COVID-19: What you need to know for May 25
May 25, 2021
Per Friday’s government report, there are 1,890 new cases in Ontario, for a total of 518,980 since the pandemic began; 1,265 people are in hospital, 715 of them in intensive care, and 510 on ventilators. To date, 8,579 people have died.
https://www.tvo.org/article/covid-19-what-you-need-to-know-for-may-25-0
COVID-19 Vaccine Booking Expanding to Youth 12+ Ahead of Schedule
May 21, 2021
Ontario’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout continues to expand, with youth aged 12 and over eligible to book their appointment to receive a COVID-19 vaccine beginning this weekend.
Team Rubicon wrapping up relief efforts in Lac Seul First Nation
May 21, 2021
A veteran-led disaster relief organization is winding down its operation in another First Nation community following an outbreak of COVID-19. Team Rubicon received a request for assistance from Lac Seul First Nation on May 8 after cases of COVID-19 in the community started to increase. There are still 14 active cases of COVID-19 in Lac Seul but 30 are now considered resolved and public health officials say the situation is under control.
Kettle & Stony Point to distribute land claim payments
May 25, 2021
Kettle and Stony Point First Nation says the settlement payment from a 168-year-old land claim will be distributed to its members this week. Chief Jason Henry said each member, registered as of April 19, 2021, will receive a lump sum of $4,400.
OPP returns to Pikangikum First Nation after sexual-assault allegations
May 21, 2021
The Ontario Provincial Police have returned to Pikangikum First Nation after they were expelled in March over sexual-assault allegations against some of their officers. The returning OPP officers were vetted by Chief Dean Owen and councillors, a statement from the First Nation said.
CIB kickstarts Oneida Energy project with $170M contribution
May 25, 2021
The Canada Infrastructure Bank’s latest project meets several of the bank’s mandates at once says CIB CEO Ehren Cory, including boosting the green energy sector, supporting Indigenous entrepreneurs and being shovel-ready. The CIB will contribute $170 million towards the $500-million Oneida Energy Storage project, to be developed by Ontario’s Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation in partnership with NRStor Inc.
Culture key to Scugog Island First Nation
May 25, 2021
This is the sixth story in a new series that will tell the story of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation (MSIFN), looking at their history, culture, governance and economy, as well as how they’ve been impacted by COVID-19 and what the future holds for the small community in Durham Region. In this edition, we look at the importance of culture to the Scugog Island First Nation. The cancellation of community events has compounded the isolating effects of the pandemic for the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation.
‘Large structural issues’ to blame for high rates of violence against Indigenous women: advocate
May 24, 2021
The numbers are heartbreaking. New data from Statistics Canada reveals that more than six in 10 Indigenous women report having been physically or sexually assaulted at some point during their lifetime, compared to more than four in 10 in non-Indigenous women.
‘I feared for his life’: Indigenous people in northern Ontario decry racism in healthcare
May 22, 2021
Dominic Hookimaw in Attawapiskat tells his sister in Cree over the phone that he’s slowly recovering from violence that put him on an emergency flight to Health Sciences North (HSN) in Sudbury.
Descendants of Komonee and Sarah George return to their homelands and raise questions on ownership of the former Ipperwash Provincial Park
May 21, 2021
Relatives of the late Anthony “Dudley” George began occupying the former Ipperwash Provincial Park today in a land reclamation with their home community of Chippewas of Kettle & Stony Point First Nation.
PARO’s first Indigenous women-focused pilot program, Mooka’am Kwe: She Rises, a growing success.
May 21, 2021
PARO has been leading the way for women entrepreneurs through their innovative learning tools and financing for more than 20 years, and this past January they brought all their resources together for their 15-week BIZcamp, Mooka’am Kwe: She Rises.
https://www.tbnewswatch.com/women-and-girls/women-supporting-women-3-photos-3800379
‘A pow wow to remember’ series: Leaira Solomon
May 24, 2021
Aanii, Leaira miinewaa, East Wind Woman n’dishnikaas, Ketnegaunseebee n’doonjabaa, Mukwa n’dodem. Hi, Leaira is my name. East Wind Woman is my spirit name, I live in Garden River First Nation, and belong to the Bear Clan.
https://anishinabeknews.ca/2021/05/24/a-pow-wow-to-remember-series-leaira-solomon/
Research project honours First Nation veterans in final resting place
May 24, 2021
More than 70 First Nation veterans across Canada have been honoured in the last two years with new grave markers after many of their resting places sat unmarked for many years.
Report: First Nations face unnecessary obstacles in funding applications
May 24, 2021
A new report from the Northern Policy Institute is showing that not only are First Nations burdened by paperwork, but it is actually hampering their ability to grow and to determine if programs are working.
Adult learners deal with delays, disappointments during challenging school year
May 25, 2021
Mandy Francis was “very motivated” and excited when she signed up to take classes last fall at the N’Swakamok Native Alternative School in Sudbury, Ont., to earn her high school diploma. The 28-year-old hoped to finish her math and English courses by June, with a plan to enrol at Cambrian College in September — but her goals have been sidetracked because of the pandemic.
The Liberals are about to pass an UNDRIP bill, and they’d rather not say what it means
May 24, 2021
After three failed attempts by private members to pass bills implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), the Trudeau government is on the verge of pushing its own version of such a law through Parliament.
‘No more symbolic gestures’: Indigenous rights holders sound off on aligning Canadian law with UNDRIP
May 21, 2021
The proposed Bill C-15, which harmonizes the United Nations Declarations on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) into Canadian law, has been trumpeted by the Liberal government as a significant step forward on the path to reconciliation, one developed in consultation with First Nations, Inuit and Metis leaders.
Jordan’s Principle prioritizes children’s health
May 23, 2021
During this time of reconciliation, Indigenous people have been involved in an ongoing battle with the Department of Indigenous Affairs over the safety and well being of our children. While reconciliation is real among people of good will, for the Department of Indigenous Affairs it is just a PR exercise.
Is Wilson-Raybould poised to lead Canada’s Indigenous?
May 23, 2021
In the year before the pandemic, Jody Wilson-Raybould was Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s worst headache. In a speech she gave on Wednesday, the former justice minister and attorney general showed why she could become the PM’s worst nightmare.
https://troymedia.com/politicslaw/is-wilson-raybould-poised-to-lead-canadas-indigenous/#.YKz3AqhKiqM
Lights, camera, action: Casting call looking for Indigenous youth
May 23, 2021
A North American wide casting call is currently underway for Indigenous youth. PoPing Casting, that worked on Disney’s Mulan and Warner Brother’s blockbuster hit The Meg – is currently searching North America for a 16 year old Indigenous male and a 14 year old Indigenous female to star in a series that will be streamed on a U.S. streaming service.
Opinion: ‘Play Indians’ inflict real harm on Indigenous people
May 21, 2021
As a child, I often saw young settler kids playing at being Indian, replete with pleather headbands, multicolour feathers and plastic tomahawks. Of course, how could the game be played without the cowboys? All the kids wanted to be cowboys. Who could blame them? The Indians always ended up dead in pretend burnings, hangings, beatings, shootings and other inventive executions.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-play-indians-inflict-real-harm-on-indigenous-people/
Meet the recipients of the 2021 Indspire Awards!
May 20, 2021
Indspire has announced the recipients of the 2021 Indspire Awards, representing the highest honour the organization bestows upon Indigenous community. The new format, executive produced by Jennifer Podemski, focuses heavily on the story of each recipient, pushing the boundaries of what is possible for celebratory events during unconventional times.
https://www.cbc.ca/indspire/meet-the-recipients-of-the-2021-indspire-awards-1.6032736
Joyce Echaquan’s eldest daughter threatened in Trois-Rivières, family says
May 22, 2021
The family of Joyce Echaquan says her eldest daughter was threatened in Trois-Rivières on Friday, and it’s imploring members of the public to remain calm. Echaquan died last fall shortly after filming herself while staff at the Centre hospitalier régional de Lanaudière in Joliette, Que.— about an hour north of Montreal — hurled racist insults at her.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/echaquan-inquest-threats-uttered-1.6037675
Wild Basket initiative brings traditional foraging techniques to future generations
May 24, 2021
Searching for a way to educate people about the importance of the forested land in the Timiskaming First Nation, Tara Dantouze decided there was no better way than to encourage community members to get out and get their hands dirty.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/wild-basket-trailer-brings-food-1.6037585
Why this Montreal collective is moose hide tanning in urban spaces
May 21, 2021
For Autumn Godwin, a graduate student at Concordia University, there was a disconnect between living in Montreal and access to cultural teachings that comes along with being on her ancestral lands of northern Saskatchewan.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/moose-hide-tanning-urban-montreal-1.6036454
‘I just want to go home’: Canadian sisters fight for freedom after 1994 murder conviction
May 24, 2021
Sisters Odelia and Nerissa Quewezance were sentenced to life in prison. They were convicted of second-degree murder in 1994 for the death of Anthony Joseph Dolff, a senior who lived in the town of Kamsack, Sask. Ever since they were found guilty, they have maintained their innocence.
https://globalnews.ca/news/7889468/canadian-sisters-1994-murder-conviction/
Congress of Aboriginal Peoples glad to see start of discussion on drug decriminalization in Saskatoon
May 22, 2021
A group that wants to see an end to mandatory minimum sentences for certain drug offences says it’s pleased to see a conversation start in Saskatoon about drug decriminalization. Earlier this week, the Saskatoon Board of Police Commissioners discussed the decriminalization of drugs as a way to address the province’s overdose crisis.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/board-of-police-follow-1.6037626
Saskatoon Tribal Council offering hundreds of vaccine doses starting Tuesday
May 23, 2021
Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC) will be offering 600 Pfizer vaccines beginning Tuesday morning at 9 a.m. and ending Friday on a walk-in basis. These doses will be offered at SaskTel Centre. STC usually receives 300 doses of vaccine daily from the Saskatchewan Health Authority, but this week they’re getting extra from Indigenous Services Canada, STC Chief Mark Arcand said.
Pine Creek First Nation implements partial lockdown, Dauphin schools to go remote due to COVID-19
May 23, 2021
Increasing COVID-19 cases have led to a western Manitoba First Nation entering an immediate partial lockdown, while schools in the City of Dauphin are moving to remote learning after the long weekend.
COVID-19 data shows cases increasing in Sask.’s Indigenous communities
May 22, 2021
After an explosion of COVID-19 cases on reserves in Saskatchewan at the start of 2021, the number tapered off as spring began. But the latest data from Indigenous Services Canada suggests cases are once again rising in the Land of Living Skies.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/covid-19-cases-rising-indigenous-communities-1.6037673
As tensions rose during N.S. fisheries dispute, province balked at paying for extra RCMP
May 25, 2021
A top RCMP officer requested help to pay for extra policing costs during last fall’s fisheries dispute in southwest Nova Scotia, but the province’s justice minister resisted for two weeks and only agreed after two lobster pounds holding Mi’kmaw catch were vandalized, with one later burned to the ground.
Artists in God’s Lake First Nation pay tribute to matriarchs with mural project
May 24, 2021
Artists in God’s Lake First Nation are honouring past and present matriarchs of their community with a mural project funded by a grant from the Manitoba Arts Council.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/god-s-lake-mural-project-1.6031453
Champion powwow dancer hosts 2nd social media jigging contest
May 23, 2021
When measures to stop the spread of COVID-19 began to roll out across the country in 2020, champion powwow dancer Ryan Guy Richard of Winnipeg wanted to help fellow dancers stay connected to each other through healthy competition.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/ryan-guy-richard-jigging-contest-1.6036408
Anishinaabe country singer’s 1st music video a tribute to travelling Manitoba’s Highway 6
May 21, 2021
An emerging Anishinaabe country singer in Manitoba sings about what it’s like to go from the city back home to the rez in his first music video release called Highway Number Six. “I have a really keen memory on how it felt when I moved from the country to the city,” said Gaitten “Gator” Beaulieu.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/gator-beaulieu-highway-six-video-1.6035165
Winnipeg-based Artist Designs Mural 150 For Roseau River First Nation
May 21, 2021
Roseau River First Nation is one of seven Manitoba communities to receive outdoor murals to celebrate Manitoba’s 150 years in Confederation, through Mural 150. Each piece will tell the story of the community where it is placed with the aim of inspiring art, storytelling, and a sense of pride for all who see it.
After challenges brought on by pandemic, Garden Hill First Nation students will repeat grade next school year
May 22, 2021
After a difficult year for delivering education due to the COVID-19 pandemic, officials in a First Nation in Manitoba have made the difficult decision to have their students repeat a grade in the coming school year.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/garden-hill-first-nation-repeat-grade-pandemic-1.6037283
Wildfire kills power to homes in several communities in northern Saskatchewan
May 21, 2021
A wildfire in northern Saskatchewan knocked out power to numerous communities, including many First Nations, who remained without power until Thursday night and some not until this Friday morning.
First Nations-owned Uncle Sam’s joins cannabis market in Winnipeg
May 21, 2021
A First Nations man in Winnipeg is making a name for himself in the recreational cannabis business with the launch Uncle Sam’s, the city’s latest cannabis retail space. “It’s very attainable now to get a licence in Manitoba … if you have your ducks in a row it’s attainable to get. It took us six weeks,” said Josh Giesbrecht during the store’s grand opening Friday.
‘Sad and disappointed’: COVID-19 vaccination clinics at Alberta-US border cancelled
May 24, 2021
A feel-good story in which a Montana First Nation was holding COVID-19 vaccination clinics at the Canada-United States border in southwestern Alberta has come to an end.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/blackfeet-vaccine-clinic-cancelled-1.6038650
Indigenous leaders, elder feel used by Alberta government tactics to bolster new curriculum
May 25, 2021
Some Alberta Indigenous leaders and an elder say the provincial government has used them or misrepresented their positions to gain endorsements for a new elementary school curriculum they do not support.
Ninety-five percent of school divisions will not pilot Alberta’s draft curriculum this fall
May 24, 2021
Ninety-five percent – or fifty-eight of the sixty-one school divisions across Alberta — have announced that they will not pilot the UCP’s draft of the K-6 curriculum this September.
‘Something to carry the rest of my life’: Chipewyan family revives culture with moose hide project
May 24, 2021
For weeks, Edith Giroux-Mack has been in the back yard of her son’s home, shaving, soaking and stretching a moose hide to prepare it for tanning. She hasn’t worked on a hide since she was five years old, but when her son, Lucas Giroux, took down his first moose, he saved the hide to work on as a family project.
https://www.aptnnews.ca/national-news/chipewyan-family-moose-hide-culture/
What Canada’s Indigenous peoples will remember on Victoria Day weekend
May 24, 2021
This year, Victoria Day falls on the actual anniversary of Queen Victoria’s birthdate: May 24, 1819. It’s a nice coincidence, but to whom does this day matter, 202 years later? Most Canadians probably don’t think of the actual person the holiday commemorates. You may be surprised to learn that Victoria Day matters to First Nations leaders in the Prairie provinces. When First Nations leaders, present and former chiefs, comment about Queen Victoria Day, she is still referred to as the “great mother” or “great White mother,” kihcokimaskwew (Cree for great chief woman), with whom their ancestors made treaties.
Remembering Amy Willier
May 24, 2021
The first thing Amy Willier ever said to me was, “I think we’re cousins!” We laughed, and began talking, eventually confirming that we were, indeed, cousins through marriage. Now, this is both a profile and a memorial. Instead of looking forward to Willier’s promise, the story became a legacy piece on her accomplishments and the impact she had on her community.
https://www.avenuecalgary.com/city-life/remembering-amy-willier/
Red dresses have come down but we must not forget why we put them up
May 24, 2021
A couple of weeks ago some members of Ladysmith Town Council and members from the Stz’uminus council got together to replace the Red Dresses that were disgracefully ripped down by two men.
‘Doesn’t get more colonial than Victoria Day’: How an Indigenous firm wants to make holidays more inclusive
May 24, 2021
This Victoria Day, Jeff Ward is going into work. Even though it’s a federal holiday, it’s what he did last year, and the year before, and the year before that. In fact, he says, he has chosen to work nearly every Victoria Day of his professional life.
First Nations woman in B.C. wants Indigenous people prioritized for 2nd COVID-19 vaccine doses
May 24, 2021
A First Nations woman living in B.C. is wondering why Indigenous people aren’t being fast-tracked for their second dose of COVID-19 vaccine, unlike other provinces. Amanda Coe, an Abenaki woman living in Vancouver, said she finds it odd that Indigenous people in B.C. aren’t being prioritized for a second dose, when they were prioritized for the first.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/indigenous-bc-vaccine-second-doses-1.6035773
Deloitte partner Jolain Foster on leadership, reconciliation and what it means to be Gitxsan
May 23, 2021
Jolain Foster, from the Gitxsan Nation, is a partner at Deloitte. After completing her commerce degree at the University of Northern British Columbia, Ms. Foster began her career in accounting at Deloitte. Two decades later, after gaining significant expertise in education, community development, financial management and business administration within both public and private institutions across the country, she returned to the firm and became one of their first Indigenous partners.
Near Port Alberni, Anger Over Planned Pot Facility Near Indigenous Healing Centre
May 23, 2021
A 10-minute drive north of Port Alberni and along the banks of Beaver Creek lies the unincorporated community known as Beaver Creek. But that could change if the community and an Indigenous recovery centre lose their battle against a planned large-scale commercial cannabis operation.
https://thetyee.ca/News/2021/05/25/Port-Alberni-Anger-Planned-Pot-Facility/
Claims B.C. Indigenous girls forcibly given IUD birth control shock youth advocate
May 21, 2021
An allegation that Indigenous girls in B.C. — some younger than 10 years old — have been forced to have IUDs inserted by doctors is shocking to the province’s child welfare watchdog.
https://www.citynews1130.com/2021/05/21/bc-indigenous-children-iud-forced/
2021 Indigenous Partnerships Success Showcase a two-day virtual dialogue about reconciliation, shared prosperity in Canada
May 21, 2021
The 2021 Indigenous Partnership Success Showcase will bring together Indigenous enterprises, businesses and investors, professionals, and multiple levels of government for a virtual conference on two consecutive Fridays, May 28 and June 4.
From grassroots to experts, First Nations find new ways to hold their leaders accountable
May 21, 2021
Rob Louie hit rock bottom, found help and turned his drive to recover into a passion to help others who feel powerless. He found inspiration during his recovery. “It occurred to me as I looked around and saw my brothers and sisters,” Louie said. “Where do we go for help?”
Judge convicts Manuel sisters of intimidation and theft in altercation with workers
May 21, 2021
Two members of a group fighting the Trans Mountain Pipeline in northern B.C. are guilty of theft and intimidation after a confrontation in 2019, a B.C. provincial court judge decided this week.
Canada’s first Indigenous-only modelling agency launches in Vancouver
May 21, 2021
Internationally renowned Indigenous changemakers Joleen Mitton and Patrick Shannon have teamed up to launch Supernaturals — a first-of-its-kind modelling agency in Vancouver on Unceded Coast Salish Territory.
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/supernaturals-indigenous-boutique-modelling-agency-canada
RCMP investigate suspected homicide of The Grizzlies actor
May 21, 2021
The RCMP is treating the recent death of a Nunavut actor as a homicide. The body of Emerald MacDonald, one of the stars of the movie The Grizzlies, was discovered outside her northern Arctic hometown of Kugluktuk on May 3.
https://www.aptnnews.ca/national-news/rcmp-investigate-suspected-homicide-of-the-grizzlies-actor/
53 years after landslide, Salt River First Nation families get land title
May 21, 2021
For a lifetime, families displaced by a catastrophic landslide have lived in homes built on land they couldn’t buy or sell, but in a “historic” move, the title will now be transferred from Canada to Salt River First Nation families.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/salt-river-treaty-implementation-1.6036129
‘It keeps me up at night’: Inuit leader Natan Obed presses for climate change action
May 24, 2021
The middle of June was still ice fishing season when Natan Obed was a kid growing up in Nain. Now in his 40s, Obed said fishing now is just a five-minute walk down to the ice-free shore.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/natan-obed-itk-climate-change-1.6030706
Inuk architectural grad getting set to redesign the world
May 22, 2021
An Inuk student at the University of Manitoba is getting set to graduate with a masters in architecture and set off to take on her own projects. At the same time, Nicole Luke may be the first Inuk to complete an architecture program in Canada.
https://www.aptnnews.ca/national-news/inuk-architectural-grad-getting-set-to-redesign-the-world/
Yukon appeal court hears arguments over Vuntut Gwitchin residency requirement, Charter case
May 22, 2021
The Yukon Court of Appeal heard three days’ worth of arguments this week over a 2020 decision centering around the constitutionality of Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation’s residency requirement for chief and councillors.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/vuntut-gwitchin-charter-appeals-1.6037354
For many Indigenous people, memories of Oka are driving solidarity with Palestinians
May 24, 2021
Imagine a small chunk of land, deemed important, is engulfed by conflict between two opposing sides with different belief structures and cultures. Both are certain this parcel of land belongs specifically to them, or should belong specifically to them. And they are willing to fight for it.
