone with information related to...
Register
Brantford Police Service issue advisory after multiple reports of scams
BRANTFORD, ONT-The Brantford Police Service (BPS) have issued an advisory to the public after receiving multiple reports of several ongoing scams. BPS are asking the public to share the following information to help spread awareness and notify anyone who may be especially vulnerable. BPS said these fraudsters can be very convincing and often target seniors. BPS would like to remind the public not to provide your PIN access codes or bank cards to anyone. When in doubt, call your bank directly or visit your bank in person to confirm legitimacy. If you feel an activity being requested of you is suspicious, please contact your bank or the Brantford Police Service for guidance. Some of the common scams reported to police involve the following: Gift Card Purchase Reports have been received...
Register
Brant OPP seeking information on Paris break-in after thieves ram truck into store
PARIS, ONT- Brant County Ontario Provincial Police are appealing to the public for information after an early morning break-in at a business on Grand River Street North in Paris over the weekend. Brant OPP responded to the business on Feb. 16 at about 3:53 a.m. after the owner received an alarm notification. Officers arrived to discover shattered glass, bent security bars, and multiple overturned shelves inside the store. Police say merchandise worth more than $3,000 was stolen. Surveillance footage showed that at about 3:36 a.m., a red pickup truck, bearing Ontario licence plate BZ93765, smashed into the building. Further investigation revealed that the vehicle had been reported stolen from Hamilton before the incident. Footage also captured three masked suspects wearing hooded sweaters, gloves, and sunglasses quickly gathering items before fleeing...
Register
Six Nations Valentine’s march remembers Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women
Six Nations hosts Valentines Day Memorial Walk Photos by: Jim C. Powless By Joshua Santos Writer It was a day of love and solidarity as men and women came out in droves to show support during the fourth annual Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women, Girls, Men, Boys and Two-Spirited Valentine’s Day Memorial Walk in Ohsweken. “Love comes in different forms and shapes,” said Danielle Williams, intake at Ganohkwasra Family Assault Support Services. “It can be with your partner, family, community; love is love and we’re going to support that in any way we can.” Community members from Six Nations, Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and surrounding areas walked from Ganohkwasra to Veterans’ Park “The hard reality we’re putting out is that a lot of our missing and murdered are...
Register
Six Nations Councillor wants strategic housing plan
Six Nations Councillor Helen Miller is calling again for Six Nations to champion its own Strategic Housing Plan after attending a housing conference in Thunder Bay. Councillor Helen Miller told the February 11 Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) meeting she had attended the 22nd First Nations Housing Conference it reinforced her belief Six Nations should have a strategic housing plan. Miller said while the conference offered different workshops she attended one that focused on creating a strategic plan for housing. “I thought it was excellent, and I’ve been fighting for this council to do a strategic plan for housing,” she said. At the same time she said she she wouldn’t suggest SNEC attend again because the conference was northern focused. “A lot of the stuff wasn’t relevant to us. It...
Register
Brant Health hosting vaccination clinics amidst measles outbreak
By Joshua Santos Writer A measles outbreak near Six Nations has prompt health officials in outside communities to establish vaccination clinics to stop the spread of the disease. Grand Erie Public Health says there are currently 48 confirmed cases, six adults and 42 children, in the Grand Erie region. The region includes Haldimand County, Norfolk County, Brantford, and Brant County. It is investigating an additional 11 confirmed measle cases in Norfolk County. “Measles is a serious, but preventable illness that can impact people of all ages,” said Shawn Falcao, communications advisor for Grand Erie Public Health. “Our focus remains on preventing the spread of measles with vaccination. Many of our residents work, live, play, and worship in neighbouring communities, which is why GEPH is focusing efforts on preventing further transmission.”...
Register
