Honouring our missing and murdered on Red Dress Day
May 5 marks Red Dress Day, a day to honour Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Two-Spirit, Transgender, and Gender-Diverse (MMIWG2S+) peoples. In recognition of this day, Beendigen and Shelter House organized a memorial walk and feast in Thunder Bay, Ont. Here's what the day means to participants in the northwestern Ontario city, which is surrounded by dozens of First Nations.
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Winnipeg Free Press
6 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Sponsored Content FPDI drone pilot program
When Corbin Spence-Hart's boss approached him earlier this year to see if he would be interested in taking part in a training program to become a licensed drone pilot he immediately said yes. Spence-Hart works as a First Nations safety officer in Nelson House, part of Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation in northern Manitoba. He viewed the opportunity to become an accredited drone pilot as a chance to do more to help people in his community including assisting on search and rescue missions and helping deal with the wildfires that have plagued the region of late. In April, he was part of the first cohort of 15 students to graduate from the Advanced Drone Accreditation Training program offered through First People's Development Inc. (FPDI), a non-profit organization that facilitates partnerships designed to develop and deliver training- to-employment programs to meet labour market needs. The pilot program was developed in conjunction with Saskatchewan Polytechnic and its Centre for Continuing Education's training solutions department. Instruction was provided by Transport Canada-certified instructors from Queen City Drone, a Regina-based company that has trained hundreds of drone pilots in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Evan Colgan, supervisor of FPDI's robotics and drones department, says the organization offered a couple of previous drone courses that were extremely popular with young learners and felt it was time to provide something a little more advanced to help meet a growing demand for trained drone pilots. 'We thought we needed to get others accredited so that First Nations communities can utilize this new technology because its growing and there's so many regulations that you need to know,' he says. 'This class is kind of perfect, especially for those communities that may not get this kind of chance otherwise.' Students received about 20 hours of classroom instruction as well as hands-on training as part of the Advanced Drone Accreditation Training program. Classroom instruction was provided in FPDI's offices on Mountain Avenue while flight training took place in a park space the organization reserved for test flights. The three-day program covers a wide range of topics including: a thorough understanding of Canadian Aviation regulations governing the use of drones; how to pilot a variety of different drones; how to read flight charts; and how to communicate with air traffic controllers. The final day includes a written test and a flight review which students must pass before receiving their pilot's license. The program is free of charge and is open to any First Nations person who resides in Manitoba. 'We really wanted to make it accessible to our First Nations which is why we offer the free tuition,' Colgan says. 'We really just wanted to make sure that we give as many people a chance as possible to help out their community.' Spence-Hart says one of his favourite parts of the program was having an opportunity to test fly some of the latest state-of-the-art drones including those used by law enforcement and firefighters. He also appreciated the fact that the instructors did a good job of explaining all the rules and regulations in easy to understand terms. 'They did an excellent job. They really helped us with some of the more confusing (topics),' he says. Queen City Drone owner Ryan Beston conducted both the classroom and hands-on instruction for the program's first session. He was impressed with the enthusiasm of the students and their genuine desire to learn. 'One of the guys in the class was actually the fire chief of his (community). He went up afterwards to a Sask Polytech staff member after we were done and said: 'When I came into this class I knew zero about drones or anything remote controlled. Now I'm 100 per cent sure I can do great with this',' Beston recalls. Gerry Youzwa, director of training solutions for Saskatchewan Polytech, says teaming up with FPDI to offer drone accreditation training was a natural fit for the institution since a big part of its mandate is to partner with industry to design custom training programs that address specific skills gaps in the labour market. 'Obviously our goal (with the program) was to provide Indigenous participants hands-on training in drone technology,' she says. 'Those types of skills are really in high demand and can help people manage emergency response plans and really map out the topical aerial view of different land masses that are being impacted.' A second session of the program is scheduled to run July 28 to 30 and will be open to 15 students. Future sessions will depend on demand from First Nations communities and FPDI may consider expanding it to include other provinces if there is enough interest. 'It's loads of fun and I hope more people join it,' Colgan says.
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Homesickness sets in for northern evacuees waiting it out in Winnipeg
Northern Manitoba wildfire evacuee Helen Bighetty misses tending to the flowers in her yard and going for walks where she is surrounded by forest and tranquility. Bighetty, 57, doesn't know when she will do those activities again because her home community, Mathias Colomb Cree Nation (Pukatawagan), remains evacuated, with no return date in sight. 'I miss home. I miss Mother Nature. Being in a hotel room, you can't do much,' she said at a Winnipeg hotel where about 60 evacuees are staying. 'It's hard, but I know we will eventually go home.' RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS Local Evacuees Helen Bighetty and her mother, Theresa Bighetty, from Mathias Colomb Cree Nation, look forward to when they can go home. Thousands of evacuees began returning to Flin Flon and nearby cottage areas Wednesday. Lynn Lake residents, meanwhile, were warned the northwestern town could be evacuated again, less than a week after they were allowed to return. Home to more than 2,200 people, Mathias Colomb issued a mandatory evacuation order May 28, a day after losing power, as an out-of-control fire closed in. Flin Flon residents were forced out the same day. Hundreds of Mathias Colomb residents were stranded for a few days while smoke prevented planes from landing at an airport next to the remote community, which is accessible only by air, rail and winter road. While helicopters rescued a handful or a dozen people at a time, First Nations leaders asked the federal government for help. Canadian Armed Forces Chinook helicopters joined the effort as the evacuation left Mathias Colomb members scattered across Manitoba and in hotels in Niagara Falls, Ont. The 55,140-hectare fire near Mathias Colomb is contained and being monitored, the province said, but it is not yet safe to return. 'There's no power, no water in our community. People are working hard back home,' Bighetty said. For some residents, it's the third wildfire-related evacuation in their lifetime. It took three months to fully restore the community's power supply after poles and equipment were damaged by a fire in 2022. Evacuees, who fled with few belongings this time, told the Free Press they miss their traditions or way of life at home. 'I miss home. I miss Mother Nature. Being in a hotel room, you can't do much.'–Helen Bighetty Bighetty's 86-year-old mother, Theresa Bighetty, said she normally would be tending to a garden where she plants potatoes, onions and carrots. She misses camping and foraging for traditional medicines and berries. 'I feel sad, but they're treating us right,' the elder said about the agencies that are supporting evacuees. Many evacuees, especially elders, from Mathias Colomb are not used to being in a city the size of Winnipeg, Helen Bighetty said. Some are lonely or have 'cabin fever' in hotels. 'Here, there's always sirens. It's busy 24-7,' she said. 'Back home, you feel the quietness of nature. I'm just very thankful for the service we've been getting (at the hotel). We're well taken care of, but I know city life is not for me.' Bighetty, a health-care worker who's been co-ordinating resources and activities for evacuees at the hotel, said everyone is trying to stay busy. Nightly card games, sightseeing, bead work and sewing help to pass the time. Evacuees have had to cope with changes to their diets. Fish and wild game are staples at home. Catered meals, arranged by the Canadian Red Cross, are delivered to the hotel, with hamburgers, French fries, soup, sandwiches and wraps among the usual offerings, Bighetty said. 'Back home, you feel the quietness of nature. I'm just very thankful for the service we've been getting (at the hotel). We're well taken care of, but I know city life is not for me.'–Helen Bighetty Some meals do not meet the needs of evacuees who have health conditions, she said. A Red Cross spokesperson said the agency is working with Mathias Colomb's leadership to ensure meals meet the needs of evacuees. The spokesperson said requests are forwarded to the caterer, and evacuees are encouraged to report dietary requirements. In Lynn Lake, fire trucks were strategically positioned in and around the community in case wind gusts pushed an out-of-control blaze toward the town. There was no imminent threat as of noon Wednesday, the town said in a social media post, which told residents to be prepared to leave on short notice. The fire, which previously encroached into the town, was about 71,860 hectares in size. An air-quality warning was in effect. More than 900 residents of Lynn Lake and Marcel Colomb First Nation were forced to flee May 27 and 28, respectively. Evacuation orders ended June 20. Lynn Lake resident Gerald Maniel said he was feeling 'kind of nervous.' He did not want to go through a second evacuation, after spending three nights in a shelter and the rest of the time at his sister's home in Thompson. SUPPLIED Photo taken by Helen Bighetty before she left Mathias Colomb Cree Nation when residents were forced to flee a wildfire that spread close to the northwestern community in late May. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. 'They figured the wind direction was getting to be a factor and the fire might pick up again,' Maniel, 44, said. 'I'm not even unpacked from the last time.' The province said 18 wildfires were active in Manitoba Wednesday, with a total of 131 fires this year. The average for June 25 was 138 fires. The total area burned in the province is more than 909,000 hectares. More than half of Manitoba's 22,000-plus evacuees are from communities that have since reopened. The province said Manigotagan River Provincial Park and a portion of the northwest corner of Nopiming Provincial Park, including Quesnel Lake, will reopen to day users, cottagers and commercial operators at 8 a.m. Friday. Chris KitchingReporter Chris Kitching is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He began his newspaper career in 2001, with stops in Winnipeg, Toronto and London, England, along the way. After returning to Winnipeg, he joined the Free Press in 2021, and now covers a little bit of everything for the newspaper. Read more about Chris. Every piece of reporting Chris produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. 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. Thank you for your support.
CBC
3 days ago
- CBC
Hundreds of wildfire evacuees from Webequie First Nation return home from Barrie, Ont.
Evacuees from Webequie First Nation in northwestern Ontario are on flights home after spending two weeks in Barrie due to a wildfire near their community. The remote Ojibway First Nation declared a state of emergency on May 29 due to Nipigon 5, a wildfire that has since grown to 10,800 hectares. More than 400 of the community's most vulnerable were sent hundreds of kilometres south to Barrie, about a one-hour drive north of Toronto, where they had been staying in hotels. Webequie's Chief Cornelius Wabasse has confirmed 200 people were repatriated on Monday, with 200 more expected to arrive back in Webequie on Tuesday. "The fire has decreased in activity. It has moved away from the community and we have fire crews over there maintaining it," Wabasse told CBC News early Tuesday afternoon. "The air quality has improved." It's expected all of the Webequie evacuees will be home by Thursday, he said, which means they'll be back in time to celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day (NIPD) on Saturday with singing, drumming, a community cookout and other activities. "People are very happy to go back to their community," Wabasse said. However, hundreds of people from other First Nations in the region remain displaced due to northwestern Ontario's largest wildfire, Red Lake 12, which measures 177,000 hectares. More than 2,000 people from Sandy Lake First Nation are staying in several communities in southern Ontario after the Canadian Armed Forces were called in to assist efforts with Hercules aircraft last week. Members of Keewaywin First Nation have also been evacuated, according to tribal council Keewaytinook Okimakanak. Evacuation efforts have been paused in North Spirit Lake for now. Meanwhile, roughly 800 people from Deer Lake First Nation have been in Toronto for more than two weeks. It's up to community leadership to determine when they're ready to repatriate their members. Deer Lake's Chief Leonard Mamakeesic says he'll be meeting with MNR officials on Wednesday to discuss next steps for his people. Keeping people, resources together Despite the stresses at hand, Mamakeesic says Deer Lake's evacuation has been going well. ISN Maskwa, an Indigenous-led emergency operations centre, has been providing security services and other support with assistance from Indigenous Services Canada (ISC). Deer Lake, Webequie First Nations communities evacuate as wildfires spread nearby 23 days ago Duration 1:37 The main priorities have been keeping people fed, distributing donations and making sure everyone is safe, he said. A doctor, a dentist and community nurses have been rotating through Deer Lake's accommodations in Toronto, "so nobody is missing their appointments." Deer Lake members were sent to Cornwall two years ago because of wildfires. Mamakeesic says it's been important for him to keep everyone in the same host community instead of having them scattered in hotels across multiple locations. "I pretty much moved my whole community here, all the resources and all the departments," he told CBC News on Tuesday. "I think we're doing great." As of Monday night, the wildfire hazard was mainly high across northwestern Ontario, with scattered patches of moderate and extreme hazard in some areas.
