Indigenous

Hinatinyis Coté and Larry Johnson drum and sing with Donna Samuel at Spirit Square, Harbour Quay prior to the opening ceremonies for the Orange Shirt Day walk on National Truth and Reconciliation Day, Sept. 30, 2022. (SUSAN QUINN/ Alberni Valley News) Hinatinyis Coté and Larry Johnson drum and sing with Donna Samuel at Spirit Square, Harbour Quay prior to the opening ceremonies for the Orange Shirt Day walk on National Truth and Reconciliation Day, Sept. 30, 2022. (SUSAN QUINN/ Alberni Valley News)

How Truth and Reconciliation Day is marked across Canada

B.C. would become the 6th province or territory to designate Sept. 30 as a holiday.

 

B.C. Representative for Children and Youth Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond listens during a news conference in Vancouver, B.C., on Friday Nov. 13, 2015. A statement from Royal Roads University says it has accepted the return of an honorary doctorate from Turpel-Lafond, who was the subject of a CBC investigation about her claims of Indigenous heritage last fall. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Turpel-Lafond returns second honorary degree after being told of identity review

Royal Roads University says it initiated a review in response to public concerns

 

Sept. 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. It will become a paid statutory holiday in B.C. (Black Press Media file photo)

B.C. making National Day for Truth and Reconciliation a paid stat holiday

Provincial legislature passed first reading of new legislation Tuesday morning (Feb. 7)

 

Spawning sockeye salmon, a species of pacific salmon, are seen making their way up the Adams River in Roderick Haig-Brown Provincial Park near Chase, B.C., Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2014. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

First Nations, B.C. groups launch coalition to save Pacific salmon from extinction

New coalition says Pacific salmon populations have declined by more than 90 per cent since the 1970s

Spawning sockeye salmon, a species of pacific salmon, are seen making their way up the Adams River in Roderick Haig-Brown Provincial Park near Chase, B.C., Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2014. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Marc Miller stands during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Monday, Dec. 5, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Ottawa spending $2M for international commission to offer advice on unmarked graves

Organization will undertake a cross-country outreach campaign with Indigenous communities

Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Marc Miller stands during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Monday, Dec. 5, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Chief John Powell, centre, of the Mamalilikulla First Nation, sits with Joyce Murray, back left, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, and former chief Richard Sumner during an announcement about a new marine refuge in the Gwaxdlala/Nalaxdlala (Lull Bay/Hoeya Sound) area in Knight Inlet on B.C.’s central coast, at the International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC5) in Vancouver, on Sunday, February 5, 2023. The federal and British Columbia governments alongside 15 coastal First Nations have officially endorsed the blueprint for a vast network of marine protected areas along the west coast of Canada. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Governments, B.C. coastal First Nations endorse marine protection action plan

New protected areas coming between the top of Vancouver Island to the Canada-Alaska border

Chief John Powell, centre, of the Mamalilikulla First Nation, sits with Joyce Murray, back left, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, and former chief Richard Sumner during an announcement about a new marine refuge in the Gwaxdlala/Nalaxdlala (Lull Bay/Hoeya Sound) area in Knight Inlet on B.C.’s central coast, at the International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC5) in Vancouver, on Sunday, February 5, 2023. The federal and British Columbia governments alongside 15 coastal First Nations have officially endorsed the blueprint for a vast network of marine protected areas along the west coast of Canada. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
A First Nations house post, shown in a handout photo, is being returned to its home in B.C. after 138 years, including spending the last two decades in storage at Harvard University in Massachusetts. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Gitxaala Nation **MANDATORY CREDIT**

Emotional return of house post connecting B.C.’s Gitxaala Nation to their ancestors

Post has been shipped from Harvard University, expected to arrive in Prince Rupert next month

A First Nations house post, shown in a handout photo, is being returned to its home in B.C. after 138 years, including spending the last two decades in storage at Harvard University in Massachusetts. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Gitxaala Nation **MANDATORY CREDIT**
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)
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