Latest news with #Anishinaabe
CBC
3 days ago
- General
- CBC
Indigenous community on Manitoulin Island gets a data centre to help preserve its cultural heritage
An Indigenous community on Manitoulin Island in northeastern Ontario says its new data centre will help it secure its data sovereignty. The Ogimaa (or chief) of Wiikwemkoong, Tim Ominika, said the community will be using the data centre to store information about programs and services, including the community's education department, health centre and services offered through the band office. It will also allow the First Nation to preserve its cultural heritage locally. "It empowers us to digitally preserve and share our Anishinaabe language because that is another thing we are looking at our knowledge, our traditions," Ominika said. The facility arrived by truck on Friday, May 23. "It looks like a large storage container," Ominika said. "But inside… with the data storage system in there, it looks like you're in a movie when you see all of the data storage and all the compartments. That's what it looks like inside, inside the unit." Ominika said the community previously used third-party vendors to host its information online. "Not saying we don't trust any other IT [information technology] businesses out there, but you know, we are just trying to look at paving the way for Anishinabek communities such as our community here," he said. Although he did not provide the exact cost for the data centre, Ominika said "it wasn't cheap." He added that it was a worthwhile investment for the community to preserve important cultural data, and information about services, locally. Ominika said Wiikwemkoong could make arrangements with other Indigenous communities to store their data. The data centre is also expected to create some local jobs to keep it running, and Ominika said he hopes it sparks more interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields among young people in the community.
National Observer
4 days ago
- Politics
- National Observer
Doug Ford blinks on Bill 5, under fire from First Nations
First Nations leaders and youth activists gathered at Queen's Park on Monday to denounce Ontario's controversial Bill 5,. 'This will not be the end of our fight,' said Alvin Fiddler, Grand Chief of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation. 'The fight will only just be a start, will only begin.' Introduced by Premier Doug Ford's government, the bill aims to fast-track development by stripping away key safeguards — but for First Nations communities, it is a direct threat to Indigenous sovereignty, environmental security and generational justice. 'Nowhere in Bill 5 is the rights of Indigenous peoples to free, prior and informed consent mentioned — not even once,' said Shane Moffatt, Ontario Nature's conservation campaigns and advocacy manager. 'There is the potential for their rights to be really trampled if Bill 5 goes ahead, and that's paramount.' The fight against Bill 5 is not just confined to First Nations and environmental groups, but is gaining traction across Ontario. 'The premier has kicked a hornet's nest,' Moffatt said. 'I've never seen such quick mobilization and such an overwhelming response from the public.' In response to the opposition, Doug Ford's government announced today he will partially amend Bill 5 to include a duty to consult First Nations before moving forward — but intends to pass the bill to create special economic zones that fast-track mining and development projects. 'We're really willing to do anything it takes to make sure that our land is protected and that we can help breathe clean air and drink clean water," said Hanna Sewell, co-chair of the Ontario First Nations Young People's Council. Minister of Indigenous Affairs Greg Rickford and Ministry of Energy Stephen Lecce said the province won't move forward with this plan until they have meaningful consultation with all the First Nations in the area. As soon as Bill 5 becomes law — which could happen next week — Premier Ford, Rickford, and Lecce plan to meet with First Nations leaders to discuss the next steps. At Queen's Park, Fiddler firmly opposed Bill 5, calling it 'inappropriate' and rejecting the 'bill in its entirety.' He said he is concerned for young people in the territory who are 'rightfully worried about what this could mean for them and for their future.' Hanna Sewell, a member of Batchewana First Nation and co-chair of the Ontario First Nations Young People's Council said the bill reminds her of a battle — a violent one — her people fought over a similar issue, generations ago. 'Unfortunately, we've been subject to a lot of these bills over the years,' said Sewell. 'My reserve was predominantly in the Battle of Mica Bay.' The Battle of Mica Bay occurred in November 1849, when Anishinaabe and Métis leaders confronted the Quebec Mining Company for extracting minerals on their land without consent or compensation. Their peaceful but firm action forced the mine to close and drew the government's attention to Indigenous land rights. 'We have nothing left to lose except our land,' Sewell said. 'We're really willing to do anything it takes to make sure that our land is protected and that we can help breathe clean air and drink clean water, which some First Nations don't even have the ability to do now.' Major changes demanded Ramon Kataquapit, from Attawapiskat First Nation and a youth council member from the Nishnawbe Aski Nation, said the bill 'literally says that our rights do not matter' and suggests 'that the lands that we sit on aren't our territory.' He said the lack of consultation in the past has severely impacted his community. Even as a mining company stripped the First Nation's land, the proceeds from its agreements were placed into a trust fund that has been inaccessible for 10 to 15 years, Kataquapit said. Meanwhile, its operations have contaminated the environment. 'The surrounding land, our source waters are filled with diesel from these mines, which is why we are on and off under a boil water advisory for a really long time,' Kataquapit said. First Nations leaders said Bill 5 requires a complete overhaul, not just amendments. 'It needs to be completely kiboshed and [revised] in a much, much better way, with First Nations at the table from the beginning,' Sewell said. She said the current government engagement is being 'taken at face value as consultation.' Ontario Regional Chief Abram Benedict said that First Nations are not opposed to economic growth, however, the bill makes the 'duty to consult very unclear' and would send many disputes to court. Benedict said these legal battles drain community resources and can delay or halt projects, creating economic uncertainty and losses for communities that could have otherwise benefited from properly negotiated development agreements. 'We want infrastructure. We want all those great things. Yes, bring it to the north, but be mindful in the way that you do it,' Sewell said. Environmental protections not 'red tape' Environmentalists like Moffatt of Ontario Nature say environmental protections are not 'red tape,' but instead are crucial safeguards for clean air, clean water and the ecosystems that all Ontarians depend on. 'We're in the middle of a global biodiversity crisis, and the last thing that Ontario should be doing ... is weakening protections for endangered species,' Moffatt said. He said the potential elimination of species recovery strategies under Bill 5 is a fundamental abandonment of endangered species, with significant consequences for essential systems such as agriculture that rely heavily on pollinators. While many provinces are stepping up and putting in place new conservation measures, Ford's government is running in the opposite direction, he said. Ontario Nature has already collected over 18,000 petition signatures and united 100 organizations in a joint submission. 'It reflects the huge number of Ontarians that are seeing this ... I personally think that we're going to see that opposition continue to grow,' Moffatt said. 'The premier is going to have to answer some very tough questions that the public are asking him.' However, Ford has dismissed these concerns as coming from 'radical environmentalists.' 'You can call me whatever you want, but at the end of the day, I'm trying to fight for you too, Doug Ford,' Sewell said. She said First Nations' advocacy for land protection benefits everyone. 'It's so that your kids, your grandkids, too, can drink, breathe and live in the future, and we're always taught to think seven generations ahead,' Sewell said. Fiddler said he is concerned that the federal government, under newly elected Prime Minister Mark Carney, may be considering legislation similar to Ontario's controversial Bill 5. 'This is not how you want to start your mandate as prime minister,' said Fiddler. 'You need to be respectful of our nation. You need to be mindful of the obligation that you have under a treaty.' Indigenous leaders and allied organizations have made it clear: if the province does not pause and consult, they are prepared to pursue 'conflict' both on the ground and in the courts. 'It's a battle of people versus the land,' Kataquapit said. 'We will stand against this, and we'll be in a movement. And this movement will call for the change in the government to not only respect us, but respect our sovereignty.'
Winnipeg Free Press
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Playing the team game
Small Ceremonies is the debut novel of Kyle Edwards, an Anishinaabe writer and journalist from Lake Manitoba First Nation and a member of Ebb and Flow First Nation. Edwards was previously named Emerging Indigenous Journalist by the Canadian Association of Journalists, and is currently a provost fellow at the University of Southern California. (In 2014, Edwards was the Vince Leah intern in the Free Press sport department.) Despite its title, the novel engages with big societal issues through vibrant, colourful characters. The novel takes place in Winnipeg's North End and explores the lives of urban Indigenous people, most of whom lack connection to a First Nation, except for one family displaced by flooding. The book's central characters are Tomahawk (Tommy) Shields and Clinton Whiteway, two Grade 12 students attending the fictional St Croix high school, where they play for the Tigers, the school's hockey team. The team has never won a game in living memory; this could be its last season, as the league plans to expel the Tigers, supposedly due to safety concerns of visiting teams. JEMIMAH WEI PHOTO Kyle Edwards' debut novel features a large cast of characters, each of whom are given an opportunity to speak their truth. The book takes place over Tommy and Clinton's final year of high school as the Tigers battle through loss after loss, getting close to victory but never quite tasting it. This is a symphonic novel with a large number of characters, each receiving their own chapter or chapters, reminiscent of katherena vermette's The Circle, where each participant in a sentencing circle is given an opportunity to speak their truth. In Small Ceremonies we hear from an unnamed omniscient narrator and 13 other characters. It can be difficult at times to keep track of the relationship between characters and the main plot of the novel, the further the narrative strays from the Tigers and their hockey season. However, these other voices provide a deeper understanding of the forces working against Tommy and Clinton. An important theme of the novel is the challenge faced by Indigenous youth from the North End as they attempt to better themselves. Some of the novel's most poignant moments come when Edwards describes the lives of criminally involved individuals and how pressure from others, bad choices, trauma and substance abuse come together in a potent mixture: 'to this day I can hear the cracking sound of his head hitting the ground, and as I darted toward my Corolla he stayed there, motionless and unconscious, and if I could do it differently today I believe I would stay there with him until help arrived. I have to believe it.' Another heart-wrenching chapter describes Tommy's alienation when he visits the University of Manitoba as a prospective student. As he approaches the campus, Edwards writes 'He knew nothing of the southern neighbourhoods of the city other than that's where richer people lived, and that's where the university was. He wasn't sure of the statistics, for all he knew he was wrong, but he was pretty sure no one like him lived out here, they were only visitors made to feel welcome.' However Tommy is resilient, as are many of the novel's characters, and later as he looks down at the Red River from a student residence, Edwards writes 'He had never seen the river from this high before, never fully grasped its size and beauty, how it appeared to be alive. He wondered where it began and why it was coming all this way and where it would take him.' Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. The large cast of characters also provides insight into the various perspectives that exist within Indigenous communities. We see the struggle to fit in experienced by Floyd Redhead, a St Croix student who is Afro-Indigenous. We also get to enjoy a success story via Tommy's sister, Sam, whose academic triumphs provide a needed injection of hope. Another character who is in many ways a success is Pete Mosienko, of mixed-race Indigenous and European heritage, who works at the Tigers' home arena and faithfully tends to the building and the ice despite the disappointment in his own past. As Tommy and Clinton careen through the hockey season, they encounter adults who help them and try to change the course of their lives for the better, as well as others who severely let them down. We see the impact of intergenerational trauma intersecting with systemic racism against Indigenous people, as illustrated by the continued lack of success of the Tigers, season after season. The hockey team's continued effort to buck the trend comes to embody the hopes of the entire community, which are very modest: one win would mean the world. Small Ceremonies The end of the novel may not satisfy all readers, as it feels a little rushed, and Edwards chooses stark realism over emotional fulfillment, allowing 'bad' characters to escape without consequence while 'good' characters pay the price. However, Small Ceremonies is an important and very moving read that brings attention to a part of our city where the stories of the people who walk the streets every day seldom enter the consciousness of those beyond the railroad tracks. Zilla Jones is a Winnipeg-based writer of short and long fiction. Her debut novel The World So Wide was published in April.
National Observer
23-05-2025
- Science
- National Observer
Christine Sy
[email protected] About Christine Sy Christine Sy, an associate professor who teaches gender studies at the UVic, is an expert in Anishinaabe studies, Indigenous studies, Indigenous gender studies, Indigenous women's sovereignty through land-based relationships, Indigenous feminism, creative writing and Indigenous research methodologies.
CBC
23-05-2025
- General
- CBC
On World Turtle Day, this Kitchener educator shares why turtles are 'crucial' to nature
When the sun comes out, so do the turtles — right in time for World Turtle Day. "There's a lot that we can learn from the turtle," said Terre Chartrand, a land-based educator from the Red Osier Guild in Waterloo region. Land-based learning is an Indigenous practice that guides a person to understand nature by applying traditional knowledge and teachings. Chartrand says there are many interesting facts to share about the turtles living in Waterloo region. "Turtles adapted from this massive amount of wetlands to living in these little civic ponds. To me, that illustrates the resilience of the turtle. It can go from living in the most ideal circumstances to something that is largely fed by the storm water of the city," she said. "They're part of an ecology that makes that water more potable, more fresh, more clean. Their presence is pretty crucial in the ecology. It takes 60 years to replace a single turtle. They live to be up to 100 years old." Significance of the turtle Chartrand says turtles hold a special place in many Indigenous cultures across Canada. "For both Haudenosaunee cultures and Anishinaabe cultures, the creation story involves the turtle. For us, the turtle represents the land itself. In the sacred teachings, it represents truth and resilience." In the Anishinaabe creation story, the first woman to arrive on Earth, Sky Woman, is given a home on a great turtle's back. "There's just a bunch of virtues that turtles have," Chartrand said. "Sometimes if we say that someone is like a turtle, it means that they take more time. And if that time is a chosen time to take, then what are you learning because you're not rushing through life?" Chartrand is inviting people to join her and the Red Osier Guild for a turtle walk on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at Lakeside Park in Kitchener. It's a free event. You can learn more about it by visiting the Red Osier Guild's Facebook page. Andrew Holland is a spokesperson for the Nature Conservancy of Canada. He says drivers should be mindful of turtles on the road. "They come up to lay their eggs. They mate. They like to sunbathe... But they're not very good at looking for cars," he said. "They'll be on sandy roadsides, they'll be along highways. It's really important to, at a bare minimum, keep a lookout for them." He says there are eight different species of turtles in Ontario, including snapping turtles, Blanding's turtles, wood turtles and painted turtles. All of them are at risk and all of their populations have been in decline. "The main reason is road collisions," Holland said, encouraging drivers to slow down when they see a turtle on the road. "If you're able to pull over to the side of the road and exit your vehicle safely, great... If you can, pick up the turtle and hold it like a hamburger with both of your hands, use gloves if you can, and carry it across the road. Then place it on the side of the road across the road and back away to give it some space." He says turtle season runs throughout the summer months, with their most active season starting in May.
