The Chiefs of Ontario have received support from the Assembly of First Nations to push the provincial government to hold an inquiry into the deaths of seven young people attending high school since 2000 in Thunder Bay. A resolution was passed at the most recent AFN General Assembly. The Chief Coroner of Ontario ordered a joint inquest into the deaths but the inquest was delayed because of the lack of First Nations representation on the Thunder Bay jury roll.

In a decision that Ontario Regional Chief Stan Beardy calls “a breach of Canada’s obligations to uphold international laws/standards and [one that] undermines Indigenous laws that have already been in place for centuries,” the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled the Ontario government does not need federal approval to permit industrial logging on a First Nation’s traditional lands. Grassy Narrows appealed after Ontario’s highest court ruled in March 2013 that the province has the right to take up treaty land for forestry and mining.

Monument commemorates murdered, missing Aboriginal women

Alanis Obomsawin’s latest endeavour is making its world debut at the Toronto International Film Festival as the first work by an Indigenous filmmaker to be included in TIFF’s Masters program.

“I’m very honoured. I think it’s wonderful,” said Obomsawin, who is the writer/director for Trick or Treaty?

“I always think the more people seeing the film, the better place we get. It’s helpful to all our people and especially the ones whose story it is about.”

“It’s about time they showed the wonderful image-making and history of the Anishnabe people,” said artist Bonnie Devine about the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) and its exhibition, Before and After the Horizon.

“It’s part of the art history of Ontario. It makes me happy. But I also wonder, why did they take so long?”

A week-long battle for the over-all team award at this year’s North American Indigenous Games went right down to the wire.
And in the end, British Columbia edged the host Saskatchewan entry by picking up one medal more.

B.C. athletes captured a total of 160 medals (63 gold, 49 silver, 48 bronze) at the Games, which concluded on July 27 in Regina. Saskatchewan competitors finished off with 159 medals, though they did have more gold medals (72) than B.C.

Ontario placed third in the team standings, accumulating 149 medals.

Although presenting the Ontario Superior Court with opposing viewpoints as to what should become of statements obtained through the Independent Assessment Process, both the IAP chief adjudicator and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission agree that Justice Paul M. Perell’s decision is a victory for privacy.

King announces retirement

After 10 seasons of playing professional hockey in various leagues, Colt King has called it quits. King, a 31-year-old Ojibwe from Thunder Bay, Ont., announced his retirement via Twitter on Aug. 14.

Compiled by Shari Narine

Monument commemorates murdered, missing Aboriginal women

After almost 14 years of receiving funding from the Aboriginal Healing Foundation in order to provide quality service for residential school and intergenerational survivors, the Tsow-Tun Le Lum Society, which operates a substance abuse treatment centre on Vancouver Island, is back to piece-meal funding.

They have not been able to accept any new registrants for the program since May 2013.

“The Aboriginal Healing Foundation provided adequate budget to deliver excellent programming,” said society Executive Director Yvonne Rigsby-Jones. “The closure is really devastating.”