Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke mulls applying road tolls in response to federal cuts
Grand Chief Cody Diabo told reporters on Tuesday the tolls could help offset the impact of cuts by Indigenous Services Canada on the community south of Montreal.
He says his council is looking at implementing tolls on major highways where he says approximately 120,000 vehicles pass through daily.
Federal ministers have been asked to carve out savings of 7.5 per cent next spring, with cuts expected to rise to 15 per cent in 2028-29.
Diabo says the news of the cuts comes in the wake of Indigenous opposition to Bill C-5, which gives Ottawa the power to fast-track projects it considers to be in the national interest.
The Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke is calling on the Liberal government to reverse the budget cuts, which it says could jeopardize programs in health care, education and infrastructure, among others.
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29 minutes ago
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‘He's not waiting until 2026': Trump likely to reopen CUSMA trade pact in the fall, Doug Ford warns
OTTAWA — Ontario Premier Doug Ford is warning that U.S. President Donald Trump could choose to suddenly 'pull the carpet out from underneath us' by opening up the trade agreement his administration negotiated with Canada during his first term. He said Ottawa needs to prepare for that to happen this fall. Ford made the comments after the country's premiers and Prime Minister Mark Carney met in private for the first time since Trump escalated his trade war by hitting Canada with a baseline 35 per cent tariff last week. The new tariff, which took effect on Friday after the two countries failed to hit an Aug. 1 deadline to secure a new trade agreement, applies only to goods not covered by the Canada-United States-Mexico agreement on free trade, better known as CUSMA. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Ford said Trump likely won't wait for the scheduled review of the agreement next year. 'He's not waiting until 2026. At any given time, President Trump — not that he even follows the rules — he can pull the carpet out from underneath us on CUSMA tomorrow with one signature,' Ford told reporters at Queen's Park in Toronto Wednesday afternoon as he called for swift action to bolster the economy. 'So let's be prepared. I think it'll be coming in November. He's going to come at us with double barrels, so we better be ready and throw everything and the kitchen sink at this.' Ontario is at odds with Saskatchewan over Canada's response to the escalating trade war. Ford has called for immediate retaliation, while Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is urging Ottawa to dial down its retaliatory tariffs. 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CTV News
29 minutes ago
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A Yukon First Nation says it will oppose any new mining claims on its traditional territory as it begins a regional land-use planning process with the territory's government. The First Nation of Na-Cho Nyak Dun says in a post on Facebook that it is issuing a notice to the mining industry that it will oppose any claim 'through all available legal and political avenues.' The Nation says any such claim staked during the land-use planning process are 'unwelcome' and 'unlawful,' citing past court decisions that it says 'strongly discourages staking claims in the areas' undergoing such a process. It says the Nation has adopted its own policy on mining that will govern the industry on its traditional territory while the planning process in pending. The notice comes after a catastrophic failure at an ore storage site last year at the Eagle Gold Mine, within the nation's traditional territory, that released about two-million tonnes of cyanide-laced ore and water into the environment. Yukon Energy, Mines and Resources Minister John Streicker says in a statement that the territory is aware of the notice and recommends any mining proponent to 'engage with potentially affected Indigenous governments and groups as early as possible' for any project development. Streicker says the territory has recently entered into a memorandum of understanding with Na-Cho Nyak Dun to start the land-use planning process, however they haven't reached a consensus on how interim staking of mining claims should be handled while planning is taking place. 'We are committed to working alongside the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyak Dun to develop a regional land use plan that considers the diverse land uses in this region,' he says. 'In our view, this includes maintaining a healthy environment and vibrant cultural legacy, while supporting a sustainable economy and ensuring Yukon First Nations and public priorities are appropriately reflected.' Na-Cho Nyak Dun Chief Dawna Hope says in the statement that her Nation 'is advising all mining companies and their financial backers that no new claims should be staked in their traditional territory to protect our planning process and our treaty rights.' 'We will vigorously oppose — through all possible political and legal means — any new claims staked on our territory,' Hope says. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 6, 2025. Chuck Chiang, The Canadian Press
