Indigenous

Dr. Nel Wieman with the First Nations Health Authority speaks about the illicit drug toxicity deaths in the province and about the effect on First Nation’s communities during a press conference at B.C. Legislature in Victoria, B.C., on Monday, February 24, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

First Nations women overrepresented among B.C. toxic drug deaths: doctor

Illicit drugs are killing First Nations people at 5 times the rate of B.C.’s general population

Dr. Nel Wieman with the First Nations Health Authority speaks about the illicit drug toxicity deaths in the province and about the effect on First Nation’s communities during a press conference at B.C. Legislature in Victoria, B.C., on Monday, February 24, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito
FILE - A worker with the Pebble Mine project digs in the Bristol Bay region of Alaska near the village of Iliamma, Alaska, July 13, 2007. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a decision Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, that would block plans for the proposed Pebble Mine, a copper and gold project in southwest Alaska. (AP Photo/Al Grillo, File)

U.S. government uses rare veto to block Alaska copper, gold mine plan

Canadian firm’s plans neighbouring world’s largest sockeye fishery dealt huge blow

FILE - A worker with the Pebble Mine project digs in the Bristol Bay region of Alaska near the village of Iliamma, Alaska, July 13, 2007. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a decision Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, that would block plans for the proposed Pebble Mine, a copper and gold project in southwest Alaska. (AP Photo/Al Grillo, File)
Kristine Jack, left, hands over the eagle feather and metaphorical reins of the Pow Wow Between the Lakes to Haley Regan. The Pow Wow will be held at the South Okanagan Events Centre for the first time in 2023. (Brennan Phillips - Penticton Western News)

‘Healing the Nation’: Penticton’s Pow Wow Between the Lakes returns this June

June marks the first time the event will be held in the city since settlers came to the region

Kristine Jack, left, hands over the eagle feather and metaphorical reins of the Pow Wow Between the Lakes to Haley Regan. The Pow Wow will be held at the South Okanagan Events Centre for the first time in 2023. (Brennan Phillips - Penticton Western News)
A cyclist rolls past the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., on October 13, 2016. After 138 years, including two decades in storage, a house post will be returned to a First Naiton in British Columbia from Harvard University. The house post was bought by a fishing company in 1885 and has been part of the museum’s anthropological artifacts since 1917. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Charles Krupa

House post returning to B.C. First Nation after 138 years, decades in Harvard storage

Post will be exhibited at Museum of Northern B.C. until a museum in the village of Lax Klan is built

A cyclist rolls past the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., on October 13, 2016. After 138 years, including two decades in storage, a house post will be returned to a First Naiton in British Columbia from Harvard University. The house post was bought by a fishing company in 1885 and has been part of the museum’s anthropological artifacts since 1917. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Charles Krupa
A sign commemorating victims of residential schools is attached to a fence line in front of homes east of Calgary near Gliechen, Alta., Tuesday, June 29, 2021. A new report from a group looking into children that died and went missing at an Alberta residential school says unpasteurized milk was responsible for the deaths of Indigenous children at the institution. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Probe into Alberta residential school links unpasteurized milk to children’s deaths

Estimates say up to 400 children died while attending Blue Quills residential school

A sign commemorating victims of residential schools is attached to a fence line in front of homes east of Calgary near Gliechen, Alta., Tuesday, June 29, 2021. A new report from a group looking into children that died and went missing at an Alberta residential school says unpasteurized milk was responsible for the deaths of Indigenous children at the institution. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
The investigation continues at the site of the former St. Joseph’s Mission Residential School near Williams Lake. (Monica Lamb-Yorski photo - Williams Lake Tribune) The investigation continues at the site of the former St. Joseph’s Mission Residential School near Williams Lake. (Monica Lamb-Yorski photo - Williams Lake Tribune)

66 more potential graves identified at former residential school in B.C.’s Cariboo

The results come from Phase 2 of investigation into unmarked graves at St. Joseph’s Mission

The investigation continues at the site of the former St. Joseph’s Mission Residential School near Williams Lake. (Monica Lamb-Yorski photo - Williams Lake Tribune) The investigation continues at the site of the former St. Joseph’s Mission Residential School near Williams Lake. (Monica Lamb-Yorski photo - Williams Lake Tribune)
People of European descent may choose to falsely claim to be Indigenous for personal gain or a sense of absolution, but Métis legal expert Jean Teillet says it would take a psychiatrist to try to fully answer, “why?” Teillet, counsel for the Women of The Metis Nation, is seen speaking to reporters at the Supreme Court of Canada in Ottawa on Friday, May 24, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Indigenous identity fraud ‘the ultimate step in colonialism,’ Métis lawyer says

Jean Teillet examined the harm caused by Indigenous identity fraud, suggested prevention measures

People of European descent may choose to falsely claim to be Indigenous for personal gain or a sense of absolution, but Métis legal expert Jean Teillet says it would take a psychiatrist to try to fully answer, “why?” Teillet, counsel for the Women of The Metis Nation, is seen speaking to reporters at the Supreme Court of Canada in Ottawa on Friday, May 24, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Assembly of First Nations National Chief, RoseAnne Archibald, speaks during her closing address at the Assembly of First Nations Special Chiefs Assembly in Ottawa, Thursday, Dec. 8, 2022. The federal Liberal government says it is without a willing partner to find a way to introduce fire codes onto reserves. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

Feds say ‘no willing partners’ to bring fire codes onto First Nations — including AFN

House fires on First Nations cause deaths and injuries at a much higher rate than off-reserve

Assembly of First Nations National Chief, RoseAnne Archibald, speaks during her closing address at the Assembly of First Nations Special Chiefs Assembly in Ottawa, Thursday, Dec. 8, 2022. The federal Liberal government says it is without a willing partner to find a way to introduce fire codes onto reserves. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby
The Supreme Court of Canada has refused an appeal by a B.C. developer who argued a government decision rejecting his build on a creek of spiritual significance to the Cheam First Nation violated the state’s requirement to be religiously neutral. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Spiritual beliefs of Indigenous people valid grounds for gov’t decisions, Supreme Court confirms

B.C. developer’s appeal shot down at national court

  • Jan 22, 2023
The Supreme Court of Canada has refused an appeal by a B.C. developer who argued a government decision rejecting his build on a creek of spiritual significance to the Cheam First Nation violated the state’s requirement to be religiously neutral. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Former Tk'emlups te Secwepemc chief Shane Gottfriedson, left, and Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Marc Miller talk before a news conference, in Vancouver, on Saturday, January 21, 2023. The federal government says its come to a $2.8-billion agreement to settle a class-action lawsuit brought by two British Columbia first nations related to the collective harms caused by residential schools. The deal was signed with plaintiffs representing 325 members of the Gottfriedson Band that opted into the suit. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Ottawa announces $2.8 billion to settle remaining part of B.C. day scholar lawsuit

‘While settlements that are being announced like these today do not erase or make up for the past…’

Former Tk'emlups te Secwepemc chief Shane Gottfriedson, left, and Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Marc Miller talk before a news conference, in Vancouver, on Saturday, January 21, 2023. The federal government says its come to a $2.8-billion agreement to settle a class-action lawsuit brought by two British Columbia first nations related to the collective harms caused by residential schools. The deal was signed with plaintiffs representing 325 members of the Gottfriedson Band that opted into the suit. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Senator Lillian Dyck stands outside the Senate Foyer on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2017. Dyck, who’s now retired, says she was “stunned” when she saw questions about the Indigenous heritage of former judge Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, whose career she had celebrated as barrier-breaking. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Retired Cree senator stunned by ‘facade’ of Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond’s heritage

Lillian Dyck said a CBC investigation convinced her that Turpel-Lafond lied about being Indigenous

Senator Lillian Dyck stands outside the Senate Foyer on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2017. Dyck, who’s now retired, says she was “stunned” when she saw questions about the Indigenous heritage of former judge Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, whose career she had celebrated as barrier-breaking. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
The Quarterdeck beer and wine store had this old sign hanging up stating it would not accept Indigenous status cards as ID, and it was promptly taken down by new management after it went viral online. (Jozi Child - Facebook photo)

Sign denying status cards as ‘suitable’ ID at Port Hardy liquor store sparks uproar

Liquor store apologizes and removes sign after photo goes viral on social media

The Quarterdeck beer and wine store had this old sign hanging up stating it would not accept Indigenous status cards as ID, and it was promptly taken down by new management after it went viral online. (Jozi Child - Facebook photo)
The National Capital Commission is set to provide an update on the renaming of the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway. A vehicle travels along the parkway in Ottawa, Wednesday June 2, 2021 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Ottawa’s Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway to get an Indigenous name

Officials will engage with Indigenous communities and the public to discuss a new name

The National Capital Commission is set to provide an update on the renaming of the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway. A vehicle travels along the parkway in Ottawa, Wednesday June 2, 2021 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Former B.C. Representative for Children and Youth Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond listens during a news conference after releasing a joint report with the B.C. Information and Privacy Commissioner about cyberbullying, in Vancouver, B.C., on Friday Nov. 13, 2015. Six out of 10 universities say they’re reviewing honorary degrees conferred on \Turpel-Lafond, after being asked by a group of Indigenous women to revoke them following a CBC investigation into her claims of Indigenous heritage. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

More universities reviewing honorary degrees given to Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond

Turpel-Lafond declined to comment on the universities’ review processes

Former B.C. Representative for Children and Youth Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond listens during a news conference after releasing a joint report with the B.C. Information and Privacy Commissioner about cyberbullying, in Vancouver, B.C., on Friday Nov. 13, 2015. Six out of 10 universities say they’re reviewing honorary degrees conferred on \Turpel-Lafond, after being asked by a group of Indigenous women to revoke them following a CBC investigation into her claims of Indigenous heritage. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy

B.C. Mounties investigate criminal claims against tribal police officer

Stl’atl’imx Tribal Police Service serves 10 tribes near Lilloet

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy
Canada’s special interlocutor for unmarked graves at former residential schools, Kimberly Murray says the fight is not over to obtain records needed to answer “hard questions,” including who the missing children were, how they died and where they are buried. Murray speaks at a news conference in Ottawa June 8, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Residential school records needed to answer ‘hard questions’: special interlocutor

National Truth and Reconciliation report detailed at least 4,100 deaths at the institutions

Canada’s special interlocutor for unmarked graves at former residential schools, Kimberly Murray says the fight is not over to obtain records needed to answer “hard questions,” including who the missing children were, how they died and where they are buried. Murray speaks at a news conference in Ottawa June 8, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

B.C. universities reviewing identity policy for Indigenous scholars amid Turpel-Lafond controversy

UBC, VIU consulting to determine how to stop Indigenous identity fraud

Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Virgil “Smoker” Marchand was the artist behind pieces like Bringing Our Children Home, the residential school survivor memorial on Penticton Indian Band land. (Brennan Phillips - Western News File)

Virgil ‘Smoker’ Marchand, Indigenous artist behind iconic Okanagan statues, dead at 71

Marchand passed away in Washington state on Jan. 13

Virgil “Smoker” Marchand was the artist behind pieces like Bringing Our Children Home, the residential school survivor memorial on Penticton Indian Band land. (Brennan Phillips - Western News File)
A member of the First Nations Indigenous Warriors raises his fist toward the doors at Winnipeg City Hall, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022. A leading human rights group says Canada is failing to address long-standing abuses, delivering a scathing rebuke of what it calls the federal government’s inadequate climate policy and violations of the rights of Indigenous people and immigration detainees. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Daniel Crump

Rights group releases scathing report on Canada’s violations of Indigenous rights

Multiple criticisms levelled in Human Rights Watch annual ‘World Report’

A member of the First Nations Indigenous Warriors raises his fist toward the doors at Winnipeg City Hall, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022. A leading human rights group says Canada is failing to address long-standing abuses, delivering a scathing rebuke of what it calls the federal government’s inadequate climate policy and violations of the rights of Indigenous people and immigration detainees. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Daniel Crump
Jill Setah and her family wearing garments that she made. (Billie Jean Gabriel Photography/ Submitted)

From rivers to the runway: B.C. woman reclaiming Indigenous heritage with fashion

Jill Setah started sewing regalia for her daughters to dance in pow-wows

Jill Setah and her family wearing garments that she made. (Billie Jean Gabriel Photography/ Submitted)