Mark Blackburn

Ottawa

Producer at APTN National News

Producer @aptnnews - Dad - Husband - Telecaster player - The views expressed here are my own. #waydata

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Articles

Pikangikum seeking ‘emergency relief’ to get safe drinking water

6 days ago | aptnnews.ca | Mark Blackburn

Pikangikum First Nation is seeking $200 million from Canada in Federal Court as an interim measure to help it repair and maintain its water, sewage and fire service systems. It’s part of what is now a two-pronged legal battle to improve infrastructure in the community located in northwestern Ontario. In a statement released Thursday, leadership alleged that it was forced to make the moves after receiving “no response” from the federal government on the issues facing the community. “Nothing changes.
Survivor Charles Fox calls out Conservative candidate Aaron Gunn

1 month ago | aptnnews.ca | Mark Blackburn

A Liberal candidate is calling on the Conservative Party to renounce controversial candidate Aaron Gunn over his views on residential schools and genocide. Charlie Fox, a survivor who is running in the northwestern Ontario riding of Kenora-Kiiwetinoong, says the B.C.’s candidate’s remarks cannot stand.
Inuk Elder recalls life near a Nunavut DEW line

1 month ago | aptnnews.ca | Mark Blackburn

While you may not find Snafu on a map of Nunavut, Inuk Elder Manitok Thompson remembers the tiny settlement as the home where she spent part of her childhood. “I’m from Coral Harbour and there is a little place called Snafu, about 3.5 miles [six km] from town,” Thompson said of the area she described as having an interesting history.
Haida Gwaii wins logging case in B.C. court over Teal-Jones

1 month ago | aptnnews.ca | Mark Blackburn

The BC Supreme Court has dismissed a lawsuit from Teal Cedar Products, a forestry company, which claimed it lost millions of dollars due to new timber rules in Haida Gwaii, a remote archipelago off the West Coast. The company argued that the new regulations unfairly devalued their forest tenures. The rule changes included reducing the amount of timber that could be harvested and implementing conservation measures.
Manitoba advocate alarmed at high rate of child sexual exploitation

1 month ago | aptnnews.ca | Mark Blackburn

Manitoba’s youth advocate says the provincial government needs to take action against people who “coerce, lure, or exploit children for sexual acts, the sex trade, and child sexual abuse material.”“It’s clear that there’s an exploitation epidemic in Manitoba,” said Sherry Gott, Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth in an email to APTN News. “Manitoba must act in the best interest of young people and at this time, they simply are not.
Land defenders appeal TMX opposition pipeline sentence

1 month ago | aptnnews.ca | Aaron Hemens |Mark Blackburn

Three land defenders who were convicted for opposing the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion (TMX) in Secwépemcúl’ecw are appealing their sentences. During a hearing in Vancouver earlier this month, a lawyer representing the trio asked the B.C. Court of Appeal to re-examine their convictions, arguing their sentencing judge had made a series of unfair errors against them during their trial.
Arnold Sylliboy remembered as being a 'kid at heart'

2 months ago | aptnnews.ca | Mark Blackburn

An Eskasoni man is being remembered for his unwavering commitment to bringing joy and laughter to all those around him. Arnold Sylliboy Sr., 43, passed away suddenly in his home in Sydney on February 22nd. He is survived by his loving fiancée Nina Kent and his children Arnold Jr., Evan, Arlo, and Arley, along with his mother, Vera Sylliboy.
Oil and gas companies to spend billions to boost future fuel supply

2 months ago | aptnnews.ca | Mark Blackburn

Economic uncertainty may be building as the threat of a full-blown trade war ramps up, but an analysis of Canadian oil and gas companies’ spending plans paints a picture of an industry that remains extremely confident in the future of fossil fuels. Over the next decade, just over 180 oil and gas companies in Canada plan to collectively spend more than $600 billion developing new oil and gas fields, according to data reviewed by Canada’s National Observer.
Ottawa won't fund N.W.T. safety program past 2026

2 months ago | aptnnews.ca | Mark Blackburn

A community safety program piloted in Fort Liard appears less likely to expand to other communities because of a legislative obstacle to continued federal funding. Currently, the Northwest Territories hamlet employs three community safety officers through the project, which is managed by the hamlet with support from the territorial government and RCMP. The community safety officers are the first of their kind in the territory.
Nunavik gets slice of federal money for school food programs

2 months ago | aptnnews.ca | Mark Blackburn

Nunavik will get a share of $65.2 million in federal support for Quebec’s school food programs over the next three years, the federal government announced earlier this month. Of that amount, $600,000 will go to the Cree and Nunavik school boards for food assistance for the 2024-25 school year, the March 7 news release said.