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April 25, 2024
Plastics industry treats Indigenous lands as ‘sacrifice zones’
Canada’s National Observer: A sign for the Aamjiwnaang First Nation Resource Centre is located across the road from NOVA Chemicals in Sarnia, Ont., on April 21, 2007. (CP PHOTO/ Craig Glover) Listen to article Days after the Aamjiwnaang First Nation issued an emergency alert due to high benzene levels in the air, members from the front-line community are...
April 25, 2024
Keep Sarnia plastic plant shut until First Nation says it’s safe: environment groups
APTN News: The Canadian Press – International environmental advocates are calling for a petrochemical plant in southern Ontario to remain closed, in light of reports about a benzene leak that continues to affect a neighbouring First Nation community. A letter signed by more than 100 organizations around the world calls on Canada’s environment minister to...
April 20, 2024
Sarnia chemical plant to shut down for maintenance after safety outcry from First Nation
Members of Aamjiwnaang First Nation say emissions from plant made them ill CBC News: A chemical plant in Sarnia, Ont., announced on Saturday that it is temporarily shutting down for maintenance and to “address a mechanical issue” following complaints from a nearby First Nation whose members say they’ve become ill from the plant’s emissions. “At INEOS...
April 19, 2024
UN puts spotlight on attacks against Indigenous land defenders, journalists
Indigenous peoples around the world are harassed and killed at alarming rates. Will the world act? Tear gas is deployed by police during a Maasai rights demonstration outside the Tanzanian High Commission in Nairobi in 2022. Ben Curtis / AP Photo APTN News: When around 70,000 Indigenous Maasai were expelled from their lands in northern Tanzania in 2022,...
April 18, 2024
Ontario Human Rights Commission announces development of policy to address Indigenous-specific discrimination in Ontario’s healthcare system
NationTalk: TORONTO — Today, the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) announced its commitment to work with Indigenous partners to develop human rights policy guidance to address and combat long-standing and widespread Indigenous-specific discrimination in Ontario’s healthcare system. The OHRC’s policy guidance will: To inform this guidance, the OHRC will meet with Indigenous health professionals, organizations,...
April 17, 2024
Aamjiwnaang First Nation says high chemical levels making members sick, calls for Sarnia facility shutdown
Company says it’s reviewing the data and concerns over high chemical levels CBC News: Aamjiwnaang First Nation in Sarnia, Ont., is calling on all levels of government to shut down a facility after data indicated high levels of a harmful chemical were present in the air. In a news release, the First Nation said it sent its employees homes...
April 16, 2024
Ontario Investing in Local Emergency Preparedness and Response
Targeted investments will help keep communities safe during emergencies Table of Contents TORONTO — Treasury Board Secretariat – The Ontario government is investing $5 million in communities across the province to help them prepare for and respond to emergencies. Funding is being delivered through the Community Emergency Preparedness Grant to help communities and organizations purchase critical supplies, equipment...
April 12, 2024
Former Thunder Bay police chief arrested and charged in misconduct probe
A former Thunder Bay police chief has been arrested and charged as part of an ongoing misconduct investigation, Ontario Provincial Police said Friday. Toronto Star: The Canadian Press – A former Thunder Bay police chief has been arrested and charged as part of an ongoing misconduct investigation, Ontario Provincial Police said Friday. Police arrested Sylvie...
April 12, 2024
Cree lawyer says cows and plows settlements don’t reflect spirit of treaty clause
‘It didn’t just mean cows, plows, agriculture. It meant livelihood,’ says Deanne Kasokeo CBC Indigenous: A Saskatchewan-based lawyer says “cows and plows” settlements do not reflect the spirit and intent of treaties from an Indigenous perspective. Under treaties 4,5,6 and 10, the Crown promised agricultural benefits — livestock and farming equipment — to the First Nations that signed. That promise...
April 9, 2024
Dr. Rebekah Neckoway says a lack of basic necessities creates health problems for northern First Nations
APTN News: If you were to step on a nail while living in a city in Canada, you would most likely be able to get an X-ray and be able to see a doctor all in the same day. But if the same thing happened to you living in a northern First Nation, you could...
April 9, 2024
OPP charges former legal counsel with Thunder Bay police with breach of trust, obstruction
Holly Walbourne in an undated photo. Photo courtesy: TBnewswatch.com APTN News: The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) has laid several charges against a lawyer who acted as legal counsel for the Thunder Bay Police Service. The OPP’s Criminal Investigations Branch announced the charges against Holly Walbourne on Tuesday. Walbourne is facing five charges including three counts of...
April 2, 2024
Public Notice – Restrictions to Mining Exploration
NationTalk: This is a public notice that Netmizaaggamig Nishnaabeg (NN) and Biigtigong Nishnaabeg (BN) have identified areas north of Lake Superior that are off-limits to mining exploration and development. These areas are of high cultural value where mineral exploration and development would be damaging to the communities. This information has been routinely shared with the government of Ontario. These core...
April 2, 2024
Chiefs of Ontario to Pursue Litigation Against Ontario over Exclusion of First Nations Laws in New Policing Act
NationTalk: April 1, 2024 – The Chiefs of Ontario (COO) is disappointed that the Ontario government has repeatedly ignored our requests to address the glaring gap contained within the Community Safety and Policing Act, which comes into force today. COO will be moving forward on the promise to take legal action and will be preparing...
March 27, 2024
‘The Gold Rush is over’: First Nations chiefs celebrate mining exploration court decision
APTN News: Leaders from the Gitxaała and Gitanyow First Nations are celebrating a historic victory after the Supreme Court of British Columbia ruled the province’s laws on mining stakes did not meet the Crown’s duty of consultation. The court challenge opposed the laws that let exploration companies stake claims without prior consent, often for as...
March 21, 2024
Ontario Regional Chief Glen Hare and Ontario First Nations Leadership Express Fear Surrounding Lack of First Nations Law and By-Law Enforcement
NationTalk: Ontario Regional Chief Glen Hare and First Nations Leadership from across Ontario have released the following statement: Yesterday, First Nations in Ontario warned provincial lawmakers that police will no longer be able to keep First Nations communities safe once Ontario’s new policing legislation comes into effect on April 1, 2024. “Criminals are getting more...
March 20, 2024
The OPP doesn’t have to enforce First Nations laws. Indigenous leaders say that’s outrageous — and they want the Ford government to act
Indigenous leaders are urging the province to make it mandatory for Ontario Provincial Police to enforce First Nations laws and bylaws. ByRob FergusonQueen’s Park Bureau Toronto Star: To keep drug traffickers and other criminals at bay, Indigenous leaders are urging the province to make it mandatory for Ontario Provincial Police to enforce First Nations laws...
March 20, 2024
Cross-sector approach needed to address health and wellness in First Nations
Ontario Regional Chief Glen Hare. File photo. Windspeaker.com: Ontario Regional Chief Glen Hare was visibly shaken when he addressed media March 19 near the end of the first day of a three-day inaugural conference on First Nations Community Wellness. He had just received “heavy heart news” that former National Hockey League player and Stanley Cup...
March 20, 2024
Ontario and Quebec have major plans for mineral extraction, but First Nations there say they are not being properly consulted and are taking the provincial governments to court.
B.C. Mining Advocates Urge Indigenous Engagement as Projects Face Legal Action in Quebec and Ontario NationTalk: Resource Works (EnergyNow.ca) – The Quebec government’s Northern Action Plan/Plan Nord promises that a total of $2.6 billion will be invested in “the sustainable development of the territory north of the 49th parallel.” Premier François Legault declared that, in this...
March 18, 2024
Inuit leaders, MPs urge action on TB elimination as federal budget nears
TB rate among Inuit 676 times higher than among non-Indigenous, Canadian-born people CBC Indigenous: With the federal budget approaching, Inuit leaders and New Democrat MPs are urging the Trudeau government to tackle tuberculosis in Indigenous communities. Inuit in particular face a “staggering and unacceptable reality” of tuberculosis rates more than 300 times higher than Canadian-born non-Indigenous people,...
March 13, 2024
B.C. judge warns of ‘tsunami’ of Indigenous identity fraud cases
Baptist pastor charged with possessing child pornography claimed Métis status based on great-great-grandparent WARNING: This story contains details of child sexual exploitation and pornography. CBC News: After he was charged with possessing child pornography, Nathan Allen Joseph Legault discovered a figure from his past he hoped might help with his future. The Prince Rupert, B.C., man...
March 11, 2024
Cree sisters accuse childhood abuser of Indigenous identity fraud in court
Algonquins of Ontario ex-representative Katherine Cannon appeals; judge declines to rule on identity WARNING: This story contains details some readers may find distressing. CBC Indigenous: In a Peterborough, Ont., courtroom last year, three Cree sisters unfolded the difficult stories of their childhoods. They recalled the beatings their aunt by marriage routinely meted out. They alleged Katherine...
March 11, 2024
Painful discrimination still confronts too many Indigenous people: Ken Coates for Inside Policy
Canada has a long way to go before Indigenous peoples can be assured of fairness before the law or consistent acceptance in Canadian society. March 11, 2024 in Ken Coates, Inside Policy, Columns, Latest News, Indigenous Affairs Program, Social issues NationTalk: McDonald-Laurier Institute: Inside Policy – Most Canadians believe that life is getting better for Indigenous peoples in the country and...
March 9, 2024
Brian Mulroney’s complicated relationship with Indigenous peoples in Canada
From laying the foundations of Nunavut to the Oka crisis, the former PM’s legacy was one of contradictions CBC News: The late Brian Mulroney’s legacy with Indigenous peoples in Canada is marked by its contradictions — failures remembered for their good intentions, successes accompanied by catastrophic disappointments. The former prime minister is praised by some Indigenous leaders for creating a...
March 8, 2024
‘Box it up and we can repatriate it:’ First Nation in B.C. says it wants its totem pole returned
The totem pole at Scouts Canada headquarters in Ottawa was donated by the B.C. government in the 1960s. Photo: Kerry Slack/APTN. APTN News: A First Nation in B.C. wants a totem pole that sits outside of the former Scouts Canada headquarters in Ottawa returned. The totem pole, gifted to the Scouts Canada by the Scouts...
March 6, 2024
Injunction pauses road to gold in northern Ontario
Chief Russell Wesley in Cat Lake First Nation. Photo by Matteo Cimellaro / Canada’s National Observer Listen to article Canada’s National Observer: Cat Lake First Nation has won an injunction against a provincially approved winter road project that would lead to a proposed gold mine in northern Ontario. Chief Russell Wesley told reporters at a press conference at...
March 5, 2024
Province shuts down Chiefs of Ontario’s request for a moratorium on staking mining claims
The Chiefs of Ontario say a moratorium would offer some breathing room to catch up on claims First Peoples Law Report: CBC News -The office of Ontario Mines Minister George Pirie says a one-year moratorium on staking mining claims in Ontario is off the table. The Chiefs of Ontario were in Toronto on Tuesday to...
March 4, 2024
Demanding a proper say, Cat Lake First Nation’s injunction pauses First Mining Gold’s road work for project
‘First Mining continues to listen to the concerns of Indigenous communities,’ says CEO CBC Indigenous: Cat Lake First Nation has been granted an injunction pausing a gold-mining company’s construction of a temporary winter road leading to an exploration camp for a proposed open-pit mine in northwestern Ontario. In documents filed in divisional court, the Ojibway First...
March 2, 2024
No home. No options: Ontario Indigenous kids ‘damaged’ by system sending them south
A Global News investigation has revealed how First Nations youths from remote, northern communities like Grassy Narrows are allegedly targeted by some for-profit group home companies because their owners can charge more for Indigenous children or because the kids provide a steady source of revenue, according to interviews with more than 50 former group home workers, former...
March 1, 2024
Mamakwa confronts Conservative ministers about NAN state of emergency
Nishnawbe Aski Nation hosted an emergency meeting on Jan. 24 in Ottawa following a string of youth suicides in First Nation communities across the region. NationTalk: TBNewswatch.com THUNDER BAY – MPP Sol Mamakwa called out the Doug Ford government during question period on Wednesday — for failing to attend last month’s emergency meeting discussing high suicide...
February 29, 2024
Detection of Blastomyces DNA in Constance Lake First Nation Homelands Announced as a Significant Breakthrough
NationalTalk: CONSTANCE LAKE, ON – A significant scientific breakthrough has been made as Constance Lake First Nation (CLFN) continues to grapple with serious impacts from a blastomycosis outbreak in the absence of thorough environmental research and financial resources to navigate its complexity. Community driven efforts have led to the laboratory-confirmed detection of Blastomyces species in...
February 29, 2024
Senate committee hears from information commissioner on residential schools records access
Guidance on information disclosure ‘comes from the top,’ says Caroline Maynard CBC Indigenous: A Senate committee examining barriers to the release of records of deaths at residential schools heard Tuesday that federal departments and agencies should make information disclosure processes more accessible and informal. “We heard that the privacy and information regimes cannot work if the government itself does not believe...
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 23, 2024
Cat Lake First Nation Files Court Injunction to Stop First Mining Gold
First Peoples Law Report: NetNews Ledger – Cat Lake First Nation (CLFN) has filed for an injunction in the Divisional Court of Ontario seeking to stop First Mining Gold (FMG) from constructing a new access road using Permits issued by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources & Forestry (OMNRF). This is against the wishes of...
February 19, 2024
This man fell into a hole and uncovered ancient remains. It raised questions about how Toronto builds on Indigenous lands
A plaque at Withrow Avenue Junior Public School, across the street from this discovery, mentions that Indigenous remains and artifacts dating back an estimated 5,000 years were found in the area in the 1880s. Toronto Star: Trapped in a pit six feet below the North Riverdale street he has lived on for more than 30...
February 15, 2024
What does the duty to consult First Nations, Inuit and Métis mean?
And why some advocates say Canada needs to move from consultation to consent CBC Indigenous: You’ve probably heard the phrase duty to consult, or failure to consult, when it comes to governments and their relationships with First Nations, Inuit and Métis. But what does it actually mean? Stemming from three Supreme Court of Canada decisions in 2004...
February 15, 2024
Joint APTN and CBC News investigation examines the impact of rising food prices in Canada
NationTalk:TREATY 1 TERRITORY, WINNIPEG, Man. — In a joint investigation, APTN Investigates and CBC’s The Fifth Estate are speaking with industry leaders and Canadian families, farmers and food producers to understand the reasons behind soaring food prices. In March 2022, APTN and CBC/Radio-Canada signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on the creation of more Indigenous content. The agreement emphasizes the need for the...
February 13, 2024
When First Nations push back against mining
Chief Chris Moonias of Neskantaga First Nation speaks during a rally raising concerns about mining in the Ring of Fire region in northern Ontario. Photo by Cole Burston/Canadian Press Canada’s National Observer: In Episode 5 of The Road, Isaac Phan Nay examines how some First Nations are pushing back against Ring of Fire development. In September...
February 13, 2024
First Nations say Ring of Fire development could have negative effects on water systems
First Peoples Law Report: CTV News – There are concerns from Indigenous leaders and community members about the development of mines, including the Ring of Fire in the far reaches of northern Ontario. At a three-day annual lands and resources forum in North Bay, members of the Anishinabek Nation expressed fears that further development could...
February 7, 2024
Feds’ labour data shows wage gap for Indigenous workers
Canada’s National Observer: Federal Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan launched labour data tool Equi’Vision on Friday. Photo from file by Carl Meyer. Listen to article A new tool created by Ottawa to reveal potential barriers in the workplace shows a significant gap in wages for Indigenous workers. On Friday, Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan launched a tool called Equi’Vision that...
February 6, 2024
What should consultation with Indigenous Peoples look like?
Ontario Indigenous Affairs Minister Greg Rickford said the province is meeting its duty to consult First Nations on the Ring of Fire. Photo by Alex Tétreault Listen to article Canada’s National Observer: For more than a decade, leaders of Ontario’s three main political parties have vowed to open the Ring of Fire up to mining. But it...
February 1, 2024
What will mining the Ring of Fire cost the planet?
Canada’s National Observer: The peatlands in northern Ontario have been absorbing carbon for thousands of years. File photo Listen to article When she learns mining companies have set their sights on the Hudson Bay lowlands, Lorna Harris raises the alarm — the region is home to the planet’s second-largest terrestrial carbon sink. The peatlands — also...
February 1, 2024
First Nations mull legal action, plan protests over Ontario’s online mining claims system
Provincial government rejected request for pause in 2022, won’t say if position has changed CBC Indigenous: First Nations leaders say they’ll up their protests and consider legal action if the Ontario government refuses to address their concerns with the province’s online system for staking mining claims. A 2018 move to digitize this process, which previously...
January 29, 2024
‘The mining rush for green energy’: Why Ontario chiefs are asking for a moratorium on claims
Chief Chris Moonias of the Neskantaga First Nation is photographed in Neskantaga, Ont., Friday, Aug. 18, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young Listen to article Canada’s National Observer: Today, anybody can make a mining claim on the Ontario government’s website as long as they have a few minutes, a computer and $50. The mineral claims process happens...
January 29, 2024
Mushkegowuk First Nations Enhancing Their Response To Illegal Drug And Alcohol Crisis
NationTalk: – Moose Factory ON Mushkegowuk Council has approved funding to support Kashechewan, Fort Albany, Moose Cree and Attawapiskat First Nations to respond to an escalating illegal drug and alcohol crisis that is devastating their communities. The funding, approved at a meeting of Mushkegowuk Chiefs held earlier this month, will help stem the flow of...
January 26, 2024
Chiefs of Ontario call for 1-year pause on staking mining claims in the province
A similar request from the Anishinabek Nation in 2022 wasn’t granted by the province CBC Indigenous: The Chiefs of Ontario are calling for a 365-day moratorium on mining claims staked across the province. They say many First Nations can’t keep up with the administrative burden of reviewing the mining claims staked in their territories. “Mining claim staking...
January 26, 2024
Study says harvesting trees is damaging boreal forest in Quebec, Ontario
APTN News: A new study published in the academic journal Land says that harvesting trees is severely damaging the boreal forest and wildlife in Quebec and Ontario. “While tropical forests have been the focus of extensive research on biodiversity losses from deforestation and degradation [8], the boreal forest biome also contains globally significant environmental values...
January 24, 2024
First Nations leaders hold emergency meeting in Ottawa on mental-health crisis
NationTalk: The Canadian Press, Ottawa – First Nations leaders are holding an emergency meeting in Ottawa on Wednesday to discuss a mental-health crisis they warn could get even worse without government help. Nishnawbe Aski Nation says there has been an alarming spate of suicides and suicide attempts in the northern Ontario First Nations it represents. That includes the...
January 24, 2024
Ontario First Nations want a year-long pause on mining claims. Will the Ford government listen?
Thousands of online mining claims are being made on the territories of First Nations without their consent — and often they aren’t even told about it Alex Moonias of Neskantaga First Nation alongside members of Asubpeeschoseewagong Anishinabek (Grassy Narrows), Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (Big Trout Lake), Wapekeka, Neskantaga and Muskrat Dam First Nations in September 2023. As...
January 24, 2024
Nishnawbe Aski Nation holds emergency meeting in Ottawa amid surge in sudden deaths on First Nations
First Nations chiefs from Ontario, federal officials at meeting after string of suicides, unexplained deaths WARNING: This story contains details of suicide and may impact those who know someone affected by it. CBC Indigenous: Leadership with the Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) held an emergency meeting with federal officials after a string of recent youth suicides and unexplained deaths in First Nations...
January 11, 2024
Statement from Ontario Regional Chief Hare and Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief Reg Niganobe regarding Ancestors that were uncovered at a Toronto construction site
NationTalk: Ontario Regional Chief Glen Hare and Chiefs of Ontario Heritage and Burials Portfolio Holder Grand Council Chief Reg Niganobe have released the following statement following the discovery of Ancestors at a construction site in Toronto on January 5th: “Honouring our Ancestors is a foundational component of First Nations worldviews – this includes where they...
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 10, 2024
OPINION: Kendra Thomson and Louis Busch discuss hearing the voices of Indigenous Peoples with neurodevelopmental disabilities
Participants shared in circles like this one at the 2023 Gathering on Indigeneity, Neurodevelopmental Disabilities and Mental Health in Ontario last May. This article written by Kendra Thomson, Associate Professor of Applied Disability Studies at Brock University, and Louis Busch, Community Support Specialist in the Shkaabe Makwa Centre for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Wellness...
January 9, 2024
ONWA Calls for Action to Address Violence Against Indigenous Women
ONWA Calls for Action to Address Violence Against Indigenous Women NationTalk: Thunder Bay, ON – The Ontario Native Women’s Association (ONWA) is saddened by the death of Jenna Ostberg, a young woman whose life was just beginning as she embraced her artistic skills and was “looked up to” for her style. ONWA will be following the...
January 8, 2024
Survey: Over Half of Indigenous Canadians Polled have Experienced Workplace Discrimination
62.4% HAVE EXPERIENCED BIAS WHEN APPLYING FOR JOBS NationTalk: TORONTO – ComIT.org, a registered charity that believes the democratization of education and opportunity is Canada’s best path forward, recently uncovered several startling statistics in a survey to 500 Canadians who identify as Indigenous Canadians. ComIT.org created the survey to take a pulse check of current...
January 1, 2024
Consulting Indigenous communities on critical minerals is key to net zero ambitions
PUBLISHED DECEMBER 31, 2023 UPDATED JANUARY 1, 2024 The Globe and Mail: Two years ago, First Nations leaders made clear what Canada must take to heart if it wants to be a global player in critical minerals and the energy transition: The only road to net zero runs through Indigenous lands. That is, any efforts to develop...
December 21, 2023
Belleville, Ont., police officers acquitted of assault causing bodily harm in arrest of Mohawk man
One officer was found guilty of the lesser charge of assault Warning: Some details in this story are distressing CBC News: Posted December 20; Updated December 21 An Ontario court found a Belleville, Ont., police officer guilty of assault on Wednesday in the November 2019 takedown of a Mohawk man at a Taco Bell. Both...
December 19, 2023
More than minerals at stake in Ontario’s claim-staking boom
Northern peatlands are key to Canada meeting its climate commitments, but they are threatened by a boom in Ontario mineral claims. Cheryl Chetkiewicz/WCS Canada CLIMATE JOURNALISM IS URGENT. HELP US RAISE $125,000 BY DECEMBER’S END. Goal: $125k $51,228 Donate Canada’s National Observer: With a click of a mouse, mining interests have laid claim to more...
December 19, 2023
Far from home, Indigenous students face challenges getting education but there’s hope
NationTalk: Global News, The Canadian Press – Charla Moonias lost her friends, her language and the connection to her culture after she left her northern Ontario First Nation at 14 years old to go to school hundreds of kilometres away. There was little support available as she struggled with addictions, tried to cope with the...
December 14, 2023
Indigenous students in Ontario still face inequities
Sol Mamakwa, Ontario NDP MPP for Kiiwetinoong, poses for a photo after speaking at the Matawa education conference. Photo by Matteo Cimellaro / Canada’s National Observer Canada’s National Observer: Indigenous students in Ontario still have lower attendance and graduation rates and are suspended twice as often as their non-Indigenous peers. The educational outlook was released...
December 12, 2023
Mining claims jump in northern Ontario’s Ring of Fire as EV battery interest grows
More than 31,000 mining claims are now registered in the area, says advocacy group Sarah Law · CBC News · CBC News: Posted: Dec 07, 2023 3:47 PM EST | Last Updated: December 12 Mining claims staked in northern Ontario’s Ring of Fire area have risen by 30 per cent since last year, according to provincial data analyzed...
December 5, 2023
AFN national chief candidates would back inquiry into Sixties Scoop
National inquiry into removal of Indigenous children could become a key task for next AFN leader CBC Indigenous: Some First Nations chiefs say the next national chief of the Assembly of First Nations should push for a national inquiry into the “Sixties Scoop” and the continued removal of Indigenous children from their families. About 22,000 Indigenous children were...
November 30, 2023
Are Canada’s museums honouring their promises to Indigenize and decolonize?
Aylan Couchie explains why she drafted a statement of concern, co-signed by Indigenous artists worldwide CBC Indigenous: Following reports of Anishinaabe curator Wanda Nanibush’s departure from the Art Gallery of Ontario, more than 50 artists have signed an open letter expressing concern that Canadian cultural institutions are failing to deliver on their promises to Indigenize and decolonize...
November 30, 2023
Environmental Health study finds high levels of benzene at Aamjiwnaang First Nation, south Sarnia
NationTalk: LONDONNewToday.ca – An air exposure review of the Sarnia area, which looked at air quality dating back to 2015, has found that there are elevated airborne concentrations of benzene. The final results of the Sarnia Area Environmental Health Project were released Wednesday evening in Point Edward. Benzene is a chemical that is clear or light-yellow in colour that is primarily used...
November 29, 2023
Indigenous arts leaders sign open letter in support of Wanda Nanibush after departure from AGO
The Globe and Mail: PUBLISHED YESTERDAY, UPDATED 4 HOURS AGO – More than 50 artists, curators and professors from Indigenous communities in Canada and around the world have signed a letter asking the Art Gallery of Ontario to publicly acknowledge the departure of Anishinaabe curator Wanda Nanibush and the global impact of her work. The letter, released...
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
SON asking Supreme Court to weigh in on Bruce Peninsula claim
First Peoples Law Report: The Owen Sound Sun Times – Saugeen Ojibway Nation wants the Supreme Court to consider whether the Crown owed a fiduciary duty to them and whether it was breached when the Crown didn’t stop settlers from moving into the Bruce Peninsula, which was promised to SON. It’s asking the Supreme Court...
November 27, 2023
Cat Lake First Nation is ready to take on Doug Ford’s government over unsustainable mining development
A portrait of Chief Russell Wesley in Cat Lake First Nation. Photo by Matteo Cimellaro / Canada’s National Observer Listen to article Canada’s National Observer: When the chief of Cat Lake First Nation gave a button to Ontario’s minister of Indigenous Affairs and Northern Development, he apologized. “This is what the activities up until now have...
November 24, 2023
Ontario coroner investigating death of woman at homeless camp in Cornwall
Mohawk woman helping daughter of Diane Hebert who died at the camp. APTN News: The daughter of a woman who died while living in a tent at a park in Cornwall, Ont., southeast of Ottawa, is turning to a Mohawk woman for support as she grieves her loss. Kim Legault’s mother, Diane Hebert, 67, died at...
November 23, 2023
Self-proclaimed Métis group sparks debate with shop opening in Ottawa
Critics accuse Métis Nation of Canada of engaging in identity theft, cultural appropriation CBC Indigenous: Inside “The Métis Place,” not far from the food court in an east Ottawa mall, you’ll find a floor-to-ceiling exhibit of tanned pelts, fringed buckskin moccasins and woven birch-bark baskets, just past a rack of orange Every Child Matters shirts....
November 23, 2023
Opioid-Related Toxicity and Deaths Continue to Rise among First Nations in Ontario
NationTalk: Toronto, ON – The Chiefs of Ontario (COO) and Ontario Regional Chief Glen Hare made the following statement regarding the opioid overdose crisis and the death toll rise affecting Ontario First Nations. First Nations in Ontario have been disproportionately affected by the opioid overdose crisis, which has greatly affected both families and communities. COO...
November 15, 2023
Proof Point: Closing Canada’s infrastructure gap could boost Indigenous output by up to 17%
NationTalk: RBC Proof Point Stubborn employment gap between Indigenous & non-Indigenous population persists Unemployment rate, %, prime age population; off-reserve Source: Statistics Canada, RBC Economics Canada’s Indigenous populations grapple with a huge infrastructure gap It is well-known that Canada is one of the most educated countries in the world, with the second highest share of...
November 9, 2023
Supreme Court of Canada hears case on broken treaty promises with up to $126-billion award on the line
The case involving First Nations in northern Ontario could redefine what Canada and Ontario owe to Anishinaabe treaty beneficiaries. Toronto Star: OTTAWA—A landmark case heard by the Supreme Court of Canada this week could leave the federal and provincial governments on the hook for a $126-billion award to First Nations in northern Ontario for failing...
November 9, 2023
Video of alleged police assault of Mohawk man raises questions about delay in watchdog’s probe
Ontario’s SIU took 13 months to open an investigation, eventually leading to charges Warning: Some details in this story are distressing CBC News: Ontario’s police watchdog initially balked at investigating an alleged police assault of a Mohawk man that was captured on camera and eventually led to charges against officers from Belleville, Ont., according to...
November 7, 2023
Supreme Court of Canada hears Ontario’s appeal of landmark Robinson Huron treaty annuities case
The province is appealing an Ontario Court of Appeal decision in 2021 CBC Indigenous: More than six years since its first day in court, the Robinson-Huron treaty annuities case is being heard in the Supreme Court of Canada today and Wednesday. At the centre of the landmark case is a promise that annuities to Indigenous communities would increase...
November 7, 2023
Robinson Huron First Nations disappointed with Ontario’s appeal of Robinson Huron Treaty annuities case
NationTalk: Ottawa, ON— On November 7 and 8, 2023, the Supreme Court of Canada will hear the Government of Ontario’s appeal to the decision made by the Ontario Court of Appeals \ONCA\ on matters related to the Robinson Huron annuities case. In 2021, the Government of Ontario appealed Justice Hennessy’s Stage 1 and 2 decisions....
November 2, 2023
Treaty Rights at the Supreme Court of Canada: Restoule Appeal: First People’s Law Report
In the following post, my colleagues Kate Gunn and Cody O’Neil provide an overview of the upcoming Restoule appeal at the Supreme Court of Canada and its implications for First Nations defending and advancing their Treaty rights across the country. I hope you find it informative and helpful. You can also read it on our website. Best, Bruce Treaty Rights...
November 1, 2023
Colonialism remains a health risk, MPP says
Wants health authority given to First Nations First Peoples Law Report: Timmins The Daily Press – A private member’s bill with the goal of improving healthcare outcomes for the province’s Indigenous population was defeated in the Ontario Legislature this week, much to the disappointment of a northern MPP. Motion 66 urged the Ontario government, led...
October 30, 2023
Cadaver dogs searching for unmarked graves at former Kenora residential school site uncover 22 ‘alerts’
The alerts in addition to 171 plausible burial sites detected at former St. Mary’s site in January Warning: This story contains distressing details. CBC News: Wauzhushk Onigum First Nation in northwestern Ontario says cadaver dogs conducting ground searches of a former residential school site have found 22 “alerts” indicating the underground presence of historical human remains....
October 27, 2023
Northern Ontario First Nations call for help amid mental health crisis
By Liam Casey The Canadian Press NationTalk: Global News – Several First Nations and health officials in northern Ontario are asking for help after declaring a state of emergency over mental health crises across their territories. Cat Lake First Nation Chief Russell Wesley said 188 people of the 500 who live in his community are part of a mental wellness program, but...
October 26, 2023
Senate Committee shocked by difficulties faced gathering residential school records from Catholic Church
“Who specifically asks for a 21-year NDA? Who within their organization needs to die within that 21 years that is being protected?” — Saskatchewan Treaty Commissioner Mary Musqua-Culbertson Saskatchewan Treaty Commissioner Mary Musqua-Culbertson Windspeaker.com: Saskatchewan Treaty Commissioner Mary Musqua-Culbertson didn’t mince words when she spoke to members of the Senate Committee on Indigenous Peoples Oct....
October 25, 2023
Family of Indigenous man killed in crash devastated, angry with police
George Louttit’s sister feels police interactions laced with cultural bias ‘We just don’t know how to heal,’ says family of man killed in fatal collision: Duration 1:30 Amy Louttit said her family is still searching for answers after her brother, George Louttit, was killed in a fatal collision in Little Italy on Oct. 2. Click on...
October 24, 2023
Make a decision on the MNO’s historic communities, judge tells Métis National Council
“We have certainly the better side of the litigation and it’s unfortunate that that the MNC had to, without the need to, bring these grievances in the form of litigation…” — Rahool Agarwal, legal counsel for the Manitoba Métis Federation At right is the Métis National Council President Cassidy Caron, and at left is David...
October 23, 2023
Thousands protest, demanding Ontario government stop mining on First Nations’ lands
More than 6,000 protesters call for end to “free entry” mining system NationTalk: The Varsity – Over 6,000 people protested against the Ontario government’s policies allowing companies to mine on some First Nations’ traditional lands as part of the March for the Land, which took place in Toronto on September 27. The First Nations Land...
October 20, 2023
Ford government scuttles First Nations’ conservation plans
The Hudson Bay Lowlands are home to the second-largest peatlands complex on the planet. Photo submitted by The Water Brothers / Wildlands League Canada’s National Observer – The peatlands that wrap around Hudson Bay and James Bay are at risk from a warming climate and development. Now members of some First Nations who have lived...
October 18, 2023
Watchdog finds race disparity in SIU probes into conduct
Black, Indigenous Ontarians overrepresented in cases, report finds Toronto Star: Black and Indigenous Ontarians are far more likely to be subject to police actions serious enough to lead to a Special Investigations Unit probe, the provincial watchdog says in a new report. Between 2020 and 2021, a Black person was 3.5 times more likely to...
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...
October 16, 2023
FNTI expresses concern about lack of resources to help Indigenous students
NationTalk: A local school is speaking out about the state of learning involving Indigenous students. More information is provided below: As students across the country head back to school this fall, Indigenous learners will not have equitable access to the personal, professional, and community benefits because Indigenous-led institutions do not have adequate resources. This further...
October 12, 2023
Climate change threatens winter roads connecting northern Ontario’s remote communities
Warmth, temperature volatility cutting First Nations off from provincial road network CBC Indigenous: For many northern Ontario First Nations, apart from air travel, the only connection to the rest of the province is seasonal winter roads built each year on the frozen rivers, lakes, muskeg and earth. As climate change continues to narrow the window during which...
October 12, 2023
A need for action on reconciliation
NationTalk: Winnipeg Free Press – Each year, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation prompts us to take stock of the progress we are making, as a country, on the journey towards reconciliation. Often this progress — or the lack of it — is measured by counting how many of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s...
October 10, 2023
Inside the battle over the Ring of Fire in northern Ontario
The Globe and Mail: NESKANTAGA FIRST NATION, ONT. – On a rock-covered beach in the heart of the Ring of Fire in northern Ontario, Alex Moonias gazes east, then north. All he sees is undisturbed land, water and air. Some 100 kilometres from where he stands, the province plans to build a road as part...
October 6, 2023
People accused of killing Indigenous women less likely to be charged with first-degree murder: study
Several factors from funding to distrust of colonial systems may contribute to the sentencing decisions APTN News: A report from Statistics Canada shows that there’s a disparity in the way homicide cases involving Indigenous women and girls are handled in the Canadian legal system. Data between 2009 and 2021 indicated that first-degree murder charges, the...
October 6, 2023
Ontario Mining Minister George Pirie is about to get a lot more powerfu
The Doug Ford government’s new amendments to the Mining Act will have politicians assess project safety and closure plans, rather than technical experts Through Bill 71, Ontario Mining Minister George Pirie, centre, will gain new powers to review exploration and mine closure plans. Photo: Carlos Osorio / The Narwhal The Narwhal: A year after being named...
October 5, 2023
Canada and the Culture Wars: Majority say legacy of colonialism still a problem, two-in-five disagree
Deep divisions over continued challenges from residential schools, special status for Indigenous Peoples Angus Reid Institute Poll Survey Results October 5, 2023 – Canada was officially proclaimed a dominion by the British in 1867, but this land’s history extends thousands of years prior. For most in this country, the legacy of first contact between Indigenous Peoples and early...
October 5, 2023
‘Alarming’ suicide rates in northern Ontario, Sudbury health unit says
WARNING: This story contains distressing details. NationTalk: CBC News: The public health unit in Sudbury reveals the rate of suicide in the Sudbury area is higher than the Ontario average. According to Public Health Sudbury and Districts, men are more likely to die by suicide than women, and the highest rate of suicide was among people 20 to 44...
October 2, 2023
Bill C-53 Rewards Indigenous Identity Theft – Statement by Minister Will Goodon
NationTalk: Winnipeg, Manitoba, in the National Homeland of the Red River Métis – In recent years, the Canadian public has become increasingly aware of the problem of Indigenous identity theft. At the individual level, this occurs when individuals falsely claim Indigenous identity to advance their careers and benefits. Indigenous identity theft can also occur at...
September 30, 2023
Orange Shirt Day: Canada faces rise in residential school denialism
Hate speech and confrontations are growing over the truth about missing children, graves and genocide People attend the second annual Orange Shirt Day Survivors Walk and Pow Wow on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on Sept. 30, 2022. With Orange Shirt Day approaching Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023, a surge in residential...
September 30, 2023
This should be a day when Canada rededicates itself to seeking justice
Toronto Star: “Hubert O’Connor: Child Molester.” That’s how the Victoria Times Colonist headlined the obituary for Catholic bishop Hubert O’Connor. He worked at the St. Joseph’s Mission Residential School in Williams Lake, B.C., where he began a career as a serial rapist of young Indigenous girls. In 1996, he became the highest ranking Catholic official...
September 30, 2023
Is corporate sector listening to Indigenous business leaders?
Toronto Star: Businesses aren’t exempt from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to address the ongoing, centuries-long oppression of Indigenous Peoples in Canada. The 94 calls to action cover everything from the constant removal of Indigenous children to non-Indigenous households, medical racism and the multi-generational damage done to survivors of the Canadian government’s genocidal residential...
September 26, 2023
Several First Nations from Ring of Fire region demand meeting with Premier Doug Ford
Ford wanted to send Indigenous affairs minister but the offer was refused. Members of the Land Defence Alliance, left to right, Chief Rudy Turtle of Grassy Narrows First Nation, Sol Mamakwa MPP, Elder Alex Moonias from Neskantaga First Nation and Cecilia Begg from Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation hold a press conference at Queen’s Park in...
September 22, 2023
First Nations in northern Ontario seek over $100B to honour treaty promise
APTN News: The Canadian Press -A legal battle playing out in a northern Ontario courtroom this month has seen an alliance of First Nations argue they are owed upwards of $100 billion for the Crown’s failure to honour a 173-year-old treaty promise, while the federal and provincial governments claim they are either owed far less,...
September 22, 2023
Caldwell First Nation calls for resignation of provincial Indigenous minister
The call stems from criticism over the Greenbelt issue, chief says CBC Indigenous: The chief of the Caldwell First Nation in southwestern Ontario is calling for the resignation of Ontario Minister of Indigenous Affairs Greg Rickford over what she says is a “disregard” for First Nations voices. “If we’re doing a cabinet shuffle, why are the First Nations...
September 21, 2023
Centre for Truth and Reconciliation still waiting for residential school records to be submitted, hears Senate
“It sounds to me like this might take quite considerable time, some number of years for this (documents advisory) committee to do its work,” —Senator David M. Arnot. Chair of the Senate Committee on Indigenous Peoples Mi’kmaw Senator Brian Francis. Windspeaker.com: It took referencing a dozen different sources to identify children who died at St....
September 20, 2023
MMF expresses support for First Nations rally opposing Bill C-53
NationTalk: Winnipeg, MB – in the National Homeland of the Red River Métis - Today, the Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF) – the National Government of the Red River Métis – expresses support for the First Nations protest on Parliament Hill against Canada recognizing unfounded and illegitimate Métis rights of Métis Nation of Ontario communities. Ontario First Nation...
September 14, 2023
Anishinabek Nation responds to the desecration of Sacred Site in Bon Echo Provincial Park
NationTalk: BARRIE, ON – The Chiefs of the Anishinabek Nation Southeast Region are calling attention to the recently discovered vandalism of a Sacred Site in Bon Echo Provincial Park. Mazinaw Rock has been a designated national historic site of Canada since 1982. It is the largest rock pictograph site on the southern Canadian Shield and...
September 13, 2023
Staggering mental health, addiction stats push northern First Nations to call for emergency declaration
Band members 6 times more likely to be hospitalized for mental health, addictions than rest of Ontario CBC Indigenous: Chiefs of First Nations in northern Ontario are calling for a public emergency and social crisis to be declared, emphasizing the disproportionate mental health and addictions issues facing their communities compared to the rest of the province....
September 12, 2023
Final arguments begin in a lawsuit that could award Ontario Indigenous groups billions
The Globe and Mail: First published September 11 – It has the potential to be the biggest litigation award in Canadian history and it all hinges on a clause scrawled 173 years ago. First Nations located around the resource-rich northern shore of Lake Superior are asking for $126-billion in compensation for the Crown’s failure to pay...
September 12, 2023
Racism partly to blame for unequal health care provided to Indigenous women: PHAC study
Indigenous communities are still deeply affected by the 2020 death of Atikamekw woman Joyce Echaquan in a Quebec hospital, where she filmed staff insulting her as she lay dying, Lee Clark said. The Canadian Press/Paul Chiasson NationTalk: Racism and the lack of primary care providers mean off-reserve First Nations, Metis and Inuit women and girls...
September 8, 2023
Some staff at St. Catherines Hospital ‘fearful’ of treating Indigenous patients: report
Panel reviewing death of Heather Winterstein calls for collaboration with Indigenous community Heather Winterstein died in 2022 after two trips to the St. Catherines Hospital. APTN news: A report detailing the grueling final days of Heather Winterstein’s life says some staff are “fearful” of treating Indigenous patients because they are unsure of the cultural correctness...
September 6, 2023
More than 500 Indigenous classes won’t have a teacher this week: here’s what we should do
Amid national teacher shortages, Indigenous communities are struggling enormously to recruit and retain teachers. The Toronto Star: Students start school this week in Eabametoong First Nation, a community 360 km northeast of Thunder Bay, where seven teaching positions remain unfilled; this includes two all-important kindergarten teachers for students who are starting school for the very...
September 6, 2023
Peace, order and bad education: How Canada is failing remote First Nation students in northern Ontario
By Matteo Cimellaro | Investigations, Urban Indigenous Communities in Ottawa | September 6th 2023 NationTalk: Canada’s National Observer – Indigenous education leadership brings a sense of belonging and culture to students in Thunder Bay. First Nation students in the city must live hundreds of kilometres away from family to complete high school. Photo by Matteo Cimellaro / CNO Listen to article At...
September 1, 2023
Ontario Regional Chief Glen Hare Supports the Findings of the Integrity Commissioner of Ontario’s Report on Minister Steve Clark
NationTalk: Toronto, ON – Ontario Regional Chief Glen Hare released the following statement regarding the Integrity Commissioner of Ontario’s Report regarding Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Steve Clark: “Yesterday, Minister Steve Clark held a press conference and gave remarks following the release of the Integrity Commissioner’s Report pertaining to Minister Clark’s conduct during the...
August 30, 2023
Coach given ‘travesty of game’ penalty during children’s championship lacrosse game
Whitby coach raised his middle finger to 8-year-old Six Nations player EDITOR’S NOTE: Videos and images in this story have been edited to protect the identity of children involved. CBC News: A championship lacrosse game in Whitby, Ont., earlier this month was marred by violence during the game and one of the Whitby team’s coaches raising...
August 29, 2023
Ontario First Nations leaders reiterate opposition to Greenbelt land swap in unanimous vote
Chiefs of Ontario says province didn’t adequately consult First Nations on Greenbelt decision CBC News: First Nations leaders from across Ontario are demanding the provincial government return environmental protections to land it recently removed from the Greenbelt to build housing. The Chiefs of Ontario, an organization that advocates for 133 First Nations in the province,...
August 29, 2023
First Nations chiefs demand return of Greenbelt land, call for criminal investigation of Ford government
By Abdul Matin Sarfraz | News | August 29th 2023 Following their Emergency Chiefs Assembly, the leaders also called for a criminal investigation into the province’s removal of Greenbelt land for housing development. Photo submitted by Chiefs of Ontario Communications Sector from a previous event Listen to article Canada’s National Observer: First Nations leaders in Ontario are demanding the Ford government...
August 29, 2023
Bruce County mayor resigns after accusing First Nation in Ontario of being ‘poor and unclean’ in recording
Garry Michi was caught on tape questioning funding to build water treatment plant in First Nation CBC News: The mayor of South Bruce Peninsula has resigned after he was caught on tape making racist comments about a nearby First Nation community, the Ontario town announced in a statement Tuesday. Garry Michi was recorded in an...
August 28, 2023
Barriers like racism, distrust may be main cause of health-care disparities for Indigenous women, study says
National study quantifying health-care inequities is 1st of its kind, lead author says Brishti Basu · CBC News · Posted: Aug 28, 2023 4:27 PM EDT | Last Updated: August 29 CBC News: Just before Tina Campbell had a minor medical procedure recently, she remembered the discrimination she says she felt while trying to access health care nearly two decades...
August 27, 2023
Indigenous females face more hurdles in health care access, study finds
The Globe and Mail: New research confirms what many Indigenous women have known all along: First Nations, Inuit and Métis females face many disparities in accessing health care. A study, led by the Public Health Agency of Canada and published in the CMAJ on Monday, found that First Nations, Inuit and Métis females have less access...
August 22, 2023
Marten Falls chief wants housing and water issues fixed ahead of Ring of Fire mining
Bruce Achneepineskum and community won’t be satisfied with the ‘bare minimum’ in consenting to James Bay development NationTalk: Northern Ontario Business – The chief of Marten Falls First Nation isn’t opposed to mine development, he’s just cautious about what should be included in any future agreement connected to the Ring of Fire. Bruce Achneepineskum wants...
August 21, 2023
Algonquin members organize in fight for identity, land and nationhood
‘We’re all starting to feel considerably more threats,’ says professor Veldon Coburn CBC News: It’s almost like a game of colonial whack-a-mole. Everywhere Algonquin Nation members look these days, it seems a new problem pops up. If it isn’t declining moose stocks, it’s a proposed radioactive dump on unceded land, and if it isn’t a controversial Ontario land claim or...
August 18, 2023
Ontario First Nations leaders call for housing minister, chief of staff to resign over Greenbelt controversy
Premier’s spokesperson says ministers regularly meet with Chiefs of Ontario leadership council at its request CBC News: A coalition of First Nations leaders is calling for the Ontario’s housing minister and his chief of staff to step down after the auditor general faulted the government for failing to consult with Indigenous communities before making the controversial decision to open up thousands...
August 18, 2023
Anishinabek Nation responds to the Auditor General’s Special Report on Ontario’s Greenbelt Development Plan
NationTalk: ANISHINABEK NATION HEAD OFFICE – The Anishinabek Nation is disappointed in the recent findings that the Ontario government’s plan to encroach on the portions of the protected Greenbelt were found to be favourable to specific developers and contractors. Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk released a special report on August 1, 2023, highlighting a number of concerns...
August 16, 2023
Toronto school board should vet claims of staff who self-identify as Indigenous, say former student, parent
Toronto District School Board says it’s creating a procedure informed by Indigenous communities · CBC News: A former student and parent of Kâpapâmahchakwêw – Wandering Spirit School in Toronto are calling on Canada’s largest school board to create a policy that vets applicants who claim to be Indigenous when they’re applying for positions at Indigenous-focused schools...
August 10, 2023
‘Pretendian’ conference delves into how to deal with false claims of Indigenous identity
APTN News: More than 30 people attended a conference in Tsuut’ina, just outside of Calgary, to talk about the issues of people falsely claiming Indigenous identity. They have come to colloquially be called “Pretendians. ”Participants came from as far as Halifax to hear about how to deal with increasing false claims of Indigenous identity.“ You...
August 9, 2023
Etobicoke South Humber Monument
NationTalk: South Humber Monument – Press Kit In the spirit of reconciliation and collaboration, in early 2021, three groups came together to develop new language and redesign the South Humber Monument (formerly known as the Brûlé Monument). United by the desire to recognize the historic Humber River’s heritage in a more appropriate, inclusive, and accurate...
August 8, 2023
Menu and decor at Manitou Bistro ‘reprehensible’ some Kitigan Zibi members say
‘Indigenous fusion’ restaurant near Ottawa raises concerns for some about appropriation CBC News – A restaurant near Ottawa is stirring up concerns over its menu and decor, which some say is a “mishmash” that is “making a mockery” of First Nations cultures from across North America. Suzette Foucault is the chef and owner of Manitou...
August 3, 2023
First Nation calls mining stakes ‘unlawful, invalid’ as it challenges Ontario’s free-entry system
Chief warns of legal action if community’s concerns aren’t addressed by province, Ottawa NationTalk: A First Nation in northwestern Ontario has issued a public notice to warn mining prospectors away from its traditional territory, and says the province’s free mine staking system is putting a potential treaty settlement at risk. The notice by Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek (KZA),...
July 31, 2023
End the Sexual Exploitation of Indigenous Women and Girls
NationTalk: July 30, 2023,Thunder Bay, ON – In support of the United Nations World Day Against Trafficking in Persons (July 30), the Ontario Native Women’s Association (ONWA) is calling on all levels of government as well as law enforcement and service agencies to increase their efforts to strengthen prevention and support Indigenous survivors of human trafficking/sexual exploitation. ONWA knows that...
July 31, 2023
Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek Resolves to Protect Its Treaty Rights Against Unconstitutional Mining Claim Registration
NationTalk: GULL BAY, ON – Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek (Gull Bay First Nation) (KZA) has publicly affirmed its resolve to protect its treaty rights against unconstitutional mining claim registration. In recent weeks, there has been a rush of new mining claim registration in the close vicinity of KZA’s reserve at Gull River. “The Mining Act permits...
July 31, 2023
Hydro One with the support of nine First Nations partners seeks approval to construct the Waasigan Transmission Line Project from the Ontario Energy Board
NationTalk: THUNDER BAY, ON – Hydro One Inc. (Hydro One) with the support of nine First Nation partners, announced today that it has filed an application with the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) to build and operate the Waasigan Transmission Line. The $1.2 billion infrastructure investment the company is proposing will provide many local economic benefits and support...
July 21, 2023
Members from several First Nations rally against northern Ontario mining plans
By Nairah Ahmed The Canadian Press NationTalk: Global News – TORONTO — Members of several First Nations rallied outside the Ontario legislature Thursday to raise concerns about mining exploration they say is happening on their lands against their will. Indigenous leaders and community members said they weren’t consulted as mining prospectors staked claims on their territories. They also pushed back against the...
July 20, 2023
Senate committee demands to know why all residential school records have yet to be turned over
“Every time an announcement of anomalies, reflections or recoveries are made, communities are being inundated by people emailing or phoning them to attack them and saying, ‘This didn’t happen’.” — Special Interlocutor Kimberly Murray Senator Brian Francis Windspeaker.com: Senate Standing Committee on Indigenous Peoples chair Senator Brian Francis calls a report released July 19 a...
July 20, 2023
Ontario Regional Chief Glen Hare Voices Concern Over the Lack of Inclusion of First Nations Law Enforcement Under the New Community Safety and Policing Act
Ontario Regional Chief Glen Hare Voices Concern Over the Lack of Inclusion of First Nations Law Enforcement Under the New Community Safety and Policing Act NationTalk: Toronto, ON – Ontario Regional Chief Glen Hare issued the following statement regarding Ontario’s Ministry of the Solicitor General’s decision to proceed towards finalizing their regulations under the new Community...
July 20, 2023
Indigenous people 17.7% more likely to be incarcerated in Sask.
Non-Indigenous people charged with crimes are more likely to receive bail than Indigenous people Jeremy Appel / Local Journalism Initiative Reporter / Alberta Native News Jul 20, 2023 10:00 PM NationTalk: Saskatoon Today: ALBERTA NATIVE NEWS — Saskatchewan has Canada’s highest rate of Indigenous over-representation in provincial custody, with Alberta in second place, according to new data...
July 19, 2023
Senate committee to question groups that have not released residential school records
Governments and churches ‘standing between Indigenous Peoples and the truth,’ committee member says CBC News: A Senate committee is pledging to hold a hearing this fall to demand answers from organizations that have not released records tied to Canada’s residential school system. In a news release Wednesday, P.E.I. Sen. Brian Francis called it “disheartening” that so many governments and...
July 19, 2023
This First Nation’s youth attempt suicide at alarming rates. A new study suggests it’s linked to residents’ exposure to dumped mercury
A study found significant association between inter-generational exposure to mercury and Grassy Narrows’ high rates of youth suicide attempts. WARNING: This story contains sensitive subject matter, including suicide and self-harm, that could be triggering for some readers. Mercury dumped upstream of Grassy Narrows First Nation decades ago has contributed to the community’s youth attempting suicide...
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 13, 2023
First Nation takes Ontario to court over Ring of Fire road
Former Neskantaga First Nation chief Wayne Moonias, seen at the far end of the boat. Photo submitted Listen to article Canada’s National Observer – On Thursday and Friday, Neskantaga First Nation will face off in court against the Ontario government over what the nation argues was a flawed consultation on a road that will link the...
July 11, 2023
Nuclear waste issue must be resolved before new facility can be explored, says Saugeen Ojibway Nation
The Bruce Nuclear Station was built in the 1960s without the consultation or consent of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation. An aerial shot of the Bruce Power facility on the eastern shore of Lake Huron. Photo: Bruce Power. APTN News: The Saugeen Ojibway Nation is not making any commitments on the proposed expansion of the Bruce...
July 7, 2023
Rama First Nation police officer investigated for threat against APTN journalist
Officer objected to a story APTN published about her romantic partner. APTN News: A Rama First Nation police officer is under investigation after sending emails to an APTN News journalist to express her displeasure at a story he wrote about her romantic partner being involved in an alleged assault on a Métis man in custody....
July 6, 2023
National Inuit leader skipping premiers’ meeting over matter of respect
Natan Obed says relationship with premiers still a ‘long ways away’ from one needed for true reconciliation CBC News: The leader of the national organization representing Inuit turned down an invitation to meet with Canada’s premiers next week over the inclusion of non-rights-holding Indigenous groups. Natan Obed, president of the Inuit Tapirit Kanatami (ITK), told...
July 5, 2023
Video shows police officer punching Métis man with intellectual disabilities
By Kenneth JacksonJul 05, 2023 OPP say it’s launched two internal reviews APTN News: Police cellblock video recently obtained by APTN News shows an Ontario Provincial Police officer repeatedly punching a Métis man in the head while in a jail cell as two other officers look on. The incident happened more than a year ago in...
July 3, 2023
Ontario is still appealing the Robinson Treaties case to the Supreme Court, despite proposed settlement
The province’s appeal will be heard in the fall CBC News: An out of court settlement agreement has been reached with one group of plaintiffs, but litigation in the Robinson treaties case is far from over. The Supreme Court of Canada is slated to hear Ontario’s appeal in November. The case concerns a promise made...
June 26, 2023
Considerations for collecting data on race and Indigenous identity during health card renewal across Canadian jurisdictions
Andrew D. Pinto, Azza Eissa, Tara Kiran, Angela Mashford-Pringle, Allison Needham and Irfan DhallaCMAJ June 26, 2023 195 (25) E880-E882; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.221587 KEY POINTS Canada’s health care systems do not routinely collect self-reported race and Indigenous identity data and often lack a standardized and consistent approach to data collection that would permit comparisons between organizations or jurisdictions. Collecting racial and Indigenous identity data is necessary for...
June 20, 2023
Residential School Denialism Is on the Rise. What to Know
And how to confront it. Because without the truth, there can be no reconciliation. The Tyee: May 27, 2023 marked the two-year anniversary of the Tk’emlúps te Secwe̓pemc’s announcement about the location of 215 potential unmarked graves at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in the Interior of British Columbia. In recognition of the anniversary,...
June 19, 2023
Medical patients flock to this northern community, but there aren’t enough places to stay
Those travelling to Sioux Lookout for health care pushed to hotels as far as Dryden, Ignace, Lac Seul CBC News: Health-care workers in Sioux Lookout, Ont., hope a new hostel will ease the pressures of overcrowding among people travelling to the community for medical care. Thousands of people from remote First Nations in northwestern Ontario...
June 19, 2023
Is A Genocide Taking Place in Canada? Short Answer: Yes.
NationTalk: (OTTAWA, ON) – A genocide is being perpetuated against Indigenous peoples in Canada. That was the unambiguous declaration of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. But, despite a death toll that climbs year after year, many Canadians have difficulty understanding how the Inquiry reached its finding, or accepting that...
June 15, 2023
First Nation Librarians strategize best service despite low funding
Of the 133 First Nations in Ontario, only 39 have public libraries. Pre-pandemic, there were 46 First Nation libraries. The First Nation salary supplement from the province is around $13,000 annually. NationTalk: Anishinabeknews.ca, NORTH BAY — The 2023 Maanjidiwaad Annual Meeting of First Nation Public Libraries in Ontario (formerly called Spring Gathering) was held at...
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 13, 2023
Ontario land tribunal dismisses appeal against Inuit development in Ottawa
APTN News: Things appear to be back on track for the Larga Baffin development after Ontario’s land tribunal dismissed an appeal against the facility last week. “At the end of the day the objective is to build the facility to serve the people of Baffin Island and we’re really pleased for the community that this...
June 9, 2023
3 Indigenous police services in northern Ontario could cease operating due to lack of funding
The police services collectively serve around 30,000 people across northern Ontario CBC News: Three Indigenous police services that serve 45 First Nations across northern Ontario say they are at risk of shutting down due to a lack of funding. The Treaty Three Police Service, UCCM Anishnaabe Police Service and Anishinabek Police Service have not received funding from...
June 7, 2023
Every Canadian has a role in ending the MMIWG crisis, advocate says
Empathy ‘must stay in Canadians’ hearts past the evening’s news broadcast’: Hilda Anderson-Pyrz This column is an opinion written by Hilda Anderson-Pyrz, chair of the National Family and Survivors Circle, as part of CBC’s “Mother. Sister. Daughter,” a project that tracked progress on the 231 calls to justice from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered...
June 5, 2023
Search for missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls hampered by police apathy: Researchers
‘The problem of Indigenous women being overpoliced and underprotected is all across Canada’ Participants walk in the Women’s Memorial March in Vancouver to remember missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls (photo by Liang Sen/Xinhua via Getty Images) Content warning: the following contains disturbing subject matter. NationTalk: University of Toronto – In Canada, research shows...
June 5, 2023
Indigenous coalition urges Canada’s healthcare system to ‘Rise Above Racism’
NationTalk: themessage. Who: A coalition of Indigenous health organizations (First Nations Health Managers Association, First Peoples Wellness Circle and Thunderbird Partnership Foundation); with NationTalk for strategy, creative and media (supported by Cleansheet Communications). What: “Rise Above Racism,” a new government-funded awareness campaign highlighting the issue of anti-Indigenous racism within the Canadian healthcare system. This is the second...
June 1, 2023
They say Canada’s health system is broken. But can First Nations leaders create a new one in the shadow of colonialism?
“We’ve been very clear with Canada that any federal health legislation that moves forward must recognize the Treaty and Inherent Right to health,” says Vice Chief David Pratt Toronto Star: First Nations leaders are wrestling with what the future of Indigenous health care should look like as they piece together legislation meant to deal with...
May 30, 2023
Fireside Chats on Indigenous Health – Improving the health of Indigenous Peoples
Credit: Canadian Medical Association NationTalk: Canadian Medical Association President Dr. Alika Lafontaine joins Dr. Paula Cashin, Canada’s first Indigenous radiologist and a member of CMA’s board of directors, and Dr. Sarah Williams, CMA’s strategic advisor for Indigenous health, to discuss improving the health of Indigenous Peoples. This is the second event in a CMA series on...
May 30, 2023
‘Get off the bulldozer’ and come to the table, Matawa chief tells Premier Ford
“Any activity in our territory without our consent is cultural genocide. Because, you know what? We are Cree. We’re not separate and apart from the land.” — Constance Lake First Nation Chief Ramona Sutherland WindSpeaker: Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he’s ready to jump on the bulldozer and build the access road to the Ring...
May 27, 2023
‘We were anything but primitive’: How Indigenous-led archaeology is challenging colonial preconceptions
The field of archaeology changing. So are the ways some young Indigenous people see themselves CBC News: When she was about eight years old, Jennifer Tenasco moved from her home community of Kitigan Zibi, Que., to Ottawa. Changing schools meant she’d lost an important place to learn about her culture: her classroom on reserve. “It...
May 25, 2023
Sexual assault organizations struggling to help victims post-pandemic: study
APTN News: The preliminary findings of a new national survey is highlighting how frontline sexual assault organizations are struggling to provide timely services to victims and survivors post-pandemic. The report, which was conducted by national organization Ending Violence Association of Canada, surveyed more than 100 sexual violence organizations (SVOs) across Canada on how the pandemic impacted...
May 23, 2023
The Treaty Right to Health and the Legacy of the Indian Health Policy (1979)
Contemporary Legislative and Policy Considerations EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This document provides a succinct overview of the health-related legal and policy frameworks that frame and limit the potential for self-determination and self-government of First Nations people. This review is informed by recent developments such as the report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the associated Calls...
May 20, 2023
Court dispute between First Nations and Métis Nation of Ontario highlights longstanding issues
‘We need structures that allow us to have those disputes aired’ that aren’t the courts, says Daniel Voth CBC News: An ongoing court battle between the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) and several First Nations is highlighting longstanding conflict over recognition of Métis communities and rights. After the MNO signed a self-government agreement with the federal government in February, several First...
May 19, 2023
‘It needs to be a day of reckoning:’ Parliamentary committee studying land back
‘I think this study will really explore the connection of Indigenous people to land in a way that people don’t naturally equate to property.’ A school bus rests on the road at 1492 Land Back Lane Blockade in Caledonia, Ont. Photo: APTN file APTN News: The standing committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs is undertaking...
May 18, 2023
Editing the oath: growing call for province to mention treaty rights in municipal oath of office
Any changes to the municipal oath of office need to be approved by the Ontario government Several city and town councils in northeastern Ontario want to edit the oath of office mayors and councillors say before they take their seats. They have passed motions in recent weeks calling on the provincial government to change the oath...
May 18, 2023
Garden River First Nation launches new lawsuit against Ontario and Canada
Chief Andy Rickard says “it’s time to right the wrongs of the past” CBC News: Members of the Garden River First Nation traveled hundreds of kilometers to go to Queen’s Park on Thursday and announce a lawsuit against Ontario and Canada for breaching the Robinson Huron Treaty of 1850. The community, which is home to...
May 18, 2023
First Nation sues Ontario over land the same day ROM returns 200-year-old pipe to it
The pipe is among a number of items the ROM will be returning to the Sault Ste. Marie-area Ojibwa Anishinaabe First Nation Toronto Star: 200-year-old tomahawk pipe was returned to the Garden River First Nation by the Royal Ontario Museum on Thursday, with Chief Andy Rickard calling it “another step” in repatriating a number of artifacts....
May 16, 2023
Chiefs of Ontario Launches Public Education and Awareness Campaign Surrounding Systemic Racism
NationTalk: Toronto, ON The Chiefs of Ontario’s Justice Sector is proud to launch the newly developed Public Education and Awareness Campaign surrounding systemic racism. The campaign is intended to raise awareness about lesser-known systemic issues, the policy decisions that lead to them, and solutions to dismantle and correct them. In pinpointing various precise policy choices that...
May 15, 2023
Quebec sent Ottawa hospital hundreds of birth alerts despite Ontario ban
Hospital received 298 birth alerts since October 2020, when Ontario ended them CBC News: Despite the fact that Ontario put a stop to birth alerts in 2020, Quebec child welfare agencies continued to send hundreds of the controversial notifications — which can be used to threaten to or actually seize newborns from their mothers — to Ottawa’s largest hospital....
May 12, 2023
More than 6 years later, Moses Beaver’s means of death ‘undetermined’, inquest jury finds
Jury delivers 63 recommendations focused on improving mental health care for Indigenous people WARNING: This story discusses mental distress and suicide. CBC News: The jury overseeing the inquest into the death of Moses Beaver has deemed the means of his death to be undetermined — which is the finding his family was hoping for. The...
May 12, 2023
‘We’re building that Ring of Fire,’ says Doug Ford
Premier said Far North mine and road development will elevate standard of living in remote communities Listen to this article00:03:32 First Peoples Law Report: Northern Ontario Business – Threats of litigation and conflict aside, Ontario Premier Doug Ford isn’t backing down from his government’s commitment to develop mines in the James Bay lowlands. “We’re building...
May 11, 2023
Opinion: To get Indigenous murder and suicide rates down, first face facts
Canadians need to agree on the hard fact of modern life that education is a prerequisite for economic success NationTalk: Financial Post – From 2017 through 2021, 1.45 non-Indigenous Canadians in 100,000 died from homicide. Among Indigenous Canadians the rate was six times that: 8.88 in 100,000. That average masks a stark regional difference, however....
May 9, 2023
Canada accused of stonewalling in court challenge to Métis Nation of Ontario self-government deal
Federal government withholds documents, MNO wants to have case dismissed CBC News: The Canadian government is being accused of stonewalling in a court challenge by the First Nations of the Wabun Tribal Council against a recently signed Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) self-government agreement. Lawyers for Crown-Indigenous Relations are refusing to release internal documents tied to the deal,...
May 8, 2023
Moses Beaver’s sons tell inquest their requests for help for Oji-Cree artist were brushed off
NAN leader asks inquest, now in 4th and final week, why recommendations from previous inquests not in place WARNING: This story discusses sexual abuse, mental distress and suicide. CBC News: Over the past three weeks, the jury probing the inquest into the 2017 death of Moses Amik Beaver has heard numerous calls for better mental...
May 3, 2023
What you need to know about Still Waiting for Truth and Reconciliation, a progress report on Indigenous education in Ontario
People for Education makes key recommendations to adhere to 11 calls to action NationTalk: Huntsville Forester – On April 23, People for Education released a progress report, Still Waiting for Truth and Reconciliation, on Indigenous education in Ontario. People for Education is an independent, non-partisan, charitable organization working to support and advance public education through research, policy...
May 2, 2023
MPs call for national emergency declaration on violence against Indigenous women, girls, two-spirit people
Motion was presented by NDP MP Leah Gazan of Winnipeg Centre CBC News: The House of Commons adopted a motion on unanimous consent Tuesday calling on the federal government to declare ongoing violence against Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people a national emergency. The motion was presented by Winnipeg Centre NDP MP Leah Gazan. It also...
April 27, 2023
Atikameksheng Anishnawbek issues a formal response to Ontario government’s proposed Bill 71, Building More Mines Act
We do not support Bill 71 and call for a complete review of the Ontario Mining Act in collaboration with First Nations in Ontario NationTalk: AnishinabekNews.ca – ATIKAMEKSHENG ANISHNAWBEK – After careful review and consideration of the impacts that Ontario’s Bill 71, Building More Mines Act, 2023, will have on the traditional territories of Atikameksheng Anishnawbek,...
April 27, 2023
Changes to Mining Act expose cracks in Ontario’s duty to consult with First Nations
Ministry of Mines says it engaged with First Nations after Bill 71 was introduced First Peoples Law Report: CBC News: A First Nation chief was sitting at his desk when he received an email from the Ministry of Mines informing him that the government was working to amend the Mining Act. This was the first...
April 26, 2023
First Nations leaders in Treaty 9 say their message is clear — no development without us as partners
Chiefs from 10 communities in the region launch lawsuit, arguing Crown can’t make unilateral land decisions Treaty 9 First Nations leaders say their message is clear, no development without us as partners To view the above video click on the following link: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/first-nations-lawsuit-ring-of-fire-development-1.6822920 CBC News: First Nations leaders in northern Ontario are ramping up political...
April 26, 2023
10 First Nations sue Ontario and Canada over resource extraction and broken Treaty 9 promises
Arguing that resource extraction has violated Indigenous jurisdiction for over a century, the case could stall the Ontario government’s plans to mine the Ring of Fire The Narwhal: Ten northern First Nations launched a lawsuit against the Ontario and federal governments Wednesday, arguing that resource extraction on their territories has infringed upon their jurisdiction for...
April 26, 2023
Can the Crown make land decisions without First Nations consent? Treaty 9 lawsuit argues no
Lawyer calls lawsuit ‘frontal attack’ on colonial idea governments have ‘supreme right to rule’ CBC News: Several First Nations have announced their intention to take the Ontario and Canadian governments to court, in a lawsuit their lead lawyer says could fundamentally change the way resource and land management decisions are made in the Treaty 9 area. Leaders...
April 25, 2023
This Ojibway man served his sentence, then says the Crown tried to put strict conditions on his release
Case of Shaldon Wabason, who fought and won peace bond attempt, raises concerns involving Indigenous people CBC News: A man from an Ojibway First Nation in northwestern Ontario says Crown lawyers wrongfully tried to impose unnecessarily strict conditions on his release from jail. Shaldon Wabason, who’s from Whitesand First Nation, and his lawyers say prosecutors in...
April 24, 2023
More mental health resources needed in remote First Nations, jury hears during Moses Beaver inquest
First week of inquest into Moses Beaver’s death in Thunder Bay, Ont. focuses on events in Nibinamik WARNING: This story discusses mental distress and suicide. CBC News: Calls to improve mental health care resources in remote First Nations in northwestern Ontario continue to be at the forefront of the inquest into the death of Moses...
April 20, 2023
Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief carries strong message to United Nations on behalf of E’Dbendaagzijig
NationTalk: NEW YORK, NY (April 20, 2023) — Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief Reg Niganobe joined an international delegation including representatives from the Bay Mills Indian Community, Center for International Environmental Law, EarthRights International, and Environmental Defence Canada this week at the 22nd United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) carrying a strong message to...
April 18, 2023
Advocates call on Canada to establish multi-year funding for Indigenous youth organizations
New report launched at side-event for United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues CBC News: Indigenous youth advocates are turning to the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues to put pressure on the federal government to better fund Indigenous-led youth groups. Representatives from five Indigenous youth groups travelled to New York City this week...
April 18, 2023
Open Letter to Governments and Ring of Fire Metals from Norman Shewaybick on the Demand for a Fire Truck and Fire Station in Webequie First Nation parallel to the Study on the Webequie Supply Road
NationTalk: I would like to start by saying I am writing in the capacity of a Webequie First Nation member, resident of the community and caretaker of my homelands which happen to be located in the area known as the Ring of Fire where high-grade critical minerals like nickel, copper, cobalt, chrome, platinum and palladium...
April 17, 2023
Indigenous leaders, conservation charity not huge fans of Mining Act changes
Critics object to lack of consultation with First Nations, fear long-term damage to the environment Northern Ontario Business: Cutting bureaucratic red tape at Queen’s Park to expedite the process of putting more mines into production isn’t flying with Indigenous leadership across Ontario. The Chiefs of Ontario are throwing their support behind the Matawa Chiefs Council and their...
April 14, 2023
AFN Affirms Support for First Nations’ Assertion of Rights in Treaty 9 Legal Action on Cumulative Impacts
NationTalk: Ottawa, ON – On Tuesday, during its Special Chiefs Assembly, the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) adopted a Resolution in support of litigation launched by Chapleau Cree First Nation, Missanabie Cree First Nation, and Brunswick House First Nation (the Treaty 9 Nations). The litigation challenges the Government of Ontario’s failure to uphold the Crown’s obligations...
April 13, 2023
Child welfare agencies failed to ensure safety of Indigenous girl at risk of human trafficking, Ombudsman finds
NationTalk: (TORONTO) Multiple child welfare organizations failed to ensure the safety of a vulnerable Indigenous girl who repeatedly went missing while she was supposed to be receiving supervised services from a foster care agency, Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dubé’s latest investigation has found. In his report, Missing in Inaction, Misty’s Story, released today, the Ombudsman examines what...
April 12, 2023
Trudeau says premiers’ claims about natural resources power grab have ‘no grounding in truth’
Premiers criticized justice minister for saying Ottawa will look at resource agreement CBC News: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing the premiers of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba of misinterpreting remarks by a federal minister on whether Ottawa might review agreements that give those provinces control of natural resources. “Let me be very clear. The minister of...
April 12, 2023
Trudeau says premiers’ claims about natural resources power grab have ‘no grounding in truth’
Premiers criticized justice minister for saying Ottawa will look at resource agreement CBC News: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing the premiers of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba of misinterpreting remarks by a federal minister on whether Ottawa might review agreements that give those provinces control of natural resources. “Let me be very clear. The minister of...
April 12, 2023
The Chiefs of Ontario Express Support for Matawa Chiefs Council Response Against Ontario’s Bill 71: Building More Mines Act
NationTalk: (Toronto, ON) The Chiefs of Ontario express their full support of the Matawa Chiefs Council and their statement regarding their formal response to Ontario’s proposed Bill 71: Building More Mines Act. “The Chiefs of Ontario entirely support and stand with the Matawa Chiefs Council in their statement regarding Ontario’s lack of meaningful consultation, environmental oversight,...
April 11, 2023
Western premiers blast Lametti for suggesting Ottawa might ‘look at’ provinces’ power over natural resources
Lametti told an AFN meeting he would examine calls to rescind Natural Resources Transfer Act CBC News: Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and three western premiers are calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to disassociate his government from comments made by his justice minister — who promised last week to “look at” a decades-old law that...
April 11, 2023
Western premiers blast Lametti for suggesting Ottawa might ‘look at’ provinces’ power over natural resources
Lametti told an AFN meeting he would examine calls to rescind Natural Resources Transfer Act CBC News: Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and three western premiers are calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to disassociate his government from comments made by his justice minister — who promised last week to “look at” a decades-old law that...
April 11, 2023
Analysis of anti-Indigenous racism in hospitals reveals pattern of harm, no tracking mechanism
Canada’s National Observer: “Sakihitowin means love,” Pearl Gambler says, recalling the day she gave her daughter her name. It was the day Sakihitowin was born — and died. From Bigstone Cree Nation, Gambler entered Edmonton’s Misericordia Hospital on June 11, 2020, and experienced a series of events that she can only characterize as traumatic and...
April 10, 2023
‘We’re in a humanitarian crisis,’ Attawapiskat chief calls for more land to build adequate housing
The remote community declared a state of emergency in 2011 and 2013 CBC News: Attawapiskat First Nation Chief Sylvia Koostachin-Metatawabin says the community, located on the James Bay coast, has no room to build urgently needed housing because its reserve lands are “landlocked.” Koostachin-Metatawabin said that while her community’s traditional territory is more than 45,000 hectares in size, the reserve lands are...
April 8, 2023
Canada is sitting on a critical minerals motherlode. But is it ready for the new gold rush?
Proponents say Canada must do more to turn aspiration into action CBC News: Drive two hours north of Ottawa, put on a hard hat and bright orange vest, descend into a pit — and you find yourself on the frontline in the fight to be part of the new, green economy. A mining project might not...
April 7, 2023
‘We will never give up on defending our land’: Ontario declares 10-year logging ban in Grassy Narrows
In a letter to Chief Rudy Turtle of the Asubpeeschoseewagong Netum Anishinabek First Nation, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry said it has abandoned its plans to open up a portion of the First Nation’s traditional forest to commercial logging for the next 10 years CBC News: For more than two decades, the people...
April 7, 2023
Repudiating a racist doctrine
Words don’t just hurt. Some words kill. THE STAR’S VIEW The Toronto Star: Consider, for example, the authorization “to invade, search out, capture, vanquish and subdue” a group of people, and “to reduce their persons to perpetual slavery.” Those words aren’t just hurtful; they’re downright deadly. Nonetheless, those are the words of Romanus Pontifex, the...
April 4, 2023
Sioux Lookout hospital getting safe rooms, with hopes of bringing better support for mental health patients
About 20% of ER visits last year to northwestern Ontario hospital related to mental health or addictions CBC News: The Meno Ya Win Health Centre in Sioux Lookout in northwestern Ontario is undergoing renovations to make space for four safe rooms in its emergency department. The rooms will be designated for patients experiencing acute mental health...
April 4, 2023
Saugeen First Nation wins treaty ruling on century-old land dispute in Sauble Beach
Town of South Bruce Peninsula says it’s reviewing Ontario court’s decision CBC News: Saugeen First Nation has won a boundary dispute with a municipal government over a stretch of beach that’s a popular tourist destination in Ontario’s Bruce Peninsula. On Tuesday, the First Nation said Superior Court Justice Susan Vella ruled Monday that a strip...
April 3, 2023
Matawa Chiefs Council issue formal Response to Ontario Government’s Proposed Bill 71 – Building more Mines Act
Ontario prepares itself to Boom on Mining and Critical Minerals while minimizing Environmental Oversight and Avoiding Crown Responsibilities to First Nations across the North NationTalk: MATAWA TRADITIONAL TERRITORIES AND HOMELANDS: As the Matawa member First Nations have taken time to review and consider the impacts of Ontario’s Bill 71 – Building More Mines Act introduced...
March 30, 2023
‘Part of my culture’: Cree woman refused service at Sask. bar for traditional face tattoo
Prince Albert pub owner stands by policy banning anyone with visible face tattoos CBC News: A Cree woman says she was kicked out of a Prince Albert bar because of the cultural tattoo on her chin. Sara Carriere-Burns is from James Smith Cree Nation in Saskatchewan and lives in Prince Albert. On March 25, she joined family members at...
March 30, 2023
‘No consent, no Ring of Fire’: Far North First Nations take mining battle straight to Ontario legislature
First Nations leaders kicked out of Queen’s Park, after dozens of people travelled thousands of kilometres to oppose development without Indigenous consent The Narwhal: In a balcony at the Ontario legislature, overlooking rows of lawmakers sparring over mining in the Far North, Chris Moonias rose to his feet. The Chief-elect of Neskantaga First Nation was...
March 29, 2023
First Nations protesting Ontario’s accelerated mining development plans
The Globe and Mail: Five First Nations communities are planning to stare down Doug Ford in the Ontario Legislature Wednesday, alleging that the Premier is railroading through mining development without their consent. Leaders of Neskantaga, KI, Grassy Narrows, Wapekeka and Muskrat Dam First Nations said in a statement they are converging on Queen’s Park with...
March 29, 2023
First Nations leaders walk out of Queen’s Park after heated exchange over mining proposals
First Nations alliance won’t allow mining without first giving free, prior, informed consent CBC News: Leaders of five First Nations who are pushing for their voices to be heard when it comes to proposed mining projects walked out of the Ontario Legislature on Wednesday after a heated exchange. Ahead of question period in the Legislature, the...
March 16, 2023
Ontario pledges $29M to protect boreal caribou — but the spending isn’t without criticism
4-year funding plan to support habitat restoration, protection and monitoring CBC News: Ontario plans to spend $29 million to help protect an iconic — and threatened — species: boreal caribou. David Piccini, the provincial minister of environment, conservation and parks, made the announcement Wednesday at Lakehead University’s campus in Thunder Bay, Ont. The funding will be distributed...
March 16, 2023
Measuring Realities of Racism in Northern Ontario
Nationtalk: While racism and discrimination are still prevalent in Northern Ontario, the latest reports by Northern Policy Institute in partnership with Environics Research show that, for the most part, northern communities are welcoming. In February 2022, Northern Policy Institute and organizations across Northern Ontario launched a data-collection exercise to measure individual experiences and attitudes across...
March 14, 2023
Haldimand Tract Litigation New Website and Update
NationTalk: Six Nations of the Grand River Band, under the direction of Elected Council, is suing the governments of Canada and Ontario in a court case that started in 1995. The Band says that under the 1784 Haldimand Proclamation, which it considers a treaty, the British Crown set aside about 950,000 acres of lands along...
March 14, 2023
Billions have been made on Robinson Huron Treaty lands. First Nations could finally get a fair share
For 173 years, Canada has failed to truly share profits from nickel, copper, uranium, lumber and fish. Now, courts will weigh in on fair payback for First Nations in northeastern Ontario The Narwhal: In northeastern Ontario, a treaty dispute over 170 years in the making might finally be coming to a close. A legal trust...
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
‘A better way’: An Indigenous alternative to Ontario’s faltering child-welfare system
Global News: Ethan Pokno’s knee shakes nervously as he recalls the moment he says his whole life flashed before him. He was 12 years old. He and his three younger brothers were sent to foster homes and — for Ethan and the second-oldest brother — ultimately a group home a 10-hour drive away. “Still scars...
March 7, 2023
Neskantaga First Nation says it wasn’t adequately consulted in key Ring of Fire environmental study
First Peoples Law Report: The Globe and Mail: Neskantaga First Nation says it wasn’t adequately consulted in a key Ring of Fire environmental study, and is warning Ring of Fire Metals, the Australian mining company bent on developing the region, that it will have to use force against members of the First Nation before they...
March 6, 2023
Ontario and two First Nations agree on terms for last of three roads into Ring of Fire
The Globe and Mail: Ontario and two First Nations have agreed on terms of reference on an environmental assessment for the last of the three proposed roads into the Ring of Fire, a small step forward in the province’s ambitions to become a major player in electric vehicle minerals. Webequie, Marten Falls, and the province...
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...
March 4, 2023
Canadian history was overdue for a rewrite
The Globe and Mail: The Governor-General of Canada usually chooses her words with careful, unsmiling deliberation. But her anger at the way that Canadian history has, until recently, been taught in our schools was unmistakable. “It has been uneven and it is unfair,” Mary Simon said. “This country is so diverse, but for the longest...
March 3, 2023
Lawyer says First Nations will fight Ontario government’s proposed mining changes
MiningWatch Canada advocate wonders ‘what’s left to cut?’ CBC News: The Ontario government’s proposed changes to mining regulations are drawing concern among mining critics and advocates for First Nations. Kate Kempton represents the northern Ontario First Nations of Attawapiskat, Ginoogaming, Constance Lake and Aroland. In 2021, Attawapiskat, Neskantaga and Fort Albany signed a moratorium on new developments in...
March 3, 2023
Lakehead University students demand school cut ties with RBC for funding fossil fuel projects
CBC News: About two dozen Lakehead University students in Thunder Bay, Ont. protested outside the Royal Bank campus branch Thursday afternoon — but their concerns had nothing to do with banking fees. Instead, they were calling out the institution for being the country’s biggest funder of the fossil fuel industry, according to a global report called Banking on...
March 2, 2023
Doug Ford government wants to speed up mining permits in Ontario
Changes to Mining Act aim to boost production of critical minerals, essential for EV batteries CBC News: Premier Doug Ford’s government will propose on Thursday changes to the laws governing approval of mining projects to boost Ontario’s production of minerals essential to electric vehicle batteries and other technologies, CBC News has learned. The changes would speed up...
March 2, 2023
Doug Ford government wants to speed up mining permits in Ontario
Changes to Mining Act aim to boost production of critical minerals, essential for EV batteries CBC News: Premier Doug Ford’s government will propose on Thursday changes to the laws governing approval of mining projects to boost Ontario’s production of minerals essential to electric vehicle batteries and other technologies, CBC News has learned. The changes would speed up permits...
March 1, 2023
Métis Nation of Ontario votes to boot members with incomplete files
Of 8,270 members who cast ballots, 5,898 voted in favour of removal CBC: The Métis Nation of Ontario has voted to boot 5,400 members whose files lack hard evidence of a Métis connection. The MNO announced the results of a province-wide plebiscite in a news release on Wednesday, saying a clear majority voted to remove members with...
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 25, 2023
One dead, two unaccounted for after house fire in Pikangikum First Nation
The Globe and Mail: A remote northwestern Ontario First Nation lacked the facilities to extinguish a house fire that left one dead and two others missing, two local leaders said as they implored the federal government for help bolstering fire services. The CEO of the Independent First Nations Alliance, a group that represents five communities...
February 23, 2023
How missing Indigenous women could be saved with ‘Red Dress Alert’
Nation Talk: CTV News – One Winnipeg MP is calling for a system, similar to the existing Amber Alerts, to be established to notify the public about missing Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people. “We currently have crisis of violence against Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people in this country. Something that our current prime...
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 11, 2023
It’s everyone’s job to help end the MMIWG crisis, advocates say — and here’s how
‘It starts with everybody taking responsibility,’ says author of inquiry’s final report WARNING: This story contains distressing details. CBC News: Lorelei Williams is exhausted. The Coast Salish woman has been on the frontlines of the missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls crisis in Vancouver since 2012, when she founded Butterflies in Spirit to raise awareness about...
February 7, 2023
First Nations owed over $100B under 1850 Ontario treaty: Nobel-winning economist – National Post
Joseph Stiglitz is testifying in a Sudbury, Ont., courtroom why First Nations may have been short-changed under a revenue-sharing treaty signed in 1850 NationTalk: National Post – He is a Nobel prize winner, former vice president of the World Bank and one of the globe’s most famous economists. And this week Joseph Stiglitz is testifying...
February 7, 2023
Governments Opposed to the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Updated Feb. 7, 2023 to move BC to those who have enacted a statutory holiday Those provinces who will not recognize Sept 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, as a statutory holiday: Province/Territory IndigenousPopulation Party in Power Date Comment Alberta 258,640 Conservative – Alberta told CTV Edmonton it won’t legislate the holiday, but...
February 2, 2023
Ontario says it doesn’t owe First Nations seeking compensation for broken treaty
The Globe and Mail: Indigenous communities are in court seeking billions of dollars in compensation after almost 150 years of receiving small annual payments in return for ceding an area the size of France. But the Ontario government is arguing they are owed nothing, or at most $34-million. The wide divergence in claims was on...
February 1, 2023
Grassy Narrows hosts Historic Alliance to protect lands and waters from mining exploration companies enabled by Ford Government’s pro-industry stance
We are proud to share with you that yesterday leadership from Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI, or Big Trout Lake First Nation), Wapekeka, Neskantaga, and Asubpeeschoseewagong Anishinabek (Grassy Narrows) met in Grassy Narrows to sign a Mutual Cooperation Agreement. The four strong First Nations are forming an alliance to protect their lands and waters in the face...
January 31, 2023
10-year-old girl killed in fire in remote Cree northern Ontario community with no fire services
Peawanuck has bought a fire truck but it’s stuck in Winnipeg CBC News: A 10-year-old girl died in a house fire in the remote northern Ontario community of Peawanuck, Ont., which does not have access to fire services or basic firefighting equipment. Alison Linklater, grand chief of Mushkegowuk Council, said the small community is “in...
January 27, 2023
SCO Urges Prime Minister to Include First Nations Leaders in Health Meeting
NationTalk: ANISHINAABE AND DAKOTA TERRITORY, MB — Today, the Southern Chiefs’ Organization (SCO) is calling on Prime Minister Trudeau and the Government of Canada to ensure that First Nations leaders are included in health discussions on February 7, 2023. “Health care systems are in crisis. They are not meeting the needs of First Nations people, and...
January 25, 2023
First Nations groups upset with exclusion from health-care funding talks
‘There is no reconciliation for First Nations when we continue to be excluded from these crucial discussions’ CBC News: First Nations groups are criticizing their exclusion from an upcoming meeting between federal, provincial and territorial governments aiming to reach a funding deal to improve the country’s ailing health-care system. The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations...
January 18, 2023
Canada, Ontario, and Robinson Huron Treaty Leadership Announce two-week mediation
Robinson Huron leadership assembled at a closed-door Special Chiefs Meeting in Sudbury, Ont., on Jan. 16 to confer with their legal team from Nahwegahbow Corbiere Genoodmagejig Barristers & Solicitors in preparation for the historic mediation NationTalk: ANISHINANBEKNEWS.ca: SUDBURY — Canada and Ontario were in a tight corner: staring down a dispassionate, nonpartisan court set to...
January 17, 2023
‘A tragic first for Ontario’: 171 plausible burials found at Kenora residential school site
A survivors group is investigating the site of the St. Mary’s Indian Residential School, which operated under different names from 1897 to 1972. Article was updated 10 hrs ago Toronto Star: A survivors group that has been investigating the site of the former St. Mary’s Indian Residential School in Kenora, Ont., says ground-penetrating radar has...
January 14, 2023
What should Queen’s Park do with its statue of John A. Macdonald?
An 1894 statue of the country’s founding prime minister has been boarded up since 2020 following several incidents of vandalism. Toronto Star:What to do with Sir John A. Macdonald? An 1894 statue of the country’s founding prime minister that towers over the top of University Avenue on the grounds of the legislature has been boarded...
January 11, 2023
Legal Aid Ontario and Aboriginal Legal Services sign new service agreement
NationTalk: Aboriginal Legal Services (ALS) and Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) are pleased to announce that they entered into a new service agreement, under the Legal Aid Services Act, 2020, on Dec. 8. The new service agreement renews LAO and ALS’ commitment to delivering legal aid services that are trauma-informed, culturally safe and culturally relevant to the Indigenous...
January 6, 2023
Sixties Scoop survivor reconnects with birth mom, discovers her culture, decades after separation
It took many years for the pair to develop a mother-daughter relationship WARNING: This story contains distressing details CBC News: Tauni Sheldon remembers the first time she saw her biological mom. Sheldon was 23 years old. It was 1993 and she was in the Winnipeg airport, having just flown in with her adoptive parents, Jim...
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...
January 1, 2023
Denial rates of services and supports for First Nations children varied drastically by region during the pandemic
The Globe and Mail: Marsha McLeod In 2007, just before the House of Commons rose for its Christmas break, parliamentarians voted unanimously to adopt a principle meant to put the needs of First Nations children ahead of bureaucratic government conveniences. Jean Crowder, the then-MP who brought forward the motion to adopt Jordan’s Principle, warned her parliamentary colleagues...
December 21, 2022
By ignoring the duty to consult First Nations, three Canadian premiers show their true colours
The Globe and Mail: TANYA TALAGA SPECIAL TO THE GLOBE AND MAIL Sacred law binds Anishinabeg to safeguard the land, water, four-legged creatures and each other. It is our duty to make sure the planet is protected for future generations. There are 634 First Nations throughout the country we now call Canada, including 133 here...
December 20, 2022
State of emergency declared amid water shortage in Oneida Nation of the Thames
It’s costing $20K per day to ship water into the community, officials say CBC News: Leaders of an Indigenous community near London, Ont., are calling for the federal government to work with them to help solve chronic water supply problems after a state of emergency was issued Tuesday due to low water levels. Residents of Oneida...
December 15, 2022
Matawa Chiefs’ Council Call on the Government of Canada to Stop the Colonial Backroom Deals and Establish a Dedicated Federal Crown Table to Prepare for the Development of the Ring of Fire Region and Critical Minerals
NationTalk: THUNDER BAY, ON: At their meeting today, the Matawa Chiefs Council issue the following statement related to the activities of the Governments of Canada, Ontario, the Assembly of First Nations (AFN), the Chiefs of Ontario (COO) and the Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) who are compromising the positions of Indigenous rights holders: “We have watched...
December 15, 2022
At this rate, Canada won’t meet Truth and Reconciliation calls until 2065, report suggests
Seven years after the TRC released its final report, Canada has much work to do, Yellowhead Institute says. The Toronto Star: Canada has completed only 13 of 94 calls to action outlined by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, seven years after its final report, a new update shows. “Survivors (of residential schools) are ageing, and many...
December 12, 2022
For generations, Grassy Narrows residents have used the land for hunting. Now, it’s in the middle of a lawsuit between Canadian mining corporations
Ontario has created a mess by granting mining claims on land Grassy Narrows aims to make protected Indigenous territory, First Nation’s leaders say. Toronto Star: Barrick Gold Corp. is embroiled in a $100-million lawsuit against two junior mining companies, as an exploration deal between the firms fell apart over a decision to pause work to...
December 12, 2022
A lifetime of agony: families of missing, murdered Inuit women call for answers
APTN National News: Canadian Press – Every day on his way to work in 2016, Veldon Coburn drove past Bordeleau Park, by the edge of the Rideau River near downtown Ottawa. On a September day that year, while he drove past the park, Coburn heard on the radio that a body had been found in...
December 9, 2022
Panel to assess Indigenous patient care after the death of a young woman in St. Catharines
Heather Winterstein was only 24 years old when she felt ill and went to the emergency department at St. Catharines General Hospital for help, only to die from a treatable illness. One year later, Niagara Health announced it is beginning an external assessment of the emergency department (ED) to improve patient care and experiences for...
December 2, 2022
Grassy Narrows just secured a ‘major landmark’ — 20 years after its logging blockade began
First Nation in northwestern Ontario gains promise that no logging company or lumber mill will touch trees from their land without their permission. Toronto Star: For 20 years, they’ve blockaded and marched, gone to court and negotiated, sang and drummed to protect their forest from clear-cutting. And on the eve of the celebration of two...
November 24, 2022
The Impact of Inaction – New Publication Reveals Not All of Canada is on Track to Meet Global Hepatitis C Elimination Goal
Timing of elimination of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) in Canada’s provinces indicates 70% of provinces could reach the World Health Organization’s (WHO) HCV elimination target of 2030, however three of Canada’sprovinces — two of them the most populous in the country — are off track to achieve this hepatitis C elimination goal.1 Timely elimination would save 170...
November 23, 2022
Chiefs of Ontario and First Nations Oppose Bill 23: More Homes Built Faster Act
NationTalk: The Chiefs of Ontario express their full support for First Nations Leadership in their opposition to Bill 23: More Homes Built Faster Act due to its clear violation of First Nations constitutionally protected, inherent and Treaty rights and its inevitable adverse environmental impacts on First Nations ancestral and traditional territories. “The Government of Ontario’s...
November 17, 2022
Matawa chiefs push back against U.S. military agenda in the Ring of Fire
First Nation leaders demand a big say over any industrial development on their James Bay homelands First Peoples Law Report: Northern Ontario Business Staff Nov 17, 2022 1:00 PM Toronto media reports about talks between the U.S. military, mining interests and government about funding development in the Ring of Fire has angered Indigenous communities in Ontario’s...
November 8, 2022
Robinson-Huron Treaty annuities case: Ontario seeks stay – lawyer
Robinson-Huron Treaty Litigation Fund says Ontario has asked for a stay in final stage of court case while it appeals previous court decision on treaty annuity payments Sootoday.com: The third and final stage of an ongoing court case over treaty annuity payments launched by signatories to the Robinson-Huron Treaty is slated to begin early in...
October 26, 2022
Anishinabek Nation leadership encourage implementation of recommendations in Devon Freeman inquest
NationTalk: ANISHINABEK NATION HEAD OFFICE (October 25, 2022) – On behalf of the Anishinabek Nation, Grand Council Chief Reg Niganobe and Anishinabek Nation Children’s Commissioner Duke Peltier have issued a statement in response to the long-awaited inquest into the death of Devon Freeman from Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation. “We continue to stand with 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 21, 2022
Freeman inquest: ‘Devon’s Principle’ would give Indigenous kids in care a right to return to their community
Lessons from 16-year-old’s life and death form a legacy that is changing how Indigenous youth who are in contact with the child welfare system are treated Hamilton Spectator: The voice of Devon Russell James Freeman — Muska’abo — has been heard. Devon was many things: a 16-year-old Hamilton boy trying to find his way; a member of...
October 13, 2022
How stereotypes led to the deaths of two Indigenous men in Thunder Bay police custody: expert
CTV News: A physician with expertise in Indigenous health care told a coroner’s inquest Wednesday that she heard stereotypes kick in from the first 9-1-1 call that led to a man being arrested for public intoxication before he died from medical conditions in Thunder Bay police custody hours later. Dr. Suzanne Shoush testified as an...
October 5, 2022
New Reports Reaffirm Trends of Poor Health Outcomes and Under-Funded System for First Nations
Under the direction of the Chiefs-in-Assembly, Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority (SLFNHA) has released its Diabetes and Childhood Vaccination Coverage reports. The reports highlight the disproportionate burden of health outcomes and health inequities within northern First Nations. SLFNHA calls for improved resources to support diabetes and vaccination programs. “We are calling on the Federal...
October 5, 2022
Grand Council Treaty #3, Kenora District Services Board and Rainy River District Social Services Administration Board Sign Memorandum of Understanding
NationTalk: (Lac Seul First Nation – Grand Council Treaty #3 (GCT#3), the Kenora District Services Board (KDSB), and Rainy River District Social Services Administration Board (RRDSSAB) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together to improve affordable housing and Early Years, Child Care and Education programming for families throughout the Treaty #3 territory. Through the...
October 4, 2022
Ontario Regional Chief Glen Hare Calls for Action to Address Systemic Inequalities in Ontario Education System
NationTalk: Toronto, ON) Ontario Regional Chief Glen Hare issued the following statement condemning recent actions of the Office of the Minister of Education that perpetuate systemic inequities in the Ontario education system: “Recent actions by the Office of the Minister of Education do not support Ontario’s commitment to work with First Nations as partners on...
October 4, 2022
Three First Nations have filed for legal action against Ontario over boreal forests
Toronto Star: Three Ontario First Nations have filed for legal action against the provincial government for its management of the province’s boreal forests. The chiefs of the Missanabie Cree First Nation, Brunswick House First Nation and Chapleau Cree First Nation have filed a court case alleging Ontario is responsible for the degrading health of the...
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,...
September 30, 2022
‘Why aren’t we talking about it?’ The forgotten cause of missing Indigenous men and boys
Indigenous men are much more likely to be victims of homicide than Indigenous women, but families say they don’t get the same kind of attention. Toronto Star: ENOCH CREE NATION, Alta.—There is no word for goodbye in Cree. Instead people say êkosi mâka, or “That’s it for now.” The belief is that loved ones will always...
September 29, 2022
Canadian Federation of Library Associations Calls for the Release of all outstanding residential school records
First People’s Law: The Canadian Federation of Library Associations (CFLA) has sent an open letter to federal Cabinet Ministers calling on their support for the full public release of outstanding residential school records currently being withheld by the Catholic Church and other orders of government. Following calls from the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR),...
September 28, 2022
Indigenous Leaders: First Nation partnerships will lead the way north
Marten Falls and Webequie pursue their socio-economic development goals in shepherding Northern Road Link environmental impact process NationTalk: Soontoday.com: If your First Nation community harbours great ambitions to become a major project proponent, Gordon Wabasse offers some sage and simple advice. “Be prepared.” Wabasse, the lands and resources director of Webequie First Nation, participated in...
September 28, 2022
Ministers Honour Joyce Echaquan and Re-Affirm Commitment to Addressing Anti-Indigenous Racism in Canada’s Health Systems
Indigenous Services Canada: Ottawa, Ontario (September 28, 2022) – The Minister of Indigenous Services, Patty Hajdu, the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, Marc Miller, and the Minister of Health, Jean-Yves Duclos, issued the following statement today: “Health care is a human right, and should be free of racism and discrimination. But the systemic discrimination and racism that...
September 21, 2022
‘The bond is broken’: Data shows Indigenous kids overrepresented in foster care
Statistics Canada released data from the 2021 census showing Indigenous children accounted for 53.8 per cent of all children in foster care. Toronto Star: WINNIPEG – A Winnipeg mother says she was scarred for life when her first child was taken away at birth by social workers, who told her she was unfit to parent...
September 19, 2022
Experts warn ending birth alerts not the only solution to keep Indigenous children with their family
Globe and Mail: Canadian Press – The number of newborns taken into care dropped dramatically as birth alerts ended across Canada, but child welfare experts warn ceasing the practice cannot be the only step governments take to keep families together. “(Birth alerts) really risk being kind of a red herring in the real issue of...
September 13, 2022
Niagara Health: Signs part of commitment to Indigenous community
Toronto Star: Visitors to Niagara Health sites across the region will notice signage on the health system’s properties in St. Catharines, Welland and Niagara Falls meant to show support for the Indigenous community. The signs include a variety of messaging that are geared to mark Niagara Health’s second Indigenous Inclusion Month. The first was marked...
September 12, 2022
1492 Land Back Lane dispute over proposed development near Caledonia and Six Nations returns to court
NationTalk: Newmarket Today – The legal saga around a two-year occupation of a proposed development site by a group of Indigenous people returned to an Ontario court on Monday with another attempt to remove the protesters. The company behind the planned housing development near Caledonia, Ont., and Six Nations of the Grand River is again...
September 6, 2022
The beast of addiction in Indigenous communities remains untamed
Globe & Mail: Tanya Talaga – Over the past week, a Thunder Bay hotel’s conference room has become home to a land-based healing and recovery program. There, 17 women from one northern First Nation about two hours down the highway – women who are addicted to opioids, alcohol, crystal methamphetamine (jib) and/or methadone, which is...
August 30, 2022
Federal and Ontario governments settle decades-long flooding claim with First Nation
Globe And Mail: More than a century after a small First Nation in Northwestern Ontario was flooded by a dam on the Rainy River, the community has reached an $84-million land claim settlement with the federal and provincial governments. Chief Janice Henderson of Mitaanjigamiing First Nation said the recent settlement is life-changing for her community,...
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 11, 2022
NAN Chiefs Endorse Housing Strategy look to Canada and Ontario to Address Housing Crisis
TIMMINS, ON: Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) will seek support from the governments of Canada and Ontario for a new First Nation-designed strategy endorsed by Chiefs-in-Assembly to address the housing crisis in NAN First Nations and improve the health of community members. “The NAN Housing Strategy was developed by our members as a solution to the...
August 11, 2022
Ontario Regional Chief Glen Hare’s Statement on Speech from the Throne
Chiefs of Ontario: Toronto, ON – On August 9, 2022, the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, delivered the Speech from the Throne, titled “Together, Let’s Build Ontario,” outlining the re-elected Progressive Conservative government’s plans and opening the first session of the 43rd Parliament of Ontario. Ontario Regional Chief Glen Hare issued the following...
August 8, 2022
Indigenous content removed from Ontario’s science curriculum starting in September 2022
NationTalk: THUNDER BAY, ON: Following the Matawa 34th Annual General Meeting (AGM) that took place during the last week of July 2022 in Webequie First Nation—the Matawa Chiefs Council are calling for the Ontario Ministry of Education to immediately stop the planned implementation of the new Ontario elementary science curriculum for the 2022-2023 school year that...
July 13, 2022
Ontario removes Indigenous Science Framework from curriculum
ANISHINABEK NATION HEAD OFFICE – The Anishinabek Nation and the Kinoomaadziwin Education Body (KEB) are disappointed to learn of the Ministry of Education’s decision to remove the Indigenous Science Framework from the Ontario Curriculum. Together with Anishinabek educators, the Anishinabek Nation is willing to host a meeting with the Ministry of Education to advocate for the...
July 5, 2022
How Commonwealth universities profited from Indigenous dispossession through land grants
The Conversation – Animated by social movements such as #RhodesMustFall and #BlackLivesMatter, universities today have entered a period of critical self-reflection on their histories. The renaming of campus buildings, removal of statues and re-branding of whole universities are all evidence of this trend towards uncovering higher education’s colonial legacies. Yet this emphasis on campus iconography, or even on the campus...
June 23, 2022
Robinson-Huron Superior treaty annuity payments appeal heading to Supreme Court
Supreme Court to hear Ontario case on treaty payments to Anishinaabe APTN: The Supreme Court of Canada says it will hear a legal battle over Crown payments to beneficiaries of two Robinson treaties which cover the upper Great Lakes in Ontario and 21 Anishinaabe bands. The Ontario government sought to challenge a ruling by the...
June 20, 2022
How familiar are Canadians with the history of Indigenous residential schools?
Toronto Star: One year after more than 1,000 unmarked graves were discovered on the grounds of former residential schools — putting a global spotlight on Canada’s horrific history of assimilation and abuse of Indigenous children — Canadians are barely any more familiar with the painful legacy of the institutions, new research shows. According to data...
June 19, 2022
Neskantaga First Nation marks 27 years under a Boil Water Advisory – 10,000 days!
NationTalk: LANDSDOWNE HOUSE, ON – The community of Neskantaga First Nation (NFN) marked today as the 10,000thconsecutive day of being under a Boil Water Advisory (BWA). Causing 27 years of anxiety, frustration, and hardship in the community and a major challenge for the federal government to resolve—the current BWA was first declared on February 1,...
June 13, 2022
Matawa Chiefs’ Council work towards solidifying approach to Ring Of Fire Regional Environment Assessment
NationTalk: TORONTO, ON: Chiefs of the Matawa First Nations of Northern Ontario announced today they are working towards solidifying a regional approach to the federal Impact Assessment (IA) in the Ring of Fire. This announcement was made during the Matawa Chiefs Council’s participation in the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada’s 2022 convention which was...
May 26, 2022
Watchdog finds Canada’s big banks treat Indigenous, visible minority customers unequally
Canadian Press: Pressure sales tactics. Ill-fitted suggestions. Misleading information. Visible minority and Indigenous customers at Canada’s big banks more often received inappropriate treatment from sales staff, part of a wider trend of “concerning” interactions between those institutions and shoppers, a federal consumer watchdog has found. In a mystery shopping review conducted in 2019 by the...
May 25, 2022
Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health and Ottawa Aboriginal Coalition report finds systemic racism in Ontario Health Care
“The conclusions in this report are horrific but unfortunately, not surprising. Indigenous-specific racism is embedded in Canada’s colonial history, and only by taking responsibility can we achieve better health outcomes for Indigenous peoples in this country,” says Wabano’s Executive Director Allison Fisher. “And the time to take responsibility and swift action is now.” The findings...
April 27, 2022
Ryerson University gets new name
Toronto Star: In a historic gesture toward reconciliation, Ryerson University is rebranding itself as Toronto Metropolitan University, cutting its connection to the man considered to have laid the foundations of the residential school system. The new name came after years of advocacy by staff, students and community members. In 2021, the school embarked on a...
April 20, 2022
Robinson-Huron and Superior Treaties, 1850
NationTalk: Robinson Huron Treaty Territory — The Robinson Huron Treaty Litigation Fund (RHTLF) leadership, Ontario and Canada officials have established a negotiation table to find common ground for resolving the annuities litigation outside of court. The Robinson Huron Treaty First Nations have outstanding litigation against both Canada and Ontario relating to treaty annuities. There is...
March 16, 2022
Opposition to Ottawa’s Ring of Fire Environmental Assessment
Mar. 16, 2022: Timmins Today – A coalition of conservationists, environmentalists and lawyers want Ottawa’s Ring of Fire environmental assessment process to be broadened in size and scope to include industrial centres like Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury. In a March 15 letter sent to three federal cabinet ministers, the group is calling for a...
February 23, 2022
Matawa Chiefs Council Opposition to the Regional Assessment for the Ring of Fire
Feb. 23, 2022: The Matawa Chiefs Council and Matawa First Nations Management (MFNM) – representing (9) member First Nations call on Canada to begin the collaboration, negotiations and investment process – in partnership with Matawa member First Nations – to maximize the benefits of the development of the north. The land Ontario refers to as the Far...
February 17, 2022
COVID issues in northern Ontario vs southern Ontario
Feb. 17, 2022: CBC – As Ontario lifts more COVID-19 restrictions, First Nations in the province’s north are still grappling with the Omicron surge. Chiefs from several northern several northern communities were briefed Wednesday about the COVID-19 situation, and the Sioux Lookout First Nation Health Authority outlined the difference in northern data about the virus compared to the south. “While...
February 3, 2022
Cultural appropriation by trucker protest in Ottawa
Chiefs of Ontario and Anishinabek Nation issued a joint statement condemning the misinformation and cultural appropriation during demonstrations and other events that took place in Algonquin Nation Territory, also known as Ottawa, this past week.“The actions taken during the events in Ottawa are deeply offensive,” said Ontario Regional Chief Glen Hare. “Cultural appropriation of First...
January 24, 2022
First Nations Excluded from Ontario COVID program
Toronto Star – First Nations children in Ontario are excluded from the provincial governments commitments “that all schools in Ontario will have access to rapid COVID tests and N95 masks for teachers, as well as upgraded masks for students and HEPA filters in each classroom.” Excuses from provincial leaders hold that this is the responsibility...
January 24, 2022
First Nations children excluded from Government COVID Program
Toronto Star – First Nations children in Ontario are excluded from the provincial governments commitments “that all schools in Ontario will have access to rapid COVID tests and N95 masks for teachers, as well as upgraded masks for students and HEPA filters in each classroom.” Excuses from provincial leaders hold that this is the responsibility...
January 21, 2022
Natural Laws of the Creator
Northern Ontario Business – On Wednesday, Jan. 19, Attawapiskat, Fort Albany, Neskantaga, Kashechewan and Eabametoong First Nations chiefs sent a joint letter to federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault. According to the letter, the chiefs met virtually with Guilbeault on Jan. 17 and expressed concerns about the terms of reference (TOR) for...
January 17, 2022
Niagara Health System Discrimination
Niagara Chapter-Native Women – The NCNW Board of Directors is asking for a full Coroner’s Inquest into the death of Heather Winterstein, 24, who passed away while in the care of Niagara Health System on Dec 10, 2021. We call for the Coroner’s Inquest to address the long-standing issues of discrimination against Indigenous people, particularly...
January 16, 2022
Flood compensation after 134 years
CBC – More than a decade after they began, negotiations on flood claim settlements between several First Nations in southeastern Manitoba and northwestern Ontario and the federal and provincial governments appear to be drawing to a close. But some are wondering what those settlements will mean for the First Nations affected — and why it’s...
January 7, 2022
Robinson-Huron and Superior Treaties, 1850
CBC – Ontario will appeal the Robinson Huron Treaty Annuity Case to the Supreme Court. The case was upheld by both the Ontario Superior Court and then the Ontario Court of Appeal. The 21 First Nations involved said that amount needs to be re-negotiated, and the courts have agreed....
January 6, 2022
Bearskin Lake COVID Crisis
Toronto Star – Last week Bearskin Lake declared a state of emergency due to the high number of COVID-19 cases in the community. On Monday morning Chief Lefty Kamenawatamin issued a press release requesting the Government of Canada provide military assistance for the beleaguered community: “Currently, the majority of households are under quarantine and require...
December 17, 2021
Niagara Health System Discrimination
Toronto Star – Niagara Ontario Health Team Planning Table (NOHT) has voiced its support for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Heather Winterstein, an Indigenous woman who collapsed and died in the emergency room at the St. Catharines site of Niagara Health. Carol Stewart-Kirkby, co-lead for the health team, said there is...
December 14, 2021
Call for a Miscarriage of Justice Commission
APTN – Women and people of colour “urgently” need a commission to review claims of wrongful conviction, say two retired judges. Harry LaForme, the first Indigenous lawyer on an appellate court in Canada, and Juanita Westmoreland-Traoré, the first Black judge in Quebec, were tasked with helping formulate a new Criminal Case Review Commission for Justice Canada....
November 30, 2021
Neskantaga FN sues government
CBC – Neskantaga First Nation is taking Ontario to court looking for “ground rules” on how the province should consult and accommodate Indigenous communities that are in a state of crisis. For example: Forced evacuation of entire reserve in October 2020 (300 people) due to tainted water Under boil water advisory for 26 years State...
November 21, 2021
25th Anniversay of the RCAP Final Report
Prime Minister’s Office – “25th anniversary of the final report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples”. The five-volume landmark document outlined 440 recommendations on Indigenous governance, nation rebuilding, lands and resources, treaties, economic development, and social policy, and called for the renewal of the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples and all orders of...
November 18, 2021
Arrest of Indigenous journalists at Wet’suwet’en protests
Toronto Star – Two journalists reporting from the Wet’suwet’en territory were among 15 people arrested and detained by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in British Columbia Friday night. Both remain in custody. Since last year, media has covered RCMP raids in the territory, Indigenous rights and police removal of defenders of the land who are...
November 15, 2021
Grassy Narrows Land Declaration
Toronto Star – The government was knowingly using an outdated and inaccurate map (30 years old), members of First Nations charge, green-lighting drilling and excavation areas where the residents say they go for moose hunting, picking berries and camping. The First Nations says it has provided the government with an updated map of the area...
November 5, 2021
Robinson-Huron and Superior Treaties, 1850
The Manitoulin Expositor – The Ontario Court of Appeal releases judgment on Ontario’s Stage 1 and 2 in Robinson–Huron Treaty Annuities Case that affirms much of the trial decision and only disagrees with the trial judgment on a limited number of issues. As we explain, we unanimously reject the majority of the arguments raised on...
October 21, 2021
First Nations Food, Nutrition and Environment Study
Assembly of First Nations – Built on collaborative research with 92 First Nations across the country – 7,000 participants over 10 years – the FNFNES highlights that traditional foods remain foundational to First Nations’ health and well-being, and that the quality of traditional food is superior to store bought food. However, due to environmental degradation,...
October 4, 2021
SCO Survey on MMIWG Calls for Justice
Southern Chiefs Organization (SCO) – “Only 53% of murder cases involving [Indigenous] women and girls have led to charges of homicide. This is dramatically different from the national clearance rate for homicides in Canada, which was last reported as 84%” (NWAC, 2011). Governments and Canadian institutions now need to fully implement the Calls for Justice....
October 1, 2021
Supreme Court validates Honour of the Crown
Métis Nation of Ontario, Métis Nation of Alberta – The Supreme Court of Canada released its decision in City of Toronto v Ontario (Attorney General). This case was about the fairness of a municipal election in one city, but the decision also raised the issue of how Canada’s Constitution is to be interpreted and the...
September 29, 2021
OLG failed to honor revenue sharing agreement
Toronto Star – For the third time in two-and-a-half years a judge has slapped down the Ontario government and the OLG for failing to honour a revenue sharing agreement it made 13 years ago with a consortium of 132 Ontario First Nations. The case begins with a 2008 revenue sharing agreement between the Ontario Lottery...
September 28, 2021
DeBeers Canada
CISION – DeBeers Canada (DBC) is seeking Ontario Government approval for a third landfill waste site to be built and filled up at the Victor Mine Site, located in a vulnerable James Bay wetlands area, and in a place of critical importance to Attawapiskat. The Victor Mine is now in the closure phase, where decommissioning...
September 14, 2021
Native Women’s Association of Canada Political Party Report Card
Native Women’s Association of Canada – NWAC commissioned Nanos Research to compare the parties’ platforms with the 11 policy issues NWAC determined to be of primary importance. Those policy issues include: human rights self-determination reconciliation environment clean water housing child welfare justice and policing employment and economic development, and health care. The result is a...
September 14, 2021
Native Women’s Association of Canada Political Party Report Card
NDP Liberal Green Conservative Bloc Québecois A B B D D Rights of Indigenous Women & MMIWG2S 4 5 5 2 1 Self Determination & Decision-Making 5 5 5 4 5 Reconciliation & residential Schools 5 3 4 3 3 Environment & Climate Change 5 4 4 1 1 Clean Drinking Water & Public Services...
August 16, 2021
Robinson-Huron and Superior Treaties, 1850
Wawa News – The Government of Canada has completed their mandating process and are prepared to negotiate and settle the ongoing annuities case. Canada has stated that the negotiation and settlement process requires participation from the Government of Ontario. “Now, we need the province to come to the table to make this settlement happen,” said...
July 30, 2021
Tataskweyak, Curve Lake and Neskantaga First Nations sign an historic Agreement-in- Principle
“Tataskweyak Cree Nation, Curve Lake First Nation and Neskantaga First Nation, together with the Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Indigenous Services, announced that an historic Agreement in Principle has been reached through a successful negotiation process to resolve national class action litigation related to safe drinking water in First Nations communities. This Agreement in Principle...
July 29, 2021
Saugeen First Nation Treaty 72 signed 1854
Saugeen Ojibwat Nation – Ontario Superior Court ruled on SON’s claims: an Aboriginal title claim to parts of Lake Huron and Georgian Bay and a claim that the Crown breached its promise to protect forever parts of the Saugeen (Bruce) Peninsula for SON. The claim to “waters” was denied based on a lack of evidence...
July 22, 2021
Appeal to International Criminal Court
Nunantsiaq News: Nunavut MP Mumilaaq Qaqqaq and her fellow NDP MP Charlie Angus held a press conference on Parliament Hill Thursday to ask federal Justice Minister and Attorney General David Lametti to reach out to the International Criminal Court to launch an investigation into a system they said “represents a crime against humanity.” “We need...
July 16, 2021
1492 Land Back Lane
Brantford Expositor – In late June, the developers sent letters to about 180 homebuyers saying that, having exhausted their legal options and with no prospect of the occupation ending, the company was scrapping the planned subdivision and cancelling all purchase agreements. The company has filed a $200-million class-action lawsuit against the Attorney General of Canada,...
June 30, 2021
Grassy Narrows Care Home
Toronto Star – After more than 50 years of failed negotiations, the federal government committed $90M for a care home that will treat those poisoned by mercury. The deal includes: $68.9M in a trust for operational and servicing costs over 30 years and an agreement to periodically review the funding levels. $19.5M previously announced for...
June 29, 2021
Marten Falls First Nation
Marten Falls First Nation – has agreed to join the class-action litigation on drinking water advisories in First Nation communities, which will be led by Olthuis, Kleer, Townshend (OKT) LLP and McCarthy Tétrault LLP. Marten Falls has decided to participate in this class-action lawsuit because it has been under a boil water advisory for over...
June 15, 2021
AFN/Canada Race Race Relations Foundation poll
Assembly of First Nations – Thirteen years after the Government of Canada offered a formal apology to the survivors of the residential school system and families, 68 percent of Canadians polled still say they were either unaware of the severity of abuses at residential schools or completely shocked by it. A poll conducted by the...
June 6, 2021
Ryerson protest
Global News – A statue of Egerton Ryerson at Ryerson University, which was pulled down earlier Sunday evening by demonstrators, will not be “restored or replaced,” the university said Sunday. “The question of the statue was only one of many being considered by the Standing Strong (Mash Koh Wee Kah Pooh Win) Task Force, whose...
June 4, 2021
MMIWG Inquiry – OAS Complaint
The Native Women’s Association of Canada -NWAC is taking immediate steps to file a Human Rights complaint in Canada and to request International intervention and investigation by the Organization of American States (OAS) and United Nations (UN) in forcing the federal government to take the steps necessary to end the genocide against Indigenous women, girls and...
June 3, 2021
MMIWG Inquiry – Government Action Plan Complaints
NationTalk – Ontario Native Women’s Association, Québec Native Women, Union of BC Indian Chiefs, Chair in Indigenous Governance, Feminist Alliance for International Action – A consortia of Indigenous women’s advocacy groups representing 49% of Indigenous women’s voices in Canada finds that the National Action Plan and Federal Pathway on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and...
June 2, 2021
Ryerson protest
Toronto Star – On May 11, Ryerson University’s First Nation-led research centre, Yellowhead Institute, issued an open letter announcing that their students and faculty would be swapping the school’s current name with “X” University in their email signatures and on social media. This is the firmest action taken by the department that has long denounced...
May 21, 2021
Ontario reneges on curriculum
Release of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Studies Curriculum for Grades 9 – 12 by Ministry of Education. The 10 courses making up the revised curriculum are not mandatory as recommended by the TRC C2A # 62 but are “electives”. On July 10, 2018, the newly elected Conservative government cancelled curriculum writing sessions initiated by...
April 28, 2021
Robinson-Huron and Superior Treaties, 1850
Wawa News – the Ontario Court of Appeal concluded its hearing of the Government of Ontario’s appeal of the Stage 1 decision in the Robinson Treaties annuities case. The Court of Appeal has reserved its decision on the Stage 1 appeal, which it will likely release in the months following its hearing of the Stage...
April 12, 2021
Grassy Narrows Land Declaration
Toronto Star – The Ontario government has allowed up to 4,000 mining claims in Grassy Narrow territory ignoring the “the land declaration that Grassy Narrows enacted in 2018 to ban industrial or mining activities on their territories?” Since the land declaration “the area covered by mineral claims has expanded fourfold, spreading across forest, rivers and...
April 9, 2021
Nurses told to leave First Nation during pandemic
Globe and Mail – For the past two weeks, during a global pandemic, Pikangikum First Nation – a Northern Ontario community of nearly 3,600, located along the Berens River near the Manitoba border – has operated without a fully equipped police service or access to proper medical care…On March 19, Chief Owen and the band...
April 5, 2021
Natural Laws of the Creator
NationTalk – Attawapiskat, Fort Albany, and Neskantaga First Nations in the James Bay lowlands have declared a moratorium on April 1 on any development in or to facilitate access to the Ring of Fire mining area in accordance with: Our Indigenous Laws including the Natural Laws of the Creator; Our Inherent Rights (arising from the...
March 30, 2021
1492 Land Back Lane
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) spent $16.3 million in just half a year policing the 1492 Land Back Lane protests. Funds covered salaries, round-the-clock overtime, food, hotels, travel costs, supplies, equipment, building rentals and other related expenses between July 2020 and January 2021....
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...
March 23, 2021
Premier’s racist comment
Sudbury.com – “The member flew in [to] get his vaccine, so thank you for doing that and kind of jumping the line,” Ford said. “I talked to a few chiefs that were pretty upset about that for flying into the community that he doesn’t belong to, but that’s not here nor there.” Premier Doug Ford...
March 16, 2021
Batchewana First Nation exercises treaty rights for logging
Sault Online – Open Letter from Batchewana First Nation – outlining numerous grievances with the government of Ontario for their ongoing failure to uphold the “honour of the crown” by continuing intrusions of our inherent sovereignty and unextinguished jurisdictions over the lands in Eastern Lake Superior and the lands in direct proximity. In direct response...
February 24, 2021
Neskantaga FN sues government
CBC – A state of emergency has been declared by Neskantaga First Nation after a number of its members living off-reserve tested positive for COVID-19. Chief Chris Moonias says six per cent, or 12 of the 217 members living off-reserve, have tested positive for the virus. That includes one person in critical condition at the...
February 18, 2021
Failure to consult First Nations around Mining projects in their territories
WindSpeaker – “It must be acknowledged that the 15 proposed mining projects that are planned for the next decade are on the ancestral, inherent, customary, traditional lands of many First Nations in Northwestern Ontario and that their free, prior, informed consent will be required before any development proceeds.” — Jason Rasevych, president of the Anishnawbe...
February 3, 2021
First Nations issues with the 2021-2031 Timiskaming Forest Management Plan
Toronto Star – First Nations leaders from Temagami, Matagami, Matachewan, Teme-Augama Anishnabai, Beaverhouse, and Timiskaming cited concerns that the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) and Timiskaming Forest Alliance Inc. (TFAI) were not taking seriously their concerns or the long-term health and sustainability of the forest and the use of herbicides. The First...
January 28, 2021
Racism against Indigenous womern
Native Women’s Association of Canada – At a two-day meeting at which the issue of anti-Indigenous racism in Canada’s healthcare systems will be addressed by federal, provincial, and territorial governments as well as representatives of the First Nations, Métis and Inuit, NWAC is not being permitted to give more broadly based opening remarks Wednesday, along...
January 28, 2021
Emergency Meeting on Indigenous Health
Assembly of First Nations – AFN National Chief Perry Bellegarde reiterated recommendations and called for urgency in addressing systemic racism in Canada’s health care systems at a two-day virtual meeting with federal, provincial and territorial ministers and Metis and Inuit leaders that ended today. The meeting, convened by Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller, Crown-Indigenous Relations...
January 14, 2021
Bill 197 (COVID-19 Economic Recovery Act, 2019) violates Treaty Rights
NationTalk – Following the declaration of a second state of emergency on Jan. 12, 2021 due to the COVID-19 crisis, the Matawa Chiefs Council are issuing a public statement that the Matawa Chiefs Council reject the Ontario government-imposed deadline of Thursday January 14, 2021 for comments related to Ontario’s proposed revisions of the Far North...
December 17, 2020
Failure to extend consulting period
CBC – Five First Nations in Northern Ontario – Neskantaga, Attawapiskat, Fort Albany, Kashechewan and Weenusk First Nations – sent a letter on Dec. 10, 2020 to the federal Impact Assessment Agency demanding more time for the consultation process announced on Nov. 12, 2020 with a deadline of Jan. 21, 2020. They wanted the date...
December 15, 2020
TRC Commissioners comments about pace of Reconciliation
APTN – The three commissioners of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Senator Murray Sinclair, Chief Wilton Littlechild, and Dr. Marie Wilson, are issuing a public statement expressing their concern about the slow and uneven pace of implementation of the Calls to Action released by the TRC five years ago today… While they acknowledge important and...
December 14, 2020
Death of Barbara Kentner: manslaughter conviction
Brayden Bushby found guilty of manslaughter. “I find that the Crown has proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Bushby’s dangerous and unlawful act accelerated and caused Ms. Kentner’s death,” Justice Helen Pierce told the court....
December 8, 2020
Shamattawa First Nation
Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Inc – Letter to PM Trudeau – With 264 confirmed COVID-19 cases in a community of just over 1000 people, Shamattawa First Nation in northern Manitoba immediate assistance from your office to help us evacuate the Elders of Shamattawa to ensure they are able to safely isolate in closer proximity to health...
December 4, 2020
Six provinces urged Ottawa to delay tabling UNDRIP legislation, but were rebuffed by Justice Minister
The Globe and Mail: Ministers from six provinces asked the federal government last month to delay legislation that would apply the principles of the foremost international commitment on the rights of Indigenous peoples to Canadian laws, but were rebuffed by Justice Minister David Lametti. Earlier this fall, the federal government sent a draft of the...
December 3, 2020
Letter requesting UNDRIP delay
National Post – On Nov. 27, Indigenous relations ministers from Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and New Brunswick sent a joint letter to David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of Canada and Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett that protested the six-week time window they say they were given for input on the draft bill...
November 19, 2020
Problems with Indigenous COVID-19 data
Toronto Star – COVID-19 is negatively impacting both on-reserve and off-reserve Indigenous populations. “Hospitalizations and intensive-care rates are sky high for off-reserve populations and testing is low. Both on and off reserves, about 18% of tests come back positive. The issues identified by Janet Smylie, research chair in Indigenous health knowledge and information at Well...
November 12, 2020
Systemic Racism at federal, provincial, territory ministers human rights meeting
NationTalk – 24 civil society groups attending the third ever meeting of Federal, Provincial, Territory Ministers responsible for human rights “condemned the obstructive attitude of some governments” in advancing international human rights obligations. Groups had pressed governments to commit to nation-wide law reform that will legally require governments to adopt a collaborative, accountable, consistent, transparent,...
November 12, 2020
Federal, Provincial, Territory Ministers responsible for human rights
NationTalk – 24 civil society groups attending the third ever meeting of Federal, Provincial, Territory Ministers responsible for human rights “condemned the obstructive attitude of some governments” in advancing international human rights obligations. Groups had pressed governments to commit to nation-wide law reform that will legally require governments to adopt a collaborative, accountable, consistent, transparent,...
November 2, 2020
Canada’s Constitution embeds discrimination
Policy Options – Canada’s history of colonization has laid the foundation for the implementation of racist health policy and the delivery of culturally unsafe health care, resulting in health disparities that are disproportionately experienced by Indigenous Peoples. Since the establishment of the Indian Act in 1867, Canada’s Constitution has continued to support and maintain discriminatory...
October 22, 2020
Neskantanga First Nation
Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) – Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler and Neskantaga First Nation Chief Chris Moonias have demanded a coordinated response to the State of Emergency declared by the remote community as immediate heath threats from the water system has forced the community to evacuate its members. Indigenous Services Canada has refused to acknowledge the...
October 22, 2020
1492 Land Back Lane
Toronto Star – Ontario court issues a permanent injunction in favour of Foxgate and Haldimand County against the Haudenosaunee protesters. The Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council, Six Nations traditional government, does not recognize the jurisdiction or authority of the Six Nations’ Elected Council, the colonial construct of The Indian Act The Six Nations Elected Council has...
October 21, 2020
Food Insecurity
The Narwhal – Human Rights Watch released “My fear is Losing Everything: Climate Crisis and First Nations’ Right to Food” in Canada. The report details how longer and more intense forest fire seasons, permafrost degradation, volatile weather patterns and increased levels of precipitation are all affecting wildlife habitat and, in turn, harvesting efforts. The report...
October 21, 2020
Climate crisis and First Nations Right to Food
The Narwhal – Human Rights Watch released “My fear is Losing Everything: Climate Crisis and First Nations’ Right to Food in Canada“. The report details how longer and more intense forest fire seasons, permafrost degradation, volatile weather patterns and increased levels of precipitation are all affecting wildlife habitat and, in turn, harvesting efforts. The report...
October 20, 2020
Barriers to Indigenous business
Canadian Association of Aboriginal Business (CCAB) – Released the findings of its latest report, “Promise and Prosperity: The 2020 Ontario Aboriginal Business Survey” provide a longitudinal analysis of Indigenous business successes and challenges, while diving deeper into a crucial topic in today’s economy – improving access and participation for Indigenous businesses within government supply chains…only...
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...
October 16, 2020
Emergency Meeting on Indigenous Health
Emergency meeting on racism in Canada’s healthcare system. AFN recommendations to all levels of government: Work directly with First Nations to ensure that Indigenous Peoples feel safe accessing health care services. Quebec needs to work with First Nations to fully implement the Viens Commission Report’s recommendations. Canada must conduct an immediate review of the Canada...
October 15, 2020
Saugeen First Nation Treaty 72 signed 1854
NationTalk – SON’s claim is that the Crown could have protected the Peninsula and misled SON in the negotiations of a surrender of the Saugeen (Bruce) Peninsula. SON’s claim is that this was a breach of the Crown’s fiduciary duty. What SON is seeking is a declaration the Crown breached this duty. If successful, in...
September 29, 2020
Beyond Hunger – The Hidden Impacts of Food Insecurity in Canada”
Community Food Centres (CFC) – Release of “Beyond Hunger – The Hidden Impacts of Food Insecurity in Canada”. Even before COVID-19, food insecurity affected nearly 4.5 million Canadians. In the first two months of the pandemic, that number grew by 39 per cent. Food insecurity now affects one in seven people, disproportionately impacting low-income and...
September 29, 2020
Beyond Hunger
“Community Food Centres (CFC) – Release of “Beyond Hunger.” Even before COVID-19, food insecurity affected nearly 4.5 million Canadians. In the first two months of the pandemic, that number grew by 39 per cent. Food insecurity now affects one in seven people, disproportionately impacting low-income and Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) communities. “Beyond...
September 28, 2020
Attawapiskat First Nation opposes DeBeers Land Fill site
Attawapiskat First Nation – DeBeers Canada (DBC) is seeking Ontario Government approval for a third landfill waste site to be built and filled up at the Victor Mine Site, located in a vulnerable James Bay wetlands area, and in a place of critical importance to Attawapiskat. The Victor Mine is now in the closure phase,...
September 25, 2020
Saugeen First Nation Treaty 72 signed 1854
Saugeen Ojibway Nation (SON) and Grey County – The Chippewas of Saugeen First Nation and the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation reached an agreement settling Grey County’s involvement in SON’s long-standing legal action in relation to parts of the Saugeen (Bruce) Peninsula. The agreement settles a claim launched by SON approximately 25 years ago...
September 22, 2020
First Nations lawsuit against Forest Management Plan
Wawa News – This legal action is being advanced by three Ontario First Nations. It focuses on the refusal by the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks to order an Environmental Assessment (EA) or impose conditions on the Gordon Cosens Forest Management Plan (FMP). At issue is whether conditions for sustainability are met and...
September 18, 2020
Death of Barbara Kentner: murder charges reduced to manslaughter
CBC – Second degree murder charges have been reduced to manslaughter and aggravated assault against Brayden Bushby for the death of 34-year old Barbara Kentner. Bushby threw a trailer hitch from a moving car, yelling “I got one” after he hit the Indigenous women in the stomach. His originally scheduled judge and jury trial has...
September 17, 2020
1492 Land Back Lane
EyeOpener – Protesters have occupied so-called Mackenzie Meadows, bordering the town of Caledonia and the Six Nations reserve, since July 19 in opposition to the housing development of the neighbourhood by Foxgate Developments Inc. The site is under the sovereignty of the Haudenosaunee First Nation as one of their last unceded territories under the 200-year-old...
September 12, 2020
1492 Land Back Lane
Toronto Star – The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) armed with a court injunction arrested 26 people including 2 journalists and an Indigenous academic researcher....
September 10, 2020
Arrest of Indigenous journalists at protests
Toronto Star – Increasing arrests of Indigenous journalists including: Karl Dockstader at Land Back Lane Haudenosaunee occupation regarding a housing development near Caledonia Courtney Skye, Yellowhead Institute researcher and Ryerson Fellow award-winning journalist Justin Brake was arrested and charged with criminal and civil contempt and criminal mischief while covering a protest at Muskrat Falls in...
September 9, 2020
Indigenous Journalists
Toronto Star – Increasing arrests of Indigenous journalists including: Karl Dockstader at 1492 Land Back Lane Haudenosaunee occupation regarding a housing development near Caledonia Courtney Skye, Yellowhead Institute researcher and Ryerson Fellow arrested as well Award-winning journalist Justin Brake was arrested and charged with criminal and civil contempt and criminal mischief while covering a protest...
September 8, 2020
Unicef “Innocenti Report Card 16”
NationTalk – Release of Unicef “Innocenti Report Card 16: Worlds of Influence – Understanding What Shapes Child Well-being in Rich Countries” where Canada placed in the bottom 10 of 38 countries. In fact, all four countries with large Indigenous populations – who all initially opposed The United Nations Declaration the Rights of Indigenous People –...
September 7, 2020
Bill 197 (COVID-19 Economic Recovery Act, 2019) violates Treaty Rights
Law Times – Environmental groups and First Nations are challenging the Ontario Government’s changes to environmental legislation contained in Bill 197 The COVID-19 Economic Recovery Act. The amendments are a violation of s. 35 of the Charter, which recognizes and affirms existing Aboriginal and Treaty rights....
September 6, 2020
Ipperwash Inquiry
Chiefs of Ontario – Sept. 6, 2020, was the 25th anniversary of the Ipperwash crisis, where Dudley George, an unarmed Indigenous man was killed by an OPP sniper while peacefully protesting the expropriation of land from the Stoney Point Indian Band by the federal government in 1942 for a military base. Ancestral burial grounds were...
September 3, 2020
Seeing Red: A History of Natives in Canadian Newspapers
TVO – An updated edition of “Seeing Red: A History of Natives in Canadian Newspapers” by Carmen Robertson, a Scots-Lakota professor who currently holds a Canada Research Chair in North American Indigenous Visual and Material Culture at Carleton University. Her research centres on contemporary Indigenous arts and on constructions of Indigeneity in popular culture. The...
August 31, 2020
McDonald-Laurier Report on Systemic Racism in Policing
MacDonald-Laurier Institute – “Systemic racism in policing in Canada and approaches to fixing it,” argues that the fault for this lies primarily with political leaders who set the framework conditions and constraints for the delivery of police services. This commentary is based on the author’s written submission to the House of Commons Standing Committee on...
August 28, 2020
Bill 197 (COVID-19 Economic Recovery Act, 2019) violates Treaty Rights
The Matawa Chiefs Council – who represent 9 First Nations, issued this statement today rejecting the Ontario Crown’s tactics to unlawfully access the wealth of the north. The Ontario government has used the cover of COVID-19 to make legislative, regulatory and policy changes that attempt to diminish the obligations of Ontario to honour the constitutionally-protected Inherent...
August 10, 2020
Omnibus Bill 197 violates Environmental Bill of Rights
The Timmins Daily Press – Mushkegowuk Council is calling on the province to honour the treaty it signed 115 years ago. Treaty 9 was signed between First Nations leaders and Canadian political figures to establish guidelines around resources and projects on First Nations land. Grand Chief Jonathan Solomon called Bill 197 a “major step back”...
August 10, 2020
Bill 197 (COVID-19 Economic Recovery Act, 2019) violates Treaty Rights
The Timmins Daily Press – Mushkegowuk Council is calling on the province to honour the treaty it signed 115 years ago. Treaty 9 was signed between First Nations leaders and Canadian political figures to establish guidelines around resources and projects on First Nations land. Grand Chief Jonathan Solomon called Bill 197 a “major step back”...
July 24, 2020
Omnibus Bill 197 violates Environmental Bill of Rights
NationTalk – Bill 197 (COVID-19 Economic Recovery Act, 2019), an omnibus bill introduced on July 8 and passed just 13 days later on July 23 with little legislative debate and no Standing Committee consideration, and without public consultation on the changes to the Environmental Assessment Act (EAA) despite warnings from Ontario’s Auditor General that this...
July 24, 2020
Bill 197 (COVID-19 Economic Recovery Act, 2019) violates Treaty Rights
NationTalk – Bill 197 (COVID-19 Economic Recovery Act, 2019), an omnibus bill introduced on July 8 and passed just 13 days later on July 23 with little legislative debate and no Standing Committee consideration, and without public consultation on the changes to the Environmental Assessment Act (EAA) despite warnings from Ontario’s Auditor General that this...
July 23, 2020
McDonald-Laurier Report on Systemic Racism in Policing
The CBC “Deadly Force” database indicates that the RCMP are 3x more likely to use lethal force than other police forces in Canada. The CBC data found that 68 per cent of people killed in police encounters were suffering with some kind of mental illness, addiction or both. “When we get broader statistical information that...
July 8, 2020
Robinson-Huron and Superior Treaties, 1850
Manitoulin Expositor – Since the Ontario Government launched their appeal of the Dec. 24, 2018 decision, the Superior Court has sided with the Anishinabek Nation in two of three challenges: Phase 1: Established that the original treaty created a ‘sui generis fiduciary relationship’ (meaning the colonial government was required to manage the lands and act...
June 9, 2020
Using COVID to deny Duty to Consult
CBC – Nine faculty members at York University’s Osgoode Hall Law School are calling on the provincial government to press pause on mineral staking and permitting processes on Indigenous territory in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a letter addressed to Greg Rickford, the province’s minister of energy, northern development and mines state that continued...
May 22, 2020
Failure of Ring of Fire First Nations consultation
Policy Options – “Pandemic shouldn’t impede meaningful Indigenous engagement on Ring of Fire”. Ontario government announced that “a regional assessment of potential mining operations for the Ring of Fire will be undertaken”. The announcement only posted on the agency website severely impacts the ability of First Nations to meaningfully engage in the consulting process. Only...
May 22, 2020
Using COVID to deny Duty to Consult
Policy Options – “Pandemic shouldn’t impede meaningful Indigenous engagement on Ring of Fire”. Ontario government announced that “a regional assessment of potential mining operations for the Ring of Fire will be undertaken”. The announcement only posted on the agency website severely impacts the ability of First Nations to meaningfully engage in the consulting process. Only...
May 12, 2020
“Colonialism of the Curve: Indigenous Communities and Bad Covid Data”.
Yellowhead Institute – release of Policy Brief: “Colonialism of the Curve: Indigenous Communities and Bad Covid Data”. There is wide discrepancy on COVID-19 related health data from Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) and provincial health authorities: There is no agency or organization in Canada reliably recording and releasing Covid-19 data that indicates whether or not a person...
April 23, 2020
Release of at-risk Indigenous inmates
The Indigenous Bar Association (IBA)– Calls Upon Federal, Provincial and Territorial Justice Ministers and Attorneys General to Immediately Release low-risk Indigenous Inmates over COVID-19.Specifically, we call for the immediate release of incarcerated Indigenous people and the following actions: Immediately and minimally, carry-out the release of Indigenous inmates that are low-risk, non-violent, nearly eligible for parole,...
April 20, 2020
Incarcerated prisoners
First Nations leadership across BC is united in calling for immediate action to protect incarcerated peoples amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 outbreak at the Mission Institution is now the third largest outbreak in the Province of BC, with the first inmate tragically passing away on April 15, 2020. Senior health and corrections officials have...
April 5, 2020
Using COVID to deny Duty to Consult
NationTalk – Attawapiskat, Fort Albany, and Neskantaga First Nations in the James Bay lowlands have declared a moratorium on April 1 on any development in or to facilitate access to the Ring of Fire mining area in accordance with: Our Indigenous Laws including the Natural Laws of the Creator; Our Inherent Rights (arising from the...
March 31, 2020
Laurentian University Research on Indigenous Homelessness
CBC – A team of researchers at Laurentian University is compiling research about homelessness among Indigenous people — with the hopes it could influence government policy decisions, and contribute to reconciliation. Last fall, the university hosted a conference, called Reclaiming Home, which focused on issues of homelessness, housing, and reconciliation. “Just looking at the rates...
March 17, 2020
H1N1 and Systemic Racism
Globe and Mail – Despite accounting for just under 5 per cent of the Canadian population, Indigenous people were 25 per cent of those admitted to ICUs during the first wave of H1N1. First Nations children were 21 per cent of the paediatric patients admitted to ICUs during both waves. This led to sad and...
February 5, 2020
OHRC claims discrimination in accessing health services in Timmins
Timmins The Daily Press – On the second anniversary of the deaths of Joey Knapaysweet and Agnes Sutherland, the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) announced it has filed an application with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO) alleging discrimination based on Indigenous ancestry by public service providers in Timmins, Ontario. The February 2018 deaths...
January 7, 2020
8 Ways to champion Human Rights
Toronto Star – Toronto Star identified eight ways that Canada can champion human rights in the 2020s, including the following: First step is to adopt overdue legislation making the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Canada’s framework for rights and reconciliation. And to show we truly mean it: address mercury poisoning at...
December 11, 2019
Statement on National Urban Indigenous Housing Strategy
In Canada 79.7% of Indigenous Peoples live in urban centres yet an Indigenous Urban Housing strategy has yet to be developed. Aboriginal Housing Manager Association (AMHA) applauds the Federal government efforts in the National Housing Strategy to address the needs of Metis/First Nations/Inuit groups on a distinction basis, it has failed to recognize the majority...
November 14, 2019
Opposition to Bill 132 “Better for people, Smarter for business Act, 2019”
First Nation leaders from across Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) have strongly opposed Bill 132 “Better for People, Smarter for Business Act, 2019”, as it seriously undermines the mining industry obligation to consult with First Nation communities. They have also rejected the disrespectful approach of this government of burying issues fundamental to First Nations in omnibus...
November 9, 2019
Coroner investigating systemic racism at Thunder Bay Hospital
Toronto Star – A 19-year old First Nations man taken to the hospital by ambulance in obvious distress was escorted off the hospital property three hours later by security staff. Apparently, escorting Indigenous people who are seeking medical care off of hospital property is common practice. The would be patient ultimately committed suicide at a...
October 23, 2019
Declaration of Public Health Emergency
Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) Resolution 16/04 Call for Declaration of Public Health Emergency. NAN is a political territorial organization representing 49 First Nation communities within northern Ontario with the total population of membership (on and off reserve) around 45,000 people. The Sioux Lookout Chiefs Committee on Health and the NAN Executive declared a Health and...
September 25, 2019
Deaths of Indigenous Children in Child Welfare
72 Indigenous children connected to child welfare died in northern Ontario, where three Indigenous agencies covering most of the territory were underfunded approximately $400 million over a five-year period. The number of deaths jumps to 102 Indigenous children when looking at the entire province between 2013 to 2017. Almost half of the deaths, 48 in...
September 17, 2019
National Paper on Youth Suicide
The Canadian Council of Child and Youth Advocates (CCCYA) published “A National Paper on Youth Suicide” that calls on governments at the national, provincial and territorial levels to take concrete action to prevent youth suicide in Canada. Failure to address the multi-faceted issues impacting indigenous communities has led to a suicide epidemic. The paper consolidates...
August 7, 2019
Saugeen First Nation Treaty 72 signed 1854
CBC – In 2014, a tentative agreement between the First Nation and the Town of South Bruce Peninsula was proposed that would have recognized Saugeen’s ownership of the strip of beach. During the municipal election that fall, former councillor Janice Jackson unseated the previous mayor, running on a platform that the town would not settle...
July 11, 2019
The Council of The Federation, bi-annual meetings of the Federal, Provincial and Territory Premiers
Refusal to allow leaders of the Assembly of First Nations, the Métis National Council, the Inuit Tapariit Kanatami and the Native Woman’s Association of Canada to participate in the main body of meetings with a primary focus on climate change within each jurisdiction. As has been noted by numerous media, Indigenous peoples are on the...
July 9, 2019
Towards Justice: Tackling Indigenous Child Poverty in Canada
Upstream – Failure to reduce the level of poverty among Indigenous children. Tracking Indigenous child poverty and non-Indigenous child poverty trends between Census 2006 and Census 2016, it’s clear that these differences have not markedly changed over that 10-year period. “Towards Justice: Tackling Indigenous Child Poverty in Canada” co-authored by the Assembly of First Nations...
July 9, 2019
Barriers to Reconciliation
“Youth Reconciliation Barometer 2019, Final Report”, Environics Research Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth identified a number of barriers to reconciliation, notably: myths and stereotypes about what Indigenous Peoples receive from Canada a lack of political leadership to implement real change, and too little understanding among non-Indigenous people The national survey reveals how Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth...
July 9, 2019
Attawapiskat First Nation
CBC – Attawapiskat declares a state of emergency over state of drinking water. Tap water shows potentially harmful levels of disinfection by-products. Pro-longed exposure to THMs and HAAs can cause skin irritation and could increase the risk of cancer, according to a consultant report prepared for the community. THMs and HAAs cannot be cleared through...
June 3, 2019
MMIWG Inquiry – Final Report
“National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girl Final Report (MMIWG)” states: Indigenous women and girls are 2.7 times more likely to experience violence than non-Indigenous women. ]Homicide rates for Indigenous women were nearly seven times higher than for non- Indigenous women. One quarter of all female homicide victims in Canada in 2015...
June 3, 2019
Cutting Legal Aid Funding
Ottawa Citizen – Cuts to Legal Aid Ontario are “mean-spirited” and will push the province closer to a two-tiered legal system, where Indigenous people, the poor and refugees will be at an even greater disadvantage, Ottawa lawyers warn....
May 30, 2019
Defunding Indigenous Cultural Fund
Eliminating the $5M Indigenous Culture Fund in its entirety. The Fund was set up in response to calls for action from Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The initial plan was to cut $2.25 million. (Canadian Art). The Indigenous Culture Fund was set up last year and is administered by the Ontario Arts Council. It supports...
April 17, 2019
Repeal of Far North Act
CBC – Repeal of the “Far North Act“ to reduce restrictions on projects like all-season roads, electrical transmission projects and development of the Ring of Fire “doesn’t do enough to protect the rights of First Nations and will likely lead to “renewed conflict” with Indigenous communities, according to Dayna Scott, an associate professor at Osgoode...
April 12, 2019
Cutting Legal Aid Funding by 30%
The provincial government is cutting funding to Legal Aid Ontario by 30% that negatively impacts the Indigenous population who are one of the most disadvantaged and impoverished in Ontario and one of the most over-represented in the criminal justice system....
March 21, 2019
Yellowhead Institue Critique of Bill C-92
“Bill C-92, An Act respecting First Nations, Métis and Inuit children, youth and families” was graded as follows by the Yellowhead Institute of Ryerson University based on analysis by five Indigenous legal scholars. (See also First Nations Child and Family Caring Society Information Brief in C2A # 4) GRADES: National Standards: …………………… C Funding: ……………………………………..F...
March 1, 2019
Bill-74 The People’s Health Care Act, 2019
Bill-74 “The People’s Health Care Act, 2019” does not contain recognition of First Nations jurisdiction in health area and specifically Articles 18 and 23, of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, have not been recognized, as there has been no consultation with First Nations in developing this legislation. (Chiefs of Ontario)...
January 22, 2019
Robinson-Huron and Superior Treaties, 1850
The Government of Ontario appealed the Robinson-Huron and Robinson Superior Treaties Superior Court decision around Annuities claims while at the same time negotiating with the 21 First Nations making up the Anishinabek people in northern Ontario. In her December ruling, Justice Patricia Hennessy wrote the annuities described in the treaties — which hadn’t been raised...
December 10, 2018
Forced Sterilizations
72 organizations endorse the joint statement from Amnesty International Canada, the Native Women’s Association of Canada, and Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights, calling for government action to #DefendConsent and end #ForcedSterilization of Indigenous women in Canada Canadian Press – All the women interviewed felt that the health system had not served their needs,...
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 22, 2018
Call for national investigation into forced sterilizations
Senator Murray Sinclair, former Chair of the TRC, says Canada needs a national investigation to find out how common coerced sterilizations are among Indigenous women and how they’ve been allowed to continue for so long. http://nationtalk.ca/story/usw-joint-statement-calling-on-canada-to-end-sterilization-without-consent...
November 15, 2018
Closing Child and Youth Advocate Office
Letter from the Provincial Advocate for Children. Mar. 13, 2019 Progressive Conservative government announced as part of its Fall Economic Outlook that they would be repealing the Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth Act, 2007, and transferring investigation authority into child welfare services, residential care (including youth justice) and children’s secure treatment to the Ombudsman’s...
July 6, 2018
Cancellation of Indigenous curriculum content
Ontario’s Ministry of Education has cancelled a project to update provincial curriculum documents with Indigenous content. including those on TRC curriculum revisions and Indigenous languages in kindergarten. Ontario is the only province to renege on its commitment. See Education C2A # 62i. Doug Ford continues to undo the work of his predecessor, Kathleen Wynne, who...
June 29, 2018
Eliminating dedicated Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation
Eliminating a dedicated cabinet position for Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation and subsuming all responsibilities under one Ministry responsible for energy, northern development ad mines, and Indigenous Affairs June 29, 2018 – The Ipperwash Inquiry into the police killing of protester Dudley George in an Indigenous occupation of a provincial park in 1995 concluded that divided...
February 16, 2018
Native Women’s Association of Canada
Collectively, NWAC represents a multitude of Nations of Indigenous women who are First Nations, Métis, Inuit. These women represent non-status women and girls and rights holders with Treaty rights, inherent rights, Métis rights, human rights and gender-based rights. As a representative of Indigenous women, NWAC will provide the required gender-based perspective. In order to achieve...
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...
September 21, 2017
Canada Health Act flaws
Healthy Debates – “Indigenous health services often hampered by legislative confusion“. The federal and provincial governments negotiate health transfers based on the Canada Health Act, which specifies the conditions and criteria required of provincial health insurance programs. It doesn’t mention First Nations and Inuit peoples, Métis and non-status or off-reserve Indigenous peoples who are covered...
July 20, 2017
NWAC excluded from Council of the Federation discussions
Native Woman’s Association of Canada requested the Council of Federation to include NWAC in all Nation-to-Nation discussions, the work of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (National Inquiry) in the scope of improving the socio-economic status of Indigenous women, and the need for a community-based prevention model to drive the...
July 17, 2017
Indigenous leaders boycott Council of Federation meetings
National Chief Perry Bellegarde, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) President Natan Obed and President Clément Chartier of the Métis Nation of Canada (MNC) held a press conference today in a show of unity over their concerns regarding the full and effective participation of Indigenous peoples in intergovernmental forums, including the Council of the Federation meeting taking...
June 5, 2017
Saugeen First Nation Treaty 72 signed 1854
Globe and Mail, Aug. 30, 2015, Updated June 5, 2017 – Resorting to the courts to resolve a long-standing land claim issue. The federal government supports the Saugeen First Nation claim which dates back to Treaty No. 72, signed in October, 1854. Surveying documents made at the time validate that the eastern boundary should have...
July 14, 2016
Grassy Narrows mercury clean-up ignored for over 30 years
Toronto Star – Ontario’s former environment minister called for a clean-up of mercury contaminating Grassy Narrows First Nation, historical cabinet memos obtained by the Star show. But nothing was done by the government of the day to clean up the polluted river and lakes, and more than 30 years later the fish that feed the...
July 14, 2016
Fire protection on reserves
NationTalk – There is no national fire protection code that mandates fire safety standards or enforcement on reserves. All other jurisdictions in Canada including provinces, territories, and other federal jurisdictions (such as military bases, airports, and seaports) have established building and fire codes. The Aboriginal Firefighters Association of Canada (AFAC), NIFSC’s parent organization, supports the...
July 14, 2016
Mercury poisoning at Grassy Narrows
Toronto Star – Ontario’s former environment minister called for a clean-up of mercury contaminating Grassy Narrows First Nation, historical cabinet memos obtained by the Star show. But nothing was done by the government of the day to clean up the polluted river and lakes, and more than 30 years later the fish that feed the...