B.C. chiefs tell MP Aaron Gunn to ‘chillax’ about land acknowledgments

VANCOUVER - The chiefs of four British Columbia First Nations have told Conservative member of Parliament Aaron Gunn to "chillax" after he criticized land acknowledgments referring to "unceded territory" at the start of public events.

In a joint statement, the chiefs from the Tla'amin, Homalco, K'omoks and Klahoose nations said that "harmless" land acknowledgments only recognized "the history of the place" where people held events.

The nations said that land acknowledgments "have never seized private property, cancelled a mortgage, repossessed a pickup truck or altered a single title deed anywhere in Canada."

"Chiefs from four First Nations communities are urging the public to please approach Aaron Gunn with no caution whatsoever," their statement issued on Wednesday said.

King Charles ‘expressed his concern’ over Alberta separatism in meeting: grand chief

EDMONTON - The grand chief of the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations says King Charles "expressed his concern" after hearing about Alberta's separatist push in a face-to-face meeting with Indigenous leaders on Wednesday.

Grand Chief Joey Pete, who was part of a delegation of Treaty 6 chiefs who went to Buckingham Palace, said in a news release that the King was "very interested" in what the Indigenous leaders had to say.

"We made him aware of the separatism issue in Alberta and the threat to treaty it represents," the chief said.

"He expressed his concern and committed to learning more."

Indigenous chiefs go to Alberta legislature, pressure province to nip separatism push

EDMONTON - More than a dozen First Nations chiefs and even more band councillors and elders were at Alberta's legislature Monday, calling on Premier Danielle Smith's government to stomp out the push for the province to quit Canada.

"Our rights are being minimized," Confederacy of Treaty 8 First Nations Grand Chief Trevor Mercredi told reporters.

"Our people are being minimized at every level."

The comments came after First Nations chiefs across the province unanimously called on members of the legislature to hold a non-confidence vote against the government in part for how it has handled the budding separatist movement.

Marc Miller says Musqueam deal has ‘nothing to do with’ private property

OTTAWA - Culture Minister Marc Miller says a rights acknowledgment agreement between the federal government and the Musqueam First Nation has "nothing to do with" private property.

He says instead that the agreement signed last month is a small step forward for a First Nation that has been fighting for its rights ever since British Columbia was settled.

The government says the agreement recognizes Musqueam Aboriginal rights "including title within their traditional territory," which the nation asserts is an area encompassing much of Metro Vancouver.

Critics have suggested the agreement could affect private property ownership, but Miller says right-wing parties have been using the issue in a "cynical attempt to try to whip up votes."

Volunteering at aviation museum sparks love of learning, sharing knowledge for former Air Force pilot

Gary Hook was a fighter pilot, commanding officer and senior flight instructor during his 43-year career in the Royal Canadian Air Force.

Hook, 72, piloted more than 15 types of aircraft across Canada and Europe.

These days, the aviation buff volunteers as a tour guide and gallery interpreter at the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada, at 2088 Wellington Ave.

“There’s no shortage of good stories to tell about the aircraft, the people and the eras of aviation they flew in,” Hook says.

OpenAI agrees to strengthen safeguards following B.C. mass shooting: minister

Federal Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon says the CEO of OpenAI has agreed to take several actions to bolster safety, including providing a report outlining the new systems the firm is developing to identify high-risk offenders and policy violators.

A statement from Solomon following his meeting Wednesday with Sam Altman says the minister will also ask the Canadian AI Safety Institute to examine the company's model and provide expert technical advice to his office.

The meeting follows the revelation that OpenAI banned the mass shooter in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., from using its ChatGPT chatbot last June due to worrisome interactions but did not alert law enforcement before the killings last month.

OpenAI has said new protocols would have resulted in Jesse Van Rootselaar's interactions being flagged to police, but Solomon says the tragedy "demands answers and stronger safeguards when powerful AI technologies are involved."

Opposition parties back changes to status rules in Indian Act, Liberals say not yet

OTTAWA - All four opposition parties in the House of Commons are backing legislation to change the status rules in the Indian Act to end the "second-generation cutoff."

But the Liberals say that while they support changes to registration eligibility, more consultations with First Nations are needed before the law is amended.

Bill S-2, introduced in the Senate with support from the Liberals, initially sought to restore First Nations status to some 3,500 individuals.

Those individuals' ancestors lost their status before 1985 due to a law that said they could not maintain status if they wanted to vote in federal elections or own property.

Big dreams, cold reality: Buzz builds for Port of Churchill, but risks could outweigh rewards

The marine town of Churchill, cherished for its wildlife, landscapes and history, has recently taken on a new sense of national importance. Plans to expand Canada’s lone deepwater Arctic port on the shores of Hudson Bay have gained momentum — and investment — in the last year as the country looks north for solutions to an unprecedented conflict with its southern neighbour.

Premier Wab Kinew has pitched the Port of Churchill as an answer to Canada’s trade concerns, and a means of galvanizing both provincial and national economies.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has designated a plan to upgrade the port facilities as “transformative,” committing millions in federal dollars to the project and touting its merits in meetings with European trade partners.

In late January, Kinew announced the province was in talks with several companies, including at least one major energy company, about investing in port expansion.

Data centres and Manitoba: a cautionary tale

Alongside the rapidly expanding use of AI in everyday life, there’s a growing awareness that the technology also comes with extreme, big-picture threats to the things we need more: fresh water, affordable clean energy and a healthy information ecosystem.

New report says youth should help guide Ottawa’s campaign against online exploitation

OTTAWA - The federal government should listen to young people as it takes on the problem of online harms, a group of youth advocates told reporters on Parliament Hill Wednesday.

The John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights held a joint press conference with the youth advocates in Ottawa to present a new report. It says current systems aren’t protecting young people in digital spaces.

"Youth are calling for clear federal action," including a national youth advisory council on digital safety, said Blue Vetsch.

The report outlines harms young people are experiencing online, including sexual exploitation and technology-facilitated gender-based violence.

Bill aims to give MMF self-government treaty with Canada

The Manitoba Métis Federation is one step closer to having a self-government treaty with the federal government.

Federal Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Rebecca Alty introduced Bill C-21 Thursday, the Red River Métis Self-Government Recognition and Implementation Treaty, which if passed would be the first self-government treaty with any Métis government in the country.

“This treaty has been 156 years in the making and represents the cherished vision of our ancestors and elders, who fought so hard to preserve our existence and keep the flame of our nationhood alive through the dark times,” MMF president David Chartrand said in a statement.

“This legislation realizes their vision and shows that the fighting spirit of the Red River Métis — Canada’s negotiation partner in Confederation and the founders of Manitoba — can never be dismissed when we stand for what we believe in.”

Energy sector’s interest in Churchill heating up: Kinew

Several companies, including at least one Canadian energy giant, are “kicking the tires” on a long-touted vision to export oil, gas, minerals and agricultural products through Churchill, bringing the dream of a trade corridor to the Hudson Bay coast closer to reality, Premier Wab Kinew says.

Cascadia movement has roots in the past, but does B.C. separatism have a future?

VICTORIA - In 2017, Cory Pahl was a candidate for the Cascadia Party of British Columbia, whose official goals included the creation of a provincial assembly that would assert the sovereign rights of "British Columbians, Canadians and Cascadians."

Cascadia, the concept of commonality between British Columbia and U.S. states in the Pacific Northwest, has roots dating back to the 19th century and beyond. It has sometimes been expressed as a desire for nationhood — although Pahl said the party never campaigned for the creation of a Cascadian nation, with British Columbia as part of it.

While he acknowledged the "separatism kind of discussion" surrounding the idea of Cascadia, he wanted nothing to do with a new expression of B.C. separatism, fuelled by anti-Ottawa sentiments, alienation from mainstream politics, and a sense of allegiance with similar movements in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Pahl said the Cascadian movement "came from a very different perspective."

Quand l’art éclaire l’histoire: le pari réussi du chemin Dawson

Le circuit artistique et patrimonial du chemin Dawson est l’un des lauréats du Prix d’histoire du Gouverneur général pour l’excellence des programmes communautaires 2025.

Ces derniers jours ont été pas mal occupés pour Pierrette Sherwood, cheffe de projet et représentante du Dawson Trail Art Tour, et Mireille Lamontagne, conseillère en patrimoine et experte consultante.

Outre les multiples sollicitations, elles étaient de passage à Ottawa pour se voir remettre leur prix des mains de la Gouverneure générale, Mary Simon.

“On est ravis, l’on est très excités. Puis en même temps, c’est beau d’avoir la reconnaissance. Je pense que c’est un témoignage du beau travail qui a été fait et puis de la qualité des interprétations et de l’histoire qu’on est en train de mettre en valeur pour le Sentier Dawson Trail et ses communautés,” commente Pierrette Sherwood.

Is the concept of Canada as a ‘middle power’ meaningless?

Does the middle power concept have any relevancy today?

When you read through Prime Minister Mark Carney’s notable Davos speech, he makes a number of references to the term “middle power.” This was no accident for sure.

Government officials, commentators and journalists often refer to Canada as a middle power as if it’s supposed to mean something important. But it is really little more than a term of convenience — and a self-serving one for Canada.

Does the concept still have any meaning today? Does it denote a certain status, influence or position in the international hierarchy of states? More to the point, what makes Canada a so-called middle power?

Respect Pride participants, Winkler mayor says ahead of summer parade

The City of Winkler is distancing itself from the Pembina Valley Pride march but the community’s mayor is also asking residents to respect those taking part in the LGBTTQ+ event.

Mayor Henry Siemens said he has received “lots” of comments about the parade, scheduled to be held in Winkler for the first time this summer.

“Council and I don’t personally support all of the beliefs or ideologies of the various groups or events that might take place in Winkler, but we do support people’s individual freedom to plan and host their own events,” Siemens said in a social media post Wednesday.

“It is my sincere prayer that we, as a community, find a way to respect one another’s freedoms and pray that no one event would define who we are.”

Extreme cold perfect for Operation Nanook

What do you get when you ask more than 40 troops with the 1st Regiment Royal Canadian Horse Artillery to load a pair of M777 Howitzers into the back of a C-130 Hercules amid extremely cold Manitoba temperatures?

‘He took us to the mountaintop’: 30th Sacred Assembly celebrates Elijah Harper’s legacy

Several hundred people from across Canada, including church and Indigenous leaders, gathered in Winnipeg on the weekend to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the 1995 Sacred Assembly, and to discuss ways to keep its vision alive.

Dan David, Mohawk journalist and Indigenous news trailblazer, dies at 73

Dan David, a renowned Mohawk journalist who helped establish the news department of the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, has died.

His sister Marie David said he died Jan. 12 after a long struggle with cancer.

He was 73.

Karyn Pugliese, an APTN host and producer and David's friend and colleague, said his death is a huge loss for the dozens of Indigenous journalists he mentored and whose careers he helped launch.