Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 173
OTTAWA, Ont.-The cost of closing the on-reserve infrastructure gap will top half a trillion dollars by 2040 unless the federal government acts now, the Assembly of First Nations says. In a recent report, the national advocacy organizaiton said that Canada must invest $349.2 billion now to make sure that First Nations will have access to similar infrastructure by 2030, in keeping with the government's ability to fulfill their public and federally mandated commitments to First...
NEW YORK-In April, at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) in New York City last week, National Congress of American Indians President Mark Macarro gave a statement advocating for advanced participation of Indigenous Peoples. Enhanced Participation refers to a process Native Americans and other Indigenous leaders have been advocating for for over a century, beginning in 1923 with the League of Nations, that would put Indigenous leaders closer to...
Whitehorse, YT-Indigenous people in Yukon and Alaska are celebrating a new chinook salmon management agreement between Canada and the U.S. On April 1, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) along with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) signed an agreement to rebuild chinook salmon stocks. The agreement places a moratorium on commercial, sport, domestic and personal fishing. The moratorium will be in place for seven years, which is the full life cycle of a chinook salmon....
CALGARY, Alb.—The Nisga'a Nation in northwestern British Columbia is partnering with a Texas-based firm, Western LNG, to buy the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission project from Calgary-based TC Energy Corp. "Today is a historic day for the Nisga'a Nation and represents a sea change in major industrial development in this country," said Eva Clayton, president of the Nisga'a Lisims government, in a news release. "In taking an equal ownership role in this pipeline, we are s...
Navajo Nation-Federal energy officials took the unusual step of denying permits Thursday to several pumped hydropower projects proposed on the Navajo Nation, citing a new policy that gives tribes a greater voice in projects on their lands. The tribe and environmental groups had urged the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to deny applications for several of the pumped storage projects, saying they worried about the impact of the projects but had not been consulted by...
AJO, Ariz-Jesse Garcia was first introduced to farming in his grandmother's garden. As a child, he recalls not quite understanding the true purpose of growing and how important it is. It was in high school that he first started taking an interest in farming and agriculture. After graduating, he had a number of jobs, but he did not feel passionate about any of them. It was then that he found the Ajo Center for Sustainable Agriculture. Arizona farmers are aging. With a hope to s...
VICTORIA, B. C.-In December, Leonard Marchand was named as the first Indigenous person to be appointed as the chief justice for the Court of Appeal in British Columbia. He will also serve as chief justice on the Yukon Court of Appeal. A member of the Okanagan Indian Band, part of the Syilx Nation, Marchand began his practice as a lawyer in Kamloops, B.C., where his practice included pursuing civil claims of historic child abuse in institutional settings, and he represented...
WASHINGTON, D.C.-In December, the third annual White House Tribal Nations Summit was held, bringing together tribal leaders and top administration officials to address critical issues facing tribal communities. During the event, U.S. president Joe Biden signed an executive order reforming federal funding and support for tribal nations and aimed to promote the next era of tribal self-determination. The critical issues addressed by the summit included co-stewardship agreements...
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.-In January, Lily Gladstone made history as she became the first Indigenous actress to win a Golden Globe. Gladstone was awarded in the "Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture-Drama" for her portrayal of Mollie Burkhart in the film, "Killers of the Flower Moon." "This is a historic win and it doesn't belong to just me," Gladstone said. Gladstone, whose background is Blackfeet and Nez Perce, and who grew up on the Blackfeet Nation, is the se...
WINNIPEG, Manitoba-On October 18, Wabanakwut "Wab" Kinew was sworn in as Manitoba's 25th premier-and as the first First Nations premier of a Canadian province. During the ceremonies, Kinew also introduced his cabinet, which for the first time in Manitoba history includes two First Nations women: Nahanni Fontaine, who is the new families minister and will serve as minister responsible for gender equity and accessibility, and Bernadette Smith, the new minister of housing,...
LANGDON, Alb.-Indian Life Ministries is excited to announce that the Council Fire devotional book is now ready to be ordered. This is presumed to be the first 365-day devotional to be written exclusively by Indigenous followers of Jesus. A year ago, staff at ILM began to dream of a daily devotional book created solely by Indigenous writers, and the vision for Council Fire was born. The dream was revealed at the 2022 ILM annual banquet and the staff began to pray for finances...
In late October, Indian Life Ministries hosted a conference in Winnipeg for all those who support, or are interested in supporting, the outreach of ILM. The banquet was attended by 168 participants who came from Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Cass Lake, Minnesota. The ILM and advisors know how to do a celebration well! The program included music from Rochelle and Chris Creasy, Joel Jolly, and Kene and Milly Jackson. After inspiring music, Craig Smith stepped to...
ALBANY, N.Y.-This fall, the stadiums and playing fields will start to look different at many New York schools. Last April, the state Board of Regents adopted regulations prohibiting public schools from using names, mascots or logos inspired by Indigenous people. The mandate affects 60 public school districts A year before the mandate, at least 133 schools in 55 New York districts still had native-themed mascots, according to a report by the National Congress of American...
LANGDON, Alb.-Data is still being processed, but even before June, the summer 2023 wildfire season in Canada started breaking records-and especially affecting Indigenous communities. Wildfires are nothing new to Canadians. The statistics of a normal year are especially heart-breaking among Indigenous people. The Assembly of First Nations recently cited a report revealing that Ontario First Nations children aged 0 to 9 years are 86 times greater than non-First Nations children...
BUSBY, Alb.-On May 18-21, 2023, 187 youth gathered at Camp Nakamun in Alberta, Canada, for the Native Youth Conference (NYC). The students came from 17 communities and four provinces. Students were joined by 40 chaperones of varying ages. "The mission at Indian Life Ministries is to restore hope, healing, and honor within Indigenous communities across North America through a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ," said Todd Wawrzyniak, director of Indian Life Ministries. "Being...
WASHINGTON-The Supreme Court recently upheld a federal law that requires tribal families to get priority in the adoption or foster placement of an Indigenous child, a law aimed at stopping what one justice called the "nightmare" of family separation. Advocates have called the Indian Child Welfare Act the gold standard of child welfare laws, but it was challenged by three families and the state of Texas, which claimed the law steps on state's rights and unlawfully uses race to...
WATERLOO, Ont.-The University of Waterloo in Ontario will become the first Canadian university to waive tuition starting this fall for students who are members of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation or Six Nations of the Grand River. In a press release, the university announced, "Indigenous students who are members of these bands (on whose traditional territory the University of Waterloo is situated) and who are pursuing studies in a graduate or undergraduate program a...
OTTAWA, Ont.-Two days before his coronation, King Charles III met with Canadian Indigenous leaders for a conversation that many people hope will bring a new chapter in the relationship between the Crown and Canada's Indigenous people. While King Charles previously met with Canadian Indigenous leaders during a May 2022 visit to Canada, this was the first time a British monarch met with First Nations, Inuit and Métis representatives together. The meeting at Buckingham Palace was...
WASHINGTON-Supreme Court justices pressed government attorneys in March on their argument that the treaties that put the Navajo on reservation lands implied an intent-but not a duty-for the government to provide water to the tribe. "Could I bring a good breach-of-contract claim for someone who promised me a permanent home, the right to conduct agriculture and raise animals, if it turns out it's the Sahara Desert?" Justice Neil Gorsuch asked Frederick Liu, the assistant to the...
CHESTERMERE, Alb.-A Saskatchewan First Nations woman has won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for best audio journalism. Journalist Connie Walker, who is from Okanese First Nation, won the award for her Gimlet Media podcast: Stolen: Surviving St. Michael's. The concept began when Walker learned a surprising story about her late father. She discovered that while performing a routine traffic stop as a RMCP officer (Mountie), her dad recognized the driver as the priest from St. Michael's...
RED DEER, Alb.-On January 27–29, 2023, Indian Life Ministries, Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada and Family Life Canada joined forces to sponsor the third Indigenous Couples' Getaway in western Canada. Eighteen couples attended this premier event held in Red Deer, Alberta, joined by three speaker couples-Kirby and Bernadette James, Conrad and Florence Flett, and Gord and Bev Mills-as well as musicians Kene and Milly Jackson, and several volunteers. The conference was b...
KANSAS CITY, Mo.-The Super Bowl LVII held in Glendale, Ariz. in February offered unprecedented opportunities for showcasing Native Americans this year. In the days before the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles even started, Indigenous artist Lucinda "La Morena" Hinojos was the first Native artist to be selected by the NFL to create the official artwork, which was featured on each of the 60,000 game tickes, as well as on the game ball and around the...
CHESTERMERE, Alb.—On December 16–18, Indian Life Ministries hosted the Gift of Reconciliation conference at Camp Chestermere, Alb. Featured speaker Mario Swampy talked about reconciliation being a gift from the Lord for all of His children. He asked participants to reflect upon how they are modeling reconciliation, and to have difficult conversations with people as the Lord leads. Swampy also talked about sinful people being reconciled to a Holy God. During the weekend, Swampy led some times for participants to hold discussio...
CHESTERMERE, Alb.-On December 16–18, Indian Life Ministries hosted the Gift of Reconciliation conference at Camp Chestermere, Alb. Featured speaker Mario Swampy talked about reconciliation being a gift from the Lord for all of His children. He asked participants to reflect upon how they are modeling reconciliation, and to have difficult conversations with people as the Lord leads. Swampy also talked about sinful people being reconciled to a Holy God. During the weekend, S...
WASHINGTON, D.C.-For the first time in a half-dozen years, leaders of federally recognized tribes from across the United States gathered in Washington for The White House Tribal Nations Summit November 30-December 1, 2022. The summit was designed to bring together tribal leaders with administration officials, Cabinet secretaries and the president. Held at the Interior Department, it included panelists discussing topics such as mental health and health equity, economic...
