Latest news with #Treaty5
CBC
29-05-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Deer Lake First Nation evacuation begins as wildfires ramp up across the region
As crews work to douse a dozen wildfires in northwestern Ontario, new restrictions are being put in place in hopes of preventing further damage. On Wednesday, Deer Lake First Nation called for a community evacuation due to a 100-hectare wildfire known as Red Lake 12, located near the remote community's airport. CL415 waterbombers worked throughout the afternoon until dark to reduce the fire's intensity. By morning, it had grown to about 2,500 hectares. While it is moving in a westerly direction away from the community, chief and council have requested a Phase 1 evacuation of vulnerable people starting Thursday, said Chris Marchand, fire information officer with Ontario's Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services (AFFES). "That certainly illustrates the very dry conditions that we're seeing and have seen over the last several weeks," Marchand told CBC News in an interview Thursday afternoon. "This area close to the Manitoba border has not seen more than 10 millimetres of rain in weeks, and there really isn't a lot to look forward to in the forecast." About 1,100 people live in Deer Lake, an Oji-Cree community in Treaty 5 located about 180 kilometres north of Red Lake. It is only accessible by air or winter road. CBC News has reached out to community leadership and officials and is waiting to confirm details about where evacuees from Deer Lake are being sent. Dave Tarini, deputy chief of Thunder Bay Fire Rescue, said evacuees will be hosted in southern Ontario, but he is unaware of the exact location. Further south, Wabaseemoong Independent Nations has been under an evacuation order since May 13; evacuees are staying in Niagara Falls, Kenora and Winnipeg due to Kenora 20, which is now 34,000 hectares large. Meanwhile, east of Deer Lake, Webequie First Nation issued a pre-evacuation notice to its members on Wednesday, urging them to create 72-hour emergency kits due to Nipigon 5, which is within one kilometre of the First Nation. "Out of caution, chief and council, alongside health officials, are advising all residents — especially those with respiratory conditions or chronic health issues — to remain indoors as much as possible. Air quality and fire movement will continue to be monitored on an hourly basis," the First Nation said in an update issued Thursday. Ontario's Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, alongside Environment and Climate Change Canada, have issued special air quality statements for much of the northwest. These span as far north as Fort Severn, east to Geraldton, south to Dryden and west to Kenora, affecting more than a dozen First Nations. On Wednesday evening, Ontario's (AFFES) reported that: Five fires are under control. Three fires are being held. Three fires are not under control. Four fires have been called out over the last 24 hours. New restricted fire zone in effect Friday As of midnight on Friday, Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources is enforcing a new restricted fire zone in the northwest. Another restricted fire zone has been in effect since May 16, including areas between the U.S. and Manitoba borders to Atikokan, and north to Pickle Lake. The new restricted zone extends eastward from the existing boundaries near Upsala and Quetico Park in the south to encompass the Thunder Bay area, with the Nipigon River acting as the new eastern boundary, Marchand explained. "At a time when we have significant fire activity that is affecting various communities and engaging so much of our resources, it's important that we take these measures to limit the potential for human-caused fires at this time," he said. Under a restricted fire zone, no open-air burning, including campfires, is permitted. "Portable gas or propane stoves may be used for cooking and warmth but must be handled with extreme caution. All burning permits are suspended," Ontario Forest Fires says on its website. The City of Thunder Bay is also issuing its own fire ban, which will go into effect at 12:01 a.m. Friday. No open-air burning will be permitted, and all burn permits suspended, until the provincial restricted fire zone is lifted, Thunder Bay Fire Rescue said in a media release issued Thursday.
Winnipeg Free Press
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Artist uses ancient technique to tell historical stories
Last September, Winnipeg-based visual artist Tim Schouten travelled to Linklater Island in northern Manitoba. He was there to attend a Treaty 5 memorial gathering and the inauguration of Michael Birch as the Grand Chief of the Island Lake Tribal Council (Anisininew Okimawin). He was also there to document the site where an adhesion was made to Treaty 5 in 1909 as part of a long-term art project he's been working on for decades. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Artist Tim Shouten adds coloured pigments to hot wax in a process called encaustic painting. Schouten's latest exhibition, The Island Lake Paintings (Treaty 5) — on view at Soul Gallery until June 13 — is a series of large-scale encaustic works based on photographs Schouten took while on his trip. They are the latest entries in The Treaty Suites, Schouten's ongoing project to research and photograph the exact locations of the signings of each of the 11 numbered treaties between First Nations and the Canadian government between 1871 and 1921, and create suites of paintings related to each one. Schouten and his wife travelled to Eastern Europe in the 1990s, and he was overwhelmed by the sense of history and landscape there. He was also ready for a transition in his own work. 'I just happened to be reading a Polish edition of Flash Art Magazine with an article about a German painter Anselm Kiefer, who became a huge influence on my work going forward. His work focused on landscape and memory, which is sort of where this work comes out of,' says Schouten, 72. 'I came back to Canada and I had this idea to start thinking about the landscape as a historical document.' His own scenery had changed at that time as well: Schouten and his wife moved to Winnipeg from Toronto shortly after their trip. 'There were a couple of things I encountered. First of all, the Indigenous presence in the city was quite new to me. Just standing on street corners and people were talking in Cree and Ojibwa — that was something quite new to me,' he says. 'And travelling around the province, I became very conscious of the isolation of a lot of First Nations communities, and also the level of racism that was so obvious everywhere in this city.' The Treaty Suites began after a visit to Lower Fort Garry, where Treaty 1 was signed in 1871, and expanded from there. Schouten has spent the last 20 years travelling all over the province and painting what he's seen. Going to these places —actually being in these places — is the point. His works are not historical renderings; Schouten wanted to paint these sites as they exist today. 'I kind of shifted my thinking to focus on the landscape in my work, but I was conscious of the colonial aspects of landscape painting itself, just in depicting the wild landscapes of colonized territories,' he says. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS The Island Lake Paintings (Treaty 5) depict where Treaty 5 was signed on Linklater Island in northern Manitoba. Schouten's preferred medium of encaustic painting — an ancient technique in which coloured pigments are added to hot wax — allows for a different approach to landscape painting as well. 'The way I build these paintings, I build layer upon layer and then scrape back into them. I scrape off and remove and paint back in. And part of my thinking is, as I've often said before, is that just over the course of their creation, they sort of develop a history of their own,' he says. As a settler artist, Schouten is not trying to tell Indigenous people's stories with The Treaty Suites. Wednesdays A weekly look towards a post-pandemic future. 'I think when people encounter this work and learn that it's a non-Indigenous guy that's making this work, it's like, well, why is this guy talking about treaties?' he says. It's because we are all treaty people, Schouten says. 'My ancestors signed these treaties, too. We're all signatories to these treaties. They're embedded in the federal laws of this country, and so I have a responsibility to that treaty relationship to make sure that it's true and genuine and honours the intentions of everyone who's signed. There was an agreement to share the land in good faith, and that's obviously failed. And I just felt like it was something I wanted to address in my work, just as a matter of conscience. 'I certainly couldn't just paint beautiful landscapes.' Jen ZorattiColumnist Jen Zoratti is a columnist and feature writer working in the Arts & Life department, as well as the author of the weekly newsletter NEXT. A National Newspaper Award finalist for arts and entertainment writing, Jen is a graduate of the Creative Communications program at RRC Polytech and was a music writer before joining the Free Press in 2013. Read more about Jen. Every piece of reporting Jen 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
23-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Sandy Lake First Nation mourns loss of 11-year-old to house fire, calls for more resources
Delores Kakegamic says she's tired of losing children to house fires in her community. The chief of Sandy Lake says the First Nation is mourning the loss of an 11-year-old child to a house fire that occurred Thursday afternoon. "Our firefighters have no gear. If they had gear, they would have been able to go further into the house, but with all the smoke, they could only go a couple of seconds at a time," Kakegamic said. The house belonged to the community's fire marshal, she said. A fire shield in the home gave them enough time to get the rest of the children out. Many of the occupants were treated at the nursing station for smoke inhalation. Sandy Lake First Nation is an Oji-Cree community located in Treaty 5, about 600 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay, Ont. Kakegamic says about 3,500 people live there. There are two fire trucks in the First Nation but only one is functional, she said. Our firefighters have no gear. If they had gear, they would have been able to go further into the house, but with all the smoke, they could only go a couple of seconds at a time. The Nishnawbe Aski Police Service (NAPS) told CBC News in an email that nine occupants escaped the fire, which was reported shortly after 5 p.m. on Thursday. "When officers arrived on scene, community fire suppression efforts were already ongoing. A scene is being held and members of the NAPS Northwest Crime Unit are now involved in the ongoing investigation," NAPS spokesperson Scott Paradis said Friday morning. The community is still grieving the death of a kindergarten student in a house fire in late February, Kakegamic said. In January 2022, three children — ages four, six and nine — also died in a house fire in Sandy Lake. In the fall, Sandy Lake filed a lawsuit against the federal government, alongside Oneida Nation of the Thames, over Canada's funding of fire services in First Nations. "We can say what we want, but it never arrives," Kakegamic said of the resources she's been asking for. CBC News has reached out to Indigenous Services Canada for a response about Thursday's fire in Sandy Lake First Nation and is awaiting a response. Fire prevention, planning People who live in First Nations are about 10 times more likely to die in a house fire than those living in other communities in the country, according to Statistics Canada. Arnold Lazare, who lives in Kahnawà:ke, Que., is the interim CEO of the National Indigenous Fire Safety Council. While the cause of Thursday's fire in Sandy Lake is unknown at this time, he said most fire-related deaths in remote communities can be attributed to a lack of smoke detectors, a shortage of firefighting services and overcrowded, inadequate housing. "You end up getting a perfect storm where you have multiple people, multiple families in an underrated home without a smoke detector," he said. While much of his work involves getting smoke detectors delivered to communities, he said, the most important thing is fire prevention education. For example, Lazare said people often take down smoke detectors when they're cooking and don't put them back. "There needs to be a public education process where the family is made aware of what to do, primarily the children and the elders who are the most vulnerable," Lazare said. He encourages all households to create a fire safety plan, so all members know where to locate emergency exits and have a meet-up spot outside in case a fire occurs. "We know that by continuing on this path, we are going to reduce the number of fire-related deaths," he said. 'The firefighters are traumatized' At the time of Thursday's fire, Kakegamic said about half of Sandy Lake's firefighters were participating in training outside the community. In addition to better equipment, she said she wants to see more mental health support for those keeping the community safe. "The firefighters are traumatized," she said. "They're left to deal with it on their own and they're having a tough time." With a new federal government in power — and the first Indigenous MP to hold the position of Minister of Indigenous Services — Lazare said he feels hopeful that federal funding can be better allocated to meet First Nations' needs. Providing resources at the community level is key, he said. "Part of our plan is to advocate not for an increase in funding, because we realize funding is short, but what we're advocating for is a more effective use of the dollars that are there," he said. "It empowers the community."
Global News
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Global News
Ontario First Nation seeks emergency relief in Federal Court over water crisis
A First Nation in northwestern Ontario is seeking $200 million in emergency relief from the federal government to address the 'critical' state of its water and sewage system as part of legal action launched in Federal Court, lawyers for the community said Friday. Pikangikum First Nation submitted a motion Thursday asking the court to compel the government to provide the emergency funds to deliver adequate water and sanitation services to the community of more than 4,000 people. The First Nation has declared a state of emergency and filed a lawsuit against the federal government, arguing that Canada has failed to fix the water issue and has caused irreparable harm to the community. A statement of claim initially filed last year says the First Nation has suffered from deficient water and sewage infrastructure for decades, and most households have no running water. Story continues below advertisement The First Nation alleges that Canada has failed to provide potable water, sewage disposal and fire prevention infrastructure to the community, and it's asking the court to order the government to immediately construct and repair its water systems. 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 claims community members have contracted skin diseases and parasites due to lack of access to safe drinking water and inadequate sanitation, and some have been injured or have died while travelling long distances to access water and outdoor toilet facilities. The community is also 'ill-equipped' to respond to fires with limited water pressure and too few fire hydrants, the statement of claim says. 'The conditions in Pikangikum would shock Canadians who have never visited the reserve,' the statement says. 'These conditions constitute nothing less than a national embarrassment and demand an immediate and full remedy.' The First Nation is also asking for a declaration that Canada has breached Pikangikum's treaty rights and parts of the Constitution Act 'by failing to respect its rights over the land and waters and its right to maintain its traditional livelihoods' within Treaty 5 territories. The motion submitted Thursday is an interim request to the court 'to address the urgency of the situation on the ground' while the main lawsuit proceeds, lawyer Yana Sobiski said in an email. The Federal Court has put the motion on hold while the parties agree on a timeline for next steps, Sobiski said. Story continues below advertisement Indigenous Services Canada did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The community said in a press release that it has done multiple studies that confirm the inadequacy of its water infrastructure and it has issued multiple long- and short-term drinking water advisories. The most recent advisory came in February 2024 and remains in effect, it said. The First Nation's leadership has had to implement daily water conservation measures to prevent closures of local institutions, including the community's only school, it said. Pikangikum Chief Paddy Peters said in a statement that he implored Indigenous Services Canada earlier this year to provide long-term solutions for the community's residents, but nothing has changed. Peters said the government makes 'repeated promises for improvements that never come' while the residents' health is at risk every day. 'In 2025, our people still draw their drinking water from the lake because there is no trust that our treated water is safe to drink,' said Peters. 'For decades, we have waited for Canada. It's inhumane to make our people wait any longer.'
CBC
02-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Manitoba more than triples moose hunt licences in 2025 after controversial cut led to court challenges
Manitoba is shaking up its moose hunt system after a slash to the number of licences offered last year received both flak and legal challenges from a northern Manitoba First Nation and a provincial conservation organization representing the interests of hunters. The province will grant 350 moose hunting licences this year, up from the 100 offered last year, Natural Resources and Indigenous Futures Minister Ian Bushie said in a Thursday news release. The move aligns with the province's obligations under the 1977 Northern Flood Agreement, which states Manitoba must prioritize Indigenous harvesters on traditional territory of Pimicikamak Cree Nation, Bushie said in the release. Jamie Moses, then the minister of natural resources, sparked fury from Pimicikamak and the Manitoba Wildlife Federation last summer after he cut the number of moose draw hunting licences for Manitoba residents by 75 per cent — from a total of 400 to 100 — across four of Manitoba's 62 game hunting areas. The traditional territory of Pimicikamak, also known as the Cross Lake Resource Area, spans nearly 15,000 square kilometres and portions of four of Manitoba's game hunting areas, including two of four GHAs subject to the 75 per cent licence reduction. Pimicikamak and the wildlife federation both challenged Moses' decision in court. Manitoba Court of King's Bench Justice Brian Bowman heard from lawyers representing Pimicikamak, the wildlife federation and the province during a two-day hearing last November. New wildlife advisory board Pimicikamak's lawyers argued the province's July 11 licensing decision infringed on its rights under provincial laws, Treaty 5 and the 1977 Northern Flood Agreement. The wildlife federation argued the cut in licences was not based on scientific data. The province's lawyers asked Bowman to dismiss both applications, but to dismiss Pimicikamak's case without prejudice so the First Nation could potentially pursue a lawsuit instead, because while both groups have an interest in Manitoba wildlife, they are not equal, as First Nations people have recognized treaty rights to hunt. Bowman has yet to deliver a decision in the case. The province also says aerial surveys focused on moose were conducted in GHAs 9A and 10 over the winter. Fifteen per cent of GHA 9A, and 12 per cent of GHA 10 has been set aside for exclusive use by Indigenous hunters. The 350 moose hunting licences being offered this year span the remaining portions of GHAs 9A and 10, as well as GHAs 15 and 15A. The province is going to work with Pimicikamak to create a wildlife advisory and planning board, which will impact shared wildlife-related resources, Bushie said in the release. The board will help manage resources and allow discussion of shared land and natural resource management, he said.
