By Jennifer Argue, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Published Oct 24, 2021 Wayne Busch is a long-time resident of Nokomis, and he is also the former Mayor and Principal of Nokomis School. He wrote a letter to the Town Council with concerns over health care services in Nokomis and rural Saskatchewan. He wanted to know if the local Health Council continued to exist or…
By Natasha Bulowski, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Published Oct 26, 2021 Justin Trudeau’s new cabinet signals strong support for climate policy but may not be well-received in Alberta, says a political science professor. Former minister of environment and climate change Jonathan Wilkinson is now minister of natural resources and long-time environmentalist Steven Guilbeault is taking over as environment minister. These appointments signal environment and climate change are…
By Sarah Sibley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Published Oct 23, 2021 Residents of a Northwest Territories hamlet appear poised to reach 80 per cent full vaccination, the threshold required for the N.W.T. government to begin reopening the Highway 7 border. Highway 7, stretching down to the British Columbia border, is currently only open twice a week for people to leave the territory by appointment. The…
By Maggie Macintosh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Published Oct 21, 2021 School bus drivers are in high demand as a longtime Manitoba-wide shortage of the professionals, made worse by COVID-19 and new public health orders, disrupts routes and student commutes. Transportation managers in school divisions across the province are increasingly facing challenges with driver recruitment and retention, according to Paul Ilchena, executive director…
By John Boivin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Published Oct 21, 2021 At the end of his 90-minute online appearance, Dr. David Suzuki offered a message of hope. “We don’t know much about nature, and nature will surprise us,” he told the roughly 120 Kootenay and Boundary residents attending his virtual lecture. “And a lot of it will be good. We won’t deserve it.…
By Chelsea Kemp, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Published Oct 21, 2021 A former Brandonite has been elected the first woman mayor of Calgary Jyoti Gondek was named mayor of Calgary Monday defeating 26 challengers for the role with 174,649 votes, accounting for 45 per cent of all ballots cast. Gondek originally hails from London, England but has close ties to Manitoba. Her family…
By Sarah Sibley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Published Oct 21, 2021 Teachers in the Northwest Territories are struggling to find anywhere to live, a problem exacerbated by the impact of this year’s flooding in some communities. In the village of Fort Simpson, finding accommodation has already proved a barrier for incoming teaching staff. Failing to attract and retain teachers will affect the education…
By Dave Baxter, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Published Oct 21, 2021 A prominent Indigenous voice in Manitoba who survived Canada’s residential school system has been chosen to represent the province when a First Nations delegation travels to Rome to meet with the Pope later this year. On Wednesday, Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) Regional Chief Cindy Woodhouse announced that Phil Fontaine will…
By Dave Baxter, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Published Oct 19, 2021 A southeastern Manitoba pastor who has openly flouted provincial COVID-19 health orders was arrested Monday night by RCMP. A video of the arrest of Church of God Restoration Pastor Tobias Tissen was posted on Monday evening on the Twitter account of fellow Pastor Henry Hildebrandt, who is a colleague of Tissen’s. The…
By Michael Potestio, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Published Oct 19, 2021 The federal government has already turned over all records it has pertaining to residential schools, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Oct. 18 during a visit to Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc. Trudeau visited the community to make amends for vacationing in Tofino on Sept. 30, the first annual National Day for Truth and…
