The Lemay Forest — housing unmarked graves, protected birds and old trees. Now, it’s being threatened by a housing development

The post In Winnipeg, land defenders fight to save a sacred forest appeared first on Ricochet.

Subscribe now

A Nashwaak Bridge man was directed this week to return to court next month to answer to an allegation that he exposed himself to a minor in the capital region last summer.

Jonathon Doiron, 40, of Route 148, made his first appearance in Fredericton provincial court Tuesday to answer to an indictable charge.

He’s accused of exposing his genitals to a minor for a sexual purpose in Hanwell between Aug. 1 and 31.

Read more

OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says that he will “set a goal” to greenlight all federal Ring of Fire permits, a major northwestern Ontario critical mineral deposit, within six months.

Poilievre says that a Conservative government would also commit $1 billion over three years to build a road network to link the potential mining site to Ontario’s highway network and First Nations communities in the area.

The Ring of Fire is about 500 kilometres north of Thunder Bay, and contains critical minerals like nickel, copper, platinum and cobalt potentially worth tens of billions of dollars.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford promised to speed up provincial approvals for Ring of Fire projects during the recent provincial election.

The terms of reference were finalized in January between 15 First Nations in the area and the federal government on the assessment to examine potential impacts of resource development in the region.

An early federal election has not been called yet, but is expected to begin soon.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 19, 2025.

David Baxter, The Canadian Press

Marco Marra spent five years earning his PhD by studying DNA fragments of roundworms, fascinated by the notion that scientists could use them to learn about genetics in animal muscle and nerve function.

Thirty years later, the University of British Columbia medical genetics professor is leading the way in analyzing the genomes of human cancers to drive personalized treatment for patients – an achievement that would have astonished his younger self.

Nujaliah Iyerak remembers growing up in Igloolik and being fascinated by airplanes, but feeling that flying one and becoming a pilot was far out of reach.

Nujaliah Iyerak is all smiles on the “special day” he was able to take his wife Blandina Irqqarqsaq out on a flight for the first time. (Photo courtesy of Exchange International Corp.)

The closest he got to this dream was checking-in passengers and handling baggage as a representative for Canadian North in Igloolik.

That was until last year, when the Atik Mason Indigenous Pilot Pathway program, which brings flight school to pilots, expanded to Rankin Inlet.

“I just thought that being a pilot was just cool and when I heard about the program, I just applied,” Iyerak said in an interview.

“And then I got an email saying that I got accepted, and I just was lost for words.”

The 25-year-old began the program in Rankin Inlet in May 2024.

The Atik Mason Indigenous Pilot Pathway program began four years ago in Thompson, Man. It is fully funded by Exchange Income Corp., the company that’s in the process of buying Canadian North.

[“We wanted] to try the idea of bringing the program to the people, instead of people to the program, and it was very successful,” said Mike Pyle, CEO of Exchange Income Corp., of the program’s expansion to Rankin Inlet.

Pyle said his company pays for students’ schooling and accommodations, including a stipend. In addition to living arrangements, the program anticipates its participants’ other needs.

“If something comes up with family, we recognize it and we get them home,” said David White, executive vice-president of Exchange Income Corp.

“When it comes time for a major event, we often fly families in so that students are surrounded by their community, because we recognize that community piece is key.”

In the North, the flight training season is short. So Iyerak, funded through this program, opted to head south to Moncton, N.B., in October to expedite his studies.

Iyerak said he misses home but that his wife Blandina Irqqarqsaqq took a leave of absence from her work and came with him, which made the transition easier. Exchange Income Corp. pays for her to go to New Brunswick as well.

The Atik Mason Indigenous Pilot Pathway program started with 12 students in its first class. There are now 32 students per year combined at its three locations, including Rankin Inlet.

“We’ve got six students flying already and eight more that are about to fly, that are in the queue to start with our various airlines,” Pyle said.

“So we were up to 14 in four years. If we can keep that going, we’ll be able to have a significant piece of our staff be from the communities we service.”

Depending on how much flight time Iyerak can get in, he said he hopes to receive his commercial pilot’s licence by August. From there, he will likely fly medevac planes, but has his eye on flying commercial with Canadian North in the future.

“[Iyerak] is the perfect example of what we’re trying to achieve with the program,” Pyle said, adding that one of the greatest challenges in remote communities is the lack of opportunity.

“When [Iyerak] is sitting there flying the first medevac out of Igloolik, with someone he knows, that’s going to be the world’s best advertisement for, ‘You can be whatever you want to be.’

“Creating hope in remote communities is a huge part of what we’re trying to do here. Selfishly, we also want to build great pilots.”

Provincial fisheries minister Gerry Byrne says Newfoundland and Labrador still has a lot of friends in the United States despite an escalating trade war between the two nations.

Gerry Byrne is just back from the Boston Seafood Show, where Newfoundland and Labrador product has been featured prominently for decades.

While some have questioned the province’s involvement in trying to secure and expand its U.S. markets, Byrne says it’s important to continue to drive home the fact that current U.S. economic policy is hurting Americans as well as their trade partners.

Photo via Facebook

“We need to try to get this administration to understand that this is hurting Americans” says Byrne who met with Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey and the Canada-New England Business Council while in Boston.

In the meantime, Byrne says the exposure Newfoundland and Labrador gets at the Boston Seafood Show is also catching the attention of buyers outside the United States.

Some tenants had been living in the Emerald Street South building in Hamilton for decades when their landlord tried to evict them for cosmetic upgrades to the kitchens, bathrooms and floors.

Maïa Schwinghammer of Saskatoon, Sask., won the bronze medal in the women's moguls competition, at the FIS freestyle world championships in Corviglia, Switzerland.

 Kent MacDonald, a seventh-generation dairy farmer from Little Pond announced that he has been acclaimed to represent the liberal party in Cardigan in the seat left vacant with the retirement of long serving Liberal MP Lawrence MacAulay. The race to succeed MacAulay as Cardigan’s MP also includes Conservative nominee James Aylward, a former MLA and provincial cabinet minister; and former educator Lynn Thiele, who’s running for the NDP. Lauchlan Taylor is the candidate for the People’s Party of Canada.

As Vancouver nears its April 5 two-seat byelection, candidates have been in neighbourhoods talking directly with voters at several all-candidates meetings, but two in particular have, so far, been absent.

Average Canadian farmland values continued their more than 30-year streak of increases last year, but Farm Credit Canada says the rate of growth is slowing and trade disruptions could further dent them.

As with tradition, Finance Minister Jim Reiter slipped on a pair of new black shoes that he will wear when delivering Saskatchewan's provincial budget Wednesday afternoon. "I'll let you read into that what you will," he told reporters.

Residential property taxes are set to increase by 8.9 per cent this year, despite what the city is calling the lowest municipal property tax rate hike of all major cities in Canada.

André Fortin says four major issues for him are making sure gun regulations don’t harm Yukoners, housing, ensuring that the RCMP is properly funded, and healthcare.

The City of Swift Current has awarded the contract for catering the concession at the Stockade Building for 2025. 

Daisy Lane Catering, most well known for their ongoing service at the Swift Current Comprehensive High School cafeteria, will be in charge of the event venue's concession. 

They won the bidding war between five proposals received by the City of Swift Current. 

Nicole Spenst, general manager of community services for the City of Swift Current, revealed that of those five, Daisy Lane Catering scored the highest in the evaluation process.

"And is therefore deemed to be in the best interest of the City," said Spenst. "Daisy Lane Catering has been operating for over 25 years."

The term for this agreement is 16 months, beginning on April 1. It will expire on July 15, 2026, with an option for renewal open to both parties. 

Since 2018, the Edmonton Mountain Bike Alliance (EMBA) has been planning the dedicated bike space outfitted with trails, an asphalt track, and jumps in Queen Elizabeth Park. With a $613,000 grant from the provincial government, the project is now fully funded and hopes to open in spring or summer 2026.

The City of Edmonton is set to replace 37 high-floor LRT vehicles by 2029 that run on the Capital and Metro lines, including some that have been in use since the system opened in 1978. One transit expert said, given the state of the world and the shortlist of options, there's now a clear best choice.

In February, the city provided its shortlist of three vendors to contract to replace the trains — Siemens Mobility Limited from Germany, the Hyundai Rotem Corporation from South Korea, and Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles S.A. from Spain.

Until United States President Donald Trump threatened Canada with tariffs, Reece Martin, a Toronto-based transit enthusiast who talks all things transit on his popular YouTube channel and as a writer, told Taproot that he might have suggested Siemens as the best option.

But because Siemens builds its LRT vehicles in the U.S., Hyundai, which builds its trains in Korea, is potentially best fit for the contract, he said.

"I don't want to give a company that's building stuff in America money today," Martin said. "Edmonton has just ordered some low-floor vehicles from Hyundai for the Valley Line, for the second phase, and Vancouver has some trains from Hyundai. They've been very reliable. They're basic, but high quality."

Regardless of which trains are chosen, the Capital and Metro lines are overdue for new vehicles. Edmonton Transit Service branch manager, Carrie Hotton-MacDonald, previously told Taproot that some parts are no longer manufactured for these trains. The transit service has resorted to asking Calgary for spare parts from its own high-floor trains and making its own from scratch.

The city expects to awards a contract worth up to $240 million for 37 replacement LRT vehicles by late 2025 and potentially add up to 16 more vehicles to meet needs for planned line extensions. The vehicles should arrive in 2028 and 2029. The trains being replaced are Siemens–Duewag U2 models, and some have been running since 1978. The 57 newer Siemens SD-160 trains will not be replaced.

Edmonton is somewhat unique in that it now has both high- and low-floor LRT in operation. In the past, the city has explained the appeal of low-floor LRT technology, including that it's quieter, its stations can be built closer together with less infrastructure, and can be more easily integrated into communities.

As low-floor LRT gains popularity here (and in Calgary, with the Green Line) Martin said he's heard some suggest high-floor LRT is obsolete. That's wrong, he said. He recently wrote a post that outlined the continued relevance of high-floor LRT, and uses Edmonton and Calgary as examples of where it works.

"It just doesn't make sense for (high floor) to go away," Martin said. "It would be like saying 'Tables are going away or chairs are going away.' It's a simpler technology, and there's already hundreds of stations around the world and pieces of infrastructure that are designed to use it."

Edmonton doesn't believe high-floor LRT is obsolete, either, given this order and the work to extend both the Capital and Metro lines. Construction on the first of two phases for the Capital Line South Extension is underway and estimated to be complete in four to five years. The Metro Line Northwest extension has three phases. The first, to build and operate NAIT/Blatchford Market station, is complete; the remaining two phases are not yet at the construction stage and do not have an estimated completion date.

But why Hyundai over Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles S.A. from Spain? Martin said Hyundai's reputation is a little better than CAF's, though any of the three LRT vendors could manufacture the trains Edmonton needs. Still, choosing trains that aren't from Siemens will require adjustment, because Edmonton and Calgary have only ordered high-floor vehicles from Siemens, Martin said.

Farmers on the Prairies have canola on their minds as they brace for a geopolitical storm.

Over a billion people use Google Maps to help them navigate their world every month. If you own a smartphone, the odds are better than average you’re one of those people.

If you’re using Google Maps in the United States, you may have noticed some recent changes to your world. The “Gulf of Mexico” is now the “Gulf of America,” and “Mount Denali” is again “Mount McKinley.” These are both changes instigated by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Google is reportedly systematically removing resistance to these changes.

When compared to how common it is for the Google search engine to boost misinformation and fake news, and feed into confirmation bias, changing the name of a body of water might not seem like a big deal. But the philosophical theory of “extended cognition” suggests such changes might not be so innocuous after all.

Cognitive processes — not all in our heads

The notion of extended cognition, along with the notion of the extended mind, was presented in a 1998 paper by British philosopher Andy Clark and his Australian colleague, David J. Chalmers.

They argued that the environment plays an active role in our cognitive processes.

Take their example of “the use of pen and paper to perform long multiplication” — something that could have been done in the mind is extended, as it were, to the external world. If it had been done in one’s mind, we wouldn’t hesitate to call this a cognitive process.

The point is — moving this process outside the mind doesn’t change what it is. Rather, as they put it: “Cognitive processes ain’t (all) in the head!”

They suggest that if the resources of an external tool are always there when we need them, then those resources are, in effect, “part of the basic package of cognitive resources that I bring to bear on the everyday world.”

Back in 1998, almost decade before the advent of the iPhone, they used the example of a pocket calculator, with a suggestion that it’s unlikely the average person would always have one with them. Imagine, then, how smartphones play an integral role in many of our cognitive processes.

In fact, as Chalmers pointed out in a later piece, the iPhone he purchased quickly became part of his mind. This is because it replaced part of his memory, harboured some of his desires, facilitated some of his calculations and more.

In short, we outsource many of our cognitive tasks to our technologies. Our smartphones, in particular, play an important role in keeping track, remembering, calculating and finding our way.

‘Attention economy’

In what’s come to be known as the attention economy, the role of technologies in our cognitive processes is amplified further.

As Google strategist-turned-philosopher James Williams notes, technologies’ low-level engagement goals include “maximizing the amount of time you spend with their product, keeping you clicking or tapping or scrolling as much as possible, or showing you as many pages or ads as they can.”

The more time spent on our phones, the more of our attention they demand, and the more integrated they are in our cognitive processes.

When I’ve taught a unit on technology in Introduction to Philosophy courses in recent years, I’ve instructed students to read this piece by Canadian cognitive science scholar Karina Vold and reflect on their relationships to their phones — something most readily admit they’d never done before.

As Vold points out, there could be significant legal implications if courts were to accept the theory of extended cognition in a world where smartphone technologies are ubiquitous. They might even include whether and how the law could protect “what and how we think from undue influence.”

From this perspective, the fact that Google can change maps literally overnight gains new significance.

If we take the theory of extended cognition seriously, we can understand Google’s changes, like renaming the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America, as problematically undermining our autonomy. In a sense, Google is able to get into our cognitive processes and, at will, make changes — to our understanding and memory of how the physical world is structured and navigated — without our consent.

As a result, such changes fall on the wrong side of the admittedly blurry distinction between persuasion and coercion.

Persuasion versus coercion

Traditionally understood, persuasion respects individuals’ autonomy. It requires critical thinking and argumentation, which involve presenting reasons in support of a claim to people, who then use their own cognitive powers to decide whether to adopt or reject those reasons and claims.

Conversely, coercion is closer to a form of brainwashing. It involves undermining or bypassing a person’s ability to accept or reject an argument. It gets into the cognitive processes themselves, making changes without knowledge or consent.

In an era when technology companies compete for increasing shares of our attention, and therefore of our cognitive processes, it becomes increasingly difficult, but also urgently important, to be aware of whether we are being persuaded or brainwashed, and what we are being persuaded or brainwashed to believe.

Though the name of a body of water on a Google Map might not seem like a big deal, it’s at least a reminder to be vigilant.

Susan Dieleman receives funding as the Jarislowsky Chair in Trust and Political Leadership at the University of Lethbridge.

Nova Scotia's Minister of Opportunities and Social Development found himself on the hot seat during Tuesday’s question period. 

The post N.S. cabinet minister defends trip to Trump inauguration appeared first on Halifax Examiner.

A 30-year old man was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment for possessing cocaine for the purposes of trafficking in a Yellowknife case dating to 2021.

Organizers hope next week's Dehcho Economic Development Summit, in Fort Simpson, can give the region a "unified voice" in resource management and beyond.

A Yellowknife complex is receiving $18.5 million in federal cash for renovations and Fort Smith will get $2.6 million to help spur construction of new homes.

RBC is bringing its Olympic talent identification program to Yellowknife in May, offering athletes aged 14-25 the chance to take a step toward the world stage.

Although avian flu was recently detected in a domestic poultry flock in CBS, the outbreak that ravaged wild seabird populations off the coast of Newfoundland a couple of years ago appears to have run its course.

Environment and Climate Change Canada says since January, only four wild bird carcasses were reported and tested in Newfoundland, and of those, only one tested positive for bird flu.

Environment says agencies are continuing to monitor the situation through surveillance and testing.

Sick or dead birds found in Newfoundland and Labrador should be reported to the provincial department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture.