Coronavirus: What’s happening in Canada and around the world on Friday
April 23, 2021
In Ontario, which is similarly dealing with rising cases, Toronto and Peel Region could begin today to order the temporary closure of some businesses to control workplace COVID-19 outbreaks. The orders from the top doctors in both regions were expected to come into effect today, a measure they both said was designed to protect tens of thousands of essential workers from the virus.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/coronavirus-covid19-canada-world-april23-2021-1.5999279
Ogichidaa Francis Kavanaugh Encourages Continued Vaccination Efforts
April 21, 2021
Ogichidaa Francis Kavanaugh encourages citizens to adhere to public health guidelines during the third wave of COVID-19 and continue the vaccination efforts in the Treaty #3 territory.
http://gct3.ca/ogichidaa-francis-kavanaugh-encourages-continued-vaccination-efforts/
Pregnant people now eligible for COVID-19 vaccines in Ontario
April 23, 2021
Pregnant people in Ontario can now book an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine through the province’s call centre or via their local health unit. In an email, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Health said that the change was made in light of “emerging data on the increased risk of severe illness” for pregnant people.
After a year of consistent, widespread lobbying, Ontario reverses its stance on paid sick leave
April 23, 2021
The signal from Premier Doug Ford that Ontario will create an enhanced paid sick leave program is being greeted with both relief and disappointment, since demands for the program have been ignored for nearly the entire pandemic.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-sick-leave-program-reaction-1.5998493
$18B Indigenous spending in Budget 2021 meant for short-term gaps: Miller
April 23, 2021
Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller says the 2021 federal budget marks a historic level of investment in Indigenous communities, but he acknowledges much of this spending addresses systemic funding gaps and that longer-term, sustained spending will need to continue.
Addressing Indigenous needs in the 2021 Federal Budget
April 21, 2021
The federal budget was announced yesterday, and with that bringing $18 billion in new money to indigenous communities. The proposed 2021 budget on Indigenous spending is a 300 percent jump from the $4.5 billion announced in the spring 2019 budget.
https://saultonline.com/2021/04/addressing-indigenous-needs-in-the-2021-federal-budget/
Ontario Partners with Conservation Leaders to Restore Health of the Great Lakes
April 22, 2021
Jeff Yurek, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, issued the following statement following a virtual meeting of the Great Lakes Guardians’ Council today, co-chaired by Glen Hare, Grand Council Chief of the Anishinabek Nation.
NAN Mourns Passing of Elder Freddie Kakekagumick of Keewaywin First Nation
April 22, 2021
Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler, on behalf of the Executive Council, expresses heartfelt condolences following the passing of NAN Elder Freddie Kakekagumick, 85, of Keewaywin First Nation: “On behalf of Nishnawbe Aski Nation I send our love and prayers to Freddie’s family, his son Chief George Kakekagumick, and the entire Keewaywin community.
https://www.nan.ca/news/nan-mourns-passing-of-elder-freddie-kakekagumick-of-keewaywin-first-nation/
Wataynikaneyap Power Transmission Project a 2021 Clean50 Top Project
April 22, 2021
Wataynikaneyap Power is pleased to announce that the Wataynikaneyap Power Transmission Project has been chosen as a 2021 Clean50 Top Project award winner. Clean50 Top Projects are chosen annually based on their innovation, their ability to inform, and inspire other Canadians.
Anishinaabek Nation water commissioner Autumn Peltier named to national Clean50 list
April 23, 2021
Add another award to Wiikwemkoong’s Autumn Peltier list, after she was named to the national Clean50 List, which recognizes “outstanding contributions to clean capitalism.”
Crystal Shawanda nominated for two Juno Awards
April 23, 2021
Manitoulin Island’s superstar musician Crystal Shawanda has been nominated for two Juno Awards! Ms. Shawanda is originally from the Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory and now lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
https://www.manitoulin.com/crystal-shawanda-nominated-for-two-juno-awards/
Red Rock Indian Band to enhance and expand tourism
April 23, 2021
Red Rock Indian Band is looking to expand its Chalet Lodge services into the winter season through $237,250 in federal government funding from FedNor’s Northern Ontario Development Program. FedNor also provided Red Rock Indian Band with $24,925 for a feasibility study on the viability of establishing a wild rice cultivation and processing operation.
https://anishinabeknews.ca/2021/04/23/red-rock-indian-band-to-enhance-and-expand-tourism/
Around the world in 80 Plays: Indigenous theatre classic Moonlodge launches ‘world tour’
April 21, 2021
After performing her one-woman show thousands of times, Margo Kane can finally sit back, relax, and listen to her creation. Kane created Moonlodge, a significant piece of Indigenous Canadian theatre, in 1990. She toured the show for years, in Canada and around the world.
Supreme Court rules Sinixt are not ‘extinct’
April 23, 2021
Canada’s highest court has upheld the acquittal of Richard Desautel, the Sinixt member who tried to reverse the federal government’s 65-year-old claim that an Indigenous nation from British Columbia’s Interior no longer exists.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/supreme-court-of-canada-desautel-sinixt-ruling-1.5998062
Opinion: Minor in Nishnaabemwin another Laurentian University casualty?
April 22, 2021
Further muddled information emerging piecemeal from Laurentian University sows much confusion on this question. Two new pieces are related to Laurentian University’s April 16 announcement that it will offer six Indigenous Studies (INDG) courses this spring only (its emphasis).
Sipekne’katik may seek UN peacekeepers for contentious N.S. fishery relaunch
April 22, 2021
The Sipekne’katik First Nation says it is considering asking the United Nations to send peacekeepers to police the self-regulated lobster fishery it plans to relaunch in southwestern Nova Scotia outside the commercial fishing season.
Mi’kmaw community says it will launch treaty fishery without federal licenses
April 22, 2021
Sipekne’katik First Nation will harvest lobster on their own terms, without federal licenses says Chief Mike Sack. Sack made the announcement Thursday in the community’s fisheries building, along with the community’s new treaty fishery plan. It will be a five month season, outside the government regulated commercial season.
Ottawa, Mi’kmaq community on collision course over plan for second lobster season
April 22, 2021
Ottawa and a small Mi’kmaq community appear to be headed toward renewed tensions on the waters off southwest Nova Scotia as the First Nation plans another self-regulated lobster season.
New life means new name for former Kapyong Barracks site: Naawi-Oodena
April 22, 2021
Anishinaabe culture and language are being celebrated in a new name for the former Kapyong Barracks military site in Winnipeg. Naawi-Oodena — pronounced Nah way–Oh day nah — means “centre of the heart and community,” according to Treaty One Nation, a group of seven Treaty 1 First Nations who own and are developing two-thirds of the 65-hectare site as an urban reserve.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/kapyong-barracks-name-naawi-oodena-winnipeg-1.5997787
First Nations could have been better consulted before ending tax agreement, says minister
April 23, 2021
New Brunswick’s aboriginal affairs minister says she thinks her own government could have better consulted First Nations leaders prior to its announcement it would end a tax-sharing agreement that generated millions of dollars in revenue for some communities.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/first-nation-tax-new-brunswick-1.5996573
Pabineau chief in talks with Higgs on possible new tax-sharing deal
April 22, 2021
A First Nations chief in northern New Brunswick says he has started one-on-one negotiations with the Higgs government for an agreement that could include a modified tax-sharing formula. Pabineau First Nation Chief Terry Richardson says he met with Premier Blaine Higgs and Aboriginal Affairs Minister Arlene Dunn in Moncton on Wednesday “to see if we can make some movement on the taxation agreements.”
Natoaganeg spirit lodge offers mental health support rooted in culture
April 23, 2021
When Roger Augustine looks out along the Miramichi River, he knows the place where eagles often circle overhead is the perfect spot for healing in his community. The regional chief had long dreamed of a centre to support men and boys in Eel Ground First Nation who face mental health challenges. Then came the opportunity to buy a dedicated property and make it a reality.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/natoaganeg-spirit-lodge-mental-health-1.5998654
Large scale mural honouring legacy of residential schools will be on display in Selkirk
April 22, 2021
A new large scale mural honouring the lives of those who attended residential schools is going up in Selkirk, a small city north of Winnipeg.
New ‘statement to police’ card for Indigenous people released in Alberta
April 21, 2021
An Edmonton non-profit has created a new wallet-sized card to help Indigenous people know their rights if stopped by police in Alberta. The statement to police card created by the Native Counselling Services of Alberta (NCSA) provides a list of people’s rights and a paragraph that can be read to police. It also lists the organization’s contact information.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/statement-to-police-card-1.5997169
Enoch Cree Nation shuts down non-essential services to get ahead of rising COVID-19 cases
April 21, 2021
Enoch Cree Nation is limiting operations to essential services only in an effort to get ahead of a sudden spike in COVID-19 cases in the community. The nation, west of Edmonton, announced a plan to close non-essential services for 14 days on Wednesday, after seeing a sudden spike in confirmed COVID-19 cases.
Body of missing Cree woman found near Edmonton
April 22, 2021
The remains of Billie Wynell Johnson, a Cree woman who disappeared Christmas Eve, have been found this week in a farmer’s field on the north side of Edmonton, APTN News has learned.
https://www.aptnnews.ca/national-news/wynell-johnson-body/
B.C. Supreme Court judge rejects bid to send Coastal GasLink pipeline back for assessment
April 23, 2021
A B.C. Supreme Court judge has rejected a bid by the Office of the Wet’suwet’en to kill an extension of the environmental assessment certificate that gave the green light to a northern B.C. pipeline that was at the centre of countrywide protests.
Derek Chauvin conviction renews calls for reform in Canada: Teegee
April 22, 2021
As Derek Chauvin is convicted south of the border, Regional Chief Terry Teegee says he is pleased with the verdict but says this renews the call for reform in Canada. The BC Assembly of First Nations (BCAFN) say Indigenous and other racialized people in Canada are all too familiar with police brutality and adverse outcomes in the judicial system.
https://ckpgtoday.ca/2021/04/22/derek-chauvin-conviction-renews-calls-for-reform-in-canada-teegee/
Nuxalk Nation and Stz’uminus First Nation members gather to hang red dresses and remember loved ones
April 23, 2021
Nuxalk Nation members gathered on the unceded territory of the Stz’uminus First Nation on Sunday to hang red dresses in honour of family members who have been taken.
Top court to decide today whether First Nation declared ‘extinct’ still exists in Canada
April 23, 2021
Canada’s highest court will issue a ruling today that could reverse the federal government’s 65-year-old claim that an Indigenous nation from British Columbia’s Interior no longer exists. The Supreme Court of Canada ruling will determine whether the Sinixt, whose reservation is in Washington state, have an Indigenous right to hunt in their ancestral territory north of the border.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/supreme-court-of-canada-desautel-sinixt-ruling-1.5998062
After 32 years as Skeetchestn chief, Ron Ignace steps aside
April 22, 2021
An era of leadership has come to an end at Skeetchestn Indian Band. Wednesday (Apr. 21), band members elected Darrell Draney as the band’s new chief. Draney succeeds Ron Ignace, who served as chief for 32 of the past 38 years.
https://cfjctoday.com/2021/04/22/after-32-years-as-skeetchestn-chief-ron-ignace-steps-aside/
P.E.I. school forging a path toward reconciliation with help from Lennox Island
April 23, 2021
Students at École Saint-Augustin in Rustico, P.E.I., are forging a path toward reconciliation, thanks to a new partnership with members of the Lennox Island First Nation. That partnership came from the initiative of teacher Julie Gagnon, whose vision around reconciliation extended beyond a solitary act, and centred on relationship building.
Indigenous women entrepreneurs more likely to be motivated by filling a need, rather than greed
April 22, 2021
One thing a lot of Indigenous women entrepreneurs have in common is they never thought they’d be business owners. Lynn-Marie Angus was in high rise construction, which she says she found out the hard way is a field toxic to Indigenous women.
Inuit say high domestic violence rates should be addressed with more treatment for men
April 22, 2021
Even though Kataluk Paningayak was five years younger than her sister Maggie – she set an example to look up to. According to Maggie Naluiyuk, back home in Ivujivik – the northernmost community in the Quebec’s subarctic region of Nunavik – Kataluk was very involved in school committees, community functions, and often honed her skills with a needle and thread at sewing circles.
Yukon officials call for investment to create safe consumption site to help in opioid crisis
April 22, 2021
Since 2016, 40 people have died from opioids in the Yukon – seven of those deaths are from this year alone. The Yukon’s chief medical officer of health says a safe consumption site is needed to curb the number of deaths.
‘I know who I am:’ Labrador MP defends Inuk identity after Nunavut MP’s questions
April 23, 2021
Labrador member of parliament Yvonne Jones is defending her ancestry after Nunavut MP Mumilaaq Qaqqaq reiterated her position that Jones is “not an Inuk,” and southern Labrador is “not an Inuit region.”
N.W.T. remote tourism operators can host out-of-territory visitors this summer. Here’s how it works
April 23, 2021
Remote tourism operators in the Northwest Territories can now host out-of-territory visitors this summer. Officials announced the change on Wednesday during a COVID-19 update. They said operators can apply to host the visitors by creating a remote tourism COVID-19 operations plan and if approved and in place, clients will be allowed to self-isolate on-site at the remote tourism location, instead of in one of the N.W.T.’s isolation hubs.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/n-w-t-remote-tourism-summer-2021-1.5998287
‘A sin to waste’: Montana tribe provides COVID-19 vaccinations at Alberta border crossing
April 22, 2021
A long line of cars was backed up at the Carway border crossing in southern Alberta this week as First Nations members and others took advantage of free COVID-19 vaccinations from the Blackfeet Tribe in Montana.
Opposition to the Line 3 pipeline quiet in Canada, not so down south
April 23, 2021
It’s a pipeline that stretches across three provinces from Alberta to Manitoba before entering the United States. The Enbridge Line 3 pipeline is going to carry tar sands bitumen and the project has gone on with little opposition in Canada.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Call for Proposals: Capacity-building funding for An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families for fiscal year 2021-2022
A call for proposals is now open to support capacity-building in relation to An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families for fiscal year 2021-2022. Funding is available to Indigenous Peoples, communities, and groups as they begin work to develop their own legislation and explore Indigenous-led models for child and family services.
Learn more: https://bit.ly/31P9GUe
Save the Date: Chiefs of Ontario 47th All Ontario Chiefs Conference 2021
The Chiefs of Ontario and Grand Council Treaty #3 will be hosting the 47th All Ontario Chiefs Conference 2021 on June 15-17, 2021. For the Chiefs of Ontario All Ontario Chiefs Conference (AOCC), please find the 1st Call for Resolutions attached. Deadline for Resolutions is Wednesday, May 26, 2021. For more information, please visit https://www.chiefsmeeting.com/aocc-2021.
Issue 9 of The Official Chiefs of Ontario Magazine, The Advocate is now online!
To view, please click here: https://www.mediaedgemagazines.com/the-chiefs-of-ontario-coo/oo21c/.
International Association for Great Lakes Research (IAGLR) Annual Meeting, May 17-21, 2021
Hosted by Michigan Technological University, the virtual conference will feature four days of scientific sessions and speakers focusing on our theme Bridging: Knowledge, Seven Generations, Land-to-Lake.
For more information and registration, click here: https://bit.ly/3nI8gUh.
Chiefs of Ontario Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates
Find Our Latest Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates Here. This website provides information on emergency planning and preparedness, as well as on the unique programs and services that are available to First Nations in Ontario during times of emergency.
