Almost all Edmonton's mayoral candidates come up short on Indigenous issues, advocate says
CBC
Despite Edmonton having a significant Indigenous population, advocates say mayoral platforms do not reflect their issues or any steps toward reconciliation.
Jodi Calahoo Stonehouse, executive director of the Yellowhead Indigenous Education Foundation, told CBC's Edmonton AM that Indigenous issues are part of Edmonton's foundation and should be front-and-centre this election.
Homelessness, climate change and reconciliation are all issues that could be looked at through an Indigenous lens, but Stonehouse said she sees little evidence that mayoral candidates are doing so.
"To not have any other candidate speak to that and how the city is going to work in relation to Indigenous people is quite terrifying and a step back," she said on Thursday.
"So I'm thoroughly disappointed with the candidates' platform."
According to the 2016 Statistics Canada report, the Edmonton region is home to 61,500 First Nations and more than 39,000 Métis.
Amarjeet Sohi is the only candidate who addressed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, while candidate Michael Oshry has a section dedicated to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on his platform statement.
A year ago, then Gatineau mayor France Bélisle abruptly resigned, citing a hostile political climate. This week she has spoken out, offering more details of her complaints about municipal politics in Quebec.
One man is dead and three others are in police custody after a deadly assault on a Manitoba First Nation.
When Piper sends her son to school every morning, she calls out a similar refrain: "I love you, try your best, I'll be here to pick you up when school is done," hoping he will be safe and supported.
A downtown Edmonton business advocacy group is worried about how a series of planned bridge closures due to construction could impact the city.
Vancouver resident Tara Garofano says she made a dinner reservation on Valentine's Day — not for romance, but to take advantage of the final hours of the federal government's temporary Goods and Services Tax (GST) holiday.
Students at McMaster University in Hamilton are questioning the institution's commitment to the prevention of sexual violence after staffing changes at the office responsible for that work on campus.
Windsor-Essex could see its biggest snowfalls of the year in what Canada's weather agency is calling a "highly impactful" storm.
Alberta Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Services (FWES) is looking into reports of two young cougars that were spotted alone near Canmore this week.
All crew members of the MSC Baltic III have been rescued after their vessel ran aground close to the Lark Harbour shoreline off Newfoundland and Labrador's west coast.
Here's a look at some of the closures, and special events, happening in Thunder Bay on the Family Day weekend:
If you live in or around Toronto, you may want to keep that shovel nearby.
As the Ontario provincial election campaign heats up, voters in Waterloo region and surrounding areas are making their priorities clear.
More Canadians, including Prince Edward Islanders, are joining the movement to support Canadian-made goods and buy local in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to impose hefty tariffs on Canadian products.