Welcome to AMMSA.COM, the news archive website for our family of Indigenous news publications.
Established in 1983 to serve the needs of northern Alberta, Windspeaker became a national newspaper on its 10th anniversary in 1993.
Study shows culture impacted in wildfire evacuations
A study by Julia Scharbach and James Waldram in the department of Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of Saskatchewan says more care must be taken to protect family and culture when wildfire threatens northern communities. The pair looked at the experiences of the Hatchet Lake Denesuline…
The Assembly of First Nations and Congress of Aboriginal Peoples are encouraging Indigenous people to exercise their sovereign right and vote.
But not all Indigenous people believe that the way to have their voices heard is by marking an X on the ballot box.
John Borrows, law foundation chair in Aboriginal justice and governance at the University of Victoria, said he was at a…
Candidates, leaders of national Aboriginal organizations, and academia all say that, to date, the federal election has been light on issues that impact the country’s Indigenous peoples.
The first leaders’ debate touched briefly on relevant issues, said Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde.
“We’ve got to really do a better job of getting our issues and…
On July 29, the BC Court of Appeal overturned a BC Supreme Court decision and found the province breached its duty to consult with the Kwakiutl Indian Band regarding Forestry decisions impacting on Kwakiutl Traditional Territory, and that Kwakiutl’s 1851 Treaty rights “occupy the high end of the spectrum of claims demanding deep consultation.” The Court of Appeal also upheld the finding of the…
Kitselas First Nation, B.C. and Canada have also signed an Agreement-In-Principle. The agreement provides for 36,158 hectares of land east of Terrace, and a transfer of $34.7 million once a Final Agreement is reached. “It has been a longer road getting to this stage than we expected, but we have waited much longer, generations, to regain our self-governance,” said Joe Bevan, chief of Kitselas…
Kitsumkalum First Nation and the governments of B.C. and Canada signed an Agreement-in-Principle for treaty Aug. 5. The Kitsumkalum agreement provides for about 45,406 hectares of land, north and west of Terrace, and a transfer of $44.2 million once a Final Agreement is reached. The agreement covers a variety of chapters, including governance, taxation and resources,” reads a press statement…
The Steelworkers Humanity Fund will contribute $20,000 to help Aboriginal and northern families recover from forest fire evacuations. The money will go to Food Banks and Food For Fire Evacuees program. “The forest fires have disrupted and traumatized thousands in northern Saskatchewan and left many needing a helping hand to recover,” said Fund President Ken Neumann. Neumann praised United…
Rice is at the centre of a fight between the First Nations’ right to harvest traditional foods and the recreational enjoyment of a body of water by cottage owners on Pigeon Lake, located north of Peterborough in Ontario. A First Nation man has been seeding the lake and harvesting rice, but cottagers said the rice is spreading, taking over the lake, choking out other plants and interfering with…
One year has passed since the violent death of 15-year-old Tina Fontaine and now the Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde says little has changed to provide safety for other young Aboriginal women in Manitoba and across the country. While the province has decided to no longer allow foster children to be housed in hotels, and there was a high level meeting of Canada’s…
Sixteen fentanyl-related overdoses all in the evening of Aug. 9 in Vancouver have brought national attention to an issue the Blood Tribe has been tackling head-on.
In March, the First Nation in the Blackfoot Confederacy in southern Alberta declared a local state of emergency in response to 13 deaths over four months due to drug overdoses.
“We can’t associate all of those (deaths…
The discovery of about 30 dead blue herons near a run-off pond at a Syncrude operation in northeastern Alberta has resulted in an outcry against oversight and management of oilsands operations.
“While the birds may not have been found in a tailing pond it’s clear the birds succumbed after exposure to something in the region. This draws out some serious concerns about how monitoring…
The decision by Canada and Manitoba to fund infrastructure on Lake Manitoba while nearly 2,000 First Nations members remain homeless has First Nations leaders questioning government priorities.
“Clearly the idea of making a splashy announcement on half-a-billion dollars for the benefit of Manitoba Conservatives is problematic considering the tragedy that we’ve experience for our…
The offshore capability of an FLNG (floating liquefied natural gas) terminal immediately raises the question as to whether the Steelhead/Malahat LNG project, announced Aug. 20, has opened the door for new discussion on the issue of offshore oil and gas.
Since 1972, the federal government has imposed a moratorium on offshore drilling on the B.C. coast, but the petroleum industry has…
Vancouver-based Steelhead LNG has announced the signing of a Mutual Benefits Agreement and Long-Term Lease with Malahat First Nation to export natural gas fracked in Northeastern B.C.
The proposed FLNG (floating liquefied natural gas) terminal would have a capacity to transship up to six million tonnes (mpta) of LNG annually, and would be located at the existing deep-water port formerly…
The Urbane Indian
Canada and America are two different countries, but with
similar characteristics. One was born in violence and rebellion, a middle finger extended to King George, while the other was conceived in quiet negotiation, with probably a few ‘I’m sorrys” to Queen Victoria. Over the years, these two step-siblings have grown and manifested themselves in new and…