‘Healing and hopefully closure': Manitoba fund disbursing $350K to MMIWG2S+ families
Crowds march through downtown Winnipeg on Red Dress Day on May 5, 2023, honouring murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls and two-spirited people. (Devon McKendrick/CTV News Winnipeg)
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Calgary Herald
10 hours ago
- Calgary Herald
Alberta judge rejects robber's Indigenous identity claims, proposes test for deciding who should and shouldn't get Gladue reports
An Alberta judge is proposing new guidelines for how courts handle people who say they are Indigenous during sentencing hearings, but don't have proof to back up their claims. Article content Last month, Justice Jordan Stuffco of the Alberta Court of Justice sentenced Jonathan Anthony Ninan to 33 months in prison for robbing a Leduc sports bar, after Ninan admitted to pointing a replica firearm at the bar's lone female employee and making off with $12,000 cash. Article content Article content Article content After pleading guilty to a pair of charges, Ninan requested a Gladue report, a pre-sentence document which examines the impacts of government policy towards Indigenous people on an Indigenous person's criminal conduct. Article content Article content While some offenders' claims of Indigenous identity are uncontroversial, Ninan had only the vague sense that his mother — with whom he has had almost no contact since age 10 — had 'some ancestral connection to an unspecified Indigenous community,' Stuffco wrote. Article content 'Although Mr. Ninan endured substantial childhood trauma and intergenerational harm due to abusive and neglectful biological parents, I do not find these factors are connected to Indigeneity,' wrote Stuffco, a member of the Métis Nation of Alberta. Article content 'I find Mr. Ninan is not an Indigenous offender because there was no meaningful evidence, other than self-identification, establishing Mr. Ninan as an Indigenous person.' Article content Article content The decision comes amid ongoing debate over Indigenous identity fraud, including deeper examination of Indigenous identity claims from public figures in government, pop culture and academia. Article content Article content Stuffco did not accuse Ninan of trying to mislead the court, noting the 24-year-old simply knew little about his mother 'due to his chaotic and abusive family history.' Article content Gladue reports Article content Since the Supreme Court of Canada's 1999 decision in R. v. Gladue — the first case to interpret Criminal Code amendments aimed at addressing the over-representation of First Nations, Métis and Inuit people in Canadian prisons — Indigenous offenders have been able to request pre-sentence reports examining their family histories and how government Indigenous policy may have contributed to their criminal behaviour. Article content Gladue and subsequent cases recognized Indigenous people 'endured many generations of unparalleled systemic abuse and discrimination at the hands of all levels of government,' Stuffco wrote, including residential schools, displacement from traditional lands and adoption into non-Indigenous families.
Edmonton Journal
18 hours ago
- Edmonton Journal
Alberta judge rejects robber's Indigenous identity claims, proposes test for deciding who should and shouldn't get Gladue reports
Article content An Alberta judge is proposing new guidelines for how courts handle people who say they are Indigenous during sentencing hearings, but don't have proof to back up their claims. Last month, Justice Jordan Stuffco of the Alberta Court of Justice sentenced Jonathan Anthony Ninan to 33 months in prison for robbing a Leduc sports bar, after Ninan admitted to pointing a replica firearm at the bar's lone female employee and making off with $12,000 cash.
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Wildfire evacuation underscores need for Red Dress Alert system
Opinion The grassroots organization Giganawenimaanaanig released an interim report this week on the progress of the proposed Red Dress Alert, an initiative that would notify the public and help co-ordinate responses when an Indigenous woman, girl, or two-spirit person goes missing. Similar to an Amber Alert, which is issued when a child goes missing, the program responds to the calls for justice in the national inquiry on murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls and the parliamentary motion put forward by Winnipeg Centre MP Leah Gazan in 2023 to create the initiative. After receiving unanimous support in Parliament, a $1.3-million fund was established to research and make recommendations on how the program could be implemented nationally. Manitoba stepped up to take the lead. RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS FILES Giganawenimaanaanig called on all governments to implement the Red Dress Alert program by early- to mid-2026. After consulting with 29 urban, rural, and First Nations and Métis communities throughout Manitoba, Giganawenimaanaanig called on all governments to implement the program by early- to mid-2026. 'Every day that the Red Dress Alert is not implemented,' project lead Denise Cook said, 'is a day that someone could go missing.' In the wake of four murders of Indigenous women by a serial killer in Winnipeg, and countless other MMIWG in Manitoba, the value of a Red Dress Alert is obvious. When considered alongside the amount of young women and two-spirit people in the child welfare system, the rise in domestic violence, and a city of Winnipeg police force that called the search for Indigenous female remains at a landfill 'unfeasible,' the initiative is need more than ever. It's needed now, in fact. More than 17,000 evacuees, mostly from northern First Nations, have been displaced owing to wildfires. In excess of 10,000 of them are in hotels or other lodgings in Winnipeg. That means this city has had an influx of thousands of Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit peoples — individuals preyed upon by many forces here. It's well-known that when Indigenous peoples are evacuated due to fires, floods, or some other traumatizing disaster, certain considerations in the health, justice, and emergency management systems must take place. For instance, many First Nations are alcohol-free due to a long history of complicated relationships with substance use. This community law is impossible to maintain off-reserve but community leaders combat the issue in other ways: such as by providing extra mental health services, family-building events, and even patrols to support people during their time as refugees. The same could be said about health, justice, and even governance. Simply put, due to a long history of political mistreatment, Indigenous communities require specific considerations when displaced by disasters. The issue of MMIWG2S+ is a disaster, too. Combined with recent fire evacuations, the situation has become critical. All this week, Indigenous social media has been full of individuals working overtime to protect Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit peoples from nefarious forces. 'I'm gathering a crew of helpers this evening,' posted activist Rylee Nepinak of the downtown patrol group Anishiative. 'After speaking to multiple sources (mainly our women), it's clear we need as many boots on the ground watching for any predatory/exploitative signs (and) talk to the kids about safety.' Indigenous leaders are reporting that predators have approached displaced vulnerable individuals online and in person to offer drugs, alcohol, and invite them to 'party' in a private home — where a sexual or physical assault can easily take place. Advocates have created a list of 'safety tips when heading out in Winnipeg' that include: travelling in pairs, informing family and support staff of travel and return plans, and keeping location apps activated on their cellphones. Isabel Daniels, a vulnerable person advocate, warned in a post: 'Nothing is for free: if people are offering FREE substances SAY NO… Please be cautious of the things people are offering, Fentanyl is in a lot of street drugs.' Daniels also posted a dire message: 'People offering you FREE clothing, cellphones and liquor can be human traffickers, ALWAYS SAY NO.' Winnipeg police are joining the fight to educate and keep Indigenous people safe by providing extra officers and visits to evacuee shelters and printing 3,000 pamphlets with emergency contacts and tips to remain safe. Similar situations have been reported in other cities where evacuees are being sheltered, such as Thompson and Brandon. Wednesdays Sent weekly from the heart of Turtle Island, an exploration of Indigenous voices, perspectives and experiences. Community groups have recommended Indigenous families take photos of their female and two-spirit members in case a missing person report needs to be filed. If one didn't know better, one might see the release of the Red Dress Alert interim report, alongside a real-life emergency related to the safety of Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit individuals, as a well-planned political move. It isn't. It's evidence the issue is urgent, laid bare right before our very eyes, now more than ever. Red Dress Alert report Niigaan SinclairColumnist Niigaan Sinclair is Anishinaabe and is a columnist at the Winnipeg Free Press. Read full biography Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. 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