Current Problems: Environment
Exploring Stakeholder: "Government of Canada"
Updates on this page: 103
April 24, 2024
Manitoba First Nation sues governments over chronic flooding, wants protection
The Globe and Mail: The Canadian Press – A Manitoba First Nation that has suffered from chronic flooding is suing three levels of government for failing to provide adequate protection. Peguis First Nation has filed a statement of claim that alleges the federal and Manitoba governments have failed to protect the community from frequent flooding...
April 23, 2024
Canada Pushes For More Mining In Ecuador Despite Resistance
The Maple: The Canadian and Ecuadorian governments continue to forge ahead with free trade agreement (FTA) plans, despite opposition from social movements and Indigenous Peoples within Ecuador, along with rampant instability. In these negotiations, the spotlight is on the Canadian mining industry. Canadian mining investments in Ecuador are valued at $1.8 billion, with Canada’s trade...
April 23, 2024
First Nation sees path to ‘energy sovereignty’ in solar farm
Anahim Lake project, said to be country’s largest off-grid solar farm, will greatly reduce reliance on diesel Ulkatcho First Nation set to build largest off-grid solar power farm in Canada 15 hours ago, Duration 3:23 A First Nation in Central B.C. is one step closer to having sustainable and clean energy. The Ulkatcho First Nation is...
April 19, 2024
The federal government must tackle water pollution from the oilsands
The government already has the necessary power. It just needs the courage to use it to stop contamination from tailings ponds. NationTalk: Policy Options – Perched on the shores of the Athabasca River in northern Alberta are a staggering 1.4 trillion litres of toxic industrial waste, stored in open pits known as tailings ponds created...
April 18, 2024
Carbon price grievances end in doubled returns to Indigenous governments — not exemptions
Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault in Canada’s delegation office at the Palais des Congrès in Montreal during COP15. Photo by Natasha Bulowski/Canada’s National Observer Listen to article Canada’s National Observer – After facing severe political blowback for its carbon tax exemption on oil last fall, Ottawa is caving to complaints for a second time...
April 16, 2024
Delegates at UN take aim at Canadian government and mining companies
APTN News: Concerns over how Canadian mining companies are conducting themselves in foreign lands landed squarely on the floor of the United Nations in New York on Tuesday. “We would like the Canadian government to listen to us and stop destroying our Indigenous territories,” said Zenaida Yasacama from Peru through an interpreter. “Our territories, our...
April 10, 2024
Pay now or pay more later to prepare First Nations for climate emergencies
Cindy Woodhouse, the Assembly of First Nations’ national chief, at her swearing-in ceremony in December. Photo by Matteo Cimellaro / Canada’s National Observer Canada’s National Observer: The price of doing nothing to adapt First Nation infrastructure to climate change will result in high costs for recovery, losses and redevelopment, according to an Assembly of First...
April 10, 2024
Nearly all Indigenous communities at risk as feds prepare for busy wildfire season
Government boosts wildfire funding as climate risks rise APTN News: Officials with a number of federal departments say 2024 will likely be a busy wildfire season because of the climate crisis, and Indigenous communities in particular are at risk. On Wednesday, a technical briefing was held on the upcoming season ahead of a news conference...
April 10, 2024
Don’t shut Line 5: Biden administration issues long-awaited position on Canada-U.S. pipeline
U.S. submits nuanced argument in court case that, ultimately, sides against shutdown CBC News: The Biden administration has weighed in for the first time on a major cross-border legal dispute that could shut down portions of Enbridge’s Line 5 Canada-U.S. oil pipeline. The opinion came in an amicus brief that, although nuanced, argued against shutting down the...
April 1, 2024
Standing up to Enbridge over Line 5 pipeline
Tyler Bender on the Kakagon Sloughs. Photo courtesy of Richard Schultz / 50 Eggs Films Canada’s National Observer: It all started with a chance meeting. Mary Mazzio, a self-proclaimed recovering lawyer, was looking for a legal case that could provide an “amphitheatre” for a documentary showcasing the voices of Indigenous Peoples in the United States....
March 12, 2024
Proposal announced to address cross-border mining pollution
Lake Koocanusa is seen, June 16, 2021, northeast of Libby, Mont. File photo by: The Canadian Press/AP/Hunter D’Antuono/Flathead Beacon Listen to article Canada’s National Observer: BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The U.S., Canada and several indigenous groups announced a proposal on Monday to address pollution from coal mining in British Columbia that officials say has been contaminating waterways and...
March 11, 2024
First Nations, Métis and environmental groups request investigation of harmful tailings pond substance
NationTalk: OTTAWA/TRADITIONAL, UNCEDED TERRITORY OF THE ALGONQUIN ANISHNAABEG PEOPLE – In January 2024, Canada announced their decision to not include naphthenic acids in the list of regulated substances in the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. Environmental groups and a First Nation have submitted a formal request for the federal government to assess the harms caused by...
March 5, 2024
Indigenous organization levels complaint against Canadian mining company
Shuar Arutam People come together to discuss and deliberate strategies against extractive megaprojects at an assembly last year in Macuma, province Morona Santiago. Photo by LluviaComunicación Listen to article Canada’s National Observer: As the world’s largest mining conference unfolds in Toronto, a Canadian company is facing a complaint about a proposed copper mine in Ecuador. The...
March 4, 2024
Trade deal could put corporate profits over people, say groups
Canada’s National Observer: Amazonian women at an International Women’s Day march in Quito, Ecuador in 2020. Sovereignty of their ancestral lands in the face of mining and oil extraction is a key demand for Amazonian women. Photo by Karen Toro / Climate Visuals Countdown Listen to article A proposed Canada-Ecuador free trade agreement could put corporate...
March 4, 2024
Akwesasne residents have concerns about proposed hydrogen facility in N.Y. state
CBC Indigenous: Residents of Akwesasne are concerned about plans to develop a hydrogen facility near the Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) community. Air Products and Chemicals Inc., an industrial gas company, is proposing to construct the facility in Massena, N.Y., about 30 kilometres west of Akwesasne, which straddles the Quebec, Ontario and New York state borders. Dr. Ojistoh Horn, a...
February 29, 2024
The protection of wetlands is tied to Indigenous and human rights
Despite their ecological, social, cultural and economic importance, over the past two centuries wetlands have been systematically destroyed for industrial, commercial and residential development. First Peoples Law Report: Rabble.ca, David Suzuki – In his 1972 non-fiction book No Name in the Street, James Baldwin asked, “Does the law exist for the purpose of furthering the ambitions...
February 20, 2024
‘This mining is destroying us’: Alaskan tribal group applies for Canadian status
The Southeast Alaska Indigenous Transboundary Commission is calling on the province of B.C. and Canada to allow it to be consulted on mining projects that impact transboundary rivers. APTN News: A southeast Native Alaskan organization is petitioning the province of B.C. to be granted formal Indigenous recognition so it can be consulted on mining projects...
February 14, 2024
First Nations urge Environment Minister not to green light Chalk River nuclear waste dump
The Globe and MaIl: Ottawa – Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault was urged by First Nations chiefs Wednesday not to issue a permit to allow a nuclear waste dump on a forested site northwest of Ottawa where a variety of wildlife, including “at risk” wolves, live. Ten chiefs and members of First Nations in Quebec and...
February 14, 2024
PM dismisses Algonquin concerns over Chalk River nuclear waste dump
Trudeau touts nuclear safety commission’s expertise as Bloc leader allies with First Nations CBC Indigenous: Algonquin leaders are finding the Canadian government largely unmoved, but they continue to fight construction of a radioactive waste dump on unceded territory near Deep River, Ont., roughly one kilometre from the Ottawa River. First Nations chiefs have allied with Bloc Québécois and federal Green...
February 6, 2024
Indigenous and Environmental Groups Denounce Government Inaction on First Anniversary of Imperial Oil Tailings Disaster
ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE, KEEPERS OF THE WATER NationTalk: Ottawa | Traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg People – A year ago, news broke that Imperial Oil’s Kearl mine had been leaking toxic industrial wastewater for over nine months while keeping local Indigenous communities in the dark. The public only learned about the leak after a...
January 25, 2024
Removing Roadblocks for Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas
IPCAs mitigate climate crises and increase Indigenous sovereignty. But Canada needs to make key changes to support them. The Tyee: The Conversation – In late 2023, the federal government, British Columbia and the First Nations Leadership Council signed a $1 billion Nature Agreement to protect 30 per cent of B.C.’s lands by 2030. The agreement stressed the...
January 11, 2024
Radioactive waste site ‘shoved down our throats,’ critics say
From left: Lance Haymond, chief of Kebaowek First Nation; Dylan Whiteduck, chief of Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg; Algonquin elder Verna McGregor from Kitigan Zibi; and Coun. Justin Roy of Kebaowek. Photo by Natasha Bulowski Canada’s National Observer: Some First Nations and environmentalists are dismayed by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission’s approval of a proposed storage facility...
January 11, 2024
These Ontarians rely on roads made of snow and ice. But what happens when winter is too warm?
Higher than normal winter temperatures are sparking concern among remote First Nations communities in northern Ontario that rely on winter roads made of ice and snow to transport food, fuel and building supplies. Toronto Star: OTTAWA — Higher than normal winter temperatures are sparking concern among remote First Nations communities in northern Ontario that rely...
January 4, 2024
Canada’s Nature Agreement underscores the need for true reconciliation with Indigenous nations
Stuckless Pond in Gros Morne National Park, N.L. Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas can complement national and provincial parks to promote conservation while also advancing reconciliation. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese First People’s Law Report: The Conversation – In late 2023, the federal government, British Columbia and the First Nations Leadership Council signed a $1 billion Nature Agreement to...
December 29, 2023
What it means to lead through fire
Kukpi7 James Tomma, and his wife Jay, have been staying in this hotel room for the past few weeks because their house burned in the Shuswap fires during August 2023. Photo by Jen Osborne / Canada’s National Observer THE FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE TAKES MANY HANDS, AND ALL OF US ARE BETTER EQUIPPED WHEN WE’RE...
December 15, 2023
The Case of the Ghostly Trestle
On the northern Sunshine Coast, a popular lake preserves the remnants of early settler history The Tyee: A few summers ago, my friend Nola took me paddle boarding at Haslam Lake, in one of the more accessible recreational forest areas surrounding what is currently known as Powell River, B.C. We drove down a logging road...
December 6, 2023
Exclusive: Feds face burning questions over ‘upside-down approach’ to climate readiness
Inside Skwlāx’s north subdivision: This is one of two houses left standing after fires obliterated the area. Catastrophic wildfires hit Skwlāx te Secwepemcúl̓ecw in August. Photo by Jen Osborne/CNO Listen to article Canada’s National Observer: Ottawa continues to underinvest in disaster preparedness and mitigation on First Nations despite ballooning recovery costs from the worst wildfire season...
November 30, 2023
Chiefs of Ontario ask for judicial review of carbon price regime
APTN News: First Nations leaders in Ontario say Canada needs to fix what they call a “discriminatory” carbon price system, arguing the federal government failed to address their repeated concerns and blocked their exemption request only to then issue a carveout targeting Atlantic Canada. A group representing 133 First Nations in the province filed an...
November 29, 2023
Balancing Indigenous perspectives and international policies at COP28
There are a wide range of perspectives from Canada headed to the UN climate conversation People walk near a logo for the COP28 U.N. Climate Summit, Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool) APTN News: A major annual international climate meeting kicks off tomorrow in Dubai, in the United Arab...
November 29, 2023
Caribou numbers will decline as long as Nunavut goes without land use plan says former premier
APTN News: Nunavut’s first premier says caribou numbers in the territory will continue to decline as long as it goes without a land use plan. Paul Okalik says one of the problems is that mining companies are allowed to operate on calving grounds. “These companies, they won’t be here in the long run,” says Okalik....
November 28, 2023
First Nations group says environmental impacts of B.C. salmon fish farm industry overstated
APTN News: A councillor with the Kitasoo Xai’xais Nation in British Columbia says uncertainty in the open-net salmon farm industry is negatively affecting First Nations that rely upon it. “This overall industry supports a 99 per cent employment rate within my community and 51 per cent of its overall economy is represented in this sector,”...
November 24, 2023
Canada’s Use of 1977 Pipeline Treaty to Block Recent U.S. Line 5 Shutdown Order Is Violating Indigenous Rights
Michelle WoodhouseWater Program Manager Nationtalk: Environmental Defense – Earlier this summer, we celebrated the news that a U.S. judge in Wisconsin had ordered the Canadian oil company, Enbridge Inc., to shut down the section of the Line 5 pipeline that runs through the territory of the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa by June 2026....
November 21, 2023
Living and breathing with wildfire smoke
“Uncle” Wilfred Tomma sits on his bed in the hotel room he was displaced to after wildfires hit his home area, Skwlāx te Secwepemcúl̓ecw. Photo by Jen Osborne / Canada’s National Observer Listen to article Canada’s National Observer: Wilfred Tomma is no stranger to fire. Now in his 80s, Uncle Wilfred, as he’s known to many...
November 21, 2023
Scant investments in wildfire prevention in fall economic update
Inside Skwlāx’s north subdivision: This is one of two houses left standing after fires obliterated the area. Catastrophic wildfires hit Skwlāx te Secwepemcúl̓ecw in August. Photo by Jen Osborne/CNO Canada’s National Observer: After Canada’s worst wildfire season on record, Ottawa’s mini-budget was scant on fresh investments to prepare and protect Indigenous communities for a new...
November 14, 2023
Act not react: Multiple audits advised feds to help First Nations before wildfires hit
Andrea Stelter stands for a portrait near the Skwlāx band office. Catastrophic wildfires hit the Skwlāx te Secwepemcúl̓ecw First Nation in August 2023. Photo by Jen Osborne / Canada’s National Observer Listen to article Canada’s National Observer: A year before First Nations experienced their worst wildfire season, Ottawa’s auditor general was calling on the federal government...
October 26, 2023
Government of Canada Releases Interim Guidance on the Impact Assessment Act
NationTalk: Impact Assessment Agency of Canada – Attracting investment and supporting major job-creating projects requires regulatory certainty from all levels of government. Following the recent opinion by the Supreme Court of Canada on the Impact Assessment Act (IAA), the Government of Canada is setting a clear path forward for impact assessments in Canada to provide...
October 23, 2023
Kwanlin Dün First Nation reacts to UN report on climate funding
‘They say, First Nations are going to help lead us … But do they put that into their practice?’ CBC Indigenous: The chief of the Kwanlin Dün First Nation in Yukon says he’s not surprised by the findings in a recent report from the United Nations. The UN’s Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples found that...
October 18, 2023
Climate change solutions need to keep Indigenous knowledge at centre of approach
“It all comes down to resources…Resources are very important to be able to do what we need to do to work together.” —interim National Chief Joanna Bernard AFN Quebec-Labrador Regional Chief Ghislain Picard Windspeaker.com:The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) has released its National Climate Strategy and is calling on all levels of government to “make...
September 12, 2023
Frantic escapes, damaged homes and lost time: First Nations hit hardest when wildfire season comes
First article from the Special Report: Nations on the front lines of fire A portrait of Debbie Rupke (Tomma), who was evacuated alongside other Skwlāx te Secwepemcúl̓ecw community members in August. Photo by Jen Osborne / Canada’s National Observer Listen to article Canada’s National Observer – Debbie Rupke (Tomma) heard a rattle at her door. It was...
August 23, 2023
Assembly of First Nations (AFN) Calls for Support for First Nations Communities Affected by Wildfires in B.C. and N.W.T.
NationTalk: Ottawa, ON – The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) Interim National Chief Joanna Bernard is urgently calling for increased support in response to wildfires in British Columbia (B.C.) and the Northwest Territories (N.W.T.), for the affected First Nations individuals and communities, including in the city of Yellowknife, nearby communities of Ndilo, Dettah, and the...
August 10, 2023
Proposed radioactive waste dump in Deep River met with opposition at final hearing
Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission heard final arguments Thursday CBC News: The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) held its final hearings in Ottawa on Thursday into a proposed radioactive waste disposal site further north in the Ottawa Valley that is fiercely opposed by Algonquin First Nation groups. Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) wants to build an engineered mound near the...
August 1, 2023
NDP calls for emergency preparedness funding for First Nation communities
APTN News: The NDP is calling on the federal government to urgently invest into more emergency preparedness in First Nations communities. Last week, Nunavut MP Lori Idlout and Manitoba MP Niki Ashton sent a letter to Minister of Indigenous Services, Patty Hajdu, outlining First Nation’s urgent need for funding of emergency preparedness resources amidst the...
July 14, 2023
Wildfires are disproportionately harming Indigenous communities
CTV News: Canadian wildfires are disproportionately affecting Indigenous people at a greater rate than non-Indigenous Canadians, a recent report finds. The audit published in June by Indigenous Services Canada and authored by a Metis fire researcher, found that in the past 13 years, Indigenous communities had more than 1,300 wildfire-related emergencies leading to more than...
July 5, 2023
UNESCO report on Wood Buffalo National Park shows urgent need to fix problems, First Nation says
Document reaffirms threats from dams, oilsands development and climate change. But of 14 objectives for the park, UNESCO says only two are improving, with five stable and seven deteriorating. CBC News: A report from a United Nations body on environmental threats to Canada’s largest national park shows the urgency of the problems, says a spokesperson...
July 5, 2023
Wood Buffalo National Park still on environmental threat list; UNESCO calls for action on oilsands
NationTalk: Canada’s National Observer – A United Nations body has affirmed earlier findings that Canada’s largest national park remains under environmental threats from dams, oilsands development and climate change. The UNESCO report, issued Friday, concludes that the vast Wood Buffalo National Park on the Alberta-Northwest Territories boundary shouldn’t lose its place on the list of World Heritage Sites at this time. Some things in the...
June 26, 2023
Feds underfunding emergency preparation in First Nations communities says report
Emergency management monitoring is lacking, says the Auditor General in a new report APTN News: A parliamentary committee says Indigenous Services Canada is failing to provide First Nations communities with adequate resources for emergency management to help mitigate the impacts of events like wildfires and floods. The standing committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs released...
June 23, 2023
Quebec wildfires: Cree community orders evacuation of 4K due to heavy smoke
By The Canadian Press | APTN National NewsJun 23, 2023 Almost 4,000 people fleeing nearby wildlife. Since the beginning of June, firefighters have been battling a record number of wildfires including this one outside Algonquins of Barriere Lake. Photo courtesy: Charlie Papatie A Cree community in northern Quebec was being evacuated Friday because of heavy smoke from a...
June 20, 2023
Proposed Chalk River nuclear dumpsite violates UNDRIP, says Algonquin chiefs
‘We never agreed to this and it continues to be operated on our unceded territory.’ APTN News: Algonquin First Nations are calling on the federal government to abandon a proposed radioactive waste dump site on their unceded territories. On Tuesday, the Chiefs of Kebaowek First Nation, Kitigan Zibi First Nation, the Algonquin Secretariat and the...
June 14, 2023
During the worst wildfire season this century, Indigenous communities need to consider their participation in resource extraction: says researcher
37 per cent of the total burned forest area in Western Canada and the United States between 1986 and 2021 can be traced back to 88 major fossil fuel producers and cement manufacturers. ‘These fires are a culmination of ongoing resource extraction projects’ says climate researcher APTN News: In light of increasing extreme weather and...
June 6, 2023
Spring wildfires costing Indigenous services ‘millions’ says minister
APTN News: The minister responsible for Indigenous services says her department is spending millions of dollars to support First Nations dealing with the early wildfire season. “The forecast doesn’t look good, it’s all across the country and the scientists are predicting severe wildfire risk for the months of June, July and August,” said Hajdu. According...
June 6, 2023
Algonquins of Barriere Lake members evacuated from territory as Quebec wildfires burn
‘It’s just a scary time for our community,’ says Chief Casey Ratt CBC News: As wildfires continue to blaze in several regions of Quebec, members of the Algonquins of Barriere Lake are on the frontline protecting their territory. “It’s devastating at the moment because we don’t know which way the fire will go today because of...
May 31, 2023
Minister to delay plan for closure of B.C. salmon farms after pressure from industry, Indigenous chief
The Globe and Mail: The federal Fisheries Minister is delaying a decision on closing the remaining ocean-based salmon farms in British Columbia, after pressure from First Nations and the fish-farm industry. Joyce Murray had been expected in June to release a transition plan to move open-net fish farms out of B.C’s coastal waters, to land-based...
May 17, 2023
New hope for flood-prone Peguis First Nation means evacuees could come home
Nearly a third of the ‘refugees’ from last spring’s flood still haven’t returned to the community. The Nation hopes a new collaboration will help it better prepare for future natural disasters The Narwhal: A year after a historic flood ravaged Peguis First Nation, there’s hope on the horizon. The spring thaw passed without incident this...
May 4, 2023
Canada opens formal investigation into Imperial’s oilsands tailings leak in northern Alberta
Imperial first found discoloured water seeping from one of its tailings ponds in May CBC News: Federal environmental authorities have launched a formal investigation into a tailings leak at Imperial Oil’s Kearl oilsands mine in northern Alberta. Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) announced Thursday it is investigating a suspected contravention of the Fisheries Act,...
May 4, 2023
Federal Government’s Failure to Fix Dikes Sees Fort Albany Evacuated Due to Flooding Threat
NationTalk: FORT ALBANY FIRST NATION: The Chief and Council of Fort Albany First Nation have been forced to declare a community-wide evacuation as rising water from the winter break-up on the Albany River threatens to breach the community’s aging dike system. “The dikes that protect our community have failed twice over the years, and there...
May 2, 2023
Climate change solutions becoming a ‘new way of colonizing’ Indigenous peoples, Inuit rep says
“We recognize our responsibility to our lands, waters and ice and future generations, and to our natural environment, so we have to be a part of this conversation with (the government) in equal ways.” —Dr. Amy Hudson WindSpeaker.com: Dr. Amy Hudson has returned from the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) with renewed...
May 2, 2023
UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues calls on Canada to shut down the Line 5 pipeline
NationTalk: THE GREAT LAKES | ANISHINABEK TERRITORY – Last Friday, the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) recommended that Canada and the United States decommission the Enbridge Line 5 oil pipeline. In the Final Report of its annual session, issued last week, the UNPFII recognized that Line 5 “jeopardize[s] the Great Lakes” and...
May 1, 2023
Indigenous leaders from U.S., Canada ramp up pressure for probe into toxic mining runoff from B.C.
The Globe and Mail: The Canadian Press – Indigenous leaders in Canada and the U.S. are turning up the pressure on Ottawa for an investigation of toxic mining runoff from B.C., despite high-level bilateral promises of an agreement by this summer to “reduce and mitigate” its impact. Tribal and First Nations leaders were in Washington,...
April 28, 2023
Inuit want access to loss and damage fund, Inuit Circumpolar Council president says
NationTalk: Canada’s National Observer – Inuit want direct access to a global fund dedicated to addressing destruction caused by climate change, the president of the Inuit Circumpolar Council’s Canadian arm says. Lisa Koperqualuk says loss and damage funding is needed in Inuit Nunangat, the homeland for Inuit, which is warming four times faster than the global average. Canada’s...
April 17, 2023
First Nations blast Alberta Energy Regulator at hearing; minister promises reform
Imperial first detected discoloured water near the oilsands site last May CBC News: Chiefs of First Nations affected by releases of wastewater from an oilsands mine excoriated Alberta’s regulator at a House of Commons committee hearing, calling it a system that serves the industry and not the public. “The [Alberta Energy Regulator] has zero credibility outside...
March 22, 2023
Supreme Court hears important federalism case without its only Indigenous member
The Globe and Mail: The first Indigenous judge in the Supreme Court’s 148-year history has been left off a case with important consequences for Indigenous peoples, so the court could avoid the possibility of a tie vote. With one of its nine members caught up in a disciplinary process, Chief Justice Richard Wagner chose to hear a...
March 21, 2023
Emergency Management in First Nations Communities
NationTalk: Auditor-General released Report 8 on Nov. 15, 2022 May 8.1 Emergencies such as floods, wildfires, landslides, and severe weather events are happening more often and with greater intensity throughout Canada. These emergencies disproportionately affect First Nations communities—groups of First Nations people living on reservesDefinition 1—because of their relative remoteness and socio-economic circumstances. In addition, many First Nations communities were...
March 20, 2023
Committee grills minister on failure to support First Nations during climate emergencies
‘The government should be ashamed,’ says NDP MP Blake Desjarlais as committee examines audit CBC News: Members of Parliament accused Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu of ducking accountability on Monday after the auditor general criticized her department’s ongoing failure to help First Nations deal with climate emergencies. Hajdu began the week flanked by her top...
March 10, 2023
Canada, home to a massive boreal forest, lobbied to limit U.S., EU anti-deforestation bills
Canada’s boreal forest covers 270 million hectares, spanning from Yukon through to N.L. CBC News: Canada is facing international criticism for undermining efforts to protect one of the world’s last primary forests — our own. Jennifer Skene, natural climate solutions policy manager for the Washington-based Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), accuses the Canadian government of...
March 8, 2023
‘If we lose this fight, we lose everything’: Naskapi, Innu nations oppose Quebec mining project
‘This area is what’s left for us to find peace,’ says resident of Kawawachikamach CBC News: A mining company wants to set up a large operation in Labrador, producing 2.5 million tonnes of iron annually and building a transportation corridor to help get the material from northern Quebec to Sept-Îles. Century Global says its venture,...
March 7, 2023
Indigenous chiefs fly to Ottawa in rival moves as salmon farm battle intensifies
The Globe and Mail: Indigenous chiefs representing B.C. Indigenous communities came to Ottawa on Tuesday to make opposing arguments about whether open-net salmon farms should be able to continue off the coast or be closed and moved to tanks on land. As the battle over the future of ocean-based salmon farms off the coast of British...
March 6, 2023
Ontario approves environmental assessment terms of reference for 3rd and final road to Ring of Fire
Plan co-developed and submitted by 2 First Nations in the area, but faces pushback from others in region CBC News: The province has approved the terms of reference for an environmental assessment (EA) on the third and final road leading to the mineral-rich Ring of Fire in northern Ontario. The terms of reference lay out the work...
February 27, 2023
Federal government has resumed talks with Ontario about the Ring of Fire: document
Internal emails obtained by The Narwhal appear to show a shift in relations between the two governments on the Ring of Fire. But some First Nations leaders say they’re still being left out The Narwhal: After a years-long stalemate over the far northern Ring of Fire, the federal government appears to have extended an olive...
February 24, 2023
One fish, two fish, red fish, dead fish? Feds fail to disclose Coastal GasLink data on salmon eggs, habitat
Pipeline contractors estimated there were at least 273,000 salmon eggs in a Wet’suwet’en river crossing. Fisheries and Oceans Canada said it was ‘impossible to confirm’ The Narwhal: Shannon McPhail said she felt like the “world’s biggest schmuck” after reading an email from a senior official at Fisheries and Oceans Canada. The official told her it...
February 17, 2023
Fisheries department to shut 15 salmon farms off B.C.’s coast to protect wild fish
The Globe and Mail: Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray has announced the federal government will not renew licences for 15 open-net Atlantic salmon farms around British Columbia’s Discovery Islands. Murray says in a news release the Discovery Islands area is a key migration route for wild salmon where narrow passages bring migrating juvenile salmon into close...
February 15, 2023
A new approach to flood mapping could be on the way for Manitoba First Nations
With floods affecting almost 90 per cent of Manitoba First Nations, new flood management could put Traditional Knowledge first The Narwhal: Before the flood waters overwhelmed Peguis First Nation last spring, local trappers noticed the beehives had been built much higher than in years past. The beaver dams looked different; the foxes and raccoons they usually snared...
February 6, 2023
‘I don’t have a home to go to’: Peguis First Nation evacuees left in limbo 9 months after flooding
More than 900 evacuees still not able to return home, chief says CBC News: More than 900 evacuees from Peguis First Nation still can’t return to their community nearly nine months after floodwaters ravaged the reserve. Nearly 300 homes are uninhabitable and many have been given no timeline for when they may be able to go...
February 4, 2023
Pacific Coast Indigenous nations see a glimmer of hope for the future of salmon
Habitat loss decimated salmon populations. Indigenous communities are working to bring them back CBC News: Brook Thompson grew up along the shores of the Klamath River in Northern California, where her family would spend their summers camping and catching salmon. “It’s where I got a lot of connection about my culture and my family history,”...
January 25, 2023
Caribou summit asks a burning question: What’s the future of the Porcupine herd?
The Porcupine is ‘one of the biggest herds in the world.’ Will it stay that way? CBC News: The Porcupine caribou is one of the few barren-ground herds in the circumpolar world that remains strong and healthy — and the communities who rely on it want to make sure it stays that way. This was...
January 17, 2023
Open Letter to Prime Minister Trudeau on Perpetuating Climate Injustice Against First Nations
NationTalk: Dear Prime Minister Trudeau, Canada bears responsibility for the climate crisis that is driving humans to the precipice of a global catastrophe. While the Government of Canada has begun to acknowledge this crisis and has enacted some measures to try to help pull humanity back from the edge, two major problems characterize government action....
January 16, 2023
Federal fisheries officers investigate Coastal GasLink pipeline project
The Globe and Mail: Work on the contentious Coastal GasLink pipeline is under investigation by federal fisheries officers, as construction pushes through sensitive salmon-bearing rivers. The B.C. Environmental Assessment Office has already issued dozens of regulatory warnings and orders, as well as fines, for the 670-kilometre-long, $11.2-billion project. Dan Bate, spokesman for the Department of...
January 4, 2023
The Sacred Balance: Learning from Indigenous Peoples
We are no more removed from nature than any other creature, even in the midst of a large city. Our animal nature dictates our essential needs: clean air, clean water, clean soil, clean energy. NationTalk: Rabble.ca. David Suzikii The following is adapted from the prologue to the 25th anniversary edition of The Sacred Balance: Rediscovering Our...
December 13, 2022
Indigenous Peoples have been the most effective stewards of animals and nature since time immemorial
Canada’s National Observer: About a million animal and plant species around the globe are on the verge of extinction — more than ever before in human history. As the world gathers in Montreal for COP15 (the UN biodiversity conference) to negotiate a deal to halt and reverse nature loss in the coming decade, calls to put Indigenous...
December 13, 2022
Documents raise concerns feds backing off commitment to phase out fish farms in B.C. by 2025
Critics say they fear an ongoing public consultation about open-net pen fish farms has a ‘foregone conclusion’ to leave fish farms in the water, to the detriment of wild salmon The Narwhal: Biologist Stan Proboszcz remembers Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s 2019 election campaign commitment clearly: to develop a plan to get fish farms out of...
December 8, 2022
Tahltan’s decades-long struggle to protect Sacred Headwaters
David Suzuki Foundation: That’s just one of many revelations in the powerful new film The Klabona Keepers, about the Tahltan Nation’s struggle to protect the Sacred Headwaters, or Klabona, from mining. (The film, co-directed by my grandson Tamo Campos, is a collaboration between non-Indigenous filmmakers and Indigenous elders, who were given ownership of the intellectual property....
December 2, 2022
Government of Canada invests $3.8 million to support barren-ground caribou conservation in the Northwest Territories
Environment and Climate Change Canada: Caribou is an iconic species for Canadians and plays an important role in the culture and history of Indigenous peoples. The Government of Canada is determined to halt and reverse Canada’s biodiversity loss, and the decline of this species, by working in collaboration with the provincial and territorial governments, Indigenous...
November 21, 2022
World leaders must come out of their bubbles and hear other voices — especially Indigenous women — in climate-change debates
Indigenous people have unique relationships with their environment. If they listened, leaders would hear us urging a just transition away from fossil fuels. Toronto Star: World leaders making decisions around climate change must consider ideas originating beyond their own bubbles — especially those proffered by Indigenous people — if the problem is to be tackled...
November 2, 2022
Tensions rise as Coastal GasLink blasts a creek near a Wet’suwet’en camp
Questions and concerns about salmon, steelhead and the health of the river remain unaddressed as TC Energy continues construction of its gas pipeline The Coastal GasLink pipeline crosses more than 700 watercourses on its 670-kilometre-route. The crossing of Ts’elkay Kwe (Lamprey Creek) involves blasting to clear a path and excavating a trench directly through the...
October 25, 2022
Federal government moving closer to funding Ring of Fire mining roads: document
An internal briefing document obtained by The Narwhal shows that Ottawa has flagged Ring of Fire development as a possible ‘priority.’ Without Indigenous consent, it’s unclear what will happen next The Narwhal: The federal government has quietly marked the Ring of Fire region of northern Ontario as a potential “priority” mineral deposit, signalling it may be...
October 13, 2022
‘Salmon are the heartbeat of our coast, our people, everything around us’
Coastal First Nations Community Storyteller Emilee Gilpin in conversation with Haíɫzaqv cultural leader and conservation manager Dúqva̓ísḷa, William Housty on Oct 11, 2022. Audio clips of the interview are included throughout the story. NationTalk: A shocking video of over 65,000 dead pink and chum salmon in Heiltsuk territory spread across social media last week and...
October 4, 2022
Put out wildfires before they begin with Indigenous fire stewardship
The Keremeos Creek wildfire southwest of Penticton, British Columbia on July 31, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS IMAGES/Don Denton Canadian governments need to better engage with Indigenous fire stewardship to counter increased wildfire occurrence and severity Policy Options: by James Michael Collie, Hannah Verrips After the Keremeos Creek wildfire swept through the southern Interior of British Columbia in August,...
August 30, 2022
‘Trying to save our fish’: B.C. First Nations appeal a court ruling in an attempt to restore the Nechako River
Saik’uz and Stellat’en First Nations have been fighting for the health of the watershed for over a decade. A dam operated by Rio Tinto Alcan and regulated by the province continues to devastate sturgeon and salmon populations The Narwhal: Seventy years ago, B.C. approved a hydroelectric project that would irreversibly alter an entire watershed and...
August 25, 2022
Minister Guilbeault is visiting regions in Quebec to discuss protection of the caribou
Environment and Climate Change Canada: The caribou is an iconic species for Canadians. It is at the heart of the boreal forest ecosystem and plays an important role in the culture and history of Indigenous Peoples. The Government of Canada is determined to work in collaboration with the provinces, Indigenous Peoples, and all stakeholders to...
August 23, 2022
Multiple Threats to Pacific Salmon Fishery: Canada and BC double funding and extend pacific salmon program
Vancouver, BC – Improving the health of Pacific salmon and ensuring a sustainable fishing sector is a priority for both the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia. Today, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard, the Honourable Joyce Murray and the BC Minister of Land, Water, and Resource Stewardship,...
August 18, 2022
Ontario is resisting Canada’s plans for Indigenous-led conservation areas
The federal government is starting to fund Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas. An internal document shows Ontario has ‘concerns’ The Narwhal: In the face of provincial resistance, the federal government is urging Ontario to cooperate with plans to establish Indigenous-led conservation areas, according to an internal briefing. The document from Natural Resources Canada, obtained by...
August 17, 2022
UNESCO team in Alberta to judge if Wood Buffalo Park should go on endangered list
CityNews Everywhere Ottawa: A United Nations body that monitors some of the world’s greatest natural glories is in Canada again to assess government responses to ongoing threats to the country’s largest national park, including plans to release treated oilsands tailiBob Weber, The Canadian Press a day ago EDMONTON — A United Nations body that monitors some...
June 29, 2022
Enforcement operation near Lake Cowichan
NationTalk: Since early June 2022, the BC RCMP, through the Community-Industry Response Group (C-IRG) and Division Liaison Team (DLT), have been involved in ongoing discussions with the impacted First Nations communities – Ditidaht, Huu-ay-aht and Pacheedaht – regarding their concerns over a protest camp that has been placed across Haddon Main and Carrmanah Mainline Forest...
June 23, 2022
Protesters Ordered to Remove Illegal Camp and Respect Indigenous Sovereignty and Provincial Authorizations
Nitinaht, Traditional Ditidaht First Nation Territory, B.C. – Indigenous leaders from the Ditidaht, Huu-ay-aht and Pacheedaht First Nations met with protesters today to give final notice to immediately dismantle an illegal camp built across a main logging road on Ditidaht Traditional Territory in Tree Farm Licence (TFL) 44 on Vancouver Island. The Nations’ elected and hereditary...
April 18, 2022
Multiple Threats to Pacific Salmon Fishery
NationTalk: The First Nation Wild Salmon Alliance (“FNWSA”) is deeply troubled with the revelations set out in an article featured on the front page of today’s Globe and Mail which identifies that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (“DFO”), under the Harper administration, withheld critical science related to the existence of a highly transmissible...
March 26, 2021
Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act
The AFN, based on direction from the Chiefs-in-Assembly, intervened in this case, as well as court cases in Saskatchewan, Ontario and Alberta, arguing the Government of Canada has a direct legal obligation to recognize Aboriginal and Treaty rights in any legislative efforts to address climate change....
March 25, 2021
Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act
Supreme Court finds that the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act 2018 is constitutional....
March 25, 2021
Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act
Westaway Law Group – The majority judges noted that climate change “has had particularly serious effects on Indigenous peoples, threatening the ability of Indigenous communities in Canada to sustain themselves and maintain their traditional ways of life.” [para 11] They also acknowledged that, “the effects of climate change are and will continue to be experienced...
November 18, 2020
DFO cancels consultation with Mi’kmaw over fish passage in Avon River
Kwilmu’kw Maw-klusuaqn Negotiation Office (KMKNO),– this week the Consultation Department received notice – without explanation – from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) that a Ministerial Order (MO) that DFO developed to address concerns with the Avon River was no longer being issued. This MO was to be implemented weeks ago and instead...
October 20, 2020
Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act
Toronto Star – The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) reserved judgement on whether the federal government’s Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act 2018 (GGPPA) is constitutional following hearings on September 22 and 23 with the United Chiefs and Councils of Mnidoo Mnising (UCCMM), along with the Anishinabek Nation (AN), granted intervener status. The GGPPA sets minimum...
February 13, 2020
Criticisms of Federal Impact Assessment Act
FACETS – “Indigenous knowledge and federal environmental assessments in Canada: applying past lessons to the 2019 impact assessment act”. Even the most contemporary federal Environmental Assessment framework in Canada ultimately fails to ensure the engagement of the critically important knowledge of Indigenous peoples in environmental decision-making. While we identify that Impact Assessment Act fails to...
September 27, 2019
Cree Nation imput into climate change policy
Cree Nation Government – Proposed government action must be inclusive of Cree observations and efforts in the fight against climate change. Our privileged relationship with the territory is fundamental to the proper and meaningful development of government policies on climate change for Eeyou Istchee. Government policies must take into account the experiences of Indigenous communities...
December 1, 2018
Failure to protect Woodland Cariboo
Government of Canada – “Progress Report on Steps Taken to Protect Critical Habitat for the Woodland Caribou” indicates little progress is being made toward conservation. Meanwhile, provinces continue to issue permits for energy and forestry developments that do not comply with Species At Risk Act (SARA) , placing caribou at even greater risk. (David Suzuki...
November 3, 2017
Canadian Council of Ministers of the Envronment must include Indigenous views
Assembly of First Nations – First Nations must be full participants in all meetings of Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) to ensure their voices are heard in environmental and climate change solutions. “Reconciliation has to include respect for our Elder’s traditional knowledge and our understanding of the lands and waters, the animals...
Filter This Page
chevron_rightby Theme
chevron_rightby Indigenous Group
Explore Other Stakeholders
- Provinces and Territories
- Federal Government
- Other