Camp for young translators
A day camp offers workshops for young language brokers, letting them learn from guest speakers—and have a little fun.
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CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
Ottawa invests $335K towards Indigenous-led wildfire training in Saskatchewan
The Yorkton Tribal Council (YTC) will receive $335,000 of funding to train 35 new wildland firefighters, the federal government announced. The council represents six First Nations in the Yorkton area, about 190 kilometres northeast of Regina. The Key, Cote, Keeseekoose, Ocean Man, Zagime, and Kahkawistahaw nations' territory spans roughly 52,000 hectares. The funding is long overdue, Bonnie Austman, the council's emergency management coordinator, said in an interview on Tuesday. "Our firefighters on First Nations don't get a whole lot of funding. With this, we'll be able to train 35 firefighters and incorporate cultural and traditional burning practices we've been missing for many, many years." She said that unlike cities and municipalities, First Nations often don't receive financial support to fight wildfires unless they go through the lengthy process of applying for grants or funding proposals, as they with this initiative. The council currently has 60 trained wildland firefighters. This new intiative — set to run over the next 18 months — will expand that force and strengthen local response. The program, which was announced by the government on Monday, is designed to blend modern firefighting techniques with Indigenous cultural burning practices, meaning low, controlled fires that clear away brush and reduce fuel for larger wildfires. This year's wildfire season in Saskatchewan has been one of the worst on record, at one point forcing 28 communities to evacuate, while scorching huge parts of the province's northern forest, the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) said. In addition, more homes and other structures have been lost due to fires this year than ever before. There are still dozens wildfires burning in Saskatchewan with more work to be done on the front lines. However, for the first time in about three months, there are no evacuation orders in the province and all highway access is open. There have been 467 wildfires in the province so far this year, compared with 488 during the same time period in 2024. Austman said the training will not only enable the firefighters to bring the Indigenous practices to other First Nations, but will help the province overall. Cultural burning has been used by Indigenous peoples for centuries to protect lands, encourage regrowth, and reduce fire risks, she said. The training will involve elders and youth working together — passing on knowledge that has been at risk of being lost. "It's more of a rebirth process versus just letting it burn," she said. "The elders have so much knowledge into how to protect the lands, the agricultural, the wildlife, the berries – everything – by doing specific burning." She said the funding will also go toward equipment, that is critically needed for firefighter safety. "It's a huge struggle … Our first station firefighters are at the same risk as the municipal ones or [those in] the big cities," she said, noting that underfunding in the Yorkton area has been a concern. Austman said the proposal took almost a year to be approved and she hopes it will lay the groundwork for more Indigenous-led training across Saskatchewan. Mandy Gull-Masty, Minister of Indigenous Services said the Yorkton training program is an important step forward, noting they bring generations of expertise. "First Nations are the only people who, with the combination of their traditional knowledge and access to specialized wildland firefighting training, will be able to secure and promote resilient communities across their territories," Gull-Masty said. First Nations are more vulnerable to wildfires, as the threat of climate change increases, she said. The funding announcement comes as Prairie provinces are on alert for more wildfire activity. Drier and hotter than normal temperatures are expected over the next two months. With hotter and drier conditions forecast to continue into September, the "wildfire season's not slowing down," federal emergency management minister Eleanor Olszewski said. "We will continue to monitor the situation on a daily, virtually hourly basis." Federal officials said the Yorkton investment is part of a broader plan to train 2,800 new wildland firefighters across Canada by 2028. That's up from an original target to train more than 1,000 community members. The money is part of the government's $28-million Fighting and Managing Wildfires in a Changing Climate Program (FMWCC) Training Fund which aims to train new, community-based wildland firefighters by 2028, focusing on Indigenous communities, to increase local fire management capacities and capabilities across Canada.
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
B.C. man digs through dump to find wife's lost wedding rings
A mission man sifted through tons and tons of garbage at the dump to find his wife's wedding and anniversary rings. A Mission man has recovered his wife's lost wedding and anniversary rings, after an unusual and rather stinky search through 18 tonnes of compost at the local dump. Steve Van Ysseldyk's wife, Jeannine, noticed the rings were missing after washing her hands at a restaurant. 'We left the restaurant, I'm like, I can't even wait for the check,' she said. The couple retraced their steps and realized the rings must have gone missing the night before. After an outing at the movies, Jeannine Van Ysseldyk had brought some popcorn home, but spilled it on the lawn. Somehow, while picking it up and tossing it into the compost, the jewelry must have come off. By the time the couple figured it out, their garbage and compost had already been collected. 'I said I'd go to the dump in the morning and ask them if I could go through the compost pile,' said her husband. Few people thought he had any chance of finding the rings, including an employee at the Mission Sanitary Landfill. 'My brain was trying to figure out a way to tell him to go buy his wife new wedding rings,' said contractor Denny Webster. But admiring Van Ysseldyk's determination, Webster agreed to help. He used an excavator to isolate smaller sections of the compost pile so Van Ysseldyk could begin his search. 'When he has something on his mind, he makes sure he does it. He follows through,' said his wife. So, Van Ysseldyk began sifting through those piles and began to recognize his household waste, including a popcorn bag. Astonishingly, within an hour, he found one ring, and then the other. 'And it was all slimy with popcorn and butter,' described Webster. So, husband called wife to deliver the good news. 'She basically broke down crying, cried all the way home,' he said. Against the odds, and despite the smell, the search was a success. With a smile, Jeannine Van Ysseldyk insisted their 26-year-old marriage is now even stronger. 'Well, yes, because I know how much he loves me, that he's willing to go through a rotten, stinky compost pile,' she said, laughing.
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
Lost wedding rings found at a dump
Vancouver Watch A mission man sifted through tons and tons of garbage at the dump to find his wife's wedding and anniversary rings.
