FIVE STORIES ON TURTLE ISLAND
1. Last week the Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF) finalized the purchase of a 435-445 Ellice Avenue — the former National Research Council (NRC) property — in downtown Winnipeg.
Spanning 230,000 square feet, this acquisition expands the MMF’s downtown real estate portfolio to more than a million square feet total in Winnipeg’s urban core and the immense structure is expected to become one of the major centres of the MMF, housing nearly 70 per cent of its 1300 employees.
Next up, the MMF has announced plans to try and acquire the iconic Fort Garry Hotel on Broadway Avenue.
2. I’ve written a number of times about the United States government controlling narratives of Indigenous contributions to history at the Smithsonian Museum, but there are some similarly problematic actions being taken on this side of the border.
This week, the Innu Nation staged protests and cancelled a cultural exhibit at the Labrador Interpretation Centre in Newfoundland and Labrador, accusing the government of attempting to erase thousands of years of Innu history by imposing a 300-year limit on their presence in the region.
Innu leaders were told researchers at the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador believe Innu were not present in Labrador prior to the 1700s and had only been on the land for 300 years.
Innu knowledge keepers and leaders — backed by anthropologists and archeologists — have argued their community’s presence in the area spans thousands of years and have pointed to stone tools and oral histories as proof.
3. A pretty remarkable study was just released by researchers at the University of British Columbia which states nearly two-thirds of Indigenous people experience mistreatment during childbirth owing to racism and discrimination.
Among 309 Indigenous participants interviewed between 2020 and 2022, 63 per cent reported experiencing at least one form of mistreatment during childbirth, such as “being shouted at, threatened, ignored when asking for help, physically handled roughly or having treatment withheld or imposed without consent.”
Nearly 75 percent said they were “treated disrespectfully, stating they were mocked, subjected to negative comments or left unattended.”
4. A huge congrats to Métis and Cree artist Audie Murray who has made the shortlist for the 2026 Sobey Award — Canada’s preeminent and most generous privately funded prize for contemporary visual artists — representing the Prairies region.
A master beadworker who also works with quillwork, textiles, repurposed objects, drawing, performance and video, Murray hails from the Lebret and Meadow Lake communities located on Treaty 4 and 6 territories, and is a member of Flying Dust First Nation.
A special honorary shout-out, too, for my friend Caroline Monnet, an Anishinaabe and French artist, who also made the list and has spent a great deal of time in the past working in Treaty One. Four of the six Sobey art finalists are Indigenous.
5. Anyone who has traveled to Las Vegas recently may have noticed the former Mirage hotel has been replaced with a sprawling guitar-shaped 600-room hotel (see video) in what is about to become the first Indigenous-owned casino-resort on the infamous downtown strip.
In 2007, the Seminole tribe in Florida acquired the Hard Rock brand and — after running seven casinos successfully in Florida and other properties in 76 countries — the tribe acquired the Mirage in 2024 and announced a re-envisioning and re-construction of the site.
IN PICTURES
Regional Chiefs and AFN National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak listen as the SpiritWolf Singers sing during the Grand Entry, at the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations 2026 Annual General Assembly, in Ottawa, on Tuesday. (Justin Tang / The Canadian Press)
RECONCILI-ACTION OF THE WEEK
Every week I highlight an action, moment, or milestone forwarding reconciliation, illustrating how far Canada has come — and how far the country has yet to go.
This week I’m giving a nod to the many plays and performances featuring Indigenous actors, themes, and issues at the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival, which runs from July 15-26 at venues largely concentrated in Winnipeg’s downtown.
Three stand out to me in particular.
The first is Elon Muskrat, a play by Josh Languedoc (Indigenized Indigenous Theatre) telling the story of a millionaire trying to sell off his “all-Indigenous casino.” It’s playing at Venue 10 – Asper Centre for Theatre and Film at the University of Winnipeg.
The second is The 7 Lives of Louis Riel given a Métis makeover performed by Winnipeg theatre veterans Katie German, Genevieve Pelletier, and Cory Wojcik, which explores the story of Louis Riel from seven different points of view and in seven different genres. My colleague Ben Waldman wrote about the show; you can see his article here. Catch the show at Venue 16, Prairie Theatre Exchange.
The third is Sonya Ballantyne’s How Bono Saved my Life, about how the Irish band U2 inspired a “Cree girl from the rez” to become an artist. It’s playing at Venue 29 – Club 200 at 190 Garry Street.
You can find more coverage of the fringe festival — and reviews of all the shows — on the Free Press website.
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