On the morning of Oct. 17, the Canadian Coast Guard contacted the Council of the Haida Nation to mobilize vessels to assist with a marine emergency. A 135-metre Russian registered container had lost power and was drifting 12 miles off the coast of Gowgaia Bay carrying 500 metric tonnes of bunker fuel and 60 metric tonnes of diesel. Based on calculations, the ship could run aground within nine hours.

“It’s absolutely pristine out there,” Guujaaw, former president of the Haida Nation, told The Tyee’s reporter David Ball. “It’s a world heritage site in that region.”

Sioux Lookout, Lac Seul First Nation and Kitchenuhmaykoosib will be collaborating on a joint project for a regional distribution centre to address issues of food insecurity and health in the far north. The partners will have access to $48,000 in grants and facilitation supports through the First Nations – Municipal Community Economic Development Initiative. Through CEDI, the three communities will be able to enhance capacity-building, set up a study tour, and offset the travel costs involved in having a remote, fly-in community participate.

Details for the Aboriginal Economic Development Fund, which is a three-year, $25-million initiative to support business, employment and training opportunities in First Nation communities have been released. There will be three funding streams: a Business and Community Fund to help create economic opportunities; Economic Diversification Grants†to enable First Nation communities to diversify; and, Regional Partnership Grants to help communities collaborate. The first stream will be delivered in partnership with First Nation financial institutions.

Representatives from Aboriginal communities, as well as the Law Society of Upper Canada and Legal Aid Ontario, are part of a 12-member advisory group set up in response to a recommendation of former Supreme Court Justice Frank Iacobucci’s 2013 report on Aboriginal representation on juries. Iacobucci found the relationship between the justice system and First Nation was “quite frankly in crisis.” The report highlighted the estrangement of Aboriginal communities from the justice system despite being incarcerated at a much higher rate than the general population.

The Saugeen Ojibway Nations have made their opposition known to the panel considering a proposal for a nuclear waste storage site near Kincardine. Ontario Power Generation and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission say the plan to bury 200,000 cubic metres of low and intermediate-level radioactive waste in a layer of limestone 680 metres deep is sound and they have backing from Kincardine town council and local business groups.

Aboriginal artist and 2013 Sobey Art Award winner Duane Linklater’s work Tautology was unveiled Sept. 25 at the MacLaren Art Centre, in Barrie. The gallery received $24,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts through the 2014 York Wilson Prize, which enabled it to acquire Linklater’s new work.

Dr. Carrie Bourassa, professor of Indigenous Health Studies, at the First Nations University of Canada, has been named a member of the inaugural cohort of the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists. She joins 90 other colleagues from 51 Canadian universities and the National Research Council to represent Canada’s emerging generation of scholarly, scientific and artistic leadership.

The “Spirit of Alliance,” a monument marking the War of 1812, was commissioned by the Whitecap Dakota First Nation. It was unveiled in Saskatoon on Sept. 19 by Prince Edward,†Earl of†Wessex.† Commemorating the relationship between First Nations and the Crown at the time of the War of 1812, the monument highlights the history of the Dakota-Crown alliance. “We must remember our original veteran soldiers and warriors who together made the ultimate sacrifice and laid the foundation for our beautiful multicultural nation,” Whitecap Dakota First Nation Chief Darcy Bear said.

Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations Chief Perry Bellegarde is the first to declare his intentions to seek the position of National Chief for the Assembly of First Nations. Bellegarde took Shawn Atleo to a record eighth round of voting in Calgary in 2009 before conceding. Atleo was re-elected in 2012. Bellegarde did not run. Atleo resigned on May 1, 2014, amidst complaints he was too friendly with the Harper government. Bellegarde was among Atleo’s critics at that time.

White Bear First Nation’s attempt to operate an online casino has come to an end. NorthernBearCasino.com began operating in 2012. In October, CEO Bernie Shepherd released a statement saying the GEObet-powered site had suspended operations indefinitely. Shepherd cited economic conditions in contributing to the site’s demise, describing the online gambling business as “very competitive.” In February, Shepherd told CalvinAyre.com he was looking for outside investors to help fund a proper promotional campaign.