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

Chief in Manitoba has warning for First Nations after throne speech

1 week ago | aptnnews.ca | Mark Blackburn

The federal government appears to be, again, promising Indigenous communities a say in how resource projects are approved. Free, prior and informed consent was one of the themes of the newly minted government of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s first throne speech Tuesday delivered by King Charles III. “The government will be a reliable partner to Indigenous Peoples, upholding its fundamental commitment to advancing reconciliation,” said Charles.
Nunavut housing agency needs to improve says auditor general

1 week ago | aptnnews.ca | Mark Blackburn

Oversight of the public housing stock by the Nunavut Housing Corporation (NHC) and monitoring of how properties are allocated to Nunavummiut is limited, claims a new report by the Auditor General of Canada. The NHC is responsible for managing the 6,000 public housing units in the territory’s 25 communities.
Anishinabek Nation sends warning to Ontario about passing Bill 5

1 week ago | aptnnews.ca | Mark Blackburn

Chiefs were back at Queen’s Park Monday to once again denounce legislation promising to speed up resource projects. Bill 5 – officially called the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act – would create “special economic zones” where provincial and municipal laws, including environmental laws, could be suspended.
Caring Society says allegations launched by Canada not based in fact

2 weeks ago | aptnnews.ca | Mark Blackburn

The First Nations Child and Family Caring Society (Caring Society) says that Canada’s allegations that it caused a deal that would have reformed the First Nations child welfare system to fail is not based in fact.
Neskantaga First Nation’s health situation that’s about to get worse

2 weeks ago | aptnnews.ca | Mark Blackburn

The plywood board nailed over the entrance to the Rachel Bessie Sakanee Memorial Health Centre in Neskantaga First Nation is spray-painted, “CLOSED.”Five weeks after Neskantaga’s chief and council declared a state of emergency and evacuation, they shuttered the community’s nursing station permanently after soil tests revealed fuel in the groundwater under the building.
Bell Canada scraps Labrador high-speed internet project

3 weeks ago | aptnnews.ca | Mark Blackburn

Bell Canada’s cancellation of a $32-million dollar contract to expand high-speed internet and cell service on Labrador’s north coast comes as the telecommunications giant has confirmed plans to expand southward in the United States. After receiving millions in government subsidies for the Labrador North Wireless Broadband Project, Canada’s largest communications company says it’s no longer feasible to complete the expansion due to rising costs and competition.
Pikangikum seeking ‘emergency relief’ to get safe drinking water

1 month 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

2 months 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

2 months 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.