By Fern Marmont, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eastern Door The First Nations Education Council (FNEC) Inter-School games wrapped up this weekend, with students and staff from Rotiwennakéhte Elementary School and Ratihén:te High School returning from Quebec City tired but triumphant. Rotiwennakéhte Elementary School brought home 38 medals, including a silver for volleyball, and the Ratihén:te High School students won three more, bringing the total to 41 medals for Kanesatake. “It was amazing,” said Amber Simon, Rotiwennakéhte student life animator and volleyball coach. “We’re blown away by our athletes and the amount of dedication and effort they showed, and bringing back so many medals for our community. It was overall just really an amazing trip and experience for everyone,” said Simon. Simon said the strong results reflected months of preparation, The post Kanesatake students bring home 41 medals appeared first on The Turtle Island News.

By John Chilibeck, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Daily Gleaner The Supreme Court of Canada has refused to hear an appeal of a ruling that prevents the Wolastoqey Nation from getting back privately held land in their massive title claim for more than half of New Brunswick’s territory. As is tradition, the nation’s highest court did not provide reasons on Thursday for not granting leave to appeal in the case. Joseph Robertson, a retired justice of the Court of Appeal of New Brunswick, said people shouldn’t assume that the dismissal meant the Supreme Court agreed with the lower court’s ruling. But he said there were at least two plausible reasons why the top court might have dismissed the application. The retired judge pointed out that neither the province nor Ottawa The post Supreme Court refuses to hear Indigenous title claim appeal appeared first on The Turtle Island News.

By Liam Casey Ontario will soon designate Toronto’s island airport as a so-called special economic zone in an effort to fast track its expansion now that the province has taken over the land, Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria said Thursday. The province passed into law Thursday a bill that allows it to take over all the land on the Toronto Islands where Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is located. The province has said it will not take over the entirety of the Toronto Islands despite the language in the legislation, and will work with the city to only use the land needed to make the airport bigger. Premier Doug Ford wants to expand the airport, which he calls a “crown jewel,” to allow jets to take off and land there. The The post Ontario to designate Toronto island airport special economic zone after land takeover appeared first on The Turtle Island News.

This year’s wildfire season has been slow compared with 2025, but the overall risk remains high in certain parts of Canada because of warm and dry weather conditions. Federal officials told reporters on Thursday that the levels of burning are not anticipated to be as harsh as 2023 or 2025, the worst and second-worst on record, but above-average wildfire conditions are being forecasted into summer. “We should just be prepared for the worst, I think, at all times,” said Eleanor Olszewski, emergency management minister. “We need to be fully prepared … in terms of detection, in terms of suppression, being ready for evacuations, being ready for recovery. We need to be ready for all of those things.” Federal officials say the start to this year’s wildfire season has been slow The post Wildfire forecast anticipates high risk for new wildfires in B.C., Prairies, N.W.T. appeared first on The Turtle Island News.

By Craig Macrae and Nicole Thompson R.T. Thorne’s post-apocalyptic thriller “40 Acres” dominated the first day of the Canadian Screen Awards, winning nine statuettes on Thursday night. The film, which centres on a Black-Indigenous farming family fighting off a marauding group of cannibals in a famine-stricken future, took home the prize for best original screenplay and best directing. Its haul also included a best first feature win for Thorne, as well as awards for achievement in cinematography, art direction, sound editing, music, stunt co-ordination and casting. The Canadian Screen Awards are being handed out at a series of galas this week, culminating in a televised ceremony featuring the marquee awards, which will be simulcast on several TV stations and streaming services on Sunday night. At Thursday’s event, when most of The post R.T. Thorne’s post-apocalyptic thriller ’40 Acres’ dominates Day 1 of Canadian Screen Awards appeared first on The Turtle Island News.

By Bill Graveland The jury in a second-degree murder trial in Calgary is being asked to put the puzzle pieces together on whether two men shot and killed a man along a roadside highway in southern Alberta in 2024. The Crown says nobody other than Arthur Penner and Elijah Strawberry could have been responsible in the fatal shooting of Colin Hough on Aug. 6, 2024. “When you examine all the evidence as a whole, you must ask yourself, ‘Are there any other reasonable explanations?’” prosecutor Photini Papadatou said to the jury during closing arguments Thursday. Penner and Strawberry have pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and to two armed robberies relating to a roadside shooting where Hough was killed and Matthew Andres was injured. “In some ways, I feel like The post Calgary jury being asked to solve the “puzzle” of the fatal shooting on Alta highway appeared first on The Turtle Island News.

By Wolfgang Depner B.C.’s minister responsible for Indigenous affairs says legislation to move a First Nation treaty forward won’t pass this session, further delaying a treaty that has been more than three decades in the making. Spencer Chandra Herbert said the Kitselas Treaty Act would not come up again for a vote until the fall, because it hasn’t had the necessary debate as it faces criticism from various corners. The government tabled the provincial implementation legislation for the treaty on April 15, but it has since faced opposition from neighbours of the Kitselas First Nation in northwestern British Columbia near Terrace. A coalition of the Lax Kw’alaams and Nine Allied Tribes say the treaty would impact large parts of their territories, and they have threatened to block major projects and The post A First Nation treaty decades in making faces further delays, says B.C. minister appeared first on The Turtle Island News.

The Supreme Court of Canada has upheld a ruling that Aboriginal title cannot be declared over private land, in a decision the federal government says will have an impact on the Cowichan Tribes case in British Columbia. The refusal by Canada’s high court to hear a First Nation’s appeal against the decision in New Brunswick is in contrast to the landmark Cowichan ruling by B.C.’s Supreme Court that has cast doubt on the primacy of private property rights. The Crown-Indigenous Relations Department said the ruling would inform arguments in other cases, including Cowichan, adding that “private property rights are fundamental.” In the New Brunswick decision, an Appeal Court judge said in December that a declaration of Aboriginal title over privately owned lands “would sound the death knell of reconciliation with The post Aboriginal title can’t apply to private land, Supreme Court of Canada decides appeared first on The Turtle Island News.

By Brett McKay, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Investigative Journalism Foundation Several Saskatchewan municipalities and First Nations made political contributions to the province’s governing party in 2025, according to finance disclosures from Elections Saskatchewan. The Saskatchewan Party reported receiving more than 400 corporate contributions last year. While these donations were primarily made by businesses and industry associations, the list of donees also includes the City of Prince Albert and the Rural Municipalities of Cymri No. 36 and Estevan No. 5, which each donated around $350 to the party. Records show the City of Regina donated $321 to the Saskatchewan NDP last year. The city has also previously given to the Saskatchewan Party, including a donation of $1,250 in 2022 and $550 in 2023. The Saskatchewan Party also received a donation of The post Municipalities, First Nations and Métis Nation contributed thousands to Sask. political parties appeared first on The Turtle Island News.

By Darryl Knight, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Standard Newspaper A new Indigenous Reconciliation Strategy is being launched in Kawartha Lakes as the municipality looks to strengthen relationships with Indigenous Nations, organizations, and residents while embedding reconciliation into everyday municipal work. The community-informed initiative will guide how reconciliation is advanced across municipal governance, planning, economic development, procurement, communications, and community life. The strategy is being developed in partnership with Fluid Consulting, an Indigenous-owned consulting firm based in Six Nations of the Grand River, and KLB Consulting, a value-based firm with experience working alongside Williams Treaties First Nations. Public engagement will officially begin with an open house on Wednesday, June 17, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Victoria Park Armoury. Residents will have an opportunity to learn more about The post Public input sought as Kawartha Lakes launches Indigenous Reconciliation Strategy appeared first on The Turtle Island News.