Communities across Canada celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day

OTTAWA -  

Events are being held across the country to mark the 30th National Indigenous Peoples' Day on Sunday, a day meant to honour the culture, histories and contributions of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people.

The day coincides with the summer solstice — the longest day of the year — and holds deep cultural significance for many Indigenous groups. It's the culmination of Indigenous Peoples Month, which is observed every June.

National Indigenous Peoples' Day, formerly National Aboriginal Day, was proclaimed in 1996 by Gov. Gen. Romeo LeBlanc after years of advocacy from Indigenous groups.

Manitoba appoints Canada’s first judge of reconciliation

The Manitoba government has appointed provincial court Judge Jerilee Ryle as associate chief judge of reconciliation, the first appointment of its kind in Canada.

Man fatally shot by police during domestic call in St. Vital

A 26-year-old man was fatally shot by Winnipeg police during a domestic situation in which children were present Friday — the city’s first such shooting where evidence will include video from an officer’s body-worn camera.

Happy feet: Students get outfitted with donated running shoes ahead of Manitoba Marathon

About 250 kids from remote and inner city communities were fitted for happy feet Saturday afternoon ahead of Sunday’s Manitoba Marathon events.

Zoe Yanke, 16, bused from her home community of Gillam to run in the Manitoba Marathon 10-kilometre race Sunday morning. She and about a dozen of her peers are participating in several of the events and were gifted a new pair of shoes ahead of race day through the Soles4Souls program.

The program hosts events across North America and donates shoes, socks and active wear to kids in need.

At the University of Manitoba’s student centre, not far from Sunday’s starting line, students trickled in by the busload and were met by a volunteer who fitted them for shoes. From there, a “runner” volunteer fetched a few options for them to try on for size, fit and style.

‘This is nuts’: The hard-fought race to build Canada’s next submarine fleet

OTTAWA - From a massive ad blitz featuring Canadian broadcast icon Peter Mansbridge to a cabinet minister calling on shipbuilders to cough up a car plant, the brief race to replace Canada’s aging submarine fleet turned heads in more ways than one.

The unusually short competition to build the navy’s next submarine fleet seemed to focus on everything but the boats themselves — even though the two vessels in the running are, in some ways, very different.

At no point during the two-year-long procurement competition did the federal government ever really talk about the boats' capabilities. The navy made it clear very early on that either model would do just fine.

With the July NATO summit right around the corner, the Liberal government is expected to announce its chosen supplier for up to 12 submarines in the coming days.

Quebec town of Terrasse-Vaudreuil recognizes trees as living beings with rights

MONTREAL - A small town west of Montreal has decided to officially recognize trees as living beings with rights of their own, in what an environmental organization describes as a first in Quebec and Canada.

A resolution adopted by Terrasse-Vaudreuil city council on June 9 declares that trees are worthy of protection, “including the right to life, to natural growth, to integrity and to regeneration.”

Mayor Michel Bourdeau says Quebec filmmaker André Desrochers inspired the community to take action.

He said Desrochers' film, called “Des arbes et des arts” convinced citizens that trees are living entities that live, breathe and communicate with each other through their root systems.

More than words: Military-Indigenous reconciliation event aims to build bridges between past and future

Bagpipes and traditional Indigenous drums played as one Saturday morning at the Canadian Forces Base in Winnipeg for the first Indigenous Reconciliation Gathering.

Ahead of National Indigenous Peoples Day Sunday, the Canadian Armed Forces hosted a full day of programming focused on bridging the gap between the military and Indigenous communities.

“What we really want to do is we want to move away from words,” said Lt. Col. Josh Van Tine. “There’s a lot of talk about reconciliation, but actions are harder to find, and we want to move beyond words and move to actions. We hope that people see we’re serious about it.”

The event is based on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 57th call to action, which is to provide education to public servants on the history of Indigenous people.

Province to backstop Siloam Mission operations amid cash crunch

The Manitoba government said Friday it will provide funding to cash-strapped Siloam Mission to keep its overnight shelter and drop-in centre open until March 2027.

The move is expected to avert service reductions that were set to take effect July 1 and were in response to the charity’s drop in donations.

The organization, which helps the homeless population, had announced it would eliminate 16 positions and reduce drop-in hours in response to its projected $4.4-million deficit. It’s unclear whether the funding will prevent layoffs.

Siloam said Friday it would wait for the province to officially announce the funding before commenting.

Never mind playing catch — there was plenty of bonding to do with dad at the cinema

My dad didn’t teach me how to hammer a nail, change the oil in a car, or tie a knot that wouldn’t slip. But afternoons shared with him in a dark cinema shaped who I am in ways I was slow to fully appreciate.