The Globe and Mail reports that the federal government

Timiskaming First Nation said it wants to restore the moose population in its territory —about 3400 square km straddling the Ontario/Quebec border—to a healthy size. A Ministry of Natural Resources moose population survey resulted in a dramatic decrease in the number of moose tags assigned from 457 to 30 for the 2014 hunting season.

Four Alberta First Nations are taking the federal government to court to get their drinking water problems resolved.

Aroland First Nation in Northern Ontario is opposed to a proposal by Premier Gold to construct an open pit mine near Geraldton. “My First Nation is generally supportive of sustainable mining development,” said Chief Sonny Gagnon. “Premier Gold wants to destroy Begooch Zaagaigan, a lake that supports our Aboriginal fishery. They just put a number on this lake — A-322 — and tell us they’re going to fill it in with mine waste.” The venture is known as the Hardrock project. It would be located about 275 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay.

Jennifer Campeau became the first First Nations woman

Chester Nez, 93, the last of the original Navajo Code Talkers,
Second World War heroes brought to the world’s attention by the Adam Beach movie Windtalkers, died June 4 in Albuquerque. Nez was one of 29 men who created a code from the Navajo language that allowed for information to be transmitted without Japanese deciphering the messages. His family said he died of kidney failure. He was a member of the all-Navajo 382nd Marine Platoon.

The youth of Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug are again inviting “ordinary Canadians” to live in their homes, share their lives and explore their community. They will be opening their homes to 50 Canadians from Aug. 1 to Aug. 7 at a cost of $2,900 each for the all-inclusive experience. Most Canadians know more about Third World living conditions around the globe than those plaguing First Nations communities across the country, reads a press release.

The First Nations Panorama Implementation Project team in BC has won a national eHealth award for ground-breaking work creating new pathways to technology and access to better health services for First Nations in the province. The Innovation in Adoption of Health Informatics award was given to the Panorama team at the 2014 COACH eHealth Conference Informatics Awards Gala.

The Nak’azdli Band at Fort St. James celebrated the completion of the Nak’al Bun (K-7) Elementary School June 13. About 150 students from kindergarten to Grade 7 will have access to a school that features a dedicated cultural room, an industrial kitchen and educational garden filled with traditional medicinal plants. Investments also modernize the facility through sustainable technology, such as geothermal heating and a natural air exchange to ventilate the school. The Nak’azdli Band has 720 on-reserve members.

On June 5, the Federal Court of Appeal dismissed Canada’s challenge of a decision by the Specific Claims Tribunal that the Kitselas First Nation had validly established that the Crown breached its legal obligation as a result of the non-inclusion of a 10.5 acre parcel of land in a reserve initially identified in 1891. Canada applied for the judicial review on March 21, 2013 when the Tribunal issued a decision in favour of the Kitselas.  The Federal Court of Appeal held the hearings April 7 and April 8.