APTN News Brief

Our lead story: as calls for transparency and a public inquiry grow stronger following a media report of RCMP surveillance of Indigenous advocacy and political organizations throughout the latter half of the 20th century, some worry the practice persists.

Our lead story: chiefs in Manitoba demand transparency regarding RCMP surveillance of First Nations organizations and advocates throughout the late 60s to early 80s, as confirmed by a recent CBC investigation.

Our featured story: hailed as landmark legislation by proponents in 2019, British Columbia's Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA) has become something of a political football of late, as provincial efforts to suspend portions of DRIPA draw the ire of Indigenous leaders.

Our lead story: nearly six years after her killing, the family of Megan Gallagher read their final victim impact statement in a Saskatoon court this week to the last of nine people charged in connection with her death. NOTE: this report contains disturbing details.

Our lead story: with under a week 'til water levels are expected to rise, Peguis First Nation works 'round the clock to protect important infrastructure in anticipation of another year of devastating floods.    

Our lead story: Nastania Mullin, former CEO of the Manitoba Inuit Association, faces multiple charges related to a number of historical sexual assault allegations dating back to 2003 and 2023. >Interstitial: zapsplat.com  

Our lead story: with Manitoba's Hydrologic Forecast Centre recently warning of severe floods for the Peguis  area, Chief Stan Bird says the little time left to put safeguards in place necessitates the aid of the Canadian Armed Forces.  

Our lead story: over two years since she was first reported missing in Winnipeg, the family of 32-year-old mother Leah Keeper of Sagkeeng First Nation says city police have identified her remains.

Our lead story: arguing First Nations' prior consent is required, officials with the Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation in northwestern Alberta ask a Court of King's Bench judge to shut down a petition urging the province's separation from Canada.

Our lead story: The family of the late Rory Cardinal blames Alberta RCMP for his death back in February, after the Kikino Métis man fled to the woods to hide from officers, roughly the same area where his body would be located weeks later. >Interstitial: zapsplat.com  

Our featured story: Mi'kmaw First Nations block or slow traffic on major Nova Scotia highways last week following a RCMP raid on a cannabis shop, an action Mi'kmaw say violates their treaty rights. >Interstitial: zapsplat.com  

Our lead story: as members of Grassy Narrows and Wabaseemoong—First Nations hit hard by an industry-polluted river system—stage a rally at a political announcement, PM Mark Carney jokingly says he "can outlast" a mercury-affected Grassy woman calling for justice on decades of toxic dumping.    

Our lead story: after a year of deliberations, the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke decides to prohibit the local sale of cannabis and to stop providing dispensary licenses.

Our lead story: First Nations leaders celebrate the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal's approval of the "Ontario Final Agreement" on long-term reform of child and family services in the province.

With the Brief's brief break wrapping up, our final highlight from other APTN News podcasts shares an extended excerpt from Our Relatives: Life on the Streets, a six-episode series offering a unique take on who is homeless and why—as told by those living it every day. And in the episode "Unsafe," host Kathleen Martens explores why some Indigenous women choose to stay away from Winnipeg homeless shelters. Warning: portions of this episode discuss disturbing subject matter

With the Brief off this week, we showcase other podcasts in the APTN News line-up. And in this excerpt from InFocus—expert interviews and meaningful conversations about stories and issues affecting Indigenous peoples—host Cierra Bettens speaks with photojournalist Amber Bracken about her arrest during an RCMP raid, and what it signifies about press freedom in Canada.

As the Brief's break continues, we feature another podcast in the APTN News line-up—Nation to Nation, a weekly look at the politics affecting Indigenous peoples in Canada, connecting you with the decision-makers in Ottawa and across the country. In this excerpt, political journalists rate and discuss Mark Carney's first year as the Liberal prime minister. Extro music: 'Pay It Forward' by 1000 Handz (CC BY)  

With the Brief taking a short break from all-new episodes, we instead feature other podcasts in the APTN News line-up. Today, it's our 'Truth & Politics' panel, our regular expert breakdown of what's making headlines. In this excerpt, a discussion of Manitoba's sudden pause on what would have been Canada's first Indigenous-led supervised consumption site. Extro music:  'Pay It Forward' by 1000 Handz (CC BY) 

Our lead story: almost two decades after her daughter's body was found in a rural Manitoba ditch, the mother of the late 24-year-old Crystal Saunders says she won't receive justice after her killer accepts a plea bargain.  

Our lead story: the federal government announces just over $17M in support for northern Indigenous languages audio/video content from broadcasters operating above the 55th parallel.  

Our lead story: fierce criticism emerges in some scholarly circles over a Saskatchewan court ruling a well-known researcher of Indigenous ancestry claims had defamed an academic who once believed herself to be Algonquin. 

Our lead story: a Saskatchewan judge orders scholar Darryl Leroux to pay $70,000 in defamation-related damages to literature professor Michelle Coupal for alleging she'd consciously and deliberately misled others about her ancestry. >Interstitial: zapsplat.com    

Our lead story: the Kanehsatake Perimeter Response Team—a partial solution to the Mohawk community's lack of a police force since 2004—faces an uncertain future with its federal funding set to run out soon. >Interstitial: zapsplat.com

Our lead story: Indigenous Services Canada minister Mandy Gull-Masty catches an earful over the weekend from Kashechewan evacuees, whose water  issues forced them to flee their northern Ontario First Nation in January.  

Our lead story: the Nunavut premier reacts to the recent announcement by Mark Carney's government of $35 billion in northern defence infrastructure investments, expressing hopes it will help benefit Nunavut-based companies and residents.

Our lead story: hotel chain Canad Inns fires employee caught on video barging into the room of a First Nations family, berating them as their teenager lay in bed recovering from leg surgery at a nearby hospital.

Our lead story: Nunavut MP Lori Idlout has crossed the floor from the NDP to the Liberals, bringing the government closer to a majority as Liberal MPs cheered the move on Parliament Hill.

Our lead story: the police watchdog in Manitoba has concluded its investigation into the death of Elias Whitehead, who died while being arrested by Winnipeg police officers in October 2023.

Our lead story: two people are dead after a manhunt in a small northern Ontario town that left residents under lockdown.

Our lead story: a jury finds Jamie Felix guilty of second-degree murder in connection with the fatal shootings of five people at a Winnipeg rooming house in November 2023.

Our lead story: evacuated two months ago due to failed infrastructure and the threat of cryptosporidium, Kashechewan First Nation calls on Indigenous Services Canada minister Mandy Gull-Masty to resign following delays to much-needed repairs.

Our lead story: a trial is currently underway in the death of a man who was found deceased in his home in a rural Yukon community in 2022.

Our lead story: in a follow-up to Saskatoon's October 2025 point-in-time count of people without stable housing, a more comprehensive review determines that just under 83 per cent of respondents identify as Indigenous.

Our lead story: a protest takes place outside a downtown Winnipeg Dollarama after video circulates of what appears to be a store security guard repeatedly punching and abusing a man.

Our featured story: at the annual National Indigenous Defence Conference—a chance to link with contractors as well as DND officials—Indigenous suppliers hope to access some of Canada's $82B planned defence spending via federal set-asides.

Our lead story: the Carney government announces $1.6 billion in new funds for the Jordan's Principle program over the next 12 months, but critics note it's $300 million shy of what was promised.    

Our lead story: despite stormy weather, dozens march to demand an end to police shootings in Nova Scotia, led by a Mi'kmaw family whose loved one was fatally shot by RCMP.    

Our lead story: the Office of Police Complaints Commission finds two Vancouver Police Department officers guilty of misconduct in their handling of the 2022 investigation into 20-year-old Tatyanna Harrison's disappearance.  

Our lead story: Norway House Cree Nation initiates legal action against Manitoba Hydro, the province, and the government of Canada over the impacts of a hydro-development project in their traditional territories, alleging their concerns have gone ignored for decades.

Our featured story: in light of recent news that the federal government's Indigenous Business Directory shrank by over 750 entries between 2024 and 2025, opinions differ as to what the numbers actually mean.   

Our lead story: Ontario police charge a Fort Frances elementary school principal with child luring, following alleged internet communications with a child he believed to be under 16 for the purposes of committing sexual assault.

Our featured story: leaders of Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) and Wapekeka First Nation accuse Ontario's Special Investigations Unit of the "disrespectful handling of several related investigations into the deaths of three NAN members at the hands of the police." >Interstitial: zapsplat.com

Our lead story: a Quebec court rules that Franceso Sansalone, a Montreal man who kept the dead, covered body of 41-year-old Alasie Tukkiapik on a couch for six months, will serve no jail time.

Our lead story: A New Brunswick family wants answers about a loved one's drowning following an encounter with RCMP, a death his relatives believe was avoidable.

Our featured story: with a new, Inuit-led university set to open in Nunavut in 2030—a first for Arctic Canada—proponents believe it will offer a whole new range of opportunities to Inuit youth.