By Jack Farrell Alberta is proposing rule changes that would see Premier Danielle Smith’s government become more involved in kick-starting potential big-ticket industrial projects. A bill introduced Tuesday by Energy Minister Brian Jean would set out a new project review process with a group of cabinet members being the first to set eyes on proposals. The goal is to assist private industry in bolstering their applications. “It’s sort of like going to the teacher halfway through a major project just to make sure … you’re on the right path,” Jean told reporters before the bill was introduced. “We’re going to make sure you do it right at that point or at least check your work.” Under the bill, a cabinet review would then lead to further checks by a committee The post Alberta eyes accelerated review system for major projects over $250 million appeared first on The Turtle Island News.

By Brittany Hobson The Manitoba government says it’s likely a First Nation at risk of severe flooding will be evacuated, and the province is calling on public servants to help. The request comes as dozens of volunteers from across Canada have been making their way to Peguis First Nation, located along the Fisher River north of Winnipeg. They are helping to set up sandbags and build clay dikes to protect homes. “It’s a bit of an all-hands-on-deck situation,” Lisa Naylor, minister of transportation and infrastructure, said Tuesday. Preparations began last week after the flood-prone First Nation was warned that it could see water levels similar to those in 2022, when more than 2,000 residents were forced out and hundreds of homes were damaged. The province’s spring outlook shows that the The post ‘All hands on deck:’ Manitoba asks civil servants to help flood prep on First Nation Slugline: Mba-Flood appeared first on The Turtle Island News.

By Ashley Joannou A First Nation in British Columbia is one step closer to a fully ratified treaty after the province tabled implementation legislation on Tuesday, about 30 years after negotiations began. The treaty would confirm K’omoks First Nation ownership of about 3,442 hectares of land scattered around Vancouver Island with an additional 1,592 hectares available for purchase from the province over time. The document would replace an Indian Act-imposed band administration with a government authority for all K’omoks members and give the First Nation of about 350 members the ability to make laws around issues including taxation, child protective services and the administration of justice. Chief Coun. Nicole Rempel told the legislature Tuesday that the move was a meaningful step toward a future where the nation can fully realize The post B.C. tables treaty legislation after 30-year negotiation with K’omoks First Nation appeared first on The Turtle Island News.

By Danielle Pitman, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, OrilliaMatters.com The Couchiching Conservancy made a pitch for $50,000 from Ramara Township to help the local land trust take care of a newly acquired 1,000-acre property named the Lake Dalrymple Alvar. “It’s no exaggeration to say that we’ve never been more excited about an acquisition. Who knew that there was a globally unique Alvar in Ramara Township?” said Tanya Clark, fundraising manager for the Couchiching Conservancy. The conservancy had been aware of this land for the past six years, she said. The organization already protects the Carden Alvar on the other side of Lake Dalrymple. An ‘alvar’ is characterized by sparse and resilient vegetation. Limestone is also a defining feature where the landscape is shaped by harsh conditions from seasonal changes like flooding The post Conservancy seeks $50,000 from township to aid acquisition of ‘rarest of rare’ land appeared first on The Turtle Island News.

By Ashley Joannou A First Nation in British Columbia is one step closer to a fully ratified treaty after the province tabled implementation legislation on Tuesday, about 30 years after negotiations began. The treaty would confirm K’omoks First Nation ownership of about 3,442 hectares of land scattered around Vancouver Island with an additional 1,592 hectares available for purchase from the province over time. The document would replace an Indian Act-imposed band administration with a government authority for all K’omoks members and give the First Nation of about 350 members the ability to make laws around issues including taxation, child protective services and the administration of justice. It sets out a process to co-develop shared decision-making agreements on several topics, including stewardship of wildlife, parks, fish and water, and includes plans The post B.C. tables treaty legislation after 30-year negotiation with K’omoks First Nation appeared first on The Turtle Island News.

By Sonal Gupta, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer Ottawa’s $412-million salmon recovery program offers a lifeline to BC’s struggling fisheries — but comes at the same time budget cuts are dismantling monitoring systems conservationists, experts and First Nations say are essential to protect them. Aaron Hill, executive director of Watershed Watch Salmon Society, said he was relieved to see any federal investment in salmon recovery at a time when budgets are tightening across departments. Federal department cuts totalling $500 million over four years will shrink programs, scale back monitoring and eliminate 551 full-time positions by 2028-29. Some of the changes already began last summer. Dozens of streams went unmonitored during the spawning season as Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) failed to renew contracts for seasonal “creek walkers” who The post Ottawa’s renewed salmon funding spawns both hope and skepticism appeared first on The Turtle Island News.

By Jack Farrell Alberta is proposing rule changes that would see Premier Danielle Smith’s government become more involved in kick-starting potential big-ticket industrial projects. A bill introduced Tuesday by Energy Minister Brian Jean would set out a new project review process with a group of cabinet members being the first to set eyes on proposals. The goal is to assist private industry in bolstering their applications. From there, a committee of civil servants would get involved for additional reviews. Cabinet would then give an order to start a four-month clock for regulatory bodies to do their own assessments and issue permits. Jean said slow regulatory schemes risk investment and that a fast-tracked process would send a clear message — the province is keen to build. “The process to approve projects The post Alberta eyes accelerated review system for major projects over $250 million appeared first on The Turtle Island News.

By Wolfgang Depner Supporters gather for the Sadness and Rage rally to mark the 10th anniversary of the declaration of the public health emergency for the overdose crisis in the province at the legislature in Victoria, B.C., on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito Paula Beardy said her grandson Sheldon Beardy was a good kid. He would have turned 28 on Monday. But his mother died last year, and after attending her memorial service in August, Sheldon also died of a drug overdose. Paula Beardy said Sheldon used to stay with her a lot and she misses his happy smile. “He was always very helpful,” she said. “He helped me around the house or go shopping. He was a good kid, but he did take fentanyl once in The post ‘Desperately missed’ victims honoured as B.C. marks 10 years of toxic drug emergency appeared first on The Turtle Island News.

By Craig Lord The federal Liberals will table their spring economic update on April 28 to give Canadians a look at how new shocks like the Iran war have affected the government’s fiscal position. Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced the update during question period in the House of Commons on Tuesday. He said it would include a plan to help families, industry and the nation to “prosper.” The Liberal budget presented in November 2025 was the first tabled under Prime Minister Mark Carney and marked a shift to a new fall budget schedule, with the mid-year fiscal updates now arriving in the spring. In November, the Liberals projected the federal deficit would rise to $78.3 billion in the last fiscal year, with smaller deficits to follow through to 2030. Carney The post Liberals to table spring economic statement on April 28 appeared first on The Turtle Island News.

By Craig Lord Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne says the federal government will table its spring economic update on April 28. It is expected to show how Canada’s fiscal position has evolved since the 2025 budget was tabled last fall, and how global shocks like the war in Iran are affecting the federal government’s forecasts. In November, the Liberals projected the federal deficit would rise to $78.3 billion in the last fiscal year, with smaller deficits to follow through to 2030. That spending plan promised to shrink the deficit as a share of GDP and balance the operating side of the budget within three years, but abandoned the previous fiscal anchor of a declining debt-to-GDP ratio. Prime Minister Mark Carney has pledged to trim day-to-day government expenses and ramp up spending The post Liberals to table spring economic statement on April 28 appeared first on The Turtle Island News.