Latest news with #AssemblyofManitoba
Vancouver Sun
4 days ago
- Vancouver Sun
Worsening wildfires prompt more evacuations in northern Manitoba
More people in northern Manitoba were told to leave their homes Saturday, and Saskatchewan's premier warned the number of evacuees in his province will likely climb as wildfires continued to threaten communities and send thick smoke into the air. The roughly 600 residents of Cranberry Portage in northwestern Manitoba were placed under a mandatory evacuation order because fire had knocked out power to the community — a situation expected to last for days. People in a few smaller communities nearby were put on a two-hour evacuation notice after a fire jumped across a highway. 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. 'Please start getting ready and making plans to stay with family and friends as accommodations are extremely limited,' Lori Forbes, the emergency coordinator for the Rural Municipality of Kelsey, posted on social media. An evacuation of Pimicikamak Cree Nation in Manitoba, which started earlier in the week, ramped up further on Saturday. Officials were expecting five flights to leave for Winnipeg by the end of the day. 'The wildfire has crossed the main road, and the area remains filled with smoke and ash,' Chief David Monias wrote on Facebook. Manitoba's Indigenous leaders, including Monias, told a news conference on Saturday that hotel rooms in the cities where evacuees are arriving are full, and they called for politicians like Prime Minister Mark Carney and Premier Wab Kinew to issue a directive to hotel owners to give evacuees priority. Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Kyra Wilson said it was one of the largest evacuations in the province since the 1990s. 'It's really sad to see our children having to sleep on floors. People are sitting, waiting in hallways, waiting outside, and right now, we just need people to come together. People are tired,' Wilson said at the news conference. 'We need to make sure that we have space for our people.' In Flin Flon, Man., where the city's 5,000 residents had already been evacuated, an out-of-control fire continued to burn very close to the community. There were no structure fires as of Saturday morning, but officials were worried a shift in the wind could bring flames right into the city. Some 17,000 Manitobans have had to leave their homes due to fires, and the forecast in the Flin Flon region does not call for rain in the coming days. More emergency centres across the province have been opened for evacuees, as far south as Winkler, 20 kilometres north of the U.S. border. Thousands have also been affected by wildfires in Saskatchewan and Alberta, with 1,300 people in the community of Swan Hills northwest of Edmonton already forced from their homes. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe told a news conference Saturday that ongoing hot, dry weather is allowing some fires to grow and threaten communities, and that the current figure of 8,000 fire evacuees could climb to 10,000. Resources to fight the fires and support the evacuees are stretched thin, the premier acknowledged. 'The next four to seven days are absolutely critical until we can find our way to changing weather patterns, and ultimately a soaking rain throughout the north,' Moe said. 'That's why we are asking people in the north to be very, very careful. We cannot manage and handle a single other fire.' Manitoba's daily fire bulletin on Saturday said there is a small chance of rain for some areas, but the rain could be accompanied by thunderstorms and the risk of more lighting-started fires. It said there could also be a risk of very strong winds in western Manitoba which could drive fire behaviour. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Global News
4 days ago
- Climate
- Global News
As Manitoba wildfires rage, premier asks more people to evacuate
More people in northern Manitoba were told to leave their homes Saturday and Saskatchewan's premier warned the number of evacuees in his province will likely climb as wildfires continued to threaten communities and send thick smoke into the air. The roughly 600 residents of Cranberry Portage in northwestern Manitoba were placed under a mandatory evacuation order because fire had knocked out power to the community — a situation expected to last for days. People in a few smaller communities nearby were put on a two-hour evacuation notice after a fire jumped across a highway. 'Please start getting ready and making plans to stay with family and friends as accommodations are extremely limited,' Lori Forbes, the emergency coordinator for the Rural Municipality of Kelsey, posted on social media. An evacuation of Pimicikamak Cree Nation in Manitoba, which started earlier in the week, ramped up further on Saturday. Officials were expecting five flights to leave for Winnipeg by the end of the day. Story continues below advertisement 'The wildfire has crossed the main road, and the area remains filled with smoke and ash,' Chief David Monias wrote on Facebook. Manitoba's Indigenous leaders, including Monias, told a news conference on Saturday that hotel rooms in the cities where evacuees are arriving are full, and they called for politicians like Prime Minister Mark Carney and Premier Wab Kinew to issue a directive to hotel owners to give evacuees priority. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Kyra Wilson said it was one of the largest evacuations in the province since the 1990s. 'It's really sad to see our children having to sleep on floors. People are sitting, waiting in hallways, waiting outside, and right now we just need people to come together. People are tired,' Wilson said at the news conference. 'We need to make sure that we have space for our people.' In Flin Flon, Man., where the city's 5,000 residents had already been evacuated, an out-of-control fire continued to burn very close to the community. There were no structure fires as of Saturday morning, but officials were worried a shift in the wind could bring flames right into the city. Some 17,000 Manitobans have had to leave their homes due to fires, and the forecast in the Flin Flon region does not call for rain in the coming days. Story continues below advertisement 2:12 Manitoba wildfire evacuees face uncertain future More emergency centres across the province have been opened for evacuees, as far south as Winkler, 20 kilometres north of the U.S. border. Thousands have also been affected by wildfires in Saskatchewan and Alberta, with 1,300 people in the community of Swan Hills northwest of Edmonton already forced from their homes. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe told a news conference Saturday that ongoing hot, dry weather is allowing some fires to grow and threaten communities, and that the current figure of 8,000 fire evacuees could climb to 10,000. Resources to fight the fires and support the evacuees are stretched thin, the premier acknowledged. 'The next four to seven days are absolutely critical until we can find our way to changing weather patterns, and ultimately a soaking rain throughout the north,' Moe said. Story continues below advertisement 'That's why we are asking people in the north to be very, very careful. We cannot manage and handle a single other fire.' Manitoba's daily fire bulletin on Saturday said there is a small chance of rain for some areas, but the rain could be accompanied by thunderstorms and the risk of more lighting-started fires. It said there could also be a risk of very strong winds in western Manitoba which could drive fire behaviour.
Global News
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Global News
‘A fundamental reset': Manitoba Indigenous leaders have hope for royal visit
Some Manitoba Chiefs say they hope King Charles III will reconsider the decision not to hold a meeting with Indigenous leaders during his two-day visit to Canada. Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Kyra Wilson and Southern Chiefs Organization Grand Chief Jerry Daniels joined Indigenous leaders from across the country on Parliament Hill Monday morning to call on the Crown to respect the treaties to which they are signed. 'We are your allies,' Daniels said. 'That is the nature of the relationship in this country.' Charles, who arrived in Canada Monday alongside Queen Camilla for a visit which will include the opening of Parliament on Tuesday, will be the first Canadian monarch to deliver the throne speech in almost a half-century. His itinerary includes meetings with Prime Minister Mark Carney and Governor General Mary Simon. Grand Chief Wilson told Global News that excluding First Nations leaders is a sign of disrespect. Story continues below advertisement 'We always hear of the term 'nation to nation,' but we're actually not seeing that happen,' she told Global News. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'It's always First Nations really knocking on the door, asking to be let in. And we can't allow for that anymore.' Wilson said she is hopeful Charles will reconsider before his visit ends Tuesday afternoon. 'We do see a lot of policy, we do a lot of funding agreements, we see a lot of compensation. We see all of this right now, but it doesn't really truly address the true intent of treaty implementation, and so that's what we're talking about this week,' she said. Grand Chief Daniels will be an attendance for Tuesday's speech in Ottawa, and said in a statement Monday that it's an opportunity to advocate for the 32 nations represented by SCO. 'I hope to witness a renewed relationship and acknowledgement of the wrongdoings of the past, setting the stage for a transformed future,' Daniels said. 'The relationship with the settlers who came to our territories has long been one of profound complexity, marked by sacred agreements and damaging betrayals.' Daniels said he hopes to see a change from the actions of past sovereigns and their governments, which had negative impacts on generations of First Nations people. Story continues below advertisement 'It is essential that we see a fundamental reset in our relationship with the Crown. At the opening of the 45th Parliament of Canada, I hope to witness a foundation set for our future generations to thrive through a genuinely renewed and equitable relationship. 'This cannot occur by small, incremental changes to the systems that sought to break us, but by forging a new path collectively as First Nations and settlers cohabiting this land given to us by Creator.' — with files from Iris Dyck
National Observer
26-05-2025
- Politics
- National Observer
Chiefs remind King Charles about his treaty obligations
Dozens of First Nations leaders from across the country gathered in front of Parliament Hill Monday with a message for the King as he arrived in the city — respect your treaty partners. Treaties were "meant to be a respectful relationship where we could continue to live our lives, practise our inherent rights of hunting, trapping, fishing and trade amongst one another," said Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations Vice Chief David Pratt in front of a teepee erected on the lawn. "It was not meant to be what it is today, which is the oppression of our people. We want to remind the King our chiefs want to see him. Our chiefs want to see the King to remind him of his obligations under treaty." King Charles and Queen Camilla touched down in Ottawa Monday to begin their first visit to Canada since the King's coronation two years ago. Parliament also opened Monday and MPs voted to elect the new Speaker of the House of Commons. While Prime Minister Mark Carney and Gov. Gen. Mary Simon were both scheduled to have audiences with the King and Queen, the leaders gathered on Parliament Hill argued that they should also have a seat at the table. "We always hear about nation-to-nation, but when we get ready for the throne speech, and where the King is going to be speaking, our leadership have not been invited in those spaces," said Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Kyra Wilson. Late Monday afternoon, it was announced that the King and Queen would also hold audiences with the leaders of three national Indigenous organizations: Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami President Natan Obed and Métis National Council President Victoria Pruden. Dozens of First Nations leaders from across the country gathered in front of Parliament Hill Monday with a message for the King as he arrived in the city — respect your treaty partners. "We are getting ready to move ahead and move forward with our relationship with the Crown," Wilson said. "And what that means is Canada is no longer making decisions for our people. That's something we've been dealing with for generations... There needs to be a renewed relationship with Canada. They need to understand our rights as First Nations people." The assembled First Nations leaders said they also want the federal Liberals to take action on reforming the child welfare system, protecting traditional lands and building infrastructure desperately needed in Indigenous communities. "There's billions, if not trillions of dollars taken out of our territories every year. None of it comes back to our nations," said Grand Chief of Treaty 8 First Nations Trevor Mercredi. "We all have issues at home, but we're here today to fight for the most important issue of all, and that's our treaties. It's about time the King, the prime minister and premiers fully understand. And if it takes lawsuits for them to fully understand, that's what we'll do once again."
Ottawa Citizen
04-05-2025
- Business
- Ottawa Citizen
Assembly of First Nations joins calls for Hudson's Bay to return ceremonial items
WINNIPEG — Two First Nations groups have joined calls for Hudson's Bay to halt the sale of artifacts and return any cultural, ceremonial and sacred items to the communities that they belong to. Article content Article content The Assembly of First Nations and Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak are supporting previous calls from Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs to stop the sale of items that may belong to or be linked with First Nations people. Article content Article content 'We want to just try (to) repatriate some of those artifacts. It's time that our stuff comes home,' said Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak. Article content Article content An Ontario judge has given Canada's oldest retailer permission to move forward with an auction of the 4,400 artifacts and art pieces, along with the 355-year-old royal charter that launched the company. Article content Woodhouse Nepinak also voiced her pleas in letters sent to the monitor for Hudson's Bay, which is under court protection from creditors under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act, and to Steven Guilbeault and Gary Anandasangaree, ministers of culture and Crown-Indigenous relations. She asks the monitor to pause auctioning so it can better understand how the items were acquired and catalogued by the company. Article content 'While noting historical acquisition processes were very different in the past, it is possible that some of the collection may have been subjected to theft, misappropriation or illicitly acquired,' says the letter dated Monday. Article content Article content It adds that the Assembly of First Nations has no intention of interfering with the auction of non-First Nations objects or documents. It also asks for government help to put a pause on the auction until items have been identified and returned to their communities. Article content Last week, Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Kyra Wilson issued a letter to the monitor saying it would 'morally irresponsible' to auction off cultural and historical items without consulting First Nations. Article content The Bay is expected to return to court at a later date to detail exactly what items beyond the royal charter it wants to sell and how the auction process will unfold. Article content The Assembly of First Nations has been told the federal government may be interested in acquiring the charter, says Woodhouse Nepinkak's letter. And if that's the case, it should be put it on display in Parliament. Article content A lawyer representing the attorney general of Canada and several other federal government bodies, previously told court the government may be interested in acquiring some items or ensuring their cultural significance is not diminished and they're not 'broken apart.'
