Thousands to flee First Nation in northern Manitoba over wildfire threat
Thousands of people have fled from a First Nation in northern Manitoba Monday as wildfires burned closer and closer to the community. The Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation, also called Nelson House, issued a full evacuation order Sunday in response to the blazes, as flames threatened to cut off road access and muddied air quality. It was upgraded one day later to a mandatory evacuation. The community’s roughly 4,000 residents were to register with the Cree Nation before busing to the Thompson Airport, about 75 kilometres away, to fly to Winnipeg. On social media, Nisichawayasihk Chief Angela Levasseur said crews are working around the clock to make sure everyone gets out safely. “We are also doing everything in our power to make sure every possible measure is taken to suppress the wildfires...
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Brantford man charged with assault by Brantford police and OPP
Alveen Ahmed By Celeste Percy-Beauregard, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Hamilton Spectator A Brantford man has been charged with violent crimes by two police services. Provincial police arrested Alveen Ahmed, 28, last week, charging him with sexual assault, assault and forcible confinement. It was related to an ongoing investigation into a sexual assault that took place in Brant County in January, according to a news release last Thursday. Earlier in July, Brantford police charged Ahmed with attempted murder, assault with a weapon, kidnapping and aggravated sexual assault, related to an incident on July 13. An officer had found someone with “serious injuries” from a “physical and sexual assault” near Golf Road and Highway 403, a Brantford police release said. Brantford police released Ahmed’s photo and a picture of his...
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TV host and chef Art Napoleon to showcase skills at cooking event
By Ed Hitchins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Energeticcity.ca MOBERLY LAKE, B.C. — An Indigenous cooking superstar with ties to northeast B.C. will be showcasing his skills later this month. Art Napoleon is slated to showcase an afternoon of Indigenous cooking techniques and cultural knowledge sharing in an event called Savour the Flavour at the Dunne-Za Lodge on the territory of West Moberly First Nations (WMFN) on August 14th. Napoleon is a former Chief of Saulteau First Nations who teamed up with Chef Dan Hayes for the television program Moosemeat and Marmalade on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN). Manager of Dunne-Za Lodge Tamara Dokkie is a cousin of Napoleon and said the idea for the event “just came about” during a conversation. “I was just telling him that I think...
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Nomination Meeting Held For Attawapiskat FN Chief And Council
Attawapiskat First Nation Nomination Meeting was held on July 31, 2025 in the community in preparation for local elections set for August 29, 2025. From L-R: Chief Electoral Officer Louis Noah, Deputy Chief Electoral Officer Pauline Wheesk and community member Gilbert Spence.screenshot of Zoom Meeting by Xavier Kataquapit By Xavier Kataquapit ATTAWAPISKAT FIRST NATION- Attawapiskat First Nation is preparing for an upcoming local election for leadership set to take place on August 29, 2025. The community recently held a nomination meeting at the Reg Louttit Sportsplex Gym on Thursday July 31, 2025 to allow community members to nominate candidates for the election. The community will be electing leaders for the position of Chief, Deputy Chief and 11 Council members. The meeting included members of Attawapiskat FN as well as First...
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Portage Friendship Centre Marks 55 Years of Community Support
By Renee Lilley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Portage Graphic Leader The Portage Friendship Centre is celebrating 55 years of dedicated service to the community, continuing a legacy that began long before its formal incorporation in 1970. Founded in 1966 under the name Indian & Métis Friendship Centre, the organization officially became the Portage la Prairie Friendship Centre Inc. on July 9, 1970. Governed by a constitution, by-laws and a board of directors, the non-profit has since grown into a vital hub for Indigenous and urban community members alike. The Friendship Centre has always been a place of connection, support and cultural pride. Over the years, PFC has remained committed to its mission of promoting the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being of urban Indigenous people through cultural, spiritual and educational...
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Saskatchewan Ranks Highest on National Crime Severity Index
By Carol Baldwin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Wakaw Recorder Each year, Statistics Canada publishes data on the number and types of criminal incidents occurring across the country. They also calculate and release a Crime Severity Index, which is a summary measure of the volume and severity of crimes reported to police in various areas, provinces, and at the national level. In this index, all crimes are assigned a weight based on their seriousness, determined by the actual sentences given by courts. Statistics have previously shown that Saskatchewan leads all provinces in intimate partner violence. This new annual report on overall crime statistics shows the province also ranks highest on the national crime severity index. Despite this, data indicates some progress, as the crime rate in Saskatchewan decreased in 2024. The...
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Doctors, lawyers, artists and First Nations leaders named to the Order of B.C.
Doctors, athletes, artists and First Nations and business leaders are all among the 15 people named to be invested in the Order of British Columbia. B.C. Lt.-Gov. Wendy Cocchia, who is chancellor of the order, says she welcomes the group of people whose dedication, compassion and vision have left a lasting mark on communities across the province. Dr. Ruth Grunau is on the list for changing the understanding of care of infant pain, while Dr. Sandy Dhami is recognized for transforming the lives of neurodiverse children. Also named are First Nations cultural leader and master carver Stan Bevan, and Chief Robert Louie for his leadership in Indigenous self-governance and economic development. Olympian Charmaine Crooks has been appointed for her sporting legacy, and Dr. John Yee for his life-saving leadership in...
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SIU investigating death of 24-year-old man in Wapekeka First Nation courtroom
Ontario’s police watchdog says it has launched an investigation after a 24-year-old man was shot dead by provincial police in a courtroom in the province’s northwest. The Special Investigations Unit says an Ontario Provincial Police officer was inside a temporary courtroom at the Youth Centre on the Wapekeka First Nation on Thursday at around noon when he was approached by a man with a knife. The SIU says the officer and the man had an interaction, leading to the officer shooting his gun at the man. Investigators say the man, whose name has not yet been released, was pronounced dead at the scene. The SIU says investigators have been assigned to the case and a post-mortem is scheduled for Sunday. The unit urges anyone with information to contact the lead...
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Celtics minority owner reaches deal to buy Connecticut Sun for record $325 million, AP source says
By Doug Feinberg UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) — A group led by Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca has reached a deal to buy the Connecticut Sun for a record $325 million and move the team to Boston, according to a person familiar with the sale. The franchise wouldn’t play in Boston until the 2027 season. Pagliuca also would contribute $100 million for a new practice facility in Boston for the team, the person said. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity on Saturday because the deal hasn’t been publicly announced. The sale is pending approval of the league and its Board of Governors. “Relocation decisions are made by the WNBA Board of Governors and not by individual teams,” the league said in a statement. The Sun have...
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Protest held at a Nova Scotia RCMP detachment over Indigenous-owned cannabis stores
By Lyndsay Armstrong Organizers behind a protest held at a Nova Scotia RCMP detachment say police action against Indigenous-owned cannabis dispensaries represents a continued attack on Mi’kmaq sovereignty. Thomas Durfee said a crowd of more than 100 people gathered at the RCMP detachment in Millbrook First Nation to protest Thursday after Mounties executed a search warrant at a cannabis store in the community and arrested one man. Durfee said in an interview Sunday the peaceful protest involved free lobster, music and speeches from matriarchs in the community. “We’re just here to assert our rights… It was very emotional to see a lot of the women in our community come and speak out. We had all the clan mothers there, the water protectors… many prominent voices in our community,” Durfee said....
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Protest held at a Nova Scotia RCMP detachment over Indigenous-owned cannabis stores
By Lyndsay Armstrong Organizers behind a protest held at a Nova Scotia RCMP detachment say police action against Indigenous-owned cannabis dispensaries represents a continued attack on Mi’kmaq sovereignty. Thomas Durfee said a crowd of more than 100 people gathered at the RCMP detachment in Millbrook First Nation to protest Thursday after Mounties executed a search warrant at a cannabis store in the community and arrested one man. Durfee said in an interview Sunday the peaceful protest involved free lobster, music and speeches from matriarchs in the community. “We’re just here to assert our rights… It was very emotional to see a lot of the women in our community come and speak out. We had all the clan mothers there, the water protectors… many prominent voices in our community,” Durfee said....
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Wildfire forces evacuation of 500 from First Nation in northern Saskatchewan
About 500 more people in Saskatchewan have been forced to flee due to threatening wildfires. The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency says those at Clearwater River Dene Nation, about 600 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon, have been told to leave. The latest evacuation puts the number of wildfire evacuees in various communities in the province to about 3,500. On Wednesday, the 1,000 residents of Pinehouse, a village southeast of Clearwater River, were told to leave their homes. Saskatchewan is reporting 63 active wildfires, including 17 that are not contained. The province has called in 300 soldiers from the Canadian Armed Forced to help fight the blazes. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 31, 2025. ...
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SIU investigating report that police fatally shot man in northern Ontario court
By Sonja Puzic Ontario’s police watchdog is investigating a report that an officer fatally shot a man inside a courtroom in a remote part of northern Ontario on Thursday. The Special Investigations Unit said a team of investigators is heading to the scene in Wapekeka First Nation. “Preliminary information indicates an OPP officer fatally shot a man,” SIU spokesperson Kristy Denette said in an emailed statement, adding that more details won’t be available until Friday. Ontario Provincial Police didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Lawyer Karen Seeley said she heard about the shooting from colleagues who were present at what she described as a makeshift courtroom inside a community centre. Seeley, a partner at a Dryden, Ont.- based law firm, said witnesses described an individual who walked into...
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Abuse Hurts launches new online platform to support survivors of domestic abuse
By Brock Weir, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Auroran Incidence of domestic abuse rose dramatically over the course of the global pandemic as so many were forced to stay home, potentially making a bad situation worse. The rise was a stark statistic for organizations looking to help those fleeing such situations and underscored the need to have empowering tools just a few clicks away. The result is EmpowerWeb, a new online platform offering safe support for survivors of domestic abuse. An initiative of Abuse Hurts, the platform was formally launched Tuesday, July 22, at the Central branch of the Richmond Hill Public Library. EmpowerWeb, which is available to all Ontarians and funded by Women and Gender Equality Canada, brings together multiple tools and resources for survivors of domestic abuse, their...
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Trump signs executive order pushing tariffs on Canada to 35 per cent
By Kelly Geraldine Malone U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order pushing tariffs on Canada to 35 per cent beginning on Friday, following through on a threat to raise duties if Ottawa didn’t make a trade deal. The White House confirmed the tariffs would not hit goods compliant with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade, commonly known as CUSMA. A fact sheet from the White House said Canada “failed to cooperate in curbing the ongoing flood of fentanyl” and also pointed to Ottawa’s implementation of retaliatory tariffs. Canadian officials had been tempering expectations that a trade deal would materialize ahead of Trump’s deadline and Prime Minister Mark Carney has said he’ll only make an agreement that is good for Canada. Trump said earlier Thursday he had not “spoken to...
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School board trustee will not seek re-election due to ‘shifting priorities’
By Ed Hitchins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Energeticcity.ca FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — A trustee with the local school district has announced he will not seek re-election in 2026. Thomas Whitton has been a trustee in Area 5 with School District 60 (SD60) since 2022, and announced his decision not to return in a Facebook post on Tuesday, July 29th. While he will see the term through to its 2026 conclusion, he spoke to Energeticcity.ca about his experience in SD60, which he called “fulfilling.” “I will continue to work for the next year to better the experience [for] my kids and kids around SD60…when it comes to their school life, which can be a large portion of their time throughout the year,” Whitton said. Whitton says between family commitments; entrepreneurial...
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SIU investigating after police reportedly shot man dead in northern Ontario court
By Sonja Puzic Ontario’s police watchdog is investigating a report that an officer fatally shot a man inside a courtroom in a remote part of northern Ontario on Thursday. Kristy Denette, a spokesperson for the Special Investigations Unit, said a team of investigators was heading to the scene in Wapekeka First Nation but more details wouldn’t be available until Friday. Ontario Provincial Police said late Thursday that an officer from its Sioux Lookout detachment shot an “individual armed with a knife on Wapekeka First Nation” around noon, but did not specify the location. “As a result, the armed individual was pronounced deceased at the scene,” OPP said in a news release. Lawyer Karen Seeley said she heard about the shooting from colleagues who were present at what she described as...
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Anishinabek Nation meets with Premier Ford in Huntsville
By Jacqueline St. Pierre, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Manitoulin Expositor HUNTSVILLE—The scent of summer pine and policy hung in the air last week as leaders from the Anishinabek Nation joined Ontario Premier Doug Ford in Muskoka cottage country—not for pleasantries, but for purpose. The July 21 meeting, convened by Premier Ford in his role as Chair of the Council of the Federation, marked more than a political courtesy. For the Anishinabek Nation, it was an opening—however narrow—toward the kind of direct engagement that has too often been bypassed in favour of bureaucratic detours and pan-Indigenous proxies. “We came not as guests but as equals,” said former Grand Council Chief Reg Niganobe. “This was not simply a formal invitation—it was a meaningful step forward, a chance to honour the vision...
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Nairn Centre sounds the alarm over radioactive waste haul
By Jacqueline St. Pierre, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Manitoulin Expositor NAIRN CENTRE—There’s a billboard coming soon to Highway 17, but don’t expect it to advertise fresh eggs or firewood. Instead, it’ll be a warning. A cry from the crossroads. In the Township of Nairn and Hyman—better known as Nairn Centre—the people have been handed a binder full of questions and a province full of silence. At a recent public meeting, frustration boiled over as residents learned that radioactive niobium tailings from a former mill site near Nipissing First Nation may soon be trucked into their backyard—bound for the old uranium mine at Agnew Lake. “They told us we were consulted in June,” says Mayor Amy Mazey, shaking her head. “But that consultation was a page-and-a-half long. An email.” The...
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Glooscap First Nation in Nova Scotia to launch seafood market this year
The investment arm of Glooscap First Nation in Nova Scotia is launching a seafood market with local products caught and processed by its members. Michael Peters, CEO of Glooscap Ventures, says the new market is part of the First Nation’s economic plan to keep profits from its businesses in the community. Peters says the market will be built by a partnership between the First Nation and local firm Lindsay Construction, and it is expected to create 10 full-time jobs and 20 part-time positions once it opens later this year. The CEO says the new market near Glooscap First Nation, located about 65 kilometres northwest of Halifax, will rely on local suppliers to sell produce, deli meats, seafood and baked goods. However, the majority of the offerings will come from Glooscap...
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