How to take part in Indigenous Peoples Day in the London area
CBC
Hundreds of people are expected to gather at the Wortley Village Green in London on Friday to celebrate Indigenous Solidarity Day through dancing, learning, and food.
A similar celebration is taking place on the Oneida Nation of the Thames territory, where everyone is also welcome. Across the country, First Nation communities mark June 21 as a day to honour heritage, resilience and Indigenous contributions across Turtle Island.
The day started with sunrise ceremonies in Wortley Village and on the Oneida territory, with people gathering around a sacred fire.
"Depending on which nation it is, we greet the sun with a song or a prayer," said Ira Timothy, who is Lanape from Delaware First Nation and a spokesperson for the Association of Iroquois and Allied Indians. "It's to welcome the day with good spirit and good mind, to make sure everyone is looked after."
Expect to enjoy a day full of live music, dance, and even lacrosse demonstrations getting started at lunch time and running until late afternoon. Smoke dancers will also be performing at both locations.
"If there's something you want to learn about in a dance, a significant item, or you want to learn about something culturally significant that's happening, now is the time to do it. Come and ask us," Timothy said.
With the B.C. NDP and B.C. Conservatives neck and neck heading into election day on Saturday, there are also a record number of Independent candidates who — if voted in — could hold the balance of power in a minority government scenario. British Columbians have only elected one Independent MLA in the last 60 years. Vicki Huntington won a seat in 2009 and was re-elected in 2013. But University of the Fraser Valley political scientist Hamish Telford said the situation could be different this election cycle. Of the 40 Independent candidates running, six of them are incumbent MLAs, who carry the benefit of name recognition in their community. "So we've got Independents in this election who I think we could deem to be viable shots at actually winning a riding, which is not normal," Telford said. "They're still long shots, but they are certainly plausible candidates."
Though Bill C-282 has received cross-party federal support in Ottawa, Alberta's provincial government says it's not a backer of the Bloc Québécois legislation that aims to prevent Canada's supply-managed sectors — dairy, poultry and eggs — from being included in future international trade negotiations.
A former Canadian Olympic snowboarder and 15 others are facing criminal charges for allegedly running a drug-trafficking operation that shipped hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia to Canada and used violence — including murder — to achieve the group's goals, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Thursday.