National Indigenous News June 24

Darrell Stranger takes a look at some of the latest Indigenous news making headlines across the country. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

This is a look at your National Indigenous News. I'm Gerald Stranger. The federal government wants a highway, a deep water port, and a nuclear waste storage facility in Canada's north to be listed as projects of national interest. Ministers in Yellowknife announced Wednesday that the government is initiating the process toward potential listing of the Mackenzie Valley Highway Project, the Grays Bay Road and Port Project, and a deep geological repository as projects of national interest. The Mackenzie Valley and Grays Bay projects, which were referred to the Major Project's Office in March, could be named to the list of projects of national interest as early as the fall, government officials said Wednesday. Referring these projects to the Major Project's office does not mean that they are being rubber stamped, only that they are being considered under the Build Canada Act. Bill C5, Kearney's legislation to speed up approvals for major infrastructure projects identified as being nation building, passed through Parliament last June. The second half of the bill, the Building Canada Act, enables the Federal Cabinet to pick projects, approve them up front, and streamlines the process for navigating federal and provincial laws, environmental reviews, and the permitting process. Being listed as a major project of national interest by the major projects office is supposed to speed up approval times from five years to two by introducing a one-project, one review approach instead of having federal and provincial approval processes happen sequentially. Several Ontario First Nations are set to become owners of a new nuclear reactor after striking a commercial partnership with the federal and provincial governments. Ottawa and Ontario are providing loan guarantees of $700 million to the seven Williams Treaties First Nations northeast of Toronto that will turn into equity for one of the four small modular reactors that are being built at the Darlington New Nuclear Project in Bowmanville by Ontario Power Generation. This is the first equity partnership with First Nations in a nuclear reactor in Canada. The investment will result in a minority stake in the facility for the First Nations and will help with economic reconciliation. The Williams Treaty's First Nations consists of indigenous communities near Lake Ontario and Lake Simcoe, the Alderville First Nation, Curve Lake First Nation, Hiawatha First Nation, Scookahog Island First Nation, Chippewas of Bolsele First Nation, Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation, and the Chippewas of Rama First Nation. The first of four small modular reactors is under construction at the Darlington Power Plant. The four small modular reactors are expected to cost $21 billion, and once in operation, the SMRs will produce 1200 megawatts of power, which is enough to keep the lights on at 1.2 million homes. The first reactor is scheduled to be completed by 2030. An Indigenous advocacy group is calling on a Swiss collector who owns culturally significant indigenous artifacts to ensure the items are returned to their original Indigenous owners as he prepares for retirement. The curator previously had some of his collection on display at the Indian Land Museum in Gassau, Switzerland, before it permanently closed at the end of 2025. Since the closure, the goods were packed into boxes and are currently sitting in storage waiting to be sold, according to a news release shared by Bringing Them Home, a grassroots indigenous organization working to bring the goods back to North America. Sacred pipes, beaded regalia, feathered headdresses, and other culturally significant belongings are among the items listed for sale. The collection has a total value of around $20 million. It also includes guns believed to be associated with the period of the Battle of the Little Bighorn and the Plains Nation of that area, the release said. Bringing them home said they have spoken with the collector about keeping the items but have not been able to agree to a price just yet. One of their major concerns is the possibility of the artifacts being sold or auctioned to a private owner who is not interested in sharing their educational or historic value. The goods are expected to be certified and assessed for pricing before a final sale is completed if the group can successfully negotiate with the collector. From there, individual nations will decide whether they want to keep the item or have it displayed in a museum. Bringing them home said it is calling on all levels of government in Canada and the US, museums, and the public to stand behind them as they work to bring the artifacts back to its indigenous owners. That's a look at your National Indigenous News.