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Established in 1983 to serve the needs of northern Alberta, Windspeaker became a national newspaper on its 10th anniversary in 1993.
at the table on the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation’s board of directors, a First Nation group is insisting an appointment be made now. A ruling in April found that Ontario was in breach of its contractual obligations from a 2008 agreement, acting in bad faith, by not appointing a member of the Ontario First Nations Limited Partnership to the board. That agreement also saw the First…
The physician who had to fight against professional misconduct charges when he spoke out about high cancer rates in Fort Chipewyan, a community downstream from tar sands development in northern Alberta, has been let go – by the community he advocated for.
John O’Connor, who signed an agreement with the Nunee Health Board Society seven years ago to deliver on-call medical assistance,…
The English language is replete with words used by one certain segment of the population aimed at a different segment of the population and that are now considered politically incorrect, and rightfully so.
How many people had grandparents that told a rather off colour version of the ‘Eeny meeny miny moe’ children’s rhyme? Or used colorful (no pun intended) words to describe people of…
As the Truth and Reconciliation Commission draws to a close, it is in front of the courts again on one of the more contentious issues it has faced in its six years.
The TRC is asking the court to rule on what is to become of government and church documents that are not yet in the commission’s possession.
“The biggest challenge we faced was to get the parties to provide us with…
After six long, hard years of heading the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Justice Murray Sinclair is tired. But he is also hopeful.
UPDATED PHOTO GALLERY: May 31
UPDATED PHOTO GALLERY:…
Several dozen teenagers and young adults marched the length of Asubpeeschoseewagong (Grassy Narrows) First Nation on May 2 in sweltering 26 degree Celsius heat.
At a community barbecue to celebrate the end of their walk against logging, the teens lounged in the back of pickup trucks and under the branches of roadside trees. Veteran Elders of the northern Ontario Anishinabe community’s…
with British Columbia to take advantage of natural gas pipeline development and the emerging LNG industry. The nation’s traditional territory is along the proposed route for TransCanada’s Prince Rupert Gas Transmission (PRGT) natural gas pipeline project. They will receive about $3.56 million in one-time payments from the Province as milestones are reached: $324,000 when the agreement takes…
North Bay Nugget that his community is opposed to a plan to bury nuclear waste near Lake Huron. “Of course we are opposed to it. In our community that I represent ... there are no members that are agreeable to the burial at the site at this time.” Ontario Power Generation received approval in May from a federal review panel, but OPG said approval of the First Nation is necessary for the…
“exemplary” member of the community and decided he shouldn’t have a criminal record for a dangerous driving conviction. Judge Byron Wright gave Arcand, 62, a former vice-chief of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations, a nine-month conditional discharge. Arcand was convicted in December of dangerous driving for aiming his vehicle at a police officer who had testified against him at a…
the island’s rich culture, but a 30-second tourism video produced by Destination Cape Breton, doesn’t mention First Nations and is being criticized for its lack of cultural diversity with nary a visible minority in sight. But destination Cape Breton said the video is meant to attract tourists from the Toronto market who visit the island for the Cabot Trail. “For the purpose of a 30-second spot…
Society will have no federal funding to support on-reserve social assistance programs. The society is condemning a “unilateral decision” by Aboriginal Affairs, BC region to cut the support for Persons with Disability on Reserve adjudication service. The society further accuses the government of bad faith negotiations of a contract.
President Jamie Hill said the society’s work meets the…
The Lax Kw’alaams band has turned down a liquefied natural gas development that would have netted them $1.15 billion in benefits.
And in so doing lost out on Crown land the province had been offering. The band had valued the land at $108 million. The province said the land was contingent on the band supporting Pacific NorthWest LNG’s proposal.
PNW had proposed to construct an LNG…
It was a big test. When we heard about the $1.15 billion offered by Petronas (Pacific NorthWest LNG) to Lax Kw’alaams First Nation to support an LNG terminal on its traditional land at Lelu Island in Prince Rupert it made us wonder. How does a small group turn that kind of money down?
This is where the principles that have been espoused are challenged at their core. Does the offer…
Bernard Valcourt says that a federal budget that does not specifically address Aboriginal concerns does not mean that the Conservative government is ignoring Indigenous needs.
Instead, says the minister for Aboriginal Affairs, it’s a budget that ties the well-being of Aboriginal people in with all Canadians.
“I think that what the future holds for Canada is the necessity of working…
Xeni Gwet'in councillor Marilyn Baptiste has won
the 2015 Goldman Environmental Prize for her leadership in defeating a proposed gold and copper mine that would have destroyed Teztan Biny (Fish Lake), a source of spiritual rejuvenation, identity and livelihood for the Xeni Gwet’in, reads a statement. The Prize is the world’s largest award recognizing grassroots environmental activists…