Ontario Advances Economic Growth and Prosperity for Indigenous Communities
May 11, 2021
The Ontario government is supporting the creation of a First Nations Economic Growth and Prosperity Table (Prosperity Table) to help support economic advancement and well-being of Indigenous communities.
Ontario reports 105 new COVID-19 cases in Ottawa; 2,300 province-wide
May 12, 2021
Public Health Ontario is reporting 105 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa. Across the province, officials added 2,320 new cases of COVID-19. A full local snapshot from Ottawa Public Health is due at around noon. Figures from OPH often differ from those provided by Public Health Ontario because the two health units pull data for their respective daily reports at different times of the day.
Minister Miller and Indigenous Services Canada officials to hold a news conference on coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
May 12, 2021
Please be advised that the Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Indigenous Services, Valerie Gideon, Associate Deputy Minister of Indigenous Services Canada, and Dr. Tom Wong, Chief Medical Officer of Public Health, will hold a news conference to provide an update on coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Date: May 12, 2021. Time: 12:00 PM (ET)
Urban Indigenous people in Ontario now eligible for 2nd COVID-19 shot 3-4 weeks after 1st dose
May 11, 2021
Indigenous people in Ontario living in urban areas will be able to receive their second dose of COVID-19 vaccine within the three- to four-week interval recommended by manufacturers, the province announced Monday.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/urban-indigenous-ontario-covid-19-second-dose-1.6022658
Ontario Continues to Expand Access to Rapid Testing for Workplaces
May 12, 2021
To ramp up its fight against COVID-19 in workplaces, and in addition to the recently-announced partnership between the province and the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, the Ontario government has launched a new rapid testing portal to make it easier for all essential businesses to access free rapid testing to help keep employees and their families safe.
Mamakwa’s Safe Drinking Water Bill Passes 2nd Reading
May 12, 2021
Sol Mamakwa’s bill for safe drinking water for all Ontarians has passed second reading in Queen’s Park. The Kiiwetinoong MPP is pleased the legislation is moving forward and calls it a good first step but notes a lot of work remains before all First Nations have clear tap water.
https://www.ckdr.net/2021/05/12/mamakwas-safe-drinking-water-bill-passes-2nd-reading/
Neskantaga First Nation calls for halt to environmental study process on Ring of Fire road
May 11, 2021
Neskantaga First Nation is calling for a halt to all the environmental assessment (EA) processes in the Ring of Fire. Chief Wayne Moonias is demanding a “pause” in the process until the pandemic is over when meaningful consultation can take place on the proposed north-south corridor to access the Far North mineral belt.
‘Follow the money’: New report explores pathways to reparations for Indigenous people
May 12, 2021
If Indigenous people sought reparations for the land and wealth Canada stole from them, what might it look like? Specifically, what forms of redress, restitution and compensation are possible — or just — and how can they be achieved? Put another way, how can Indigenous people get that cash back?
A plan to ensure greater funding for First Nations children, families and communities
May 11, 2021
Marc Miller, Minister of Indigenous Services Canada, issued the following statement today: “On April 19, 2021, the Government of Canada submitted a plan developed in consultation with the Caring Society of Canada and the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal. The plan will include an approach that would provide additional funding for First Nations children and families living on-reserve and in Yukon who are not served by First Nations Child and Family Services (FNCFS) agencies.
Who is an expert in Indigenous history up for debate in Nipissing hunting and fishing trial
May 12, 2021
A trial that could have far reaching implications for Indigenous people across Canada has resumed in North Bay this week. There are 54 people on trial in a virtual courtroom based in North Bay, charged with violating Ontario’s hunting and fishing laws, as well as the commercial fishing laws of Nipissing First Nation.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/nipissing-first-nation-hunting-fishing-trial-1.6020304
Muise named executive director for Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres
May 11, 2021
Correction please: Second para should read Earlier this year federation officials revealed Sylvia Maracle, who has held the post the past four decades, would be retiring this summer. For the first time in 40 years the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres (OFIFC) has a new executive director.
Fort Frances council narrowly approves renaming of Colonization Road
May 11, 2021
Colonization Road is no more in Fort Frances. Town council on Monday voted to change the name of Colonization Road East to Agamiing to honour Anishinaabe people in the areas and Colonization Road West to Sunset Road as a nod to both the region and the Sunset Country Métis community in the area.
Two friends come together to share stories and songs during Toronto Storytelling Festival
May 12, 2021
Former Northwest Territories premier and Dene Nation National Chief Stephen Kakfwi was featured along with Nacho Nyak Dän storyteller Louise Profeit-LeBlanc on May 5 at the Toronto Storytelling Festival. Kakfwi and Profeit-LeBlanc shared stories and songs virtually during their A Conversation with Northerners session.
Family wants answers after Sudbury ICU discharges Attawapiskat man, hospital says it takes discrimination ‘very seriously’
May 11, 2021
Accessing health care in Attawapiskat may not always be easy but for Dominic Hookimaw it became a nightmare. Hookimaw, 54, needed urgent medical care after he was the victim of an assault that left him with head, neck, back and leg injuries in late March.
May 10, 2021
Have you ever felt all dressed up with no political statement to make? Perhaps some background: The first time I met Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs, was at a book launch taking place at the Royal Ontario Museum. I was rushing down a hallway, late as always, and I saw a woman who looked vaguely familiar dressed in a stunning Dorothy Grant ensemble. As a fan and supporter of Indigenous fashion, I stopped to get a better look.
David Suzuki: Reconciliation means rethinking parks governance
May 11, 2021
Protection and restoration are two sides of the conservation coin: protection for spaces that haven’t yet been damaged or destroyed by large-scale human impacts and restoration for ecologically critical places that have.
https://www.straight.com/news/david-suzuki-reconciliation-means-rethinking-parks-governance
Wiikwemkoong’s inveterate TV5 reporter retires
May 12, 2021
For 32 years, Gordie Odjig of Wiikwemkoong has been dutifully recording community events big and small in the Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territories, amassing a huge audio-visual archive that is now stored on the shelves of the Wikwemikong Heritage Organization.
https://www.manitoulin.com/wiikwemkoongs-inveterate-tv5-reporter-retires/
“A Day In The Life” With First Nations Artist Joelle Peters
May 11, 2021
Joelle Peters is Anishinaabe and Miami. She lives in Toronto but heads home to Walpole Island First Nation a lot. Family is important to Joelle. She acts, writes, and is unassumingly hilarious. Sometimes she is funny and you wonder to yourself if she knows she is being funny or if she is pulling one over on you. She’s kind of a grandpa like that.
https://torontoguardian.com/2021/05/first-nations-artist-joelle-peters/
History will Tell the Tale – Under the Northern Sky
May 12, 2021
The COVID-19 virus does not seem to be letting up in our cities and across Canada. There seems to be signs that we are moving toward a more manageable situation, at least for first world countries like ours.
https://www.netnewsledger.com/2021/05/12/history-will-tell-the-tale-under-the-northern-sky/
Suspected drug dealer Victor Branco continues to evade police
May 10, 2021
For the third time in less than a year on Manitoulin Island, cell phones and radio waves were interrupted with the shrill cry of an emergency alert—police were investigating an armed and dangerous male on the M’Chigeeng First Nation.
https://www.manitoulin.com/suspected-drug-dealer-victor-branco-continues-to-evade-police/
Ontario Expanding Access to Dental Care and Affordable Prescription Drugs for Vulnerable Seniors
May 12, 2021
The Ontario government is updating the income eligibility thresholds for the Ontario Seniors Dental Care Program and the Seniors Co-Payment Program to allow more of Ontario’s most vulnerable seniors to have access to dental care and affordable prescription medications.
Trudeau faces House on what’s supposed to be Line 5’s last day
May 12, 2021
Today may mark the official deadline for Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s order to shut down Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline, but, according to the latest dispatch from the Star, neither the embattled energy company nor the Canadian government is expecting the taps to be forcibly turned off while the court-ordered mediation continues south of the border.
Demand for Indigenous cultural safety training in Quebec is high, but obstacles remain deeply rooted
May 12, 2021
Sylvie Roy didn’t expect her career as a child psychologist to lead to where she is now — teaching health-care professionals in Quebec about Indigenous history and realities and explaining how decades of colonial biases may be harming their interactions with patients.
AFN regional chief says he’s handed over cell phone for internal data breach investigation
May 11, 2021
The outgoing regional chief of the Assembly of First Nations for Manitoba says he’s handed over all his electronic equipment including his phone as part of an internal investigation into a data breach within the organization.
https://www.aptnnews.ca/facetoface/face-to-face-kevin-hart-afn-investigation/
Cape Breton First Nation asking for court order stopping lobster seizures by feds
May 11, 2021
A lawsuit from a Mi’kmaq First Nation in Cape Breton is alleging Ottawa breached treaty rights by prosecuting Indigenous fishers for harvesting lobster. The statement of claim by Potlotek First Nation was put before the Nova Scotia Supreme Court on Monday. It seeks a court order to stop the federal Fisheries Department from seizing gear and undertaking other enforcement actions against the fishers.
Residential school survivor and author Ted Fontaine has died
May 11, 2021
A residential school survivor and author who was an ‘instrumental’ name in the reconciliation conversation has died. Theodore (Ted) Fontaine died at the age of 79-years-old. The former chief of Sagkeeng First Nation was among the authors of a book titled ‘Did You See Us’ which shed light on the life children faced at an urban residential school in Winnipeg.
https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/residential-school-survivor-and-author-ted-fontaine-has-died-1.5424028
Sir John A. Macdonald statue resolution an opportunity for education, Mi’kmaw leader says
May 11, 2021
A Mi’kmaw leader on P.E.I. says the modifications that will be made to the Sir John A. Macdonald statue in Charlottetown are not about changing history, but about education.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-sir-john-a-statue-reaction-1.6022819
Anishinaabe mother says child welfare agency gave her address to former abusive partner without her consent
May 11, 2021
It was a sunny morning in early March when Felicia, an Anishinaabe mother, heard an unexpected knock on her door at her home in Winnipeg. The mother was busy cleaning up her home and preparing breakfast for her family when the knock happened.
Human rights tribunal hearing ordered for Indigenous nurse who received workplace threats
May 12, 2021
An Indigenous nurse says she is relieved there will be a human rights tribunal hearing into her allegations that Alberta Health Services did not act on racist abuse from her co-workers, and placed her on leave and reassigned her rather than address a toxic work environment.
Federal government announced $10.8 million allocated to construct homes in three Interior Indigenous communities
May 11, 2021
The federal government will be allocating funds to build dozens of affordable homes for three Indigenous communities in the Interior. On Tuesday May 4, federal government ministers announced that $10.8 million will be put towards the immediate construction of 34 housing units for three First Nations.
B.C. First Nation sets up checkpoints following confrontations between protesters and forestry workers
May 11, 2021
The Huu-ay-aht First Nations has set up two checkpoints at the entrance to its territory, traditionally called hahuuli, to protect logging operations in Huu-ay-aht territory.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/huu-ay-aht-checkpoint-hahuuli-territory-1.6022782
Tla-o-qui-aht mother shot by RCMP on Mother’s Day weekend on Vancouver Island
May 11, 2021
A mother of two from Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation on Vancouver Island was shot and injured by RCMP on Mother’s Day weekend and remained in critical condition Tuesday.
https://www.aptnnews.ca/national-news/tla-o-qui-aht-rcmp-shooting/
On B.C.’s Indigenous Nurses Day, healthcare workers celebrated for ‘answering the call to justice’
May 11, 2021
On Indigenous Nurses Day, Indigenous nurses are recognized for “answering the call to justice” in their leadership transforming and navigating colonial healthcare systems.
‘This is just scary’: N.W.T. flood evacuees watch and wait for river to drop
May 11, 2021
Shaylyn Hope, 12, is making the most of things as she waits in Fort Providence, N.W.T., with her family — and trying not to be too worried about what’s happening back home in her flooded home community of Jean Marie River.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/flood-evacuees-fort-providence-nwt-1.6021812
Spring flooding forces evacuations in the Northwest Territories
May 11, 2021
Sirens cut through the silence in Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories on May 9 as alarms signal to residents in the 1,200 person community where water levels along the Dehcho – Macknzie River had reached 15 metres.
Government of Canada to provide support to communities in Nunavut to address the COVID-19 pandemic
May 11, 2021
The Government of Canada is committed to supporting First Nations, Inuit and Métis, and is working closely with territorial governments, Indigenous partners and community organizations across the North to manage the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure the health and safety of all Northerners.
Simon Wiesenthal Center highlights unique story of Native American soldiers in honour of 76th anniversary of Liberation of Dachau Concentration Camp
May 12, 2021
In commemoration of the 76th anniversary of the liberation of the Dachau Concentration Camp by American soldiers, the Simon Wiesenthal Center Archives is highlighting the amazing story of two Native American soldiers – twin brothers – and how one brother helped liberate hundreds of prisoners.
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.
